Author's Note:

Bit of a writing binge this morning — had the day off and nothing too big going on (though I should be doing laundry, but here I go).

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Reviews and Comments: To Claire Fraser: You're right, Sirius was never going to take Snape's news well. Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the Weasley scene and showing the trauma that Harry has undergone.

Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:

The One With the Wolfsbane Fight

"What was that about?" Remus asked, opening a pint of Dragon Scale from the ice box and taking a drink as Dumbledore Disapparated from the front drive.

Sirius shrugged, leaning down to kiss Harry's forehead from where he sat at the kitchen table, drawing. It was pouring rain outside and he knew that Harry was disappointed to be stuck inside.

"A few different things. I'll fill you in later, I'm late as it is."

Remus smiled. "Castellanos must be getting angry. Are you taking her on a real date again soon?"

Sirius chuckled as he opened the door to head outside and Apparate. "We don't go on real dates, Moony — we're just shagging."

Remus rolled his eyes and Sirius smirked at him before he Disapparated. He hurried up the stairs to Althea's flat and knocked on the door.

Althea pulled it open and his mouth dropped. She was standing before him in a black heels and a red sheer nightgown with a lace trim. The red knickers and matching bra she wore beneath it were silk. She leaned against the doorjamb, twirling her hair around her finger as it fell down her back and over her shoulders.

"You're late."

He closed his mouth and stared at her for a moment. "I've never been so sorry in all of my life."

She continued to twirl her hair. "I don't tolerate tardiness."

Sirius' eyebrow rose in amusement. "Guess you'll have to punish me."

She grabbed him by the front of his shirt and tugged him inside. "Oh, I plan to."

The door closed behind him and she led him into her bedroom, pushing him down onto the bed. To his surprise, her knees indented the bed on either side of his head and she smiled down at him.

"As punishment, I'm going to use you terribly," she told him, wiggling out of her knickers sliding the silk along his cheek.

His breath caught and his cock twitched in his jeans. "I understand, I'll try not to enjoy it."

Then he grabbed her hips and pulled her closer and his mouth got to work.

By the time he let go, she was crying out his name. She eagerly tugged his jeans down just enough and she took him into her, riding him hard and fast until they collapsed against each other, breathless.

Sirius tugged off the rest of his clothes. "Have I been punished enough yet?"

She spanked him lightly, smirking when he looked at her in surprise. "Don't be late next time."

He crawled back onto the bed, his mouth covering her breast through the nightgown and bra she wore. "I had an unexpected visitor. I'm sorry I was late."

Althea smiled as he tugged the nightgown over her head and unclasped the bra so that she was naked before him. His lips trailed over her stomach and her hands fisted in his hair.

"It's all right. You can buy me some pizza and we'll talk about it."

Sirius simply grinned and lifted her hips, sliding in deeply. "After."

"After," she agreed, holding him tightly.

Afterwards, they sat naked in her bed eating pizza and drinking wine as Sirius filled her in on the newest prank by young Harry.

She laughed. "I wish I could have seen the stout and sturdy Professor Dumbledore covered in flour, confetti, and sprinkles! That must have been a sight!"

"It was," Sirius told her, grinning. "But the sight of Harry just rolling on the ground and laughing, that was the real sight. He's… he's a kid, Castellanos, and it's the greatest thing."

Althea smiled at him in understanding. "I told you that it would take time, but that it would happen. Has he started acting out yet?"

Sirius looked at her in confusion. "Acting out? I just told you about his epic prank on Dumbledore."

"No," she said laughing. "I mean, that is pretty amazing, but I was talking about him testing you; feeling out your boundaries."

"I'm not following."

"Well, you said the last time that you and Remus were implementing more rules and making him eat more veggies and do more chores — has he questioned any of this?"

"A little," Sirius told her honestly as he thought back to the last few weeks.

He had made a chore chart with stars and Harry had no problem with it. He picked up Marauder's poop every morning from the day before. He fed Marauder and once a week they gave the puppy a bath (Sirius and Remus both helped). He made his bed and he cleaned his room, laughing when Sirius had tickled him with the feather duster and stuck it to his butt, as he slid him along the walls to 'dust.' He helped with dishes and he set the table, he helped with some of the cooking, and he was starting to make food requests and complaints.

"He has been complaining a bit about the spinach in the salads or even begging for desserts. And he's been whining a bit about bedtime, wanting to stay up later."

Althea smiled as she sipped her wine. "Normal behaviour. But yes, he's starting to test you now. He knows the good things you do for him and he wants to see how much good stuff he can get, especially because it's all new to him."

"So, he's going to start acting out more?"

She nodded. "Oh definitely and it's a good sign," she told him with a smile. "And you're going to have to start thinking about how far you're willing to let him go. What kind of rules you want to instigate?"

"Rules," he said with a grimace. "I hate rules."

"They're not for you, Sirius," she said with a grin. "For Harry. Where he is allowed to go, what he is allowed to do, when he goes to bed, when he can have a treat, when he has friends over, and what they are allowed and not allowed to do… Those kinds of basic rules that every family needs to maintain healthy boundaries and a healthy lifestyle of order."

He nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that makes sense. He's just been so good that I haven't had to think about it. Remus and I definitely got him enjoying the pranks though so that's always fun and it's nice to see his mischievous side too."

"You'll figure it out," she said, licking pizza sauce off of her baby finger.

Sirius nodded, reaching across the bed to hold her small breast in his hand. "How do you feel about rules, Castellanos?" His finger gently massaged her nipple, making it hard.

"Oh, I'm very big on rules."

Sirius gently kneaded her breast, leaning in to kiss her neck. "I always felt like rules were meant to be broken."

Althea placed her hand over his, sighing at the loss of contact when he let go of her breast. "Depends on the rules."

Sirius grinned at her. "Rules suck."

Althea shimmied out of his grasp and hopped off of the bed. She moved to the other side of the room, grabbing a notepad from the top of her dresser and quickly scribbled something down before ripping off the first page.

"First rule of the night, Sirius — read this."

He rolled his eyes but accepted the piece of paper, chuckling. "Althea's To-Do-List?"

"Shut up and read it," she said, climbing back onto the bed.

Sirius cleared his throat as he began to read:

Althea's To-Do-List:

1. Have pizza and wine.

2. Get on knees and enjoy Sirius Black's wand — fully.

3. Do Sirius Black

Sirius swallowed slowly. "This is a very detailed and naughty list, Castellanos. You are a very naughty bird."

She simply smiled at him and slid down to her knees. "What comes after pizza and wine, Black?"

He glanced at the list and he grinned at her. "Enjoy Sirius Black's wand. Fully."

She stared at him as he moved to the edge of the bed and she positioned herself between his thighs before she looked up at him. "Still don't think we should follow the rules?"

Sirius simply watched as her mouth moved over him and he let his head fall back. So maybe some rules were okay.

But only some.

~ ASC ~

When he got home late that night, Harry was already in bed and Remus was half sleeping on the chesterfield in the living room. He lifted Remus' legs up, plopping them into his lap as he sat down next to his friend. Then he simply gripped his friend's legs and shoved forward and Remus slid off the couch, swearing when he hit the floor.

Sirius laughed and Remus turned to glare at him. "Really? Are you twelve?"

Sirius shrugged as Remus took a seat back on the couch, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Just after one. I thought you were taking Harry to your place tonight?"

"By the time we cleaned up the big mess his prank made in the living room, we decided to just stay here. How was your non-date?"

Sirius grinned widely, stretching his long legs out. "My broom was well-ridden."

Remus snorted. "I'm sure it was. What the hell are you two, then? Do you ever go out?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. Not since that first date."

Remus simply smirked at him. "It's been a month. I can't believe she's okay with this."

"She's leaving in a few weeks for Sri Lanka. Neither one of us are looking for anything serious. We're having fun and really great sex, which is all we both need right now. I don't want to be in a relationship right now, Rem; I'm still figuring things out with Harry. He doesn't need any other big changes in his life at the moment and frankly, neither do I."

"You can't use Harry as an excuse to stop living your own life, Sirius," Remus told him, eyeing his friend carefully.

"I'm not," Sirius told him. "I like Castellanos, don't get me wrong, but she's going away in few weeks and she's going to be gone for months. I'm not going to start something up that's not going anywhere. If she comes back and we're both still single, maybe, but right now — I'm just enjoying her."

Remus smiled at his friend. "That makes sense."

"When's the last time you even got laid, Rem? Why are you hitting me up about girlfriends, you never let yourself find a girlfriend?"

"I'm different. I have other problems to deal with."

"Bullshit!"

Remus sighed. "And I'll have you know that I met a nice girl named Robyn over Christmas."

"And?"

Remus simply smirked. "We spent two lovely weeks in her hotel room."

"Good for you, Moony. You deserve to have someone play with that big cock of yours other than yourself," Sirius exclaimed making his friend shake his head. "Anyway, I'm glad you and Harry stayed, I want to talk to you about why Dumbledore was here."

"When he asked to speak with you in private I was worried that it had to do with Harry?"

Sirius shook his head, standing up. "Let's go into the kitchen. I think we both need some whisky for this."

Remus followed, his eyes on the back of his friend's head. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of needing whisky to get through a conversation. It sounded ominous to him. He took a seat and watched his friend pour two fingers in a glass for each of them before he sat down.

"Do you read the Daily Prophet, Moony?"

"No, I stopped reading it years ago," he said watching as Sirius took a sip of his whisky. "I don't trust what they print, as you very well known."

"There was an article about a month ago about Belby, a Potioneer at the Ministry, and he's invented a new potion that helps with dementia."

"Er, okay?"

Sirius nodded. "Dementia that is specific to those who have lycanthropy."

Remus' eyes shot up, amber orbs twirling in thought. "What?"

Sirius quickly explained about the article, pulling the old newspaper out from the drawer and showing his friend the article. By the time he started to explain how he had approached Dumbledore, Remus was trembling.

Sirius stood up, moving around the table and wrapping an arm around his friend. "I know you're scared, Moony. But think of what a difference this potion can make."

Remus pushed his friend away as he climbed to his feet. "I'm not scared, Sirius." He moved to the window and stared out into the darkness. When Sirius put his arm around his shoulders again he sighed. "I can't believe you did all of this without talking to me first."

"Rem - "

"No, Siri!" Remus shouted, turning to look at his friend and shoving his arm away again angrily. "I know you meant well and you were right to think that I wouldn't have done this for myself but… how expensive is this potion?"

Sirius hesitated. "The ingredients are hard to come by, I'll give you that, but Snape is going to brew it for you."

"How much, Sirius?"

"Well, I don't have the bill yet so I'm not sure of the exact numbers."

"Sirius," he said in exasperation.

He blew his hair out of his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Roughly three hundred and fifty Galleons and change."

"A year?"

Sirius bit his lip. "Kind of per batch of ingredients."

"PER POTION?" Remus exclaimed, his hands fisting in his hair as his eyes widened. "That's ridiculous! I can't afford that!" he shouted in shock. When Sirius made to speak he placed his hand over his friend's mouth. "Don't you even try to tell me that you're going to pay for this every fucking month! What about the months when there's two moons, eh? That's double the fucking price, Padfoot! Nothing is worth that much money!"

Sirius shoved his friend's hand away. "Moony, if you'd just let me speak —"

"No! I will write to Severus and tell him that he needn't bother."

"REMUS!" he shouted, shocking Remus who turned to look at him. "The ingredients can be used again. Some of the ones you buy are not just portion sized to that potion. It would be every four months that we'd have to shell out that money."

This seemed to calm Remus down a little so Sirius continued.

"And I don't care what you say. I would spend every penny I had on this potion if it gave you two minutes of peace! Do you know how hard it's been for me to know that every month since I've been released from prison, you've been undergoing these terrible transformations all alone? Do you know how badly I want to be there for you and I can't be?"

"Uncle Padfoot?" Harry asked from the doorway, rubbing his tired eyes. "Why are you shouting?"

"Sorry, Prongslet," Sirius said, rushing over to scoop the tired child into his arms. "Uncle Moony and I were just talking."

Harry yawned and snuggled into Sirius' arms. "I want to sleep with you."

Sirius smiled and kissed his cheek. "Sure, Prongslet." He turned to Remus. "It's late, Moony. The first batch is already taken care of either way, which means until Christmas — you will have this potion. Let's talk about the rest tomorrow."

Then he turned and carried the half sleeping child upstairs and left Remus alone in the kitchen lost in his own thoughts.