Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all but Cecily and her family.

Thank you to my beta Fireboltrider and tattva for being my first reviewer.

Chapter two

Cecily's heart was beating like war drums. Her hands were limp in Sirius Black's cold, dry grasp. Dry was her mouth, as dark was the night. She could hardly speak.

"My flat is just a few buildings down. We can talk in the morning," she whispered. She slipped her frostbitten hands from his and slid on her frayed mittens that her mother had knitted for her when she was fifteen. Her eyes suddenly avoided his gaze.

"In the morning, right," Sirius agreed quietly, placing Harry into her arms before striding to the door and scooping up his wand. Cecily walked passed him. He seized her arm. "Do you trust me?"

Cecily smiled. "No. Follow me."

The snow was falling like a downpour of rain. It was beautiful to Cecily's eyes. The spot where she had tripped and landed on the sidewalk was almost completely filled up. The wind blew, howling like a pack of wolves to a harvest moon. It swept the snow into their faces. Atop the lampposts were inches upon inches of white pleasure. The street sparkled with it, dancing upon layers and layers. Cecily caught Sirius's eye and they both plowed through the snow, never breaking their gaze.

Cecily's flat was very old, but very handsome. A fire was roaring in the fireplace and it smelt of jasmine and...home. It was larger than one would expect because it was charmed to be like a small house inside the blue door. There were three dark, maroon chairs and a sofa in the middle of the room with old, wood flooring underneath them sitting peacefully in front of the fire. An elegant chandelier was hanging from the ceiling, right in a spacious hall, across from the door. From the den was a stove and a sink, a refrigerator, and a round table making up the kitchen. There were at least twenty cupboards and drawers filled to capacity, the floor there sporting the same old wood as was the rest of the flat. Sirius whistled.

"Well, you live nicely," he said.

Cecily blushed. "My mum lives across the hall and she spies on my door. She'll probably come over in the morning once she senses I'm awake. She paid for all of this to bribe me to live near her. I have four—three brothers and sisters and they all live out of the country."

Sirius smiled half-heartedly. Cecily covered a yawn.

"Would you like to take the couch with Harry or should I?" she asked.

"I will," he said, accepting the sleeping baby from her tired arms. She stretched.

"All right. Let me—" She pulled out her wand but Sirius quickly stopped her.

"All I need is a blanket," he said.

"There's one at the end of the sofa," Cecily beckoned. Her eyes darted to an itchy-looking, blue and white wool blanket. There were a few small holes in it made by toes and fingers from restless nights. "It's softer than it looks," she added.

A long silence followed while Cecily watched Sirius hold the baby boy to his chest, murmuring words that sprung tears into her eyes. Her eyes lingered on him then they darted to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

Sirius smiled. "There is never a time when I'm not hungry," he said.

Cecily wondered briefly while staring at him whether or not she was being intelligent for inviting him into her home. His eyes betrayed him. He was no criminal. Was this how innocent people were deceived by others? By grief in a man's eyes? Or was it his words that captured even the hardest of hearts? Cecily didn't know...but she did care. She was going to get to the bottom of all of this. She would not die careless.

"Well," she replied. Her eyes glinted. "I don't have much."

Harry fidgeted a bit, but remained asleep. Cecily suggested putting him on the couch to rest. Sirius hesitated but eventually agreed and followed her to the table.

"Don't worry," Cecily assured him. He looked wary. "He's fine. We can see him from here."

Sirius took one last long stare at the couch and his shoulders eased and his eyes relaxed. "I don't know why I'm so worried. Well...that's a lie, I do know why."

"Why?" she asked. She stirred the tomatoes in the soup she made for her and Sirius.

"Because—" he paused. "Because his parents died and it was my fault."

Cecily's exhausted face stared back at her in her soup bowl. "I know." The words she spoke did not sound right, even in the back of her mind.

"No, you don't. I didn't betray them. I swear. But it is my fault they're dead," Sirius said. He stared, glossy-eyed in Harry's direction. "It was Pettigrew."

Realization dawned on Cecily's face. She understood now. But how? Hadn't someone been overlooking the Fidelius Charm being performed? Wouldn't Albus Dumbledore have known? "You switched," said Cecily. "Without telling anyone. And you were right to do so. Everyone thinks you are—were the Secret Keeper."

Sirius gripped his scorching tea mug in his hands, ignoring the burning pain that was soaring through them. "I was stupid. I should have known he was the traitor."

Cecily plucked his hands from the mug. "You are going to burn yourself."

Sirius showed her his red hands. "I already have."

Cecily didn't want to talk anymore. She wanted to crawl into bed and hide forever. Had the Ministry of Magic been wrong this entire time that Sirius Black wasn't to blame for the murders of James and Lily Potter and the attempted of Harry Potter? Her mind was swimming and she was so tired. She was sure her excuse in the morning for listening and believing him was "I was tired and I didn't know any better." Sure, she was exhausted, but she was still plenty awake.

"I thought we were going to talk about this in the morning," said Cecily. "I'm awfully tired and you—" She studied him. His eyes were drooping like hers and he fought to keep them open. "Well, so are you."

"Why were you out so late?" he asked. Cecily was startled at his question.

"I was," she began. She had gone out on a 'date' with a very tedious man who liked to share stories of his infant niece, which sounded as if she only slept and ate by the way he told his stories. "I went out on a personal outing with a...friend."

Sirius cracked a grin. "I'm not Fudge, or your boss. You can just say 'I was on a date.'"

"I was on a date," Cecily repeated.

"Well, that explains why you were out late." Sirius glanced at a wall clock that read 12:05 A.M. "It must have been a rather boring date."

"I'm tired," she interrupted, spilling some of the contents from her soup bowl onto the table with her abruptness as she stood.

"I am too," Sirius said in her same manner, grinning.

"I'll see you in the morning...Sirius," Cecily said softly. Sirius kissed her hand.

"Thank you, for believing in—"

"Oh, hush," she scolded. She snatched her hand back. "Goodnight."

o o o

"CECILY! CECILY! I KNOW YOU'RE UP! HAPPY CHRISTMAS!"

Her eyes flew open and she sat up like an ironing board and stiff like her date last night. She liked her second date a lot better—

"CECILY! OPEN THE DOOR!"

Cecily groaned and glanced out of her room at the blue door. Her mother knocked so loudly Cecily would be surprised if the landlord didn't come up and try to shut her up.

"I'm coming, Mum," Cecily called. She tripped out of bed and landed on her knees. She stumbled to the couch and stared down at the very-awake Sirius Black.

"Well, good morning, sunshine," Sirius said cheerfully, hugging Harry to his chest. Cecily rolled her eyes.

"My mother," she explained. "Happy Christmas, Sirius—"

"CECILIA! OPEN THIS DOOR!"

Cecily groaned. "I'm coming. Hold on."

Mary Elise Adams was a peculiar woman. She was very stylish and she was a mad chef, but her sharp tongue was constantly out of control. Cecily often wondered why her father hadn't kicked her out of the house with her unusual use of vocabulary in such a vulgar way in his direction. But he had loved her with such a passion like no one else could. It was a pity he died. But the way the young widow barged her way into the flat made Cecily crack a grin.

"Happy Christmas, Mum."

Mary kissed Cecily on the cheek. "Happy Christmas, Cecie—dear. I'm surprised. You woke up much later than you usually do on Christmas."

Cecily blinked and retorted, "I had a busy night."

"Ah, that's right. How was your date—?"

Mary stopped in mid-sentence. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted Sirius holding Harry on the couch with Cecily's wool blanket wrapped around him.

"Cecily, is there something I should know?" asked Mary, staring at Sirius. The floorboards creaked as she rocked side to side on her feet. Cecily wished she could jump back into bed and sleep until the next day when she realized she would have to explain everything to her mother. She coughed in her throat and flopped down on one of her dark maroon chairs.

"Yes, mum, there is," she replied.

Mary sat. Her back was stiff and her legs were crossed as she stared at Sirius in confusion. Her eyes widened. "That baby isn't your child, is it, Cecilia? Were you fooling around at Hogwarts?" Mary looked scandalized and Sirius laughed.

"No, no, Mrs.—" He glanced at Cecily.

"Adams."

"—Adams. I wouldn't even think of vandalizing your daughter, I swear. This is my godson, Harry Potter," Sirius explained.

Mary looked taken aback. Her mouth dried considerably but she managed to ask, "Who are you?"

Cecily immediately answered. If Sirius answered, Mary might wonder if her daughter knew who he was, but if she answered then she would know that she knew.

"Black!" Mary stood. She searched for her wand in her red, Christmas-y robe but was distressed to remember she left it on her kitchen counter in her flat.

"Mum, it's alright," said Cecily softly. She reached out and touched her mother's shoulder gently. "It's Christmas, relax."

Sirius rose to his feet slowly. He let Harry settle into the couch and he held out his hand. Mrs. Adams looked at it warily but shook it.

"It's very nice to meet the mother of a beautiful woman. I see where she gets her looks," Sirius said lamely.

Cecily blushed. It was an overused line, but the way Sirius said the ridiculous phrase made her turn a deep red. A glance at her mother told her that Mary felt the same way.

"Thank you, I guess," said Mary, avoiding his eyes.

Sirius kissed her hand.

Cecily steamed. Was he charming her mother too? Did he like her like that? She was afraid to admit it, but Mary was a very attractive forty-five year old woman. She could pass for a much younger age if she wanted to.

"How about breakfast?" Cecily asked through gritted teeth. Why was she upset? Even if Sirius did like her mother in some strange way why should she even care about him? Because you fell in love at first sight last night, part of Cecily mocked herself. Idiot woman.

Mary looked at Sirius in wonder. "I suppose we'll be sharing Christmas this year?" she asked. Her voice didn't make the comment rude or nasty as Cecily had expected. Mary walked into the kitchen area and began to pull pans from the cabinets and eggs from the refrigerator.

"That's right," Cecily growled.

Sirius's grey eyes sparkled and it made Cecily want to smile. "Do you not like your mum?" he asked.

Cecily shook her head. "I do, but she gets on my nerves sometimes."

"Ha! Meet my mother. Then you can say if your mother gets on your nerves or not." He paused. "Never mind, never meet my mother."

o o o

Christmas, for Remus Lupin, was a sad affair. It held too many memories of the four most important people in his life who were gone forever. Two dead, one gone, and the last a traitor. Christmas began for him at dawn, but it was hard to believe it was Christmas. It was the first year he had ever spent it alone without his friends or family and he was consumed by his grief and yearning for them. There were no gifts under his gloomy little tree. The 25th of December was just like any other cheerless day he had endured since almost two months ago and he didn't expect anything more.

He made tea for himself and sank down into one of his bright red overstuffed chairs that James and Sirius bought him for his birthday last year. They said it went great with the décor of his house. Remus doubted that they even understood the meaning of 'décor' because the walls and carpet were all a deep shade of blue. He still hadn't bothered to change the color of it even now when he had all the time in the world. Remus smiled at the memory of James and Sirius. But the thought of Sirius still angered him. He was the reason why Christmas was so lonely. Was he the reason Peter disappeared too? It didn't make sense that Sirius would be responsible for that too, would it? Peter's apartment was bare, as if he'd packed everything, and Remus knew that if it took that much effort to kill him, Sirius wouldn't bother. Sirius was a smart man. Remus knew that he wouldn't draw more suspicion to himself than necessary.

A consistent tapping on the window reminded Remus of the present. He jumped and spilled hot liquid over his hands. Well, it hadn't been strong enough anyways. He stumbled to the window and let the owl in. He recognized it immediately as a Hogwarts' owl. Now what was wrong?

Dear Remus, it began. He knew it was from Albus Dumbledore. His handwriting was distinguishable from anyone else he knew. And besides, who else would write?

I do hope I am not disrupting your Yuletide spirit but I do not know if you've heard or not. Harry Potter is missing. The Ministry has already questioned Harry's aunt and uncle and they have informed us that they have abandoned the boy. The location they placed Harry has been searched thoroughly, but his whereabouts are still unknown.

Remus closed his eyes and reread the paragraph. How could the Dursleys abandon their own nephew?

There is a very large chance that Sirius Black has taken him. I must warn you, the Ministry of Magic will question you. But answer truthfully. I will be there, do not worry.

Merry Christmas,

Albus Dumbledore

o o o

Cecily and Sirius ate until they couldn't and Mary was still piling eggs and bacon and pancakes onto their plates. Even Harry looked full.

"Mum, you have to stop," Cecily groaned.

Mary raised her eyebrows. She was half finished scooping half a pan of eggs in front of Sirius. "Are you full?" she asked.

They both nodded.

Sirius tilted his head back and glared at the ceiling. "I think I lied. I'm not always hungry."

Cecily pushed her plate away. "Thanks, Mum, breakfast was..." she covered her mouth as a belched eased back into her stomach. "...filling."

Mary smiled and began to clean the dishes.

Cecily and Sirius made small talk, even though she hated small talk. It wasn't until he began to talk about his years at Hogwarts did the conversation turn interesting. He had her in stitches, and they both laughed at the Marauder's silly pranks and ideas that could have gotten them expelled in a heartbeat. The fun ended suddenly when an owl tapped on the den's white framed window.

Cecily sighed and let the owl in. She read it and her cheery spirits sunk.

Mary looked in from the kitchen, appearing concerned. "What is it, Cecie?"

"Something big at the Ministry. I have to go in. The minister needs me," said Cecily.