A/N: I'm sorry that this is later than usual, but I think you'll understand why when you start reading. First, I was very nervous about writing this highly anticipated chapter . . . and then once I started writing, I couldn't stop. Consider it to be super-sized! Enjoy! Thanks for reading and reviewing! You're the best!
I don't own Harry Potter.
The Sweetest Reunion
When Tonks climbed out of bed the next morning, her head was still spinning. She could hardly believe all that had happened the day before. She felt as if she had spent twenty-four hours on an emotional roller coaster. First there had been the assumption – which, she reminded herself, was quite justified – that Remus was married. Then she had received the rather shocking news that he was a widower. This was followed by the tense – at least on her side – moment of near-handholding in the kitchen, along with her invitation for Remus to stay with her for the weekend.
Even now, thinking back on that moment brought a flush to her cheeks. What would her mother say if she knew that she had basically asked Remus out? Andromeda would probably be appalled. She had raised her daughter to be a lady, not to be some forward, brazen woman. Then again, given her current opinions of her daughter's marital status, she might just condone her actions.
Tonks sighed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't think she was old enough to classify as a spinster, but her mother seemed to have other ideas. Andromeda had taken to asking her about all of her activities, if she had met "anyone interesting" and if her single girlfriends had "any prospective boyfriends." It was truly becoming grating; Tonks was beginning to find some perverse joy in telling her mother that she was still blissfully single.
"Nymphadora? Are you home?"
"Speak of the devil," Tonks muttered under her breath. She raised her voice to answer her mother. "I'm here, Mum! I'll be out in a minute!"
Wondering for the thousandth time why she had ever bothered to move out of her parents' house, Tonks wrapped her bathrobe around herself and made her way to the kitchen. Her mother was standing in the middle of the room brushing soot off her robes; she had clearly just Flooed over. Since Tonks had moved out six months ago, her mother had come to visit nearly every day. Because they had always had a good relationship, and because she usually came bearing food, Tonks had very little objection to these visits.
"Good morning," Andromeda said, giving her daughter a smile. "I brought you some breakfast."
"Bagels!" Tonks cried as she opened the bag on the counter. "Thanks, Mum! You didn't need to do that!"
"I thought we could have breakfast together,'" Andromeda smiled. "It's been a long time since we did that."
"True," Tonks replied, moving to get plates and mugs from the cupboard. "Do you want coffee or tea?"
"Do you really need to ask?"
Tonks grinned. Her mother was already at the stove putting on the coffee.
"How have you been, darling?" Andromeda asked.
"Since yesterday?" Tonks laughed.
"Yes," she replied. "Really, Nymphadora, you have to admit that we haven't seen much of you recently. Daddy was just saying yesterday that he hasn't talked to you in a week." She frowned slightly. "Is work keeping you that busy?"
"No," Tonks admitted, realizing that this was the moment to tell her mother everything. She had avoided it for a long time, but now, with the knowledge that Olivia would soon see Sirius, she knew that she couldn't keep quiet any longer.
Andromeda's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked, her smile sparkling more than usual. "What exactly has been keeping you so busy then?"
"Don't get too excited, Mum," Tonks grinned. "I'm not on the way to marriage, if that's what you're thinking."
"Well, what have you been doing, then?"
"You'd better sit down."
Frowning slightly, Andromeda carried the coffee to the table and sat down. She looked up at her daughter expectantly.
"You know that Voldemort's back, right?" Tonks asked, sitting down across from her mother.
"Yes," Andromeda replied, wondering where this could be going.
"And you know that I'm an Auror, right?"
Andromeda rolled her eyes. "Oh, so that's what all my money has gone to pay for. Auror training. And here I was, thinking you'd just spent it all on new dress robes."
"Funny, Mum," Tonks said, making a face. "Listen, Moody approached me about a month ago about helping even more in the fight against Voldemort, about joining –"
"The Order of the Phoenix," Andromeda interrupted in a whisper.
"How did you know?"
"I've heard rumors . . . I remember last time, I know Moody was one of the people in charge . . . I know what it was like . . ." Andromeda closed her eyes and the color drained out of her face. "Oh, Nymphadora, tell me you didn't."
Tonks looked surprised. "Of course I joined, Mum! Why wouldn't I?"
"Because Order members are among the first to die!" Andromeda exclaimed. "Did Moody bother to tell you that? Or did he just tell you about all the glory of being a member of a doomed organization?"
"Mum!" Tonks exclaimed. "Of course he told me about the risks! But don't you see? I take those same risks every single day as an Auror. And not everyone in the Order died last time – just like not everyone will this time. Right now the vast majority of the people in the Order are members who lived through the last war."
"Oh, sweetie, I just don't know about this," Andromeda said, twisting her napkin into knots. "I never dreamed you'd have to fight this thing."
"Well, I do have to fight it," Tonks said stubbornly. "Why didn't you ever join, Mum? You always told me about how much you opposed your family's stand on the dark arts."
"It's one thing to fight your family, but it's another thing entirely to fight the world," Andromeda sighed. "Nymphadora, you have to understand that I never supported the dark arts. Both your father and I opposed You-Know-Who. But we didn't join the Order because we had just gotten married . . . then we had you . . . we didn't want to risk our lives when they were just beginning." She smiled ruefully. "I suppose I'm a Slytherin through and through. Always looking out for myself. Order membership was for brave Gryffindors like Sirius." She sighed again. "Not that he turned out to be such a shining example of Order membership . . ."
Tonks felt her fingers shake slightly with nerves. "Maybe he is," she said softly.
"What are you talking about?" Andromeda asked wearily. "You know what happened. He betrayed the parents of his godson. He killed one of his best friends and twelve Muggles with one curse." An incredible sadness filled her eyes. "He was more like our family than I ever knew."
"No, Mum, he's not," Tonks said gently.
"Nymphadora, I know how much you loved and respected Sirius when you were a little girl, but you know better now. You can't go on believing in some imaginary hero that just doesn't exist."
"Mum, I'm going to tell you something, but I need you to promise me something first."
"What?"
"Promise me that you'll let me talk, that you'll try your best to believe me, and that you won't yell at me."
Andromeda frowned, but looked curious. "All right."
Tonks drew a deep breath. "Sirius is innocent."
"Nymphadora . . ."
"Keep listening," Tonks said. "You know that he broke out of Azkaban, right?"
"Yes . . ."
"Well, he did that to save Harry Potter."
"To save him?" Andromeda asked incredulously.
"Yes," Tonks said firmly. "He wanted to save him from Peter Pettigrew."
"But Peter Pettigrew is dead! Sirius killed him!"
"No, Mum, that's just what everyone thought." Tonks took another gulp of air, and recounted the actual events that surrounded Peter's "murder."
"How do you know all of this?" Andromeda asked when she had finished speaking. She shook her head. "You know better than to believe everything you hear, love."
"I'm not doing that, Mum! I have this from the best of sources!"
"Who are they?"
"Well, for starters, Remus Lupin," she began.
"Sirius's friend," Andromeda whispered. "You never saw Sirius away from him and James and Peter at Hogwarts." She shook her head again. "Sweetie, he could just be trying to protect Sirius – or even to protect your memory of him."
"I've heard the same story from Moody and Dumbledore," Tonks continued, watching her mother's expression as it changed slightly to reflect the fact that she was beginning to believe all that she had heard. She took a deep breath before revealing her final bit of information. "And I've gotten it from Sirius himself."
"You've seen him?" Andromeda gasped.
"Yes. He's staying at the headquarters of the Order."
Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. "So he really is innocent, then? Dumbledore and Moody are protecting him?"
"Yes, Mum," Tonks said seriously. "We were all wrong about him."
Andromeda was silent for a long time, looking off into space. Tonks leaned forward and gently touched her hand.
"Mum?"
Andromeda turned to face her, looking at her as if just remembering that she was there. "Where is he?" she demanded. "I want to see him! Can you take me there?"
"No," Tonks sighed. "I'm not the Order's Secret Keeper, so I can't do anything. But I can try to arrange it so you can visit him."
"Could you?" She looked away for a moment, then turned back to her daughter. "I haven't seen him in so very long . . . I need to talk to him . . . I need to tell him that I'm sorry."
"He knows," Tonks said softly.
Andromeda shook her head. "After all that the two of us went through together, I should never have doubted him. I can't believe how foolish I was." She sighed. "You'll tell me when I can see him?"
"Yes. I'll talk to him, and to Moody and Dumbledore, as soon as I can."
Andromeda remained with Tonks for the rest of the morning, asking for moment-by-moment accounts of all the time she had spent with Sirius since his miraculous return. Tonks shared all that she could remember, feeling rather as though she was giving an account of a mission at work. It was nearly noon by the time that Andromeda reluctantly took her leave.
"You'll come for dinner soon, right?" she asked. "Daddy wants to see you."
"I'll come soon," Tonks promised, hugging her mother. "And I'll let you know when you can see Sirius."
"Yes," Andromeda sighed. "I'll see you soon, darling."
"Bye, Mum."
Andromeda Disapparated with a pop, leaving Tonks alone in her kitchen. She looked down, realizing that she had yet to shower and dress. Shaking her head, she went to the bathroom get ready for the day.
She had just pulled on her clothes when she heard a knock at her door. She sighed as she quickly brushed her hair, trying to make herself presentable. Some people have the worst timing, was her only thought as she ran through her flat.
"Who is it?" she called cautiously before opening the door.
"Remus Lupin," came the reply.
Tonks gasped, thankful that a barrier of solid oak stood between her and her visitor, preventing him from seeing the flush that was rising in her cheeks.
"Shake it off, Tonks," she whispered to herself. "You're going to spend the entire weekend with him – you have to be able to handle seeing him."
"Tonks?" Remus called.
She took a deep breath, willing her cheeks to return to their normal color, and waved her wand to remove the locking charms on her door.
"Sorry," she said, as she pulled the door open. "Too many locking charms."
He grinned. "Better safe than sorry, I suppose."
"I've been working with Moody too long," she joked. "Come on in. How did you know where to find me?"
"Sirius," he said simply, glancing around her foyer. "You have a really nice place."
"Here, let me show you around," she smiled.
After the short tour that revealed the kitchen, living/dining room and bedroom wing, Tonks took Remus back into the living room.
"Have a seat," she said. "Do you want some coffee or tea?"
"No, I'm fine," he smiled. "I just wanted to see you so that we can work out the details of this weekend."
"I haven't had time to come up with our itinerary yet," she replied.
"That's fine," Remus said, smiling again. "We don't need to worry about our activities yet – but we do need to decide what to tell Sirius so that he doesn't suspect anything."
"Suspect anything?" Tonks repeated with raised eyebrows. Maybe she had misread the situation – maybe Remus had his own itinerary for their weekend together.
"Yes," Remus said. "I plan to be gone before Olivia gets to the house, and I want Sirius to know that I'll be gone for the weekend. I also think that we should tell him that you'll be away this weekend so that he doesn't try to invite you to stay over so he won't have to be home alone."
"Good idea," Tonks said, bringing her thoughts around to his line of thinking. "That's easy enough, I suppose. Moody and Dumbledore have already started sending people on missions – let's just tell him that they've given us an assignment for the weekend."
"That's good," Remus said at once. "Where are they sending us? What do we have to do?"
"Well, I think we should have to go try to make inroads with magical creatures," Tonks said, falling into the spirit of the game. "Maybe vampires?"
"Sounds lovely," Remus said, shivering slightly. She had come dangerously close to revealing his secret. "Okay, so we need to make overtures of friendship to vampires. But we don't know where to find them, so let's say that we're starting research into where the largest colony lives and the best way to get through to them."
"Oo, that's really good!" Tonks said enthusiastically. "So we have to leave on Friday morning, then?"
"Yes, let's go before noon," Remus agreed. "Maybe ten?"
"Whoa, now," Tonks laughed. "No need to get a girl up so early on her day off!"
"Ten is early?" Remus asked, looking at her in confusion. "What time do you normally get up on your days off?"
"Around ten," she said vaguely, thinking that she really meant eleven. She couldn't quite handle shocking him any more than she already had. "But if we're planning to leave at ten, I'd have to be up that much earlier."
Remus laughed. "Okay, we'll leave at eleven, then. Better?"
"Yes," Tonks smiled. "Thanks."
"No problem." Remus pulled a piece of parchment from his robes. "So, we'll leave at eleven," he said, beginning to make notes, "to start on our vampire adventure. Do you want to just come over to the house that morning? We can leave together. That will make it look more natural, right?"
"Good idea," Tonks agreed.
Remus nodded, then continued. "Olivia will get to the house around four, she's decided, so that leaves Sirius five hours on his own."
"Does he need a babysitter?" Tonks laughed.
"I certainly hope not," Remus smiled. "Olivia's already talked to Dana, who is incredibly excited about coming for a visit. She and Laura are planning to get here around five on Sunday, so I want to be home around then."
"That's fine," Tonks said. "I'll make a schedule for our weekend." She paused, wondering if she dared to ask the question that was on the tip of her tongue. After a moment's internal debate, she decided to go for it. "Are you planning to sleep at Grimmauld Place while Olivia's there?"
"Yes," Remus said at once. "I assume we'll be out pretty late each night?"
"Most likely."
He nodded. "I'll Apparate directly into my bedroom, then Apparate back here in the morning in time for an early breakfast."
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Tonks asked.
"As long as you can handle being up for an early breakfast, I can handle the Apparation process," Remus smiled.
"Oh, shut it," Tonks grinned, hitting him with a pillow. "There's nothing wrong with a girl liking her sleep."
Remus chuckled. "Try going to bed earlier."
"And waste precious nighttime hours?" Tonks laughed. "Never!"
Remus laughed and shook his head. She was so young – so full of life and energy. He hoped he'd be able to keep up with her over the weekend.
"Have you had lunch yet?" he asked suddenly.
"Nope," she said with a shake of her head.
"Would you like to go get something to eat with me, then?"
"Now?"
"Of course now," Remus smiled. "Do you have better plans?"
"I have to be at work at three," she said, glancing at her watch.
"I promise to have you home in time to go," Remus said.
"All right, then," she said, giving him a beaming smile. "Just let me find my shoes."
They had a lovely lunch together. As they sat and talked, Remus realized how easy it would be to spend the weekend with her. Tonks was easy to talk to, and fun to laugh with. She was like a breath of fresh air to him. She had a light, bubbly personality that made him feel more like the Remus that he had been in the past, before his wife had died, before his friends had been brutally murdered. It was as though she made him forget all the tragedy in his life. Well, maybe not forget – there were some things that could never be forgotten – but made him feel as though those events were merely a part of his life, rather than his whole life.
With each moment that she spent with him, Tonks knew that her infatuation with Remus was growing stronger. He had a wonderful sense of humor lurking beneath his serious exterior; she found herself laughing at things that he said as often as she made him laugh with her own comments. His intelligence and quick wit challenged her unlike any of the men she had dated or been friends with in the past. And there was a steadiness and strength about him that she had never known in anyone, not even her own parents. Their afternoon together made her even more eager to spend the weekend with him.
It was nearly three by the time that they realized that they needed to leave. Tonks smiled as she stood to her feet.
"Thank you, Remus, for a lovely afternoon," she said. "I'm just sorry that I have to cut it short with work."
"Don't worry about it," he said, putting down the money to cover their bill. "I understand that you have obligations. Besides, I'm sure that we'll see plenty of each other this weekend."
"Yes," she said with a smile. "We will."
"I'm going to tell Sirius that we had a lunch meeting with Moody," Remus said. "He wouldn't be at headquarters now, would he?"
"No," Tonks said slowly. "He's working a nine to five today – which means he'll be at the Ministry from seven to seven."
Remus grinned. "Perfect. I'll tell Sirius that Moody called us here for lunch and gave us our instructions for this weekend."
"Excellent," Tonks replied. She glanced at her watch. "I really need to get to work. Thank you again, Remus."
"Don't mention it," he smiled. "I'll talk to you soon."
"See you," she said, smiling once more before she Disapparated.
Remus only waited a moment, before he, too, Disapparated.
"Would it kill you to do your job for once?"
Remus was startled to hear the roared query as soon as he appeared in the living room of his new home. While Sirius was not visible, Remus knew that he had to be close by. There was no mistaking who had bellowed the rhetorical question.
The door to the living room flew open, and Sirius charged in, his face betraying his rage. Remus looked at him mildly.
"Rough afternoon?" he asked.
"You have no idea," Sirius seethed. "Sometimes I think my aunt had the right idea – I'd rather like to see that elf's head mounted on the wall."
Remus grinned. "Well, at least you and Kreacher have a common goal."
Sirius shook his head. "Where have you been?" he asked, running his hand through his hair as though by smoothing it down, he could smooth his nerves.
Remus hesitated.
Sirius's eyes widened. "Have you been with Tonks all this time?"
"Yes," Remus admitted.
"I knew it!" Sirius exclaimed with a grin. "I knew she had a crush on you! How was your first date?"
Remus laughed. "You've jumped to the wrong conclusion. Moody called both of us out for a lunch meeting."
"Moody? What about?
"He wants us to go on a mission this weekend," Remus said. "He just told us about it today – gave us all the details."
"When do you have to leave?" Sirius asked, unable to hide his disappointment.
"Friday morning."
"And you'll be gone all weekend?"
"I'll be back Sunday evening."
Sirius sighed. "Well, we have to do all we can, I suppose."
"Yes," Remus said quietly. "Anything to help."
Tonks arrived, as promised, shortly before eleven on Friday morning. She was dressed in her Muggle finest, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Remus, who was in the living room reading the Daily Prophet when she made her appearance, looked a bit apprehensive.
"Should I wear Muggle clothes?"
"That's what Moody said," she replied cheerfully.
"Right," Remus said, wondering what exactly she had planned for them. "I'd better go change, then."
"Hurry," Tonks grinned. "We don't want to be late."
Remus nodded, and left the room. He hurried up the stairs, nearly running into Sirius, who was coming down after feeding Buckbeak.
"When do you leave?" Sirius asked dully. He was not remotely excited at the prospect of spending the weekend alone – all part of Remus's plan.
"As soon as I change," Remus replied. He rolled his eyes. "Apparently, Moody told Tonks that we need to dress like Muggles."
"Well, I have to admit that I'm jealous," Sirius sighed. "I wish I could be out there doing something. All I do here is babysit Buckbeak."
"Untrue," Remus said, starting to climb the stairs again. "You also man our headquarters – and do your best to make it livable."
Sirius grinned. "To that end, I'll do my best to get rid of Kreacher."
Remus laughed as he disappeared down the hallway. Sirius sighed, and continued his trek down the stairs to join Tonks in the living room.
When Remus entered the sitting room fifteen minutes later wearing jeans and a polo shirt, Sirius and Tonks were engaged in a rather animated discussion. As Remus crossed the threshold in the room, Tonks erupted into peals of laughter. For some reason, the sight of her laughing made him smile. He didn't stop to analyze that fact; he merely stepped all the way into the room.
"Are you ready, Tonks?"
"I see that you are," she replied, turning to look at him. She had stopped laughing, but was still grinning. "You look very nice, Professor."
"Too teacher?" he asked, looking down at his clothes.
"No, you're fine," she said, getting to her feet. "Well, Sirius, we'll just be off, then. Have a nice weekend."
"Funny," Sirius replied. "You guys be careful, okay? I don't want anything to happen to either of you."
"We'll be fine," Remus assured him. He looked down at Tonks, who had stepped up beside him. "After you."
She nodded, and closed her eyes to Disapparate. Remus gave Sirius one last smile, then followed her.
As previously arranged, they both Apparated into Tonks's flat. When Remus opened his eyes again, she was rummaging through her desk for something.
"I feel a bit guilty," he admitted.
"Me, too," she said. "He did look rather dejected, didn't he?"
"Well, he thinks he's going to have to be alone all weekend," Remus said. "Wouldn't you feel a bit dejected?"
"He won't in a few hours," Tonks grinned. She straightened up, tucking something into her pocket. "Are you ready for our first day on the town?"
"What exactly are we doing?"
"We're going to an amusement park!"
"To a what?"
"An amusement park," Tonks replied. "I already got us tickets and everything."
"Have you been to one before, then?"
"Yes," she said. "This one is my favorite of all time." She looked at him curiously. "You've been to an amusement park, haven't you?"
"No," Remus admitted. "My grandmother always wanted to take me when I was little, but . . ." He smiled sheepishly. "If I'm honest, I just wasn't interested. I figured that if it didn't involve magic, it didn't need to involve me."
"You are so narrow-minded," she said. She grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the door. "Come on, Lupin. It's time for you to have a little fun in your life."
"You don't think I have fun?"
She looked at him critically for a moment. "Maybe you do. But it's not enough. And I am going to make sure that you have lots of fun this weekend – even if it kills us both!"
"Well, I could clean something," Sirius said to himself, surveying the house. "But why do that when I have Kreacher to do it for me?"
"Master is wanting something?" Kreacher asked, slinking out of the shadows.
"Just to be alone," Sirius said harshly. "Go clean the kitchen, Kreacher. It needs to look nice for when the Weasleys get here on Monday."
"Clean the kitchen for the blood traitors," Kreacher muttered under his breath. "As if Kreacher doesn't have enough work . . ."
"You don't have enough work if you have time to mumble like that," Sirius said harshly. "Get to work."
He turned away before he could see his order disobeyed, and climbed the steps to the attic. He was fully prepared to spend the weekend with the only living creature in the house at the moment who didn't irritate him with his mere presence.
"Are you ready?" Tonks asked with a grin as they prepared to step into the amusement park.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Remus replied.
"Okay," Tonks said, still grinning. "Let's go!"
As they stepped through the gates, a child's dream world appeared before them. Remus felt his eyes open wide and a grin spread across his face as he looked around. He turned his head from side to side, trying to take it all in. The rides, the shops, the restaurants, the games, the vendors selling treats . . .
"It's all too much," he breathed.
"We'll go slowly," Tonks laughed. "Come on, Remus. We need to get you on a ride!"
"What are we going to ride?"
"We'll start small," Tonks replied. "But I'll have you on the biggest roller coaster here before the day is over!"
Remus was about to ask what exactly a roller coaster was, but his question died on his lips as he saw a child walk past eating cotton candy. He looked at the treat for a moment, then turned to Tonks with wide eyes.
"We'll get some later," she laughed. "Let's hit the rides!"
Sirius wondered how he had ever lived on his own. Apparently, he had forgotten how to do so during the last few months spent living with Remus. His ability to keep himself company had diminished to zero. After spending only fifteen minutes with Buckbeak, he had grown bored with him. He had spent most of the day wandering aimlessly around the house, finally settling in the living room with the paper.
He threw aside the Prophet, reminding himself yet again that the reporters did not know what they were talking about. Reading what they said about Harry was enough to make him physically ill. He hoped that Harry did not receive the paper at home – he didn't know how he would handle it.
His thoughts still with Harry, he crossed to his desk. Maybe he would write to his godson. He hadn't heard from him in over a week. He wanted to make sure that he was still safe.
He had no more than pulled out his parchment and quill when the fireplace sprang to life. Sirius jumped in his chair, spinning around to see who was coming into the house. Nothing could have prepared him for the shock that met his eyes.
She climbed out of the grate as gracefully as possible, raising her head as she brushed her blond hair back out of her eyes. She straightened up to her full height and surveyed the room slowly, her eyes finally falling on Sirius.
Remus was right. He looked the same, but different. He was still the man he had always been, but not. Everything was the same, but everything had changed.
Olivia wanted desperately to say hello, but her voice died in her throat. She wanted to go to him, but her limbs were incapable of movement. She wanted to laugh, she wanted to cry, she wanted to run, to jump, to yell, but all she could do was stare at him in silence as her eyes filled with tears.
Sirius stared at her in complete and utter disbelief. How could she be here? Where had she come from? How could just looking at her still make his heart skip a beat? Even as she stared at him with teary eyes, he felt himself doing exactly the same thing, unable to move any closer to her.
"Liv," he finally managed to rasp past the lump in his throat.
The whispered nickname was all it took. As though moving of one accord, they both lunged toward one another, falling into each other's arms as they had so many times in the past. Just being like this, holding her as he always had . . . Sirius's tears began in earnest, falling down onto her hair as he kissed the top of her head again and again.
"I can't believe it," he said over and over. "I can't believe it's really you."
She began to sob against him, clinging to him to stay on her feet. "Oh, Sirius, oh, Sirius," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry . . . I wish . . ."
"Stop," he said, tipping her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. "Don't do that now. Please. Just let us have this moment."
"Sirius," she whispered.
After looking into her eyes for what felt like an eternity, he lowered his lips to hers.
Their first kiss since the night that Lily and James had died nearly took their breath away. What began as a sweet, innocent kiss between two former lovers quickly changed into the passionate kiss that they had perfected once upon a time. As they sank down onto the couch, kissing and touching one another as though they would never have another chance, Sirius silently thanked Moody for taking Remus away for the weekend.
"Okay," Tonks said as they stepped off the carousel. "I think we've tried out pretty much all the tame rides. Shall we try a roller coaster?"
"What's that?" Remus asked, still grinning from ear to ear. He was sure he hadn't stopped smiling since they had first walked into the park.
"You know," she said with a teasing smile, "I think I'll let you find out on your own. You like surprises, right?"
"That depends on the surprise," Remus replied, falling into step next to her as she led the way to the next ride.
"Well, I think this will be a good surprise."
"Can we get some cotton candy?" he asked, seeing the tenth child in a row walking by with the sugary treat.
"No food until after the roller coaster," Tonks said firmly. "Believe me, that's for the best. Or do you have an iron stomach?"
"Not much makes me sick," Remus said.
"All the same," Tonks said as they stepped up to one of the park's smaller coasters, "I think we'd better wait."
Remus looked at it in awe. "Where do we get on?"
"The line's this way," she said.
They chatted about nothing and everything as they waited in line. Remus frowned slightly when he realized how long it had taken them to reach the platform where they would board the ride.
"Problems?" Tonks asked lightly.
"This seems to be a bit slower than the other lines," Remus replied.
She grinned. "That's because this ride is so much more fun than the other rides."
"Really?"
"Really."
Remus smiled as they moved to the front of the line. The train stopped in front of them, and the previous riders got out. Remus climbed into the car after Tonks, and they strapped themselves in. He turned to her with a smile.
"Thank you," he said.
"For what?" she asked with a puzzled smile.
"For bringing me here – for forcing me to have fun."
"Anytime," she grinned. The ride began to move. "Hang on!"
Remus laughed, his anticipation building as they rounded the first curve. Out of nowhere, the car pitched downward, falling into the first steep hill. Taken completely by surprise, Remus yelled out. Laughing at his reaction, Tonks screamed with him.
"Are you still thanking me?" she yelled as they shot around another curve.
"Absolutely!" Remus yelled, clinging to the handles as they raced down another hill. "This is brilliant!"
Sirius laid down against the back of the couch, holding Olivia tightly against him. She pillowed her head against his bare chest.
"Do you know how long I have dreamed of holding you like this?" Sirius whispered, leaning down to kiss her exposed shoulder.
"Yes," she whispered hoarsely. "I've wished for it just as often." She turned so that she could look into his eyes. "I know you stopped me from saying it before, but I just want to tell you how sorry I am. I should have believed in you. I should have known that you would never do anything to hurt James and Lily. I should have . . . I don't know. I just feel so responsible for everything."
Sirius sighed, and looked away from her. "It happened so long ago, Liv . . ."
"I know," she said quietly. "We lost so many years."
He turned to look at her again. "It's not your fault," he said, looking directly into her eyes. "I can't blame you any more than I can blame Remus or Dumbledore. I was an Auror, too, Liv. I know how it is. You're trained to look at the evidence, and to believe that evidence. All the evidence said that I was their Secret Keeper. I told you so myself. Even at the end, when I realized that we had been wrong, that Peter had been the spy all along, I didn't tell you the truth." He sighed, and looked away. "It was my own fault. I made too many mistakes, and they all caught up with me. I've paid for them again and again. But for what I did to James and Lily . . . for the torment I put Harry through . . . I deserved every moment in Azkaban."
"You didn't know, Sirius," Olivia said softly. "How could you have known that Peter would do such a thing? None of us ever suspected him. He just . . . He didn't seem the type, did he?"
Sirius laughed mirthlessly. "I never dreamed that Voldemort would be reduced to using the weak and talentless to help his cause."
"Maybe he just wasn't as weak as we had always thought."
"No, I suppose not."
Olivia settled back down against him. "Can we please talk about something other than Peter now?"
"Of course," Sirius said, wrapping his arms around her more tightly. "What would you like to talk about?"
"You and me," she smiled. "Us."
"I like that idea," Sirius said, leaning down to kiss her. "What have you done since my unfortunate incarceration?"
"I've lived in France."
"Remus told me that. He said you work for the Auror division there?"
"Yes. Moody really helped me out. He made sure that I got the transfer when I wanted it."
"Do you like it?"
"Yes," she said. She sighed. "But right now, I wish I was here. I hate the idea that you're in London and I'm in France."
"But you can come and visit, just like you are right now. And maybe someday Dumbledore will let me out in the open again, and I'll be able to visit you."
"I hope so," she said, reaching up to kiss his jaw. "I miss you, Sirius. I've missed you so much ever since that day when you left . . . When Remus told me that you were back in our lives, that you were innocent . . . I can't even tell you how much it has killed me to stay away from you."
"Why did you stay away for so long?"
"You were on the run at first," she reminded him. "Then Remus said I had to wait until it was safe." She paused, then continued in a whisper. "Then I was afraid."
"Afraid?"
"Yes. I was afraid of seeing you again."
"But why?" Sirius asked, truly bewildered.
"Sirius," she sighed. "Do you realize how many years it's been?"
"Fourteen," Sirius replied.
"Exactly! Fourteen years!" Tears filled her eyes. "For the longest time, I hated you. I never wanted to see you again."
Sirius looked away. "I suppose I can understand that," he said stiffly.
"And then Remus came and told me that you were innocent," she said, reaching up to touch his chin, forcing him to look into her eyes. "It was as if the previous twelve years had never happened. It was as if nothing had changed.
"But it had. Everything had changed. We had gotten so much older . . . I was afraid that we had become different people. I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to connect like we had before."
"I think we've already proven that we still can," Sirius said, tightening his arms around her.
"I think so, too," she said quietly, giving him a seductive smile.
He looked at her for a moment, then kissed her. "What do you say we talk more later?"
"That's a brilliant idea."
"So? What did you think?" Tonks asked as she and Remus left the park.
"I had so much fun," he grinned. "Thank you again for making me come here. I just wish we could stay longer."
She smiled. "Well, I think the park officials would have some problems with that, since they need to close. But we can come back sometime, if you'd like."
"I would," Remus smiled. He glanced around. "Where do we go to Disapparate?"
"Over here," she said, indicating an empty place in the corner of the parking lot. "Do you want to come back to my place for a bit?"
Remus looked at his watch. "Yeah, it's still a bit early to go home. Do you mind?"
"Not a bit," she said cheerfully. They had reached their Apparition point. "See you there!"
She Disapparated; Remus followed right behind her. When he opened his eyes in her flat, she was waving her wand to turn on the lights.
"That's better," she said. "Now we can see what we're doing."
"How long have you lived here?" Remus asked curiously.
"Six months," she replied, sitting down on the couch. "I know it looks like longer with all the clutter, but I'm a bit of a packrat."
Remus grinned, taking a seat in the chair facing her. "Didn't your mother teach you to be organized?"
"She tried," Tonks sighed. "Desperately, in fact. I guess I'm too much like my dad."
"He's Muggle-born, right?"
"Right."
Remus nodded. "So is my dad."
"I didn't know that."
"Yeah. It was his mother who always tried to get me to go to amusement parks and other Muggle events with her." He paused. "I'm starting to feel guilty for not letting her take me. She was just trying to show me that the Muggle world has things that can be as fun as anything I did at school."
"Didn't your dad try to get you to go with her?"
"No. He wanted me to make my own decisions, I guess."
"My dad made me do all sorts of Muggle things when I was little," Tonks replied. "I think he and my mum wanted to make sure that I was as far from her family's stance on the dark arts and pure-blood mania as possible."
"That makes sense."
"Your parents weren't worried about that?"
"They knew that I could never be that way."
"Oh," she said with a laugh, "so sorry to insult you by assuming that you might think that Voldemort and the Death Eaters have the right idea."
"Why would I?" Remus asked. "I mean, my dad isn't a pure-blood. My grandmother was a Muggle. What about that would suggest that I'd end up believing Voldemort?"
"Enough people like you do," Tonks sighed. "Look at Snape. He was a Death Eater, and he's not a pure-blood."
"I guess that's true." He wanted to tell her that he had more reason than most for avoiding Voldemort, but decided to remain silent. He had just spent a wonderful day with her, but he was not yet ready to share his secret. He had no idea how she would react. It was just too soon.
"What time do you want to get started tomorrow?" Tonks asked, realizing that Remus was uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.
"Maybe nine?" he suggested.
"So early," she sighed.
Remus laughed. "How about if I bring breakfast? Will that make it better?"
"It's a start," Tonks said with an exaggerated sigh.
Remus laughed again. "I should probably get home so that you can get your rest. I know how evil I am for making you get up so early."
"I'll forgive you in time," she said, still in mocked agony over the thought of such an early morning. "It may take some therapy . . . and if it does, I'll be sure to send you the bills."
"Just don't expect them to be paid," he laughed. He stood up, touching her shoulder lightly. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night," she said as he Disapparated.
Once he was gone, she sat in her living room for a long time, going over every moment of their day together in her mind. She had had a wonderful time, and could hardly wait to do it all again the next day.
Sirius opened his eyes the next morning to see Olivia lying next to him in bed. He smiled, and reached out to touch her bare back. She jumped slightly, turning her head to look at him. As her eyes fell on his face, a smile stretched across her lips.
"Good morning," she said softly.
"Good morning," Sirius replied. "Did you sleep well?"
"Better than I have in fourteen years," she said. She rolled over so that she was lying in his arms. "Can we just stay like this all day?"
"Sounds perfect to me," Sirius said, pressing his lips against her temple. "I'm so glad that Moody sent Remus away for the weekend."
Olivia giggled. "I'm afraid I should confess something."
"What?" Sirius asked, completely confused.
"Remus left because I was coming. Moody had nothing to do with it."
"But what do you mean? He and Tonks . . ." Understanding dawned. "Tonks is in on this, too, isn't she?"
"Yes. They were afraid that you'd ask her to stay with you once Remus told you he was leaving."
"I probably would have, too," Sirius grinned. "So the three of you worked together on this?"
"Yes."
He laughed. "Well, it's a brilliant surprise. I'll have to thank Remus and Tonks – repeatedly."
"They'll be back tomorrow evening." She paused. "Dana and Laura are coming tomorrow, too."
"Really?" Sirius asked, grinning broadly. "That's brilliant! I can't wait to see them again!"
"Remus said that's what you'd say."
Sirius looked thoughtful. "Where did Remus and Tonks go, if they're not off hunting vampires for Moody?"
"I'm not sure, to be honest," Olivia replied. "Remus just said that he would make himself scarce. He didn't say how exactly he would do that."
"If Tonks is involved, I'm sure he's having fun."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"I think she has a bit of a crush on our Remus."
Olivia laughed. "Very Hogwarts of you, Sirius."
"I know, I know. Remus said the same thing when I told him. But, really, I think she has a little crush on him!"
"Who wouldn't?" Olivia asked. "He's a sweetheart, and he's quite handsome – he doesn't realize it, which makes him even more attractive."
"You sound quite familiar with the feeling," Sirius said a bit stiffly.
Olivia laughed. "Please don't start thinking that I'm in love with Remus! He's a good friend – probably the best friend I've ever had – but I've never thought of him in any way except for that."
Sirius was quiet for a moment. "Olivia . . ."
"Yes?"
He drew a deep breath. "I was gone for a long time, you know."
"I know."
"Was there anyone else? Did you fall in love? Are you in love?"
She rolled onto her stomach so that she could look up at him. "I dated other men, yes," she said honestly.
"Oh," Sirius said, unsure of how to respond.
"But listen to me," she continued. "None of them could ever take your place in my life or in my heart. I never – Sirius, I never loved any of them. I was never in love with them. I never felt about them the way I felt about you."
"Felt?" he said softly.
She reached up to touch his cheek. "It's been fourteen years, Sirius. Can you honestly say that you still love me the same way you loved me then?"
"I could," Sirius said. He paused. "I rarely let myself think about you when I was Azkaban, Liv. Every time I thought of you, it would make me happy, and the dementors would attack me, sucking all the happiness out of my mind. When they were done with me, all I could remember were the bad times – when we weren't speaking during seventh year, when we broke up after Remus and Laura got married. I stopped letting myself think about you because I couldn't bear to think of you that way.
"But when I escaped . . . I thought of two people constantly. You and Harry. I had to get to Harry, to protect him . . . and I had to get to you to pick up where we left off."
"You're saying you want to give us another try?" Olivia asked.
"If you're willing to do it, so am I."
She looked deeply into his eyes for a moment, feeling tears forming in hers. "I've never stopped loving you," she said hoarsely. "Not really."
"Are you saying . . .?"
"We can't pick up exactly where we left off," she said. "But I think we can start over. Maybe we'll be able to build something stronger. I'm willing to give it a try."
"How exactly are we going to define our relationship?"
She looked at him for a moment, then got up out of bed. She crossed to the chair she had thrown her clothes on, and rummaged through her pockets. She finally found what she was looking for, and returned to Sirius, who was now sitting up in bed.
"Do you remember this?" she asked, extending her palm so that he could see the ring resting on it.
"It's your engagement ring," he said at once. His eyes rounded. "Are you saying . . .?"
"I want to wear it again," she said. "But I want to wear it on my right hand instead of my left."
"What will that mean?"
"It will mean that we're trying again," she said. "If we decide that we want to be engaged again, that we still want to get married, I'll move it to my left hand."
Sirius reached down to take the ring from her. He took her right hand in his, and slid the ring over her third finger, kissing it when it was firmly in place.
"What's on the agenda for today?" Remus asked as he and Tonks cleaned up the remnants of their breakfast.
"Well, we were going to go to the park and then to see a rugby match," Tonks said, looking out the window as though wishing she could curse the entire world. "Unfortunately, this rain is sort of ruining my plans for a day outdoors."
"Alternative plans?" Remus asked.
"What do you say to just renting a movie and staying in? Maybe the rain will clear up later so that we can go out."
"Renting a movie?"
Tonks laughed. "You're killing me, Lupin! Killing me!"
"I already told you that I didn't do this sort of thing as a child!"
She laughed again, and grabbed his hand. "Come on. We're going to the video store!"
Remus followed her out of her flat and down the stairs to the street. It wasn't until they reached the street that she realized she was still holding his hand. She glanced at him, wondering if he had noticed. He didn't seem perturbed, but she wasn't sure exactly what that meant. She didn't really want to release her hold on his hand, but she also didn't want him to think that she was under the impression that they were dating. She decided to compromise by pulling on his hand as though to hurry him along.
"Is there a chance the store will go out of business before we get there?" Remus asked, lengthening his strides to keep up with her quick steps.
"You never know," she laughed. "Come on! I want to get out of this rain!"
They hurried down the street hand-in-hand. Tonks finally released his hand when they reached the video store. Remus held the door open for her; she passed ahead of him into the room packed full of movies.
"What genre should we go for?" she asked.
"Whatever you want," he replied, wondering why she would ask him. She knew very well that he didn't have a clue what she was talking about.
"All right," she said. "We'll get a few different movies. That way, if you don't like something I pick we'll have back up."
"Good plan," Remus agreed.
They spent nearly an hour in the video store. Once Remus discovered that the backs of the boxes contained synopses of the movies, he began to voice opinions on what they should watch. Tonks laughed as he was drawn again and again to the older movies.
"Do you want to watch anything that was made after 1955?" she teased.
"If it's still around, it must be good," he defended. He glanced at the boxes in her hands. "Have you picked anything made before 1990?"
"These are the new classics," she replied with a laugh. "We'd better get out of here. There's no way we'll ever be able to watch all of these!"
They paid for their movies – or, rather, Tonks, who had Muggle money with her, paid for their movies – and stepped back out into the rain.
"Ugh," Tonks said. "It's raining harder!"
"Are you afraid you'll melt?" Remus teased.
"I might," she said. "Come on, I'll race you home!"
Before Remus had a chance to protest, she ran off. He shook his head, then took off at a run after her.
"Tell me about France."
Olivia turned to Sirius with a smile. They had finally pulled themselves out of bed, and were sitting in the kitchen, eating a late lunch. "What do you want to know?" she asked.
"Anything you want to tell."
"Well, I have a beautiful villa," she said. "We live in southern France, near the coast."
"'We?'" Sirius repeated.
"I live down the street from Dana," Olivia clarified. She smiled, and touched his hand. "I already told you, there hasn't been anyone else – at least, no one worth mentioning."
"All right," Sirius said. "So, you and Dana live in beautiful villas. What else?"
"Well, Dana is a Healer, of course. We try to work it out so our schedules are similar. It's really nice to have her there to do things with. This time of year, we spend a lot of time with Laura."
"Tell me about her," Sirius said. "Remus said she reminds him of us."
"She's a lot like we were at that age," Olivia agreed with a smile. "I've had a lot of fun watching her grow up." Her smile faded. "The hardest part was thinking that I should have been able to be a part of Harry's life the same way. They're almost the same age, you know."
"I remember," Sirius said, thinking of the one time that Harry and Laura had met as babies. "Who does she look like? Dana or Aidan?"
"My first instinct is to say Dana, but she as a lot of Aidan in her, too," Olivia replied. "She's a very pretty girl – and she knows it, too. She dated a bit last year – had two different boyfriends, from what I've heard."
"My, my," Sirius laughed. "What year was that for her?"
"Her third," Olivia laughed. "Of course, Dana doesn't know anything about these boyfriends, so don't say anything when you see her."
"I'll try to remember that," Sirius laughed. "How did you find out?"
"A girl has to tell someone," Olivia grinned. "To my knowledge, she didn't tell Remus, either. That's like letting your dad know."
"She sees him as a father figure?"
"Very much. He's been wonderful with her. It makes me think . . ."
"What?" Sirius prompted.
Olivia sighed. "It just makes me sad for him. He would have been a brilliant father. It's a shame he never got the chance."
"He's still young," Sirius said. "We all are."
"I suppose," she said. "I'm glad he has her, though."
"So am I," Sirius said softly. "She means the world to him."
"And he means the world to her."
They had started out sitting at opposite sides of the couch with a bowl of popcorn in between them. Now, nearly three movies later, Remus was lying on the floor while Tonks was sprawled across the couch, watching the closing credits of their third movie.
"What did you think?" asked Tonks, who had chosen the film.
"I liked it," Remus said. "The children were good actors."
"Yeah, I think so," she agreed. She rolled off the couch to eject the tape. "What would you like to watch next?"
"What are our options?"
"We have a horror movie, a comedy or a chick flick."
"Chick flick?" Remus repeated with a frown.
"Yeah," Tonks said. "They're sappy stories that make you cry. They're made for women, so they're called chick flicks."
Remus laughed. "I'll go for either the horror movie or the comedy, then."
"Men!" Tonks laughed. "So close-minded."
"I'm very open-minded," Remus said, getting up to stand next to her so that he could read the descriptions of the movies.
Tonks held her breath as he stood so close she could touch him by barely moving. She looked up to watch him as he read. She looked at his face, noticing the scars that crossed it for the first time.
"How did you do that?" Tonks asked, looking up at him.
"Do what?" he asked absently, taking one of the boxes from her hands.
"How did you get that scar?"
Remus stiffened. "I have a lot of scars, Tonks," he said, stepping away from her.
"Yes, I can see that," she said. "I never really noticed them before. How did you get them?"
He did some rapid thinking. He could make up some story – after years of friendship with Sirius and James, he was very good at cover stories. He could brush off her question, pretending that he didn't know what had happened. Or he could tell her the truth.
They were going to be working together very closely. She was bound to find out sometime. He just never imagined that it would be so soon. He crossed to turn off the television.
"Sit down, please," he said.
"Remus, what's going on?" she asked, lowering herself onto the couch.
"Tonks, there is no easy way to say this," he said, sitting down next to her. "But I want you to understand right now that if you don't want anything to do with me after I tell you, I'll understand. I won't think any less of you if you tell me to just go home."
"Remus, what on earth are you talking about?"
He drew a deep breath. "I gave myself the scars," he said.
"Are you a cutter?" she whispered. "I knew a girl in Auror training –"
"No, I'm not a cutter," he interrupted. "Tonks, I'm a werewolf."
She looked at him for a long moment, wanting to laugh. The very idea was ludicrous! Remus was a calm, stable man with a sweet disposition and wicked sense of humor. There was no way . . .
Yet, as she looked into his eyes and saw the pain and fear reflected there, she knew he wasn't lying. He had just divulged one of his deepest secrets to her, and was waiting in horrified suspense to see her reaction.
"How long?" she asked quietly.
"Since I was six," he said softly.
"Who else knows?"
"My parents, Sirius, Olivia, Dana, Dumbledore, Moody," he said. "My sister-in-law . . . Peter . . ."
"Peter knows?" she said, choosing to overlook the reference, however slight, to his wife.
"Yes."
"Do you . . . Remus, do you think that Voldemort knows?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Probably." He looked deeply into her eyes. "My bigger concern, Tonks, is how you feel about it."
She reached down to put her hand over his on the couch. "Remus, you are what you are. You can't control that. But you can control the person you become. Of what you can control in your life, I think you've done a smashing job." She smiled slightly. "You're a wonderful person, and I don't think any less of you for something that you can't help. That would be like you hating me because I'm a metamorphmagus."
He smiled slightly. "You amaze me."
She flushed. "It's not such a difficult thing to be accepting."
"It is for most people," he said softly. "Thank you, Tonks."
She smiled. "Don't mention it."
"Sirius?"
"Hm?" Sirius asked, pulling her closer in the darkness of his bedroom.
She rolled over so that her chin was against his chest as they laid in bed together. "Will you tell me about Azkaban?"
He was quiet for a long moment, running his fingers through her hair. "What do you want to know?" he asked at last.
"Anything you'd like to tell me."
He sighed. "Have you been there before? To question a prisoner?"
"No," she admitted. "Being in France, I don't deal with any of the prisoners once they've been sent back to the UK."
Sirius nodded. "I didn't think so. I had never seen you there."
"I think that Moody wanted to keep me away," she added. "I don't think he wanted me to have to see you like that."
"That's a good thing," Sirius said. "It's – it's like a living hell, Liv. There are other prisoners – you know that because you can hear them screaming – but you're really there on your own. You're trapped inside your head, listening to the voices that your mind produces. You replay every experience you've ever had in your life over and over. You learn to avoid the good memories, because the dementors will feed on them, leaving you with the horrible memories. For the first two months, all I could think about was finding James and Lily's bodies, and Hagrid taking Harry away from me. Then I started to remember seeing Mrs. Potter's body, Mr. Potter dying to save me, Laura's funeral, Peter blowing all those people up . . . That was the memory that saved me, really."
"The memory of Peter killing all those people?"
"Yes. Because it couldn't hurt me."
"I don't understand," she frowned.
"It wasn't a happy memory, so the dementors didn't bother me when I had it," he said. "But it wasn't completely sad, because every time I thought of it, I remembered that I was innocent. I remembered that Peter was the one at fault. It gave me a desire for revenge – like I said, not exactly a happy thing. But it was like a slow-burning fire that kept me alive. It helped me keep my mind. And that helped me transform."
"You transformed?"
"Yes. The dementors never bothered with me when I was a dog. Animal emotions are less complex, so they don't waste their time on them." He kissed her hair. "Please, Liv, don't make me think about it anymore."
"I won't," she said. She kissed him. "We'll just concentrate on right now, and on each other."
"I believe you've found my favorite topic," he said, kissing her again.
"Do you want to come back with me?" Remus asked as he prepared to leave Tonks's flat on Sunday afternoon.
"No, you go," she said.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. You guys are all old friends – you don't need Sirius's little cousin hanging around."
"You are your own person, you know," Remus grinned. "I don't think of you as Sirius's little cousin – not anymore."
She smiled. "That's sweet, but I'm still going to say no. You have fun."
"All right," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow at the meeting. Thank you for a lovely weekend."
"Don't mention it," she smiled. "We'll have to do it again sometime."
"Or at least parts of it," Remus laughed. "The whole thing again at once might be too much for this old man."
Tonks laughed, and shook her head. "My dad is old, Remus. You're not."
"Well, that's very sweet." He winked at her. "See you tomorrow."
"Bye," she replied.
Remus Apparated into the kitchen of their headquarters. He looked around the empty room, wondering where exactly he could find his friends. Assuming that the living room would be a safe bet, he started in that direction.
"Remus!"
He laughed as Olivia threw her arms around him as he entered the living room. "Hi, Liv. Had a good weekend?"
"You have no idea," she said, kissing his cheek. "Thank you so much."
"Remus," Sirius said, clapping him on the back as Olivia released him. "Thank you, mate."
Remus grinned. "Still angry about staying home alone?"
"Ha ha," Sirius replied. He looked around behind Remus. "Where's Tonks?"
"She stayed home. She said we needed some time without her."
"How was your weekend with her?" Sirius asked with a knowing grin.
"Very nice," Remus replied.
He did not have a chance to elaborate; the fireplace jumped to life. As they watched, a young woman appeared in the swirling flames.
"Laura!" Remus exclaimed as she climbed out of the grate.
"Uncle Remus!" She launched herself across the room, jumping into his arms. "I've missed you so much!"
"I've missed you, too, doll," Remus grinned, holding her close. "Where's your mum?"
"Right here," Dana said as she stepped out of the grate. Her eyes swung from Remus, who was still holding her daughter, to Sirius. She let out a shriek, and rushed forward to hug him.
"Hi, Dana," Sirius exclaimed, lifting her off the ground in a bear hug.
"Sirius, Sirius, Sirius!" she cried. "I can't believe it! How are you? How have you been? Were you surprised?"
Sirius laughed. "Fine, fine, and yes."
She laughed with him, and kissed his cheek. "Come here and meet my daughter."
Remus released Laura, who stepped forward. Sirius looked at her with bright eyes, remembering the baby he had held so many years ago. Like Harry, she had grown up without him. Like Harry, she had gone from a baby to a young adult. And like Harry, she was looking at him as though he were the missing piece to the puzzle of her past.
"Sirius, this is my Laura. Laura, this is Sirius Black, one of my friends."
"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Black," she said, holding out her hand.
"Well, Miss McKinley, you are being far too formal with me," he said, taking her hand. He pulled her closer, into a warm embrace. "You may feel free to call me Sirius."
She giggled as he released her. "And you may call me Laura."
"That's better," he grinned. "Now we're friends."
He looked at her closely, trying to see for himself who she resembled. His first impression, as Olivia had suggested, was that she looked like Dana. But when she smiled, when she laughed, she looked more like Aidan. A perfect melding of her two parents, he thought. While Harry was his father in miniature, this little girl stood out as a combination of the two people who had given her life.
"Let's sit down," Remus said. "I think we have quite a bit of catching up to do."