Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. Feel free to back out if that's you.

Author's Note: Shout out to Gab (HecateA) for making me write this.

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 11); MC4A
Individual Challenges: Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Bow Before the Blacks; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux
House: Hufflepuff
Assignment No.: Term 11 – Assignment 03
Subject (Task No.): n/a
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Romance Awareness D11 (Can't Lie to Soulmate) (Omegaverse); Insane House Challenge [08] (Woebegone); 365 [40] (Impulse); Galleon ("Wait here.")
Space Address (Prompt): n/a
Representation(s): Sirius Black/Kingsley Shacklebolt
Bonus Challenges: Grease Monkey; Abandoned Ship; In the Trench; Second Verse (Lovely Coconuts; Car in a Tutu; Unwanted Advice; Middle Name; Sneeze Weasel; Persistence Still); Chorus (Wind Beneath; Unicorn; Larger than Life; Tomorrow's Shade; Peddling Pots; Machismo; Fizzy Lemonade; Bee Haven; Wabi Sabi)
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: HoSE (Schooner; Sanctuary); SN (Rail; Ameliorate); T3 (Terse; Toad); FR (Evolution); O3 (Olivine)
Word Count: 634

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The Last Thing
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Kingsley had a terrible feeling as he followed Mad-Eye into the darken house. There had been rumors going around that Mad-Eye had finally lost what little bit of his mind that hadn't already succumbed to rampant paranoia, but he had never really given any credence to them. The old warhorse had plenty of reason to be paranoid, after all, seeing how there actually was people who were after him. Yet Kingsley still felt a certain amount of trepidation as he followed the man into a place that didn't seem fit for gnomes to live in, let alone people, to meet a third person that Mad-Eye had refused to name and had only hinted was a criminal informant.

The inside of the house was just as woebegone as the outside had been. The wallpaper was peeling. There were cobwebs everywhere. The scent of mildew and mold tainted the air, though a dimmest trace of cooking and tea could be detected under it. Nothing else, though. Maybe (hopefully) no one was living in this doxy-infested death trap. After all, even the most beta of betas left scent markers behind when they stayed in a space for longer than a few minutes. This would be a terrible place to live.

It wasn't that great a place to meet a stranger either, but Mad-Eye had brought them here. He must have done it for a reason.

"Wait here," Mad-Eye commanded once they had reached what was either a study or a parlor. Then the retired Auror left Kingsley alone in the dark room.

Grimacing, Kingsley flicked his wand in the pseudo-spell that most magical homes had passive wards to set for. Sure enough, the lights in the room responded to the motion by turning on. It chased away the thick gloom but did nothing for the grimness. Kingsley wanted to sit down on the couch-it had already been a long day before his unit had been called out to deal with a vicious attack on a Muggle neighborhood and then Mad-Eye had insisted on this meeting despite midnight having already long passed-but he was uncertain what kind of pests might be living in it.

The last thing he needed was to bring anything back with him.

A sharp knock heralded the return of Mad-Eye, but even as Kingsley was turning, he could smell the person accompanying him. The scent of unwashed omega was thick with the beginning edge of heat, making every protective instinct in Kingsley rear up. It took far too much effort to rein in the impulse to just take the (soon to be very vulnerable) omega to a more secured location than this abandoned mansion. Laying eyes on the gaunt figure that belonged to the scent didn't help either.

It took far too long for Kingsley to recognize the fugitive he had been hunting for the last year.

Sirius Black looked nothing like his wanted posters.

"You're not a criminal informant," Kingsley said, feeling a little numb from all the things racing through his mind. Black shook his head, like he was trying to clear something from it, then he blurted out something more shocking than his mere presence was.

"I could be. I know enough crimes that were covered up."

They stared at each other as Mad-Eye watched them both. (That was creepier than it sounded, as Mad-Eye did so by focusing his real eye on Kingsley and his fake one on Black.) Magic was thick enough in the air that the hairs on Kingsley's arms rose. Testing out a theory, Kingsley thought about trying to lie to Black. Immediately, the magic shoved at him as if angry.

"Fuck me," Kingsley cursed. "We're soulmates."

"In that case, I'd love to," Black returned immediately.

So much for not bringing anything back with him.