Of all the weekends that she had chosen to escape on, it had been a Hogsmeade weekend. It seemed that whatever watched over her had made sure that a majority of people weren't at Hogwarts when Moria had returned. Attention was something she didn't want right now. Pomfrey's reaction had been hilarious, she mused, staring at the pair in shock, before the head nurse had pulled her to a hospital cot, literally forced her down and began to scold Hagrid for not carrying her.

"Pomfrey, I didn't need to be carried." Moria grumbled as Pomfrey began run check-up. The older woman tsked.

"Nonetheless, with not knowing what your injuries-"

"The only bad injury I have is a broken wrist." Moria argued. "Besides I wanted to walk." She added. Pomfrey grumbled under her breath, waving her wand over the broken appendage. Moria watched dimly as the dark bluish bruise began to fade and the throbbing pain slowly began to ebb away before Pomfrey wrapped a splint and bandage over it.

"Magical healing can only do so much." The head healer explained. "Your arm is going to be sensitive for a few days."

"I figured." Moria mumbled, looking at the splint. She glanced up when she heard footsteps, and felt heat rush up to her face as she spotted McGonagall and Dumbledore walking in. Dumbledore, as usual, had a gentle, easygoing expression on his face, one that she couldn't figure out what was going on through his mind.

McGonagall however had a rather amusing mixture of emotions on her face. Relief, of the apparent sight that Moria was indeed here, anger due to flames of fury that was probably rolling around in her due to Moria had disappeared or anger over that someone had taken a student of her house, worry that one of the students had disappeared for four days, and lastly confusion for what the hell had happened.

Boy, McGonagall would have to join the party in confusion. She had figured that Chamberlain didn't take rejection well. She didn't think that he would have resorted to this to try and get his way.

"…hi…" Moria commented after a bit of silence, shifting in the uncomfortable quiet.

"Moria...can you explain what happened?"

"…Chamberlain attacked me when I was out studying." Moria stated with an indifferent shrug. "Though I have a feeling I'm going to have to go a bit more in depth about the whole thing aren't-" She stopped when another person walked in, though this one seemed at first oblivious to the group of teachers and her. However the boy stopped, mid-step, at first confused. However his eyes widened when he spotted her.

"…Hi Remus." Moria finally offered up, giving a pained smile. He looked tired, haggard, and she made a note that it was probably around the time that the next full moon was coming. At least she hoped it was just because of that, and therefore he would look better in a few days. Remus stared at his friend for a brief second, shocked, before turning on his heel and rushing out. Moria in turn, stared at the now empty spot in confusion. Dumbledore chuckled.

"I believe that we will be having another guest here soon."

Moria blushed.

Sirius grumbled as he continued walking around the school. He literally had nothing to do. He hated having detention during the weekends when students could go to Hogsmeade. Granted he didn't really call this detention. Detention for him, meant sitting in a classroom with McGonagall using her eagle eye glare at him and James for doing some type of prank. This loosely defined detention was just him not allowed to go to Hogsmeade for starting a fight with Chamberlain. McGonagall had apparently taken pity on him when she heard the comments that Chamberlain had made about Moria as well as the reasons for the fight.

He kicked a loose pebble, watching it skirt across the hallway. This was KILLING him. At least when he had detention before, Moria would offer to stay and wait for him. Maybe he should sneak out and head off to the forest. Check things out and see if he could find something the teachers had miss-

"Sirius!"

The called man turned, looking confused as Remus rushed over to him, panting loudly.

"Moony?" Sirius called out, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "What's up? Going out for your furry problem isn't happening until later-"

"She's back!" Remus exclaimed when he finally got to where Sirius was, panting loudly. Sirius froze, staring at his friend in confusion, blinking rapidly to get out of his stupor.

"Come again?"

"She's back. Moria." Remus repeated. Sirius stared at him, standing there dumbfounded. "She's at the Hospital Wing and-"

He was talking to thin air. Sirius was already dashing past him, and around the corner.

It seemed as though the trip to the Hospital Wing lengthened. That time had slowed. Was she alright? How badly was she injured? Who had taken her? How-

Any more questions stopped when he slid to the entrance of the Hospital Wing and his eyes latched onto the form that was sitting on the edge of the bed, talking to Dumbledore, McGonagall, Slughorn, and Pomfrey. Almost as though she sensed him, she glanced over towards the entrance and locked eyes with him. She paused in whatever she was talking about, earning the attention of the teachers who also looked. Dumbledore offered a kind smile and then turned to the other teachers.

"Well come along everybody. I believe Miss Prescott will be well tended to." Dumbledore said. The teachers all seemed to smile and quietly excusing themselves. Sirius didn't move for a few silent minutes, staring at her with wide grey eyes. Moria grunted as she stood, keeping pressure off of her splinted wrist, before she looked at him. She smiled hesitantly, and he smiled back. He let out a weak laugh, and before she could really react he moved. She didn't much see him move as feel the air displaced in his wake. The next moment she was in his arms, her feet dangling, her face pressed into his shoulder.

He lowered her slowly, searching her face for any type of unseen horror, any type of look that she had been broken. She gave him a teary smile, and just pressed her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around him and gripping his shirt with her fingers. He followed, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.

"Hi…" She whispered out.

"Hey." He finally chocked out. "Merlin, I missed you. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I missed you too." She murmured. He let out another soft laugh, before tilting her head up. She saw a flash of anger at the bruise forming on her face from where Chamberlain had smacked her, before glancing down at her mouth and looking back into her eyes. He was hesitant. She offered a soft smile and nodded. Seconds later he kissed her, gently, as if afraid that he was going to hurt her. But he pulled away abruptly, his face etched in pain as though she had hit him.

He lifted a strand of her hair, smelling it. Nausea rolled into her stomach. If there was any type of disadvantage of having a boyfriend who was an animagus, his senses were sharper. Definitely sharper.

"Chamberlain…" He growled out. She closed her eyes in pain, before opening and staring at his face. His eyes had darkened considerably, promising with danger to come. His fist clenched around that strand of hair and she saw conflict ranging within him. He released her hair one finger at a time, very slowly, fighting each movement to maintain control. He was biting his bottom lip, hard, scanning down her face to her neck. She glanced down where he had locked his eyes in and her heart dropped where he was staring. Slowly he moved the hair that had been covering the bite mark and it was if someone had ignited fire in his eyes.

"What did he do?" He snarled, looking at her. "Moria, what did he DO?" She bit her bottom lip and gave him a look.

"He didn't manage to do anything."

"But he tried, didn't he?" Sirius hissed. She looked at him. She had expected him to be angry or disgusted with her. To her surprise he wasn't. At least not with her. He was hurt, and trying to hide it.

"I can taste him on you." He leaned over and sniffed her neck. He probably would have gone lower, but she stopped him, forcing him back to look at her, eye-level. "I can smell that bastard. I'll kill him, Moria. Tell me what he did, and I'll kill him."

Moria shook her head, looking at him, a frown on her face. "You'll have to stand in line." She retorted. "He learned his lesson, Sirius. That's what he did. When he…" She trailed off, trying to find the best word for it that wouldn't set Sirius off again. Realizing nothing would actually work, she sighed. "When he tried to rape me, I showed him that no meant no by stabbing him in the eye with a root." She said. His eyes widened in surprise as she lifted up her good hand to reveal the dried blood that she hadn't yet wiped off. "When I last saw him he was screaming like a little girl and still in the pit that he had put me in. If he shows his face here again, he's going to be taken to Azkaban. As said from Dumbledore himself. Any questions?"

"Actually, yeah. Several." He replied. She laughed and he frowned. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." She replied, pulling herself back into his embrace. "I'm just glad you're here."

He tilted her face up, offering a slight smile. "You sure, you're really okay?"

"I'm fine. Kicking Chamberlain's arse was surprisingly therapeutic." He laughed at that comment before kissing her again. She relaxed into the kiss, going on her tiptoes. They only parted when they dimly heard footsteps.

Looking over Sirius's shoulder, she managed to spot five people slide in front of the Hospital Wing. Lily, Alice, James, Remus, and Peter were panting hard. However the moment that the two girls spotted her began to make squeaking sounds. Moria smiled brightly, moving away from Sirius.

"Hi you t-" She began to say, but didn't even manage to finish the statement before the two now crying girls tackled her. She stumbled, but managed to stay standing.

"You're alive!" Alice sobbed out. Moria offered a teary laugh.

"Of course I am. I'm not going to be leaving any of you guys anytime soon. Promise."

Moria sighed softly as she sat down in the common room. She was exhausted. Not only had she had to listen to people talk to her every time someone spotted her asking if she was okay, but she had grown tired of listening to the 'oh Merlin, you're alive!' comment that she was repeatedly getting. What, had they been hoping that she had died?

Still, most of the comments were kind. The other comments were more painful to listen to, though they had mainly come from Slytherins. Most of those had blamed her for what had happened to Chamberlain, thinking that she had egged him on to do this, that she had teased him into doing it. Those were a bit harder to listen to.

"Rough day?" A voice asked and she looked up in surprise as Sirius sat down next to her with a tired grunt. She eyed him curiously.

"Just a lot more people talking to me than I'm used to." She answered. "What are you doing here? Remus's er…furry problem…is today."

"I know. I'm not going."

"You're not…Sirius." Moria exclaimed. "If you're forcing yourself to stay here-"

"Let me reword that." Sirius interrupted with a slight smile tugging his lips. "Remus told me not to go."

"What? Why?"

"Because he worries about you nearly as much as I do." He explained, shifting a strand of hair from her face. "And he knows I'd be worrying about you the entire night." He continued with a smile. She blushed as he cupped her cheek, grazing his thumb across her skin. She leaned into his touch before he drew her into a kiss. He deepened it, stopping when she stiffened. She shifted, glancing away.

"Sorry."

"Don't be." He responded, kissing her forehead. "Hey Moria…"

"Hm…" She murmured staring at the carpet. She figured what he wanted to ask, but she didn't know how he would react…and worried that he wouldn't want her.

"What happened?" He asked. "You said he didn't rape you."

She blew out a breath. "He didn't. He just wasn't expecting me to fight so hard. I mean he was expecting me to fight at first. That's how I got the broken wrist." She explained. He frowned. "I still fought after that. He smacked me across the face because I bit him when he kissed me." Sirius's eyes flashed in anger, and she only offered a shrug. There was nothing she could do at this point. She didn't have a time-turner or anything. "He was going for my skirt when I stabbed him in the face." She offered a bitter smile. "I always hated that infernal garment. Too much access."

"Mori-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. What was I thinking? Turning my back on that git. I know. I k-" She interrupted, her voice a tone of anger. He shifted, surprising her when he covered her mouth gently with a hand, shaking his head.

"You shouldn't have had to worry about someone attacking you when you tried to leave." Sirius stated, his voice soft. "Don't blame yourself."

Moria was silent and then she nodded. She then yawned, trying in vain to cover it. He chuckled and then stood, holding his hand out. Gingerly she accepted it, before yelping as he picked her up by her waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. Her face went red.

"What are you-"

"Alice and Marlene already figured that I wasn't going to let you out of my sight for a little bit. And since Prongs, Wormtail, and Moony aren't coming back till tomorrow morning, guess where you're staying tonight?"

At this point her face became a burgundy red. "Sirius we're not-"

"Just because we share a bed doesn't mean we're shagging." He stated nonchalantly. He was well aware that even if she was acting like she was fine, she was still in shock, and would probably be a bit more nervous towards those types of acts for a little bit.

She made a grumbling sound, but other than that made no complaint. He offered a soft smile when they finally entered his dorm and he set her down. Her face was still a soft red and she was looking down at the ground. He offered a tight smile and cupped her face.

"Moria. Look at me." He commanded. Slowly her gaze shifted up and locked eyes on him. In this dim lighting she looked fragile, weaker.

Scared.

"It's not your fault, Moria." He said. "That git was a creep and should have been put away years ago." She pressed her hands to his, gripping them tightly.

"I don't want to go to sleep." She murmured.

"Why?" He asked, his breath warming her face. She made a soft sound and she leaned into his hands.

"Because I'm scared if I close my eyes, I'll wake up back in that hole…and he'll…" She murmured, but trailed off. His gaze flicked at her face.

There were so many times that a lot of people forgot that Moria was a girl. Even him. She never seemed to let herself act like a girl. He figured it was because of her past, for those three years that she had lived on the streets. If she had acted like a girl then, so many things could have happened. But she was in fact a girl, and like nearly any girl, there were certain fears that were in the back of their minds. He kissed her softly.

"He's not here Moria." Sirius stated. "He will never be here to harm you again. I won't let him." He continued kissing both of her cheeks, her nose, her forehead. "Okay? He's never going to be here. I'm right here. I'm real. I'm solid."

"I know." She whispered, offering a slight smile. He grinned and pressed his head to hers, before moving away and walked over to his dresser. He rummaged around before pulling out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, and turning, offering it to her.

"You'll need something to sleep in." He stated. She offered a slight smile and gave a chuckle, before grabbing the clothes.

"Turn around you dog." She commented. He chuckled and did as he was told, pulling off his shirt. She stared at him before turning as well, pulling off her shirt and quickly pulling on his shirt. Oddly enough just putting that on felt comforting and she felt safe. She wiggled out of her pants and pulled on his boxers, and smiled slightly. A few seconds later a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and kissed her neck. She leaned into Sirius's chest.

"So…what are you planning on doing for Easter Break?" she asked, trying to change the subject. He smiled.

"Probably just going to be hanging out with James and Remus, Peter is being dragged to a small family reunion." He said and she smiled.

"Poor him." She said and he laughed.

It was early the next morning as two figures walked into the Gryffindor common room. One was nearly dragging the other. "Ugh. Next time Wormtail, hold back on shifting until we get back to the dorms." James grumbled, shoving Peter lightly into the dorm. Peter made a small incoherent mumble as he staggered to his bed, flopping on it. James rolled his eyes. Merlin, Peter acted like a drunk when he was exhausted. James stretched, wincing when he felt his shoulders pop. He glanced over when he heard a soft murmur, far too feminine to be Peter's. He glanced over at Sirius's bed and spotted Sirius's form. Normally, Sirius would be flopped partially off the bed, snoring loudly. However this time Sirius was completely still, his form lying horizontal on the bed. Curious, James crept quietly forward and peered over Sirius's shoulder to see why his best friend's sleep position had suddenly changed so drastically.

He smiled at what he saw.

Moria was curled up to Sirius, her head resting just below Sirius's jaw, her arms lying curved in the small gap between their chests. One of Sirius's arms was bent under his head, while the other was draped over Moria's waist almost in a protective manner. James glanced at Moria. Then grinned.

"Nice to have you back Prescott." He murmured before leaving the bedroom

The remaining of the month before Easter Break was a whirlwind and before Moria knew it they were back at Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

"You sure you'll be okay?" Sirius asked as he drew Moria into another kiss. "I could walk with you." He added. She smiled.

"I'll be fine Sirius." She murmured, laughing as he pulled her into another kiss. "You're really eager to meet Uncle William and Uncle Jacob aren't you?" she murmured against his mouth.

"I'll have to meet them eventually." He said and she grumbled something, rolling her eyes. "Well?"

She stared at him and then sighed. "Fine." She grumbled and then she grabbed her bag that she had brought with her. Sirius wasn't far behind her as they left.

"Do I see an Angel, or a grown woman?"

"William would you stop that?" she heard and smiled looking to her left.

She saw two men standing around the entrance of the station. One was leaning fully on the wall, dark green eyes staring at her with a mischievous grin plastered on his face. His light brown hair was combed to the side. The other man, taller than the first one was standing also had a mischievous grin plastered on his face but his light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he had lighter green eyes than of the other.

"Hi you two." She said as the older men walked up to her. The shorter one pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her up for a second.

"The last time we saw you, you were barely table height."

"Yes Uncle Jacob. I'm fully aware of that." Moria stated into Jacob's jacket as William ruffled her hair. They then noticed Sirius.

"And this would be?" William asked looking at Sirius with curiosity. Jacob looked at him, glancing at him abrasively as Moria moved away and walked over to Sirius, a nervous smile on her face.

"Well…he's my boyfriend." Moria stated and she could feel the stares now turning to glares. "We sort of have a lot to talk about."

"Well that didn't turn out as bad."

"Jacob threatened me with bodily harm if I made you cry, and William warned me that I would be meeting your parents if I hurt you." Sirius retorted as they searched for Lily and James.

"Relax. I haven't told them about Malcolm yet. Once I do, their hit-list is bound to change." Moria said giving his hand a small squeeze.

"Yeah…" He said off-handedly. "I'll miss you." He stated as he finally spotted James talking to his parents, most likely introducing them to Lily. She smiled at him.

"I'll miss you too. Don't worry it will only be a week." She said kissing him on the cheek. He smiled and then, rather reluctantly, walked over to the Potters. Moria smiled before returning to Jacob and William.

"Bloody hell. Last time we saw you, you thought boys were the grossest things in the world. Now you have a boyfriend?" Jacob complained as they walked to the apartment that he and William were living in. Moria sighed.

"I couldn't be five forever." She argued.

"I know…I know." Jacob complained. "So anyway…how'd you convince Malcolm to let you stay with us? Last time I checked he hated our guts." Jacob said and Moria flinched.

"Moria?" William asked, looking at her curiously. She was silent for a few minutes as she sat her bag down.

"…you two might want to sit down. I need to tell you some things." She said. The two men looked at each and then at her concern blooming.

"Moria?" they asked again. Moria closed her eyes for a brief second, then looked at them. And she told them. She told them everything that had happened since she was five. Her adoption by Malcolm, the abuse, the rest of her family finding out about the abuse, her finding out she was a witch (she even had to demonstrate that to them so they would believe her), and all that had happened while she was at Hogwarts, neglecting to tell them about Dane. That was too much on one day. By the end of this it was incredibly late and she refused to glance up at either man. She couldn't see their faces looked stark white, Jacob's face a slight shade of green.

"Moria…Moria look at us." William finally managed to say and she did so, reluctantly.

"None of what happened with…that bastard…is your fault. You understand that right?" Jacob asked, taking over what his brother would have said and Moria nodded slowly.

"So…a witch huh?" William said trying to not think about what had happened to Moria. Despite the somber mood, Moria smiled.

"Yeah…" She joked. Hours later Jacob and William peered into the guest room where Moria was sleeping. William glanced at his brother as Jacob's face grew dark and he walked downstairs.

"Jacob…you know we didn't have a choice."

"Bullshit. We could have fought harder for custody or we at least permission to visit her. We would have seen the difference." Jacob growled out.

"Jacob, as much as I agree with you now, there isn't anything else we can do. All we can do now is being there for her." William said.

"We swore to Maarten and Mable that we would protect her! And we didn't. How am I supposed to forgive myself for that?" he hissed out. William looked down.

"We won't be able to forgive ourselves for not protecting her. But we'll have to live with it." William said looking back up towards Moria's room. As the two sat in the kitchen, Moria was unfortunately awake staring at the wall. She gripped the sheet under her and blinked.

She needed to get on with her life.

And there was only one way she could close the book on her childhood.

She needed to meet with Malcolm one last time.

One last time and she would be free.

She would be free.

It was a dreary day after Moria had returned to London, and she was now sitting in a waiting room of the asylum. Moria was silent, glancing around at the sterile room, no windows visible and the walls stark white. She swallowed. One more time…and then she would free of him. She closed her eyes wishing that someone was there. But they weren't. She had woken up to find out that William and Jacob had gone out on an emergency for their business, Madge was busy with projects, and she was sure that Sirius and the others were on their own vacations. She was on her own. She looked up as the door open and shuddered involuntarily as Malcolm walked in.

"Oh look…my darling niece came to visit me." He state nonchalantly as he was guided to a chair and sat down. She was silent staring at the table, knitting her hands together. She finally looked up at him as he placed a foot on that table.

"Well? Let's talk. Try to keep me interested brat." He said and she swallowed.

"Why?" she finally asked and he looked at her. "Why did you do this to me?" she whispered out. "I was your niece." He looked at her.

"You were an abomination." He finally said and she became still.

"I loved him. He was my brother. My twin. My other half. We didn't need anyone else. I was the ONLY one that supported his need to become a singer. I was the only person he needed. But then you…." He said his voice becoming darker.

"You and that bitch came along and took him away from me. He had never thought about having a girlfriend. He didn't need one. But then came your mother and he ran to her side like a lovesick puppy. And then they had you." He said glaring at her like she was some type of filth. Her insides went cold.

"And after that, my brother didn't come over anymore. He visited when he could but he always brought you along and he would just laugh like a clown whenever you did something to take his attention away from me." He snarled out. "And then he died. Because of you, he died!"

"The accident wasn't my fault!" she finally managed to voice.

"He died throwing himself over YOU!" Malcolm snarled out and Moria stiffened. "And then to add insult to my grief my family drops his brat at my doorstep. A look alike to his memory. A SHAM!" he roared out and despite herself Moria whimpered.

"But why…" She whispered out. He laughed and then glared at her.

"Because you weren't him. You are just a product of him and that bitch. I hated her. And you might have looked like Maarten but you acted like that wench. And I couldn't stand that combination. And you want to know something, my family couldn't either."

"That's not true!" she finally snarled.

"It isn't?" He asked, looking at her, unconvinced. "Then tell me Moria, that you didn't find it odd that my brothers and sister never visited? That when you did visit them or live with them that you rarely visited your parents' graves? Explain why they would drop you off with me and not argue who should rightfully take care of you?" he hissed out and she froze, her heart rising to her throat and her stomach dropping.

"It's because they couldn't stand looking at you either. It was better that the recluse of the family take care of the unwanted child that no one wanted! They thought 'better him than me'! Try and deny it! Deep down you know it's true!" he continued and now she was trembling trying to stop herself from crying.

"Shut up…just shut up." She whispered out and she looked up and was startled that he was now towering over her. He shoved her to the wall and pinned her to it.

"You know it is true. That is why you never fought me. Because you knew you were an abomination." He hissed out. "Tell me, where are your friends? Did they even come? Or did you come by yourself because they aren't here? Have you bothered them to the point where THEY don't' even want to be near you?" He said gripping her chin so he could look at her face. She stared at him helplessly her arms feeling like they had been weighted down. He sneered.

"I'm right aren't I?" he laughed. "You haven't changed a bit. You're still the unattractive, boring brat that scares everyone away from her. Are you afraid of killing them off to? Like little Logan?" He whispered out and her eyes widened and she jerked her chin out of his grip. With a savage grunt, she finally shoved him away and looked at him her eyes glassy with tears, her face red with anger.

"You are a pathetic man." She whispered out and he stared at her in confusion, then anger. "You wanted nothing more but to control me. Rule me like I was a slave…and who knows…if you hadn't been found out, probably use me." She said swallowing. It was time for her to stand her ground.

"But you failed. I fell in love. I smiled. I laughed. I CRIED." She said her voice growing stronger. "Even when I had to visit you in this infernal place and listen to you berate me, I was becoming stronger because of my friends. They protected me. They cared about me. They still care about me." She said and saw his face becoming red in rage.

"You want me to be just as alone as you are. And you lost. You are the pathetic person who shouldn't have been born. You don't deserve my fear. I wish I could say you have my pity, but you aren't even worth it." She said and his face became dark.

"I'm not your puppet or your toy anymore. I am Moria Althea Prescott. And this conversation is over." She said, turning to walk away. She heard a savage yell and turned. She barely registered the smack and tasted blood as she fell. She heard yelling and looked up to see Malcolm being tackled and two nurses rushing over to her side and helping her up. Later she left, heading back towards the apartment that the William and Jacob owned. She tried to forget the pain of Malcolm's words, but to no avail.

His words still hurt her. Still stabbed at her ego. Numbly she walked back to the flat, closing the door before sliding down the door sitting in the foyer. Soft sobs permeated the room as she began to cry.

"Bloody hell…" she whispered out. She sniffled loudly, and still crying, sat back up and went to her room to cry. Later she glanced up when she heard a knock on the door. She sniffled, wiping her eyes as she walked in. She opened the door slightly and her eyes widened.

Sirius stared at her.

"Moria, can I come in?" he asked. She hesitated. She probably looked like a mess and she was pretty sure it was obvious that she had been crying. But her heart won against her mind and she opened it a bit further allowing him in. He entered looking around before finally settling on her and was startled for a second.

"What happened to your face?" he whispered and lifted her chin so he could see the extent of the beginnings of a bruise. She averted her eyes back to the ground.

"…I just left my last visit with Malcolm." She finally said. "Got on the wrong side of his hand."

"Moria, why didn't you call one of us?!"

"I didn't see a reason to ruin everyone else's vacation…" she murmured softly. He groaned.

"You have to stop doing this Mori." He said forcing her to look at him.

"Stop doing what?"

"Sheltering all of us from your past. We're grown adults here and you're our friend…my girlfriend." He said and she was silent.

"Do you want some tea?" she asked, trying to change the subject. He glared at her which she ignored and moved away before walking to the kitchen. He followed her and saw her making a cup of tea. He blinked when he saw her shoulders shaking.

"Are you okay?"

"Well, I just found out that the only reason that uncle hated me was because I existed, thought I was an abomination, I was the reason that my father died, and there might be a small chance that the reason I was dropped off at his place in the first place was because my family couldn't handle me at that moment. Other than that I'm just peachy." She retorted blandly, keeping her eyes trained to the tea cup, trying to ignore the burning sensation in her eyes.

"You actually believe him?" he asked, disbelief obvious in his voice. She swallowed.

"I think I always believed him…at least to some degree." She finally managed to say. "It's not something I like to admit."

"Well he's wrong." Sirius said moving to her, forcing her to look at him. She set the cup of tea down.

"Right."

"Moria I mean it. Sweetheart…if you didn't exist I think there would have been a part missing from me. From all of us."

"I just cause trouble…"she said but trailed off as he pulled her to him and held her.

"Bloody hell Moria. Stop. Just stop." He murmured into her hair. She blinked.

"I didn't say I love you in November as a joke. I love you. I love you so much." He said "I think I've loved you since we first met." He murmured and her eyes widened tears now brimming.

"I hate the fact that you feel it's necessary to shield us from your past. I understand why, but goddammit Moria, I hate it. You aren't alone anymore Moria. You don't have to fight by yourself." He said and slowly he felt her wrap her arms around his back, gripping his jacket and pressing her face into his chest, her cup of tea forgotten. He kissed her temple softly traveling down till he captured her mouth. When they finally parted she blinked, several tears dripping down her face as she smiled.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you." She whispered out and he kissed her softly.

"You're forgiven." He murmured with a chuckle and she finally laughed. Hours later in the dead of night William and Jacob returned, tiptoeing into the house.

"Think she's asleep?" Jacob whispered out.

"I'm assuming. Though I'm wondering why there's an extra pair of shoes here." William asked noticing a larger pair of shoes. Jacob stared at them then began to make a beeline to her room, William. The two brothers peered into Moria's room and despite themselves, smiled at the scene.

Moria was asleep, as they had expected, but instead of being asleep, curled up to her pillow, was resting against an also asleep Sirius. His arm was wrapped around her waist pulling her close to him, his cheek resting on the top of her head. Her comforter was covering both of them but they could see that Sirius and Moria were still clothed. Moria was resting her cheek against his chest and was curled up next to him. They desperately wished they had a camera to record this moment but knew it would only embarrass Moria. Instead they quietly closed the door.