A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter. Thanks so much to those of you who added me to their alerts and favorites! Enjoy this next chapter!

Chapter 7

Annie rushed inside the house and ran straight for the kitchen. She saw him sitting at his food bowl and ran to gather the small puppy in her arms. "Bandit, oh how I've missed you!" she cried. The puppy licked her face excitedly as she giggled and placed him back on the ground.

"Looks like he missed you too, kiddo," said Sirius walking into the room and sitting at the table. "He's been sulking outside your room for the past couple of days." Sirius had taken the day off from work to take her home from St. Mungo's and make sure there were no problems. "So what did you want to do today?" he asked.

She looked up from where she was sitting on the floor playing with Bandit. "Well," she said. "Remus did mention that Quality Quidditch Supplies is having a sale this week and I do need new gloves. Maybe we could go to Diagon Alley?"

"Hmm…I don't know if that's such a good idea. Didn't you say your head was still a little fuzzy?" he said watching her curiously. Truth was he didn't want to get her the gloves because she wouldn't need them until the next year. Due to the Triwizard Tournament, the regular Quidditch season at Hogwarts would be canceled.

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts. I don't want to take you that far out until that head of yours is completely healed. How about I just order them and we'll take Bandit out into town?" he asked. Annie looked at him astonished. "What?"

"My father, Sirius Black, a Marauder, and Azkaban escapee said he didn't want to take a risk. I don't know if it's my head injury and I imagined this or you really did just say that and you're being responsible for once. Either way it's freaking me out," she said.

Sirius laughed. "I know, I just scared myself, too. I think Remus and Lily have been rubbed off on me after all these years. Forget what I just said, we're going to Diagon Alley."

"Really?"

"Really, we'll go later on today, okay? I only just realized we need an owl and I guess we'll get your gloves there, too," he said.

"Thanks, dad! Hey, do you mind if I use the Floo and ask Harry if he wants to come as well, he's basically sitting in his house all day?" she asked bouncing from one foot to the other excitedly.

"Sure, go on," he said picking up the Daily Prophet that he left on the table that morning and continuing his cross-word.

"Oh," she sighed when she saw the newspaper. "We really ought to get two papers. I really wanted to do the cross-word."

"I was thinking the same thing when I saw you doing one in Mungo's," he said scratching his chin with his quill. "Either we get two papers or we come up with a system."

"I vote for two papers," she said walking out of the room. "I'll be back!"

A few minutes later she and Harry were trudging their way up the stairs and into Annie's bedroom. They started a game of Wizard's Chess and talked about the upcoming Quidditch Match which they and the Weasleys and Hermione would all be attending together. As they got into a heated discussion on each team's beater tactics, Sirius knocked on the door.

"Ready to go?" he asked. They nodded and packed up the chess set and followed him downstairs. One by one they used the Floo Powder to transport them to the Leaky Cauldron in London. Once out in the alley behind the pub, Sirius took out his wand, tapped the appropriate and they walked through the archway that just appeared. Bandit, who had come along for the trip, was trotting alongside their heels as Annie held the end of his leash.

They wound their way through Diagon Alley peering in shop windows as they passed. They went into Eeylop's and walked out with a large barn owl which Annie named Oscar and then went to Quality Quidditch Supplies. Annie and Harry walked around and looked at all latest models of brooms and made their way over to the rack of gloves. Annie picked out a pair of nice, tan leather ones and after Sirius paid for them they left the store. After stopping at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, they went back to the Leaky Cauldron and used the Floo Network to go back to Black Barn.

Over the next few days, Annie was itching to hang out with her friends after being released from St. Mungo's. She spent most of her time bouncing between the Granger's, Potter's and the Weasley's houses while Sirius was at work. She brought Bandit along with her everywhere, fearful of leaving him alone. One Friday afternoon found Annie, Hermione, Harry and Ron walking through the town near the Black's home. Hermione spotted a bookstore and the four walked in and found a familiar face standing behind the counter.

"You never said it was this bookstore that you had an interview at," Annie said walking up to the counter to greet Remus.

"It wouldn't matter which bookstore I worked at because I know I would never find you there voluntarily. I believe last year you told me you study through osmosis by opening the book to the chapter and falling asleep on the open pages. Hello, Hermione, Harry, Ron. How are you all?" Remus said smiling at the group.

"We're great," replied Hermione. "Annie never said you found a new job."

A lady behind the counter looked over at the teenagers and smiled. "Friends of yours, Remus?" she asked.

Remus turned to face her. "You could say that. This is my nephew, Harry, and my niece, Annie, and their friends Ron and Hermione. Kids, this is Mary, my boss."

"Nice to meet you all. If you need any help just let me know," Mary said smiling and turning to help a customer.

Remus turned back to the kids and walked out from behind the counter. "Hermione," he said gesturing for them to follow him. "Have you read Jane Eyre yet?" He walked over to the classics section and plucked the book from its shelf and held it out to her. She took the book and sat down in a chair to started flipping through the pages.

"I've only heard of this book but I haven't read it yet. Mum said we had it at one point but she couldn't find it for me when I asked," she said now starting to read chapter one. "Oh, I promise I will buy it," she added looking up at Remus who smiled.

"Take your time," he said. "Now, as for you three," he turned to look at Ron, Harry and Annie who all seemed ready to just leave Hermione in her own little world, "I think I know you well enough to know that none of you would have an interest in these books so I'm going to point you in the direction of the comic books over there," he said pointing to the far corner of the store.

"Thanks, Remus," said Harry. The three walked over to where a couple shelves stood featuring the latest issues of the muggle comic books were and started browsing through them. Remus walked back over to the counter.

"You seem to have a real understanding of those kids," said Mary. "They seem to really look up to you."

"Well, Annie and Harry I've known since they were born and Ron and Hermione are their friends they met in school. I was also their teacher last year," said Remus.

"Ah, I see. Well they seem like a lovely bunch of children," she said.

As Hermione sat reading, Annie, Harry and Ron looked through each of the comics and laughed at the absurdities they found.

"Look at this bloke," said Ron flipping through a Superman comic book. "He's wearing his underpants on the outside. Muggles can be pretty weird sometimes. No wonder why dad has a fascination with them."

"Merlin, Ron, keep your voice down," whispered Annie, a Spiderman comic open on her lap. "As for the underpants, forget that, they're wearing tights underneath, have you noticed that?" Harry and Ron snorted with laughter as an older woman looked over with a look of disgust which only made the three laugh even harder.

Twenty minutes later Harry, Hermione with her new book, Annie, and Ron bade farewell to Remus and left the store in high spirits. They walked back to Annie's house where an enthusiastic Bandit greeted them by jumping on their pant legs. They made their way around the back of the house and went straight for the broom shed. Hermione stopped in her tracks as Harry and Ron each holding a broom and Annie two and holding it out to Hermione.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" she said placing her book aside and taking the proffered broom.

"What? Playing Quidditch? Why can't we play Quidditch?" said Annie mounting the broom and tying her brown wavy locks back in a hair tie.

Hermione mounted the broom as well and looked directly at Annie. "Well," she said. "What happens if you fall again or if a muggle sees us? Shouldn't we wait until Sirius gets back?"

"Relax, Hermione," said Harry from the air. He and Ron were now throwing a Quaffle back and forth and were waiting for the girls to join them. "If Annie or any of us fall then one of us will just run and get Remus and the other two will clean up the remains." Ron laughed as he caught the Quaffle and passed it to Annie who had just flown up.

"I doubt any muggles would see us over here," said Annie. "The only muggles that dad and I have ever seen over this way are your parents. I think we'll be safe."

Hermione hesitated a moment before kicking off from the ground and flying to a spot next to Ron. "See, nothing to worry about," he said. They played for hours until Sirius came home and by then, a sunset could be seen just over the trees of the nearby forest. After watching Ron and Harry Floo back to their houses, Sirius took Hermione back to her parent's using side-along apparition. When he returned, he and Annie sat down and had a nice dinner just the two of them.