A/N: And thank you, of course, to my wonderful beta MissBubbles, without whom this story would be riddled with silly, silly mistakes.
Summary: Lost and sick in the middle of nowhere, Sirius falls into the hands of a woman whose secrets will tie inextricably into the fate of his godson. What will happen when he finds himself attracted to this strange witch?
The Complexities of the Heart
By katemary77
Chapter Two
Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by heart, and his friends can only read the title.
- Virginia Woolf
Sirius slipped quietly into Headquarters, quite aware he was late. Entering the meeting room, he saw that everyone was present, minus Dumbledore, and breathed a sigh of relief. Looking around, he spotted James and Lily, whose hands were linked together on Lily's lap, her new engagement ring twinkling happily in the firelight. He snuck up behind them and slid into a chair.
"You're late, Sirius," Lily grunted without turning.
"I know," he said casually. "You're going to make a great mother, Lily Flower, eyes in the back of your head."
She turned around and glared playfully.
"Quite
the contrary, I assure you, Sirius. Anyone could smell you from a
mile away. Just like a wet dog."
Sirius let out a bark of laughter, as did James.
"She's right, you know Padfoot," the bespectacled man said, "a wet dog that hasn't been house-trained."
Scowling, Sirius hit James upside the head. James whipped around to retaliate, but just at that moment Albus had appeared, stopping an approaching fight between the Order's youngest members.
"I've called this meeting for a very important reason," Dumbledore addressed the group. "Last night, a Death Eater defected. He came to me and confessed of everything, and in turn for my protection has offered invaluable information."
"How do we know he's not going to betray us?" Gideon Prewett interrupted from the front.
Dumbledore shook his head.
"It is in my opinion that his heart holds nothing of betrayal. This man only desires redemption, something I will try my hardest to give him. You all know that we have recently been searching for something known only as 'the weapon.' We've had no idea what it is or what it does, or why Voldemort wants it, but now we can answer all three of these, and all I can tell you is that it is imperative that this 'weapon' should fall into our hands."
He paused for a moment, glancing gravely around the room. "That is why tonight, with the help of our defected Death Eater, we are going to raid Voldemort's current stronghold." Worried whispers spread throughout the assembled people, and Sirius saw James's hand tighten on Lily's. "Members of the Order will create a distraction, and the Death Eater I have entrusted with this task will infiltrate Voldemort's ranks, find the weapon, and bring it back to us. I must return to Hogwarts now, but please meet back here at eight o'clock tonight and we will organise the raid before heading out."
The group gave a collective nod, and then began to disperse. James and Lily turned to look at Sirius enquiringly.
"What do you think?"
Sirius shrugged.
"Seems pretty important. I'm hesitant to place my life in the hands of a Death Eater, though."
"But I would trust Dumbledore with my life," James countered, "And he obviously trusts this man."
"Hey, who said it was a man?" Lily said indignantly.
James chuckled, lifting a hand to his fiancé's cheek.
"I do remember the Headmaster saying 'he' a number of times, love."
Lily frowned.
"Fine, you win. Are you coming home for dinner, Sirius?"
He nodded and said, "Wouldn't miss your cooking for the world, Lilikins."
She scowled at him for the nickname and then stood, dragging James with her.
"Careful boy, or we'll have a repeat of last week. You don't want to have horns for the rest of the month, do you Siri?"
Stifling his laughter, Sirius shook his head.
"Of course not, Firefly."
Lily growled, but decided to let this one slide.
"Come on then, you worthless tricksters."
Linking arms with both James and Sirius, the young redheaded woman smiled brightly and marched her two favourite men in the world out of the room.
-------------------------
"Sirius."
"Sirius?"
"Sirius!"
He frowned and shook himself out of his memories.
"Sorry, Anna, were you saying something?"
She nodded, perplexed.
"Could you please pass me that trowel?"
They were out in Anna's small garden; the summer sun beating down upon their backs, pulling weeds from amongst the herbs Anna had planted. She had insisted he not help, but Sirius had come out anyway, after all, she was letting him stay in her house.
"Sure, sorry," he said, grinning sheepishly from the shade of the apple tree.
"No worries," she smiled, taking the small green trowel from his hands. "Where were you just then? You seemed miles away."
"I was," he answered quietly, the memories of James and Lily bringing painful emotions to the surface.
"There, what do you think?"
Sirius turned to look at the rose bush Anna had planted.
"Beautiful. It's already budding."
"I know," she said happily. "Come on, let's go inside for some lemonade."
It was only later that Sirius would remember how quickly and carefully she had sensed his pain at old memories and changed the subject.
-------------------------
"Can we make cake?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"You know, cake," Sirius sighed. "With the icing and the flour and the eggs and the – "
"I know very well what cake is, Sirius," Anna grumbled good-naturedly. "I was just commenting on the complete randomness of that question."
"Oh," he said, after a brief pause. "Well, now that you've done that, can we make cake? I haven't had cake for thirteen years! I'll help, I promise!"
Anna grinned. It was afternoon, and after washing themselves of the dirt they had acquired gardening, Anna and Sirius had retired to her porch where Sirius carried on to thrash Anna at chess.
"Okay. What kind of cake? Apple and cinnamon?"
Sirius clutched a hand to his heart.
"My favourite! Keep this up and I'll have to marry you, Annie."
She chuckled and sent Sirius off to collect some apples from the small tree she had planted when she had first come to Wales.
"Why do you live all the way out here, Anna?" Sirius asked as he measured out a cup of flour.
She smiled wistfully.
"When I was a child, I'd always wanted to live in the middle of a huge forest and have a big garden full of herbs and flowers and fruit. So I guess when Albus asked me to come out here, I couldn't resist. Besides, there aren't many who can easily refuse a man like Albus Dumbledore. I guess I just never imagined I'd be doing it by myself."
"Why did Dumbledore want you to come out here?" Sirius wanted to know.
Anna stood from the table and came over to Sirius, who was slowly stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon.
"A couple of reasons."
Sirius took this to mean she wasn't comfortable answering any more questions and so didn't pry.
Quite suddenly, Anna laughed.
"What?"
"Somehow you have smeared flour absolutely all over your face," she told him.
"I have not," Sirius said stubbornly.
"Alright, alright," Anna said in a resigned way. "Suit yourself."
Sirius pouted and endeavoured to sweep the powder from his face. Predictably, he picked the wrong cheek.
"You are an idiot," Anna told him quite seriously, before reaching out and brushing the flour from his face.
It was the first time a woman had touched Sirius so tenderly in thirteen years, and Sirius felt his heart break inside his chest. Wanting it to last, Sirius reached up and captured her hand, pressing it against his cheek.
Anna's breath caught in her throat.
He looked at her so piercingly, it was like he was seeing right through her and as if she instinctively knew what he needed, Anna leant in to brush her lips over Sirius' brow, before moving down to his mouth.
But their lips never met, for at that moment came a sharp rapping on the door.
They sprung apart.
Blushing, Anna hissed at Sirius, "Change! I don't know who it is! Not many people know where I live."
He nodded in understanding and soon, Sirius Black was gone and in his stead was the large black dog that Anna had first seen creeping from the foliage. Padfoot stalked over to the hot oven, in front of which he curled up contentedly.
Smirking, Anna smoothed down her skirt and made her way out of the room, not thinking to take her wand with her. She opened the door.
It was if a cool iceblock had slid down her spine, and she could taste the metallic tang of fear on her tongue.
"Lucius!"
Lucius Malfoy pushed Anna into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Arianna," he drawled, his wand already out. "How wonderful to see you."
Despite the courage bubbling inside her, Anna whimpered in fear.
"How did you find me?"
"Quite by accident, I assure you," he answered. "It seems you have become quite lax in security. Your father will be so ashamed."
Anna slapped him so viciously he reeled back, his immaculate blonde hair spreading across his face.
"Don't you dare call that animal my father!"
Malfoy's face hardened and he backhanded Anna with such a force that the ring on his finger sliced open her cheek, and blood burst to the surface. He gripped her chin with his cold fingers, and drew her face to his.
"Imagine how happy the Dark Lord will be at your return, his most precious object. Just think." His hand travelled down her neck and trailed across her collarbone. Malfoy smirked when Anna flinched at his touch. "You always were afraid of me, Arianna."
Retching at the foulness of his fingers, Anna spat in Malfoy's face and pushed him away roughly.
"Everte Stratum!" he roared in anger, sending Anna flying across the room to crash into the wall and collapse in a heap on the floor.
Grinning maliciously, Malfoy went to wipe the spit from his face, but was met with a livid Sirius Black striding across the room. Before he could make a move, Lucius was blasted from his feet by Sirius's fist, Anna's wand soon digging into his throat.
"You're lucky I'm not a killing man, Malfoy, otherwise nothing could save you now. Stupefy!"
He bound Malfoy in thick ropes, before rushing to where Anna was collapsed on the floor. Lifting her, Sirius brought her to lie on the couch. "Sanetur," he murmured, healing both the cut down her cheek and the split in her scalp from her collision with the wall. After digging his fingers briefly into Anna's dark hair, just to reassure himself that she was there, Sirius took a pinch of Floo powder from the mantle and threw it into the fireplace.
Bending, Sirius cried, "Dumbledore's office!" and stuck his head into the nauseating swirl flames that finally stopped when the Headmaster's circular office was in view. Albus himself was seated at his desk, rifling through papers, although he immediately looked up when Sirius's head appeared in the flames.
"Sirius! Has something happened to Anna?"
Somewhat curious as to why the old wizard would think this first, Sirius nodded, and for one of the few times in his life understood why Dumbledore was the only man Lord Voldemort feared. Albus' countenance had changed abruptly, his face hardening, the twinkle gone from his eyes.
"She's okay," Sirius said hurriedly. "Just unconscious."
"Who found her?" he demanded.
"Malfoy," Sirius answered, confused.
"I'll come now."
Sirius pulled his head from the flames, and, finding himself back in Anna's cottage, crossed quickly to her side. Shortly after, the fire roared emerald again, and Dumbledore stepped out of the flames. The old wizard moved with startling speed to Anna, and he rested a thin, withered hand on her forehead.
"How did this happen?"
"That vermin," Sirius said, directing his gaze to Malfoy's prone form, "showed up and blasted her across the room."
Disturbed, Dumbledore crossed over to where Malfoy lay.
"How could he have possibly found her?"
"He was in Bleddfa, Albus," a quiet voice answered. Anna soon found herself swamped by two worried gentlemen. "Visiting Gwernach. I didn't think he'd seen me."
Dumbledore exhaled softly, and grasped Anna's hand.
"We'll have to move you, I'm afraid," he said quietly. "Tonight. Lucius may have alerted the others of your whereabouts."
Anna nodded and closed her eyes.
"It is no longer safe for you here, my child."
She nodded again and opened her eyes, glancing sadly around at the small home she had managed to make for herself.
"Where?"
"London," the wizened wizard answered, glancing briefly up at Sirius. "Sirius has offered to make his old family home Headquarters for the Order."
"Home?" Sirius scoffed, finally coming out of his confusion. "That place was never a home to me."
"Nevertheless, it will be invaluable to the Order and will be the safest place for Anna, short of Hogwarts. But even there…" Dumbledore shook himself. "I'll have Remus come here to collect you two tonight, and you can Portkey to Grimmauld Place from here."
Anna and Sirius nodded.
"What about him?"
Dumbledore looked over at Malfoy.
"I'll take him with me, modify his memory, fill him with Firewhiskey and send him home. No doubt Narcissa will think he has merely drunk too much and forgotten his day. Remus will be here at 10 o'clock."
They nodded again.
Albus gave Anna's hand a squeeze, and bent to kiss her brow.
"We have been extremely lucky, child. I am glad you have not been hurt."
Rising, the wizard patted Sirius on the back, before levitating Malfoy's body into the fire.
"I'm sure you two will have plenty to talk about until Remus arrives." He grinned knowingly, and then stepped into the flames.
With the eccentric presence of the headmaster gone, the room was filled with an awkward silence.
"Well then."
A/N: Remember to review if you're reading! It's always good to know that somebody is...