August 7, 1995

The screams of Walburga Black's portrait woke Mariah the next day around noon. She sat up groggily and groaned as the memories of the previous day came flooding back. Minutes later she could hear Molly Weasley's yelling echoing up through the house and lay back on her pillow, covering her face with the blanket. Though the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was large, it was most definitely not soundproof.

There was suddenly a hurried knock on her door and she jumped. Her heart leapt, thinking it might be Sirius.

"Yeah?" she said. The door opened, admitting not Sirius, but Fred and George.

"Why are you still in bed? Can we keep these in here?" asked Fred, opening his robe.

"What–NO!" shouted Mariah as Fred and George shook out their pockets, sending some 6 or 7 paralyzed doxies thudding to the floor.

"We'll come back for them tonight, but Mum's started checking our rooms when we're not there, so we can't risk it," said George. Mariah rolled her eyes, getting out of bed.

"Fine, but not just on the floor," she said, tapping her trunk twice with her wand before opening it. She flicked her wand and sent the doxies flying into the case, shutting and locking it quickly.

"Wow...anything in there we should be coveting?" asked Fred.

"It's empty," said Mariah dryly. "And don't think this is going to become a regular thing. I feel like Molly would actually kill me at this point if she found out."

"We've been testing her limits for years and we're still alive," said George helpfully.

"Remind me why I'm helping you, again?" said Mariah.

"To make sure we experiment with dangerous chemicals in relative safety," said Fred. Mariah stared.

"We really appreciate it," added George.

"Alright, alright," said Mariah. "Get out."

"We'll be back in a few hours with round two," said Fred before shutting the door. Mariah rolled her eyes.

"Round two…" she repeated. Molly would surely kill her.

She dressed and brushed her hair before making her way downstairs. She stopped on the First floor, hearing voices from the Drawing Room where the most concentrated decontamination efforts were focused this week. Molly had just brought up sandwiches, and the Weasleys and Hermione were all sitting near the entrance, eating.

"Morning all," said Mariah as she entered, focusing on anyone but Molly.

"It's nearly one, have you been sleeping all morning?" asked Ginny, raising an eyebrow.

"Adults get to do these things," said Mariah, yawning as she reached for a sandwich, but Molly cut her off.

"They can also get their own food. The rest of us have been at work all morning de-doxying the room," she said curtly. Mariah withdrew her hand, but Molly seemed to rethink her approach a moment later.

"I can make you something else if you'd like," she said in a more controlled, softer voice. Mariah shook her head.

"I can get it myself," she said. She had spotted Sirius and Harry further back in the room and headed towards them.

"Lestrange…" Harry was muttering, and Mariah glanced at the tapestry where Harry was looking, where Bellatrix Black's name linked to Rodolphus Lestrange.

"They're in Azkaban," said Sirius. "Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus came in with Barty Crouch, Junior. Rodolphus' brother Rabastan was with them, too."

Mariah's eyes roved over the names on the wall, spotting one or two ancient Lovells and more than one Delacroix, but she noticed the name Mansfield featured far more often than the name Weasley.

"You never said she was your –" started Harry.

"Does it matter if she's my cousin? As far as I'm concerned they're not my family. She's certainly not my family. I haven't seen her since I was your age, unless you count a glimpse of her coming into Azkaban. D'you think I'm proud of having a relative like her?" snapped Sirius. He suddenly noticed Mariah was there, and his anger diffused.

"Sorry," said Harry, "I didn't mean – I was just surprised, that's all…"

"It doesn't matter, don't apologise," muttered Sirius, turning away from the tapestry to look at Mariah. "Slept well, I take it?"

"This house is so dark sometimes I like to guess what time it is just to mix things up," she said, dropping onto a nearby chair. "But don't mind me, I'm just admiring the noble and most ancient house of Black." She leaned forward and pointed at the empty space next to the blasted burn that was Sirius's name. "Where's my scorchmark?"

"Are you kidding, I never told my mother about that," said Sirius. "She'd have dropped dead on the spot. Maybe I should've, come to think of it."

"Depends. Definitely if it was before she had that portrait made," said Mariah. Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I don't like being back here," he sighed. "I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again."

Neither Mariah nor Harry said anything. Mariah looked at the tapestry again, her eyes roving over the various branches and labeled leaflets of the Black family tree, eyes lingering on the scorchmarks, where the dark, molding wood could be seen behind the fabric. She glanced at the bucket of stunned doxies by the door, and around at the glass cabinet full of dark, ominous silver objects.

Mariah had never actually seen where Sirius had grown up until a month ago, when she had left her home in the Muggle neighborhood to move into the Order headquarters after meeting with Dumbledore and taking an oath. The Weasleys had already moved in shortly after the school year had ended, and at the time Remus had been staying in Regulus's room. Mariah had moved in order to catch up to speed and see where she could be of help, but after several weeks, it had become apparent that living in an active mission headquarters did not mean being active on missions. In fact, the biggest mission at hand was decontaminating the house that had gone to rot in its unoccupied state, with help from Kreacher, who had done very little to keep the house in shape over the years.

But even without the dust, the screaming portrait, the magical pests, and the cursed objects that frequented every room, nothing about this house felt like Sirius to her. Between his rants about purebloods and Slytherins in school, she had only ever fleetingly imagined him looking sullen in a marble hall, or a dinner party at a long mahogany table, and dismissed his complaints. But the truth was that 12 Grimmauld Place went beyond stuffy discomfort into a determined, damp, dark, with immovable reminders of the pain that had plagued him throughout his life as the last Black heir.

"I wouldn't mind if I could just get out occasionally and do something useful," Sirius was saying. "I've asked Dumbledore whether I can escort you to your hearing–as Snuffles, obviously–so I can give you a bit of moral support, what d'you think?" He grinned at Harry.

Mariah felt uneasy. The idea of Dumbledore allowing Sirius to walk into the Ministry of Magic, even as a dog, was unlikely. She could see that even though Sirius was grinning, his smile was strained. Harry looked suddenly faint at the mention of his trial.

"Don't worry," said Sirius, as he, too, saw the look on Harry's face. "I'm sure they'll clear you. There's definitely something in the International Statute of Secrecy about being allowed to use magic to save your own life."

"But if they do expel me," said Harry, "can I come back here and live with you?"

Mariah looked at Sirius, who, to her surprise, exchanged a look with her. Sirius, she knew, would take Harry in a second, but Dumbledore had, earlier that year, laid out to both of them the truth of the situation. Harry had to live with a blood relative, that was the only way he would be safe until he came of age. If being shut up inside was a reason for Sirius to resent Dumbledore, this new rule was definitely the final nail in the coffin.

"We'll see," said Sirius after a moment.

"I'd feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys'," said Harry, insistently.

"They must be bad if you prefer this place," said Sirius, sadly.

"You never met Petunia," said Mariah dryly. "I went to their house once for the holidays. You couldn't make a move without Petunia saying something nasty. She took my shoes." She paused. "And threw them in a pond."

"If you know how bad they are, then you know why I can't go back there," said Harry, looking at her. Mariah grimaced. It was the first time Harry had spoken to her since her resignation that spring.

"Look, you have no reason to be worried. You'll be back in Hogwarts before you know it," she said, reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, sure," said Harry, shrugging her hand away.

"Hurry up, you two, or there won't be any food left," said Molly from across the room, interrupting them. Harry went to get food, but Sirius lingered, shooting Mariah a sharp look.

"Did I miss something?" he asked. Mariah shook her head.

"Nothing in particular," she said, her last words to Harry ringing in her ears again. 'I wish it had been you. I wish you had gone to Azkaban in his place.' 'I'll do you one better – I should have died back then, not her.' Sirius gave her a look.

"Maybe you'll tell me about it sometime," he said. Mariah shrugged.

"He hates me," she said. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"He doesn't hate you," he said.

"He doesn't hate you," corrected Mariah.

"Look, you're here, you're trying. He'll mellow out eventually, he's still an angsty teen on top of everything else he has going on. Don't take it personally," said Sirius.

"Yeah," said Mariah, unconvinced.

"But...you know, if being this involved is really getting to you...you don't have to do this," he said after a moment. "Staying in this house, defending me to Molly, flying off to get Harry when we all know you're terrified of flying."

"We don't all know, only you know that," said Mariah. "Except...well now we all know. And I'm defending myself just as much as –"

"My point is...I've got him, if you would rather get out of here," said Sirius quietly. "You don't have to stay in this house, you know, with Molly breathing down your neck, and this mess to deal with…" He gestured vaguely around the room. Mariah looked up at him, frowning.

"Is that what you want?" she asked.

"Hey, if I was you I'd be as far away from here as possible," said Sirius. "So I wouldn't blame you if…"

"I'm not going anywhere," said Mariah shortly. Sirius nodded, but didn't respond. Instead he walked over to the sandwich tray to join the others, leaving Mariah alone.


August 10, 1995

Over the next few days Mariah made an effort to join in the cleaning efforts, and spent the rest of her time applying to jobs at the Ministry of Magic. Although she was on paid leave, she had no idea how long it would last, nor when she would be going back to work, and the Ministry was looking more and more like a practical option where the Order was concerned. She sent her applications by public owl, so that there would not be a constant stream of owls flying to and from 12 Grimmauld Place. On the plus side, this gave her a nice short daily walk through London to give her a break from being shut up in the house where Molly still addressed her rather sharply and Sirius remained carefully distant. Of course their banter remained normal whenever they were in a group, but they still headed up to their separate rooms every night, and said no more words in private.

In fact, they didn't speak again until two nights before Harry's hearing, when Dumbledore arrived.

Harry and the other children had gone to bed, and only Mariah, Remus, Sirius, Molly and Arthur remained awake in the basement kitchen. Dumbledore had sent an owl ahead, and everyone sat quietly, alert, and in Sirius's case, wary, waiting for him to speak.

"Harry's hearing is at 9am the day after tomorrow," said Dumbledore. "Arthur will escort him to the courtroom. You will not be permitted to enter along with him," he added to Arthur. "I will serve as witness for the defense. Though I am no longer on the Wizengamot, my word will hold some sway."

"But...but there's no case against him, is there, really?" said Molly worriedly. "Dementors, after all…"

"I'm afraid that Cornelius Fudge is no longer making decisions purely through common sense and word of law," said Dumbledore gravely. "He will try very hard to discredit Harry– indeed, he already has."

"The Daily Prophet," said Mariah, and Dumbledore inclined his head.

"We can only hope that Fudge's influence has not swayed the more level heads of the court," he said.

"And if he's expelled?" asked Sirius anxiously. Dumbledore looked down his long nose at him.

"Then he will return, as I mentioned in spring, to his mother's sister."

"Are...are you absolutely sure that we can't take him?" interjected Mariah before Sirius could say anything else. "Here or...or not here. Either of us?"

"It would not rival the protection that a blood relative could provide, as his mother's spell dictated," said Dumbledore shortly. Mariah saw Sirius's hands balling into fists under the table.

"I was hoping that maybe...I could accompany Harry to his hearing as a dog," said Sirius after a moment in a calm voice, inviting compromise. "To be there for him for moral support.

"That is out of the question," said Dumbledore without hesitation, and Mariah saw Sirius's tensed fists loosen as he seemed to deflate. "We can't risk the Death Eaters recognizing you, Sirius. It's too close to the Order. And you're too close to Harry."

"Oh and it's a bad thing for us to be close?" repeated Sirius angrily. "Just because Wormtail told them I'm an Animagus, I can't be there for my godson when he needs me?"

"It's too dangerous," said Dumbledore. "I'm sorry, Sirius."

"I'm not worried about the danger," growled Sirius.

"It is not you I am worried about," said Dumbledore sharply. "Have you given any thought to what Harry might do should anything happen to you?"

Sirius fell silent, defeated, but Mariah spoke up.

"What if I go?" asked Mariah quickly. "As his guardian."

"I'm not sure that would help his image for his case," said Molly, and Mariah glared at her.

"Look, we'll follow Arthur's lead, I'll just be there for moral support and extra guard. Remus's reputation is just as bad as mine is and he still manages to go to these sorts of things. As far as any Ministry worker is concerned, I'm just a Healer," she said, annoyed. "I'll even wear my St. Mungo's robes if that makes a difference. I just don't want him to be alone – feel more alone than he has to," she corrected, looking at Arthur.

"I'm afraid Molly's right, Mariah," said Dumbledore. "Right now to the greater wizarding world you are known as the disgraced wife of Notorious Mass-Murderer Sirius Black. I don't think that's who Harry needs in his corner right now, publicly at least."

Mariah felt her heart sink, but her mind was working quickly. She said nothing more as Dumbledore finished the meeting and left, and she and Sirius headed to the fourth floor.

"Do you ever get the feeling Dumbledore thinks he's Harry's guardian?" Sirius asked suddenly. Mariah glanced at him, unsure if he was truly asking her or just wondering out loud. He ran a hand down his face as they reached the fourth floor landing. "He seems determined to keep me as out of the way as possible. And now apparently he's got you under the same rules."

"Except that I can go out," said Mariah.

"Yeah but not now with my name attached to you. If you were a character witness that would make sense, but not if you're just going as support," said Sirius, grumbling. Mariah raised an eyebrow.

"But I can go out," she pressed. "I can go to Diagon Alley like I have been every day to send owls to the Ministry, and I can, say, go to the Ministry to check up on those owls, make sure those applications have been properly delivered." Sirius was staring at her.

"I suppose...you could," he said slowly. "But only if you wanted to be added to Dumbledore's cautionary list. Known to act rashly," he added in a higher tone that Mariah could tell was a direct reference to Molly.

"That's not rash at all, I'm merely saying I could go check up on my job applications," said Mariah. "You talk about acting rashly, acting rashly would be taking along my emotional support dog for...emotional support." She shrugged, trying to look unconcerned. Sirius let out a dark laugh.

"Dumbledore would kick you out for sure," he said.

"Not when the Order needs all the help it can get," said Mariah seriously. "Besides, I've been applying to a completely different department. The only way we would see each other is if we were to arrive at, I don't know, 8:50am and happen to catch a glimpse of him on his way."

"A glimpse, huh?" said Sirius, leaning up against the wall opposite. Mariah shrugged again.

"A glimpse couldn't hurt," she said.


August 12, 1995

"Snuffles, stop it," hissed Mariah for the third time as the large black dog wound his leash around her legs, nearly tripping her as he revelled in his newfound freedom.

They had waited ten minutes after Harry and Arthur had left before Sirius made a show of slumping off to his room and Mariah made a comment about sending an owl, and they both left the house in silence.

Sirius had not wanted the leash. Mariah had insisted, but now she was starting to regret it. He had already tripped her once, and she had spent most of the trip at a bent awkward run trying to keep up with him as he bounded through the Underground.

A few Muggles pointed excitedly at his enthusiasm, but Mariah was trying to calculate directions on top of keeping a solid hold on his leash.

"It's this way. Stop it! Come on!"

Sirius relented, following her easily down a side street towards a broken phone booth. Mariah pulled the receiver, giving him a dry expression.

"And you were worried about getting caught. I should be worried. Please do not act like this in the Ministry." She pressed 62442 and jumped when the voice came not from the receiver but from all around them.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Er…" Mariah searched for the words. "Mariah Jaeger here to check on job applications… and Snuffles, my dog."

"Thank you," said the voice. "Visitor, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes."

Two badges slid out of the coin return, and Mariah took them.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium," said the voice.

The floor of the telephone booth sputtered into motion and they sank slowly down into the ground. Mariah looked at her badge.

Mariah Jaeger

Job Applicant

She fixed it to the front of her robes before looking at the other.

Snuffles

Dog

She leaned down and pinned the badge to Sirius's collar below his chin where no one would see it.

"I feel like I should have given you another name," muttered Mariah as the ground rose over their heads. "We use this one too often, and it's too unique. I should have said something more common. Like Roger."

Sirius growled.

The doors opened when they had fully descended into the Atrium and the phone booth bid them goodbye with a short, "The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day." Mariah and Sirius stepped hesitantly out into the throng of Ministry workers running to and fro in the hustle and bustle of the early morning. Sirius, to Mariah's relief, was no longer gamboling around, but stuck rather close to her as she made her way towards the Security desk.

Mariah's anxiety peaked as the Security Official wanded her, wondering if he would inspect a dog as well, but he merely moved on and requested her wand for weighing.

"Hold on," he said as Mariah took her wand back from him, staring down at Sirius. Mariah gulped.

"What?" she asked apprehensively. The Security Official looked at her sternly.

"What breed is he?" he asked. Mariah felt a flood of relief.

"Uh...lab mix," she said after a moment. "I think. He's been in my family for ages, we're not really sure."

"He's a beaut," said the Security Official, winking, and Mariah smiled nervously as she turned and led Sirius away.

"Arthur works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office," said Mariah to herself, but also to Sirius, once they'd left security. She spotted a map near the fountain and approached it. "Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Oh no, it's through the Auror Office…" She glanced down at Sirius, who looked up at her. It was very hard to gauge his emotions in dog form. She looked back at the map. "Well, I applied for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad so that's one level apart. Could say I wandered onto the wrong floor…"

With a vague plan, Mariah felt less than prepared, but she walked to the lift with Sirius and entered the throng of waiting people. They made their way forward over the next few lift arrivals, until they stood at the front of the line.

The golden doors opened and Mariah stepped forward only to jolt in shock as the doors parted to reveal Harry and Arthur both looking harried and equally shocked to see her.

"Oh! Ahh, sorry, we can get the next one," said Mariah, but Sirius barked loudly and pulled her forward into the lift. They were accompanied by a tall, sallow man before any of them could say anything, and the doors closed.

"Morning, Arthur," said the man. "Don't often see you down here." Mariah realized they were going down, away from Arthur's office.

"Urgent business, Bode," said Arthur anxiously.

"Ah yes, of course," said Bode, looking at Harry. Mariah glanced at him and saw that Sirius was licking his hand.

She glanced at Arthur and saw him looking at her very sharply.

'Changed the time' he mouthed silently.

Mariah frowned just as the doors opened and the lift voice said, "Department of Mysteries."

"Quick, Harry," said Arthur, pulling Harry out of the lift and sprinting down the hall. Bode got out of the lift, glancing back at Mariah questioningly.

"Oh, wrong floor. I'm never all there in the mornings," she laughed embarrassedly and punched the button for Level Three. The doors closed, leaving her and Sirius in breathless silence.

"They changed the time…" she said, looking down at Sirius, who stopped wagging his tail. "Fuck, they're trying to trip him up." Sirius growled. Mariah watched the light blink from Level 2 to Level 3. "We'll go back down after this, alright? Legitimacy, remember? I'm just here checking up on my owls. If Harry happens to be here, too, well, that's his business." She looked down at Sirius, who was looking up at her. "Nod once if you agree," she said. Sirius nodded.

The doors opened to a cool, "Level 3, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters, and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."

Mariah and Sirius exited the lift onto a floor full of flying memos and stacks of parchment. Mariah approached the nearest and widest desk, where a bookish looking wizard was framed by a stack of envelopes and a stack of parchment. A quill was magically filling out each sheet of parchment that the wizard would then sign, sending it off to fold itself into one of the waiting envelopes that would seal itself and stack itself neatly in the outgoing box.

"Can I help you?" he asked without looking up.

"Ah, yes, I've sent a few job applications in for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, my name is Mariah Jaeger," said Mariah in a higher pitched businesslike voice.

"Eddie Corven's office," said the man, gesturing down the right hallway without looking up. Mariah hesitated briefly before following his directions until she found the door with the matching name, and knocked.

"It's open," said a drawling voice from within, and Mariah opened the door.

A younger man with curly brown hair was writing a memo, which folded itself and soared over her head as she entered the room. He looked up, and she put on her best smile.

"Mariah Jaeger, I sent in several owls about the openings on the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad," she said. The man Eddie nodded, smiling.

"Ah, yes, take a seat," he said, and Mariah did so. Sirius sat next to her chair at attention, and Mariah caught Eddie looking at him.

"Oh, ah, this is my emotional support dog, Roger," she said.

"His badge says Snuffles," noted Eddie.

"Yes that's his given name, Roger is more of a nickname I guess," said Mariah. Sirius looked at her, and she turned back to the man. "So, the job."

"So," said the man, sitting back in his chair, "It's going to be a no."

"A no?" repeated Mariah incredulously. "Why?"

"We just think your background isn't right for the role," said Eddie. Mariah frowned.

"I've been a healer for fourteen years at St. Mungo's. Do you know how many magical accidents we reverse on a daily basis?"

"Your credentials aren't the problem, Miss Jaeger, it's more...your reputation," said Eddie, and Mariah felt her heart sink.

"My reputation or the Witch Weekly article?" she snapped. "I was married the whole of those fourteen years as a successful healer, you know, just because the news is out doesn't mean I'm any worse at my job."

"The Ministry can't take on that kind of baggage right now," said Eddie Corven, standing. "It's out of my hands."

Mariah left the office with a creeping feeling of panic. If St. Mungo's decided not to take her back, and she was ineligible for Ministry jobs, she was fast running out of options. She leaned against the wall, sighing. She hadn't even been excited for this job, but now that she had been rejected she felt more disappointed than she had expected.

Something cold and wet brushed her fingers, and then the whole of Sirius's furry dog head pressed up into her hand. She pet him a little, letting out her breath.

"Never expected to see you here," said a voice, and Mariah looked around to see Kurt Lovell approaching her. Sirius growled, and Mariah wound her hand more tightly around his leash. Kurt glanced at him. "I didn't know you had a dog."

"He's new," said Mariah stiffly. "And we're leaving."

"Hold on, hold on," said Kurt, intercepting her with an arm as she moved to pass him. "Let's catch up. I haven't seen you since–"

"Since your wife dragged my name through the mud and now I'm blackballed from every job I apply to? There, now we're caught up," said Mariah, moving to pass him again, but Kurt moved to block her again.

"You're applying for a job?" He glanced at the closed office door beside them. "With Eddie? Is he giving you trouble? I could talk to him for you, if you wanted. Actually there's an opening in our office that you'd be perfect for–"

"Your office?" asked Mariah, distracted.

"The Obliviator Headquarters," said Kurt, looking cheered that she had inquired. "Lateral move," he added with a wink.

"No," said Mariah, shaking her head as Sirius began to pull on the leash. "Thanks for the insight, but I'm sure I'll manage to find at least one position in an office that is far, far away from you." She tried to pass him again to head back to the lift, but this time Kurt grabbed her arm and pulled her back sharply.

"I think you're going to find that a scandal like that is not going to die that easily," he said in a lower voice. "A position here could offer more benefits than Dumbledore's employ. You might want to reconsider." Sirius began to snarl loudly and Mariah jerked her arm away, shaken. Kurt looked at the dog again. "Protective dog you've got there. You might want to get him a muzzle."

"Trust me, a muzzle wouldn't work, but that's for the best," said Mariah numbly. Kurt gave her a significant look, releasing her arm. She pushed past him and headed towards the lift without another word, walking quickly, and this time Kurt made no move to stop her. She hammered the button until the doors parted and slipped inside, her heart pounding.

After a moment, Sirius pressed the button for the Department of Mysteries with his paw, and Mariah realized she had never selected a floor.

"Sorry," she said vacantly. She realized she had dropped his leash. He took the handle in his mouth and lifted it for her. She took it from him as the doors opened.

"Level 7, Department of Mysteries," said the voice as they exited.

Sirius sniffed the air and pulled her down a hallway to the left. Mariah recognized the hallway they passed from the meetings, but Sirius was pulling her towards the stairs. They descended several flights until they reached a long stone hallway and walked along it. It was dark, and slightly damp, lined with large almost medieval doors. Mariah felt her sense of dread building until she spotted Arthur sitting on a bench near the end of the hall.

"How is it going?" she asked as he spotted her.

"Mariah, what are you doing here?" asked Arthur in a tone that suggested he was already worried about what to tell his wife.

"Checking up on some applications," said Mariah, pointing at her badge. "With my emotional support dog," she added with a lame gesture at Sirius. Arthur gave her a grave look, shaking his head.

"Well that is certainly an excuse," he said.

"We–I uh got off on the wrong floor, since you two seemed so stressed earlier," said Mariah for the record.

"Last minute change of time and venue. We were nearly twenty minutes late, but I think we made it," said Arthur. Sirius was sniffing at the doors to the courtroom, standing very still as though trying to hear. Arthur turned to Mariah. "Dumbledore is serving as witness, you'd better get home," he said pointedly.

"Well…" Mariah hesitated.

"I won't tell Molly, but if Dumbledore sees you, you'll be in for more than just a telling off," hissed Arthur between clenched teeth.

"Oh...yeah," said Mariah, glancing at Sirius where he was sitting by the door. "Will you...will you tell Harry we got off on the wrong floor?"

"I'll let him know," said Arthur.

"Roger," said Mariah, looking to Sirius, "We're leaving."

Sirius didn't leave the door. Mariah walked over and took his leash, giving it one or two short tugs before he relented, whining a little as he followed her back towards the stairs.

They took a route through the park to get back to 12 Grimmauld Place. Mariah removed Sirius's leash and watched him sprint around her at full speed. She bought two sausage rolls at the other end of the park and fed him one as they walked the rest of the way back.

When they got back, each of them snuck off to their rooms quietly. Mariah saw the elation of the outdoors slowly seeping back into depression as Sirius entered the house and returned to his human form. When Harry arrived a few hours later cleared of all charges, the dark, dismal house seemed to lighten somehow, but Mariah noticed Sirius looking sullen in the moments when Harry was not watching him.