It was awhile later when the back doors of the semi cracked open again. Another woman looked in, her eyes widening as she caught sight of Sirius.

"Dear God. It is you Sirius." she exclaimed.

Sirius saluted cheekily and Annikaya handed him back his wand.

The woman held out her hand to Annikaya. "Rosalind Daily."

"Annikaya Horn."

"You're looking remarkably non-dead." Rosalind commented.

"So I've been told."

"Let's finish this at headquarters, shall we?"

"Floo powder?" Sirius asked. "Annikaya can't apparate."

"Floo? I wish! With the anti-magic barrier the floo gets disrupted. But Tonks managed to score us a port-key."

"Tonks?" Sirius looked vaguely surprised.

"Yeah. She's pretty high up with the ministry now. Her metamorphmagus abilities put her in high demand these days. The muggles can't keep track of her."

Annikaya hadn't been getting much sense out of the conversation but she did know what they both intended when Rosalind held out an old, folded up newspaper.

"Sirius, that isn't like the potato chip bag, is it?"

For a moment Sirius looked confused but then he grinned. "Sorry Annikaya."

"I hate those things!" Annikaya said passionately, remembering what got her into this whole mess in the first place. Rosalind looked at her questioningly. "Bad experience."

Regardless, they all took hold of the newspaper and disappeared. They reappeared in a brightly lit flat.

"Not Grimmauld Place?" Sirius asked, a relieved expression on his face.

Rosalind waved a hand dismissively. "That place was sold ages ago." She led them to the cozy looking couches and indicated they should sit. "I was in the throne room when you were brought in, so I heard what happened to you two. I'll try to answer as many questions as I can."

"We're looking for the veil. Berlin Bear said you knew about it." Annikaya said.

"Its full title is the Veil of Lethe. Several years ago Nevaria managed to get the location of the ministry and attacked it. She made of with a lot of stuff the ministry didn't have time to apparate out with. Frankly, none of our people wanted to touch the thing and were all hoping Nevaria'd fall through."

Annikaya frowned but she didn't say anything. She could understand both sides too well. But of course, she could afford to be objective.

"Anyway, I'm afraid you're out of luck there. She's got everything that so much as makes her sneeze locked up tighter than the crown jewels."

Sirius frowned and asked another question. "How's Harry?"

Annikaya detected the uncertain note in his voice.

"Potter? He's fine. Those anti-magic barriers have been pretty useful when hit comes to him."

"Rosalind..." Annikaya spoke up hesitantly. "Can you tell me more about Nevaria's fiancé? Berlin Bear told us he might not have died."

Rosalind looked a bit surprised at the question. "Sure. His name was Marcus Elgin. As for him not actually being dead, well, it's hard to tell. There were about a hundred people in that particular theater that night. Investigators managed to find traces of all the rest that died except for him. Nevaria swore he'd been beside her before the attack and that she'd seen his dead body after. Nobody ever found the body though."

"Do you think the Death Eaters took his body for some reason? Or he faked it?" Sirius asked.

"No one knows. It seems a bit out of character though for the Death Eaters to want a body."

"Why did they attack there?" Annikaya asked. "I mean, it's not like a theater has any military significance. And I can't imagine too many wizards were out seeing a movie."

Rosalind shifted uncomfortably. "They were only after one specific wizard. However, the theater was more important than you could guess. It didn't hurt anything vital but it did inspire a lot of fear and it killed a lot of muggles. He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named hates muggles." "Oh." Annikaya hadn't known that the dark lord hated muggles.

"Do we know who actually led the attack?" Sirius continued.

Rosalind nodded. "Pettigrew. Unfortunately for him and very fortunately for us, Remus Lupin killed him not too long after that."

Sirius' face was dark and his words came out clipped. "Good."

Rosalind grinned. "Oh yes. We all threw him a party. Job well done and all that."

There was a sudden pop behind them as someone apparated in. It was a rather vague looking man who was looking around rather bemused. "Oh, hello Sirius. Heard you were back. Has anyone seen my notes? Seem to have left them here last night. Oh, there they are." He turned his attention back to Sirius. "Dreadfully sorry we sold your place ol' pal. Can't say I miss your mother though. Noisy woman."

"That's alright. Never liked the place much myself. Did me a favor." Sirius replied.

The other man looked pleased. "Quite right. Be seeing you then. Or maybe not." He disapparated as suddenly as he had come. Annikaya noticed he'd forgotten his notes again.

"Anyway, I'll bet if you two could find Marcus that Nevaria'd sort of owe you. Maybe enough to give you a peak at the veil." Rosalind concluded.

They brainstormed that afternoon and evening where they might find Marcus and where they should start to look. Sirius had the most ideas since he was more familiar with the places Death Eaters or runaways frequented.

The next morning they bit Rosalind a polite goodbye and started on their way. Since Annikaya couldn't apparate and they didn't want to bother Tonks again, they took the Knight Bus. Annikaya informed Sirius as they departed that she approved of the bright purple paint job and the gold lettering all over the windshield. Then she fell quiet, trying to assimilate the sights that were so common place in Diagon Alley.

"And all of this is outlawed?" she asked incredulously. "It's...it's wonderful! How could anyone not want this?"

A small group of goblins walked by and her eyes followed them briefly before flitting away to watch an excited child soaring down the street on his broom, his mother trying frantically to get him to come back.

"Keep that up and your eyes will pop out." Sirius told her with a smile as they began walking down the street. It was slow progress making their way down the streets both because they were crowded and because Annikaya would frequently stop to look. Finally Sirius pulled her into one little store. There were stacks of small boxes everywhere and the air had that particular dustiness of old libraries. From the back room an older man came out. He eyed Annikaya up and down professionally.

"Hmmm." A roll of measuring tape unfolded itself and begin flying frantically about her, almost tying itself in knots. The man waited for it to finish and then handed Annikaya one of the boxes. "Just flick it gently." he told her as she lifted the lid.

"It won't explode, or shoot sparks, or anything, will it?" she asked, holding the wand out away from her body.

"No, no. Nothing like that. These things must be done properly."

She flicked the wand like Sirius had shown her before and the spindly chair in the corner was hurled against the wall.

"Not that one then." He pulled down another box while Sirius straightened the chair. This time when she flicked the wand a whole bunch of wand boxes fell clattering to the floor.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" She was absolutely mortified and dropped to her knees trying to pick up the scattered wands.

"No, no, dear. Happens all the time. Place is spelled for it." It became apparent what he meant when the wands rose off the floor and re-shelved themselves.

"Now, try this one."

A half hour and a dozen messes later Annikaya was the proud owner of a twelve and a half inch maple wand with phoenix feather core. Sirius suggested she carry it in her pocket but she refused, instead holding on to it and frequently holding it up to admire.

"Where are we going now?" she asked Sirius excitedly.

He stopped and looked at her seriously, figuring now was as good a time as any to tell her. "We're going down past Knockturn alley." He told her. "It's a very unsavory place and none too safe. Just be quiet and follow me. Don't touch anything and don't say anything." He paused and looked her over carefully before transfiguring her clothes into a hooded robe. He flipped the hood over her face. "And keep your hood up. You're too damn cute."

Annikaya's eyes grew wide but she didn't say anything as she followed him into the grimmer sections of wizarding London. It was darker here, whether by choice or accident remained unknown. Annikaya rather thought it was by choice, for it made remaining unseen easier. It also made everything far more sinister. Some of the characters she saw probably enjoyed that added benefit. She tried not to hold her breath against the heavy mildew smell or cringe when she brushed the damp stone. She really wanted a shower when they were done here.

They stopped before an old recessed wooden door.

"When we get in here sit in a table close to the door and don't say anything." he commanded her softly.

She wondered what sort of place it was, for there was no sign but her question was answered when he pushed the door open to reveal a dim and shadowy bar. As he had told her, she sat next to the door, her hood hiding her face while she watched him.

Furtively, for everything appeared furtive here in this place of secrets, Sirius slid up to the bar. She could see him in hushed conversation with another hooded person before her view was blocked by someone sliding into the chair across from her. It was an older man with stringy unkempt hair and bad teeth. He had a long hooked nose and shifty eyes.

"Interested in anything unusual?" he asked in a thin reedy voice. "I've got all sorts of curiosities for the, shall we say, right price?"

Annikaya ignored him, lowering her head to further hide her face, and hoped he'd leave her alone.

"Nothing you need acquired, hmmm? No dragon scale or unicorn hair or veela blood for you, eh?" He continued to pester her while she ran over the theme of her next book in her head. While she was deciding what terrible thing to do to him in the seventh chapter he finally got bored and moved on to someone new.

He had left his empty goblet behind and she watched with disgust as a spider climbed over the lip of the cup and fell onto the table. It skirted a puddle of sticky liquid and skittered over the edge of the table and out of site.

She lifted her gaze to watch Sirius again. He wasn't there anymore. Her heart began to speed up and her breath to quicken before she spotted him deep in conversation at a corner table. Suddenly the other man had his wand pointed at Sirius' chest and he opened his mouth to speak.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Annikaya said firmly. It was the only spell she knew and her wand had been fortuitously in just the right spot to hit Sirius' assailant before he could hex or curse her friend.

Being as far from Annikaya as he was, the other man had not heard her utter the spell and now he floated above Sirius looking shocked.

Sirius had taken advantage of this to pull out his own wand. "That's right numbskull. I can do magic you've never dreamed of. The name's Sirius Black. Remember that."

"B..Buh..Black?" The other stammered. "But you...you're..." He stopped speaking and just floated there, his eyes bulging wildly.

"Let me tell you pal. I'm ten times more than what the rumors say."

Annikaya lowered the man back to the ground, figuring Sirius had it under control. Sirius and the man sat back down, wand pointed at the other as they continued their soft discussion. The other man's eyes tended to dart around the bar anxiously but every one else was studiously ignoring them, not wanting any trouble.

A few minutes later Sirius got up and left the bar. Annikaya joined him outside.

"Did you learn anything?" she asked him.

Sirius leveled an angry stare at her. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? If you ever do that again I swear I'll stick an acromantula on you!" His face was red with suffused anger.

In contrast Annikaya's features were cast in a stubborn frame. "I'm sorry Sirius but I'm not going to sit by while you're in danger. Especially when I'm in a position to help."

"I didn't need your help!"

"I offered it anyway." she said with that infuriatingly reasonable tone she had sometimes. Why wouldn't he understand? Even if he had been completely safe, she had to help keep him safe. She would have done it for anyone she cared about.

Sirius was staring at her incredulously. "I can't keep you bloody well safe if you won't listen to me!" he yelled.

It was the final straw for her patience and humiliating besides. "I can get out of my own messes!" she yelled back. I may not be a...a wizard but I can still take care of myself! Or do you really think so poorly of me?"

Shock cut off Sirius' next words. When he did speak again his tone was oddly subdued. "Forget it. Let's just go, alright?" He missed the sudden heartbroken look on Annikaya's face as he didn't deny her earlier question. In fact, her question had surprised him because it was so completely untrue but he never thought to say anything about it and that made Annikaya think she'd been correct. She began to feel very small and terrible. Maybe she was just a burden to him. After all, he didn't need her magic to get home. And she had already confessed she wasn't very brave.

She followed numbly behind him as they walked down the dim alleys to three or four strange shops where Sirius spoke in hushed whispers to secretive shop owners.

"Well, looks like we're off to Hogwarts Annikaya. Seems Hagrid might know something." Sirius said jovially after they left the last one.

"Oh."

Sirius noticed her lack of enthusiasm and stopped. "Hey, are you alright? I thought you'd be more excited." He noticed the artfully blank expression on her face and peered worriedly at her.

"Let's just get this over with so you don't have to bother with me again, ok? I know what a burden I am." she replied dully. She just wanted to go home and curl up in bed for a week. She had thought they were friends.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, completely bewildered.

Annikaya was blinking rapidly now and her nose was turning bright pink. "Look Sirius, you obviously don't think much of me so let's just get home and then I'll be on my way."

He was still looking at her as though she'd just told him Lord Voldemort was her dear Uncle Tom. "Whatever gave you that blarmey idea? If you were a bloody hindrance I would have told you. But you've got your head screwed on pretty straight. You're a little strange sometimes but you're ok."

"But what about earlier?"

"Huh? Oh!" He looked at her with an expression of amusement and exasperation. "Annikaya, I don't know when you're going to pull questions like that and expect an answer! I'm a guy.

A sly smile tugged at the corners of Annikaya's face. "I noticed that."

He kept going. "So are we all set here then?" he asked.

"Yeah. I just thought..."

"Can't say that was one of your better thoughts." he teased her.

She grinned and he was glad to see that rather than the expressionless mask of earlier. "Right. Then I think we should go to Hogwarts!"