A/N: It happened again. An abnormally large chapter (that I really didn't mean to be this big). Enjoy...

In the night after the Order of the Phoenix's meeting at 12 Grimmauld Place, a small letter containing two addresses was hand-delivered to Sirius and Mia by Elizabeth as a favour to Kingsley (still forcibly home-ridden). When handing the note to them, the healer explained that the first address, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey was Petunia's actual address while the second one, an 8 Wisteria Walk also located in Little Whinging, was where they should floo to since it was inhabited by an ally of the order, Arabella Figg.

"Apparently, Figg is a squib who used to be friends with Dumbledore – Kingsley said she came to his funeral and everything – and he put her in charge of keeping an eye on the Dursleys for the past sixteen years," Elizabeth had explained to them. "Kingsley has already informed her you should be coming by there soon."

And while they'd been thankful that the Head Auror had been so quick to dig up the Dursleys' address for them despite his ongoing recovery, part of Mia really wished he hadn't been able to, so she wouldn't need to go there and face them. It was silly how she even tried to change her mind several times before she and Sirius had to head to Surrey in order to meet them when, deep down, she knew that she'd never forgive herself if she didn't go there – after all, there was the issue of them maybe be used against Harry and Mia simply couldn't let the potential unpleasantness of seeing Petunia again get in the way of her godson's safety.

Harry's reaction when his godfather told him in the morning of the following day about his and Mia's plans to visit Petunia had been of plain lack of interest, which was pretty understandable, all things considered. After all, he'd never even met his Muggle relatives and they barely meant anything to them (even though he'd admitted to Sirius that he didn't think he would have been able to just leave them to die if Voldemort abducted them to get to him) and he had other things to worry about like his plans about how to sneak out with Ginny now that everyone thought they were broken up.

So, around mid-afternoon, Sirius and Mia took the floo and travelled to Arabella Figg's house. They landed on a small room – a living room – with old furniture and that smelled strongly of cabbage. Its walls seemed to be covered with unmoving photographs of several cats, which vaguely reminded Sirius of Umbridge's plate collection. It wasn't more than a couple of seconds later that a short old woman with grey hear wearing a hairnet and a lavender robe stepped into the room, followed by several cats, one of which pawed its way onto an armchair, curling on it before starting to lick itself.

"Oh, you most the people from the Order," the woman said in a rough voice, walking to them. "Kingsley Shacklebolt said you were coming. I'm Arabella Figg." She offered her hand to shake and the seconds that followed were occupied by a few introductions. "So you're here to convince the Dursleys to scram. Well, good luck dealing with them. Uptight lot, they are."

"So, you know them?" Mia asked her.

Figgs nodded. "I babysat for them a few times – they think I'm barmy so they use me to bore the little one for misbehaving." She shook her head in disapproval. "Think they're all sophisticated when actually they're just a bunch of unpleasant berks. The husband, Vernon, only cares about his drill-business and showing off his cars for the neighbours – practically gets a new one every couple of years. A waste of money, I'd say. And Petunia, the wife," Figgs shook her head, "that one spends her days cleaning the house and spying on her neighbours. And their boy. Oh, don't even get me started on that one: spoiled rotten by his parents, spent his days kicking my cats and beating small kids at the park with his gang … At least he's calmed down lately and grew enough brains to dump the gang but still… it's a relief when he's off at his fancy boarding school."

"Well, don't they just sound delightful?" Sirius said dryly, his voice full of sarcasm.

Mrs. Figgs nodded, understanding what he meant. "A bloody frivolous couple Petunia and Vernon are. If you want my opinion, those two don't like each other these days any more than I do. Few years ago, six or seven, it was the middle of the night and my Mr. Tibbles ran," she nodded at one of the cats, "so I had to go after him – passed in front of their house on the way back and saw some bloke parking the car there and going in. Vernon was out of town then and, if you asked me, Petunia was having a little side-dish if you know what I mean." She shook her head in disapproval. "We all know what that has led to…" she mumbled to herself. "The way she treats that poor child…"

Sirius didn't quite catch that part but couldn't help thinking of what a great source for dirt Arabella Figg was…

"Well, you're the ones who raised Harry Potter, aren't you? He's their nephew. Well, tell him he's much better off without them, will you? I suppose you need to get going to handle your business now," the squib said.

The older woman walked them to the door, then, and quickly told them what way they should take to get from her place to the Dursleys' house.

They religiously followed Figg's instructions from there and, after walking for several minutes, they saw themselves in a neighbourhood that seemed to have row upon row of strictly identical houses perched on strictly identical and neatly-trimmed lawns.

"Holy crap," Sirius mumbled, looking at the sight in front of him as they reached Privet Drive. "How can anyone live here? Seems like something straight out of a nightmare." Not one sign of individualism on those houses like all inhabitants shared a gigantic too neat, too strict and too boring brain.

"You know, some people just like… symmetry," Mia offered diplomatically.

"Well, not me, that's for sure," Sirius mumbled as they walked along the sidewalk, trying to find number four, where the Dursleys lived.

They spotted it a few minutes later, and it was no exception to the identical layout of all houses on the street – the only difference was that there was no car parked in front of it, unlike many other houses nearby. Vernon, the car's proud owner, according to Mrs. Figg, must still be at work, Sirius concluded.

They made their way to the front door and, for each step she took closer to it, Mia grew more displeased. It was like the house itself had some sort of negative aura that sucked a good mood out of a person… or maybe it was just the fact that such a hateful person lived inside it… Taking a deep breath as one of her hands remained liked to her husband's, Mia rang the doorbell and waited for an answer.

The few seconds that passed between her ringing and the door opening felt like hours. She looked at Sirius nervously and he gave her an encouraging smile.

"It's gonna be fine, love," he told her.

"Stop me if I get too loud yelling at her, will you?" she asked him.

Actually, he was sort of looking forward for a shouting match – there was something especially hot about his wife, primal even, when she yelled at someone. Sort of like a lion roaring to protect her cubs. "I thought we'd agreed I wouldn't make promises I couldn't keep," he replied, grinning a little.

"Sirius," she warned, frowning just as they heard the door-lock click.

Both turned to the door at the same time only to see a thin, blonde-haired woman with an awfully long neck standing behind it as it opened.

At first sight, Sirius thought, she didn't look a thing like Lily as one might have expected. At second sight, the case remained just the same. If anything, when one was looking really closely and purposely searching for family traits, they might find something in her nose slightly – only slightly – similar to Lily's, though that might very well be just a product of their imagination… Maybe Kingsley had given them wrong address, after all, he figured, and they were facing a complete stranger. Not the case, he concluded, glimpsing the recognition in his wife's eyes as she looked at the woman.

"Can I help you?" Petunia said with a pleasant yet suspicious tone, scanning both of them from head to toe with her greenish brown eyes.

"Petunia Evans Dursley?" Mia asked in a highly contained tone, just to make sure she wasn't wrong about the woman's identity.

"Yes, that's me," Petunia confirmed, her eyes growing even more guarded. "I don't believe we've met before."

"We have, actually," Mia corrected, not all that surprised that Petunia didn't remember her – after all, Petunia had never even tried to make a good job out of hiding her disdain for Lily's non-Muggle friends. "My name is Mia Davis Black," she introduced herself before gesturing to Sirius. "And this is my husband, Sirius. We were friends of Lily's – I was one of her best friends, in fact. We've met a few times when I'd visit her at your parents' house."

As if her suspicions had been confirmed, the other woman's face hardened and she pursed her lips tightly, giving herself a look that, in Sirius's book, sort of made her look like a horse when combined with the long shape of her angular face. "I don't want anything to do with your kind." She said that last part venomously like she was referring a bunch of lepers or something of that sort before trying to close back the door.

Sirius blocked her by shoving his foot between the door and the frame, which had Petunia glaring at him. "I think you'll want to make an exception this time, if you care for your own safety," he warned her.

She stared this time, appalled. "Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a statement of a fact," Mia told her sharply. "Believe me, us coming here is just as unpleasant to us as it is to you, Petunia."

Sirius nodded in agreement. "Now, do you want to keep on talking out here at the front porch where all your neighbours can see us or will you let us come in?"

That seemed to work as a charm as Petunia suddenly turned her attention to the windows of the nearby houses, scanning them with eagle eyes for peeping neighbours (and quickly spotting suspicious curtain movements through some windows). Reluctantly, she opened the door further and stepped out of the way. "Just get in. Quickly," she hissed in a not-so- welcoming tone. She wouldn't want to call the neighbours' attention to the stranger couple standing at her doorway even if they were perfectly dressed in Muggle clothes.

Pleased with her uneasiness, Sirius and Mia stepped into the house. Inside, the entrance hall was not very large but everything seemed to be squeaky clean to the point of near-sparkling – it was almost like a museum instead of somewhere where people actually lived daily…

Although it seemed like the house was permanently ready for guests, Petunia didn't waste time with pleasantries as she guided them to the kitchen instead of the living room, as if not wanting them to soil it with their 'unholy presence'.

"Well? What do you want?" Petunia asked sharply as they stepped into the equally spotless kitchen.

"Why, you're just a charming host, aren't you, Mrs. Dursley?" Sirius asked her dryly as he took a seat on one of her chairs even though he hadn't been invited – something in Petunia just made him want to irritate her, which, at the moment, seemed to be just the case, judging by the look on the woman's face.

Even though she usually made a bigger effort to be pleasant, Mia couldn't help doing the same as her husband, sitting down on a chair too. She was about to speak when, suddenly, the glass door that led to the back garden opened up and a little girl, about six or seven years-old, stepped through it.

She looked like a little doll with flawless pale skin and shoulder-lenght hair that wasn't quite as blonde as Petunia's, having a reddish hint on it – one might call it strawberry blonde – which deeply contrasted with the dull uniform-like gray dress she was wearing over a white blouse. "Mommy?" she asked in a quiet tone, her eyes the same colour as her mother's widened with curiosity as she looked at Sirius as Mia.

Petunia turned to the little girl, her eyes not showing any warmth. "Didn't I tell you to stay outside and play?" she asked her.

"But I just wanted a glass of water…" the little girl said.

Quickly, Petunia reached for the sink and grabbed a glass, filling it with water from the faucet and handing it to the little girl. "There, now go play outside." Her daughter drank from the glass and placed it on the nearby counter, stepping out of the house resignedly as she looked down – seemed like she knew better than to protest.

From her seat, Mia stared at her late best friend's sister, purposely locking her jaw before she could call the woman some highly unflattering name that would make the conversation end before it had even started. How could she be so cold to her own daughter? she thought. It just didn't seem right to her, though she couldn't really tell if Petunia treatment of the little girl was a mirror of what it usually was or just a momentary thing justified by her not wanting her daughter in contact with 'freaks' like them. Either way, it gave Mia the feeling that she had yet another reason to thank Merlin for willing Harry to be raised by her and not that hateful woman…

The blonde sat on the opposite side of the table, her posture straight as a stick as she folded her hands on her lap, sending them narrow eyed looks. "So? What is it so important that you needed to tell me about? And why hasn't Albus Dumbledore come himself if it was that important? He seemed to find trying to dump that… abnormal child on me important enough to come by."

Petunia remembered that night very well: how she and Vernon had heard strange sounds outside the house; how, believing it might be a burglar, her husband had gone downstairs and opened the front-door – shotgun in hand – and seen himself face to face with the headmaster holding the boy with some stern-looking woman by his side; and, finally, how he seemed to have that… demented idea that they would willingly raise her estranged sister's freak of a child – an idea that Vernon had been quick to inflexibly refuse, which she honestly couldn't say she'd disagreed with.

"Don't you dare call that to Harry," Mia replied edgily. "I there was anything abnormal here that night was you being cruel to the point of refusing a home to your baby nephew who'd just seen his parents being murdered."

"He was not my responsibility – I'd never even landed eyes on him before that night!"

"Not for lack of trying from Lily and James's part," Sirius flatly pointed out, sitting back as he watched his wife taking over the argument.

"Yes, they sent you dozens of letters inviting you to come and meet your nephew," Mia accused. "But you ignored them, of course, like you ignored their wedding invitations – Lily kept sending them because she wanted to believe they might have gotten lost in the mail. It certainly was easier to swallow than her sister ignoring them."

"It's none of your business what happened between her and me," Petunia spat.

"It is when it was her shoulder your sister cried on when she saw you really weren't there for her wedding," Sirius replied.

"We were estranged for years – she couldn't expect me to give it a break for a day and go to her wedding," the other woman stated. "She couldn't expect me to take in her son! Vernon and I had Dudley to worry about and all that boy would do was putting us in danger for harbouring him! Accepting to raise a child that's not yours under those conditions… who would do that?"

"I did that!" Mia replied angrily. "I was pregnant and alone in a country that wasn't my own and still I took him in. I would have taken him in even if my mother hadn't come to help me raise him and my daughter. So, don't you dare tell me that nobody would do that because, honestly, doing it was one of the best decisions I made in my entire life. And if we're honest here, I guess I should thank you and your husband for being so selfish, after all."

Petunia bit her lower lip but didn't respond. Maybe it was because, deep down, she knew she'd been wrong to abandon her nephew like that. Maybe it was because her ego was badly bruised by Mia's accusations. Not even Petunia herself was sure. Part of her just wanted to throw those people out of her house and her life but another one didn't want to risk doing it before receiving answers to all the questions their visit had brought to her. "You still haven't said why Dumbledore didn't come here himself."

"Because he's dead," Sirius said flatly.

Petunia tensed – if there was a moment when she showed real emotion that was it, though she made quite an effort to hide it. She swallowed hard. "Dead?"

"Murdered," Sirius specified. "By Severus Snape – I believe you're acquainted with him."

"That… awful slimy boy she was friends with?" Petunia said in disgust.

For once, Sirius had to agree with the woman. "That sounds like a pretty fitting description to me," he mumbled.

Petunia's lips pursed, turning into a thin line and she looked down at her hands, which were folded on her lap, her face expressionless.

"Look," Mia said after taking a long, deep breath. "I think it's best for both of us if we just get to the point that brought us here. The sooner we're done with it, the sooner we can leave. For now, at least. We think you may be in danger."

Petunia looked up at her, suspicious. "From what?"

"Voldemort. The bloke who killed your sister and has been haunting Harry all his life," Sirius told her.

Petunia frowned at them, her greenish eyes accusatory. "I thought he was gone. The woman that was with Dumbledore – Mc something… she told us he was gone. That the boy had destroyed him when he'd survived the attack. She told us."

Mia couldn't help noticing the woman's effort to avoid their names: her sister's and her nephew's. She didn't refer it, though – it wasn't the time or place to pick what might become another fight. In all honesty, she was just looking forward to get out of that house. It gave her chills, thinking of Harry possibly being raised there. Would Petunia have ever made an effort to love him? Treat him with care? She didn't seem to do as much with her own daughter. She shook her head slightly, telling herself in thought to snap out of it and return to the conversation at hand. "He's not that easy to destroy," she said- "He's not like other people now; not completely… mortal. It's a long story."

Sirius nodded. "The point is that our old friend Voldy got a big blow that night when he tried to kill Harry and that put him out of circulation for about a decade but he returned for real a few years ago," he summed up. "You don't think those odd explosions, sudden collapses of new bridges and freak storms you see on the news are really just an unfortunate series of events, do you? That's all him and his followers. You Muggles just have a really fertile imagination when it comes to cover-ups."

Petunia paled a little and swallowed hard. "Alright, so that… Vol-somthing is back. But what does that have to do with me? That's your world's problem and I've made it clear that I don't want anything to do with it. I did everything to forget you people… your kind even existed," she said, eyes narrowed. For a moment, she glanced out the kitchen's glass door but was quick to look away as something outside made her cringe inside. "You people have got no business coming back into my life."

"Yes, because Voldemort is really going to care about that when he decides to use you and all your family to get to Harry," Sirius told her sarcastically. "He's killed dozens of Muggles who don't even have any idea there is a Wizarding world out there but, hey, if you want to stay out of it, I'm sure he'll let you. He's well-known for respecting other people's wishes, after all."

She stiffened on her chair. "That's ridiculous. He using us against H… the boy. He's never even seen any of us in his life. Why would anyone use us of all people against him?"

Mia huffed in frustration. "Because you're Muggles and that makes you vulnerable. And because Harry is just good enough of a kid to drop everything in order to go rescue his family – even the one that abandoned him – from harm."

"Oh, and Voldemort knows it, by the way," Sirius added.

Petunia shook her head in denial, even though the reasons Mia had pointed out did make sense in her mind. "No, no, I don't buy it. Such a long stretch… that has to be some sort of scheme from your lot. I haven't landed eyes on any of you for fifteen year and suddenly you people come by, saying my family's in 'danger'. What's next? You want a monthly payment for protection?"

"We want nothing but distance from you, Petunia," Mia said in disgust. "You're sour and self centered and, by Merlin, I have no idea how Lily could even be related to you! And yes, we're offering you protection but if it were just about you, believe me, I wouldn't have even came here. I don't owe you anything, do I? And if it were just about you, I probably wouldn't even care about you betting your life and your family's on some stupid idea that we're pulling a scheme. But I'll be damned if I let you be a liability for my son by doing that!"

There was a moment of silence after Mia's outburst, during which Sirius made a point of shooting her a proud smile, knowing he wouldn't have said it better.

Petunia's face seemed more thoughtful than ever and both could tell those words had gotten to her… "You're really sure they'll try to kill us?"

"You'd be lucky if that was all they did," Sirius told her darkly.

She swallowed hard. "And what sort of protection were you talking about?"

"You go into hiding in a secure location until this war is over," Mia told her stiffly, not looking at her. "Nobody would know you where you were and the Order of the Phoenix – that's a resistance against Voldemort – would be in a charge of protecting you there."

"Hiding? But we have a life here!"

"Yeah, well, if you choose to go on with it, might be that in a few months you won't have a heartbeat," Sirius spat back. "Pretty hard to live like that, don't you figure?"

"But don't you people have a ministry?" Petunia asked. "Why do we have to trust your… order's protection when the ministry may have a better solution? One that won't make us move out, for instance."

"I don't know… maybe because the Minister herself admits that the ministry has most likely been infiltrated and we can't rely on it?" Sirius replied sharply. "But if you want to go to them, be my guest. It's your neck on the line – maybe that will make Harry realize you're just too thick to be helped. You're being offered the best protection there is. Don't be dumb enough to refuse it."

"But… but what do we tell the neighbours?" she asked, still hesitating.

"Whatever you want!" Mia told her, out of patience. Was she seriously more worried about what her neighbours would think than her own survival? "Tell them that your husband has been offered a job in Australia and you're moving there for a while; that your great aunt who lives in Manchester is ill and you're moving there to help her out. Does it really matter, Petunia? If you have to move, than move – at least you'll be alive, which is more than many people can say."

That seemed to settle it as Petunia didn't dare herself to reply with more criticisms or questions. She simply looked down, fumbling with her hands, a look of displeasure on her face, likely at the fact that she had to accept help from 'their lot'. "I can't give you an answer without discussing it with Vernon."

"Well, don't take too long, then," Sirius warned her. "They could come bursting through that door any moment."

That caused the blonde-haired woman to stiffen. "How can I… let you know?" she mumbled.

"Your neighbour Arabella Figg. I believe you're acquainted with her," he said, smiling a little as he saw the other woman pale in shock.

"She's… she's a…"

"She's a squib," Mia told her. "Born to magical parents but not a witch. You can tell her if you accept or not and she'll let us know. And for your own sake, you'd better accept it." With that, she motioned to get up from the table along with Sirius. She really didn't want to stay there any longer than she had to.

"Wait," Petunia said before they had a chance to turn around. She stood up as well before speaking. "A few years ago, I sold my parents' old house. We brought here a few things, some of which used to belong to… to her," she said, clearly meaning her sister. In fact, she seemed embarrassed by the admission that she'd kept something that used to belong to Lily, as if it was some sort of betrayal to her own beliefs. "You might as well take it for the boy. It's his right to have it and it's just taking up space in the attic. I was planning to throw it all out, anyway," she was quick to add, trying to sound detached. "Just wait here while I pack it."

She sped out of the kitchen without giving either of them a chance to say anything in return like she feared any comment they might come up with.

Seeing herself alone with Sirius, Mia huffed, exhausted. "I can't figure this woman out. I just can't. She's so… cold most of the time, so fake."

Her husband nodded. "But you can just see deep down she still cares about Lily," he added. "And it pisses the heck out of her."

Mia had to agree as she'd noticed it too. "She couldn't even say their names, didn't you notice? Lily's and Harry's," she said. "I'd say there's some guilt related to that."

Sirius sighed, approaching the glass door. "Mrs. Dursley here is one messed up woman," he concluded.

Since Mia chose not to agree or disagree with that statement, he turned his attention to what was going on at the backyard. He was quick to notice the little girl with the strawberry-blonde hair playing out there, kneeling on the floor next to a flowerbed, a big innocent smile on her lips as she touched the flowers. He couldn't help thinking Petunia wouldn't approve or her playing that way seeing she was most likely staining her clothes with dirt from the ground.

And, suddenly, he saw something that led him to believe that wasn't the only reason for Petunia not to approve her daughter's way playing. Because she wasn't just playing like any other Muggle child her age. Most definitely not. As little girl kneeled on the floor next to the flowerbed, the flower she was touching at the moment – a lily, he noted – turned from orange to pink, making her laugh in delight, and then from pink to yellow.

She was a witch, Sirius realized in deep surprise. Oh, the irony, he thought.

"Love, stay here, will you? Warn me if you hear Petunia coming back," he told Mia, unable resist opening the glass door and stepping out.

"Sirius, what are you…"he vaguely heard his wife responding as he approached the little girl slowly.

She didn't notice him at all, so entranced she was with her colourful game, until he spoke. "Hey. What are you doing?" he asked her softly.

Hearing the stranger's voice, the little girl looked up at him, her eyes frightened like she knew she was in trouble. "N… nothing. I… Please don't tell Mommy."

He shook his head and gave her a soothing smile. "It's okay. You don't have to hide it from me. Do you have a name?"

There was a moment of silence from both parts during which the little girl observed him closely, though not as thoroughly as her mother had before. "Mommy says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," the girl finally replied suspiciously.

He nodded. "And you're doing a good job in listening. But, well, let's say that I…" he looked around for a moment to make sure he wasn't being watched and only spotted Mia peaking through the door, a curious look on her face. He gave his wife a nod and turned back to the girl, reaching for his wand and tapping on the flower she'd been playing with, making it turn into a milky white hue with dark pink spots "…have a little bit in common with you."

She looked at him in amazement. "You can do it too?"

He nodded and sat down next to her. "I can. As can many more people in the world – it's sort of a secret from people who can't do it, you know? And you don't have to worry – I won't tell your mother I saw you doing that. You might want to be a bit more careful if you don't want her to see you, though. Does she know you can do this?"

She nodded and looked back at the flower. "Mommy doesn't like me to do those things. I'm not supposed to do them ever: when I'm alone or when I'm with someone. But I like doing them. She calls them a big name: an ab… abom…"

"Abomination?" he asked, feeling a taste of bitterness in his mouth.

The little girl nodded, looking up. "What does it mean? It sounds bad."

"It is bad but it also isn't true at all," he assured her. "These things you can do mean you're very special. You don't have to be ashamed of them, no matter what your mother says."

She looked down again. "Mommy says a lot of things. She said once that these things I can do were her punishment for not respecting her 'sacred vows' to God," she told him in a small voice without any malice in it. "I don't know what it means but I don't think Mommy knows I heard it either. She says I'm not supposed to say anything to Daddy or he'll shut me in the dark cupboard under the stairs."

"Did he ever do that to you?" Sirius asked, alarmed.

The youngest Dursley shook her head. "No. And I don't think Daddy would care, though – he doesn't mind me much. He just likes my brother Dudley. Maybe it's because I'm a girl – maybe daddies like boys better."

Sirius shook his head immediately – he pitied that girl, so neglected and misunderstood. Reminded him of himself at that age in a way, though he couldn't say he carried the baggage he suspected that little girl to have, considering hers and Mrs. Figg's words. "Don't let that make you sad. I've got two girls of my own and they're very special to me. Just as special as any boy. Whatever your father thinks of you, it's his problem, not yours."

She turned to him and smiled a little – almost immediately, he could see she had her aunt's smile. In fact, the girl's face overall reminded him more of Lily and her mother, Grace Evans, whom he'd met at his best mate's wedding, than Petunia, leaving out the eyes, which were all hers.

"See? You look much prettier smiling," he told her. "And now you know more about me. Can you tell me your name, then?"

She seemed to consider it for a moment before answering. "Okay. My name is Quinn. Quinn Evans Dursley. It's spelled Q-U-I-N-N, not like the Queen. But the bad kids at school say I'm the Dumb Queen to make fun of me."

"Well, they're the dumb ones if they don't even know how to spell your name," Sirius replied. "And since I know your name now, I should say that it's nice to meet you, Quinn. My name is Sirius Black."

Quinn giggled. "That's a funny name."

He chuckled. "A little, I guess. It's a good thing, though – it will help you not forgetting it. It's important you don't."

"Why not?"

"Because in a few years, when you turn eleven, an owl will deliver a letter for you. A letter from a school for special boys and girls like you," he told her.

"I won't be eleven for another…" she paused, using her fingers to count "…four years and two months," she declared. "It's a looong time."

"That's gonna pass in a flash, you'll see," he promised. "Now listen: maybe someone will come by to explain about that school to your parents, maybe not. The thing is that maybe they won't like it and if they don't, they may want to keep you away from it. But if that happens, I want you to do something: get a piece of paper and write to me about it. Then, either give the letter to Mrs. Figgs and ask her to send it to me or…"

"Mrs. Figg, the lady with all the funny cats?" Quinn inquired.

Sirius nodded, chuckling. "Yes, the lady with all the funny cats. But if she's not around anymore when the letter from the school comes, just put the note to me in an envelope and write my name on it – don't worry about an address or stamps. Just write my name on the envelope and put it in the mailbox." It was a known fact within the wizarding community that there were wizards with the job of locating correspondence sent to another wizard by muggle means and make sure they got it. "I promise that when I receive it, I'll try to come by and have a word with them – make sure they send you to that school."

"Why do I have to go there?"

"Because that's where you'll learn everything that being special lets you do. And that's where people will really understand you."

"How do you know that?" she asked. "Can you see the future too?"

He smiled and shook his head. "I wish. Let's just say that once upon a time I had a difficult family too and that going to Hogwarts was one of the best things that happened to me. Now, do you think you can remember my name?"

The little blonde nodded. "It's Mr. Sirius Black. But can I ask you something else?"

"Sure you can."

"Why am I like this? Special? My whole family is normal…"

Sirius shrugged. "Who knows?" How could he explain it to her? Something told him he shouldn't give a name to what they were. Witches and Wizards. It ought to be confusing for a girl her age that didn't live among magical people. And he could guess that if Quinn ever said to someone 'hey, I'm a witch', she might get into trouble. "Sometimes people like us are born in regular families just like that," he told her. "I can tell you a little secret about your family, though." He pointed at the flower she'd been playing with. "Do you know what type of flower that is?"

Quinn shook her head. "It's one of Mommy's special flowers. She always takes care of them better than the others. I dunno what they're called, though."

"They're lilies," he said. And, he thought, it couldn't be a coincidence that Petunia like the flowers her sister was named after better than all others. She really was a hard one to figure out… "Do you know anyone with a name that sounds like that?"

This time, she nodded. "Mommy's sister was called Lily. Dudley told me once about her when he was helping me fill my family tree. He said she died a long time ago."

Sirius nodded sadly in return. "I know – I knew her. She was my best mate's girl. And you know what? She was special like you too."

"She could make flowers change to other colours too?" the little girl asked.

"She could make flowers grow out of nothing," he told her.

"Wow," she mumbled, her eyes shining in fascination. "I'll be able to do that too?"

He shrugged. "Someday, probably. But in the meanwhile you've got to be careful so people won't see you doing those things. Some people wouldn't understand – that's why we keep it a secret from them."

She nodded, looking down. "They'll think it's bad like Mommy does."

"They might," he agreed.

"Dudley doesn't think it's bad. He thinks it's weird but he doesn't get angry when he sees me doing those special things. He promised he wouldn't tell Mommy or Daddy he saw me 'cause I asked him not to."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. Dudley must be her brother. And, oddly, Quinn's description of his reaction to her abilities was not at all what he would have imagined, considering who his mother was and Arabella Figg's account of his personality. "Is your brother nice to you?"

Quinn nodded. "He was mean before and called me a silly baby in front of his friends but then he started being nicer to me. He says I'm the only one at home who listens to him now. That's 'cause he's angry at Mommy and Daddy – they want him to go to a fancy school in London to study numbers and then sell drills like Daddy does. But he says he wants to be a policeman."

"A policeman? Why?" Sirius asked. Those were the Muggle equivalent to Aurors, he recalled. A mean bully turned out law-enforcement-agent-wannabe. That was ironic too, he thought. Irony seemed to be a strong trait in that family.

"'Cause then he gets to kick bad guys' backsides," Quinn stated, giggling. "He didn't call them 'backsides' but that's what he told me. Daddy says he's being dumb but Dudley says Daddy's the dumb one if he thinks he's gonna spend his life selling drills like him."

Sirius snorted. Well, maybe Dudley Dursley was not that bad, after all, he thought. Before he could say anything else, he heard tapping on the kitchen door and turned to it. Mia was standing by it, signalling for him to hurry back inside.

"Guess that's my cue to leave," he announced, motioning to get up. Mia must have heard something that made her believe Petunia must be coming back and he had a feeling that if she saw him talking to her daughter, Quinn would get in trouble. "It was nice to meet you, Quinn. Remember that you're a very special girl."

The little girl smiled like he's just told her the best thing in the world.

He started to walk away but stopped midway to the door, turning around for a moment. "Oh, and what we talked about… it's our secret, okay?"

She put her index finger in front of her lips. "It's our secret," she agreed before he turned around and walked back into the kitchen.

He closed the door behind him and sat back at the table next to Mia, who shot him a nervous inquisitive look only seconds before Petunia walked into the room carrying a large cardboard box, which she placed on the kitchen table.

"There," she said stiffly. "I put everything I could find in this box."

Sirius got up again and picked up the box. "Thanks," he said. "Oh, and Petunia, I look forward to see your daughter at Hogwarts in a few years."

The woman's eyes widened and she stood frozen. "How…?"

"Oh, she didn't do anything that gave her away. Us freaks can just feel each other," he lied smoothly as Mia stared at him, surprised at what he meant, before glancing out the window at the little girl. "I knew it as soon as I saw her."

"You people can't take Quinn away too. You can't take her like you took Lily," Petunia told him, fearful as she spoke her sister's name for the first time.

The protectiveness in Petunia's voice surprised Mia but, in a way, made her start to understand the woman's feelings towards her daughter: she loved the little girl at the same time she resented her for what she was. A witch. And she also feared that she might lose her for that same reason. Except she was getting it all wrong… "No one took Lily away from you," Mia stated. "You're the one who pushed her away because you were jealous. And if you still love your sister… if you love your daughter too, put that jealousy aside and do a better job being a mother to her than you did being a sister to Lily. Goodbye, Petunia."

With that, both Sirius and Mia made their way out of the kitchen and into the hall at the same time Vernon Dursley stepped into the house. The only description of him that Sirius could come up with would be a huge bloke (in a beefy sort of way) with a comically purple face like he was constantly in a bad mood and a furry moustache in it. Unlike his wife, he lacked in terms of neck since his double chin covered it.

The man scowled as soon as he saw them in there like he could just tell they weren't regular guests. "Who are you?" he asked sharply.

"They're her friends," Petunia told her husband.

He looked unconvinced. "Aren't they a bit too old to be the girl's friends? She's four," he said, nodding at little Quinn, who'd just entered the house again.

"I'm almost seven," she said, upset Vernon hadn't gotten her age right.

Vernon ignored the little girl as Petunia spoke. "Not her friends. I meant… Lily's."

He looked at his wife sharply. "The odd kind?"

Sirius responded insted. "That's right. We're the ones who play with wands and turn people into frogs," he told him, grinning. "We were just leaving, though, so maybe another time…"

Vernon narrowed his eyes at him. "Oi, don't I know you?"

Not likely, Sirius thought. He'd recall such an unpleasant character if he'd met him. Unless he hadn't really… "You might," he stated. "My picture showed a lot in Muggle and Wizard the papers a few years back – might have popped in your telly news too," Sirius told him before turning to Mia. "Remember, love? Back when I was on the run from prison. That whole business about me allegedly killing seven people with one curse."

Mia nodded. "Yes, there was a whole lot of fuss about that."

Sirius turned back to Vernon, who looked awfully pale by then. "Don't worry, mate. The official version now is that it was all a mix-up." He turned to little Quinn and gave her a grin and a wink. She covered her mouth with her hand to avoid a giggle as she understood he wasn't talking seriously about the killing part and just scaring her father.

Feeling like he ought to bother the guy a little further, Sirius reached for his pocket with difficulty due to the box with Lily's things he was carrying and grabbed his wand – he could just see Vernon sweating as he looked at it with beady eyes. Then, he pointed it at the large box and used a reducing charm to turn it into a much smaller size so he could put it in his pocket. "Much better," he said before pointing at the door. "Do you mind? We were just leaving."

Vernon stepped away from the door with a jump and practically held his breath up until Sirius was out. Mia stopped on her way, though.

"Oh, and Petunia, we'll be waiting for an answer," Mia reminded her before Petunia nodded quietly in return.

Outside, neither Sirius nor Mia spoke until they were several yards away from the house, definitely out of earshot. "You didn't need to scare him like that, you know?" Mia told her husband. "Vernon, I mean."

He shook his head. "It's a matter of principle. Any decent marauser has the duty to give a hard time to an arse like that."

His wife rolled her eyes. "I'll take your word for it." She sighed, then. "And how did you know the little girl was a witch?" she inquired.

"I saw her changing the colours of a flower through the window," he told his wife. "The kid is gonna be talented. She's pretty talkative once she gets past that initial shyness. Her name is Quinn."

Mia smiled. "That's Lily and Petunia's mother's maiden name," she recalled. "Lily told me she wanted to use it as a middle name if she ever had a girl."

"Guess her niece got it as a first name instead," Sirius pointed out, sighint. "That kid is only six and already has got some serious baggage to carry."

Mia nodded. "Yes, the way Petunia resents her for being the way she is… it ought to be confusing for a little girl her age."

"Oh, I don't think it's just that…" Sirius stated. "Remember what Figg told us about Petunia's… side dish and then something that it led to?"

His wife stopped walking and raised her eyebrows at him. "You're not saying… Oh, she might just be gossiping. That guy who was at her house could just be a family friend…"

"Oh, really? And what if I told you that Quinn mentioned she once heard her mother say that her being a witch was her punishment for breaking her 'sacred vows to God', which could really be interpreted as her marriage vows?" he said.

Mia was silent for a few seconds. "So you think her daughter may not be Vernon's," she deduced.

He nodded. "I'm pretty sure that's the case. I mean, I'm living proof that one doesn't have to take after his or her family but that girl is just too nice to be Dursley's. And he completely ignores the kid – probably even knows she's not his and just stayed with Petunia anyway because of appearances. Maybe even has a bunch of side dishes himself."

She rolled her eyes and resumed walking. "Merlin, Sirius, now you're just making up a story. That's awful. Sounds like something straight out of a bad drama full of intrigues."

"Hey, you heard what Figg said, not to mention you saw how cold they ware to each other," he pointed out. "There had to be a story behind it."

"If there was, it's none of our business," she told him, sighing.

He put one arm around her waist. "I'm just saying that not everyone is as lucky as we are."

Mia had to agree with that. "It would be awful if we ever became like that."

Sirius cringed. "Tell you what, love: you've got a free pass to smother me in my sleep if I ever become an arse as big as Dursley to you. How's that for you?"

"A lifetime in Azkaban," she replied dryly.

"Sure. But you wouldn't be alone since I'd make sure I'd haunt you for all eternity," he pointed out.

"Oh, how nice of you. That would certainly improve things for me," she mockingly assured him before making an effort to turn serious again. "But really, do you think they'll accept the Order's protection?"

He nodded. "They'll probably be a pain to whoever is assigned to protect them but in the end they won't want to risk getting killed for staying behind. I'd bet anything they'll accept it."

"I hope you're right," she confessed. "For Harry's sake."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, for Harry's sake. Now let's go home, love. This place gives me shivers."

A/N: Sorry for the delay. As I had warned in last chapter's A/N, I had a field trip this week. And rained. A lot. Rain led to mud, mud let to someone (me!) slipping on the floor and slipping on the floor led to six hours in the hospital waiting for someone to do something about my sprained ankle (I must have broken a mirror lately because my luck is not so great these days...). That said, here's a slightly painkiller-induced chapter. I hope you liked it because I sure liked to write it (this the size).

Feedback is welcome! Review!