A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter. Jeez, I am extremely late in posting a new chapter. The holidays are crazy! Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this next chapter and I will try to update on a more frequent basis this year. I hope you all had lovely holidays and I wish you a wonderful New Years! Happy reading! XO

Chapter 42

Sirius had just barely stopped the motorbike when Annie flung herself off, lifting her helmet off her head and started running for the door. Sirius laughed as he hauled her trunk out of the sidecar and followed his daughter into the house.

"Home!" she exclaimed, toeing off her shoes in the hall before running off into the kitchen. Bandit bounded forward and licked happily at her face. Annie giggled as she rubbed the dog behind the ears with her fingertips.

"Well, somebody sure missed you," said a voice that made Annie jump a foot in the air. She looked up to find Lydia standing by the stove with her arms crossed over her chest and smiling widely.

"Get down, Bandit," Annie said. The dog sat down and panted at her feet. "Dad didn't say you were coming over."

"You didn't give me a chance to," Sirius said walking into the kitchen. "You ran off before I could say anything."

Annie crossed the kitchen and gave Lydia a hug. When they broke apart, Lydia held her at arm's length and smiled.

"How was your term?" she asked.

"It was," Annie paused looking for the right word as Bandit started licking her fingers, "eventful."

"You don't have to tell us twice," Sirius said sitting down at the kitchen table and pulling the Daily Prophet toward him as Lydia laughed at his response. "Did you want to take him for a walk, kiddo?" He nodded toward Bandit who was now twirling around in circles at Annie's feet for her amusement. "Dinner should be ready by the time you get back."

"Yeah, okay," Annie answered taking the leash off the hook by the back door. "Come on, Bandit. Let's go wreak havoc on the town."

Bandit bounded after her as she left the kitchen. She swung the front door open and allowed the dog to pass her before slamming it shut behind her. They took off down the dirt road that led from their house into the town, Annie's hands in her pockets and Bandit walking along at her heels. When they made it into town, Annie bent down and placed the leash around Bandit's neck and started making her way up the street. She felt great to be home as they walked along the side streets. They walked past the bookstore that Remus worked at and Annie peered through the window. There was no sign of the man anywhere which didn't surprise her at all. Tonight was a full moon and he would no doubt be at the Potter's. Annie tugged on Bandit's leash and led him up the sidewalk toward her home. Once they reached the open dirt road, Annie bent down and removed the leash from Bandit's collar and let him roam free around her ankles. A few minutes later, she climbed up the front steps and opened the door and walked in, Bandit streaking ahead of her and disappearing into the kitchen.

"Leave those muddy shoes by the door, kiddo!" Sirius yelled from the kitchen as Lydia laughed.

Annie kicked off her shoes and walked barefoot into the room. "My shoes weren't muddy," she said taking a seat at the table. "It didn't rain yesterday."

"Yeah, well I know you," Sirius responded, handing her a dish of peas. "Just because it didn't rain, doesn't mean you wouldn't go looking for a puddle to jump in."

Annie took the dish and stuck her tongue out. Lydia, who had been watching the exchange, sniggered into her hand as she placed some roast beef on her plate.

"Anyway," Sirius continued, "I have to eat fast tonight."

"Wait, why?" Annie said with her mouth entirely too full of food.

"Full moon," he answered simply and Annie nodded understandingly in response. "That's why Lydia is here tonight. This way you won't have to hang out at the Potters'."

Annie swallowed her food and smiled at Lydia. "Sounds alright to me."

"Good," Lydia said smiling as well. "We can talk about your term."

"Here I'll save you a few hours," Sirius said placing his fork down on his almost-clean plate. "Detention, detention, that time she almost got detention, she snogged George in this corridor, snogged him in another, and another detention. How did I do?" He got up from his chair and picked up his plate.

Annie stuck her tongue out again and scowled. "You forgot a detention."

"Well, excuse me," Sirius said in a mock-offended tone as he took his plate over to the sink.

"I want to know the details behind these misadventures," Lydia said taking Annie's hand and squeezing it. "Goodness knows I already know yours."

"And I'll be happy to tell them to you," Annie said proudly as her father shook his head.

Sirius looked at his watch and ran a hand through his hair. "I've got to get going," he said striding over to Annie who was busy stuffing as much mashed potatoes into her mouth as possible "I will see you tomorrow morning at the Potters'. There you can tell me about your term and remind me again how George finds this," he gestured to Annie's bulging cheeks and she grinned, "attractive." He kissed the top of her head and then walked over to Lydia and gave her a kiss goodbye as well.

"Be safe!" Lydia called as he left through the back door. "What?" she looked over at Annie who was eyeing with a knowing look.

Annie swallowed her food and placed her fork on her plate. "You love him don't you?" Annie asked. Lydia blushed and looked flustered. Annie had yet to hear the couple express their love in front of her but she could tell they had to each other. "It's okay if you do," Annie continued. "You know, love him. I can see it. The way he looks at you. The way you look at him. I'm just letting you know that I'm cool with it."

Lydia stared at Annie with a stunned expression. It took her a few seconds to completely register what the fifteen-year-old daughter of her boyfriend had said. Finally she shook her head out of her thoughts and answered.

"I do love your dad," she confessed to Annie who beamed with delight. "And I'm glad you are okay with our relationship." Lydia reached out and took Annie's hand and squeezed it before standing up from the table. She gathered the two empty plates and placed them in the sink before turning back to Annie. "Well, are you going to tell me about your term or not?"

Annie laughed. "Yeah, I am. Come on Bandit."

Bandit leapt up from the floor and followed Annie and Lydia to the living room where they stayed up half the night talking and laughing. Annie had eventually fallen asleep on the couch and Lydia placed a blanket around her before heading up to bed herself.

Annie's eyes fluttered open and she lifted her head slightly off the couch to look down at Bandit who was softly licking at her fingers. She shook her head and moved her hand to scratch behind his ears.

"Oh, good you're up," said Lydia from behind Annie as she leaned against the doorframe, clutching a cup of coffee. "I was just coming to wake you. We have to go meet Sirius over at Lily and James'."

Annie yawned and sat all the way up on the couch, stretching one arm above her head and shoving her blanket off her legs with the other. She stood up and swayed a little as she tried to catch her balance. With her eyes still partially closed, she made her way over to the stairs, muttered a "good morning" to Lydia, and made her way up to her room with Bandit racing up ahead of her. A half hour later, she was thundering down the stairs, having showered and changed in something that was not her school robes for once, and coming into the kitchen where Lydia was sat reading the Daily Prophet.

"Don't get too comfortable. We're leaving soon," Lydia said draining the last dregs of her coffee as she watched Annie take a swig of milk straight out of the carton. Annie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and Lydia laughed and explained further. "We're eating breakfast there."

"Gotcha," Annie said as she replaced the carton in the fridge. "I thought you were going to deprive me of food."

"I would never," Lydia said in a mock-scandalized tone. "Ready to go?"

"Um, yeah. I just have to-" Annie spun around on the spot and grabbed Bandit's leash of the hook by the back door and hooked it onto his collar. "Okay. I'm ready."

"Alright then," Lydia said leading the way out of the kitchen and into the living room. She took a handful of Floo Powder and tossed it into the flames in the fireplace and spoke her destination. Once Lydia had left, Annie repeated her actions all while holding tight to Bandit's leash. After she was spat out on the other side in the Potters' living room, she knelt down and unhooked Bandit's leash and he darted toward the voices coming from the room at the end of the hall. Annie followed after him and ended up in the kitchen where her family was waiting for her.

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius said standing up to give her a hug.

"HidoIsmellbacon?" Annie said really fast as she peered around Sirius to look at the food on the table. She pushed past him and sat down in a vacant chair and pulled a piece off the top of the stack. "Oh, this is nice," she said, taking a bite and closing her eyes.

"It's like we're not even here," James said watching his niece amusedly. "Did you want some eggs to go with that, pup?" James picked up a dish of scrambled eggs and placed it down in front of Annie.

"Thanks, Uncle James," she said gratefully as she tipped them onto a plate. "Hey, are we going flying after this?" Annie asked turning to Harry who was busy stuffing his face with his mother's cooking. Harry looked over at her and nodded, his mouth too full to say anything.

"Before you go off and do anything today, there is something we need to speak with you about," Lily said sitting down at the head of the table, a mug of steaming tea in her hands.

"If it's about the dungbombs that were let off in the entrance hall on the way out of Hogwarts, we were nowhere near there when that happened," Harry said trying to feign innocence as Annie nodded furiously at his side.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked confusedly.

"Nothing," Harry said quickly. "What were you saying?"

Annie glanced around the room at Sirius and Remus who were trying to hide their sniggers in their hands. James who was smiling all-too-knowingly, continued where Lily had left off.

"Have we ever told you kids about the Order of the Phoenix?"