A/N: I still stick that I uploaded a chapter a day. Even though I missed the 22nd, but it's only an hour after the day ended... and I'll upload another chapter later tonight! Really! I promise!

Rheniel and Inu-Angel Z , thanks for the reviews and continued excitement. I'm sure people have been wondering where the story had been going, well I finally go to an important point! I like to pop them in every few chapters :)

Oh and as for the Witching Hour convention in Salem. I might be attending that, all dependent on money. Though I won't be going all week. I want to meet Charles De Lint! And Tamora Pierce! And the idea of seeing mundane Quidditch is intriguing...

Anyway Enjoy the new chapter!

Chapter 16

"He hid it at Hogwarts!" Harry exclaimed, excited with the answer.

"Are you sure?" Draco asked.

"Well he didn't leave it with Dumbledore, and he didn't have it when he was killed. And it's pretty sure he went to Hogwarts that night. He might have changed his mind about seeing Dumbledore. But where better to hide something from the Dark Lord then hide it at the school?" I said aloud everything that was going through my head. "In the first book, it mentioned with the Philosopher's Stone that there was no place safer. Right?"

Draco nodded a little hesitant to be agreeing with me about anything. Next to me Sirius was still quiet.

"Right, then we just need to know where he hid it. Not hard at all." Draco huffed. "It's just a bloody castle with god knows how many rooms."

"Sirius?" Harry called out his godfather's name quietly, bringing the older man out of his thoughts. "You don't have any idea where your brother might have hid something?"

A wry smile appeared on his lips. "You're lucky I could remember that one little memory. Things are still fuzzy up here." He tapped his forehead, looking worried though at his faulty mind. "There were some places I know he went to a lot, but I can't be certain where exactly. It's been too long since I've been in the old school."

Across from me, I noticed Harry's eyes go wide, and a sudden smile cross his lips. He jumped up from the table suddenly, making us all start.

"What is it?" Draco looked up, one blonde brow raised in question.

"I need to go see someone. I'll be back soon." Without another word, the young Potter disapparated out of the room, leaving us all staring at the spot he had just occupied in confusion.

Beside me, Sirius was still quieter then I had grown used to. It was actually rather annoying to me. Quiet Sirius was against type, and moody Sirius was certainly something best left undiscovered.

"So I bet your brother was better looking then you." I said suddenly, trying to raise his hackles. On the other side of the table Draco looked amused at me, a small flicker of understanding, knowing that I was making the comment to bring the older man out of his sulk.

"No one is better looking then I am." Sirius huffed, exactly as I would have expected.

"Except for me." Draco smiled, examining his perfectly manicured nails with an expression of complete disregard.

"Oh he has a point there." I nodded wisely. "Draco's better looking then you. Harry is too."

A pair of silver eyes turned to look at me closely, and it was hard to control the shiver that threatened, but I managed to look back at the older man calmly.

"You just have a soft spot for the boys." He wasn't being moody anymore, crossing his arms and looking put out by the entire conversation.

"Yes I do have a soft spot for the two of them." I smiled slightly at him.

"What about me?" Sirius leaned in closer to me, a veiled expression in his eyes. His arms having fallen to his sides. In the soft light from the kitchen lights he looked at once vulnerable and mysterious. My eyes dropped to his lips for a moment before raising back to look him in the eyes, determined to hold the look.

"You're a sore spot."

I was surprised to hear the deep laughter ringing out over the room, expecting to hear it coming from Draco, but instead it was Sirius being so amused by my comment. Well at least he wasn't sulking anymore.

After a few minutes it became apparent that Harry wasn't going to come straight back. So the only logical thing was to have some dinner, or at least it became the logical thing to do when both Sirius's and my stomachs started to growl. We had spent pretty much the entire day at the library, well I had spent the day there, Sirius had been dragged along, literally...

I chose to make dinner for the two of us, since Draco sitting at the table, his fingers tapping nervously on the wood, had pointed out that he and Harry had eaten earlier. There really wasn't much to work with in this kitchen, but I managed to find some chicken, lettuce and tomatoes. I placed the dinner in front of Sirius and sat down to eat my own portion.

"Aine..." Sirius had the fork positioned near his mouth, apparently right after having taken a bite. "This is quite possibly the worst thing I have ever eaten in my life!" He grabbed a napkin and coughed out the offending food into it. I wasn't surprised by the silken laughter that came from Draco.

"It's not that bad." I ate a bite and didn't see what the problem was at all. A pale hand clutching a fork sneaked over my plate and speared a piece of the chicken. I looked over to see Draco in the process of eating the piece.

The look on his face was one I would have normally been amused to see. His eyes bugged out, and if it was possible his face got even paler. He followed Sirius's example and quickly coughed out the piece of meat.

"What the HELL?" He dropped the fork and quickly conjured up a glass of water, downing it in a matter of seconds. Glancing to my side, Sirius had done the same thing. "That was toxic. Are all muggles taught to cook like this?"

I was still quietly eating my own meal, completely clueless as to what they were all saying. Sure it lacked some taste, but then I didn't have much to work with here. That wasn't my fault. And granted the chicken maybe wasn't cooked completely, and that sauce I had made up from ketchup and vinegar was a bit acidic... But it was what I ate most of the time, and I didn't notice anything seriously wrong.

"If you don't like it, don't eat it."

"Of course." Both men said simultaneously.

A sandwich was quickly made by Sirius, and he happily ate that, though I heard him grumbling about the outside of the package not matching the inside. I ignored that.

"If you get married, do your husband a favour and never cook." Draco said drily, a small twist to his lips indicating he hadn't forgotten the taste yet. He was on his sixth glass of water.

"We could always send her to Voldemort as his chef. That would put him out of commission in no time."

My eye was starting to twitch. No one else had ever complained about my cooking. Though after meals at my house my parents and friends always had to go to the bathroom straight after eating...

"You know I'm going to put you out of com-" My retort to Sirius was cut off as Harry apparated without warning back into the kitchen.

"Next time you plan on leaving, tell me." Draco reprimanded Harry, but the green eyed man just shrugged the comment off, instead looking at Sirius.

"I've got you a job!"