Prerequisite: PS, CoS, PoA

A brief bit of explanation before we begin our tale: This takes place a few weeks after Sirius flees from Hogwarts with Buckbeak.

Standard disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the situations of the characters you recognise from Harry Potter. I do, however, claim the Pack and their witty repartee. Seregwen, Ainaguar, and Ciara belong to the real Triumvirate of Doom because, yes, we are real people. Just not real preternatural creatures, no matter how we frighten people.

Now we commence our tale:

Safehouse

Dear Snuffles,

A safe house has been opened to you. The Irish Black Heart has agreed to hide you until such time as a way out of England becomes readily available.

Albus Dumbledore

-----

It was a dark and stormy night and the house was creaking in protest to the high winds that ripped through the soaked sky. Ciara Bryant sat at the old servants' table in her ancestral family home, a mug of cocoa steaming before her and a book under her nose. The room was cold for a summer's night, and she had draped a woollen shawl about her shoulders to retain some of her body warmth. Having arrived two days ago from the steamy warmth of South Texas, she had not yet adjusted to the chills of damp Kent and every so often, she would shiver as a puff of air would send shudders down her spine. At her feet, a small beagle lay dozing on her stomach, her eyes moving in tandem with her dream. The kitchen itself was modest for a residence of its size. Only the bare essentials for cooking remained from Ciara's cleaning frenzy. She had removed everything that looked remotely Dark in nature, including kitchen appliances and utensils. The idea of something from her family remaining frightened her beyond words: the very temptation of having that power over another back in her hands. So, the house was stripped of its past and Ciara felt at ease again. Of course, it could have also been the recording of the Irish harp playing in the background accompanied by the recorded sounds of a fresh Irish morning.

There was a flash of lightning, and Ciara jumped. Such bursts of light had always startled her, since the First War against the Dark Lord. She would instead see hexes and curses flying at her and memories would flood-

'No,' she murmured firmly, slamming mental shields against her past.

BANG! She leapt to her feet, her book flying across the room and her wand before her, ready to attack. There were no noises following but the sounds of the storm; the beagle had woken from her nap and was staring sleepily at her mistress. Ciara heaved a nervous sigh and shook her head.

'Merlin, I hate England...' she told the dog, who blinked slowly and returned to her nap. Ciara sat back down in her chair and summoned her book to her hand. No sooner had she pulled the shawl about her again did a great bark come from outside the door.

She yelped and jumped up again, this time to open the door. On the porch stood a massive black shaggy dog, dripping wet and holding the lead to-

'A hippogriff?!' she exclaimed, eyeing the creature in surprise. The black dog looked up at her expectantly, as if saying, 'Get over it.'

The beagle, awake at the new scents, pushed past her owner and began to eagerly sniff at the black dog.
'Sally!' Ciara scolded, picking up and holding the squirming dog under her arm. 'Sorry, Padfoot, she's still just a whelp.' She turned and put Sally behind her. 'Come in, come in...' she said opening the door wide for the hippogriff to pass. When the door shut, Padfoot changed into Sirius Black, the evidently newly escaped convict from Azkaban. He still wore the robes he'd had for 13 years, his hair was still filthy and matted from negligence, and his eyes were dark from the horrors of Dementors. If his appearance shocked Ciara, she didn't show it. She instead bowed to the hippogriff, which bowed in return, then took the lead and led him to the parlour.

In her absence, the beagle returned, sniffing at Sirius' leg, then reaching up to put her paws on his thigh. Sirius gave the pup a small smile and scratched her head. She panted in acceptance, her tail wagging back and forth quickly.

'She's a bit friendly, in case you didn't notice,' Ciara said from the doorway. Sirius looked up at her, and an awkward silence descended. Sirius studied her face as she looked at anywhere but him.

'I...If you want to clean up, I can get a bath ready...' Ciara stammered nervously.

Sirius smiled at the thought. 'Make it toasty warm.'

Ciara grinned and turned to head to the bathroom, calling Sally to follow her.
Alone again, Sirius looked around curiously. Along every counter were pictures by the dozens. He moved in closer for a better inspection. It was like a play: there were 11 main characters that he could discern. Ciara, of course, was in many pictures, as was Remus. He recognised two others, a tall woman with jet-black hair and almond brown eyes, seen mostly close to Remus.

Very close, Sirius thought with a grin. Faintly, he could remember seeing her around before his capture. She was a werewolf in service of a vampire, the same vampire seen throughout many of the pictures. She was rather short, with curly brown hair and eyes that danced in dark mirth. He recalled that her smile was always coy and coaxing towards him in the past, but in the photos, she was just happy.

'Do you remember Seregwen and Ainaguar?' Ciara asked over his shoulder. He whipped around in surprise and she took a step back, her smile wide.

'Woman! Don't scare a man like that!' he exclaimed.

Ciara laughed, a pleasant sound to him that he could barely remember from all those years ago. 'Go get cleaned up, you pig,' she giggled. Sirius put the picture down and headed out the door, muttering about Irish women, when he hesitated.

'Um...Where's the water closet again?' he asked, looking over his shoulder.

'Oh!' Ciara blushed in embarrassment. 'Follow me.'

She led him out of the kitchen, grabbing his hand as she passed. A small warmth filled Sirius's chest at the unquestioned contact. She passed through a maze of rooms, pausing slightly to let him reassure the hippogriff's comfort in front of a fire, to a magnificent bathroom with gilded finishing and a tub filled with steaming water and surrounded by candles.

'You don't have to light the candles if you don't want to,' Ciara said. 'I just use them to unwind.' She disappeared for a moment, returning with towels fit for a king. She placed them on a rack near the tub and faced him again. 'Just...call if you need anything,' she murmured before leaving. As she was closing the door, she cursed and stuck her head back in. 'Give me a sec, and I'll go get some of Jack's robes for you,' she said with a sheepish smile. Sirius stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do. Ciara returned quickly, carrying a bundle of cloth. 'They're Muggle clothes, but I daresay they're comfortable.'

Sirius nodded in acknowledgement and approached her, taking her hand. 'Thank you,' he said gruffly.

Ciara smiled and shrugged. With a swift kiss on his dirt-covered cheek, she whispered, 'I've never forgotten you all these years.' In a breath, she was gone, leaving him alone to wash Azkaban away.

-----

Nearly an hour later, Sirius emerged from the bathroom, feeling much better for the wear. The clothes he wore sagged a bit on his skeletal frame and his hair was still in a tangled mess hanging to his elbows. He looked in a mirror in the corridor and flinched at the sight. The mirror only shrieked and said if he didn't get a haircut soon, he'd be overwhelmed in fur. He muttered selected curses and walked to the kitchen. Inside, Ciara was wrapped up in her book and shawl again, and the storm continued to rage outside. The harp continued to play faintly around the room and Sirius finally saw the source of the music. It was a black box that he had seen Muggles using to play music all the time. He heard singing beginning to accompany the harp, and he realised that it was coming from Ciara. The tune was familiar, but he couldn't think of the title. Fascinated, Sirius leaned against the doorway to listen.

I wish, I wish, I wish in vain
I wish I had my heart again
And vainly think I'd not complain
Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán

Siúil, siúil, siúil a rúin
Siúil go sochair agus siúil a ciúin
Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom
Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán

But now my love has gone to France
To try his fortune to –

Ciara's head snapped up as she sensed his eyes on her. A dark blush graced her face as she put her book down.

'I...didn't hear you come in...' she stammered in surprise. Sirius chuckled at her and entered the room fully.

'I don't seem to recall that song,' he said innocently.

'Um...' Ciara hesitated, looking around nervously. 'It's Siúil a Rúin...'

Sirius raised an eyebrow. 'Which is...?'

Ciara swallowed hard. 'An Irish love song.'

'You're embarrassed. Why?'

'I...I've got a terrible singing voice, very strained and too boring,' she said.
Sirius's response was pre-empted by his stomach, which protested its empty state loudly.

'Oh, Merlin, look at me!' Ciara exclaimed, jumping to her feet. 'Here, sit down, I'll get something for you to eat.' She began to scramble around the kitchen, putting together a plate of all kinds of foods. With a quick warming charm, she placed the plate before Sirius, who began to promptly devour the meal. Calmed a bit by his obvious approval of her cooking, she conjured a mug of cocoa and put it in his path of destruction.

'I really should have shrunken these clothes a bit,' she said, picking at the baggy shirt. 'I didn't think that Jack had been that much bigger than you...'

'Who's Jack?' Sirius asked, his mouth full.

Ciara half-smiled. 'Moony.'

'How'd you get "Jack" out of "Remus"?'

'We didn't. We got it from his middle name. He wouldn't tell us what it was, so I declared it Jack and it's stayed that way since.'

'We?'

'Sere, Aina, and I.'

'...I don't remember them.'

'They joined the Order in '79, right after we did.'

'Oh.'

Silence descended again as Sirius finished up the food. Without a sound, Ciara summoned a brush to her and began to sweep through the long mess in front of her. Sirius leaned back in his chair and revelled in having another human's touch. After nearly 10 minutes of brushing, she was finished and she picked up his plate to clean up. He only remained leaning back in his chair, half-asleep in the warmth of contentment.

With a smile, she placed a hand on his shoulder. 'I think it's time someone went to bed,' she said in her best baby voice.

Sirius swatted at her playfully and she dodged with a laugh as he stood up. 'Come on, Mister I'm-too-good-for-Azkaban, let's get you to bed.'

Her comment seemed to make him freeze. Fear paralyzed his heart at the mention of his Hell on Earth. Ciara quickly understood her faux pas and moved to take his elbow. She said nothing; she simply offered her comfort in the form of a hand on his back. Roughly, he pulled her into his arms and held her, reassuring himself that he was indeed not alone, that there was someone with him and that Azkaban was now just a bad dream.

'Shhhhhhh mo rún...shhhhhh, tá mé seo... '(1)she whispered as she stroked his trembling back.

'Don't leave me alone,' he begged. 'I don't want to be alone.'

Ciara smiled, more in comfort for herself. 'I'm here. C'mon, let's get you to bed, love.'

She gently took him to the room she had prepared for him and tucked him into bed. He was still trembling badly, so she sat on the bed beside him and smoothed his hair from his face. Quietly, she began to sing the lullaby her step-mother had sung to her when she had been scared of the dark as a child. In moments, sleep had overtaken him, and she disentangled herself from his arms. When he stirred, she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. 'I'll explain everything to-morrow, love,' she whispered before slipping silently from the room.

1) sshhhhhh my love...shhhhhh, I'm here.