A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter. By the way, "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns 'N Roses totally came on while I was writing this chapter. Thanks for reading and please review!

Chapter 6

"So, Healer Michaels, you have a first name?" asked Annie coolly. She was sitting in her hospital bed at St. Mungo's in the Artifacts Accidents Ward and was feeling rather bored after her friends had just left. Remus, who had just gotten back from her house to feed Bandit, was sitting in a chair beside her. Healer Michaels had just come in to check her progress.

The Healer smiled as he checked the lump on the back of her head. "Yes."

"What is it?"

"It's Jacob. Is there a reason you would like to know that, Miss Black?" he asked now scribbling something on his clipboard with his quill.

"No reason. So Jacob, tell me, do you have a girlfriend?" Annie asked, a cheeky grin now forming on her face as she watched him write.

Jacob laughed. "Aren't you a little too young for me?"

"Oh, age is just a number, sweetheart. I'm just curious is all. Does this imply that you do not have one?" Annie flashed him a smile and winked.

"I think the potions we've been giving you have gone to your head," he replied looking amused and ruffling her hair.

"I don't think it's the potions," said Remus who had been watching the conversation and laughing quietly too himself.

"She's doing well, she'll just have to stay here a couple more days to continue with the potions, but after that she will be free to go. Do you mind passing that information on to Mr. Black?" Jacob said to Remus, ignoring the grimace on Annie's face at the mention of the potions.

"Of course. Thank you, Healer Michaels," said Remus shaking his hand.

"I will see you tomorrow, Miss Black," said Jacob giving a slight wave and turning on his heel and leaving the ward.

"Bye, Jacob!" she called. "Oh, don't give me that look, Moony. I'm bored out of my mind here! They won't even let me up to set off a couple of dungbombs," she cried.

Remus laughed. "Only you would think of setting off dungbombs in a hospital," he said helping himself to a Chocolate Frog. "Do you have Hufflepuff yet I have about twenty of her from school." He placed the card on the night stand next to the stuffed dog that Sirius had told him to take to her that morning.

"You have twenty of her and you never told me? I've been looking for her for ages." She reached over and grabbed the dog and the card. "So, how's the job hunt going? I forgot to ask earlier," she said as she read the back of the card.

Remus's grin faltered a little. "It's alright. There's a muggle bookstore that might take me."

"I'm sure they will. At least with muggles you don't have to tell them about your furry little problem. You could just tell them you have a sick relative that you have to visit once a month. And you do have a vast knowledge of muggle books, I don't see why they won't hire you," said Annie confidently.

Remus gave a sheepish grin. "Thank you for the encouragement. So I assume it was Fred and George who brought you the dungbombs?" he said changing the topic from himself.

"Of course," said Annie. "They hid them in an empty box of Bertie Bott's. Harry brought me the Chocolate Frogs and Hermione brought me the sugar-free Cockroach Clusters," she added.

"You know, you, Sirius, and James are the only ones I know that can stomach the Cockroach Clusters. I don't know how you can eat those things," said Remus picking up the Daily Prophet and looking at the front page.

"I think they're delicious and you better not make off with that paper," she said. "I'm in the middle of a cross-word."

"I won't, I'm just looking. Quality Quidditch Supplies is having a sale this week," he said absent-mindedly flipping the page.

Annie who was sifting through a box of Bertie Bott's smiled. "Excellent, I need a new pair of gloves," she said.

"What's this about a pair of gloves?" said a voice by the door. Sirius walked into the ward and made his way over to his daughter's bed. "How are you, kiddo?" he said kissing the top of her head.

"I'm alright, just bored," she said.

"Well, I think I have something that might cheer you up." He reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out two tickets for the Quidditch World Cup. Annie grabbed them and squealed much to the annoyance of the man in the bed next to her. "I thought you would like that. I got them from James this morning. He has your ticket with his and Harry's, Remus," he added.

Remus, who was finishing his article, nodded and then folded up the paper. "Sounds good. I should be going. I have an interview at six," he said. He stood up from his chair and placed the newspaper on Annie's blanketed knees. "Your paper," he said. He kissed her forehead and bade her farewell.

"I'll walk you out. I'll be right back," Sirius said. Out in the hall, he turned to Remus, concern flooding his face. "Is everything okay with her? She looked pretty scared to be in here. She may not act it, but I can tell from the look in her eyes."

Remus grasped his best friend's shoulder. "Relax, she's fine. The Healer she was doing really well, but she needs to stay a couple more days to take some potions," he watched as relief spread on Sirius's face. "As for the fear in her eyes, I saw that too. I didn't comment on it but I think I saw it disappear a little when she saw you. I think she just misses home, that's all."

"You think so?" he asked and Remus nodded. "Thanks for staying with her, Moony. I owe you one."

"No need. Tell her I'll be back tomorrow, will you?" said Remus.

"I will. Good luck your interview, by the way." The two said their goodbyes and Sirius walked back into the ward to find Annie sitting with the Prophet open on her knees, quill in hand. "Spattergroit," he said looking at number seven down.

Annie scribbled the word into the boxes and muttered "thanks." She looked up smiling and put the paper and quill aside. "So, how was work?" she asked.

"Tedious," he said taking Remus's vacant chair. "I had to go through a brief re-training course then James and I had to do paperwork which of course did not get done."

Annie smiled. "Of course not," she said. "Want any of this?" she gestured to the pile of candy on her nightstand. "Just don't touch the Cockroach Clusters," she added when she saw his hand reaching forward to take one. "They're my favorite."

Picking up a Chocolate Frog from the pile he said "So this is all you've done today, I take it, sat here, talked to Remus and ate sweets?" he asked, propping the Nicholas Flamel card against a jug of water.

"Not exactly," she said as she unwrapped a Cockroach Cluster. "Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys came while Remus left to feed Bandit. When they left, I sat here and stared at that wall," she pointed to the wall across the ward, "then up at the ceiling. Then, I started this cross-word and then I complained a lot about not being allowed out to play pranks on unsuspecting patients. I think Aunt Lily also told them to keep an eye on me."

Sirius laughed. "A bit bored I see?" Annie nodded and he laughed again. "Did I ever tell you about how James and I got banned from using the fifth-floor bathroom?" She shook her head. "Oh Merlin, you're in for a real treat!" he said.

Sirius told her all about how he and James had went to visit Remus after a particularly painful full moon that ended up with him in St Mungo's for a few days. Lily, who was on her last year of training in the Creature-Induced Injuries Ward, was tending to Remus while he and James had snuck off to see what kind of trouble they could get into while they waited to see their friend.

"And then when we tried to take the plunger out," said Sirius through tears of laughter. "The toilet exploded everywhere and there was a huge hole in the wall! And that is why you should never carry dungbombs in your back pockets," he concluded.

Annie was in tears and her newly-repaired ribs hurt from laughing so hard. "Maybe that's why the old Healer looked so freaked out when I asked her if it would be alright if I slipped a couple of dungbombs in the Closed Ward," she said wiping the tears from her eyes.

"That's probably why. I bet she remembers us," he said doing the same thing.

The evening passed with the two exchanging stories of their various exploits. Sirius didn't leave Annie's side once (to which was extremely grateful) until the old Healer, Agnes who did remember Sirius and James, told him he had to leave so she could get some sleep. Sirius looked reluctant to go leave but Annie reassured him.

"Go, I'll be fine," she said hugging her stuffed dog. Sirius gave her a long hug goodbye and left the ward with the promise that he would be back tomorrow. Annie watched the tail of his robes whip around the corner sadly and rolled over onto her side to sleep.