Annikaya was of course absolutely enthralled with Hogwarts. Since it was summer the grounds were empty and she was able to oogle at the giant squid, the castle, and the quidditch pitch without looking like...well, a muggle.

Sirius led her to a ramshackle cabin on the edge of a deep forest. Annikaya, despite her love of such places, found herself quite unnerved by the dark and unpleasant forest without knowing why.

Sirius knocked on the door of the hut and immediately a dog on the other side began barking and scratching excitedly at the door. A rather distinct voice rose up over that noise, trying to quiet the dog.

"Down boy!"

The door opened a crack and Annikaya had to tilt her head back to find the huge man's face, which was covered in a great bristling black beard.

" 'Ello."

Before he could say more the large dog they had heard squeezed past him ad began to swarm Annikaya and Sirius.

"Don' mind Fang. 'Es jus bein' frien'ly."

Poor Fang seemed a trifle confused by Sirius' scent but Annikaya distracted the big dog by petting it. While she and Fang were thus entertained, Sirius briefly described exactly who they were and why they had stopped by.

Hagrid invited them in and offered them a plate of little biscuits that looked strikingly like rocks. Sirius, taking one look at the suspicious things, hastily explained that a side effect of the veils was a lack of appetite. Hagrid seemed extremely disappointed. Sirius changed the subject by telling him more about their quest for Marcus Elgin.

Annikaya had been paying attention because she didn't know what Sirius had learned in the pub but Fang was rather persistent, laying his head in her lap and gazing soulfully up at her while he drooled. Finally Annikaya gave up and got down on the floor to pet the great brute. Over the dog's enthusiastic panting she still managed to catch most of the conversation even if she didn't understand it all.

It was early evening when the finished.

"Been nice seein' you Sirius." Hagrid said. "You always was a good 'un. Don't imagine I'll be seein' you 'gain."

Annikaya noticed the huge man had pulled out a red handkerchief with white polka dots.

"Bye Fang." she whispered to the dog, patting its head. Fang wagged his whip like tail energetically.

Annikaya gave a long lingering look back at the castle as they left. She wondered when she'd be able to come back. "What are we going to do now?" Annikaya asked as night fell.

Sirius turned a smile to her. "What do you say we get away somewhere for awhile? Say, Morocco?"

"Morocco? What's in Morocco?"

"Oh, just Marcus Elgin."

"Why Morocco?"

At this Sirius' face darkened a bit but his voice was still light and casual. "I'm beginning to have my suspicions about this man." Abruptly he changed topics on her. "You know, Elgin is a city in Scotland."

"Err...really?"

"Mmmhmm." Sirius began to hum merrily under his breath as he continued walking casually down the sidewalk.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"Just up here a little ways." he assured her cheerfully. They walked a bit further and then Sirius stopped. "That should be far enough. Now, you're going to learn to apparate."

Annikaya's face was dubious. "Isn't that rather dangerous? Couldn't we take the Knight Bus again?"

Sirius was still being obnoxiously cheerful from finding out where Marcus Elgin was supposed to be. "The Knight Bus doesn't travel well internationally. Makes for a very bumpy ride. Something about the magic field attracts whales. Very strange mammals. I tried to get one as a pet once but my mother wouldn't let me. Right, first things first. Rule one: Don't make mistakes." He grinned broadly at her and Annikaya felt her stomach drop. Sirius Black would be the death of her. Morocco was sunny and the heat shimmered in the air. Annikaya seemed to wilt in the face of such severe temperature and wasn't even able to summons any enthusiasm at her apparating success. Sirius wasn't too comfortable either but he had spent some time in warmer climates trying to stay away from the ministry. In his case it had also been a disguise tactic, as his Azkaban pallor had announced louder than words who he was.

"It should be cooler in Tissraouen." he told her. "It's less crowded for one thing."

"Why did we come here then?" she asked him, a tad grumpy.

"To get used to the climate. Besides, all the way to Tissraouen is a big jump on the first try."

"Where is here anyway?" she asked, eyeing the tall pinkish buildings on either side of them and the massive palms in the distance.

"Taroudannt. It's a pretty major city."

"Is that why Marcus wouldn't be here?"

"Partly. Are you ready to try apparating again?"

Annikaya straightened. "Anything to get out of this heat."

Tissraouen was not cooler. If anything, being further south, it was worse.

Annikaya eyed the fortress like city perched atop the hill. "Sort of looks like a castle."

She noticed Sirius was regarding the city very thoughtfully.

"It does, doesn't it?"

The two of them climbed the hill and entered the city. It became immediately apparent why Marcus had chosen this particular city when the sight of two foreigners in their midst sent the local people scurrying home to peer out their windows and duck fearfully when spotted.

Sirius began swearing thunderously, blistering the already heated air.

"Calm down Sirius."

"They're his early warning device! If he hasn't heard we're looking for him yet..." He swore for a few more minutes before he calmed down. "Besides, who are we going to ask for directions now?"

"There has to be a bar." she suggested rationally. "And if you're lucky Marcus could even be there having a drink, too far gone to care we're coming."

"It'd probably be a scotch on the rocks." Sirius said sourly.

Annikaya eyed him quizzically but he deigned not to answer as they began to search the now empty streets for a bar.

"You know" Annikaya said as they slipped into the slightly cooler bar. "You're a bad influence Sirius Black. I've been to more bars and shadowy places since I met you than the whole rest of my life!"

He smirked. "I know. Isn't it fun?"

He quickly cast a translating spell on the both of them and went to the bar keeper, pulling out a photograph Rosalind had given them. It was a muggle photo showing Marcus and Nevaria in a tight embrace. Both had large smiles on their faces.

Sirius slid the picture across the bar. "Can you tell us if you've seen this man?"

The bar keeper barely glanced at the photo before nodding and telling them that indeed Marcus had been here. He went on. He'd been leaving for Spain, a ticket sticking out of his shirt pocket. Apparently Marcus had somehow known they were coming before they ever even got to Morocco.

Sirius sighed and pocketed the photo. Together he and Annikaya left the bar.

"Random fact." Annikaya started diffidently. "Morocco probably doesn't keep birth certificates. A lot of African countries don't."

" Why do you know that?" he asked her, inwardly shaking his head in amusement at her quirky nature.

"I told you. Random fact. I collect them. Like, did you know that Albert Einstein didn't wear socks?"

"Hmmm. Well, did you know that dugbogs like to eat mandrakes?"

Annikaya had opened her mouth to deliver another fact but now she stopped. "Really?" She paused. "What's a dugbog?"

Sirius laughed. Through less than legal means Sirius was able to pinpoint their fleeing target to somewhere in Barcelona. That presented its own unique problems, for they couldn't apparate where regular muggles might see them and Barcelona was a busy city. They were only able to go after a trip back to Taroudannt where they apprehended a computer and found the address of an apartment for rent. Risking interrupting a realtor, they landed neatly in the bedroom. After checking that the coast was clear they were on their way.

Annikaya grinned as she peered over Sirius' shoulder at the map of the city.

"Maybe we'll get to go to Greece next. I've always wanted to go there."

"I hope not. I'd like to just catch him and be done with this." Sirius refolded the map and tried to stuff it in his pocket but it caught on the picture of Marcus and Nevaria. He pulled out the picture and Annikaya took it from him.

"I'll hold on to it. You keep the map."

Sirius shrugged and stuffed the map back into his pocket.

Annikaya smoothed the photo and regarded it thoughtfully. "Nevaria's changed a lot since this was taken. It's not too recent."

"I know. It's too bad that's the only picture we have of Marcus. It might make it harder to find him."

Annikaya turned her attention to the city now, the massive noble architecture that gave such presence. "Where to now, man-with-the-map?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh boy." He paused, considering. "I think we'll start with the Gothic Quarter. It's one of the oldest sections and that seems to be a pattern with this guy."

"Gothic Quarter? Cool." Sirius felt right at home in the Gothic Quarter of the city. Surrounded by cool stone and ancient carvings was quite similar to being in the drafty halls of Hogwarts. As the buildings tended to rise tall on either side, casting looming shadows, it added to the effect. In fact, he realized he felt a bit homesick. He'd loved Hogwarts with a passion during his time there. It had been an escape from his thrice- blasted death eating family and had been a place to be with his friends and be happy. When they got out of here he would have to go back for a visit. He'd have to be in dog-form but he didn't think Remus would mind taking him to check up on Harry.

With that decided, his attention turned to other matters. He noticed Annikaya gazing about them with a slightly wistful look on her face.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't know." she said lightly. "This place just makes me feel...It seems it should be more."

She didn't seem to know quite what she meant but Sirius understood. It was more than a homesickness he'd felt. The stones and the buildings here had an age about them and with that age came a longing that pervaded the very air. This whisper feeling even extended over the colorful interruptions of more modern human touch.

Sirius straightened, forcing himself to shake off its glamour that he was sure originated in the faerie realm.

"We need to find a directory or something. A housing list. Do muggles keep that sort of info?"

Annikaya nodded. "It's called a phone book. And we're going to have to be able to speak Spanish." It took them awhile to find a phone book but when they did there were only three "Elgin, M." listed. Sirius had growled at this and said it felt like a trap.

"You're being paranoid." Annikaya replied, hitting him lightly on the shoulder.

They were sitting on the edge of the fountain in the Placa de Sant Just and Sirius pretended her hit had unbalanced him and that he was on the verge of falling in.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." she cautioned. "They probably have a fine for that."

"I'd like to see them figure out the exchange rate." he laughed, pulling out a wizard knut. "Here, make a wish." He flipped the coin to her.

Her lips quirked into a grin and she closed her eyes briefly as she made her wish. Then she threw the bronze coin into the air, where it caught the sun before plunking into the fountain with a tiny shower of drops. Annikaya was still eyeing Sirius with a slightly mischievous look on her face.

Sirius stood. "Well, are you ready to check out these addresses?" Annikaya was beginning to wish she had a pair of ear plugs. The owner of the first apartment on their list was actually a Margaret Elgin and Margaret was not happy to see them. Screaming in Spanish at them, she accused them of being robbers, murderers, and vagabonds casing out her place. Then she decided they just wanted to see her home so they could offer a better price to the landlady and steal her apartment. Regardless, the woman had obviously decided they were miscreants and so she stood denouncing them as loudly as she could.

Other tenants had gathered because of the noise but they were obviously used to Ms. Elgin's temper, because none of them stepped in. The whole while Sirius stood there patiently, an expression of boredom on his face and Annikaya wondered why they didn't just leave.

Ms. Elgin finally paused for breath and Sirius spoke up. "Are you quite through? You're only embarrassing yourself."

The woman's eyes widened in shock and her face turned a dark shade of purple. She opened her mouth to scream at him some more.

"I guess not. Oh, and be careful. That's really not good on your heart. Come on, Annikaya."

They left the still screeching woman behind. Perhaps they should have taken the screeching woman as an omen. Certainly Sirius, with his vast experience with his mother, should have realized it was an inauspicious start. But by the time either of them recognized the danger they were right in the middle of it.

The second apartment had seemed so normal on the outside and Sirius had thought once again they'd gone to the wrong place. Still he rang the door bell and waited. But when the door opened, staring him in the face was a very shocked Lucius Malfoy. Past him Sirius could see several other of Lucius' associates he'd rather not play nice with.

"Ava-" Malfoy started and Sirius ducked and kicked the man hard.

"Stupify!"

Annikaya immediately understood the ramifications of those two spells and took off back down the hall, only to see more black robed and hooded men come boiling out of the stair well. Sirius grabbed her sleeve and tugged her back.

The two took off running the other direction, followed by some very angry and murderous men.

"The roof!" Sirius ordered Annikaya, ducking a particularly close killing curse. "I'll buy you some time."

"Like hell you will!" she informed him. "Stupify!" The last was aimed behind them and missed wildly but it still made the Death Eaters duck.

Sirius couldn't waste any time to glare at her. He'd just have to remember not to do spells around her that he didn't want her to remember.

The two raced up the stairs to the roof. A red beam of light caught the edge of his arm and he felt it go numb. Probably Avery Knott, he thought. He's one of the only ones to do stunning spells instead of the Avada.

The reached the roof and the fire door shut behind them. Sirius fired the immobulus charm at the door knob, hoping it would trip up their pursuit for awhile since they would be expecting a locking charm.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Annikaya commanded and they sailed over to the next roof top.

"We can get lost in the crowds." Sirius said as they ducked behind a chimney column.

"Not if we want to keep the people safe. Do you think crowds would stop them?" The sound of the fire door exploding cut off any chance of reply and Sirius and Annikaya went leaping a few more roofs until they landed on a spire of the Sans Just i Pastor Cathedral. They slid and scurried over the uneven surfaces looking for a window or balcony.

Sirius kept throwing up shielding charms on various innocent parts of the building as he went, for the magical signatures would throw off pursuit and the shields themselves would have to be taken down before anyone could get by.

"We've got about five minutes." he told Annikaya. "You know how to do the levitation spell. Get out of here and get somewhere safe."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I will not leave you here alone." she hissed.

"Merlin, not this again! Just go!" He was starting to get angry.

"I will not!" she said loudly and defiantly.

"Why the bloody hell not? I'm trying to save your fool life!" he roared at her.

"Maybe I don't need you to save my life! And why the hell are you so obsessed with protecting me anyway?" she shouted right back.

"Because I care about you, you little idiot!" and he smashed his lips down on hers. Her body pressed against his, her fingers twisting at the shoulder of his robes, pulling him closer. He felt like he was on fire. They broke apart gasping for air.

"What was that for?!" Annikaya yelled at him, the fire still running in her veins.

"You wouldn't shut up!" he bellowed back.

"Well maybe you should shut up!" she shouted and dragged his head back down to her lips. There was another explosion behind them as one of the shield spells went down.

"Oops. Almost forgot about them." Sirius said mildly and Annikaya laughed breathlessly as they struggled over the sloping roof to get further away.