Hi there!

My story is moving right along, so I present to you chapter 13.

This chappie contains an explicit scene (kind of) between two unlikely characters. I agonized over whether to do it but in the end felt it fit the story/character. I hope no one hates me too much for making it happen.

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to anything.

Chapter 13: Never Simple

August, 1993.

Sirius Black stood deep in the Forbidden Forest, darkness all around him. He wasn't sure how he got there, but could hear someone calling his name.

"Sirius!"

He wheeled around searching the darkness in vain for the source of the frantic voice.

"Sirius, please!"

Lily?

He turned and Lily Potter stood by the trunk of a large chestnut tree charred black, scorched boughs hanging low.

"Lily," he gasped. She looked the same, youthful and pretty but there was something odd. He noticed a dark stain growing larger as blood soaked through her deep blue cloak. Oh, Lily, he thought regretfully as he watched the colour fade from her vibrant red hair and the crimson on her belly grow.

"Help him, Sirius!"

"I can't!" he cried. "It's too late."

James lay on the ground between them, his lifeless body twisted unnaturally. An unfathomable sadness gripped him, like a fist squeezing his heart.

Oh, no! James.

Suddenly Lily was beside him, a pale cold hand upon his cheek. "He needs you," she said. "Harry needs you."

He remembered why he was there. Peter, he thought, Peter's going to kill him.

"No," Lily insisted, whispering in his ear. "Don't let that happen." There was panic in her voice.

"I won't," he replied adamantly.

"Then, go. Quick!"

"Where?" he asked, not sure what to do. He felt helpless. He was suddenly alone.

"Sirius," another voice called to him from beyond the tree line, "this way!"

Dahlia?

A small figure clad in a glowing white gown darted through the trees down a well, worn path. Sirius followed, breaking into a run to keep up. The ethereal glow hovered just ahead at the edge of the forest. He ran to the clearing beyond the trees. Hogwarts Castle loomed in the distance illuminated by a bright full moon tinged green, as The Dark Mark hovered in the sky over Gryffindor Tower.

"Save them!" she pleaded.

"It's too late," he yelled in despair. Wracked with guilt, he sobbed.

Dahlia moved towards him with ease, appearing before him like a spectre. She was pale with blue – tinged lips and fingernails. "It's not too late," she said, though her mouth was still. She looked at him with large, black vacuous eyes. A chill came over him and he knew she too was dead.

What can I do?

"Save her," she seemed to whisper. "Save our girl."

Sirius awoke with a start. Distant patches of sunlight danced across his face as he opened his eyes. He felt something nudge him gently in the side. Alarmed, he rolled onto his back and found himself looking into the black beady eyes of a Thestral. Panicking, he leapt up and backed away cautiously. The thestral snorted and walked away. It took Sirius a moment to realize where he was as he looked around.

Then he remembered.

The night before, desperate for rest and food after his long, arduous journey he'd Apparated to the edge of the forest and stumbled to a spot where dead leaves littered the ground. Exhausted, he had gathered up the leaves and laid upon his makeshift bed. Although wracked with fear and functioning on adrenaline, he'd fallen fast asleep. He had been sure no man would dare roam into the infamously dangerous spot and discover him, but as he heard the loud barks of a dog, he remembered there was one man who feared little within this forbidden place – Hagrid.

He ducked between a clump of dense bushes and crouched low to the ground. Hagrid's booming voice greeted the herd of hungry thestrals. He talked merrily to the creatures as he fed them, then rambled away minutes later, his boarhound at his heels. Letting out a breath of relief, Sirius crawled from between the thick branches and foraged for something to eat. He found a thicket of berries and picking the ripest ones, ate them greedily. After his scanty meal, he found the stream, which cut across the forest, and sat down on the banks for a drink.

As he rested, considering what to do next, random images of his pre – dawn nightmare came to him. There was a woman, was it Lily? He couldn't remember.

The harder he tried to recall the details the more elusive they became, until only the ominous feeling remained. Frustrated, he pushed it aside, and instead resumed dwelling on the only thing that mattered. He had to find a way to keep Harry safe and he needed to do it fast, before it was too late.

He had to kill Peter.

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Kali walked down Wicking Lane towards home. As she approached her front garden, she spotted Lucius Malfoy, pacing the front porch, a look of disgust on his face as neighbourhood muggles passed on the Lane. As she walked up the path towards him, he noticed her and a look of relief flickered across his pointy face.

"What do you want?" she asked rudely as she ascended the steps. He was the last person she wanted to see.

"We need to talk," he answered tersely. He had the look of a stray cat about him, scratching the door to get in.

"Do we?" she asked as she unlocked the door with a key. He followed as she entered and led him to the sitting room. He didn't answer but removed his cloak with a flourish, setting it down on the back of a chair.

"Why do you insist on living among those?" he sneered, jabbing a pointed finger towards the front window.

"Why do insist on hating them?" she countered.

His face hardened but he ignored her. "I've been hearing things about you through Ministry circles," he started as he seated himself in her favourite chair, a black leather wingback.

"Have you?" she asked casually, hiding her annoyance as she approached him.

"There are, uh, concerns about your recent activities, and…" his voice died away as she straddled him.

"You were saying?" she whispered, lips grazing his ear. She slid her hands down his chest to his lap. An involuntary sigh escaped him. She pulled back slightly, watching with satisfaction as his haughty sneer fell away and a glazed, lusty look replaced it. His hands, resting at his sides, shot up and grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer. His mouth assaulted hers, kissing her hungrily while her hands moved expertly, unbuckling his dragon – hide belt. He broke the kiss suddenly and looked at her with wild, unfocused blue – gray eyes as he disentangled his fingers from her hair and ripped her blouse open, revealing bare skin. The white pearl buttons scattered to the floor and the sound broke the silence in the eerily still house. She stiffened as hesitance came over her but she quickly pushed it away. Lucius seemed oblivious as his hands moved roughly over her body and under her skirt, propping her up and pushing himself into her moments later. Each moaned as they moved in unison, his tongue tasting the salt of her skin as it moved along her shoulders, down her collarbone and over her breasts. She followed his lead mechanically, nibbling at his neck and without his knowledge, breaking into his mind.

Her affair with Lucius had started the previous summer, an inevitable result of the cat and mouse game of seduction he'd played with her over the years. She didn't know why she gave in, even now; she wasn't sure why she succumbed to her basest instincts when it came to Lucius. His feigned concern for her didn't fool her. She knew what he was yet she relented, over and over. It was like an addiction. She knew it was bad for her, but she just couldn't bring herself to stop. Part of her didn't want to. It was the part of herself that she loathed.

Picking her way through disjointed memories, she barely noticed as he shuddered under her, only coming out of his mind when he moaned her name. She feigned a release and leaned against him, burying her face in his long blonde mane as the feelings of shame washed over her. They were still and silent for a few minutes until, clearing his throat uneasily, he stirred.

"I have to go," he said and she moved from his lap. He stood and adjusted his clothing as she watched. "I have to meet Cissy in town,…" he muttered uncertainly. She suppressed a smile at his uncharacteristic behaviour. It was always this way after sex, a testament more to the power of her mind than her sexual prowess. It amused her that after a year, he still couldn't figure out the fog in his head was the result of a master Legillimens – her. It probably wouldn't even occur to him, she thought bitterly, that she would be capable and that he would be so susceptible.

She followed him to the front door. He fumbled with the knob, and finally managing to open the door, stood at the threshold expectantly.

"When can I see you again?" he asked as he leaned over to kiss her, the pretense of his visit forgotten.

She moved back, gripping the handle for leverage, determined to avoid his question. "You should probably go home and clean yourself up," she said, "before you meet with your wife."

He looked down at her with piercing eyes. "Oh, really?" he asked, the characteristic sneer returning.

"Yes," she said, "you smell like sex." She took a step back and shut the door in his face.

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Remus watched from across the Lane as Lucius Malfoy descended the steps and marched angrily down the street.

"I think we should give her some time," Dumbledore said as he stood beside him, watching the Death Eater disappear around the corner.

"Yes," he agreed, "I think it's best."

They stood in awkward silence, Kali's neighbour watching them curiously from her porch as they loitered. Remus barely noticed as he struggled with conflicting emotions. He'd been in this position before but – he argued to himself – it was different now; she was an adult. Despite this, the side of him that was fiercely protective thought she was far too young to realize what she was doing and yearned to follow Malfoy and let out his inner wolf.

"She's not your student anymore," Dumbledore reminded him gently as if reading his mind, "and she's not a child." Remus decided he probably was. Making a conscious effort to block his mind, he answered.

"I realize that," he said, "it's just…Malfoy?"

Dumbledore gave him a weary smile. "Whomever she associates with is her decision, we can't make it for her."

Remus scoffed at his choice of words. "He's taking advantage of her," he said adamantly.

"You're probably right," Dumbledore responded, "but I don't think it's that simple."

"It never is with a Black," he countered, thinking of Sirius. He dwelled briefly on where he could be. Looking up, they both noticed movement at a window on the second floor.

"Perhaps it's time," said the elderly wizard.

As they walked in unison across the lane, the front door opened and Kali appeared, clad in a pair of well – worn jeans and a small black t – shirt that bore a bright yellow happy face with x's for eyes and a squiggly line for a mouth. The outfit and her fresh – scrubbed looks made her seem younger than she really was, but the hardness of her face cancelled it out.

"Where you just going to stand out there all day?" she asked, a sarcastic, playful tone to her voice.

Remus noticed that it seemed forced. Before either man could answer, the curious neighbour interrupted.

"You're back, I see," the stout woman shouted.

"Yes, yes I am," Kali answered wearily.

"We've gotten so used to the quiet 'round here," the woman said, waddling to the edge of her porch, "but I reckon it'll be like a tube station again, people coming and going at all hours." She punctuated her rant with a vicious chuckle.

Remus looked at Kali, uncertain what she would do. She eyed the woman coldly for a moment, then relaxed.

"I wouldn't want to disappoint," she deadpanned and gave the muggle a chilling smile before heading inside.

She led them into the two- story home, past the sitting room and into the kitchen. "She's a nosy one, that," she noted as she motioned for them to take a seat.

"Apparently," Dumbledore commented with a genuine smile.

Remus looked around at the sizable kitchen, secretly relieved to find it looking like most kitchens would. He didn't know what he thought he would find, but had been worried the house would be more than he could handle.

"I take it this isn't just a friendly visit?" she asked, eyeing each of them in turn. Her eyes lingered on him just a few seconds longer.

"I can only speak for myself, but I've always been a friendly sort of fellow," Dumbledore answered playfully.

She smirked.

"How are you, my dear?" he asked her more seriously.

Remus studied her quietly. There was something like shame in her eyes.

"Considering everything," she said, gesturing a little too wildly, "just fine." She looked at Remus. "How are you?" The flicker of emotion was gone.

He considered the truth but relented. "Fine," he lied.

She offered them tea, which they obligingly accepted and watched as she set about preparing it with the use of her wand. Remus looked at Dumbledore curiously, wondering why she was putting on a show.

Has he told her what I know?

"I am crap at domestic spells," she explained.

For the second time that day, Remus felt like his thoughts were being accessed. Feeling violated, he mad a conscious effort once more. He figured it was time to get to the point of the visit.

"I was hoping you'd reconsider Albus' offer," he began.

She carried a tray to the table, set it down and settled in to a seat, all the while ignoring him. "Sugar?" she asked, holding up a small silver bowl.

"It would be a good opportunity for you," he continued, unfazed, as Dumbledore helped himself to a plate of chocolate biscuits.

"How's that?" she asked tensely. He could tell she wasn't going to make this easy.

"It's a legitimate job," he said but she cut him off before he could continue.

"So working a menial job will legitimize me, will it?" she asked in an angry tone. "People will see me working in the in the apothecary and think, 'look at that del Fuego girl, her mum was a slag, her grandmother's a killer, but, oh, look! She's pushing 'round a broom and peddling second – rate potions, we must be wrong about her!'"

Remus didn't know how to respond. She had a point, after all. Fortunately, Dumbledore took over.

"You will be safer in Hogsmeade," he told her patiently.

"Why?" she asked, suddenly suspicious. Remus did not want to answer and waited for the old man to continue.

"The Ministry is planning to search your home."

"Yes, I know," she said in a small voice, "I've been told me as much." She stared down into her cup of tea.

"What else did Lucius tell you?" the headmaster asked her bluntly.

Kali gave a sad smile. "He doesn't know where Black is," she said, "and if he did he wouldn't tell me. We're not mates and I'm not part of his little club."

"There was never any doubt," Dumbledore said quickly. Remus longed to ask her just what exactly Malfoy was to her, but fearing the answer, remained silent.

"He knows, doesn't he?" she blurted suddenly, dark eyes widening.

Dumbledore reached across the table and placed a hand on hers while Remus, feeling ill for so many different reasons, sat mute.

"Yes," he said soothingly, "he may know you're his daughter."

"How?" she asked, voice breaking.

Dumbledore explained how Henri de la Falaise had blurted her secret to an Auror when questioned over Sirius' escape. The man, mad after only a few years in Azkabahn, had been placed in a cell next to him and the Ministry, convinced Henri knew how their prisoner had managed to slip past the guards, had appointed Kingsley Shacklebolt to get what information he could. Remus could see the wheels turning as she put it all together in her mind. Shacklebolt had been the one that questioned her two years previous. Remus sensed she was connecting the Auror to the crafty wizard before her and noticed a look of awe in her eyes as Dumbledore spoke to her.

In the end, the professor managed to convince Kali to abandon her home for Hogsmeade and take her first real job, just as he had convinced him to take the post at Hogwarts. Remus realized Dumbledore never needed him and figured it was yet another attempt from the old man to keep him connected somehow.

As he lay awake in bed that night, mulling over the day, he tried to reconcile the young woman he'd seen with the one in the letters she'd written to him since leaving Beauxbatons. There was innocence in the honesty of her written words that wasn't present when he saw her in person. Face – to – face, she wielded honesty like a weapon, bitter truth like the pointy end of a sword. It was disconcerting and frankly, yet another thing she did that reminded him of Sirius. His mantra, 'just being honest, mate," was Sirius' way of dulling the sting when he delivered the barb, unapologetic, just like her.

Remus fretted, as the wind whistled through the cracks in the roof of his cottage, on just how he would get through the next year, with Sirius Black on the loose, his look – a – like daughter nearby in Hogsmeade, the familiar walls of Hogwarts around him and Harry Potter, the son of James and Lily, as his student, reminding him everyday of everything they both had lost.

It was going to be a long, long year.

So, what did you think? Did you hate the Lucius/Kali thing? Like I said before, I wasn't sure about it but the character of Kali is flawed (alot like her father and mother combined) so I felt I had to do it.

Let me know what you think.

Coming Soon: chapter 14: untitled - the big reveal for father and daughter, and a few surprises as well!

BTW: The t-shirt kali wore when Dumbledore and Remus visited her was an homage to a great band. Did anyone get it? No? Oh, well. Whatever. Nevermind