Hang On Sloopy

Sloopy lives in a very bad part of town
And everybody there tries to put my Sloopy down
Sloopy I don't care what your daddy do
'Cause you know Sloopy girl I'm in love with you
And so I'm singing...

Sloopy let your hair down girl, let it run down on me
Sloopy let your hair down girl, let it run down on me

"I just want her back," Saxon said, slumped in a chair, his hand covering his eyes.

The black-clad figure regarded the boy, his expression shadowed by a deep hood.

Ares pressed his hands against the chair side, leaning in to peer at his son. "Losing your head over a girl?" he sneered. He exhaled sharply, his disappointment and disgust apparent. "We've done things your way, it's time we do them mine," he said firmly, lowering himself into his chair. He directed his unwavering gaze to the tracker.

"You've failed me once," he said. "Don't let it happen again."

The tracker nodded.

Saxon's ragged breathing was taken into account. The tracker turned his head to stare, and Ares narrowed his eyes.

"When you find her, kill her," he commanded.

"Father, no!" Saxon cried, bolting upright.

The tracker nodded and whirled to leave. Saxon dropped to his knees and clung onto his robe. "No! Don't kill her!" he pleaded. "Don't. No… please…" his speech was broken as his pleading twisting into a sob. "I love her," he whispered.

Ares rose and pulled his son back by the collar of his robes. He nodded his head towards the door for the tracker to leave. He did. When the door clicked, Ares knelt down next to his son. "What has gotten into you?" he hissed, jerking his son's head upright by the roots of his hair. "This charade has gone on long enough. Do you need this girl?"

Saxon nodded, tears streaming his cheeks.

Years ago Ares learned the meaning of passion; it didn't take him long to learn it's destruction. Just as urgently, he'd wash the sticky substance from his hands and moved on with his life. It was time his son did the same. "Saxon," he said more calmly, loosening his grip and smoothing his son's hair back. "What has this wife of yours ever done for you?"

"Come again?" he choked, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped.

"You've given her your attention, you've put a roof over her head and you've dressed her up like a china doll," he said delicately. "What has she ever done for you?"

His eyes were bloodshot, but the tears had ceased to fall. "I… I don't know."

Ares nodded and took another approach, "You said you loved her. You gave her your every fiber, and she gave you…?"

His eyes dropped to his palms.

He placed a hand under his son's chin and gently directed it to look into his gray eyes. Ice against ice. "A woman does not make a Malfoy cry without paying the price," he said. "It's time we throw this china doll away."

~+~+~+~

Vala sat at the mouth of the cave, a curtain of rain shielding her from view. Her arms were crossed across her abdomen for warmth, and the hood of her cloak was pulled up around her head. She sat just far enough in the cave so the pounding rain couldn't reach her, but just close enough to watch for any oncoming visitors. A light sigh escaped her.

Sirius said he would be back in an hour, and if he wasn't, to send out a search party.

"I hate you, Sirius," she voiced quietly. "Honestly, a search party." She peered out the cave's entrance. Sitting there, she wondered about several things- how long she would have to live in a cave with an ex-convict, what rat tasted like, the ratio of Hippogriff victims… But mainly she wondered how Sirius was making it in the village. He was bound to be spotted. But, she reminded herself, If anyone could pull it off--it'd be Sirius.

"Sirius," she breathed in a huff. He was annoying and he tap-danced on the very edge of your nerves. He was a sardonic little bastard, but… Well, you couldn't help but love him. He was the type of guy you would walk in on banging your sister. Sure, you'd curse and yell at him, but then he'd get dressed, apologize so sincerely and give you the most honest smile that you'd fall in a slump for scolding the boy. He'd assure you that everything was okay, and you'd believe him. And before he left, you'd even offer him breakfast. He'd decline, of course, but he'd walk away in such a way that you couldn't help but lean against the doorframe thinking, What a nice boy.

He'd mount his motorcycle, wave goodbye, and depart in a rumble of smoke and leather. Then it would strike you. Everything that had happened in the last hour came back. But by that time Sirius would already be a mile up in the air.

She kicked distractedly at a stone. I wonder where that motorcycle is now.

Buckbeak looked up. She shifted her eyes to him, and slowly turned her head to face him. "Uh… hi?"

The Hippogriff nosed its beak into its paw.

She watched it; it looked restless.

"Buckbeak?" she tried.

He ceased his scratching and stared at her.

She racked her mind for a memory of the past. It seemed she had studied Hippogriffs during one of her years at Hogwarts. Something about blinking… Blink a lot? Don't blink at all… She wrinkled her brow. Gently pushing herself from the rock she'd been leaning against, she half-crawled towards the Hippogriff.

It watched her steadily, haughtily raising its head like the mighty King of the Jungle.

She knelt before it. "I do hope you're a nice Hippogriff," she said, slowly reaching a hand forward. "I'd hate to lose my hand at this stage in my life… Maybe in thirty years, hmm?" Surprisingly, the Hippogriff didn't snap at her. She took this as a good sign, and softly touched its glossy feathers. Closing his eyes, he seemed pleased, and she rose to a light stroke. "Aww… you're not that bad," she said. Buckbeak nudged her. Despite herself, she emitted a giggle. "Not bad at all! You're just a big softie, aren't you?"

The Hippogriff eyed her.

"When you want to be," she added quickly. "Why, if you wanted to be tough, you could be there within a blink of the eye." Without realizing it, she let one of Sirius' honest smiles shine through.

Buckbeak nodded and nudged her arm again.

She laughed, petting him more casually.

"I see you two are getting on well."

Vala glanced over her shoulder, and spotted Sirius silhouetted by the gray veil. He was running a hand through his hair, something black and feathery held in the other.

"Oh," she smiled, tuning her attention back to Buckbeak. "We were just getting acquainted is all." She patted him on the neck, and slowly turned to face Sirius. When you're sitting in a cave, and you have a paranoia of smacking your head against the overhead rock, you tend to slow all your activities down a notch. "What have you got there?" she inquired, wiping her hands absently on her robes.

"Bird!"

Bird didn't sound so bad, good even, but… She cringed, Crow? "Couldn't you find something else? Like… duck, for instance? Duck I can deal with. Duck is okay, but… not that!" She pointed a finger at the corpse.

Sirius frowned. He glanced at the bird clutched in his hand, and narrowed his eyes in irritation. He tossed the dead animal to Buckbeak, and muttered, "Duck… Who does she think she is? The Emperor of China?" He slumped against a rock as Buckbeak chopped merrily at his dinner.

Vala turned her gaze from Sirius to Buckbeak. She sighed. Carefully, she made her way to the entrance of the cave.

Sirius watched her pass. "Where are you going? You can't go out there."

"Oh?" she inquired, shooting a glance at him. "I'd like to think the Empress of China may go wherever she likes," she said sarcastically, kicking her heel up at him as she left.

Sirius wrinkled his brow. Could she do that? They were both being sought out by the most powerful men of the country--The Ministry and the Malfoys. He had the cover of Animagi. What did she have?

"If I'm not back in an hour," she called back. "Send out a search party."

Inside the cave, he grinned smugly.

~+~+~+~

"He's going to kill her?"

"Yes."

Saccade sat back, looking an ounce surprised. "Wow." For perhaps the second time in his life, he was speechless.

Saxon looked ill, but his features were immovable. He sipped his wine. "Yes, whether she returns or is found, her life is mine to take."

"And you're okay with this?"

"Obviously."

~+~+~+~

Vala walked the village, her hood pulled high. Her face was hidden from view, and vaguely she wondered if the villagers suspected her to be a Death Eater. A couple ran by, arms linked and holding newspaper over their heads. Years ago, she might have sighed hopelessly, now she just stared. Love, she thought, a death trap that makes people lose all sensibility and do foolish things.

She pulled her hood down; it was beginning to droop from the weight of water. But what am I doing? Out here in the rain, I'm no better than a lovesick fool. She pulled the ribbon from her hair. No, I'm just arrogant.

And she was. She was out in the rain to prove a point. Once in her life, she wanted to prove she could do better than any man. And she could.

She smiled, stepping under the archway and into the welcoming light of a restaurant. She shook her hair out, and rustled her cloak. "Excuse me," she said, "May I see a menu?"

~+~+~+~

Sirius' stomach grumbled. Rubbing his belly, he cast a glance at Buckbeak.

"What do you think she'll bring back?"

Buckbeak looked up, seemed to shrug, and rest its head down between his hooves.

"Yeah," he said, looking out the cave. "I hope it's something good."

~+~+~+~

Vala walked a bit more briskly than she had when she was searching for the restaurant. A villager on a porch assumed the woman was simply trying to get out of the rain, but if the villager had been Mad Eye Moody he'd of known that she had a steaming hot bundle under her cloak, the heat burning through her robes and reaching her skin.

The heat wasn't completely unwelcome, the rest of her was sodden wet and shivering from the cold. But never mind that, she had to get back to the cave before the food cooled.

She smirked, whisking up the rocky path. She could imagine the look on his face now, and it made the smirk grow.

Entering the cave, Sirius looked up at her with wide eyes. He was curious, horribly curious, and… he kind of reminded her of a dog, looking expectantly up at its master, curious to know what happens next. She bent over and tugged her cloak up, pulling the package out. "Here," she said, dropping the bag in his lap. The bottom was sticky. "The egg-drop soup spilled on the way, but everything else should she okay." She ripped her cloak off and threw it against a rock.

Sirius tilted his head a bit, opening the bag, heavy scents wafted towards him. He smiled, and the Emperor and Empress of China set down to have their dinner.

(A/N: Just possibly, this is the most annoying song… Right next to American Woman and Spill the Wine, but certainly just as pointless with repition of phrases and one general thought. However, I kind of like Hang On Sloopy--it's real carefree and--to me--it's about a girl who hasn't had the greatest of a life, and a guy that just wants to show her to have a good time. Make of it what you will.

Real quick, I'd like to extend a very, very Happy 18th Birthday to the ever-enjoyable Mary. In honor of becoming legal, this chapter is dedicated to her. Oh, and hey look! I used sardonic!)