Brief Author's Note: Disclaimer/Rating/etc. is in the header of the first chapter. I promise not to mention that again. The rating is for the overall story, not for each chapter. Further brief notes at the end of this chapter.
September 1999. Two months later.
The sun had set hours ago, but the waxing gibbous moon was a more recent addition to the night sky. That distant pale orb did its best to illuminate the world spread out below it with its reflected brilliance. A wide open lawn, normally a vivid green under the harsher light of day, appeared a more washed out blue-gray during the late evening hour. Surrounding the lawn on three sides were trees, blocking from view the less picturesque barriers of mundane fencing. Also there, invisible but far more effective at keeping those within safe, were magical wards lining the wooden fences.
On the fourth side, beyond the wide deck edged with a profusion of blooming foliage, stood a tall house, which was nearly glaring in its white coat of paint under the noon sun, but retained a more welcoming aspect when viewed during the moon's gentle influence. All the windows looked outward with dark, blind eyes, the only interior source of light being that which spilt faintly from French doors onto the deck outside. The doors led to what would eventually be a study, but was currently bare of all furniture except an owl perch and some candles.
This did not mean that the room was empty. The glossy hardwood floor held two occupants, both sitting cross legged over the remains of their Thai takeaway. Sirius sat lost in thought, slowly chewing the last of his broccoli. Remus wiped his face with a napkin, carelessly dropping it into the container in front of him. "So ends the first meal in our new home. Not bad, eh, Padfoot?" Remus asked.
Sirius cleaned himself off and pushed the remnants of his own meal to join Remus', then banished the lot. He pretended to ponder Remus' question deeply. "Hmm, I don't think there was enough garlic for my liking. Still, it could have been worse," he said, grinning. "Although, I wouldn't say no to a nice set of table and chairs next time," Sirius said, as he moved to lie out on the floor, propping his head up with his chin resting in the palm of his hand.
Remus smiled, turning to recline facing Sirius. "True, that would have been nice. We won't have long to wait, though. The furniture is supposed to all be delivered tomorrow morning, early. We ought to think about sleeping soon," Remus said. He reached out to trace Sirius' full lower lip with his finger and spoke quietly, "I'm so glad you had that other apartment added to the house for Harry, even if he will most likely end up spending the majority of his time with us. I hope this is the beginning of a bit more privacy for us."
"I'm sure it will be. You both seem slightly more capable now of leaving me alone for longer than ten minutes at a time without checking up on me, although I do emphasize the 'slightly'. So, this probably translates to there being less chance that Harry will be popping in on us constantly. Besides, with Harry thinking about starting Auror training soon, he will surely be too busy to hang out with his old godfather. It's a good thing he already took his year off for saving the world. Which reminds me, I should be hearing back shortly from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on whether I passed my recertification exam for becoming an Auror again," Sirius said, rolling his neck to remove a crick that had formed from lying on the floor.
"Sirius, are you positive about this?" Remus asked cautiously, frowning slightly.
"Of course I am. This is my chance to be really useful again. I should have been here, with you and Harry when you were all fighting Voldemort, not off helping someone else fight their own war," Sirius said passionately.
"But Padfoot, that wasn't your fault." Remus attempted to soothe him.
"That doesn't matter. The point is, even if I arrived late for the party, it doesn't mean I can't help with the clean up. I need to do this, Moony," Sirius said. He sounded agitated.
"There are many ways to be useful. You were brilliant at so many things in school. I know you were offered multiple career choices. Didn't you mention once that they were after you for a Healer position? If it wasn't for you, I don't know how I would have survived some of my nastier post-moon injuries," Remus said. He tried to be convincing without Sirius realizing that he was trying to talk Sirius out of the idea of resuming an Auror job.
"I only learned all I could about healing because of you. I wasn't much interested in it beyond helping you. However, if my parents hadn't been so dead set against my going for an Auror position, I would have considered being a Healer more seriously. Yet becoming an Auror—that was something I enjoyed, wanted, and really worked hard for. I needed to prove to them all that I wasn't like the other Blacks. Then Azkaban took it all away from me. I want it back. I want my life back." Sirius was by now clearly adamant about the subject.
"All right, all right. I just want you to be sure. It's not as if you need the money," Remus said. He started to untuck Sirius' shirt as a distraction technique, and began unbuttoning it from the bottom.
"You don't need the money anymore either, Remus, but I don't see you giving up your research job at the Ministry," Sirius stated.
"Well now, my humble research position is hardly along the same lines as Auror duty. I'm not likely to be killed during work hours, for one thing. Also, it's no where near as glamorous as say, discovering the cure for pimples," Remus quipped.
Sirius huffed in quiet laughter. "Sorry, Moony, but Sacharissa Tugwood already beat you to that one."
"How unfortunate for me," Remus said lightly, his voice muffled by the skin directly below Sirius' ribs. Remus had by this time managed to work his partner's shirt nearly up to Sirius' neck. Remus began to brush his nose and lips across the sensitive flesh there.
"Hey! That tickles!" Sirius protested.
"Does it really?" Remus replied, amused. "How about this?" Remus began to trail kisses across Sirius' stomach. At first they were soft, barely-there kisses, a brief press of dry lips to exposed flesh. They slowly evolved into deeper, fervent, moist kisses, lingering over a mole here, or pausing at the faint line of hair dividing Sirius' stomach there. Without realizing it, Remus was careful not to touch any of the runes tattooed upon Sirius' skin. Instead, he traced along the outside of them with his tongue, stopping to kiss each unmarked bit of skin he found.
Sirius was torn between wanting to squirm away from the teasing, tingling feelings twitching over his skin, and trying to offer up more of himself to Remus' open adoration. Heat was pooling in his belly and spreading throughout his body, causing his cheeks and other things to flush rosy red in response. "Remus, you seem," Sirius had to pause for a steadying breath, "to have a bit of a stomach fetish."
"Mmm, yes, a bit. Can you blame me, though, when your stomach is so lovely?" Remus asked. He stopped speaking to place another kiss directly on the juncture of stomach and hipbone, causing Sirius to gasp. "Would you rather I had a foot fetish? Or an earlobe fetish? Or perhaps a nostril fetish?"
"I don't think I'd mind the earlobe fetish much," Sirius said.
"Well, your earlobes are very nice, but I'm completely happy down here right now, thank you. Such a delectable, fuzzy navel," Remus declared, punctuating his statement with a swipe of his warm tongue and poking his fingers into Sirius' navel. Between his fingers Remus now held a tiny bit of fluff.
"Moony," Sirius said with a laugh, "I was saving that."
"Were you now? Too bad, I think I want to start a collection; a Sirius stomach lint collection. Did you know your navel is always linty?" Remus asked, grinning. He pretended to study the piece of fluff critically. "Hmm, I think if I gather enough I might be able to knit a jumper. Perhaps you ought to start wearing more green. I don't think I like the gray lint. Although, gray clothing does go well with your eyes. It is a problem," Remus said, mock seriously.
"You could swirl the colors, like for a scarf." Sirius' breath hitched as Remus began kissing Sirius' skin once more. Sirius decided his best course of action was to cease speaking altogether, as other more pleasurable things stole his attention. Remus had somehow accomplished pulling both trousers and pants down on Sirius while his mind was focused elsewhere. Now, Sirius could not help being aware of this fact, as Remus moved his mouth further south.
Suddenly there was the most delicious feeling of wet warmth, and a raspy tongue, followed by suction right where he most wanted it to be. It was perfect, and he arched up into it, abandoning conscious thought to physical need. Time itself was without meaning. Only yes, more, and wonderful mattered, though they remained unarticulated.
The silence was finally broken when he returned to himself, now sated, and murmured a quiet thank you. Moments later a flushed and bright-eyed Remus Lupin brought himself up into Sirius' range of view. Remus leaned heavily on one arm while unbuttoning the last two buttons of Sirius' shirt with his other hand. Remus looked rather amused at something while helping Sirius off with his shirt, and Sirius naturally noticed. "Now it's my turn to reciprocate. What's so funny, anyway?" Sirius asked.
"You, thanking me for doing something I enjoyed so much. Silly Padfoot. Oh, and you don't have to reciprocate, I already took care of it," Remus said, as he cleaned off his hand with Sirius' shirt and tossed it aside.
"My shirt—oh, ta, Remus, so kind of you to use mine," Sirius said sarcastically.
Remus laughed. "Not a problem, Padfoot. Don't worry though, it'll wash," Remus said, grinning. He pulled most of his clothes off while Sirius retrieved his pants to sleep in. Remus turned to face Sirius and found Sirius sitting next to him, frowning. "What's wrong?" Remus asked immediately, concerned.
"You took care of it yourself when you didn't need to. I would have—" Sirius began to explain.
"Yes, I know you would have, but there was no need involved. I wanted to do it myself," Remus said, as Sirius sighed. Remus tried to get him to smile. "Look, that's what hands are for, right? I'm happy, you're happy, so there is nothing wrong here. Of course, knowing you as I do, you're going to sit and fret over what you think is fair. It's not like you won't have other opportunities, Sirius."
Remus' gentle teasing finally coaxed an answering smile from Sirius. "Well, you never know. One or both of us could be suddenly rendered permanently impotent, and this could be my last chance," Sirius joked. His expression turned thoughtful. "Remus, where were you planning on sleeping?" he asked.
"In our bed, of course. Why?" Remus asked.
"The same bed," Sirius said, "that won't be delivered until tomorrow morning?"
"Uh…yes, that bed. Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that. I didn't even realize when we arranged for our furniture delivery that we ought to have the bed sent by the day before," Remus said, chagrined.
"Right, I can fix this. I mean, are we wizards or not?" Sirius pulled his wand out from his cloak on the floor and waved it. Instantly several large navy blue floor cushions appeared. "There now, that's better," Sirius said. He transfigured his cloak into a blanket for the two of them. "Now we just need to worry about the fact that we don't have a wake-up call."
"That shouldn't matter with the French doors and the windows you had placed above them in here. The sun ought to be burning holes through our eyelids come dawn. The whole house will be lit up bright as day without any curtains around once it is morning," Remus said. He lay down on his side next to Sirius and draped his arm over the other man, pressing his cheek against Sirius' back. Instinctively his hand sought out the place directly over Sirius' heart. "You wanted light, you have it now," Remus said.
"Does it bother you? Perhaps we should have bought curtains after all. At least tonight it will work in our favor, since the lorry will be coming at some ridiculously early hour," Sirius said. He suppressed a yawn.
"No, it doesn't bother me; I like it. We don't even need curtains here since we're so isolated. Well, except for the bedrooms I suppose. Otherwise, the bathrooms all have high windows and skylights—it isn't as if people are going to be walking about on our roof," Remus said.
"Oh, I don't know, I might fancy a stroll sometime," Sirius said. He was less successful at hiding his drowsiness this time. "Quidditch can get rough, too," he said through a yawn. "End up on the roof."
"Speaking of which, when are they set to start on the Quidditch pitch?" Remus asked. He answered Sirius' yawn with one of his own.
"What?" Sirius asked sleepily.
"Construction on the great monstrosity—I mean, beloved Quidditch pitch for your darling godson, Sirius. When are they going to start?" Remus clarified.
"Oh, that. It's going to be next week, after the full moon. I wouldn't do it before. Always thinking of you, Moony. Don't want a lot of banging about before you've rested up," Sirius answered. His responses were becoming increasingly disjointed with sleep.
"Lucky me," Remus said. Warmth and contentment filled him, lulling Remus into a talkative mood. The pull of sleep was making him feel as if his mind was floating up somewhere above his body. A reckless urge to go where his thoughts willed overtook him. "Going to be able to keep Andromeda and Nymphadora from stopping by tomorrow? I know Andromeda has been barely able to restrain herself from poking about our various homes, and would love nothing more than a perfect excuse for a visit," Remus asked.
"Told her to wait 'til we're properly settled in," Sirius said, yawning loudly this time. "You know her, which means the day after tomorrow, probably."
Remus chuckled tiredly, the urge to speak still present. "Yes, I know her and Nymphadora better than I'd like. Not good enough for her beloved cousin, yet her daughter felt free to interfere with my love life, or lack thereof," Remus said, a bitter taste in his mouth at these words, even after all the time that had past.
Sirius seemed to rouse himself slightly at this. "What are you talking about, Remus? An' adores you."
"Perhaps now, yes. But back then? Quite the contrary, actually. Do you remember when you first introduced me to her? During seventh year spring hols, I think it was. She was the first to realize we had started dating, you know. I didn't want to tell anyone about us, so you introduced me as a school 'friend', but she saw right through that. She could barely wait for her chance to get me alone and tell me what she thought of me. I was declared unsuitable, untrustworthy, and she warned me she would be keeping an eye on me. I was threatened with some unknown and no doubt creative Black retribution if I ever hurt you. I don't suppose I ever told you about it, come to think of it. I probably didn't want to upset you. She is your favorite cousin, after all," Remus said.
"I just...I can't believe, after she snubbed the family, went ahead and married a Muggle-born, that she would hold your being an impoverished half-blood against you," Sirius said.
"I don't think it was that, exactly. It was probably a combination of things, really. However, honestly, Sirius, she was raised a Black, through and through. Some things are difficult to let go. Look at how her sisters turned out," Remus said.
Sirius was still facing the other way; Remus was spooned up against his back, so Remus could not see his expression as he spoke. But the pain managed to come through in his words just the same. "You might as well place me in the same category, Remus. Regulus may have tried to defect, but he died with the dark mark burned into his skin just the same. I have always been a Black, no matter how desperately I wanted otherwise.
"My mother, when she was in a particularly foul mood and busy shrieking my sins for the entire household to hear, wouldn't let me forget it. She told me how ungrateful I was, how I was breaking her heart after all the effort she put into bringing me into the world. She let me know what high hopes they all had for their perfectly engineered little pureblood heir, and what a failure I was for not toeing the family line. She was a Black herself, and she said she made sure to marry the very best of the male Blacks so that only the strongest, best genes would be passed down. She told me she smothered two infants before she was sure she had the perfect heir. Regulus was the spare, and then her job was done. After what she finally did to me, right before I ran away, to ensure that the family line would be preserved, I suppose it's not hard for me to believe she did all that," Sirius said, his voice so quiet it was merely a whisper of confessed past horrors.
A sick feeling settled in Remus' stomach. He hated Sirius' family. It seemed the damage done back then would always remain with Sirius. Each time Remus despaired of ever convincing Sirius of certain facts, yet knew he would try every chance he had— to prove that Sirius was good, worthy, and untainted by the stain of his cursed family. Not perfect, no one was perfect, but that Sirius deserved love, respect, and friendship just as much as any other decent person. "You are the only Black who has ever been sorted into Gryffindor. That has to count for something, doesn't it?" It was a mild defense this time, but Remus was sleepy and tried to put all he meant behind a kiss to Sirius' shoulder blade instead.
"According to my mother, that is the point from which everything went wrong with me. Anyway, we've gone off the subject. What is it you were saying about Tonks and your love life?" Sirius asked.
"Nothing gets past you, does it? I hadn't exactly meant to bring that up either. I believe it was a few months after we thought you'd died. Work for the Order was becoming increasingly grim. Tonks thought I should lighten up, as she put it, and have some fun; dating fun, apparently. This involved a new 'dating service' for witches and wizards. It's become quite popular, actually. They call it 'Cupid's Arrow', or some such nonsense.
"Anyway, it works by people placing ads and others responding to them. Tonks, without my knowledge, placed an ad for me. 'Werewolf wizard seeking open-minded witch. Must have a nice sense of humor, Animagus a plus.' That last was quite ridiculous. There were only six registered Animagi and all of them were over the age of sixty. Unregistered Animagi are equally rare, and I hardly wanted Rita Skeeter to answer the ad. I was horrified at the entire idea and told her so. She was very stubborn about it, and insisted I give it at least one chance. After all, what harm could one date do? I told her I was a grown man who was perfectly capable of finding my own date if I wished to do so, thank you very much. She wouldn't back down. I tried telling her I couldn't possibly accept a date from her ad regardless, as she had got the gender wrong. She laughed and told me that she would change it, but I should have informed her what I've really been hiding under my robes all this time. Of course she knew what I really meant, and said since she had already paid for it I could hardly refuse. It just seemed easier to give in to her and try it once. I figured I wouldn't even have to kiss the man. Then I could tell her what a terrible time I had and that would be the end of it," Remus said.
"Since I haven't heard anything about the fellow until now I'm assuming things didn't go well?" Sirius asked.
"You could say that. Tonks had stated I was a werewolf in the ad to keep people who would be upset by the idea from seeking a date with me right from the start. She joked that I might even get another werewolf to respond. It didn't work out quite the way she'd anticipated. The first person to answer the ad informed me up front that he was looking for someone to erotically cannibalize him, as it was his dearest fantasy to be eaten alive. He thought a werewolf would be perfect for the job," Remus said.
"My God. You didn't actually have to speak to this person face to face, did you?" Sirius asked, disgusted.
"No, this was strictly through anonymous owl post," Remus reassured him. "I wanted to end the whole thing right then, but Tonks said I ought to wait a bit and see what other sort of replies I received first. The second person to respond seemed all right, so we agreed to meet for dinner. We were almost finished with our meal before he mentioned that he wanted me to turn him into a werewolf. He said he had heard all about the wonderful benefits and special abilities that being a lycanthrope provided. He just couldn't wait to become one himself."
"You're joking," Sirius said.
"I wish I was. At least he wasn't a cheap date."
"What a nutter," Sirius grumbled.
"Tell me about it. I have no clue where people are getting the idea that being a werewolf gives one super powers. Anyone looking for the 'special benefits' of excruciating agony twice in one night every month, poor employment prospects, discrimination, and the constant fear that one may accidentally condemn another person to the same torture for the rest of his life may be attracted to the idea, I suppose. The only 'enhanced ability' I can think of would be a better sense of smell while in canine form, but who wants to be able to smell garbage all the better? The lack of opposable thumbs more than detracts from that, anyway," Remus said.
Sirius sighed and squeezed Remus' hand briefly. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine anyone ever wanting to be turned into a Dark Creature willingly," Sirius said.
"Yes. I suppose I should be glad that things are a little better for werewolves now that Umbridge is gone, but it's as difficult as ever for hags and vampires. That dinner put an end to any further dating on my part, and Tonks got an earful when I returned to Order headquarters that evening," Remus said. Sirius laughed.
"She received similar treatment soon enough. Molly and Andromeda started in on her finding a good man and settling down herself. It drove Tonks mad. I actually began to feel a little sorry for her. She finally started dating Kingsley for a while," Remus said.
"Fit bloke, that Kingsley," Sirius commented.
"Indeed. As far as I know, she isn't seeing anyone now, but for a time Tonks was in a relationship with a muggle rock star. Molly strongly disapproved, naturally. Tonks claimed she was doing it for the free concert tickets and backstage passes," Remus said.
"I always knew she was a clever girl," Sirius stated.
Remus murmured his agreement.
November 1999.
Sirius went ahead and refilled his coffee cup for the fifth time in two hours. Idly he considered having a small coffeemaker placed directly at his desk, and was halfway through plans on how to charm the muggle device to work without electricity at Auror Headquarters when Tonks stopped him on his way back to his cubicle. "All right, Sirius?" she greeted him, squeezing his shoulder briefly.
"Yes, fine thanks. I'm just on my way back to my desk to finish some more paperwork." He gestured toward his cubicle with his cup of coffee and offered up a tired smile. A few pale violet paper airplanes flew over head, but the atmosphere was mostly relaxed. It was a slow day.
Tonks placed one hand on her hip and sighed. She shook her fringe on her shoulder length blue-tinted hair impatiently out of her eyes before addressing him. "You aren't fooling anyone, you know. My shift came and went today already, yet you're still here when you were in way before me this morning. You might try actually leaving sometime, Sirius. People are going to start to think you're a permanent fixture here."
He leaned against the wall and arched an eyebrow upward, looking her over. "Do my eyes deceive me or am I receiving a lecture about leaving work from someone who came back after making a successful escape?" Sirius drawled.
Tonks leaned in and ran one perfectly manicured nail down his cheek. "Right, because I always come in ready for work dressed like this," she said, shifting closer as her skirt rode up her thighs. A sleeveless top clung to her torso, leaving nothing to the imagination, particularly anything below her breasts, as the fabric ended there and bare skin began. A bellybutton piercing was visible due to the helpfully brief skirt Tonks was wearing. She stepped back, having made her point.
Timkins, a fellow Auror, watched the proceedings from over his cubicle wall with great amusement. "No, but you should! It would be a brilliant morale booster, like," Timkins said, leering at Tonks.
"Too bad for you then that they haven't managed to change the clothing regs, love," Tonks said with a cheeky grin.
"So you aren't going to stick around, are you? It'd brighten up our dreary evening. Magical Maintenance has given us nothing but rain for a straight week. Black's always about, but somehow I don't think seeing him in a skirt would produce the same result," Timkins said.
"No, sorry. I'm just here to pick up my bag. I actually know how to go out and have a good time, unlike some I could mention. A certain person seems to think the world will come to an end if he doesn't finish up all his paperwork," Tonks responded.
"Oh yeah, about that, cheers Black. I really appreciate you finishing mine," Timkins said.
"Don't mention it, and I mean that," Sirius said, annoyed at being caught out.
"Ah ha! So what's your excuse now? Going to finish the entire department's paperwork? I'm hurt that you didn't offer to do mine," Tonks joked, hiding her concern for Sirius under a smile. "Your birthday is in less than a week. I do hope you're taking that off, at least. I know I am. Remus will have something planned, I expect. It better involve scantily clad, well-oiled dancing boys and a lot of alcohol," Tonks said. Sirius gave a snort of disbelief.
A few other Aurors had paused in their work to listen in. Some actually stepped out of their cubicles for a moment. Warwick wiggled his hips at Tonks. "The lads 'round here wouldn't mind oiling up and dancing for you Tonks, eh boys?" Warwick commented.
"Good one, Gaz!" Timkins said with a laugh.
Nymphadora rolled her eyes. "Well, since it's for Sirius' birthday, he'll have to be the one to approve the talent," she said.
"You pay me enough and I'll give you a lap dance you'll never forget, Sirius mate," Warwick said, and winked. The others roared their approval. "I might even give you one for free, since it's your birthday and all."
"Hey now, chaps, the Ministry isn't paying you to stand around chatting up your co-workers," Dawlish, the Head of the Aurors, said as he walked in.
The Aurors went back to their business without complaint. Tonks patted Sirius on the arm and whispered, "Please, Sirius, just try and take better care of yourself. You look fagged out, and have done for a while now. I'm really worried about you."
"Great," Sirius murmured, "going into the advice business now? You ought to start up an agony aunt column."
"I'm only mentioning it because I care," she said quietly. Tonks nodded to Dawlish and walked off to get her bag.
Sirius watched her go. He quickly realized that Dawlish had come up to stand beside him. "You have a moment, Black?" Dawlish asked. "I need to speak with you."
"Yes, of course, sir," Sirius said. They both headed back to Sirius' cubicle.
When they arrived, Dawlish gestured for Sirius to sit in the only chair before Sirius could offer it to him. Dawlish then proceeded to sit in a clear spot on top of Sirius' desk. "I'll get right to the point, lad. Why are you still here?" Dawlish asked bluntly.
"Sir?" Sirius asked, mystified.
"Now, now, I'll have none of that, Black. You know what I'm on about. When you first started here, you would take all the shifts no one else wanted. You always asked for extra work whenever you could. You were driven, and I was impressed, I'll admit. None of which should be surprising with your excellent past record with the Aurors and the results of your recertification exam, of course. I'm beyond pleased to have you—you're one of the absolute best of the department. But when you start pulling double and triple shifts every day and refuse any time off, that's when I start to have a problem," Dawlish said.
"About that, sir, I was planning on taking a day off, and that's why I wanted to make sure I didn't have any paperwork around to build up," Sirius started to protest.
"Ah yes, well, usually people around here take at least a couple of days off every week in the regular scheme of things. I hardly think a single day will cause a major back-up of work for you. Besides, I think you were done for the day a long time ago. Isn't that Johnson's report on your desk?" Dawlish asked shrewdly.
"Er, yeah, it is," Sirius answered, hastily shoving the report he was working on out of sight.
"Look, Black, I generally come across two motives for people overworking themselves in this job. There's the type that can't stand to leave because they have nothing worth going home to," Dawlish said, as he looked up and noticed Burke passing by Sirius' cubicle, "like Burke here, with his constant problems with the missus."
"Isn't that the truth," Burke chuckled, "a regular hag she is!" He continued on his way past.
"Then there's the type that needs the overtime, because of money troubles. Obviously, neither apply to your situation," Dawlish said, waving his hand toward the photos and other mementos decorating Sirius' cubicle.
Sitting on a corner of the desk was a tiny pedestal with a wire attached to it. On the other end of the wire a small motorbike flew around in circles. Next to the flying motorbike was a pewter figurine meant to represent a large shaggy dog. It sat attentively, ears perked and head cocked to one side. When the dog was stroked it became animated, running about licking the fingers of the one that touched it. On the desk resting beside these items stood a heavy, double oak frame with a brass hinge connecting the two glass openings.
In this frame on the left-hand side was a wizarding photograph of Black and Lupin, their arms about each other's waists, smiling faces looking directly at the camera as they waved merrily. The pair were clearly at a beach somewhere. The surf behind them continually advanced and retreated along the sand where they stood, never quite reaching them. A gentle breeze ruffled their hair as the sun shone down upon them. It was apparent that this photograph was taken recently, as Sirius did not appear markedly different now from the image of him that had been captured in the photo.
The wizarding photograph that occupied the space in the opening directly opposite the happy pair looked like a family grouping, albeit an unconventional one. Three men crouched down on a lawn, presumably to keep from obscuring the bright collection of tall wildflowers that grew behind them. The thicket of flowers lined a path running alongside a giant hedge maze towering in the background. The two older men, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, flanked a grinning Harry Potter. Potter had one of his arms outstretched, upon which a large snowy owl perched. The other two men each rested a hand casually on Potter's shoulders. Occasionally they would all wave lazily at the camera, or Black would turn toward Potter and say something that would remain forever unknown to the viewer, while Potter laughed silently.
Elsewhere about the cubicle walls hung numerous photographs, reminders of good times past. In one a clearly proud Sirius Black held an infant Harry Potter securely in his arms. In another a young couple on their wedding day stood together in domestic bliss—the man the near mirror image of Harry Potter—while a younger Sirius gazed at them, smiling, his arm slung over the shoulders of a youthful Remus Lupin. A third group photograph portrayed a young trio, the person in the middle unmistakably Harry Potter, while the two on either side of him appeared to be his friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley. A few pictures showed either Sirius, Remus, or Harry alone, usually captured unaware of the photographer.
The last two items tacked to the wall were not photographs at all. One was a crayon drawing obviously made by a young child. The drawing was of a stick-figure little girl in a red triangle-like dress, standing beside a slightly better rendered enormous black dog, birds shaped like ms above them. Crudely inscribed on the drawing were the words To Doggy, Love Julia. The second item was an article from the Daily Prophet, with the bold headline reading: Sirius Black Innocent After All in a Serious Breach of Justice.
His attention briefly caught by the drawing on the wall, Dawlish inquired about it. "Darling thing, that picture. Made by your niece, was it?" he asked.
"Well, she is distantly related, but she's not my niece exactly. Julia is Percy and Penelope Weasley's daughter. They're family friends and Penny often has us do a spot of child minding for them. Julia's become quite fond of me and my alter ego Padfoot," Sirius said.
"Yes, I know the fellow. Percy Weasley works here at the Ministry, and he's quite ambitious, isn't he? This all proves my point, though. You have a," Dawlish hesitated slightly over the next word, "partner that cares for you very much, a devoted godson—who, by the way, is doing excellently in his Auror training, so I hear—and you're certainly not short of funds. Yet it seems you are determined to work yourself to death."
"You're absolutely right; I'm not working to avoid my family or for the pay. This isn't just a job. It's important to me in ways I can't even begin to explain. But sir, I honestly don't think I'm overworking myself. I think I'm handling it just fine," Sirius said. He was gripping the edge of his desk tightly as he spoke.
"Really? I find that hard to believe. I know I'm not the only one who has noticed you slowly killing yourself. You're bloody knackered, Black, beyond what is healthy. Coffee can't replace sleep. People suffering from severe sleep deprivation tend to make poor judgments, and are far more likely to get into accidents, fatal or otherwise. I won't sit back and watch you indulge in such destructive behavior. If this continues I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you on enforced leave for your health," Dawlish declared.
Sirius looked shocked. "No! Please, sir, that won't be necessary. I'll take whatever steps are needed to rectify the matter," Sirius said quickly. Dawlish looked satisfied at this. He nodded his head decisively and cast a privacy charm on the immediate area.
"I certainly hope so," Dawlish said. "I can't afford to lose you. I need my best and brightest in top form, now more than ever. Since You-Know-Who fell, people have been relaxing their guard. The Ministry is eager to transition back into peace time. All signs had been pointing toward this being a reasonable approach until very recently. We think that a few remaining Death Eaters may be trying to regroup and start something on their own. They may possibly be interested in finding a way to resurrect You-Know-Who. Our information is patchy at best. Obviously the Death Eaters—if we're correct in our assumption that it is indeed them—want to keep a low profile."
"What are we doing about it?" Sirius asked.
"That's the thing, isn't it? These are all very recent developments, and naturally we're running into the same problems as last time—trying to convince the higher-ups that there is indeed a problem. Thankfully, my boss and I are in complete agreement that something needs to be done. Now if only we could get the Minister to take his head out of his arse—well, let's just say we're fighting an uphill battle, but we are making progress," Dawlish said.
"Bloody idiots," Sirius muttered.
"My sentiments exactly. Now that's not to say that we're sitting around twiddling our thumbs while the bastards run about free and easy. We have come up with a preliminary plan of action, but it's imperative that this is kept on a strictly need-to-know basis. We can't let word get out that we're on to them. It's probably obvious to you by now that I'm telling you all this for a reason. I want you for a very important secret mission. I feel that you're the only one for it, and the best hope we've got at the moment," Dawlish informed him.
"Well, I'm definitely interested. I take it my Animagus abilities will be of some use?" Sirius inquired.
"Oh yes, but that's only part of it. Of course it's an incredible asset, and very versatile; a bit of a trim, a bottle of muggle hair dye and you'll be a new dog, as it were. But your talents are extraordinary. You're intelligent, experienced and quick-thinking—all skills we desperately need right now. We want you to see if you can track them down, remain undetected, get all the information on their activities that you can, and perhaps even stop them from accomplishing whatever it is they're trying to do," Dawlish said.
Sirius flashed a quick grin. "Not a problem. I always try to do six impossible things before breakfast," he said.
"Excellent," Dawlish said, "I knew we could count on you. Now if I could just get you to take better care of yourself, we'd be all set. Black, I think part of your trouble is that you feel like you have something to prove to everyone. Your past is in the past, lad. You're innocent, and everyone knows it. Whatever your family may have done before has nothing to do with you. I don't believe in that rubbish about the sins of the fathers being visited upon the sons. You can't continue feeling guilty about something that isn't your fault. If you don't let it go, it'll haunt you the rest of your life."
Sirius remained silent for a moment. He stared at the photographs on the wall without seeing them. "Right, sir, I understand," Sirius said in a flat voice. "You can be sure that I'll be taking regular days off from now on."
"Good, good. Oh, and I noticed that you hadn't put in for your birthday off yet. I'm sure you meant to get around to it, so I've done it for you. Don't bother coming in on the day after either; you're off then, too," Dawlish said cheerfully. He took the privacy charm off the cubicle and rose from the desk. "Now I think it's time you packed it in for the day, Black."
Sirius stood also. "Yes, of course. Thank you for your confidence in me, sir," Sirius said quietly.
"It's well earned. I've no doubt about that," Dawlish replied.
"Excuse me," Remus Lupin said, peering into the cubicle, "I was just looking for—oh, hello, Sirius."
"Wonderful, Lupin. You're just in time to take him home," Dawlish said.
"Really?" Remus asked, surprised. "I was just planning on asking him if he wanted me to bring him some dinner on my way home. I hardly ever see him heading out at this time of the evening."
"Surprising, isn't it? He's agreed to start leaving at a more normal time from now on. Oh, and Black, since your birthday is in two days anyway, take the rest of the week off. We'll talk more at another time, all right?" Dawlish said.
"I—all right, sir," Sirius said.
"Lupin, look after him, will you? Good night," Dawlish said on his way out.
"Good night," Black and Lupin responded together.
Remus turned toward Sirius and embraced him. "Oh, Sirius," he said with a sigh, "it looks like someone else has finally noticed what I've been trying to tell you for a while now." Remus combed his fingers through Sirius' hair as he spoke.
"I'm fine," Sirius said defensively.
"And stubborn too, apparently," Remus said. "At least you'll be able to get some sleep now."
"Come on," Sirius said, resigned, "let's go catch the lift."
They managed to grab an empty lift. They were leaving between shifts, and the corridor had been deserted. As the lift jerked upward, vibrating faintly, Remus held Sirius' hands, looking over Sirius critically. "You look terrible. I kept trying to tell you. I've been so—"
"Worried; I know, I've heard it today from Tonks and my boss already. According to him, others think so too. What is with all this fussing over me?" Sirius asked, exasperated.
"I fuss because I love you. Someone ought to have your best interests at heart, especially since you're not doing a good job of it. You can't keep on this way. At least now we'll get to eat dinner together. It's been almost a week since the last time," Remus said.
"I hadn't realized it had been so long," Sirius admitted.
"Yes, well, I miss you, but who is counting, hmm? Work has been dreadfully tedious; I think we both desperately need a holiday. I hope you put in for one soon," Remus said.
"Yes, yes, I'll get it sorted. How about we take leave around Christmas?" Sirius asked.
"That would be perfect. You better know that I'm going to hold you to it," Remus replied.
"Yes, I know you. What about my birthday? Tonks says she wants mostly naked dancing boys," Sirius said.
Remus laughed. "That's rather foolishly optimistic of her, isn't it? I promise that it's going to be as fabulous as I can make it, Padfoot. I owe you a lot of birthdays," Remus said.
"Good," Sirius responded. The lift had stopped at another floor, but no one had entered it. They took advantage of the brief privacy to kiss.
"Mmm, Remus?" Sirius interrupted.
"Less talking, more kissing, Sirius," Remus answered.
"Moony, we're going to be arriving at another floor. People might get on the lift," Sirius said.
They reluctantly stepped apart just as the lift doors ground open with a metallic bang. "Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau," the impassive female voice informed them. Two witches and a wizard stepped inside.
While the lift continued on, Remus stood, fretful and concerned over Sirius' well-being. Remus wondered how cooperative Sirius was going to be about taking care of himself. Sirius leaned against the lift wall, similarly thoughtful. Sirius' mind kept turning over the information his boss had disclosed to him. Sirius pondered his upcoming role in the secret mission he would be undertaking.
A/N: OK, first off, thank you so, so much to all my reviewers! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Six reviews are the most I've ever received for a fic! I was so happy when the first person left a comment; I pathetically kept refreshing hoping for more. But, if even one person will stick with me until the end of the story, whenever that is, I'll be thrilled.
I'm sorry this chapter is so long, and that I haven't arrived at the vampire bits yet. But soon, I promise. Everything that comes before is full of clues and foreshadowing as to how and why Sirius is turned into a vampire. This chapter was actually supposed to have a third part to it, covering December 1999, but when I saw how long it was getting, I decided to make that into chapter three instead. It will have more action, plus we'll see Harry, Snape, McGonagall, Sirius, Remus, etc. I hope people keep reading!
Oh, and any comments at all about whether this story is working for you, any typos, etc. would be most appreciated. (Like whether or not I should have broken this up into two chapters instead, for example.) I still don't have a beta. I'll try to answer any questions anyone has too, but I don't want to spoil what's coming too much. In other words, feedback, please!
Finally, this story was plotted out before the release of HBP, so it will probably remain spoiler-free for that book. This is AU after OotP.
