Chapter Seventeen: Without a Trace.

Early the next morning, Ursa was awakened by the warm sunshine streaming through the window.  Rubbing her eyes, she got out of bed, pulled on her dressing gown and ambled downstairs to the kitchen.

Richard was seated at the table, engrossed in the newspaper.

'Morning Richard.' Ursa yawned.

'Good morning,' Richard said cheerfully.  He seemed to be in a very pleasant mood.

Ursa looked round the kitchen.

'Where's Mum?'

'Oh, she's gone to see her workmates,' he said, smiling.  'Something important came up last night and she had to dash.  She said she'd try to get back this morning.'

Ursa returned the smile nervously.  Hesitating, she asked, 'Did you hear anything last night?'

Richard looked up sharply, his smile wavering.

'No.  Why do you ask?'

'Just thought I heard something,' she mumbled, shrugging her shoulders.  'Sounded like someone yelling but I couldn't really hear it, like it was really far away.'

'I didn't hear anything,' said Richard in a firm tone.  'It was properly just a dream.'

'I suppose so.'

Taking the seat furthest from Richard, Ursa ate her breakfast in silence.  As soon as she'd finished, she hurried back upstairs.  She knocked softly on Sirius' door.

'Siri?  Are you awake?'

She knocked again and pressed her ear to the door.  The room was silent.  Thinking he must still be asleep, Ursa went back to her own room and got dressed.  When she went back downstairs, it was to find that her mother had returned.  Andromeda was positively beaming, talking excitedly with Richard as he poured out two glasses of champagne.

'There you are!'  Andromeda practically leapt off her chair and swept Ursa up in a hug.  'I've got the most wonderful news!'

'What is it?  What's happened?'  Ursa regained her footing, smiling up at her mother.

'It's what going to happen,' said Richard.  'Your mother is a very intelligent woman, and, I believe, has created something of a medical miracle. I think that calls for a celebration.'  He held up the bottle.  'Would you like a glass?'

'Richard, she's only thirteen,' said Andromeda, trying to sound stern, though she was still smiling.

'I'll be fourteen soon,' Ursa protested.

'Come on, Ann,' chided Richard.  'This is an important day, why can't she try a little?'

At the pleading look on Ursa's face, Andromeda sighed.

'Okay, but only a little bit.'

'Excellent,' said Richard, and he set another glass on the table.

'Ursa, you go and get Sirius out of bed.  He'll want to hear this too,' said Andromeda excitedly.

Ursa nodded and went back upstairs.  She knocked loudly on the door.

'Sirius!  Mum's home – she wants us downstairs.  She – '

Pushing open the door, Ursa stopped in mid-sentence.

The room was empty.  The bedclothes were dishevelled and the window wide open, but Sirius wasn't there.  Feeling a bit silly talking to an empty room, Ursa went down the landing to the bathroom.  But the bathroom door was open; no one was there.

'Sirius?' Ursa called, heading back down the landing.  There was no answer.

Going back downstairs, she stuck her head into the living room.  Sirius wasn't there either.  Puzzled, Ursa returned to the kitchen.

'Mum, I can't find him,' she said.  'He's not in his room.'

'Did you check the bathroom?'

'Yes, he's not there.'

'Have either of you seen him this morning?' asked Andromeda.

Both Richard and Ursa shook their heads.

'I've been up since six and I haven't seen him,' said Richard.

'He must be over at Mrs. Fennel's,' she said slowly.  'We'll give him a few minutes.'

But a few minutes passed.  Then ten minutes … then twenty.

Andromeda sighed impatiently.

'I'm just going to pop across the road,' she said, walking out into the hallway and out of the front door.

Over at her neighbour's house, Andromeda rang the doorbell.  The door opened and two little girls with large brown eyes peeked out.

'Hello you two,' said Andromeda, smiling kindly at them.  'Is your mummy up?'

Almost on cue, Mrs. Fennel came striding down the hall.

'How many times have I told you two?  Don't open the door if you don't know who it is.  Oh, hello, Andromeda, how are you?'

'I'm fine, Irene, but I can't stop.  I just came over to fetch Sirius.'

Mrs. Fennel looked confused.

'Sirius?  I'm afraid he's not here.'

'He isn't?' said Andromeda, frowning.

'I haven't seen him for a while actually.  Not since … well, since he and Richard had that little misunderstanding,' she said awkwardly.  'How are things between you and Sirius?'

Andromeda heaved a sigh, shaking her head.

'To be honest, I have no earthly clue.  When your girls reach their teens you'll understand how difficult they can be.  Well, if you see him, could you tell him to get back home; I need to have a few words with him.'

Mrs. Fennel assured her that she would.

'He's probably just out for a walk,' she said.  'Poor boy's been cooped up for so long, not being able to see his friends.'

'His friends,' Andromeda repeated, suspicion evident in her tone.  She frowned darkly.  'I'll bet he's gone off to see them.  Irene, would you mind if I used your fireplace, if it's not too much trouble?  I'm afraid Richard's …' She gestured over her shoulder at her house.

'Not at all, you go right ahead.'  Mrs. Fennel stepped aside to let her inside.

Kneeling on the hearth, Andromeda took a pinch of Floo powder and sprinkled it into the crackling fire.  The flames turned green, then she closed her eyes and stuck her head into the fire, calling, 'Potters' residence.'

A warm wind blew across her face and when she next opened her eyes, she was looking out into a spacious kitchen full of the smell of sizzling bacon.  Ian Potter was seated at the table.  He glanced up at the fire.  A smile graced his handsome face.

'Andromeda, how nice to see you again.' He put down his coffee and stood up.

'Morning, Ian.  I'm sorry to just burst in like this, so early in the morning,' she said apologetically,  'but I was wondering if you'd seen Sirius.'

'Sirius?  No, of course not.  I was under the impression you'd forbidden him to see James for the rest of the summer.'

'That rule still stands,' she replied curtly,  'which is why I'm calling to make sure that he isn't with you.'

Ian frowned.

'You don't know where he is?'

'No, he's gone off without saying anything.'

'Well, hang on a minute, I'll ask James if he's seen him.'

Going out into the hallway, Ian called up the stairs for his son.  James came traipsing down the stairs.

'Yeah, Dad?'

'James, is Sirius here?'

James paused, looking at his father's stern expression with mild confusion.

'No,' he answered slowly.  'Why?'

'His mother's on the Floo, she's asking if we've seen him.  Have you heard from Sirius lately?'

James shook his head.

'No.  Not for ages.'

Satisfied, Ian went back to the kitchen fire.

'Sorry, James doesn't know where he is.'

'Okay, but if Sirius does turn up – '

'I'll make sure he goes straight home,' said Ian.

Nodding her thanks, Andromeda withdrew from the fire.  James stood in the doorway.

'Dad?  Is Sirius okay?'

'I should think so.  If Sirius does arrive, you let me know, alright?  His mother is not pleased with him – he's wandered off without saying anything.'

James nodded, his gaze lingering on the fire, and wondering.

*

'Well, he's not with Irene and he isn't at James' house,' said Andromeda, storming back into the kitchen.  'I called the Lupins but they haven't seen him and I couldn't get hold of the Pettigrews.'  She sighed and sat down heavily.  'I don't believe this; where is he?'

'I wouldn't worry, Ann,' said Richard.  'Stupid boy's just fooling around.  He has to come back at some point.'

'Well, when he does, he'll be in big trouble,' she said darkly. 

Though they'd had a look round the kitchen and Sirius' bedroom, there wasn't a note anywhere to explain his whereabouts.

As the day wore on and Sirius still hadn't returned, Andromeda's anger gradually turned into concern, and then, as evening came, panic.

'Where is he?' she muttered, looking out of the living room window, peering up and down the darkening street.

'Don't worry, Ann,' said Richard placidly, for what must have been the fifteenth time that day.  'I'm sure he's on his way back right now.'

'That's what you said an hour ago,' Andromeda murmured under her breath.  She shook her head.  'He can't have just disappeared into thin air.  Something's happened, I'm sure of it.  Oh, Richard, what if he's been hurt?  What if he's been kidnapped?'

'Now, Ann – '

'Richard, it happens!' she cried, her voice rising shrilly.  'Children vanish without trace and are never seen again – I've read about it in the papers!  They disappear and nobody ever knows what's happened to them –'

Shaking from head to foot, Andromeda collapsed into the nearest chair, her hand over her mouth.  Eyes full of concern, Richard crouched beside her and took her hand.

'Ann, please, there's no need to get yourself into such a state.'

'My son is missing!'  Andromeda shrieked, staring incredulously at him. 

'Yes, yes, I know, just please calm down, Ann.  Panicking never helped anyone do anything.  I sincerely doubt that he's been kidnapped,' Richard chuckled dismissively,  'but if you're really that worried then I can go out and have a drive around the area; see if I can find him.'

Andromeda gazed up at him, a watery smile flittering across her pale face.

'Would you?  Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you.'

'Alright then, I'll be back in an hour … or as soon as I find him.'

'And I'll call the police,' said Andromeda, getting up.

Richard frowned.

'The police?  Whatever for?'

Andromeda spun round, staring at Richard like he'd grown another head.

'Richard, they ought to be informed when someone goes missing.  They can help look for Sirius.'

'Ann, I don't think you can declare someone missing unless they've been gone for over twenty-four hours.'

'He's been gone long enough,' she snapped.  'I'm calling the police.'

'Fine, fine,' Richard sighed, holding up his hands in mock surrender.  'I'll be back later.'

Andromeda waited for Richard to leave the house.  The moment his Volkswagen had pulled out of the driveway, she hurried off back to the living room.  Setting up the fireplace, she pulled a small pouch of Floo powder from her pocket.  Throwing a fistful into the fire, she shouted, 'Ministry of Magic!'

A nasally voice, followed by the heavily made-up face of a middle-aged woman, came through the fire.

'Good evening, Ministry of Magic, may I help you?'

'Magical Law Enforcement Department, please,' said Andromeda breathlessly.

'Certainly, please hold,' said the cheery woman.  The fire crackled and she vanished from sight.  In moments, a new face had materialised; a young man with short blond hair.

Good evening madam,' he said pleasantly.  'How can I help you?'

Wringing her hands, Andromeda struggled to keep her voice steady.

'I need to report a missing person,' she croaked.  'It's my son; he's disappeared …'

*

Within minutes of alerting the Ministry, two representatives from the Law Enforcement Department had arrived.  It was a credit to the Ministry, how fast their response times were.  What was less of a credit was the attitude of some of their employees.

The first officer, a young man with bright brown eyes and a face covered in freckles, introduced himself as Howard Sanders, offering Andromeda a friendly handshake as he stepped through the fireplace.  However, his pleasant demeanour was overshadowed by the man who followed him into Andromeda's living room, one Reginald Adler, whose face wouldn't have looked out of place on the rooftop of a cathedral.

After inviting them to sit down, Andromeda went to make a cup of tea to calm her nerves.  Sanders perked up at the offer but Adler coldly declined.   Doing her best to settle down in her chair, Andromeda clutched her mug tightly as Adler immediately began to question her.  Sanders leant over the coffee table, scribbling furiously on his parchment as Andromeda gave them a description of her son and answered Adler's questions as best she could.  When did she realise that Sirius was missing?  When did she last see him?  What was he wearing? Did she have any idea where he may have gone?

Adler's stolid face remained blank of any emotion throughout the interview, not taking his dark eyes off Andromeda as she spoke of her fear for her son's safety.

'He's never just taken off like this,' she sniffed.  'I think he may have been kidnapped.'

'I see,' said Adler, his tone flat.  'Ms Black, for what reason do you think your son may have been kidnapped?  Do you have any enemies?'

Andromeda shook her head.

'No.  I don't.'  She paused; her brow furrowed in thought, then firmly shook her head again.

Adler raised an eyebrow.

'Ms Black, I understand that you and your husband are divorced?'

'How do you know that?' Andromeda glanced up in surprise.

'I've worked with your ex-husband on a number of occasions.' Adler's mouth twitched in what Andromeda assumed was a smile, then continued.  'How long have you been separated?'

'Nearly four years.'

'And does Sirius keep in contact with his father?  Do they get along?'

'They get along very well, as far as I'm aware,' said Andromeda.  'They write to each other … spend weekends and holidays together when they can … granted it's not very often, but they've remained close.'

'I see … and has your ex-husband been informed of the situation?'

'No, not yet.'  Pulling a tissue from her pocket, she delicately blew her nose.

Adler fell silent, his brow wrinkling as he pondered this.  Sanders shyly glanced up at Andromeda, and offered her a dry tissue.  She smiled her thanks just as Adler got to his feet.

'I'd like to take a look at the boy's room, if I may?'

'Yes, certainly, it's upstairs, first door on the left.' 

The inspection of Sirius' room was swift but thorough.  Adler circled the room without touching anything, his sharp eyes taking everything in, from the open window to the cat hair on the carpet.  He opened up the wardrobe and asked Andromeda if anything looked as though it were missing.  She glanced at the contents and shook her head, Sanders was still scribbling on the parchment as he doggedly followed Adler around the room.  Adler spent a bit of time at the window, peering down into the garden.

Andromeda wasn't sure of what to make of this, so she decided to ask.  Adler fixed her with a penetrating stare.

'Ms Black, while I find the notion of a kidnapping most dreadful, I must consider alternative explanations before proceeding.'

'Alternatives?' repeated Andromeda, not comprehending.  'What sort of alternatives?'

'Ms Black, does your son have a habit of going off without letting you know where he's going?'

Andromeda considered.

'Well, he doesn't always say where he's going, but he's always let me know when he's going out.  He's never just taken off without saying anything to me.'

'I take it that none of his friends know where he is?'

'I called them as soon as I knew Sirius wasn't here.  He's been grounded for this past week, you see, and I thought he may have sneaked off to see them but none of them have seen him.'

'Hmm,' said Adler.

'Sirius isn't a bad child,' insisted Andromeda, 'he's just very headstrong.  Sirius hasn't been getting along with my fiancé recently because he went to see his friends without asking Richard's permission, which is why he's been grounded.  Sirius wouldn't have gone off like this, not for this long.  I just know something's happened to him.'

Adler and Sanders exchanged a glance. 

'Ms Black, I don't wish to appear unsympathetic,' said Adler gruffly.  'But I'm afraid it's not very likely that your boy has been kidnapped.'

'What?' Andromeda blinked, staring with watery eyes.  'Officer, I know that Sirius isn't so foolish as to go off with someone that he doesn't know.  He's a very intelligent young man,' she snapped, starting to feel angry.  'He would not have gone with anyone of his own free will.'

'Unless he knew the person,' said Adler pointedly.  'I'm not undermining his intelligence, but if he hasn't gone off with a stranger then it stands to reason that he may have gone with someone he knows.  A family member, for instance.'

Andromeda's mouth fell open, in horror and confusion, at the implication.

'What are you saying?  That Orion's kidnapped Sirius?' 

'It's not unusual for the 'distant' parent to remove a child from the care of their ex without consent, I'm sorry to say.  We're not accusing him,' he added swiftly, seeing the look on Andromeda's face, 'it's simply a line of inquiry that we need to follow up.'

'I don't believe for one minute that Orion would do such a thing,' Andromeda said hotly.  'Obviously we don't get along anymore but I know him well enough to know that he would never concede to such a ludicrous idea.  He's a member of one of your squads for crying out loud!'

Adler's lack of facial expression was really starting to grate her nerves.  Adler breathed a sigh and said as patiently as he could, 'Madam, I know it does seem out of character for Orion; believe me, I have had the pleasure of meeting him, but I cannot rule out the possibility purely on the basis of where he works.  Now, another factor is that Sirius is a sixteen-year-old boy – not a typical kidnap victim.'

'That hardly rules out the possibility,' snapped Andromeda.

Adler cleared his throat loudly, irked at the interruption, and then carried on.

'Victims of kidnappers are often very young children, whilst older victims are almost always female.  You often find that the child wasn't being supervised and has either wandered off or has been led away by a stranger.  In the case of a teenager walking alone, a common scenario would be that they are attacked from behind,' (Andromeda went very pale) 'or sometimes they can be snatched into a vehicle or 'befriended' by a stranger who takes them away.  Now, seeing as you are certain that your son has enough sense not to be too chummy with a complete stranger, it points to either someone he knows … or a case of a runaway teenager.'

'Runaway teenager?'  Andromeda's voice rose shrilly.  A short laugh burst forth from her mouth in disbelief.  'I don't believe that anymore than I suspect my ex-husband of kidnap.  Why would Sirius run away?'

'I'd like to hear your answer to that,' said Adler bluntly.  'Do you know of any reason that may have caused him to run away from home?'

Andromeda looked affronted.

'No, I can't think of any reason why he would do such a thing.'

'Have there been any arguments recently?  Have you noticed any changes in his behaviour?  Has he ever mentioned anything about going somewhere else?'

'No, I don't think so.  He doesn't get along with my fiancé very well … I guess that's hardly a surprise, but there haven't been any recent arguments as far as I'm aware.'

'But there have been arguments before?'

'Yes.  Richard, my fiancé, forbade Sirius to see his friends after they turned up here in the middle of the night; I assume it was to play some sort of prank on Richard.  That was over a week ago.'  She shook her head.  'I'm sure he hasn't runaway.' But there was a nervous quiver to her voice.

'There is the fact that none of your son's clothes are missing, which suggests that this is a 'spur-of-the-moment' decision.  It's unlikely to have been pre-planned.'

'So there is still a chance that he's been kidnapped?' said Andromeda.

'We'll keep an open-mind about that one,' said Adler, again giving the mouth-twitch smile.  'In the meantime, we'll alert everyone to be on the lookout for your boy and have a word with your ex-husband.  I'm sure he'll turn up safe and sound soon enough.'

Andromeda folded her arms, shaking with a mixture of anxiety and anger.

'Why do I get the feeling you aren't taking this seriously?' she asked, making every effort to keep her voice steady.

Sanders bit his lip, casting a sidelong glace at Adler, who frowned.

'Madam, I understand that you're upset – '

'No, I don't think you do,' said Andromeda, her eyes narrowing.  'Do you have children?'

'Yes.'

'How old are they?'

'Twenty-two and Twenty-five.'

'I see.  Tell me, if either of them disappeared without a trace would you be worried about them?  Do you think they would just turn up safe and sound, and not be at all concerned for their welfare?  Would you?'  Standing with her hands on her hips, Andromeda glared up at the frowning face of the officer before her.  Sanders slowly edged away, keeping his eyes on his parchment.  'I sincerely doubt that a child's sex and age makes any difference when they vanish, leaving their parent to fear the worst.  My child is missing and I want him to come home safely.  Now, are you going to look for him, or are you going to waste time on stupid paperwork and procedures?'

Flustered, Adler puffed out his chest.

'Please, madam, I did not mean to offend you … we'll do all we can to bring your boy home.'

'Good,' said Andromeda shortly, still looking daggers at him.  From behind his back, Sanders was trying to hide a smirk.

After taking the names and addresses of Sirius' friends and his father's address, Andromeda showed Adler and Sanders back to the fireplace.  Adler went through first, a very disgruntled expression on his face, vanishing in a swirl of green flame.  Sanders held back, turning to Andromeda.

'He does mean it,' he said softly, 'about finding your son.  Adler's just a grumpy twat with no people skills, but he's good at what he does.'

Andromeda nodded, managing a small smile.

'Thank you.  I shouldn't have been so blunt but …' she trailed off, her eyes watering once more.  'I'm just so worried about Sirius.  If something's happened to him …'

Sanders shifted awkwardly but offered a reassuring smile.

'Try not to think the worst.  Things are rarely as bad as they first seem.  We'll do all we can.'

Andromeda smiled, hurried wiping away a tear.

'I'll let you know immediately if we find anything.'

Nodding her thanks, Andromeda offered him the Floo powder.  Taking care not to drop any on the carpet, Sanders sprinkled it into the fire and stepped through, returning to the Ministry in a roar of flame.

The room empty once more, Andromeda sank into the nearest armchair to wait, gazing out of window at the night sky.  Not a single star could be seen.

*

Moony,

Still no news.  Dad says they haven't found anything yet.  Every time I hear a dog barking in the neighbourhood, I keep looking around, expecting to see him.  I'm sure if Sirius has skipped out he'll try to meet up with one of us.  If he turns up at your house, send Tally back a.s.a.p.  No sign of him here yet.

Let Lily and Wormtail know.

Prongs.

*

Wormtail,

Keep your eyes and ears open for any news on Sirius.  I know it's not very likely he's going to show up on your doorstep since you're furthest away, but then again, Sirius does have a habit of doing the unexpected.  Let us know if you hear anything. 

Moony

Lily,

I don't know if you've heard but Sirius is missing.  No one has seen him since yesterday.  His mum thinks he's been kidnapped but personally I think Richard has something to do with this.  Keep an eye out, won't you?  Send Tally back if you hear anything.

Moony

*

Dear James,

Remus told me about Sirius.  What is the Ministry doing about it??  I don't get the Daily Prophet – really wish I did now – but you will let me know if there's any news, right?   Just a thought; do the Muggle police know? And I know people are on the lookout for a sixteen-year-old boy but maybe we ought to be keeping an eye out for 'Padfoot' as well.  I'll see if I can find anything in the Lost and Found column of the local papers, just in case.

Love Lily

Prongs,

Aren't the Ministry doing what they can already?  An officer turned up this morning, asking if I knew where Sirius was but I don't know any more than you do.  Besides, what can we do?  We're so far apart and the owls aren't all that quick; they take at least a day to travel between us.

Wormtail.

*

Dear Lily,

The Ministry are doing what they can.  My dad says they're checking with the Knight Buses and the Floo Network to see if they can trace Sirius' magical signature that way, to see if he's used them recently.  No results from that just yet, but my dad says he'll check as often as he can.  I don't know if the Muggle police know, but the newspapers are a good idea.  I've had a look in the Daily Prophet but no luck there.  Let Moony know so he can check those in his area.

Love James.

Wormtail,

Our friend is missing.  I want to find him.  If you care about him, make yourself useful.  Get hold of some Muggle newspapers; see if anyone's found a big black dog recently. 

Prongs.

*

Dear Remus,

Still haven't heard anything.  James wants us to search Muggle newspapers for dogs that have been found – if Sirius has run away then he'll probably want to travel fast without being recognised.  I'm going to have a look round local animal shelters as well.  Are there any where you are?  Keep me posted.

From Lily

Prongs,

Sorry, I didn't mean for that last letter to sound quite that pessimistic, I'm just trying to be realistic.  If Sirius doesn't want to be found, then we're not likely to find him.  He'll turn up when he wants to.  Although if Richard does have something to do with this, shouldn't we tell the Ministry about what we know? 

Wormtail

PS – No sign of any dogs where I am, black or otherwise.

*

James lay on his bed, rereading Peter's last letter.  Sighing heavily, he rolled it up and rested his head on his arms.  The calendar on the wall opposite had four red ink marks struck through the last few days.  It had been four whole days since Sirius had gone missing.  Four days without any sign of him or any progress made in the search.  James slowly reached up with his quill to draw another line over today's date.

'Five days, Padfoot,' James mumbled, his eyes straying to the framed photograph on the bedside table.  The four Marauders and Lily waved up at him, all scrawled on the couch in the Gryffindor common room.  There wasn't quite enough room for the five of them, so the photographic images of James and Sirius were animatedly shoving from either end, squashing everyone in the middle in the hope of pushing each other off the end.  The photo-Sirius went tumbling out of sight, reappearing moments later armed with a cushion and promptly started a pillow fight.

James sighed.  Where had his best friend gone?  How had he vanished without trace?  Was he okay?  Why hadn't he contacted any of them?  James had spent several days watching out for Cosmic in the hopes that the little cat would come baring another message.  But nothing had turned up.  Not one hint of his whereabouts.  The Ministry had found nothing.

Sirius had well and truly disappeared.

Glancing out of his bedroom window, James looked to the starry sky above.  The moon had just moved out of its full phase, now gradually starting to wane.  Against the velvety blackness of the sky, the stars glowed brilliantly.

Miles away, watching the same cluster of stars, was Ursa.  Leaning out of her bedroom window, she gazed up at the heavens with hollow eyes and dry tear streaks running down her cheeks.  Cosmic lay on the sill, unusually quiet and still, his eyes downcast.  The cat made no sound as Ursa ran her hand robotically over his fur.

She did not move when a soft knocking sounded on her door, not when Andromeda crept into the room.

'Ursa?'

Cosmic lifted his head and blinked up at motionless girl, but Ursa did not react.  Her sombre eyes remained locked on the sky.

'Ursa, it's past midnight.  You ought to go to bed,' said her mother tentatively.

'I'm not sleepy,' said Ursa, tonelessly.

Andromeda sighed.

'Please, Ursa, you need to get some rest.'

Still, Ursa remained standing at the window, as she had done for the past few nights.  Andromeda feared that she might have to resort to using a Sleeping Draught to get her daughter to rest.  Ursa had barely slept since Sirius had disappeared and she had barely spoken.

Andromeda moved to stand behind Ursa, putting an arm round her shoulders.

'They'll find him,' she said, softly.  'I know they will.'

Ursa dropped her gaze.  Cosmic rubbed up against her hand.

'I know you miss him, we all do,' said Andromeda, feeling her eyes welling with tears again.  She hurriedly wiped them away, not wanting to show how upset she really was.  She had to be strong for her daughter's sake.  'But I also know that Sirius wouldn't want you to make yourself sick.  Come on now, try to go to sleep.'  Gently, she drew Ursa away from the open window.

Ursa made not the slightest objection, allowing herself to be tucked into bed.  She lay there, eyes drawn back to the window, not even acknowledging her mother's good night kiss.  Andromeda stepped back, gazing down on her miserable child.  Nothing she said or did made the slightest difference.  Ursa missed her brother terribly, that was plain enough, and the only thing that was going to alleviate her fears was Sirius' return.  But, with every passing day, the hope that Sirius would be found was fading little by little.  The longer a child was missing, the more a parent feared the worse, creating more devastating scenarios in their mind, each more distressing than the last.

But what could a mother possibly say to her only other child, in a situation like that?

Unable to think of anything else to say, comforting or not, Andromeda slowly left the room, knowing that she too, was going to face yet another sleepless night.  The bedroom door closed.  Ursa sat up and pulled her stuffed panda down from the shelf.  Its glittering fur sparkled in the starlight as she looked at it.  Holding it close, Ursa lay back down, her eyes once again on the sky outside.

The star she spent the last few nights staring at shone weakly from amongst its fellows.

Silhouetted against the stars, Cosmic sat motionless on the ledge.  He was still there when Ursa finally drifted off in the early hours of the morning, and there he stayed until daybreak.

*

To Be Continued

*

Author's Notes.

Christy – I can't believe it's nearly done.  Only three more chapters!  Where did the time go??  I was supposed to have got a lot further on my next fic by now, but it's still not completely plotted!  *sigh*  There'll be a lot of short fics going up in the mean time; some of which I've been meaning to write for ages.

Sweet A.K – Thank you very much! ^_^

Zorro x – Thanks for saying so; hope to see you back.

Jumpingjellybean – Your French is excused *laughs*  Although I'm sure everyone is using the same word to describe Richard.  You want something awful to happen to him?  Hmm, I'll think about it. *evil cackle*  And thank you very much for reviewing twice. ^_^

Black Rose9 – Will Richard ever find out?  Well, there's only another three chapters to go, so you'll find out soon enough.

Nie Starwhistler – Thank you!

Orion-San – Hi again!  I was wondering where you'd gone.  Good to have you here, Orion!

Quiteona – You were staying up until 1:30 in the morning, two nights in a row to read my fic?!  *Voltora stares in amazement*  Wow.   Thank you!!!!   Jeez, you must like it a lot!    Unfortunately, apart from this chapter (17) Lily and the other Marauders won't show up again until the final chapter.  They were never going to play a huge part in this.  But I'm glad that you agree with my portrayal of Peter; I feel like he needs to be shown in a more positive light every once in a while to remind people that he was once a Marauder and a good friend.

November 14th was the original 'end' post-date for Heart of a Star, but that was messed up when I couldn't get onto the site to post the third chapter, so I got behind by a week.  So the final chapter (assuming I can post the last few chapters without a problem) will be posted on November 21st instead.

Yes, it is pointless to beg me to post more often – doesn't stop some people though!  I do try to stick to making a regular post, and I now only ever post a completed fic.  I hate not knowing how it's going to end.  I made such a mess of my first fic; changing my mind and amending the storyline, but posting each chapter as I wrote it – madness.  The result was a very messy, plot lacking, grammar minefield!  So I re-plotted it, whipped it into shape, found a Beta reader, and reposted 'Tell No Lies'.  I got a much better result second time round, so I learnt my lesson.  Plan ahead and post fics only when they are ready.  (Another reason is to avoid discontinuing the fic – it drives me up the wall when authors do that to a really good fic that I'm reading!)

As for the time that I post; it varies slightly.  Earliest time would be about five (UK time) and I'd try not to post any later than ten.  But normally, I get the chapter posted at around six or seven.   If for some reason, I can't post on Friday evening, I'd try again on Saturday morning, but I've never had to resort to that yet, I'm pleased to say.  ^_^

Thank you very much for reading!!

Semmel – In response to your e-mail, whilst I'm very impressed with your theory, regretfully I have to say that you are not right.   However, I will say that you are an awful lot closer than anyone else with guess.  You're on the right sort of lines – I'm getting worried that you'll suddenly work it all out before the next chapter! ^_^  (And I appreciate that you didn't post it on the review page; very considerate of you.)