Author's Note - Sorry it took a while, with a few losses due to COVID, I had no inspiration to truly write.

Also I consider this a filler not just because I don't feel comfortable jumping right into the next book, but rather it's a big transition happening.

~Of Silver and Gold~

Chapter 67: New Home

It was clear there would be no sleep for the pair tonight. Instead, Narcissa had the servants make tea, and they talked about anything and everything. It was the first time that Angel felt like she had her mother with her again, except this time around, she wasn't so careful about mincing her words. To her though, it was obvious that her mother was mulling things over, and was somewhat distracted.

"Angeline" the tone in her voice made it clear that a cloud was growing over the pair.

"Yes mother?" she murmured, holding the cup close to her chest.

"I think that we should make your moving...a permanent one." her eyes immediately flashed with sadness. "Not that I don't want you here, but we have to face the facts. With your father gone, Bella has taken a hold of my family. And as much as I...I care for her, I cannot bear to have anyone I love here anymore. I know Draco chooses to be here, but I cannot endanger you any longer. "

"Mother...why can't you just come with me, both of you and we ask Dumbledore for help?"

Narcissa gave her a smile that for some reason made her feel naive and Angel felt her face heat up immediately. It was foolish, it was clear she wasn't thinking , but she allowed her heart to speak instead of mulling it over.

"Darling...you and I both know that our whole surroundings, our community, our family are surrounded by these people. We cannot just leave...if so what happens? Who takes over our property, our estate? Imagine the power void it would cause, someone more dangerous could come."

"I want to leave...but" Angel's eyes filled with despair. There was a clear undercurrent of 'I don't want to leave you alone' but she dared not mention it.

"But nothing." Narcissa pursed her lips. "You are no longer fit to live here with us, it's clear, at the end of the day you are just like your father...your real father" it had pained her to say it. "Much like you he left his family because he could no longer hide who he was. And while I loathed it as a young girl, as a mother...I am nothing but relieved that you are nothing like us. You are not marred by the darkness of the walls, you are meant to be better than us." Narcissa reached out and grabbed her daughter's hand. "and maybe you can save us from the outside"

It was clear her mother was right. Political power held a stronghold even within Voldemort's circle and the Malfoy name was still felt even with Lucius' demise. She knew that her mother would not speak up, and could not speak up in fear of repercussions but she would play smart.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Narcissa smiled.

"Before you leave, I want you to take a few letters with you. Leave them with the people I have asked you to, and I will keep in contact with you."

"Of course." Angel nodded "Anything else?"

"One thing, I-I want you to stay with Sirius during this time. I need a location to always know you are safe. I believe his muggle home will be a good hiding space from the people that could look for you."

"Do you think they would?"

"Bella tends to obsess if something cannot be in her grasp. While I doubt she would, for my sake, I do think that her obsession for the Dark Lord might muddle her brain. The sheer thought of her going over my head to get Draco to accept the mark is enough for me to be concerned."

"Aren't you worried she'll hurt you too?"

Narcissa shook her head.

"Bella and I have an unbreakable union as sisters. While she is incredibly overbearing, she does tend to protect me and mine as her own as well. We argue but never once even in her most destructive nature has she hurt me...at least until recently."

Angel could not help but wince in realization that at the core Bellatrix knew she was not Narcissa's and that was a part of her disdain. But even more so, it was not until Angel was involved that Bellatrix began to hurt Narcissa.

"Now, I want you to contact those people and leave tonight. To be honest at this point I don't know if the Floo Network is tapped and I don't want to risk it."

Angel's face paled at the thought of them being monitored, but if her mother was saying it then perhaps it wasn't such an outlandish idea. Silence loomed over the pair again.

"I'm assuming you have your form of communication with them?" Narcissa smiled.

"Hm? How would you know?"

"Darling, I heard you talking last night, I suppose you forgot a silencing charm when speaking to him. Don't worry I am not angry...I am glad you have a father figure...even if it is Sirius" her smile dimmed.

"He gave me a mirror," Angel admitted. "We communicate that way at Hogwarts and-" she curled into herself. "I'll contact him."

"Good, now I think we should try to get some sleep."

It was clear Narcissa was exhausted and no longer wanted to talk. Angel automatically walked forward and kissed her mother before going to bed. They weren't completely mended, and the wound would not heal immediately but at least this time around she was leaving with permission.

…

"Sirius Black"

It was daybreak, but with the soundproof charm, Angel knew she was as safe as she could possibly be. It was very early, and for a moment she wondered if she could have waited for a more reasonable time. She paused. 'Mother did say time was of the essence' and with that thought she waited patiently.

Moments later, the smoke cleared and soon a worried and insomniac father appeared looking around her wondering what was wrong. She smiled softly and that itself seemed to have lifted the wait from his shoulders. As soon as he began to ask, she cut him off.

"I'm safe...for now. I am just letting you know I'll be leaving the manor soon" she went straight to the point.

"How? Do you need me to pick you up?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"I don't think that's necessary."She took a deep breath. "Before I left, Professor McGonagall gave me a portkey of sorts to take that would lead me to safety. I-I think it would be your home, I'm unsure but I know I need to get out of here. W-we think that people could be visiting that would not be wise for me to be here"

"Who exactly will be visiting?"

Her expression shifted and frowned at the question. While she loved Sirius as her father, the trust between the working of the manor was not always mentioned. Before her house was protected by the sphere of influence that her father had, but what kept Sirius from just telling the Order of the situation?

"Angel, Angel, are you still there?"

"Yes" she murmured before looking a bit put out. "I'll see you soon"

She saw how upset he was at how little he could really do. But it did not matter to her, she had a lot to do and she would not let guilt eat away at the time. She had so little of it and it was not to be wasted. Hanging up the call, she rushed through what she needed.

Apart from the items she had taken previous times, she always took what was considered 'essential' but this time around it was different. Her mother was asking her to leave, permanently, for her safety. That meant, not knowing when she could properly visit her childhood home, her items, her sentimental items. So she got to work.

She packed money that she'd saved over the years. She wasn't stupid; she knew that the Malfoy bank would be confiscated of money soon, and they'd start with her. She was no longer the little privileged girl and it was for the best that she started monitoring her money. She took books, photo albums, journals, mementos, things that would need to be re-organized somewhere else. Once she was done, she realized that more than two hours had passed and she needed to get out immediately. There would be no sleep.

Looking for the satchel she was gifted from McGonagall, she found the small coin and looked it over. It was not a galleon or any currently she had seen before, but all that mattered was that this was her way out.

Taking a deep breath she looked around one more time, just to try and keep it steady in her memories. Merlin knows what'd happen while she was gone. The last thing she did before shrinking her suitcases was to leave a note.

It was vague and simple - she was a coward and could no longer live under their roof for the guilt that she felt for Lucius' untimely death. It was half true and something that Bellatrix would not question.

Still gripping the coin, she closed her eyes and envisioned safety, before she felt a tug in her stomach and she was gone.

…

Angel didn't know what to do with herself. She pressed her cheek at the palm of her hand and hid a grin; how could she not smile as Sirius and Remus attempted to make her a proper meal. She had feared her father being upset with her after being so short. And he was - for a moment, until he took her in and his anger went out the window.

"Do you like eggs?" Remus asked kindly.

"Of course she likes eggs, scrambled only," Sirius interrupted.

Angel smiled and muttered a thank you as the scone came her way. "You know, I don't need to eat so much."

"Nonsense, you're getting skinny again" Sirius protested.

Still, as a piece of toast burned, and the smoke came to her nose, she realized that perhaps this was a dangerous task. Both awkwardly shuffled through the kitchen, making a flurry of the whole task. They probably wanted to keep busy since they didn't want to talk about what happened.

Harry had been forced to leave and she just missed him. Despite Sirius being acquitted and Harry wanting to stay, Dumbledore had made it clear that he should have returned to the Dursleys. No matter what Sirius said and protested about, Dumbledore had made it seem like this was not an option. And so she served a distraction, which she didn't mind as she herself was bummed about missing him.

Still, as the plates were done, the table was set for the three of them and they sat down and ate. It was weirdly natural and more simple; no servants, no elves (Kreacher did not appear), just two adults attempting to make something for them.

"You know, you should eventually teach me how to cook," she commented, before blowing on her eggs and stuffing her face. The egg was a bit brown, and over-salted but she didn't mind.

"Well" Remus said, wincing as he tasted the food they made. "Perhaps Molly might be better suited to teach you how to cook"

"How does that sound?" Sirius teased knowing her face was already showing annoyance.

"She'd poison me" she stuck her tongue out and took a big bite of her eggs.

As she ate her eggs, she noticed how the two men were silently talking to one another making it clear they wanted to ask her something. Funny enough, neither of them were brave enough to actually ask the question. Sighing, she took a sip of her juice waiting for them to ask but since neither did she figured she just be forward with the information.

"If you're wondering how I am doing, I am fine. Every day it gets a little better, it's harder when I think about it. And yes, I have been sleeping, but I stopped taking sleeping draughts a few days ago. I felt unsafe going into a deep slumber." she looked up seeing that they looked embarrassed. "Oh, also yes Narcissa knows I am here, she suggested I move her permanently."

"Really?" Remus asked curiously. "How come?"

"Yeah, she's not necessarily fond of me," Sirius added.

Angel shrugged. She would not betray Narcissa if she could help it. She was still her mother figure through and through.

"Well...I think with the way that Draco and I interact...it's not safe for me. And she acknowledges that."

Remus sipped his tea thoughtfully.

"You know, Draco is a smart boy, very talented, but I couldn't help but think that it's his ego that prevented him from truly being great."

"He's Lucius' boy, of course he's going to be egotistical...sorry" he apologized immediately realizing she winced hearing her adoptive father's name.

"No, it's fine, I agree" She sighed. "To be honest, he always wanted to make a name for himself..I mean who wouldn't" she shrugged. "But the older he got, the more power he sought out and…and I feel like I don't know him anymore" she admitted, eyes watering. "He wasn't there for her. He barely came out of his room and if he did, I-I didn't feel wanted."

Silence loomed over the three, and she felt Sirius kiss her forehead once more. It was hard to admit that things were no longer the same, still it was nice to feel safe in this place..her new home.

"On the bright side" she began after a bit of composure was gained, "I get to be with you two. And we'll figure out how to cook, it can't be that hard right?"

Sirius made a face and she knew that they were absolutely screwed. Still, she swore she felt her shoulders more relaxed, her face devoid of stress because for once in a very long time she felt safe.

…

Three Weeks Later…

In her short time permanently living with her dad and uncle, she learned a few things about them.

For one thing, her father was messy and Remus tended to clean up after the pair more often than not. Remus liked being by himself, and could be quite mysterious when he left without notifying them of his whereabouts. Her father teased that he had a girlfriend, which Remus vehemently denied, which made the two of them hypothesize about that possibility. Her father was quite the opposite. He was always seeking her out if Remus was unavailable, asking her random questions about her favorite food to her dreams and aspirations. He was the first person Angel had told that she was curious about adventuring to the muggle world.

The father daughter duo immediately connected once they had the proper time and she felt a longing of that 'what-ifs'. What if he had been able to care for her? What if her mother had never passed? It was a thought that tended to make her sad, especially with Lucius' passing still being fresh. But at the same time, she noticed how irresponsible he could be. For one thing, he tended to forget the basics such as timing of meals; Angel tended to take a stab at cooking, so much so that it seemed that she was getting better at cooking and creating a structure for the three.

Her Aunt Andromeda was the biggest blessing. She and Tonks began to visit once she realized that Angel had a new home and provided her with lots of comfort. Her aunt always came in with food and once she realized that Angel was interested in being more domestic, she jumped at the chance to teach her how to take care of her father figures. As the Tonks family visited more often, Angel soon realized that perhaps it wasn't so farfetched to think that her uncle Remus had a girlfriend. And it might be her cousin. She had yet to confirm with her father, but she could tell that he kept grinning behind his teacup when they 'acted' nonchalant.

And now that she'd managed to do the basics, she finally understood how hard it was to really prepare meals and not rely on servants. Kreacher was missing and despite her worries, her father reassured her that the elf tended to do that.

It all seemed so surreal for her, playing house, being a more average teenager and having to be the responsible one in a household that was very untraditional. And she did love it, for it was the first time she felt more like herself.

"How about this store? It's on the list that Remus left us" Sirius called out and interrupted her thoughts.

Turning to look at him she grinned realizing that he began wearing glasses around her. finally admitting he was getting older and his vision was not what it once was. They now matched as she too gleefully wore glasses more often to avoid getting too much attention from walking around with Sirius Black. Especially in a busy shopping area such as Diagon Alley.

"Yup! I need to make sure I pass the OWLs with Os, or I will die" she sighed as she pushed the door with an amused Sirius behind her.

It was no secret that for her, this meant a lot. This was her fifth year and unlike her boyfriend, she tended to lean towards more Hermione aspirations of getting Outstanding in all subjects. She had so many aspirations, directions, thoughts. A part of her wanted to honor her father by joining the Ministry or joining Wizengamot, another part of her wanted to become an Auror. The smallest part of her wanted to really be a Healer, but she did not know if she had a temperament.

"Calm down" Sirius whined as she shoved books his direction to carry. "While a normal father should be telling you how important this is, I know that you know…so just, don't let this be the center of your world. After this exam you will keep living, no matter what the results are! Look at Harry-"

"You don't know how he did" She interrupted him as she took another book. "And Hermione had to yell at him to study…granted we were distracted" she bit her lip. "Nonetheless, I have high standards and I will get what I want, I always do"

Sirius grinned and kissed the top of her head. It seemed no matter how much he tried to get her to relax, she was a rigid little thing.

"Alright alright, I'll bite, let's get these things and get some food in us. Merlin knows Remus left us no food since he's on his 'not date' with Tonks"

She giggled and nodded, happy to spend the last few weeks with him before returning to Hogwarts. This year was going to be better, she knew it would be.

…

The Burrow…

Angel cursed for feeling so nervous as they popped their heads from the vehicle. Dumbledore had allowed Harry to finally leave his awful home in the muggle world and return to the Burrow for his birthday. Both Sirius and Angel were told that they were not informed to pick up Harry, but Remus had reminded them that the Burrow was safer than their home due to being in a magical rural community.

Still, as she fixed her skirt once more, she felt dread rising as she knew that this birthday party meant a lot for Harry. Sixteen was a big deal for the boy and she knew that he was one step closer to becoming independent and no longer living under that horrid roof.

It also meant that when they had been writing back and forth, he had made it clear that he hoped she made an effort to have Mrs. Weasley like her as his girlfriend. It didn't matter that Angel had let him know that she'd played nice and was iced out by Mrs. Weasley, all he asked was to be her 'charming' self and that his birthday present would be that she was liked by his pseudo-mom.

"Come along, you won't be getting Molly to like you if you're lagging about" Sirius teased as he pushed her forward.

"I regret ever telling you anything. I knew only Uncle Remus was reliable" she muttered.

"Come now dove, your father means well. You see, you were cursed by having all your father's worst traits. You know, your grandmother never liked him. I feel like that rubbed off on you."

"Hey!" both father and daughter looked annoyed as the werewolf merely smiled and opened the door, greeting everyone ahead of them.

Taking a deep breath she stepped in only to realize that they were late. Drat. That's one point loss on her, and she almost frowned at the thought, if not immediately engulfed into a hug and a kiss. She laughed softly as he pulled her in, her body automatically molding herself to him as he kissed her as a greeting. She ignored the jeers and whistles as they embraced. She had missed him, and he had gotten taller much to her annoyance.

"I missed you. " he whispered softly.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world Harry, happy birthday" she murmured in return before kissing him briefly.

"Well that's enough"

They separated as Mrs. Weasley frowned at the display of affection.

"Sorry Mrs. Weasley" Harry smiled sheepishly as Angel curled herself against him.

"Oh that's so beautiful, look Bill, they are in love" a beautiful voice expressed.

Angel turned curiously to see Fleur Delacour smiled brightly as she leaned against Bill, the pair seemed to be going strong. She smiled politely, only to see Ginny, Mrs. Weasley and Hermione roll their eyes at merely hearing her speak.

"Alright let's stop gawking at the kids, let's celebrate the birthday boy! One more year until adulthood" Sirius winked before he and the twins began to bring more life to the party.

And with that, the festivities began. Based on all the people around her, Angel would have thought she'd be uncomfortable. However, Ginny was pleasant enough and even Hermione tended to speak with her since she was close to the Weasley. It was overall pleasant conversation… and good gossip.

She smiled amused at the idea that the perfect Fleur Delacouer seemed to be a bit too stuck up for the family she was attempting to marry into. Every time she spoke, Ginny would mock her with a heavily nasal accent that made her bite her lip in amusement.

Overall, the nicest part of her visit was realizing that Ginny and her had mended whatever…competition they had. They weren't best friends, that would never happen, but they were in a good place. Something had changed in them after the…event. She still didn't want to dwell on it, but she realized that when her eyes would glaze over thinking, a squeeze of the shoulder from Ginny brought her back to the present. Her and Hermione just made everything better, even more when Mrs. Weasley was upset by the way her daughter was behaving with Angel.

Still, as the celebrations took place, she noticed that Harry seemed a bit distracted. Not necessarily unhappy, or mad, just…distracted. Shuffling over, she placed a hand on his and tilted his head curiously.

"What's wrong Harry?" she asked.

Squeezing her hand, he pulled her away from the crowd and took her outside of the Burrow. The countryside was quite pretty, and she smiled thinking at how wonderful that was. It was not something that she experienced often, but it was a nice change to the city life she was used to.

Once she heard Harry sigh, she knew that he was building the courage to finally speak.

"I got my OWL results…I just haven't opened them. Hermione and Ron have been hounding me for what I got, but I just…what if I didn't get what I wanted?" He handed her the envelope and pulled her closer. "You open it."

"Hush" she murmured softly before doing as told. Opening the envelope, she trailed her eyes down the exam results.

Harry James Potter has achieved:

Astronomy: A

Care of Magical Creatures: E

Charms: E

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Divination: P

Herbology: E

History of Magic: D

Potions: E

Transfiguration: E

"Harry, you did great," she smiled softly. Paying close attention to the best grades and ignoring the ones he had done poorly in. "This is honestly impressive! See" she leaned against him and pointed at the grades. "I am so proud of you"

It was when she kissed his cheek she noticed that he seemed distracted. Frowning Angel pulled back and took him in. He kept staring intently at the paper and she gripped his hand hoping to bring him back.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I-yes?" he said, unsure himself. Shaking his head he sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist and sat them down on the grass. Angel shuffled uncomfortably due to her skirt but as he shuffled her over to his lap she made herself comfortable and waited.

In their time together she knew that sometimes he tended to think through his emotions, it helped die down a lot of their past arguments if only they became more introspective. Still, she leaned against him waiting, wondering just what was so upsetting. Until –

"I can't be an Auror" he murmured softly to her.

"What? Why not?"

"I-they're better than I would have hoped. But I- I couldn't secure the right grade from potions. I always thought I'd made a great Auror- it's legitimately the only career path I thought of" he admitted somewhat sheepishly. "And now that those dreams are shot…I don't know what to do with myself."

She paused taking in what he was saying. In the midst of all the chaos, death and worry, Harry himself had dreams of a career. And it seemed silly of her to not even regard that but she had yet to have those conversations about a future. She tended to think of today not years from now. And she commended him more for planning ahead.

Kissing his forehead she hummed softly and smiled. "Harry Potter, you are special, and so much more than these grades." she began. "So maybe the traditional route for Auror might not be set, but there are so many positions in magical enforcement that you have yet to look for. So you didn't get an O in potions, a lot of people don't but that doesn't stop them. The NEWTs will show everyone that you are capable of everything you set your mind to."

She felt him squeeze her tighter and she hoped she had helped enough. What she didn't want to tell him was that he was Harry Potter, the Harry Potter and if he wanted to join the Aurors they would immediately take him in. His name held influence and if he used it for his convenience, then he'd be set for life. But that wasn't what her boyfriend wanted to hear, but it was true. The wizarding world was lucky to have someone so genuinely good, and humble as their possible hero against Voldemort. And not some haughty teen.

"You're not telling me everything you're thinking are you?" he asked after a while.

She smiled innocently and kissed him hoping to distract him. It did, if only for a moment until they heard the back door open.

"Hey! Lovebirds, we're gonna cut the cake and mum is looking for you Harry!"

Angel groaned realizing that Ron was very much loudly announcing their location. Hearing Harry laugh, made her realize that perhaps this is what he needed in his life. Some distractions and outpour of love.

"Come on" he groaned, lifting her up so they could head back. "We were bound to be found."

"At least we weren't snogging?" she added with a smile. And he winked.

"Not yet"

"Are you okay Harry?" she couldn't help but feel compelled to check in.

"Yeah, I'll be okay"