Renegade

Disclaimer: Sad to say, I don't own Sirius Black. If I did, I would NOT have killed off the closest thing Harry had to a father because poor Harry's been through enough bullshit already in his life! There is also a song in this chapter, "Back In Black" by AC/DC. (Sorry for all the AC/DC stuff; I actually didn't realize I was doing it, but I think if Sirius were a Muggle, he'd like them, lol.)

A/N: I'm glad you guys like it so far. I'd like to remind you again that Raven and Jordan are NOT the same characters as in Padfoot Prohibited. They are just the character names I use because I like them and I don't get so confused when switching back and forth between fics. Thanks again and please review.

Chapter 2 – Back In Black

"Raven Leia Ashe! You had dinner with this man?" questioned Jordan, sitting at the edge of her seat.

"Well, I made burritos and he ate them, if that's what you mean," replied Raven nonchalantly.

"He could be a mass murderer for all you know!"

"Jordi, if you saw him, you wouldn't be saying that."

"Just because he's good looking doesn't mean he's not dangerous! Why else is he here, then, and why does he keep cooped up in that house all day long?" asked Jordan, narrowing her eyes on her best friend.

"His eyes are just so...magnetic. He was...nice. That's all I'm saying, Jordiana. I'm not saying I want to marry the man, for crying out loud! I'm not even saying I want to…sleep with
him!"

Jordan burst into a fit of giggles. "Well, who said anything about that?

Raven smiled widely. "I know that's what you were thinking.

"Maybe it's what you were thinking."

Raven pursed her lips. "I was not." She got up from the couch in the middle of Jordan's living room. "I have to go."

"Expecting company?" Jordan winked.

Raven turned around, grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it in Jordan's face. "Come by and meet him if you want."

"I think I'll leave you two alone."

"Uh-oh, back for more cereal?" Remus asked with an amused look from the kitchen table.

Sirius smiled forcefully and rolled his eyes, sitting next to him. "Sorry I made you worry like that. You told me to send an owl as soon as I got there, but you forgot one thing: I didn't have one. I let Harry's friend, Ron, have it. And I couldn't very well have gone out and gotten another one."

"Yes, I realized that after you left. That's why I sent you one so you could send a message back. I wouldn't Apparate here, though, unless you really need to, Sirius. The wrong person could be here; you don't want to take that chance."

"What other best friends have you got left?" asked Sirius bitterly. He instantly regretted it, and Remus noticed his eyes soften.

"Good point," Remus smiled weakly.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Remus reached over and put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "It's the truth." They stared at each other for just a few moments, silently bonding. "So...you need anything while you're here?"

"Not yet, I don't think."

Remus nodded and took a spoonful of his cereal. "So, are you staying out of sight?"

Sirius shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Padfoot," Remus scolded, "what does that mean?"

"Pretty much means pretty much! I went out as a dog a few times, and," he lowered his voice, "I talked to a girl, but--"

"WHAT?" interrupted Remus. "God dammit, Sirius! I told you! Do you honestly want to get caught? I don't think Harry would be able to—"

"I just talked to her; that's it! I couldn't help it, Moony! I can't stay locked up in a house all by myself! I just want to get out and do at least some of the things I've been missing for the past thirteen years!"

"And you will!...but not yet. You have to lay low. Once we catch the rat, we'll be able to prove that you're innocent."

"Moony, wake up! We're never going to catch him again! We're lucky we caught him the first time! Chances are, the stinking rodent's already out of the country! How do you find a rat free to roam wherever he wants? Do you have a Marauder's Map for the entire world?" Remus just sat in silence, listening to Sirius pour out all his frustration. "Cause I sure as hell don't!" Sirius got up from the table and started to pace the kitchen.

"No, I don't. And if you're trying to say that it was all my fault he escaped, I already agree with you, so don't waste your breath."

Sirius stopped pacing and stared at Remus. "I didn't say that, Remus. You couldn't help what happened. If I hadn't been so reckless, maybe I could have planned everything a little bit better."

Thankful that Sirius's yelling had abated, Remus nodded.

"Some things never change, you know. What did McGonagall call you while we were in school? Reckless, rebellious, and royally unrighteous?"

Sirius smirked. "Yeah, I made her so mad sometimes she'd start to alliterate."

Sirius went to the window and saw Raven's outline walk past her kitchen window. 'Wonder if I can get her to make me breakfast,' he thought.

Raven sang along to the radio while she washed the dishes. Sirius tried to keep from laughing. He'd always loved "Back In Black" not only because it had his name in it, but because he'd been somewhat of a badass in his schooldays. He thought briefly of James, his partner in crime. 'No, bad idea, Sirius,' he told himself. He'd discovered new meaning in the song after he escaped from Azkaban and heard it again. As the next verse came around Sirius opened the door and started singing loudly. Raven turned around and almost dropped the plate she was holding. She laughed and sang along with him.

When the song ended, Raven and Sirius fell on the couch, laughing. "Isn't it a little early for AC/DC?" asked Sirius.

"I can't believe you! You were spying on me? How long were you there?"

"Long enough," he said, giving her a sexy smile.

Raven covered her face with her hands. "Merlin, I can't believe you saw that!"

"Actually, I think that's my favorite thing about you so far."

Raven laughed.

"AC/DC, one of my favorites."

"Me too. My cousin used to make me listen to them when I was little, and I hated it. But then I grew up and bought all their stuff."

"Your cousin?"

"Yeah, my one and only. Josh."

"You have one cousin?" screeched Sirius. "I wish I only had one cousin! My family was huge!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing. I don't have any family left!"

Sirius' face fell. "What happened to them?"

"Oh," Raven shifted uncomfortably, "they...my parents died. I'm an only child." She shrugged.

"I'm sorry."

Raven smiled weakly. "It's okay. It was a long time ago. I was nineteen."

Sirius rose his eyebrows, looking her up and down. "…And you're what, now? Nineteen and a half?"

Raven opened her mouth and then closed it. She swallowed and continued. "I'm twenty-five."

"Twenty-five?" Sirius looked at her. He didn't even think she looked twenty. "Okay..."

"Why? How old are you?" asked Raven, trying to get him to stop looking at her.

Sirius stopped. "I don't know." He looked at the ceiling, doing the math. "Thirty-three."

Raven now rose her eyebrows at him. "You forgot how old you are?"

"Well, I haven't really thought about it in a long time," he justified.

"Alrighty then."

He laughed. "So, what about Josh?"

"What about Josh? He's my cousin. He lives in Scotland--"

"Really? I went to school in Scotland."

"—with his wife." Raven rolled her eyes.

"I take it you don't like his wife?"

"No. I hate her."

Sirius nodded his head. "That sounds more like how I felt about my family."

"How come?"

"I don't know...we just...had different beliefs, I guess."

"What different beliefs?"

Sirius got up quickly from the couch and started to pace the room uncomfortably. 'Too many questions.' "Oh, I don't know. We just never agreed on anything."

"Want some coffee? You're a little jumpy there."

Sirius chuckled. "Sure, thanks."

Raven got up to get him a cup. She handed it to him and he took a sip.

As he drank it his eyes closed. After swallowing, they opened again and Sirius stared at her. "This is the best coffee I've ever tasted!"

"Oh, it's mixed with one part hot cocoa. I forgot to tell you."

"It's...amazing! My friend, Remus, he tries to make coffee, and I swear, it tastes so bad!"

Raven furrowed her brows. "You have a best friend with the same name as you?"

"Huh?" As Sirius rose the cup to his lips again, he froze. 'Oh shit. I told her my name was Remus!'

"Or were you referring to yourself in the third person?" She narrowed her eyes on him.

"I...uh..." Sirius stuttered. "Yeah, no that's how we became best friends because we had the same name."

"Mmhmm" she said, disbelievingly. Raven took his cup, quietly walked to the kitchen, and opened the back door. "Either tell me your real name or leave, Remus. I don't like being played with."

Sirius stared at her in amazement. He must be losing his touch. Crossing to the kitchen, he took his cup from her hands and filled it to the brim. Then he went back to the door, took Raven's hand and led her back to the couch. The door slammed as Raven was taken away from it. Sirius sat and pulled her down next to him. He took a long drink and then set the cup on the coffee table. He took her hand in his again and looked deep into her eyes.

"You can call me Sirius, if you like."

"I'd like to call you by your real name." Raven looked back into his deep, magnetic, gray ones.

"That is my real name."

"That name's kind of ironic, isn't it? I mean, you've been lying to me since I met you yesterday, right?"

"S-I-R-I-U-S," he spelled it, "and I haven't been lying to you. I just can't talk about a lot of things."

"Why not?"

"You said it yourself. People use this place as a hideout. I just don't want anyone to find me, that's all."

Raven spoke through gritted teeth. "Why not?"

"Because they think I did something that I didn't do!" he said forcefully. Then he spoke softly, more to himself. "And Harry needs me."

"Who?"

"My...my godson. He needs me. And I have to be there for him." He then realized that he had been squeezing her hand and let it go. "I shouldn't even be telling you this. I just...I needed someone to talk to, you know? You seemed like the kind of person who could understand."

Raven slowly nodded. Somehow the way he'd held her hand like that had made her want to believe him. "So...you're in some kind of trouble?"

Sirius smiled weakly. "I can't tell you any more, so I'll leave now. Thanks for the coffee." He downed the rest of his cup and left.

A/N: I'm really not too sure about Sirius telling Raven all of that so soon. But if there's one thing I love about Sirius more than his wit and his sarcasm, it's his faults. I love that he's such a tragic hero, you know? And I think one of his biggest faults is that he's too rash. He doesn't think before he acts very often. And even when he does think about it first, he usually decides to live dangerously and take a chance. And that's what he's doing with Raven. If it was Remus, he would be more careful in this situation, but Sirius isn't like his best friend, as you well know. So that's kind of why it's all happening so fast. Well, that and it would be boring for me to submit seventeen chapters of Sirius not telling Raven anything, right? Oh and by the way: NO, NO, NO this is not fixing to be Sirius/Remus slash. I don't write slash, even tho I find it somewhat amusing at times. They're just acting like any best friends would. (By the way, if you're going to ask how I know Sirius is 33, I'll explain my logic: He graduated Hogwarts in 1978 which means he had to be 17 or 18 then. Add 16 years to that, since this fic is set in 1994, that gives you 33 or 34.) So anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. Let me know in a review, please. Luv, Liveley