March 17, 1988

"Congratulations!" James shouted, pulling his sister into a bone-crushing hug. "You made it!"

Callie laughed. "Thanks, James."

He pulled away and held her at arms-length to look at her. The warm lights from the ceiling of his home made everything look cheery and welcoming. He took her chin between his fingers and turned her face from side to side, looking for damage with a teasing glint in his eyes. "Not a scratch on you!" He glanced to the side. "Sirius, you're better at your job than I thought."

Sirius grinned and raised his glass in salute from across the room. "All I did was guide her along. She did the hard part herself."

Lily pressed a glass of warm butterbeer into Callie's hand and gave her a squeeze. She was a little thinner than usual, the stress of the war showing in the faint worry lines between her brows, but she glowed with pride and happiness nonetheless. "We're all so proud of you. So what's the next step?"

"She was given her badge today, so she's official now," Sirius answered. "Next she'll be assigned a partner. She'll work with them for a year or so until the Powers That Be decide she's ready to go out on her own."

A crash from upstairs made all jump but Lily, who merely sighed. "Excuse me. That'll be our son trying to break our daughter out of Azkaban."

Sirius choked on his drink. He gave a laugh that was half a cough. "What?"

"Since you told him those stupid ghost stories about Azkaban, he's convinced that's what his sister's crib is!" Lily snapped. "So thank you for that."

Sirius grinned. "Hey, at least he loves his sister." He set his glass down. "I've got this one, Lils; you take a load off."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?"

"Let him." James grinned. "Harry hasn't seen his Uncle Padfoot in a while. Best of luck, though, mate."

Sirius pulled his coat off and draped it over the back of the chair. He rolled his sleeves up and headed for the stairs. "I think I can handle an eight-year-old, thank you." He flashed them a grin and disappeared.

James laughed. "What an idiot." He sank back on the couch. Clearly happily at home with his wife and kids, James retained the youthful spark in his eyes he'd always had, though behind it was a stony sign of maturity at the price of pain. Lily sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. Their fingers twined together, hands resting in Lily's lap. Callie watched them for a moment, smiling to herself.

"Callie," Lily said suddenly, "has Sirius been behaving himself?"

Callie took a chair facing them and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He's so reckless," James muttered. All trace of a smile was gone, replaced by something cloudy. "He's going to get himself killed one of these days."

"You've been saying that for years," Callie replied. She leaned back in her chair. "James, he's the best Auror on the force."

"That's what I'm afraid of. It won't be long before he's targeted. He probably already is."

Lily nodded. "We have a request." She paused. Callie could see her hesitation as Lily drew a deep breath. "The Auror Office will ask you who you want to partner with," she said. "Sirius has always been a bit of loner, and… well…"

"You've been really good for him," James broke in. "Having someone on his heels who he can look out for, who's counting on him, has done wonders. And now that you're a full-fledged Auror, you'll be able to watch his back, too."

"You want me to request Sirius as a permanent partner," Callie translated. The couple nodded. She sat back and considered for a moment. "He's a handful," she admitted slowly, "but there's no one else I'd rather pair up with. The only question is whether or not he'll accept. Like you said, he's a lone wolf."

James grinned. "Leave that to us. You don't mind if we play up your innocence, do you?"

Callie laughed. "I'm sure he's already thinking whatever you'll 'play up,' so have at it."

"He's awfully fond of you," Lily said with a smile. "It won't be too hard to convince him."

A pounding of feet on the stairs announced Sirius' return. The three of them looked up quickly. Sirius was pale. "Callie, we've got to go! The Dark Mark has been sighted nearby."

Callie sprang to her feet. "Where?"

He picked up his coat and pulled it on. "Near the Claybourne's home." He turned to Lily. "Harry's back in bed; no harm done. Thanks for having us."

Callie paled. James looked at her in concern. "Isn't Elizabeth Claybourne your friend?"

Callie didn't answer. She grabbed her coat and pulled her wand out. She ran out the door, Sirius a moment behind her. She apparated the moment she stepped outside. She barely had time to register the Dark Mark clouding the sky above her as the landscape rearranged. A house stood fifty feet away, sending plumes of smoke into the starless sky. Callie charged into the burning house. Someone behind her shouted her name, but she didn't stop. Flames danced around her. Her coat caught fire; she flung it off. A wall of flames flared up between her and the staircase. She screamed the Water Making Spell, her own voice barely audible over the roar of the flames. The curtain of flames parted.

Twice her foot broke through the burning boards. Once she was nearly crushed by a falling beam. Her eyes watered and her throat burned from the smoke. She made it to the second floor and ran down the hallway. The door on the end was her friend's bedroom.

A masked figure stood in the middle of the room, wand arm still out. The flames were already licking up four bodies on the floor in the corner. Callie stifled a scream of horror. Her friend's face was turned toward her, eyes vacant, face still drawn back in fear. The Death Eater turned to stare at her through the empty holes in its silver mask.

A wave of fury engulfed Callie, hotter than the flames around her. Her vision darkened. She gripped her wand tighter, pointing it at the Death Eater's heart. A jet of light flew from his wand tip. Callie cast the beam aside. Curses spilled from her mouth, taking shape as they left her wand. The magic crackled in the air around them. The Death Eater could hardly keep up. He made for the window, but Callie shot a blasting curse at his feet. The floor gave way beneath him. He plummeted into the flames below.

Callie jumped down after him, heedless of the fire. She saw the figure disappear around a corner and followed. He blasted his way through a wall. Rubble rained down behind him. "Reducto!" Callie screamed. She dove through the opening. A horrible rumbling, crashing noise followed as the entire structure came down behind her.

She saw the Death Eater several feet ahead of her. Callie cast the Anti-Disapparaition Jinx, preventing his retreat. The Death Eater rounded on her. She shouted the Babbling Curse, rendering him unable to articulate spells. He switched to non-verbal spells.

She screamed every curse she could think of. One finally hit home and froze him to the spot. She blasted the mask off his face. "Conjunctivitis!" His eyes turned a violent red. He screamed and puts his hands to them. "Crucio!" The Death Eater writhed and screamed, louder than the crackling of the fire behind them. The image of her dead friend crowded into her mind, and Callie screamed the curse again. It wasn't enough. She drew her arm back.

"Avada-!"

A hand closed around her wrist and forced her arm up. A body appeared in front of her, blocking her sight of the man who murdered her friend.

"Let go!" she screamed.

Sirius took her other wrist and shook her hard. He shouted her name and shook her again, and she froze. His eyes bored into hers, stern and nervous. When he saw he had her attention he lowered his voice. "Give me the wand."

The image of her friend, dead before her eyes, struck her again with the force of a blow. She gasped in pain. Sirius increased his pressure on her wrist and her wand fell to the ground. Her vision blurred. Hot tears ran down her face, streaking the layer of ash. Her knees gave out in grief. Sirius pulls her to himself and held her firmly, supporting her weight. He didn't say anything, just held her as she cried.

Denise Wilde came and took the Death Eater into custody. Wilde gave Sirius a questioning look where he stood, still holding Callie. He responded with a slightly helpless shrug and nodded her on her way. Wilde shrugged back and took the Death Eater back to the Ministry for arrest.

Once they were gone, Callie pulled away. She wiped her eyes and apologized, voice hoarse. Sirius told her it was fine and offered her wand back, but she refused it. He carried it in his pocket back to the Auror Office.

Sirius deposited Callie on a chair just outside the Head of Department's Office and went inside. Her hand shook too badly to write her report. She felt numb. She stared ahead at nothing. The conversation on the other side of the door washed over her.

"Alfred and Maria Claybourne are dead," Sirius reported, "along with their children, Elizabeth and Jason. We caught Wilkes standing over the bodies, but he couldn't have done it alone. Whoever helped him, they were gone by the time we got there."

"What happened to Potter?" Rufus Scrimgeour demanded. "She looks like she's seen a ghost."

Sirius shrugged. He tried to make light of the situation. The Head of Magical Law Enforcement didn't need to know that Callie had gone absolutely insane. "Elizabeth Claybourne was in her year at Hogwarts. They were good friends. She was first on the scene."

"And I suppose it was her who made a mess of Wilkes?"

The Auror's shoulders tensed imperceptibly. Torturing a target wasn't the most excellent thing she could have done on her first day as an official Auror, and she could be severely disciplined for it. She could be fired. Sirius shrugged casually. "The building was on fire, sir, and Wilkes is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. If I were you, I'd be impressed that a new recruit could take down a Death Eater by herself."

"You are not me, Black, and you are not head of this office. I am concerned that she was able to bring him down without a scratch. You said the curses just… bounced off her?"

Sirius was not impressed by the subtle reprimand and he did not take it well. Still, he kept his mouth shut about the jab and answered the question instead. "She deflected them, sir."

Scrimgeour raised an eyebrow. "And where were you while Potter was so valiantly saving the day?"

Sirius shrugged again. "I was busy trying to keep the house from caving in and destroying evidence."

"Evidence of what, Black? That Claybourne was secretly feeding information to Voldemort?" Sirius didn't react. Scrimgeour continued. "I know you think someone in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is a spy, but Claybourne was in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes."

"I know that," Sirius replied with a note of impatience in his voice. Sirius became aware of a lsight push against his mind, and casually put up a defense. His Head of Office has always been skilled in Legilimency, and Sirius did not appreciate the unannounced intrusions into his mind.

Scrimgeour hummed in thought and leaned back, breaking the attempt. After a moment, he said, "She shouldn't work alone yet."

Sirius knew that. He also knew that most of the other Aurors might do something rash if Callie were to lose control in front of them. He remembered his promise to James. He would keep her safe. "I agree, Sir," he said. "Let me keep her on." Did he want a partner? Not particularly. But he had to admit that she generally didn't get in his way, which was, really, the best he could ask for.

Scrimgeour frowned. "I don't know, Black. You're a loose cannon, but you've brought in a quarter of the Death Eaters we've thrown in Azkaban, and you've done it alone. Having a little dog at your heels will slow you down. I was fine with it for a year, but beyond that…"

Sirius clenched his teeth to avoid snapping at the comment comparing Callie to a dog. All the same, he hesitated. He thought back. She was terrifying attacking Wilkes. Her memory for spells was incredible. And frightening loss of control aside, she absolutely showed the most potential of anyone he'd ever seen.

Tying her to a lesser Auror would be a waste.

"I'm positive," he declared. "Let her partner up with me, and I'll turn her into the best Auror the Ministry has ever seen."

Again, Scrimgeour's brow raised. "No ulterior motives, Black?"

Sirius shrugged. "I know it sounds crazy, but I want her-"

"I'm sure you do."

"-as my partner," Sirius finished firmly. "With a little more time, I think the two of us could go after Voldemort."

Sirius could practically see the wheels in Scrimgeour's head turning. His eyes bored into Sirius' own, and for once, Sirius let down part of his mental defense to allow the Head or Office to see what he had in mind. After a while, Scrimgeour asked, "You really think she's that good?"

Again, Sirius thought of her sharp thinking and furious power when unleashed. He grinned. "I do, Sir."

Scrimgeour let out a deep sigh. "Alright, Black. You've got your wish. I'll draw up the paperwork and have it ready to be signed tomorrow."

Sirius smirked. "Thank you, Sir." He dismissed himself and walked out. He saw Callie sitting perfectly still, head in her hands. His smirk faded. He latched the door before walking over to her. He took the chair beside her and gently slid an arm around her shoulders. "Hey. Let's get you home." He took the quill and parchment from her lap. "You can finish that tomorrow… partner."

She looked up and gave him a confused glance, eyes still clouded with grief. Sirius grinned back.