A/N: I'm trying to get better at not re-editing a thousand times becuase otherwise this fic will never get finished! That said, always feel free to tell me in the comments if there is an error. I consider this a collaborative process haha!

Thank you so much for all your comments :) I'm so happy that there are people enjoying this story. The longer reviews are amazing, but even just a short note letting me know you're still reading and want more keeps me motivated ;)

I really enjoy all the comments both hating and loving Sirius...

Chapter 37: Sparring

Róisín followed as Mrs Weasley shooed everyone out of the kitchen after dinner, lost in thought. Did she really need to revise black holes for Astronomy since it had come up in last year's NEWTS or should she concentrate on star mapping instead?

"I've cloaked the garden so we can spar later," Black was saying, standing at the foot of the stairs chatting to the twins. "I want to see what Remus managed to teach you this year."

Róisín slipped past the three tall men, dipping under Black's arm where he leant against the bannister, hoping to escape to her room before anyone could invite her to play exploding snap. "You're welcome too, Feral," Black added. She turned and when their eyes met, heat flooded her cheeks at the thought of last night. Just as she was about to politely decline, Ron, with a mouth still full of blackberry crumble asked,

"Can we duel too?"

"No, just seventh years. Molly won't be happy if she sees a crowd of us outside the house wards," Black replied and rolled his eyes as the fifth years all huffed loudly and started complaining. Róisín continued up the stairs unnoticed.

basilisk venom- phoenix tears…jewelled cobra venom- occamy tears….dart tadpole soup- hot chocolate….

Róisín sighed and put her quill down. There were twelve poisons that bezoars were ineffective against, and she needed to know all of them and their antidotes off-by-heart for a test Snape was giving them after the break.

There was a distracting acrid smell of burnt fabric in the air from her earlier attempts at elemental transfiguration. She'd successfully transfigured air into water, but her air to fire had breathed twisting serpent flames which had slithered around the room and licked at the curtains. After she'd put them out for the second time, she'd resigned herself to rote memorization and essay writing. Every so often, while trying to concentrate, her conversation with Snape in the parlour would force itself to the front of her mind and she'd shiver with anxiety, trying to remember the exact details of the memory she'd shown him so she could analyse just how damning it'd been. Eventually she'd given in and taken a large swallow of the black potion. It had soothed the anxious magic bubbling inside her like a balm over sunburn, but had left her feeling numb and dizzy. She'd had to resist the urge to curl up in bed and nap.

She drew a little doxy in the corner of her page and watched it flutter up the margins, trying not to think about all the other seventh years casting spell after spell as they perfected their magical repertoires for their NEWTS. She sighed and continued listing poisons and their antidotes;

banshee breath- boiled stout….foxglove tonic- dock leaf tea….

A playful Rap… Rappity, Rap, Rap! interrupted her. She opened the door to Fred and George, wearing identical cheeky grins.

"Hey Feral, ready to duel an ex-Azkabhan detainee, convicted-but-not-actual-mass-murderer with us?"

"I dunno, I really should study," Róisín sighed and added with faux earnestness, "I am a Ravenclaw, you know, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Don't worry, we did," Fred said dryly.

"Surely sparring counts as prep for the NEWTS Duelling practical?" George insisted.

Róisín thought of Anna's limp body on the Defence classroom floor only weeks ago.

"It's late and I'm tired..."

"It's eight o'clock Feral," Fred stated.

"And we wanna see some of that síog magic in action," George added with a wink.

Róisín almost shushed him, she was so taken aback, her eyes darting around in case anyone heard, even though the only one in the house who didn't know about her was Ginny. "I'm not really supposed to, you know… use my magic in a way that makes it obvious it's different," she muttered through her teeth. "And I don't know if I should be sparring at all. You guys saw what happened," she swallowed before continuing, "You know, with Anna."

"Don't worry, we know what we're getting ourselves into," Fred insisted and George added,

"And now you can control your magic, right? Thanks to a certain dashing potions master?"

Róisín snorted and covered her face with her hands. She couldn't believe he'd just… said it. Like he were teasing her about accidentally spelling her hair green, or using a nudging charm during spin the bottle and not… sex with the Head of Slytherin.

"Unless that's the problem. Do you need us to fetch him for you?" Fred said in a mocking whisper.

Róisín grit her teeth and said with as much sarcasm as she could muster, "Oh yeah, that'd be great, d'ye think you could catch him on his mobile?"

"Mobile?"

"Whatever, muggleborn joke. No of course not, don't be stupid. Just let me get changed into something more duel-appropriate and I'll meet you downstairs."

Róisín closed the door on the twins and leaned heavily against it. She was not going to admit that she needed Snape to the twins and- oh god- Black.

Abruptly, the duvet on her bed whipped upwards and spun in the air. Róisín jumped in surprise and the bundle of white fell into a heap."Ugh!" she grunted and banged her fist against the door. The impact knocked over her inkpot. The black liquid flowed over her desk, staining her list of poisons and a frustrated energy thrummed through Róisín as she watched it. With a jerk she grabbed the parchment, crumpling it in her fist with a satisfying crackle and flung it into the bin. She lunged for the potion and took another long drink, desperately wanting to quell the giddiness inside her. She gasped for breath when she finished and the room swam as the bed flung itself towards her. She landed on it with a bounce, some of the black potion sloshing out and running down her hand, as she loosely held the bottle over the side of the bed. She corked it and threw it at her suitcase, promising herself she wouldn't touch it again.

She snuggled into the heap of soft duvet. If she didn't go downstairs would the twins come back to get her?

With a low groan, she decided she would have to spar. She'd just have to keep her head down, use simple spells and concede as soon as possible. She dragged herself to her feet and started to get changed, relieved that the dizziness from the potion had passed, leaving her numb and sluggish, but less anxious than before.

Nature had reclaimed the once manicured garden behind 12 Grimmauld Place. Vines crawled up the lampposts, making the light that bled through their leaves green and gloomy. The long lily pond that tumbled over smoothed rocks as the lawn stepped downwards had water weeds and grasses choking its fountains, which could only spit and gurgle water, and even though the air was still, the hedges and trees swayed and twisted in the dark corners of the garden. In the centre of the plot there was a large circular paved area, which Róisín imagined was once the heart of many elegant garden parties. Three tall figures stood under a lamppost there, in a green pool of light. Rusty wrought-iron furniture had been pushed into a haphazard collection on two sides, leaving the patio clear.

"Róisín," Black called out. "Would you like to go first, show the boys how it's done?" Smoke, lit by the lantern above him, spilled out of his nostrils and swirled around his face.

Róisín smiled nervously. "Oh, I thought we'd take you on as a team. Normally Lupin lets us duel him in pairs at least…" She hoped he wouldn't notice the slight tremor in her hands as she scooped up her messy hair into a ponytail.

Black extinguished his cigarette. "I'll take it as a compliment that you think an old man like me could take all three of you at once, especially seeing as I have it on good authority that you're one of the best witches at Defence in your year."

"You're mixing me up with Anna, my friend, she's the dueller."

"Battworth is it? Mother's name Abington?" Róisín nodded. "I'll never forget when those bastards got Lucy Abington," Black stated gravely. "How's Anna's mother?"

Róisín hesitated, taken off-guard by the topic. "She's ok. She still doesn't like this time of year."

Black nodded, looking away with his brow furrowed. Then he flicked his wand at the sky and muttered, "dispergo". Little projectiles flew upwards and spread out, hissing like water hitting a hot pan as they burst into sparks against an invisible barrier. Róisín realised he was checking the cloaking dome he'd erected so they could duel in secret.

"We know the only reason the Ravenclaw's here is to practise for the NEWTS duelling practical," George said, "which is one on one, so, Róisín, after you…"

"I dunno, George, maybe we should go first just in case she goes a bit, you know, síog on Sirius and the poor guy ends up splattered on the wall before we get a chance to have a go at him."

Róisín swallowed over the lump in her throat, suddenly wishing she hadn't left her room.

"I'll leave you splattered on the wall if you don't learn to hold your tongue, smart alec," Sirius growled. He pointed to the other side of the circular paved area with his wand. "Fred, you first."

Róisín sat with George on an old lopsided bench, her lips pressed in a firm line. Despite drinking heavily from Snape's potion, her fingers had started to tingle again and she flexed them to try to get rid of the sensation.

"Normal sparring rules?" Fred asked. "Can I use a defensive aid?"

"I look forward to it," Black replied, shrugging off his jacket and throwing it over a planter.

The two men inclined their heads and Fred adopted a traditional duelling stance, whereas Black just let one foot slip backwards, into a more relaxed pose. He let Fred take the first shot, a tripping hex which he lazily deflected with a flick of his wand.

Then they were off.

Black was strong and fast, his spoken incantations thundering as the air cracked and hissed with his words, the strength of the magic in his voice readily apparent. Róisín made a mental note to attempt a silencing charm at the first opportunity if she sparred with him. She hadn't noticed it until now, but he had an acutely upper class accent, reminiscent of Slytherins like Nott and Malfoy, especially when he pronounced Latin incantations.

From the blue trail that shot across the patio, Fred had cast a silent Expelliarmus, but Black's wand, which appeared as an extension of his arm it moved so naturally with the rest of him, didn't even register it. The older wizard was clearly holding back and there was a restlessness in him, as if his instinct for a swift defeat was causing his magic to swell and he had to fight to prevent it from bursting out of him. Róisín could tell from the sparks out of his wand that it was working hard to channel his power. She wondered if Black's fingers ever tingled with frustrated magic when he was locked away in Azkaban all those years.

Fred apparated, a risky move in close-quarter duelling, and Róisín just caught a glimpse of him to the right of Black before there was a muted-

Boom

-and a blackness engulfed the garden, immediately followed by the sound of static fizzing as a dense shield was erected. The dark was so thick that Róisín couldn't see her hands.

"Peruvian Darkness Powder," George whispered, so close to Róisin's ear that she shivered, "Pretty cool, right?"

Black bellowed,

"Equiperture Circularis!"

The spell flew out all around him and Róisín was pushed up against George, who fell sideways, and Fred grunted as he hit the ground somewhere in the darkness.

When the smoke began to clear Róisín saw Black holding both wands and offering his hand to pull Fred up.

Next it was George's turn, and Black subdued him in even less time. Afterwards he leisurely stretched his neck and flexed his fingers and Róisín realised he was thoroughly enjoying this. George sat heavily on the bench next to her and Black gestured for Róisín to take her place across the patio from him.

She stood on heavy legs as all the blood rushed from her head to pool at her feet. She blinked and tried to focus.

"Did Remus teach you to block flying hexes with a net charm?" Black asked George. "That used to be my trick."

Róisín didn't hear George's breathless reply. Her hands were shaking as she gripped her wand in her pocket. She should just tell Black that she couldn't duel. He already knew her magic was unstable from last night. It would be embarrassing, especially in front of the twins, and maybe Black would ask her if she needed anything or "anyone" again but that had to be better than losing control and hurting someone.

Black was powerful though, surely she couldn't hurt him.

Black gave her a deeper bow that he had the boys, and Róisín wondered if he was teasing her. As he rose he stopped short, though, and said in a low voice that still carried across the patio clearly,

"We don't have to do this, you know."

He was handing her an out card and she knew she should take it, but before her brain caught up with her mouth she'd replied, "No, no I'm fine, it's good to practice."

"Ok, I'll go easy on you."

Róisín inclined her head, lambasting herself for not ducking out. She knew she should lose quickly so it'd be less likely her lack of control would show itself, but a part of her wanted to impress the wizard opposite her. What would Anna's first move be? Róisín knew Black would let her cast first and wanted to make the most of it.

She swept her left hand down in front of her, muttering, "Murus Invisibilis," erecting an invisible defence shield halfway across the patio, and whipped her wand to the side with her right hand, casting a silent leg locking hex around the shield that curved back towards Black, and missed him by a good three feet. Black cast a scattered projectile stinging hex, which illuminated the defence shield, and shot a dizziness charm which flew over it and hit Róisín in the gut just as she raised her wand to block. The patio soared towards her and she hit the ground hard, her stomach convulsing. Clasping her lips tight to fight the sudden need to vomit, she opened her eyes to see Black crouched beside her.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, sorry." Róisín hurried to sit upright. "Balance was never my strong suit."

"Do you need pain relief?"

She quickly shook her head, causing it to throb.

"Wow, she fell like a sack of bricks," One of the twins said as they made their way towards them. "Didn't you say you were gonna go easy on her? Was that a Maxima Vertigos charm?"

"No, it was a weak casting," Black replied, his eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I'm not known for my balance," Róisín said again, trying to laugh it off, even though she wanted to cry from embarrassment and pain. She hadn't even gotten a chance to try silencing him.

"Ok, well, that was anticlimactic," Fred stated. "My turn again."

Black held his hand out to pull Róisín up, but she stumbled as she stood, and he wrapped his arm around her ribs to steady her, his large hand gripping her side firmly. He smelt like tobacco smoke and his torso felt large and firm against hers.

"Ok, you swept the floor with each of us, so this time, it's the three of us against you," George announced.

Black, still holding Róisín, raised his eyebrows at him, and Róisín extracted herself from his hold with a mumbled thanks. As she stepped away she could still feel where his body had been against hers from the heat it left behind.

"Lupin often takes us three at a time…" Fred added.

Black rolled his eyes.

"Fine, but Feral doesn't have to if she's not up for it."

Róisín shrugged as though she wasn't pushed either way.

"And cast a cushioning charm on the two opposite walls, I'll do the ground," Black ordered.

"Worried about your old, weary bones?" Fred teased.

Black scoffed. "No, I don't fancy your mother tearing me a new one for breaking one of your lanky bones."

"Ok, let's huddle," George said to Fred and Róisín but Black snorted and said,

"No you're not, you think the Death Eaters allow time outs for huddles?"

George huffed and started mouthing something to his brother and then cried out, "OUCH" as Black's stinging hex hit his knee.

"No communication before we begin, it's not my problem if you don't know each other's fighting styles."

Fred faced Black with George and Róisín flanking him. Despite everything, she felt a tremor of excitement. If only Anna knew she was duelling the infamous Sirius Black with the two Gryffindor twins.

"Put Róisín in the middle with you two on either side," Black instructed. "She's the weaker fighter tonight, so you should surround her. It's a common mistake to try to hide your more vulnerable duellers on the edges of the combat zone, it only makes them easier to pick off."

Róisín felt herself deflate like a popped balloon. Black must've seen the hurt on her face because he clarified, "I said you're the weaker fighter tonight." He chuckled. "Trust me, you won't always be."

The trio re-arranged themselves so Róisín stood directly in front of Black.

They all inclined their heads, and by the time they had raised into their stances Black had a shimmering shield surrounding him on all sides.

"So you don't let us get off the first casting when it's three on one," Fred teased.

"I certainly don't," Black muttered.

His arm slashed in front of him and Róisín whipped hers in response, but her block was too late, and Fred tripped backwards, his limbs locked. Immediately, two blue defence spheres popped out of George and Róisín. They shot each other a nervous look. Then they rained impact hexes on the older wizard, both deciding at the same time that their only chance was to keep Black continuously defending. Black had to keep restrengthening his shield under their barrage, but his legs never buckled and the rare time a hex broke through he deftly twisted to avoid it.

The younger duellers didn't have the skill to maintain their shields and fling such rapid spells, so after a few seconds of their attack both of their shields failed and Róisín couldn't help but feel naked as the two of them paced and dodged Black's counters, stepping lightly over Fred who remained motionless on the ground staring at the black sky. It would take either of them just a few seconds to release him from the locking curse, but there was no way they could spare the time.

Róisín hissed as a stray stinging hex from George bounced against Black's shield and hit her in the chest. Then her eyes narrowed in confusion as she saw the edges of Black's shield fold before a ruby Depulso shot out of him, expanding across the patio and hitting Róisín and George in the gut, throwing them backwards as their wands flew out of their hands. Róisín landed on her rear and fell backwards onto her back, painfully winded.

"Accio wands," Róisín heard Black mutter, not even out of breath. Gritting her teeth, she let magic swell in her palm, clenched her fist and brought it down with a painful bang against the patio brick. The brick cracked and split as her magic raced through the ground towards Black, and Róisín clambered to her feet just in time to see him stumble, but he already had their two wands in his left hand, his right holding his own trained on her chest.

"Not yielding?" he asked with a smirk.

Róisín huffed twice, squared her shoulders and said,

"Not yet."

Black raised his eyebrows, put their wands in his back pocket while keeping his pointed directly at her. Then he gestured with his hand as if to say, come at me.

She was partially aware of George releasing his brother and the two twins collapsing on a bench at the side. It made sense, conceding your wand normally signified the end of the duel.

Róisín took a deep breath, concentrating on the solid figure of the wizard opposite her, lifted her hands and shouted, "Depulso!", flinging her arms in Black's direction and trying desperately to hurl the energy inside her at him. She ducked in surprise as the rocks in the pool behind her shot towards him, spraying her with water in their wake. With a flick of his wand, the rocks ricocheted off an invisible shield, some flying skyward, shattering with a bang and a burst of light against the cloaking dome. She erected her own shield a split second before his petrificus hit it with a loud hiss. It was the first time she had ever done so without a wand, and Róisín guessed it was her pure desperation that had achieved it. Then Black cast, "Vincula Penetrans" and vines shot out of his wand straight through her shield, wrapping tightly around her and trapping her arms against her torso.

"Do you yield?" he asked.

"Silencio!" Róisín cried.

For a second, Black looked like he was choking, then he pointed his wand at his own throat, but only succeeded in letting out a low gurgle. His jaw jutted forward and his grey eyes met hers, and for the first time that evening they held something that looked like grim determination rather than boyish amusement. The dark look reminded Róisín of his Ministry Wanted Posters, and abruptly, she thought of Rookwood, how just like Black, he had escaped Azkaban but unlike Black, Rookwood was an actual death eater. With no dementors after him. And there was a possibility he knew her secret.

Suddenly, Black's binds felt suffocating and she squirmed against them. I YIELD, I YIELD, she thought desperately but couldn't seem to get the words out. Her magic was swelling inside her, bigger and bigger until she felt like she might explode, and then her stomach fell as her body lurched into the air before slamming back onto the cushioned pavement.

Lying prone on the ground, the gurgle from the stream and the swish of the wind collapsed into silence as darkness spread from the corners of her vision to eclipse the stars.

Fred and George jumped to their feet and sprinted towards Róisín lying unconscious on the ground, but Black held out his hand to stop them. He closed his eyes, concentrating with his wand at his throat, and after a second managed to lift the silencing charm. He gestured to the light pouring out of Róisín's chest and warned,

"Keep your distance."

He tossed the twins back their wands as the vines from his hex that had been wrapped around Róisín melted away.

"What did you do to her?" Fred asked warily.

"Her own magic did this, I cast nothing after the binding spell," Black replied.

The light was stretching upwards, solidifying into a huge creature. The three men took a step backwards.

"What is that?" George asked.

"Her laoch. It's like a patronus, but síóga have less conscious control of its casting."

A fully formed ancient Irish elk now stood over Róisín, staring at the men with black, emotionless eyes.

"Fred, run inside and see if Remus has returned," Black ordered sharply. "And if he hasn't, get Arthur to send a patronus to Snape."

A/N: I'm really looking forward to publishing the next chapter... so much drama...