Weeks after our swimming, Ann and I find ourselves working out in one of the exercise rooms. I'd always known that she was a good runner, fast in the sprint with plenty of endurance for the long run, but what I hadn't known, or James, Remus, and Peter now that I think about it, was that she trained to get that. She ran every day and always at least for a half hour. When I had asked her why she didn't run according to distance, she said that you could never tell how far or how long you would have to run for anything. After admitting to her view I joined her in her training.

Today, after the running, the two of us were working on some sparring. It had taken much begging and pleading, but Ann had relented and started to teach me hand to hand.

"Come on Sirius, focus," she says, landing a smart rap to my head, "That's the fourth time I've hit you in a row."

"You've also had more practice," I counter.

She chuckles, blocking a couple of attacks, "Your point is?"

"Bitch," I tease, growling as she aims a kick toward my stomach. Grabbing the leg, I pull, causing her to come flying toward me and lose her balance. I catch her and hold her up so she doesn't fall.

She lets go of a breath and the air tickles my face. "Good move," she whispers.

I let go of her when she hits a pressure point and scowl at the slight pain it causes. Ann walks toward some of the swords on the wall and picks up a scimitar, the sword that she's currently trying to master. She already has mastered the katana, her favorite sword, and has almost mastered the small sword.

"Grab a sword," she instructs.

I grab a rapier and take up the standard ready position with it. I'm decent with the katana, but prefer the English long sword and am working on this style.

Soon the sound of clashing metal echoes throughout the room, and both of us are sweating and then panting. We had just been placed with each other as partners in this little camp that our fathers had set up, and we only had a week where we would be partnered and then a week where it became everyone for themselves. It's hard to believe that any of us would have learned something from the others, but we have. Granted, most of what we learned from Tessa and Bellatrix were things not to do and how to avoid being hexed, but from our brothers we actually did some decent research and found some things out.

I notice an opening that Ann left and try using it to my advantage when she blocks it with a chuckle.

"You're going to have to do better than that Sirius," She says, aiming a swipe at my legs. I quickly block and move to make another attack when someone clears their throat. We both turn to see father and Lord Grimwood standing in the doorway.

"You've received your Hogwarts letters," father says, "Get changed, we're going to Diagon Ally."

"Come on Ann, they're big boys now, they can take care of themselves," I mutter.

She sighs, "Yeah, I know. But I can't help it. I've always looked after him and made sure he doesn't get hurt."

"Well, they are asking for it," at her look I continue, "Hey, look at them. After everything that we've taught them, they're standing in the middle of the street and not even paying attention to their surroundings."

"Fine," Ann huffs, then a wicked grin appears on her face, "Plus it ought to be fun."

I chuckle, "There's the Ann that I know and love. Come on."

Blending into the shadows, we sneak up to the two idiots who we have been looking after for years. I smile and throw the water on them, which is soon followed by the confetti that Ann is holding. The two sputter and glance around, glaring into the shadows right where we stand.

"Not funny," Remus grumbles, picking a bit of blue confetti from his hair, "Not funny one bit."

"And what did you think James? You've been rather quiet," I ask, voice showing fake concern.

James looks at me, water dripping onto his face and confetti in his hair, "I already had a shower today, I didn't need another one. Plus my hair is messy enough without you adding more mess to it."

I bark out a laugh, "Oh, you enjoyed it."

"True, but it seemed rather uninspired."

"Mate, shut your mouth."

"Don't like the truth?"

"You do something better in the two minutes we had to plan."

Ann rolls her eyes and turns to Remus, "So how was your summer?"

"Not too bad. My family managed to go to France to visit some relatives and we enjoyed the sun and whatnot. I managed to get a side job working in a muggle shop for a couple of months and earned some money. I placed it in Gringotts, hopefully it can earn some interest while I'm in school." Remus gives a shrug.

"What was it like to work during the summer? To not have all the time in the world to do what you want?" James asks, eyebrows raised.

"It was part time work, so I still had free time. It's just nice to know I have a bit of money."

I nod, "It's always nice to have pocket money."

Remus and James look at me with incredulous looks.

"Sirius," James says as though speaking to a small child, "Your family is practically rolling in just the interest on the money you have."

I nod, "Key word, family. Not me. Mother and father haven't given me much in the way of money since first year."

"Define not much," James says.

I feel my face flush and turn away. A hard smacking noise tells me that Ann or Remus probably punched James's arm.

"Ow! Damn it Grimwood!"

I give a slight chuckle and turn back to the group. Ann has this scowl on her face, but her deep violet eyes and the smirk that's threatening to escape tell me that she's not really upset. Remus is openly laughing, and James is pouting like a kid who didn't get the lolly.

~*~ Ann's POV~*~

After I punch James, I look around in interest before pulling the boys to the bookstore with me. Actually it was more like pulling James and Sirius to the bookstore with the help of Remus.

"You know," I whisper in Sirius's ear, "For the reading that you did this summer, stepping into a bookstore shouldn't be the end of the world."

"It's the principle of the thing!" Sirius whines.

Huffing, I walk past him and start to browse the shelves. While I'm looking at the different titles I can feel someone's eyes follow me, so I start to observe the crowd. Finally noticing the woman standing by the transfiguration section I meet her gaze steadily before waving enthusiastically. She throws her nose to the air and walks away. I slowly follow her around the store, mocking her every move by making an exaggerated version of it. From the corner of my eye I notice the boys chuckling and trying not to laugh too loud. Giving a smirk, I keep up the act until I feel someone grab the collar of my shirt. My eyes widen as I am turned around to face the person. It's an older gentleman and he looks quite upset.

"Do you think you're funny mocking a member of a Noble house?" he snaps.

Pulling myself from his grasp and narrowing my eyes, I sneer, "Actually yes. And I must warn you that if you touch the heir to one of a Noble and Most Ancient house again then you will regret it!"

His eyes narrow, "Oh, you're of a Noble and Most Ancient house? Why don't I believe you?"

"Maybe because it takes a while for information to penetrate that thick skull of yours. Now, let me pass by." I leave the 'or else' implied.

"Why you plebian!" the man snarls.

Growing tired of his antics I show him the family ring that I've worn since being officially named heir. At seeing that his eyes widen and he backs away, shaking in slight fear. Brushing past him, I feel my stomach drop at that reaction and try to brush it off. When I finally find the boys, Remus is holding a little kid.

I blink, "Well, this is unexpected. I never figured you to become a father so young Remmy."

"What? I-no!" Remus flushes.

James shakes his head, "Aw, trust Ann to make a mockery of a serious situation."

I shrug, "I can't help it. So, where did you pick up the kiddie?"

"She was just running down the alley, looking around at everything in amazement when she bumped into Malfoy. Obviously someone had to help her," Remus says.

I nod and lean in to the girl, holding out my hand, "I'm Ann, what's your name?"

She takes my hand and gives a small shake, "Penny."

"It's lovely to meet you Penny. Where's your mommy?"

"London."

I glance at the boys before returning to the girl, "You mean she isn't in Diagon Alley?"

The girl blinks, "Where's Diagon Ally?"

James frowns, "Penny, is your mommy a witch or your daddy a wizard?"

"Only when we're playing games at home."

By now, Sirius has returned and shakes his head, "No good. No one knows who she is or where she came from. Some people saw her running around and playing before the incident with the blonde bast-"

"Sirius!" Remus cuts him off.

Sirius gives a sheepish grin.

Shaking my head, I hold my arms out for the girl and Remus hands her over. I give her a smile and pull a sucker out of my jeans pocket. Her eyes widen and she bites her lip.

"Mommy says I'm not allowed to take candy from strangers," Penny whispers.

I nod, "That's good advice. Would you feel better if I told you a little bit about myself so we aren't strangers anymore?"

Penny thinks about it for a moment then nods with a huge grin on her face.

"Well, My name is Ann Grimwood. I'm fifteen years old and I will turn sixteen this fall. I have four really good friends and their names are Remus, Sirius, James, and Peter."

Her eyes widen and she points to the three boys around us. I nod.

"Yep! You've meet all of them except Peter," I glance at the boys, "You haven't seen Pete by chance have you?"

They all shake their heads.

I give a slight frown then turn back to Penny, "My favorite colors are purple, red, and black. I love to fly and read, and I am really good at getting into trouble."

"It's bad to get into trouble," Penny frowns.

"Yes it is. But the trouble I get into doesn't hurt anyone. It's more to have fun," I explain, "I like to play minor pranks on people."

Her eyebrows come together before she looks up, "Like tying a string around the water hose on the kitchen sink so daddy gets wet?"

I look at the boys with confusion and they shrug. I smile at the girl, "Yeah, like that."

"Oh, ok. So are we friends now?" she asks.

"Yeah, but I need to know one thing before you get your sucker."

She nods.

"What's your favorite color?"

Penny thinks for a moment before looking at me with a smile, "Blue! Like the sky is right now!"

The four of us look up and then back down at the girl. I hand her the sucker and she pops it into her mouth happily.

Remus speaks up, "Well, we need to get her back to her parents. That means we have to go into London."

"But where would they be?" James asks.

"Imagine if you were lost in Diagon Alley, where would your mum look?" Sirius asks, "In all the big shops and she would probably ask an Auror if there was one around."

I smirk, "Imagine that. Sirius does have a brain."

"You little b-"

"Sirius!"

"I was going to say brat."

"Sure you were."

James chuckles, "How about instead of standing around here we go find Penny's mother?"

We all head toward the exit of the Alley and I frown slightly. If the girl was able to see the Leaky Cauldron and get into the Alley then she was magic, but if her parents didn't know about it then they weren't. Definite muggle-born then. Oh merlin, her mother must be panicking. I know any good mother would. Shifting Penny, I give a frown when we enter the Leaky Cauldron and stop the boys. I head over to the bar and wait for Tom to finish with his business.

"Hey Tom, did you see this girl run in earlier?" I ask.

Tom looks at Penny and nods, "Yep, she's really friendly. Anything I can get you little miss?"

Penny looks at me with a frown and when I nod she turns back to Tom, "Apple juice?"

Tom smiles, "One apple juice, coming right up." He pulls a juice carton out from under the bar and hands it to her. Penny puts the straw in and smiles at Tom.

"How much?" I ask, getting ready to pull out my change purse.

"Nothing for it, though I have to tell you, she didn't come in with anyone," Tom says before turning to another customer.

I flip a galleon onto the counter and walk back to the boys.

"Let me guess, she didn't come in with anyone," Sirius says.

I shake my head.

"Ok, so let's go and try to find her mum," James says before walking out of the tavern.

Following James, I wonder how long this will take.

"I want my mum," Penny says.

I can tell from memory of when Rowan was this young that she's tired and really is missing her mum. I know that as much as she likes us as friends, that she wants the comfort that she knows.

"We're looking, Penny," James says, "We'll find her."

Penny's bottom lip starts to tremble and her eyes start to water.

"Oh, honey. Hey, do you want to see Sirius for a little bit?" I ask. Sirius looks at me with wide eyes and tries to make discreet 'no' motions, but when Penny nods he gives a sigh and picks her up.

"Hey Penny," he says, "did you ever hear the story of Princess Penny?"

She shakes her head and listens as he spins a tale for her. He'll occasionally ask her a question such as 'What do you think happened next?' or 'What would you do?'. The story was actually quite good and he kept Princess Penny as a person who could do things by herself. When the story was done Penny seemed happier and a little more content. She put her head on Sirius's shoulder and just watched as different people walked by.

"Ok, so where else can we look?" Remus asks, glancing around at the different buildings that were in the area, "I doubt her mother would have gone very far."

Then, almost as if on cue, we hear someone yelling for Penny.

"Penny! Penny! Penny, where are you?"

Penny's head perked up, "Mum?"

"Penny? Penny!"

"Mum!" Penny shouts. Sirius blinks a couple of times before giving his head a slight shake.

I turn around, looking for the woman who was shouting. Finally I notice a woman with the same features as Penny looking around frantically. Motioning for the boys to follow I head for the woman. When we get close enough for her and Penny to see each other she rushes over to Sirius and Penny leans away, arms outstretched to her mother. Once close enough, Sirius lets go as her mother grabs onto her daughter and Penny's arms wrap around her neck, burying her face in the crook of her neck and shoulder.

"I don't know how to thank you enough for finding her," the woman says, "I almost had a heart attack when I couldn't see her anymore. I'd only turned for a second and she was gone."

I nod, "Ma'am, I have a question to ask that may seem rather…odd."

The woman looks weary, but nods.

"Have you ever noticed things happening around Penny when she gets upset? I mean if she gets really upset. They might be something that you would never expect to happen. Flickering lights, things floating, or Penny may suddenly have a toy that she wanted, but couldn't get," I say, voice low so only the boys and Penny and her mum could hear, "Has anything like that happened before?"

Penny's mother hesitates before nodding, "Yes, but I swear, it's not Penny's fault."

I smile, "Actually it is, but she doesn't mean for it to happen. Would you come with me and my friends for a late lunch? I know just the place that would be brilliant and I doubt that you've had anything to eat searching for Penny."

The woman seems hesitant, and Remus steps forward.

"Ma'am, you can trust us. I promise we're just going to go to lunch. And we'll be able to show you where Penny went."

This seems to persuade the woman and she nods. Remus leads the way and him and James converse with the woman, telling her what a good girl Penny had been and how we came into knowing her.

Sirius looks at me, "Are you sure that you want to do this? We could end up in serious trouble with the ministry for showing a muggle Diagon Alley."

"We're always in Sirius trouble with you around," I joke, Sirius groans and gives me a light glare, "Oh come on, I haven't made nearly the amount of puns with your name that I could've."

"True."

"But yeah, we could get into trouble with the ministry, but the way I see it, it's better to tell her. After all, Penny could easily walk in there again, and I want her to know what to do if it happens again." I shrug, "Plus since when have I ever been worried about what those ministry idiots think?"

Sirius chuckles and places his hands in his pockets.

"By the way," I say, "You're really good with kids."

He rolls his eyes and gives me a like with a raised eyebrow.

I laugh as we arrive at the Leaky Cauldron. Penny looks excited again and is prattling on about all the exciting things that her mother is going to see and of all the nice people here and of all the interesting things that she told her were fake but aren't. I smile at the girl's rambling and look to the mother who looks quite confused as to why we were standing outside of a decrepit looking building.

"Gab a hold of one of us ma'am, we'll lead you through the door." Remus offers the woman one of his arms and leads her through once she grabs a hold.

Sirius and James motion for me to go ahead of them and I roll my eyes, muttering about Gryffindors under my breath.

Remus is explaining things to the woman and I walk over to Tom and ask for five menus.

"Did you find the girl's mother?" he asks.

I nod, "Yep. Muggle, that's why she couldn't see this fine establishment."

Tom gives a light laugh, "Why Miss Grimwood, if you aren't careful one might say that you're trying to charm me."

"Well then they might have a case in point there," I grin, "But who wouldn't want to charm such a gentleman like you?"

Tom hands me the menus with a smile, "Alright, get out of here you devilish girl."

I flash him a smile, "Thanks Tom."

Finding the group seated at a booth I hand out the menus and listen to what they're talking about now.

"So, you mean to tell me that Penny is a witch?" the woman asks.

All of us nod, "That's the only way she would see the Leaky Cauldron."

The woman sighs and looks at her daughter with a grin. Penny smiles at her mother and takes another sip of the apple juice that had just appeared.