Disclaimers: I own nothing.
Papers flew across the room as if they had been bewitched with minds of their own. Next, quills joined the throngs followed by books and parchments. The once orderly room had been ransacked in seconds, the floor completely hidden by debris, shelves totally void of their once complacent occupants.
A thoughtful wizard snatched one of the wayward leafs and stepped into the pillaged room. "I don't think Molly would approve of your cleaning style, old friend."
"I'm sick of this place," Sirius replied to the werewolf. "Of being trapped. Of not being able to walk down Diagon Alley and purchase what I want."
"You know I'll be happy to get you whatever you need."
"It's not the same."
"I have a feeling this has to do with a certain Order member. Danielle hasn't returned yet I gather?"
Slamming a desk drawer closed, scooting the desk back several inches, he replied flustered, "Why didn't I stop her?"
"She's stubborn, just like you. I always thought you two were perfect for each other. Why you didn't stay together is beyond me."
"It was a misunderstanding." Sirius said, punching his fists against the desk. He turned to his longtime friend and grinned a doggish grin. "But we're together now."
"Congrats, mate. Don't let her get away this time."
"There's something more though. There's a prophesy. I thought, maybe, I could change it. She's going to die, Moony."
"You're certain?"
Sirius crumpled against the desk and rubbed his face with his hands. "It's like she wanted to die. She didn't do anything to stop it. Didn't care."
"Oh, I highly doubt that," Lupin responded.
"She's so selfish!"
"You know that's not true. Danielle has always been one to put others first. How often did she defend others? You? Me? Snape? She always put us before herself."
"Yeah, well, not this time. If she's dies--."
"Padfoot, have faith my friend. She's not going to die. I don't think she'd want to suffer your wrath." Lupin smiled and cupped Sirius on the shoulder. "Did you find anything in this place to give her?"
Sirius chuckled. "Of course not. All I found was a tarnished locket. And that was gaudy."
"Well then, you'd better be figuring out what you want me to get for her. But later, Padfoot. Dumbledore is here and wants to know what you found."
The old mansion sat by itself on a large piece of land in practically the middle of nowhere. It was perfect; no muggles or mudbloods in sight and large enough to intimidate any noble wizard that visited. It was just the kind of dwelling a pretentious pureblood family would own and the kind of place that gave any respectable witch chills down her spine.
Inside, the manor was just as commanding, filled with extravagant heirlooms and hideous family portraits which housed snobby people slumbering in their frames. A particularly nasty one held a place of honor near the base of the massive staircase; the occupant a mirror image of the banshee that caused so much trouble at Grimmauld Place.
The front door opened with a slight click and a restrained tsking sound from the lone intruder. She decided that a short note to the owner was due for the lack of protection placed on the house. Their mistake was her gain though.
Slowly, she walked down the main hallway running her finger along the mahogany chair rail and taking in her surroundings in a cynical manner. She despised the place and especially the people that owned it. In her mind, their pale vacant faces and gleaming white hair fueled her anger and she couldn't wait to pay some much needed revenge. They deserved it too.
Ending in a large study, the hallway was a mere prelude to the lavishness of the manor. Thick tomes, most dealing with the darker magics, lined endless shelves in the room, proving the wealth of the owner. The occupants of the house, still soundly asleep in their beds upstairs, used the room faithfully looking for a solution to their problems. Their attempts were constantly coming up short however.
Lucius Malfoy was still in Azkaban.
Danielle spun leisurely in the room, taking it all in. She knew she couldn't stay long for there were eyes everywhere, but old debts needed to be paid. Taking out a bright red envelop, Dani stepped over to the desk and placed it delicately on the acid green desk pad, her fingers lingering slightly over the serpent-headed letter opener.
Someone stirred upstairs, unnerving Danielle. She needed to get out before her luck ran out; the prophesy hung heavily in her mind. Pulling out her wand, she slid over to the doorway and listened intently for any other disturbances in the eerie silence.
The floorboards on the upstairs landing groaned under an intruder's weight.
"We should go back there." Bill Weasley was standing behind his parents in the kitchen full of Order members.
"Oh, I'm sure they've made it unplottable by now. And it has a secret keeper no doubt. I'm afraid that even Danielle and Sirius could not lead us to the building, if it's even still there." Dumbledore's mouth twitched in its usual manner and he continued, "The information that Danielle and Sirius retrieved for us already is invaluable. I plan to leave shortly in search of something she found. It really has placed us quite a bit forward."
"But at what cost," Sirius asked quietly. He was standing in the darkest corner of the kitchen, hidden in deep shadows.
"I'm sure you know, Sirius," Dumbledore began, "that some things happen for certain reasons. I believe that timing and fate are everything sometimes."
Sirius growled and threw the nearest chair against the opposite wall, narrowly missing Charlie.
"Sirius!" scolded Lupin.
"What?" Sirius yelled, throwing up his arms in mocked innocence and disgust. The others stared at him as if he just announced Voldemort was his uncle, making him all the more mad. Defiantly, he stared back at them before his temper got the best of him and, growling predatorily, he stormed up the stairs, feeling their eyes on him as he left.
Everyone still in the kitchen looked stunned, except for Dumbledore who seemed quite amused. Lupin cleared his throat and offered softly, "Danielle hasn't returned yet," as if that explained away Sirius' anger.
"Cissy! What's going on," Bellatrix Lestrange asked from her position behind her sister in the study. Narcissa Malfoy had her wand held at shoulder level, pointed into the semi-dark study at the foreign object. It hadn't moved since she entered the room but she wasn't about to let her guard down for anything.
"I don't know! Lumos," she said, her lids widening as the light assaulted her eyes and she saw what was before her.
"It can't be! How!"
"I don't know." Narcissa stepped over to the desk and picked up the small red piece of paper; her sister ran to the open window and peered out at the night for signs of the deliverer of the howler.
"Do you think it's from Him," Bella's voice dropped in respect with the last word.
"One way to find out." Narcissa slipped a shaky finger under the seal which brought the howler to life, magnifying an acidly sweet version of Danielle's laugh.
"Next time you come for me or the ones I love, I'm coming for your son!"
Narcissa took a shuddery breath, trying to control the imminent sobs. "That's it. What the Dark Lord has asked, now this…. I'm going to see Snape. I've got to protect my Draco!"
Kicking closed the truck at the end of his bed, Sirius growled in frustration. He shouldn't have snapped at Dumbledore but he was angry and upset and worried about Danielle. Running his hand angrily through his hair, he knew there was nothing he could do but wait.
Sighing, he walked over to the window and let the cool night breeze tickle his face. The moon was almost full; the intense light filtered through his closed eyelids. It calmed his nerves but only slightly. He opened his eyes to study the keeper of the night but his attention was pulled toward an object in the distance.
He leaned out the window and watched as the beautiful bird extended the full glory of its wings to the edges of the sky, catching as much of the fleeting, warm night air as it could. The moonlight shone off its back, making it glow magnificently against the velvety night sky. Closer and closer it came, its reddish brown feathers and fierce eyes becoming more apparent as it flew closer. He reached out his hand and let the bird land smoothly on his arm. Stroking its silky wings with his free hand, he walked over to the bed and let the bird hop to the mattress. Slowly, the bird transformed back into the beautiful female form he'd come to love.
"I was merely waiting an owl," he quipped.
"But aren't I better?"
"I suppose. Are your words sharper than your beak?"
She chuckled and walked over to him. "Not today I don't think. At least not for you." She ran her hand down his arm but he quickly pulled away and shifted to the other side of the room. He looked around the tight space, trying to avoid her questioning stare but could feel her eyes burning into him from the window. He was experiencing a wide range of emotions, anger and relief being the top two, and he was afraid he'd get them all muddled up and release the wrong feelings on Danielle. Frustrated, a sensation he was feeling a lot of lately, he moved to the floor and rested his back against the edge of his bed, hanging his head in his hands.
The springs of the mattress groaned under Dani as she sat on it next to him. He felt her leg brush against his shoulder as she shifted to be more comfortable and instantly he felt like he was on fire, radiating from the point of contact.
Lifting his head, resting an elbow on her knees, he asked rather safely, "Is everything ok?"
She pinched the bridge of her nose to ward off an impending headache and then bent down so he could see her smile, "I suppose."
"Good. Because I would hate to find out something happened and you didn't trust me to come along or something. That's a horrible thing to do! I mean, really."
"I suppose."
He flipped onto his knees and grabbed her by the shoulders. "And after I just got you back! How fair would that have been? I deserve to be happy. And who cares if I'm being selfish! I deserve to be!"
"I suppose."
"Is that all you can say?"
"We just found each other again after seventeen years apart. There shouldn't be any more bad blood between us, no matter how mad I know you are at me at this present moment. But, even with all of that, I'm not really worried about what to say right now." She arched an eyebrow, a quirk that he'd come to love, and smiled playfully. She ran her fingers along the sides of his face, tucking his hair behind his ears, letting her hand linger there. His skin was scorching hot against her skin, no doubt from pent up anger. She slipped her icy fingers, still cold from her flight, under his jaw and titled his face slightly upward. Realization dawned on Sirius' face just before she leaned forward and captured his lips with hers.
It was a perfect kiss.
She felt his lips curl in a grin and she pulled away to look in his smiling eyes. "What?"
"Another kiss to add to my memories."
"You can still be mad at me if you wish."
Sirius bit back a smile and clear his throat, trying to remain serious. "I've been thinking about that dumb prophesy."
"Yeah? And?"
"Well, it doesn't say that Danielle Aquila Afton would die, just would be no more."
"Doesn't that mean the same thing?"
"Not if you marry me."
"What?"
"If you marry me, and take my name. Dani Afton, would be no more."
"Very sneaky Mr. Black."
Sirius grinned a devilish grin.
and the end of another chapter. Happy 4th of July all. Make mine even better and review please!
