I meant to publish this two days ago, but I just kept writing and things got in the way. This is a fairly long chapter, working on the next now. :)

Thanks for the reviews, Pupluver43, Marycaity, javalon14, Weasleytwinslover87, and LizziePixie-Aiko! :D

So...reviews...they're nice. ;]

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE. JK ROWLING IS JESUS!

CHAPTER 59

Garbled noise came from downstairs; Audrey inched silently down the hallway and towards the landing, listening carefully. There were voices, and then there was her mother's voice, clear and vicious.

The voices spoke a language that seemed foreign to me, for I hadn't spoken it in so long…

"Gde ona?" said a rough voice.

"Where is she?"

"She is not here." Airleas spoke, her voice sounding gravelly. A rare thing.

"You lie." Said another.

"I. do. not. lie." Airleas was venomous. Audrey heard a very faint wooshing sound and looked into her room. Her packed trunk was gone, and so was her cello.

She was going to try to send me away…but I wasn't leaving until they did…

BANG.

Audrey was getting nervous; she snuck back into her room, grabbed a small piece of parchment from her desk and scribbled a quick note.

James,

There's a problem at the cottage; I'm going to be late. If I don't show up by nightfall, write to the Headmaster.

Audrey

She made her way towards the window with caution and looked outside, no one. Her owl, Omi sat on her perch looking at her with a curious look. She quickly tied the note to her leg and sent her out the window saying "Find James!"

There were more bangs coming from downstairs. Audrey was about to sprint downstairs when a green light appeared at the end of the hallway, right near the landing. Airleas had placed a shielding charm, and Audrey couldn't break through it.

"I will ask you one more time, where is the girl?" said the rough voice.
"She is not here." Airleas growled. "Leave my home."

"LIAR."
"Filthy half breed." Snarled another.

It was the first time that I did not hear my mother fighting back. I wasn't sure of how many of them there were, but she would always fight back. What was stopping her?

Airleas started to speak in her native tongue, something the men wouldn't understand.

"Audrey, go get your father and run."

The men spoke rapidly to each other, confused.

My stomach twisted in terrible knots, and I made my way to the nearest window.

Audrey didn't waste her time summoning a rock; she flew down on a gust of air and headed for the forest that surrounded the cottage. Her father had gone through the woods earlier that morning on his way to a job for their neighbors.

Though she ran faster than normal, Audrey felt as though going through the woods took forever. She reached a familiar clearing that her father used to take her to as a child.

She stood in the middle for a moment, listening for anything.

THUD…thud…THUD…

Audrey followed the sound of thudding stone, over a hill. At the bottom, she saw a white shirt and the salt and pepper hair she knew well.

"PAPA! PAPA! Pomoshch!"

Isaac turned around to see Audrey hurtling down the hill. His eyes widened with concern.

"What is it, my Audrina?"
"Papa, there are men at the house…men from home…threatening mama."

Isaac's eyes turned from red to black quickly. His features hardened, he looked down at his daughter.

"Audrina, fly to the Potter boy's."

Audrey tensed, she didn't want to leave. She was afraid.

"But Papa…"

"Go." Isaac said, about to sprint back to the cottage but Audrey stayed rooted on the ground. He sensed her fear, he knew it well.

"We will be fine, Audrina. I will show myself to you to prove it after this is all over."

"I love you, Papa."
"I love you too, child. Now go."

Audrey hesitated, but then obeyed her father's wishes and summoned a rock. She flew faster than ever to James'.

My eyes were blurring with tears, I was so anxious that I was losing focus. The rock would start shaking and there were a few instances where I had nearly fallen out of the sky.

A small wave of relief washed over Audrey as she saw the Potter's yard in the distance, and four figures on brooms playing Quidditch. The Marauders hadn't seen her yet.

Audrey felt dizzy and anxious, the rock began to wobble and she had just made it into the Potter's yard.

"RUSSIA!" James roared excitedly, landing first. "You're here! And it's way before sundown."

"Yeah, Audrey. What was that note all about?" squeaked Peter.

Remus landed next, noticing that Audrey looked off and frantic. It had taken his other two friends a few seconds to register.

Sirius' feet had barely touched the ground before Audrey had flung herself onto him, hugging him tightly and shaking.

Of course, I had seen her flying into the yard and I was beyond excited to see her. But something felt terribly wrong.

He was appalled; he had rarely seen her like this. The last time he had was that Christmas.

Sirius lifted her chin and looked at her, tears were pouring out of her rapidly changing eyes and her lip was quivering.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly, watching her eyes change colors.

"These men…barged into my home…they were t-t-threatening my mother…looking for m-me…" Audrey said, trying to stop herself from shaking. "She wouldn't…let me come down….to help…she put up a shield…and told me to get my father…then they sent me away."

Sirius picked her up with a quick swipe and brought her inside, he sat down on one of the sofas in the living room and held Audrey close. She buried her head in his neck, not wanting to think about anything that was happening.

"Did your father say anything about letting you know if they were alright?" Sirius murmured, running his hand through her hair. Audrey nodded, not lifting her head.

"He said he would show himself to prove that they were alright."

"Then we'll wait until he shows himself." Sirius replied softly, kissing her temple.

I was a little surprised by Sirius' behavior; it's not that I thought he wasn't capable of being serious and calm. It's just that it was such a rare thing, he always had a grin on his face and he was always up to something. I was grateful though; he didn't leave my side the entire time we waited.

It was nearing nightfall, and Sirius could tell Audrey was becoming more worried by the hour. She didn't say anything the entire time, and just rested her head on Sirius' shoulder.

James, Remus, and Peter had fluttered in and out of the room all day. James made attempts at cheering Audrey up by pranking Peter, Remus read the newspaper, and from time to time would try to reassure Audrey.

It was very late in the evening when there was a knock at the Potter's door. Audrey swallowed, nervous.

There were so many possibilities of what could be on the other side of the door…

Sirius stiffened, on his guard. He had his wand ready. He watched as his girlfriend crept towards the door, his inner dog getting ready to attack.

Audrey opened the door cautiously, looking outside. Isaac stood on the porch, staring at his daughter. Sirius felt relieved, but Audrey bared sharp teeth, skeptical.

Isaac realized why and let his eyes flash yellow. Audrey softened instantly and ran to hug her father.

They cannot be impersonated, the Dalio family. Well…they can, but the one thing that would give the imposter away was their eyes. The colors that are produced and flashed by them cannot be duplicated by magic or potion. Audrey had been smart to think that there was a possibility that the man standing on James' porch was an imposter. I hadn't thought of that, even though I was right.

"What happened? Where's mama? Is she okay? Are you okay?" Audrey was frantic.

"Part of Vladimir's many idiots." Isaac spoke in English, to include Sirius. Audrey forgot that Sirius didn't speak Russian sometimes, she normally would find that amusing but she was exhausted.

"Is Mrs. Dalio alright, sir?" Sirius asked, popping out from behind Audrey.

"She is fine, a few scratches. But as always, she handled herself quite well. Thank you for asking, Sirius." Isaac replied.

Sirius nodded.

"I'm going back." Isaac said to his daughter, kissing her forehead. "Albus is at the cabin, he wants to talk to your mother and I. Spokoĭnoĭ nochi."

"Good night, Papa." Audrey replied, and with that he began to walk down the pathway leading out of the Potter's estate. No one could apparate in and out except for Henry and Elly.

Relief flooded over Audrey, though she didn't feel that she was in the clear just yet. She and Sirius made their way up the dark staircase to the bedrooms.

She headed to her usual guest bedroom at the end of the hallway to get her pajamas and get ready for bed. She was the only girl at the house that night; Marlene would be arriving in the morning with Sarah, and Lily sometime afterwards. As she was sifting through her trunk, she heard a floorboard creak. Sirius stood in the doorway in his boxers, with his toothbrush in his mouth.

How he managed to smirk when he looked so ridiculous was beyond me…

I'm Sirius Black, that's how.

Audrey giggled, and he continued to brush his teeth. "Did you want something, Mr. Black?" Audrey asked, her pajamas in one hand, the other resting on her hip. Sirius' eyebrows made a suggestive movement, but Audrey played dumb. She raised a brow, cocking her head to the side, and smirked. Sirius rolled his eyes, held up an arm that said to wait. He walked out of the room, into the nearby bathroom, spit, and came back. "Are you sleeping with me, love?" He grinned, leaning up against the doorframe. Audrey studied him, her eyes traveling from his arms to his chest.

"Like what you see?" He smirked.
"Nope." Audrey said, popping the p.

I lied…

Of course she did.

"Oh, really?" Sirius replied, skeptical.
"Really." Audrey said evenly. She turned back to her trunk and went to grab her toothbrush. Sirius had silently sauntered up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Audrey looked at him, he grinned, kissing her cheek. She smiled, shoving him off of her with a light gust of wind.

"I'll be right back." She said, looking over her shoulder, and going into the bathroom.

"It's not like you really need to change, love. Clothes aren't necessary for bed." Sirius called from outside the bathroom door. Audrey opened the door quickly, she had already changed and her hair was up in a messy bun.

She threw a bar of soap at Sirius' head. He caught it just in time. "What was that for?"

"To wash away your dirty thoughts." Audrey said triumphantly, closing and locking the door once more. Sirius smirked to himself, shaking his head. Audrey opened the door again when she was finished washing up for the night and headed back to her room to put her things away.

"You know I'll never be able to get rid of my dirty thoughts, right?" Sirius said, as Audrey turned around to face him.

"You never know, Sirius." She poked his nose. He smiled, kissing her.

"Me thinks the lady should join me in bed." Sirius whispered in her ear. "Oh really?" Audrey smirked, raising an eyebrow.

She was always such a bloody tease.

"Really." Sirius replied, scooping her up and carrying her out of the room. He held Audrey with ease, and made his way to the other side of the hallway where his bedroom was. He tossed her onto the bed and she laughed.

"I didn't consent to this." Audrey said, propping herself up on her elbows. Sirius gave her a skeptical look and said.

"Really, love? Because your eyes gave you away."

Audrey cocked her head in a questioning way and let her eyes turn yellow. Sirius laughed.

"Not like that!" He said, flopping down next to her. She rested her head on his chest.

"I knew you were waiting to do that." Sirius said cockily, Audrey hit him with a pillow and turned over on her side.

"Come back!" Sirius whined, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling. She clung to the bedpost for a few seconds, looked at Sirius, giggled then let go, snuggling into him.

After a few moments of silence, Audrey spoke. "Thanks for staying with me today, you didn't have to." She wrung her hands for a minute then quickly stopped, remembering how Hisoka would get angry with her because it wasn't good for her hands.

Sirius popped his head over her shoulder, looking down at her, frowning. "Well, of course I had to. I wasn't going to let you wait and worry by yourself. I wanted to be there for you whether the news was good or bad."

"I just feel bad that I wasted your day for a false alarm."

"It wasn't a waste." Sirius said, stroking her arm. "I just want to be there to protect you, Audrey. You seem so opposed to that sometimes." He was thoughtful.

Audrey turned around to face him. "It's not that I'm opposed to it. I'm just scared."

Sirius kissed her forehead. "There's no reason to be scared."

"Too many people have been hurt because of me." Audrey said quietly, blinking back some tears.

"I would take the worst possible pain if it meant you were safe." Sirius whispered into her hair, pulling her closer.

"N-n-no." Audrey stammered. "I couldn't let that happen to you."

"It's not going to." Sirius said with confidence. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?"

"I promise."