~*~ A/N: We dedicate this chapter to Harry's Lil Bitch! Enjoi. *gives HLB wowwypop and a Sirius plushie and lunchbox* ~*~

Rhiannon walked out onto the porch, softly humming a favourite tune.

"Rachael, sweetie?" She spoke to her teenage daughter who appeared rather comfortable lounging around on the porch swing.

"Rachael?" She sighed. Rachael glanced up at her mother, barely tearing her eyes away from the book she was holding in her hands.

"Rachael?" She spoke for the third time in a tone that suggested she was getting rather pissed off. This time, Rachael actually acknowledged her mother.

"Yes?" She pushed back a strand of her midnight black hair that had come loose from her ponytail.

"C'mon, up you get. There's work to be done" Rachael groaned - an answer that Rhiannon had expected.

"Mum. I'm almost finished the third last chapter and besides, it's way too hot" Rhiannon rolled her eyes.

"Rachael..."

"Muuum...please?"

"There's clothes to be put away"

"Mum!"

"Your rooms getting messy again"

"Can't I do it later?"

"Nope because you have to help me grocery shop later. Come on, off your ass"

Rachael glanced down at her book, then looked over at her mother. "Muuum..pleeeease?" She pleaded, but to no avail.

"Rachael Rhiannon."

"Aww, come on." Rachael got up and walked around the backyard, annoying Rhiannon to no end. Suddenly, Rachael tripped over a lawnmower, which had been sitting on the half-mowed lawn for who knows how long and tore her jeans in the process.

"Holy flying cow shit!" Rhiannon yelled, anger present in her voice. "Why do you have to be so lazy?" She watched her daughter get up of the lawn and glance down at her jeans.

"Oh great, now look.Mum, it's just too hot!" She yelled back, pulling at a few loose threads on her jeans. This was too much for Rhiannon to bare.

"For god's sake! You are just like your god damn father!" This time Rachael offered no comeback but instead she just stared, open-mouthed and wide-eyed at her mother with a look of mingled curiosity and anger.

"Now get in the house and change those jeans, put them in the laundry for me to mend and do something constructive" Rhiannon spoke, a little calmer this time. Rachael ignored her, instead choosing to stay exactly where she was with her hands on her hips, glaring at her mother

"What did you say?" Rachael spoke in a soft tone, though her expression was anything but.

"I said now get in the house and change those jeans, put them in the laundry for me to mend and do something constructive." Rhiannon ignored the obvious and pointed to the door. Rachael took a tiny step towards her.

"No, before that.My father.you never talk about him!"

"What's that supposed to mean, Rachael?"

"Does it mean that if I wasn't here, you wouldn't care about me, either? Would I just be someone you remember sometimes when stuff goes wrong?" Rachael replied, hurriedly and irrationally. Rhiannon just stood there, facing her daughter, a look of shock and surprise plastered on her face with no words to speak.

"You never talk about him" Her daughter repeated. Rhiannon felt her insides flip upside down and her head pound. Rachael had never been as outspoken as this and Rhiannon had no clue how to react.

"So." Was all Rhiannon said in response, causing Rachael to glare at her some more with a look that said 'so.what?' "You are both lazy, I can say that!" Rachael snorted.

"Oh, great! So what? You want me to leave and get off of your back, mum?"

"What?"

"So I should just go then? I bet I'd make your life a whole lot easier!" Rachael said with a tone that couldn't decide if it were sarcastic or serious. When Rhiannon offered no reply, other than a shocked expression, Rachael continued. "Don't think I haven't heard you talk about how much you hate my father when you think no one is listening." The look on Rhiannon's face was one of a person who had just been very deeply hurt. Still, she said nothing. So Rachael went on, this time in a rage.

"Who is he, huh? Why do you hate him? You don't want me, do you? I bet you never did, if I'm as like him as you say I am!"

Rachael's comment caused her mother to burst into tears. Rhiannon sat down on the step she had been standing on and looked into her daughter's eyes.

"Of course I did! I mean, I do! You are not your father, buy you're so much like him and it kills me!"

Rachael paused and thought for a moment, hearing her mother's words replaying. Finally she looked up from the half-mown grass. "Oh, I'm sure." She whispered viciously. " I'm SURE!" The teenager swept past her crying parent and the slam of her bedroom door was heard, from deep inside their house. A torrential downpour of heavy rock music followed the sound of the door slamming shut.

Rhiannon sighed and let her head drop into her hands. " Oh crap."

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It was several hours later when Rachael finally came out of her room with messy hair and a tear stained face. She snuck a quick glance at her mother, who sat in an armchair apparently lost in thought, and resolutely sat down in the armchair that was the furthermost from where Rhiannon sat. She chanced another quick, angry glare before staring at the floor. Rhiannon put down the tissue she'd been absently shredding with her fingers. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, there was a loud, forceful knock at the door.

Mother and daughter simultaneously glanced at the other. Rachael glared at her mother and spoke in a menacing tone.

"I'm not getting it" Rhiannon rolled her eyes at the teen and went to open the door. Not that she needed to, as it slowly began opening of its own accord. Rhiannon stepped back a few paces from her chair, and her expression turned to one of complete shock and total disbelief when she recognized the visitor's face. Dumbledore.

"Enough foolishness ladies"

Rachael had jumped to her feet and stared at this stranger who had randomly barged in and interrupted their somewhat hellish evening. Even though this guy looked amazingly odd, Rachael was glad to have an excuse to leave the room. Sure enough. "Rachael, go to your room please." Rhiannon half asked, half commanded. Rachael obliged, willingly.

When Rachael had left the room, Dumbledore drew up a chintz armchair for himself. "I think there is much we need to discuss." He said gravely, over the top of his half moon glasses.

"I.I'm not sure there is." Rhiannon said shakily, not quite meeting the Wizards eyes.

Dumbledore simply sighed and paused for a moment, before continuing.

"We need to talk about Sirius, Rhiannon" At that moment, Rhiannon's breath caught in her throat and she was almost certain her heart skipped a beat or two.

"Dumbledore." Was all she said, in a discouraging way as not to encourage Dumbledore's conversation to continue. At least not on that topic.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and adjusted his midnight blue robes. " It's time to sort out a few misconceptions about Rachael's father"

Rhiannon stared, her expression completely blank and unsure of what to say. Nevertheless, Dumbledore continued. This time, he looked straight into Rhiannon's eyes, forcing her to listen and realise exactly what he was saying.

"He's innocent Rhiannon. Sirius didn't kill Lily and James"

Rhiannon's mouth opened, closed, and opened again. "That's not...yes, he did! He told their secret, that's as good as" She stumbled with her words, only half believing them.

Dumbledore sighed again and smiled wistfully. "He didn't"

"I ....what........why are you here?" Rhiannon still didn't know what to say to the long time stranger sitting in her loungeroom. She watched his expression turn to one of utter disgust with a hint of anger in his eyes.

"It was Peter, Rhiannon. Peter Pettigrew"

Rhiannon's eyes grew wide, anger forming on her features.

"Peter Pettigrew?" She half whispered in her shock. "Wormtail?"

Dumbledore nodded sadly. Then she lost it.

"The scum! But.why!?"

Dumbledore sent her a look of deep regret as he answered her question. "Sirius figured Voldemort knew that he would be the secret keeper, as he was, so he persuaded Peter to keep the secret instead... not knowing... that Peter was a traitor.."

"And I'm.I'm only finding this out now?" Rhiannon's emotion turned from anger to disgust and shock.

Dumbledore's eyes went a little distant. "Twelve years he was in Azkaban before he escaped."

Rhiannon frowned slightly. Something wasn't quite adding up.

"Was? Escaped? You mean. He's free?"

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed a little. "You hadn't heard?"

Rhiannon shook her head, numbly. She kind of coughed, more to waste time than anything. "But. Why hasn't.." Rhiannon couldn't say anymore.

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "Why hasn't he come to you? Owled you?"

Rhiannon nodded and wiped away a tear.

The old wizard sighed sympathetically. "Do you think that people would actually believe that Peter killed Lily and James when there were thirteen eye witnesses that say that it was Sirius who had betrayed them?" He paused and tapped his fingers together. " They were your best friends too. You can imagine what he thought."

Rhiannon leapt to her feet. "B-but I never truly believed he was responsible for it."

Albus smiled distantly. "I'm sure if he knew that, he'd be overjoyed."

Rhiannon smiled. "Well then I'll tell him! Please Albus, Take me to him!"

Albus flinched. "That's not possible Rhiannon. I'm sorry. He's dead, Rhiannon. He's gone."

Rhiannon clutched wildly at the back of her chair, to keep from falling over. Her head spun madly like a pinwheel and her stomach suddenly felt like ice. Dumbledore stood also and handed an envelope to her.

"I have to go Rhiannon. Please. Read that as soon as possible."

There was a swishing noise as Dumbledore vanished.

Rhiannon took a few steps, not really sure why or where she was going. In her haste, she tripped on the edge of the rug and reeled over, her bad leg giving out. She waved around desperately trying to stay upright, but landed heavily with a thud.

"Mum?! Are you ok?"

Rachael appeared in the doorway and ran over to her mother, kneeling down. "Oh mum. You're bleeding." She gestured to her mother's hand, which had brought down and crushed a fragile glass ornament when she fell. The young girl grabbed tissues and pressed them to the gash and began to sweep up the glass fragments. It was then that Rhiannon let herself cry. Rachael dumped the dustpan and brush on the bench and sat next to her mother on the floor, giving her a hug. "I bet it'll be fine mum, it didn't look too deep." She said encouragingly. Rhiannon pathetically wiped her nose on her sleeve. "It's not my hand sweetie." She said quietly. Rachael inched over, closer to her mum. "W-what is it? M-mum?" she questioned, looking scared. Rhiannon took a deep breath and exhaled a few times. Finally she look straight into those grey eyes that looked painfully familiar. "Your father, he died."

Rachael wasn't really too sure to react. She'd never ever heard anything good about him. But he WAS her father after all... Her mixed emotions swum around in her head. Perhaps it was that she still resented her mother for yelling at her earlier, which made her pick the less desirable option. She pulled away from her mother who was crying silently, in a daze.

"Oh well. The world's got one less criminal now, right? Is that a bad thing?" She said lightly standing and offering her mother a hand up.

Rhiannon glared, snapping out of her daze. "How DARE you."

Rachael rolled her eyes. "But he was a murderer -."

Rhiannon somehow pulled herself up. "He was innocent. It's been proven."

Her blue eyes were icy and Rachael had never seen her so mad. She grabbed her crutch from against the wall and stood upright. "There's food in the fridge. Make yourself something. I'm going to bed." Rhiannon stalked off towards her room. As she was about to close the door, she turned around and yelled back to her daughter.

"Oh and there's a letter for you. Read it" She spoke without her usual warmness, indicating the little wooden table beside her chair, which had what Dumbledore gave her sitting there. Rachael simply stared at her mother, unsure of what to make of the past few minutes, let alone the rest of the night. Rhiannon seemed to take no notice of her, as in the next moment her door slammed rather loudly. When Rhiannon was behind closed doors, she collapsed on her bed, curling up in a ball. She stayed like that for a few moments before reaching for her pillow and soaking it with fresh tears.

It was a little over an hour later before Rhiannon sat up and dried her eyes. She vaguely wondered what Rachael was doing but it was not more than a passing thought. Rhiannon stood up somewhat involuntarily before kneeling down on her floor. She reached an arm under the bed and pulled out a small, plain, rectangular box, which looked as though it had not moved from its place in quite a long time. Rhiannon looked at it for a small moment, before opening the tattered lid and reaching inside to pull out one of the very few items that it contained.

"Mum! What the hell is Hogwarts?" Rachael had chosen that rather inconvenient moment to barge into her mother's room. Rhiannon sighed and turned to face her daughter.

"It's a school, Rachael. I went there and you have to-"

"Never mind that!" She interrupted. "What.who.?" Rhiannon was confused for a spilt second before she glanced at whatever it was that puzzled her daughter more than a letter from some school she'd never heard of.

"Come here, Rachael" Rachael did as she was told, sitting next to her mother and looked closely at the object Rhiannon held in her hands. It was a photo. A rather torn and not very recent type of photo, but a photo none the less.

"That's him isn't, mum?" Rhiannon nodded, a faint smile showing through her grief. Rachael stared at the picture of Sirius, from Lily and James's wedding. Finally she spoke. "He looks friendly." Rhiannon nodded. "He was a wonderful person. No matter what anyone says." Rachael waited for a moment, as if waiting for her mother to continue. When Rhiannon said nothing, Rachael gave her a hug. "Night Mum." She said softly, leaving her parental to reminisce. The young girl smiled with eyes teary. "I guess we can talk about Hogwarts tomorrow." She left the room.