The hippogriff was flying him far, far away. As the wind whipped Sirius's matted hair he thought of nothing but Marie and the fact that she knew he was innocent. Such a thought as this should have made him turn that hippogriff right back around and find her, take her with him… anything. Knowing Lucius Malfoy she would still be at his mercy, although Remus would do a sterner job keeping an eye on her for Sirius once Sirius wrote to him to beg it of him. They had neglected her safety too much if Lucius had gotten in in the first place.

He would have to write a letter to Remus, then, not that he wouldn't have anyway, thanking him. He would also write a letter to Harry, thanking him and explaining a few things, hopefully opening a new channel of communication between them. But Sirius was most anxious to write a letter to Marie, to tell her how much he longed for her, how badly he had wanted to return for her, how he wished he could run his fingers through her hair and kiss her sweet lips once more.

Twelve years… Sirius had no idea how one could miss a single person after twelve years apart and only minutes together again, but he craved her more than he thought possible.

The hippogriff, Buckbeak, they had called it, had taken him to someplace cold, but Sirius managed to figure out that they were somewhere on the coast of Canada. They would have to go south, get further away from England, for his own safety, for Marie's safety. Still, this would do for now.

Sirius tied Buckbeak to a tree, told him he'd be right back, but gave him enough room to catch animals that were stupid enough to wander by.

Sirius managed to nick some paper and a Muggle pencil, writing his letters once he found an owl that seemed agreeable to taking his letters.

He wrote first to Harry, explaining everything and thanking him. Then to Remus:

Remus,

Thank you so much for listening to me, for supporting me, even though I'm sure you must have spent the last twelve years hating me. I know I did. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to keep him from getting away, but we'll get him next time, and he's used up Harry's mercy, I think. Next time, I kill him.

I don't know if she still wants me or cares about me at all, but I still love Marie with all my heart and I'm begging you to look after her for me. Please, please keep her as safe and well as you can. She wasn't at all her old self, and it broke my heart to see the change in her.

I hope my name is clear soon and I can come back and be the friend, godfather, and lover I always should have been, but until then please let's keep in touch and take care of my girl, Moony. She's really all I have.

-Sirius

Then to Albus:

Albus,

I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me. I owe you my soul. I don't know what I can do for you in the situation I'm in, but if there ever comes a time when you need something from me, just say the word. There's nothing too much.

I want to thank you as well for reuniting me with Marie, allowing me a chance to explain to her what the truth was. I hate myself for what I put her through, but she's going to be in even more danger from Lucius now that I've slipped away once more. He's going to be furious. I know you can't fully protect her, but I beg you to do what you can, for her sake. That man... that man could kill her with no remorse and make it look like he'd never even been there.

I know it's too much to hope or expect that my name be cleared any time soon, but I'll do my best not to hinder it, at least. I know you're a busy man, and I know I hardly deserve anything more from you, but I'm asking that you please keep my innocence in your thoughts, if nothing else.

-Sirius

And finally to Marie, which he wrote with shaking hands and tears in his eyes:

My Beautiful Girl,

There's nothing that stings more about the events that occurred in Hogwarts than having to leave you behind. I know Albus was thinking of protecting you, and he was right to do so, but I wish you could have come with me, selfish as it is of me to want it. I wish I could say when I could come back to you, but it's not safe for me to be in England right now. I can't tell you where I am because I don't want you to do something spontaneous and try to find me. But if something's wrong, love, and you can't tell Remus, I'm begging you to write to me. I swear I won't be impulsive and put myself in danger for anything less than an emergency.

I love you so much, beautiful, and I miss you every moment a little bit more. I can't stop thinking about your beautiful eyes and how wonderful you looked, even when you were crying, when I last saw you. I'm ashamed I was such a mess. I'm hoping that the next time you see me I'll be properly groomed and a bit more like my old self. I don't know if I could ever be as good as I used to, but at least I won't look like a corpse anymore.

I'm hoping to be home soon. That's probably too much to hope for, but I'm going to keep hoping, my sweet love, because I can hardly wait to hold you in my arms again. It's been far too long. At least I'll have you in my dreams.

All my love,

-Sirius

Sirius wiped his eyes, rereading the letter and picturing what she might be doing, how she might be feeling. He wanted so badly to hold her, to kiss her, to tell her over and over again how much he loved her, and how he was going to make Lucius Malfoy pay for ever laying a finger on her.

Sirius could picture him, his ugly sneering face, having liberties with Sirius's...

No, she wasn't his wife, he reminded himself. They'd never gotten married because they'd parted ways. And suddenly, Sirius felt his heart wrench with pain he'd never before felt because he'd never realized he wanted to marry her.

But he did. He wanted to marry her, hold her every night, have half a dozen children who all looked exactly like her, build her a beautiful home anywhere in the country - no, world - that she wanted, and spend the rest of his life loving and holding and kissing her. He needed Marie Stainthorpe, but she was in England and he was in the tropics, because he couldn't stop Peter Pettigrew from pulling a fast one on them again. Sirius had never felt so small in his life.

Sirius curled up in a ball after sending off the letter, curling up and crying softly into his knees. Buckbeak had already gone to sleep and Sirius was alone with the night, alone with his tears, wishing he could just tell her how much he loved her, but he couldn't just put something like that in a letter.

Marie, I love you and when I see you again we should get married and have a bunch of children and live wherever you'd like.

Even in his mind it sounded absurd. She deserved better. She deserved a romantic proposal in a moonlit field at midnight.

And Sirius would never be able to give that to her because Pettigrew had escaped, because the whole of the universe was conspiring against them and no matter what Sirius wanted, he couldn't have it. He couldn't have her. He couldn't have the life she deserved for him to give her, for anyone to give her. Maybe... maybe she could find someone else, move on.

But Sirius had seen the box in her closet.

Him.

Even when she was terrified of Sirius, she couldn't really get over him. She'd been with Lucius because, well, Merlin knows. Malfoy probably decided she looked like a good lay and Marie knew better than to say 'no' to someone as powerful as Lucius Malfoy, for the sake of her job. She needed her job, especially because Sirius was gone. Especially because she'd had to send Sirius to jail to keep it. If she hadn't had that job, who was she, after all? How could she keep telling herself she'd done the right thing if she didn't have the job to show for it?

So she let Lucius Malfoy beat the crap out of her.

And Sirius would make him pay for every swing, someday.

/-/

Marie lay on the bed, clutching the bit of fabric that had caught on the door of the Shrieking Shack during the whole ordeal. Remus had retrieved it for her, had told her everything that had happened that night, all of the truths of everything. He was watching her hold that tiny scrap of Sirius's prison uniform with hollow eyes.

"You have to be honest with me," he said softly, finally, after hours of silence. "You have to tell me the truth, Marie. How long has Lucius been abusing you?"

"I don't remember anymore," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Remus. I did so many things wrong. It's all my fault, but he doesn't blame me? How can he not blame me?"

"Because it's not your fault," Remus sighed, sitting on the bed beside her, shaking his head. "It's not. You really didn't have a choice about signing the papers, and then I believed all the lies because Dumbledore told me... I didn't believe in the man I'd known or in you, who'd known him better than anyone... And I told you that he was guilty, I made you believe he was guilty and I never should have and it's me who's sorry, Marie. It's my fault you became what you did."

She shook her head, kissing the bit of fabric.

"Marie, how long has he been hurting you? I need to know, if only... if only for my own conscience."

She took a deep breath, sighing heavily, not meeting his amber eyes as she tried to think back. It had been a long, long time... But how long, really?

"Maybe... maybe ten years? I don't really remember, Remus. It's been so long and I try not to think about it."

Remus shook his head, wrapping his strong arms around her shaking body.

"It's over," she said firmly. "It's all over. I have Sirius now. I have... I..."

"Marie," he said nervously. "Marie, Sirius is in hiding. You... you can't just-"

"I'll find him," she said stubbornly. "It will be like it should have been, before everything went wrong, before I left him, and I'll quit my job and I'll-"

"Marie, you can't," he said firmly. "He's going to be living off rats and hiding from dementors. I'm not letting you put your life in danger. Sirius would never forgive me if I-"

"What do I have left without him?" she wailed. "I have nothing, Remus. Nothing!"

He said nothing for a moment, and then there was a tapping at the window.

"Owl," he said, bewildered. "Were you expecting an owl?"

Marie shook her head, and Remus climbed to his feet, moving to the window and letting in the bird, taking the letter and watching it take off again.

"Not an owl," he said, still more confused. "Some sort of tropical bird. I- Oh, it's... it's from Sirius. Do you... do you want?"

"Read it to me Remus, please?" she whispered.

He sighed, sat down, and read the letter aloud to her, sitting down beside her, letting her rest her head in his lap and stroking her hair as he read Sirius's words. She closed her eyes, listening to the familiar rhythm of Remus's voice, of Sirius's words, and letting the tears that squeezed from between her eyelids hit the fabric of Remus's worn trousers.

"I love him so much," she sighed. "I wish I would have believed in him more strongly, Remus."

"It's partly my fault," he said gently. "Don't blame yourself entirely."

Marie nodded, picking at a fraying bit of string on his trousers.

"I just feel like I let him down, you know?" she sighed.

"Everyone let him down," Remus reassured her. "There are many, many people to blame for what happened to him, but it's our responsibility now to make sure that he doesn't go back, all right?"

Marie nodded again, dropping the fraying string as there was a loud crack signifying Apparition just outside. She could feel Remus tensing like her at the sound, and he pulled out his wand, lifting her from his lap.

"Stay here," he whispered. "I'll see who it is."

"Remus," she said weakly as he got to his feet. "It's my house."

He shook his head and raised a finger to his lips, pulling out his wand. She clenched and unclenched her fists, worried that it might be Lucius on the other side of the door, in which case it wouldn't do for Remus to be seen with her and she would need to hide Sirius's letter away somewhere, and fast.

There was a knock at the door, and Remus waved his hand for her to speak in response. With a shaking voice, Marie called out, "Who is it?"

"Albus Dumbledore," said the familiar voice of the Hogwarts headmaster, and she and Remus both sighed with relief as he opened the door. Albus smiled at Remus's wand. "Good," he said, nodding at the wand. "Lucius might show up. Did you receive a letter from Sirius, Marie?"

She nodded as Albus and Remus came into the room, sitting down in the armchairs.

"As did I," Albus said gently. "He wanted me to protect you from Lucius's wrath, and I intend to do my best."

Marie blinked.

"I don't think you can, sir," she muttered softly. "I mean, he's got a lot of influence and-"

"First thing," Albus said with a friendly smile, "is that Remus no longer has a job or a place to live. As your good friend, and as a favor to me, as well - and that is important, Marie, because I have enough clout to more or less force your hand on the matter - he will be staying with you until he can afford his own place."

Remus blinked.

"But that could be years," he said slowly.

"Exactly," Albus replied, blue eyes twinkling merrily. "Lucius cannot get at her in her home if you are always right here, now, can he?"

Remus's eyebrows shot up, surprised.

"You know, that might actually work," Remus said softly. "Of course, I would only stay if Marie would have me-"

"Please stay," she said softly, feeling relief wash over her as she understood the comfort that having Remus with her would cause. It wasn't as good as having Sirius, but at least it was the next best thing, and she was tired of being strong and pretending that things weren't as bad as they were. She was thrilled to have someone to hide behind, even if it wouldn't work at work.

"I know it won't work if you're not in the house," Albus said with a small nod, "but if you stay here any time you're not at work, we might be able to keep you safe. I assume you're expected to go to the World Cup?"

"Oh!" Marie said, surprised. "I had forgotten all about that, and I'm sure I wouldn't be able to get Remus a ticket, not at this point..."

"He won't try something in so public a place, surely?" Remus said, blinking with surprise. "After all, his wife will be with him!"

"Narcissa knows her place," Marie spat. "He told me that once."

Remus's typically calm face contorted with rage and disgust. Even Albus's twinkling blue eyes flashed for a moment.

"That's disgusting," Remus spat. "I didn't think men still treated women like that."

"You forget," Marie whispered. "Their marriage was arranged. She was raised to know her place. That was the world Sirius was raised in, and I came to know it very well, better than I was ever comfortable."

"Sirius never treated you like that," Remus argued.

Marie shrugged.

It wasn't entirely true. He had, when they were first together, behaving like he was entitled to her, but once he realized that she wouldn't stay if he continued to act that they had a long talk and worked through their conflicts.

"The fact is, he's going to be there, and I'm going to be expected to... to..."

She broke off, speechless. They both knew, and she couldn't bring herself to say it aloud.

"We will have to think about how to keep you safe," Albus said with a nod. "I believe I have a few tricks up my sleeve still. You just do what you have to do and let me take care of that."

Marie nodded, thanked them, and Albus took his leave while Remus watched Marie.

As soon as the two of them were alone, Marie began to breathe deeply, trying to hold back her tears.

"I'm fine," she lied, and Remus shook his head, wrapping her up in a tender hug.

Marie whimpered, beginning to cry into his shoulder until she had enough composure to pull away and whisper, "He's going to be all right, isn't it? He's okay?"

"Of course he is," Remus assured her gently. "He's still Sirius Black, isn't he? And he loves you. He's going to stay safe for you. You know that."

She nodded, wiping her eyes and wishing she could believe him.