Sorry about the slow update...pressures of real life! Believe me, I'd much rather be writing! Anywho, hope it was worth waiting for.

Happy Easter!

Sirius returned from his run tired, aching, and very sorry that he had pushed himself quite as hard as he had. He began to wish that he had practised Apparation a little more as he dragged himself up six flights of stairs to reach the guest quarters. Not that it would have helped him much anyway if he had. The bathrooms were at the far side of the corridor and he decided that he had better take a shower before having to face Ariadne.

He took his time, trying to prepare himself for what would undoubtedly be another unpleasant confrontation. He still couldn't understand why she had spoken to Remus the way she had, it was so uncharacteristically cruel of her. She has always been so understanding, so supportive, so –

'Bloody hell, what are you doing in here?'

He had just walked back into his room clad only in a towel, his hair still dripping wet, to find Ariadne lying on his bed reading a copy of 'Witch Weekly'.

She looked up, tossing the magazine aside. 'Waiting for you, obviously.'

Sirius sighed and walked past her to the wardrobe. He wrenched the door open and ripped a clean shirt from the hanger inside. 'Get out, Ari. And I don't appreciate you letting yourself into my room. I'm not in prison anymore. I'm entitled to privacy.'

'That was a little below the belt, don't you think?'

'Not particularly. No more than what you said to Remus.'

'Look, Sirius, I don't want another argument. I let myself in because it was better than sitting out in the corridor and I wanted to know when you got back. I'm sorry that you think I wasn't respecting your privacy.'

He grunted, but kept his back to her as he pulled on a pair of trousers.

'I wanted to tell you that I'm very sorry about earlier. But more importantly, I thought you'd like to know that I've apologised to Remus.'

He grunted again as he closed the wardrobe door and went across to the mirror to run his fingers through his hair. 'Did you give him an explanation?'

'Explanation?'

Sirius straightened his collar and turned to face her. 'Yes, Ari. An explanation. For why your opinion on Remus' employability is somehow so much more reliable than Dumbledore's. For why you believed Remus was negligent in putting someone else's needs above his own.'

She tried to swallow, but there was no saliva left in her mouth. 'I was...wrong. I...didn't have the full facts at the time. Severus told me that - '

'Yes, Severus told you...and he's so much more reliable than me. Or Remus. Because he hasn't got any face to save, has he?'

'I said I was wrong. I've taken back what I said, and I've spoken to him about it. He's accepted my apology, what more can I do?'

'How about admitting that your brother twisted the facts to get you to turn on us?'

'It wasn't like that, Sirius! You don't understand how things have been for him.'

'For him? Yes, I'm sure it must have been an immense strain on him to live in a warm castle with three meals a day and a soft bed at night while I slept on a cold, damp floor, trying to ignore the growl of my stomach and the chains digging into my wrists every night for twelve bloody years. I don't know how the hell he coped.'

'Sirius, please...I know you're angry, but - '

'Justifiably so. If all you're going to do is sit there and make excuses for why he's the world's biggest arsehole, then I've got more important things to do.'

'He admitted that he exaggerated the truth about Remus. He's very sorry for what he did, but he did it because he was angry. Surely you can understand how anger can cloud your judgement?'

Sirius sighed and slumped down on the edge of the bed, folding his arms across his chest. 'Angry, huh? And why was he angry? Because he didn't like being hexed by a kid?'

'Because he thought a murderer had escaped. Amongst other things. It doesn't matter now anyway. The damage has been done. But he is sorry. So I apologised to Remus for judging him too harshly. I admit my judgement was clouded, too.'

'Don't ask me to believe that Snape has such a sense of morality. He's awfully santiomonious for an ex Death Eater. It was personal. Always was. And you took his side. That hurt, Ari.'

'I know, and I'm sorry. But I understand so much more about the reasons why he behaved as he did now, and things aren't as clear cut as you think they are. I know his actions seem petty to you, but when you understand - '

'I'm not sure I want to.'

'I think you have to try, or I'm not sure that any of us will be able to move past this, and if we don't, then we're all dead. Please, Sirius.'

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. 'Alright. Make it quick. And bloody good.'

Ariadne told him about Medea, about Snape's time within the Death Eaters, and the great, painful burden that her brother had carried around with him for so many years. Everything except Erytheia. Though Severus had given his permission, she thought that the fewer people who knew, the safer Erytheia was. Particularly given how close she and Sirius had involved themselves in the Death Eaters.

When she had finished, the colour had blanched from Sirius' face and his eyes had taken on something of the dark, lost, haunted look that had clouded them when he had first turned up on her doorstep.

'I feel like such a low-life,' he murmured. 'I had no idea. To have to live with the images of that...God, I just can't imagine.'

'You weren't to know. Hardly anyone does. I know Severus doesn't exactly endear himself to people sometimes, but that's because keeping them away has become a kind of defence mechanism for him. I'm not trying to garner sympathy for him, that's the last thing he would ever want. I just thought that it might make you a bit more tolerant of him.'

'I'll try, Ari. I certainly don't think I'll look at him the same way again. But there is hate on both sides here.'

'I know that. But if you'll just try, that will be enough. Thank you, Sirius. And I am sorry for the way I spoke to Remus. He understands.'

'You've told him, too?'

'No. No details, anyway. He respected that and didn't ask any questions. Typical of Remus,' she added with a smile.

Sirius nodded. 'And is everything alright between you now?'

'Yes, I think so. I've invited him up here for drinks later. He's said he'll come. Provided that...well...that things are alright between us. Are they, Sirius?'

His shoulders heaved as he sighed, then he turned to her. 'I guess so,' he smiled, and gently caressed her cheek. 'I shouldn't have stormed off like that. I've spent most of my life defending myself and my friends...but not against someone I love. It just wasn't like you, and something snapped...I suppose...'

'It's alright. I understand.'

Sirius nodded. There was nothing further to be served by the perpetuation of anger now.

'Sirius, why is Remus here anyway?' asked Ariadne, rather timidly. 'When I spoke to him, I had the impression that you had asked him here for a specific purpose other than building bridges.'

'Yes...well...I was going to talk to you about that. The thing is that I don't want you to go to this meeting with me. I want you to go back home, and I've asked Remus to stay with you.'

'You've done what?'

'And if I had any doubts before, I don't now. Knowing what Voldemort did to Medea has only strengthened my resolve. You're not going, Ari. Not now, not ever. You're going back home where Voldemort won't be able to find you. You have to take care of Buckbeak and Harry, and I need Remus to look after you both in case anything should happen to me.'

'No! We agreed, Sirius! I'm not letting you walk in there alone! I started all this, don't you think I'm going to see it through? Besides, Medea's problems started when she stopped going to the meetings. If I stop - '

'Why did she?'

'What?'

'Why did she stop going to the meetings? Because she didn't like what they were doing?'

'Well…yes. She was having doubts about the morality of what the Death Eaters were doing. Severus stepped up his activities to try to protect her, but it didn't work.'

'So if Voldemort's suspicions of her were growing, why did she go back at all?'

'I don't know, Sirius. Maybe she thought that it was better to face it than to live in fear of what he might have done. Anyway, you're trying to change the subject.'

'No, I'm not. You're not going and I'm sure that Severus would agree with me. Is he happy for you to come with us?'

'Well…no…of course he wasn't, but - '

'Then end of subject. I won't risk you, Ari. You're too important to me.'

'But Sirius, if - '

'I said "end of subject'". I'm not discussing this with you anymore, and I don't want to spend what quite possibly could be my last night on this earth quarrelling with you. Now, you said Remus is coming by?'

Ariadne sighed and closed her eyes hopelessly in defeat. She was frustrated by his refusal to listen to her, but she supposed that she had dug herself something of a hole by telling him about Medea. All the same, he must have been planning to leave her behind anyway if he had brought Remus back to Hogwarts with him. But she knew that he only had her best interests at heart, and she couldn't deny his logic with regards to Harry's welfare. She just had no idea what she was going to do with herself while he was gone.

'Yes. I told him that I'd call him when you got back.'

'Well I'm back now,' he smiled and bent to touch a brief kiss to her lips. 'I'll go get him. I won't be long.'

The following morning found Ariadne asleep sideways over the bed, Sirius curled up in a ball like a dog in the corner of the room, and Remus sprawled in the armchair. It had been quite a night. Far more Firewhisky had flowed than Rosmerta probably served in a week. Between the remnants of the bottle that Remus had brought and the two that Sirius managed to coax from the house elves in the kitchens, all three of them were too drunk by the end of the evening to even remember their names let alone where they were or what they were planning to do the following day.

It had just been like old times. They had reminisced over their Hogwarts days, shared memories of Lily and James; Remus and Ariadne talked about what they had been doing over the past few years and Sirius had been surprised to find that he had genuinely enjoyed hearing their stories. He had been afraid that maybe he would have found them painful to listen to, but he actually felt more as though he was doing something positive to recapture some of that lost time. They had laughed, teased and even made plans for what they would do when they succeeded in delaying, if not completely halting, Voldemort's return.

A good night. A much-needed night. A long overdue night.

'Merlin's beard, that must have been some good Firewhisky,' Sirius groaned, turning over and pulling himself to his feet.

'The best,' Remus agreed, blinking into the sunlight streaming through the leaded glass windows. 'Though my head doesn't think so right now. Urgh...'

Sirius laughed, but it made his head hurt, so he stopped. 'Ari, sweetheart?'

Ariadne didn't even lift her head from the pillow. She just waved her hand at him and said in a muffled voice, 'Sirius, that's the last time you talk me into drinking that stuff again. I feel like my head's about to explode.'

'You'd better fix us a sobering draught then. Quickly. We've got a big day ahead of us.'

Just more groaning was his only response.

By the time they had arrived for breakfast, all three of them were feeling a hundred times better, thanks to Ariadne's wonderful concoction of milk thistle, Iceland moss, black horehound, something that smelled like lavender and a host of other herbs and infusions that Sirius had never heard of.

But it had all been worth it.

Twelve years worth of resentment, anger, guilt, grief and loneliness had finally been laid to rest last night, and the atmosphere around the breakfast table in the Great Hall was decidedly lighter than it had been yesterday. Even Snape made the effort to contribute to the conversation.

Perhaps it was the nervous energy being generated by them all. So much was hanging on the outcome of the meeting that would take place that evening that none of them really wanted to think about it, yet they all felt its presence; something malevolent, dark, unseen in the corner of the room, watching them as they laughed and smiled and joked.

Waiting.

As the empty plates vanished from the table to be replaced with coffee cups and pots, Sirius thought that it was about time he told Dumbledore the reason that he had brought Lupin back from Dartmoor.

'Sir, we've decided that Ariadne won't be attending the meeting with Severus and me tonight.'

'Oh?' Dumbledore said, as if this was not new or unexpected.

Snape paused, his cup halfway to his mouth before he slowly lowered it back to its saucer.

'I asked Remus to come here with me so that he could accompany Ariadne and Buckbeak back home and watch over them until Severus and I return. I just want them to be safe, in a location completely unknown by the Death Eaters. If anything should go wrong tonight, the first people they will target will be Ariadne and Harry and I have to know that they will be all right. You understand that, don't you, sir?'

'Of course,' Dumbledore nodded, gazing at Sirius over his half-moon spectacles, 'but I must point out that Hogwarts is far safer for them than some isolated location that Voldemort would have no real difficulty finding if he wanted to. As skilled as I know Remus is, he will not be able to deal with several Death Eaters alone. I agree with your conclusion that it would be best for Ariadne not to attend any more meetings, certainly not tonight, but I do feel that you should reconsider returning home.'

'I would ask that too, Ariadne,' said Snape. 'You are far safer here. Hogwarts is protected by numerous enchantments, not to mention being under the protection of the Ministry itself. It is far better to be in plain sight, protected and armed, than it is to be hidden away with no defences.'

'She would be protected, Severus,' Lupin interjected, leaning forward onto the table, 'I would protect her.'

'Remus, even you must surely acknowledge that you cannot take on more than one Death Eater by yourself and they do not go anywhere alone. Ariadne, by her own admission, is not skilled in duelling.'

Lupin was still reeling from Snape's use of his first name for what had to be the first time. More than that, he had actually said it in a civilised manner instead of spitting it out like something that left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

'It's not really my strongest point,' Ariadne admitted, 'I probably wouldn't be able to do much if the Death Eaters were to turn up, Sirius.'

'So what are you saying? You want to stay here?' asked Sirius.

'Well, there is safety in numbers, isn't there? Perhaps it would be for the best. After all, Buckbeak seems happy here with Hagrid and he takes far better care of him than Remus or I could. And Hogwarts is far better protected than the cottage.'

'Alright,' said Sirius, 'As long as you're safe, if you're happier here, then I'm happy. At least Remus is here now for a little extra moral support.'

'I would feel happier knowing that the meeting turned out well before I go back home,' said Lupin

'Yes, of course, Remus,' said Dumbledore. 'Then perhaps you should all enjoy what remains of the day before making arrangements to leave for the meeting tonight.'

The rest of the day slipped by so quickly that it seemed as though no sooner had the sun risen, it was beginning to set again.

Ariadne's good mood after the previous night seemed to slip further and further away throughout the day. She grew so quiet and introspective that by the time Sirius and Snape were almost ready to leave, her behaviour was bordering on depression.

She just sat on the edge of the bed, chewing her fingernails and staring into space as she waited for Sirius to change into his more formal robes.

'Are you going to straighten this collar for me?' he asked, pulling on his leather gloves.

'Yes…yes, of course,' she muttered, standing up, laying the collar down for him and making sure that the shirt sat properly beneath the robes. 'There…that's better.'

Her hands lingered on his neck, her thumbs gently moving back and forth along his jawline, her eyes still fixed to his chest.

'Ari?' She looked up, smiling softly as his arms slipped around her waist. 'You're okay, aren't you?'

'Yeah,' she sighed, 'I'm just a bit worried, that's all. I feel this is all my fault. Neither you nor Severus would be risking your lives if I hadn't been so stupid as to think I could take on Lucius Malfoy. I'm...frightened. I don't want to lose you again, Sirius.'

'Hey, come on now,' he whispered, drawing her close, dusting sweet, tender kisses along her hairline, 'Severus and I are going to be just fine. This will be easy, believe me. We're not alone, we have the aurors behind us. There were many times, back when I was in the Order, that I didn't have that luxury, you know. And I'm still here. I know how to take care of myself, Ari. So does Severus. We'll both be back before you know it.'

She smiled again, but there was no humour, joy or relief in it. Just sad resignation to her small part in a much larger play. She reached up to caress his face, pulled his lips to hers and kissed him; softly, tenderly, with all the love that she had ever felt for him; with the aching need of more than twelve years of longing. When she moved back, silent tears were falling over her cheeks. He touched them gently from her face.

'Don't cry, Ari. I never could stand to see you cry. Everything'll be alright…I promise you. But just in case anything should - '

'Oh God - '

'Wait,' he cut her off. He kissed her forehead, hugged her, then stepped over to the desk beside the window. He pulled open the top drawer and removed a small envelope, hesitating as he looked at it for just a moment before handing it to Ariadne. 'I want you to give that to Harry, if anything should go wrong.'

'Oh, Sirius…you tell me everything will be fine and then - '

'Ari, listen to me. This is important. I will be fine. Think of it as my will, if you like. People make wills all the time, don't they? They don't have to be at death's door or about to leap from their broomstick over the ocean. It's nothing really. It's just important that you see that he gets it. You and Lupin will be all that kid has without me, you understand that, don't you? I wouldn't trust anyone else. He means the world to me, and I promised him he would never be alone again.'

'I know that, Sirius,' she said quietly, turning the heavy cream-coloured envelope over in her hands, 'I understand. I would never let you down.'

He nodded, closing his eyes as he sighed with relief.

'But I'd rather it if you were there with me too, Sirius.'

'I will be. That's why we're doing this, remember?'

'Yeah…I know.'

Ariadne said very little more as he walked hand in hand back downstairs with him to the entrance hall where Snape, Lupin and Dumbledore were waiting for them. Snape was dressed in his usual black robes, but they were slightly more formal than usual Death Eater custom. Two glass phials were clutched in his hand.

Lupin and Dumbledore shook both Sirius and Snape's hands and wished them luck, urging them to return as quickly as possible, and confirmed that they had heard word from Whitley Kennings, one of the most senior aurors in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, that there were currently six aurors hiding out at the church and in the surrounding area. Dumbledore then pressed a small, whirring silver sphere into Sirius' hand.

'This will allow you to reach me if you feel in any way that you or Severus are in danger. You don't have to do anything, simply having it on your person is enough. I will know, the aurors will know, and help will come immediately. Neither of you are to put yourselves in any unnecessary danger, you understand?'

Both Sirius and Snape nodded dully, exchanging slightly harried looks.

Ariadne hugged them both in turn, whispering warnings to each of them that they were to take care of the other, no matter what their differences were.

'Put something nice on for tea, love,' said Sirius in an effort to sound jovial, even though that was the last thing he was feeling at the moment, seeing everyone ranged around him as though he were about to go off to war. Or an execution. 'We won't be long.'

Ariadne frowned at him. 'Just come back, both of you, and you can have whatever you want. I promise.'

At least it raised a smile from Lupin. 'Take care, old friend,' he said, watching them open the front doors and step outside into the rapidly dying sunlight.

Sirius smiled. 'You too, Moony. Remember what we talked about.'

'Always.'

A moment later, they were gone.

'Well, there's nothing more to be done now but to wait,' said Dumbledore, turning to Lupin and Ariadne, 'I think I will head up to my office for a nice cup of tea. Would you like to join me?'

Ariadne was still staring at the door, an empty, hollow look on her face. Lupin put his arm around her shoulder.

'Yes, I think we'd both like that,' Lupin answered for her, giving her a gentle squeeze of support.

'Actually, Remus, I'd like a minute or two to myself, if that's alright. I'll be up in a little while.'

'Are you alright?' he asked, rubbing her arm. 'You've been very quiet all evening.'

'I'm fine, Remus, really.' She smiled to reassure him. 'I just need a minute or two to myself.'

Lupin nodded, although he didn't seem entirely happy with her reassurances and left to follow Dumbledore to his office.

Ariadne found the insulating silence that surrounded her in the entrance hall almost as consoling and comforting as Sirius' arms.

If he were here.

Silence demanded nothing. It didn't need to be reassured that she was alright. It didn't care how she was feeling. It was simply there. A buffer against the world. Nothing existed in silence; not hate, love, anxiety, fear. While there was silence, there couldn't be the sounds of someone telling her that it had all gone wrong. That Sirius and Snape had both been killed and were now lying alone in a deserted field in the middle of nowhere, as cold and empty as her heart would be without them.

She wished she could Apparate in the castle because she had neither the energy nor the inclination to climb the staircase. But she struggled up, each step getting harder and harder as the weight she carried seemed to get heavier and heavier.

As she arrived at his room and opened the door, more welcoming silence greeted her and drew her inside. She went to the bed and lay back into the pillows which still held the scent of him, closing her eyes as she remembered how he had felt beside her…

The whoosh and roar of the green flames as they leapt to life in the hearth startled her in her sensitised state so much that she fell off the bed, hitting her head against the corner of the wardrobe.

'Bloody hell,' she muttered, pulling herself to her feet and gazing through eyes that refused to focus. Even through the mist, she recognised her mother's voice.

'Ariadne? Where are you?'

She shook herself and crawled across to the hearth, peering at a face she hadn't seen in more than fifteen years. 'Mother?' she murmured, disbelief, confusion and an odd feeling that she could have sworn was an upwelling of affection for her vying for prominence. 'Mother! My god, I…I didn't think that you - '

'Ariadne, you must listen to me. I know that there's so much both of us need to say, and the time will come for that, but for the moment it is vital that you listen to me. Do you understand?'

'Yes,' she replied numbly, still unsure of how she felt at seeing her mother again in so odd a set of circumstances. She felt very surreal, as though she were still dreaming.

'Severus told us that you know about Erytheia.'

'Yes, I do, but you shouldn't be mentioning names over the network, Mother.'

'I don't think that matters anymore,' she replied, her voice breaking. 'She's gone.'

Ariadne sat up, terrified into rationality. 'Wait... Gone? Gone where? What's happened?'

'She didn't come home from her friend's house this afternoon. Your father and I are beside ourselves, we don't know what to do. We've informed the Muggle police and they're doing everything they can, but I don't think this is something they can help us with. She's a good girl, Ariadne, she always lets us know where she'll be. Your father is working every incantation he can think of, but he thinks he's being blocked, and he can't ask for help from the Ministry because Severus didn't want us to tell anyone else in our world about her.' She paused to press a handkerchief to her eyes. 'I tried contacting Severus, but he's not replying and…I'm so worried about her…I don't know what else to do.'

'It's alright,' Ariadne said quickly, her mind racing, her heart thumping so hard in her throat that she felt as though she were being choked, 'we're wasting time here. I'll tell Dumbledore right away. I know where Severus is, Mother. Leave it to us. I promise we'll find her. I'll let you know as soon as we hear anything, okay?'

Her mother nodded, but even through the flames, she could still see the tears glistening on her aged face. 'Please hurry, Ariadne.'

'I will.' She was about to go, but something held her back. Something unsaid. Something that needed to be said. 'I...I love you, Mother.'

She smiled tearfully. It wasn't much under the circumstances, but it was enough.

'I love you, too, sweetheart.'

Her mother's head disappeared and a second later, the flames flickered and died.

In the ensuing silence that now seemed like a force of gravity she couldn't bear, she felt at once more terrified, more angry and more determined than she had ever felt in her life. Her parents were not the kind of people to react in such a way unless they had grave cause for concern and her mother's words were more than enough to make her realise that something was very wrong.

As she tore open the door and flew down the stairs and along the corridors to Dumbledore's office, anxiety and fear choking her breath away, she began to understand just exactly what was wrong.

She exploded into his office, her hair in complete disarray, her face and clothes soaked with perspiration and her breath coming in short, ragged bursts as she saw Dumbledore and Lupin looking at her as though she were a screaming banshee.

'Good God, Ari, what's wrong?' sputtered Lupin.

'They know…they know everything…the Death Eaters… It was all a set up! They know!'