Padfootz-luvr: Aw, poor you. I always hate the beginning of term… Did I update soon or did I update soon? I hope it will ease your state law suffering ;)

Weaselgirl19: I think so too! I can't help it :D Here's the update…

Messr-Paddifoots-love: (grins evilly) I know… I hope you like the next chapter.

Darklady5289: Go Lana, go Lana. She's so much fun to write. But will she succeed...?

MsPadfootVerona: Wow, thanks very much for such a wonderful review! The cliffie was pretty mean, wasn't it? I simply had to do it LOL. But at least I updated quickly. Enjoy!

p.s. Sorry your name get spelled wrongly every time, but something keeps editing the underscore and stars out and I don't know how to fix it!

Hpandfriendsruletheworld: It was pretty obvious, wasn't it? Subtlety is not one of Lana's traits.

Jennie: Thanks for your review! Here's more…

PotentialTempest: LOL. This chapter is evil-cliffy-free, I promise…

DollFace080: (puts on innocent face) I'm not telling…

Lacatamar: I'm glad people like Lana. She's one of my favourite characters. Here's what happens…


Confrontation

Sirius immediately stepped inside and slammed the door shut. I flinched visibly as the door was almost blown from its hinges by the sheer force of his hand. Intimidated I took another step back for safety and straightened myself. Sticking my chin up in the air, I asked, "What are you doing here?"

Sirius managed to look even more enraged and now I was actually getting scared. Without a word he grabbed my hand and looked at my ring. His eyes, that were almost black instead of the usual deep grey, narrowed in fury.

I swallowed with difficulty when he fixed those eyes on my face, but I snapped at him, "I asked you a question."

"I don't care," Sirius hissed venomously and pushed past me into the living room. Getting angry myself I followed him.

He turned around and looked me up and down, a truly murderous expression on his face now. "WHAT, in the name of all that is holy, were you thinking?" he suddenly yelled at me.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I shouted.

Sirius gave me an incredulous look and started pacing around the room. "What exactly on this planet gave you the idea that I need to be protected?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I said arrogantly, folding my arms.

He stopped walking and snorted derisively. "Drop the act. Lana told me."

My jaw dropped. That stupid, conniving little witch. Merlin damn her, did she want him dead?

A small muscle twitched in Sirius's tensed jaw. "Can you imagine what I went through when she told me what you had done?" he hissed, gritting his teeth.

I stared back at him without saying anything.

"Can you? ANSWER ME!" Sirius raked his hands through his hair. "You're completely insane, do you know that?"

I opened my mouth. "I'm not insane! My mother knows about us. You're a blood traitor, or have you conveniently forgotten about that? She would have had you killed by my father or some other Death Eater. Damn it, Sirius, you have no idea how deep I'm involved."

"Do I look like I care about your family, or a few threats from Death Eaters?" Sirius shouted, gesturing wildly.

"No!" I shouted back. "You don't! But I do! This is exactly why I pushed you away. Because you don't care about a death threat. Because you would be brave and take the challenge. Because you would be killed!" My voice became increasingly shrill while I was yelling at him.

"Merlin's magic, Niamh, I told you I loved you and you just stood there with an ice-cold face - "

"And you think I was having a good time?" I screamed. "I love you too and I hate myself for every word I said."

"You love me?" Sirius roared. "Good! Then you know how it made me feel!"

"Of course I know! You stupid son of a hag! I did it for your own good."

"I can look after myself!"

"Yeah, and you would've got yourself killed."

"So what? That's better than hiding from what's going on, like you do!"

"I am not hiding. I did it to protect you!" Indignation flared up when he hit that nerve.

"I DON'T NEED PROTECTION!" Sirius bellowed.

I gave an loud and annoyed grunt and turned around. "This is getting us nowhere," I sighed and sank into a fauteuil. I rested my head in my hands. Still practically fuming, Sirius threw himself into another chair. We were quiet for a while.

I looked up. Sirius was staring intensely at me, the anger still clear in his eyes. "Look," I said and noticed how tired my voice sounded, "I did what I thought was best. There's no point in all this fighting. In three weeks I'm marrying Evan."

Sirius's hands clenched around the arm rests so tight that his knuckles turned white. "And that's it, isn't it?"

"Yes. It is," I answered firmly.

In one fluid motion he got up from his chair, dragged me from my own and pulled me to him, claiming my mouth in a feral kiss. After months of Evan's attentions my body instantly recognized the man it wanted and I kissed back like my life depended on it. Sirius pushed his tongue in my mouth, demanding entrance, which I was more than willing to allow.

For how long we stood there, our kiss no less furious than the previous fight, I don't know, but finally need of air broke us apart. Panting heavily because of my anger and desire, I glared at him.

Sirius glared back. "Enough of this nonsense," he growled. "You're not going back."

"Of course," I scoffed, "and the minute my family knows I've run off, we'll have a death squad on our tail."

His face contorted in anger again. "For the last time, I don't care who they send after me." He shook his head and gave me an ironic smile. "Besides, it won't be long before they're after me anyway."

"What are you talking about?" I asked startled.

"You didn't think I was going to sit still while my twisted relatives and their friends try to take over, did you?"

"No, not quite," I had to admit. That was very unlike Sirius. I studied him carefully. He looked older. I corrected myself: not older, more mature. Behind the boyish charm and cheeky exterior I saw a man staring back at me. "What happened?" I asked quietly.

Sirius blinked. "People died," he said softly.

"Zarah," I breathed.

He sighed. "Remus, he's -- " He closed his eyes for a moment. "They were finally together, you know."

I looked away from him and stepped out of his arms. He shot me a warning look. "Niamh…"

"I have to go," I said.

"Don't you dare walk away from me," he threatened and stepped closer. "I'm not letting you go back."

"And then what?" I asked sadly. "You'll take me with you? To your friends? And what will they say? You're better off without me."

His temper was rising quickly again. "I don't want to be without you," he said angrily. "Not now, not ever."

The icy splinter of doubt that had been infecting me since my mother's arrival at Hogwarts began to melt, but it didn't change matters. Too much had happened in the mean time.

"Sirius…" I cut him off, before he could say more. "My brother is a Death Eater. My fiancé is a Death Eater. My father may not actually be one, but he and mother agree with them wholeheartedly." I swallowed. "How can I ever look your friends, Remus in particular, in the eye, knowing that Rowan and Evan were there when Zarah was murdered?"

"Were you there?" Sirius asked, knowing the answer. "Did you know about it?"

"No."

"It's not your fault."

"They're my family," I hissed.

Sirius let out a humourless laugh. "Family! I don't see any of my friends blaming me for what my family has done."

"That's different."

"It's exactly the same!"

"No, it's not!" I snapped. I breathed heavily through my nose. This whole discussion was putting me in a thoroughly disturbing turmoil. "You are a Gryffindor. You've always been different from your family. Everybody knows that. You're disowned. Nobody considers you a part of the pure-blood community."

Sirius stared at me. His refusal to see it my way was evident in his eyes. I continued, "I'm a Slytherin. People see me as a loyal daughter to my father, which I have been. I even agreed with their ideas until my sixth year. I'm a part of my family. The perfect pure-blood witch they can be proud of." I paused, not knowing how I could make it more obvious. "So you see, there is an entire world of difference between you and me."

He stepped closer to me. "Do you like what your family is forcing you to do?"

"Of course not."

"When Lana came to my house this morning and told me what had happened, I couldn't believe it. I was still furious with you. All I could see was your cold and arrogant face, that day in the storage rooms, and you telling me that you had just used me. Remus was at my house. It were his arguments that convinced me." He put a slightly trembling hand against my cheek. A shadow of a grin appeared on his face. "That, and a rigorous smack on my head, of course."

Despite my despair I chortled.

"I've waited at Lana's house all day, getting myself even more worked up because of your incredible stupidity – don't pull away, it's true – but when I saw you – it was not that what made me beside myself with anger. It was that damned ring on your hand." He smiled ruefully. "I was jealous, unbelievably jealous. All I wanted to do was yank that ring from your finger, throw it out of the house, and take you on the floor right there and then."

His hands moved to my shoulders, gripping them painfully tight. "The thought of him with his hands on you…" Sirius's eyes darkened again. "You're mine," he growled suddenly, "mine alone. You belong to me." His grip tightened even more. "Just as much as I belong to you."

I closed my eyes.

"Come away with me. You're not your brother or your father. You can't blame yourself for what they do. Don't do that to yourself. It'll drive you mad and believe me, I know. Come with me," he said urgently. "For once, just trust me and come with me."

My eyes stung with tears and I felt my lip trembling. It was too late for pretences and masks now. It was all there, in the open. Raw and frightfully intense.

"Come with me. It'll be alright, I promise you."

But it didn't frighten me anymore. I opened my eyes. Sirius fell silent, hope and doubt in his eyes. "I trust you," I choked. Relief washed over his face.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

I grabbed his shirt to hold on to him and he wrapped his arms around me and pressed me against his chest. He rested his chin on my head and sighed heavily. I snuggled a little closer and snaked my arms around his waist, enjoying his warmth and scent while an overwhelming sense of belonging took over. The turmoil inside of me had quieted down and now I was just unbelievably relaxed. I leaned heavily against Sirius.

After a while we became aware of each other's proximity and our breathing slowed. I looked up to him and saw him staring at me with those darkened eyes again, not a sign of his anger this time. I licked my dry lips, causing him to fix them on my mouth.

"Lets go to my house. Hold me, I'll guide you," he said, his voice low and rough. I held on to his arm and we Disapparated.

We landed in a small, but comfortable room. When I turned my head I noticed the bed. I chuckled. He didn't waste any time. When I looked at Sirius my smart comment stuck in my throat. My legs turned into jelly.

"I need..." he began huskily. "I need to make you mine again. Will you let me?"

I nodded wordlessly.

His mouth came down on mine. He deepened his kiss almost immediately and I had to hold his shoulders to keep myself on my feet. Soon every sense of delicacy was lost as we kissed and nipped at each other's skin and lips. Feverishly I worked on his shirt, wanting more of his skin pressed against mine. Sirius's hands slipped under my clothes, leaving a trail of fire as they went about.

I had missed him so much; his voice, his eyes, his presence. It surprised me how much I'd been affected by not having him near me, and to have him back now, to finally be able to be in his arms again, it was enough to make me lose myself in a frenzy of skin against skin, lips on lips, and hands that pulled me ever closer, until we had worn each other out completely.

Sirius moved his weight to the side and pulled me tight against his body. I nestled myself in the crook of his arm. After regaining my breath, I wanted to say something, but Sirius cut me off.

"Shh, we'll have plenty of time to talk later," he mumbled in my hair and tightened his arms around me. "Just let me hold you." I was still smiling when I fell asleep peacefully for the first time in months.


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