Abby's Side

The day they were to leave Hogwarts for the summer dawned bright and hot. Abby dragged herself sluggishly out of bed, knowing that after today it was uncertain when she would see Sirius again. With a sigh, she packed the last of her things in her trunk and put her bag over one shoulder. When she got to the common room, Sirius was deep in conversation with James and Remus. He looked over his shoulder, though, and abandoned the conversation with a smile at her.

"Ready for this summer?" he asked, lacing his fingers through hers.

"Not really," she admitted as they walked, leaning on his upper arm. "I'll miss you."

He smiled, then lifted her head to kiss her softly. "It'll work out. I promise."

Abby couldn't help but trust him, and sighed softly when he wrapped his arm around her as they ate breakfast. She'd never noticed it before, but he was left-handed; so was she. "I didn't realize you were left-handed," she said softly.

"After all this time?" Sirius laughed softly. "I noticed a while back that you are, too. Where'd you pick it up?"

"I don't have a clue!" Abby admitted. "Maybe my cousin? What about you?"

"Suffice it to say I'm not the only lefty in my house," he replied. There was a distant, bitter tone that sent a wave of compassion through Abby. Sirius noticed the look on her face and waved it off. "No big deal... I just don't get along with my brother."

"Have you ever?"

"Yeah, actually. We used to be pretty close. But when I got Sorted into Gryffindor, I apparently sacrificed all firstborn rights." He rolled his eyes. "Not that it matters. I don't want to be like that."

There was a finality in his tone that closed the discussion, and Abby didn't pursue it any further. She wanted to make this last little bit of time with him last as long as she could. "How do you think your O.W.L.s went?"

"Hmm... okay, I guess. Can't be that bad, can it?"

Abby grinned at him. "Are you saying I'm a good study partner?"

"Oh, excellent," he agreed, a glint in his eyes that made Abby laugh. "I love it when you laugh, Abby."

"I love it when you laugh. But don't go all sappy on me, here come James and Remus."

That put an end to their alone time, but when Abby cuddled up to Sirius on the train and fell asleep, James merely shrugged and didn't say anything. Sirius wrapped an arm around her waist and soon fell asleep himself, soaking up the feeling of her in his arms. When they pulled into Kings Cross, both were reluctant to leave the train.

A stray tear escaped Abby's control, and Sirius wiped it away. "Hey," he said gently. "I'll write you, okay?" He brushed his lips across hers and ran his tongue along her lips.

"Give me one to remember?" she asked quietly. He obliged, only pulling away when he felt the kiss getting too deep.

"Are you done yet?" said a cool voice. They turned to see Sirius' brother Regulus, trunk in hand. "Mother will go crazy if we aren't home when we're supposed to be."

"She's already crazy," Sirius snapped, "a few minutes won't kill her." He smiled apologetically at Abby and kissed her forehead. "Write me," he whispered, then he was gone.

"You okay, Abby?"

She turned to see James, and managed to give him a half-smile. "Yeah," she sighed. "Let's go."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sirius and Regulus bickered the entire way to Grimmauld Place. It only escalated when they got in the house.

"Mother!" Regulus called. "Did you get my owl about Sirius' girlfriend?"

"Yes," Walburga Black replied from the shadows. Sirius actually took a half-step backwards from his mother, even though he was taller. "I'm not pleased, Sirius. I thought I told you to STAY AWAY from them."

"Do I always have to do what you tell me?" Sirius snarled. "I was already friends with James! You KNEW that."

"Yes," she said in a dangerously quiet voice. "But I must admit, you have gone for a pureblood. Shows that something of our teaching has stuck."

"Stuck? AS WRONG! I can't BELIEVE you! This pureblood mania shit, who CARES?! It doesn't fucking matter!! One of the best witches in my year is Muggle-born!"

"Sirius Orion Black, if you don't watch your language--" it was their father, who had heard the argument from his study.

"What'll you do? Disown me? I'm already going that way, go ahead!"

Orion Black went pale. "I don't think you realize what you're saying."

"I think I do!" Sirius snapped. "Go on, disown me! I know you want to give it all to HIM-" he pointed a finger in Regulus' direction- "so be my guest! See if I care about owning anything with this pureblood shit around it!" He recoiled; his father had just slapped him across the mouth. The heavy ring Orion wore had cut into his son's cheek, and a trickle of blood was running slowly down his face.

"IF we decide to give it to Regulus, it will not pass from YOUR NAME until you turn 17- or such time as you are no longer considered a Black. You won't be eating tonight. Go away."

Sirius went to his room, heaving his trunk and letting it fall heavily on each step as he stomped along. He slammed the door, then charmed it and fell against it, chest heaving.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK, IF YOU SLAM ONE MORE DOOR, YOU WON'T EAT FOR A WEEK!"

Sirius took a deep breath, stuck his head out the door, and yelled back. "SEE IF I GIVE A DAMN! EVEN THE FOOD IS TAINTED WITH YOUR FUCKING VIEWS!" He slammed it again, but this time, it flew back open. The edge of the door cracked against the back of his skull, and he fell onto the floor, barely controlling his dizziness.

"Get up," his father snarled. Sirius scrambled to his feet, but had to grab onto the dresser for support. "I told you to watch your language. Scourgify!" The bubbles just about gagged Sirius; he suddenly realized how Snape must've felt a few days back. Finally the spell was halted and Sirius doubled over, gasping for air. "I'm not done with you yet! STAND UP STRAIGHT!" Sirius felt himself snap to attention, and winced. "You are a Black, until such time as we declare you are not! You will carry yourself as such!! Dignity and MANNERS, Sirius. DIGNITY! STAND UP!" This time, Sirius felt a backhand across his face; the ring dug in much deeper but he refused to utter a sound. "If I hear you say anything ELSE like that again, Sirius, it'll cost you much more than meals and money!" Another slap, another wince, more blood. "I'm not talking about hurting you physically, I'm talking about forever disowning you, no money, no meals, no house, not a thing! STAND UP!!" Sirius swallowed, and stood up; he immediately received a blow to the side of his head and staggered into the dresser. He felt a crack, and knew he had broken at least a couple of ribs. Sirius finally looked into his father's eyes, and Orion turned around and stormed out.

It only took a moment to decide what his next move was. Sirius was leaving, that very night, no matter what. He laid on his back for a long time, knowing how bruised and sore he was going to be. A storm was brewing, and the wind was howling violently when Sirius forced himself to get up. He shoved what little he really wanted out of his room into his trunk, then carefully dragged it onto the landing. "Colloportus," Sirius muttered, and his door sealed itself. It was two in the morning, and Sirius could hear no sounds of movement as he carefully levitated his trunk down the stairs. Just as he reached for the doorknob, Kreacher appeared.

"KREACHER!" Sirius hissed. "You raise the alarm and I'll make your brain come out your ass!"

"Kreacher wonders where young master is going, in the middle of such a storm. Could he be running away? Oh yes, Kreacher sees his trunk, he should warn his mistress-"

"SHUT UP," Sirius snarled. Kreacher couldn't disobey a direct order, and for a moment seemed to choke. "You can do whatever the hell you want tomorrow morning, but they will sleep tonight. Good-bye, Kreacher." And with that, Sirius slipped out into the downpour, trunk in hand. He threw out his left arm, summoning the Knight Bus.

"Where might you be 'eaded?" the conductor asked as Sirius gripped the window.

"That village near Godric's Hollow," Sirius replied. "I'll tip you if you get me there quick."

Sirius had reached the Potter's when he had a sudden regret. In the middle of the night, you idiot, in a storm, he berated himself. He was soaked to the skin, shivering, and shook his hair out of his eyes. Pain was coursing through him, seemingly centered on his ribs; in fact, he didn't even know what else had happened as his father beat him. Just as he raised his fist to knock on the door, Abby rolled off her bed upstairs with a crash.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Abby?" James called. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah!" Abby replied, tripping again as she tried to untangle herself from her sheets. "A little help?"

"What happened?" James asked, laughing, after he helped her.

"No idea," she said, frowning, as she sat down at the table with a glass of milk. "I just rolled off my bed. I haven't done that in-- ohmigod!"

A flash of lightning had illuminated the windows, and before James could stop her, she'd thrown open the door. "SIRIUS!" she cried as he trudged in. The darkness covered his limp and his injuries, as well as his wince. "You're soaked! What are you DOING?!"

"Ran away," he panted, his eyes finding James'.

There was a sudden noise, and Abby and James looked up to see their mother walking downstairs. "What's going on- SIRIUS!" She gasped. Sirius managed a flicker of a smile before she got a couple of lights on. Sirius shrank away, head down. "Now really!" she admonished him. "Come on, come have something to--"

Abby's shriek drowned out the rest of her words. She had managed to get a glimpse of Sirius' face. He finally looked up, and James' jaw dropped. The taller boy had clearly been beaten. His face was scratched; some of the deeper scratches appeared to still be bleeding. His lip was swollen, and he had an odd limp.

"What happened?" she whispered, cautiously tracing one scabbed cut with her finger.

"Made them mad again," he muttered. It was obvious that he was having trouble drawing breath. "M'parents," he added with a glance at James. Mrs. Potter covered her mouth as the last member of the household made his way into the kitchen. Sirius dropped into a chair heavily, his eyes oddly glazed over. Abby was behind him, gingerly rubbing her fingers into his knotted shoulders. "Feels good, Abby, thanks."

"Sirius!" Mr. Potter said. "What happened?"

"Fallout," James said simply. His dad just nodded.

Abby had cast a drying charm, but Sirius was still shaking a little. She raked her fingers through his hair gently. "Shock?" Abby supplied quietly. When he nodded, she rested her chin on his shoulder. "What hurts?"

"Everything," he groaned.

"Everything?" James asked, concealing a smirk. "Elaborate?"

With a last sideways glance at his friends' parents, Sirius plowed into the story-- from the argument with Regulus the whole way home to his final words with Kreacher.

"You fell into the dresser?" Mrs. Potter frowned.

"Well, yeah... and Abby, don't stop, that's helping my headache." Abby had been rubbing his temples gently but had paused when he spoke. She immediately took up what she had been doing again.

"Uh-uh, Abby, stop, he could have a concussion." With a gasp, Abby looked around into Sirius' face. "If the door slammed into his--" Abby gently ran her hands over the back of his head.

"OUCH!" Sirius yelped, barely biting back a string of inappropriate language. Abby looked at her mother, wide-eyed.

"It did," she said quietly, "and I think concussions are the least of our worries." She held up her hand; her fingertips had slight amounts of blood on them.

"Other room. Now. Couch, Sirius. GO!" Mrs. Potter commanded. Abby and James followed, but their dad stayed behind.

"Maybe you should go upstairs," he said quietly. "No doubt his parents will come looking for him."

Abby and James flanked Sirius up to the guest room, where Mrs. Potter first took care of the gash on the back of his head. "Let's see what he managed to get into now, shall we?" With a flick of her wand, Sirius' shirt vanished. Bruises were already blossoming on his side; Abby bit her lip. "Hmm..." she said softly. "Abby? Do you remember this one?" When her daughter nodded, Mrs. Potter stepped to the side. Abby closed her eyes, took a breath, and uttered the spell. The bruises remained, and were painful, but Sirius knew his ribs were healed.

"Thanks," he breathed, finally able to expand his lungs fully again. "That was really the worst of it. The cuts sting, though."

"They sting?" James repeated, frowning.

When Sirius nodded, Mrs. Potter bent over the deeper cuts. "I'd imagine they do," she scoffed. "There's some kind of topical poison here, all it does is make it hurt, but that does look to twinge." James rolled his eyes at Sirius, but his friend had closed his eyes. Slack-jawed as his mother worked, James turned to his sister. Abby just shrugged.

"I'm going back to bed," she yawned. "Night, James... Mum... night, Sirius," she added, kissing his forehead.

"Uh-uh," Sirius laughed, "That was weak." Abby brushed her lips across his, then quietly walked out of the room. Soon after, the cuts were healed, and James and Mrs. Potter left as well. Sirius rolled over and fell asleep almost instantly.

A crash woke Abby with a start at about 8. It was still storming outside, and she pulled on a sweatshirt and went downstairs. "Daddy? What's going on?" she asked sleepily.

"You remember me saying that Sirius' parents would probably come looking for him?" She nodded, and he looked to the fire. There was a head in it; that wasn't surprising. No, it was just the most unpleasant head she'd ever seen. Both of her parents, looking wary, were avoiding the fire.

"I know you're there!" she shrieked. "If you don't come discuss this with me, I'll Floo right into your living room!"

Abby's dad strode over to the hearth. "Good morning, Walburga," he said calmly. "We-- my wife and I-- were just having breakfast. What seems to be the problem today?"

"Sirius is gone!" she snapped. "I thought he would run right to you!"

"We haven't seen him," he lied smoothly, "and it is quite rude to Floo in uninvited. Is that all we can help you with?"

She appeared flustered; Abby stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stifle her laughter. She waved James off at the top of the stairs, mouthing "LATER!" He disappeared into the guest room, and Abby turned back to the fire. Her father was speaking again.

"...honestly, Walburga, doesn't he have other friends? James is always saying how popular your son is at school."

"My other son says differently! He is the shame of us, sir!"

Abby's laughing fit got the better of her, and she doubled over clutching her stomach.

"Cheers," James said from behind her, also laughing. Abby looked over her other shoulder, and Sirius winked at her. He seemed to be in much better spirits than the night before, and she knew that seeing this had to make it funnier.

"...if you don't bring Abby and James in at this moment, I will be forced to assume you are hiding something!" she said wildly.

When Abby and James met their father's eye, they forced their faces into tired expressions. Abby was the first to walk to the hearth. "W-w-what's going on?" she yawned.

"Sirius' mother is wondering if we've seen him."

Abby frowned. "No, not since he left Kings Cross with Regulus. Why? Is something wrong?"

"He's not here!" Walburga shrieked. "Isn't that obvious, you insolent girl? WHERE IS HE?!"

"How would I know?" Abby shot back. "He's not here! But even if he were, do you think I would hand him over to you?"

James finally spoke up. "I've seen the bruises and the scars you and his father give him!" he said evenly. "If he truly did run away, surely he'd have more sense than to come here, it's always the first place you look when you want to blame someone. Otherwise, you ignore us!"

Walburga seemed fit to burst with anger; Abby knew that Sirius must be slumped against the wall with silent laughter. "You two INSOLENT children! Do you have no respect?!"

"Respect?" Abby snorted. "For what? A bloodline so obsessive about so-called 'purity' that they have gone MAD?"

It happened in an instant. Walburga exploded out of the flames and grabbed Abby around the neck. "LET GO OF MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Mrs. Potter had come flying out of the kitchen, her wand pointing at Walburga. Abby was released, and she staggered away, gasping and rubbing her neck. When Walburga made to lunge at her again, Mr. & Mrs. Potter held her off-- and James wedged himself between his best mate's mother and his sister. He had his wand in her face.

"Threaten my sister again," he said harshly, "and you'll be paying with more than money and apologies."

Abby took her opportunity and fled to the bottom of the stairs. Just as she was about to run upstairs, Sirius caught her around the waist and pulled her close. She could feel his chest heaving, and wrapped her arms around his waist. He finally calmed-- just as James looked around the wall.

"I'm impressed," he muttered, "that you were able to stay put."

"She would've murdered us all," Sirius replied with a shudder. "I'm not hungry anymore."

"Me either," Abby said into his t-shirt. James looked his friend in the eye- and nodded.

"Go on," he said, half-laughing, "I'll cover for you."

They made it up to Abby's room and kicked the door shut before beginning the assault on each other's mouths. Abby broke the kiss with a sigh, resting her cheek on Sirius' chest. He ran his fingers through her hair, amazed at how quickly it had grown long. "Can you just hold me?" she said quietly. Sirius guided her to the bed, and sat down, inviting her into his lap. She cuddled into his arms, feeling more secure than she had all day. Her breathing evened out as Sirius rested his chin on top of her head, and he laughed softly when he realized she was asleep.

"Sirius? Mate, you in there?" James called from the hallway.

"Yeah, but be quieter," Sirius replied. James cracked the door open, and couldn't hide his grin.

"She feeling any better?"

"Dunno, but I guess her falling asleep so quickly is an improvement. She just wanted to be held, almost like--"

"Like she needed a teddy bear," James finished with a slight frown. He shook it off. "You might want to wake her up in a little while, breakfast's almost ready and I doubt you could slip away without waking her up."

"Hmm..." Sirius said. "Food... actually, sounds good now, I haven't eaten a real meal since yesterday morning. Tell your mum Abby's coming down too."

"I was planning on it. Just hurry, before she comes looking."

As soon as James was out of the room, Sirius gently roused Abby. He kissed her forehead as she blinked. "Feeling better?" he asked softly, shifting a little.

"Mmhmm... why'd you wake me up?"

"I'm not sure if you're hungry, but I am. I haven't had a real meal since breakfast yesterday, and couldn't sneak downstairs without waking you up, too."

"Actually, I kind of am hungr-" Sirius cut her off, breathing hard. He had just heard the exact sound he didn't want to hear-- someone Apparating downstairs.

James thundered up the stairs. "Abby, come downstairs. Sirius-- cloak-- guest room-- make the bed."

Neither of them asked questions; Sirius crept into James' room, grabbed the Invisibility Cloak, and slipped into the guest room. He flicked his wand to make the bed, then somehow stuffed himself into the hidden part of the closet and threw the cloak around himself. The door slammed open, and Sirius cast a Silencing Charm on himself and closed his eyes. He heard the room being torn apart, and was glad he'd stuffed his trunk into the hidden space when he'd first arrived. The closet door was yanked open, and he had to remind himself to breathe.

"Are you quite satisfied?" Sirius heard Mr. Potter snap. "He's not here! Not even an owl from him! Now get OUT, before we call in help to MAKE you leave!" There was a loud crack, and Sirius pretty much fell out of his hiding spot when James yanked the boards back.

"You okay?" he asked as Sirius handed over the cloak. Sirius nodded, still unable to speak despite having removed the Charm.

"That," he breathed, "was probably the scariest close encounter I've ever had with her."

"That's saying something," James muttered.

"Are you all right, Sirius?" Mr. Potter asked. Sirius nodded.

"Thanks for helping me out."

"Anytime, you know you're always welcome here. I suppose you'll be spending a lot more time with us now?"

"Only until I turn seventeen. I'm not sure what I'll do then, but you won't be seeing less of me than before at that point."

James laughed. "No, probably more. It doesn't take much."

Sirius fell into a seat at the table beside Abby, his stomach growling. Mrs. Potter turned to look at him. "When's the last time you ate, Sirius?"

"Yesterday on the train, but my last real meal was yesterday morning."

James rolled his eyes. "How'd you manage to get by on that? You eat more than I do!"

Sirius shrugged. "Happens in the summer sometimes. She gets crazy and doesn't feed us, I can remember Kreacher being begrudged that task. Wish I'd remembered to kick him on my way out..."

Abby laughed. "That's mean, Sirius!"

Mrs. Potter set plates of food in front of her children and Sirius before settling into a seat herself. "I'm glad you didn't, Sirius, she'd be after you for mistreating the house-elf next."

"She'd have nothing to say about it. Anyway..."

"What are you three going to do today, now that she's truly out of the way?"

"Hmm... eat, sleep, plot," Sirius replied, his lopsided grin sneaking across his face.

"Plot?" Mr. Potter asked, one eyebrow raised. "Should I be asking?"

"Probably not," Abby laughed, looking between her brother and Sirius. "But this summer's going to be a lot more fun now."

June and July went by extremely fast, with Abby and Sirius getting into no more than a makeout session and frequent cuddling. They had ample opportunities, but neither really saw a point in rushing their time together. When Abby went down to breakfast on August 1st, her mother was letting an owl out the window. Sirius and James were right behind her.

"Hogwarts letters," Mrs. Potter explained. "And O.W.L.s." She handed her children their letters, then Sirius his. "Dumbledore doesn't miss a thing, Sirius, I think your letters will be finding their way here for a while."

Abby, Sirius, and James sat down at the table. Abby managed to get her O.W.L. results out fastest; her brother and boyfriend were still yawning sleepily. She bit her bottom lip as she scanned the letter.

ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS

Pass Grades Fail Grades

OUTSTANDING (O) POOR (P)

EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS (E) DREADFUL (D)

ACCEPTABLE (A) TROLL (T)

Abigail Cassandra Potter has achieved:

Astronomy A

Care of Magical Creatures E

Charms E

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Arithmancy O

Herbology E

History of Magic A

Potions O

Transfiguration E

Abby could hardly believe it; her mouth had fallen open in shock. Sirius leaned over to whisper to her.

"What? Bad? Or good?"

"Really good," Abby replied, blinking. "Trade?"

Sirius gladly handed his over. Their grades were, in fact, very similar, except that Sirius had failed Divination and History of Magic. 'What a surprise,' she thought, 'he and James only ever played games in History.' When she got hers back, she looked over at her brother's. Again, very similar, but he too had failed Divination and History. She rolled her eyes. 'They probably mocked the poor professor,' she thought. 'Oh well.' Abby gave her mother her scores, and was happy to see that she seemed very pleased.

"Excellent, all three of you! We'll go to Diagon Alley after breakfast, how's that?"

Sirius started to nod-- then shook his head. "We should wait. If Regulus got his letter today, they'll be going to Diagon Alley. That's the last place I want to run into them."

James agreed, and Abby nodded after looking between them. "After what we went through earlier this summer, it would seem a waste to throw it away now," James said, voicing the opinion of all three. Mrs. Potter nodded.

"I understand, you're quite right. We'll go next week, how's that?"

"Sounds good," James said, digging into his plate of food at last.

The following week, the group flooed to the Leaky Cauldron. Tom nodded at them as they passed. Sirius halted them. "I just had a thought. If, by some chance, we were to see someone... we don't want to-- it wouldn't look suspicious if I was with James and Abby."

"That's true," Mr. Potter said. "Oh, go ahead. You lot all have money to get your things, I see no harm in it." Placing an arm firmly around his wife's shoulder's, he led her down the alley. James turned his head as Sirius kissed Abby thoroughly and laced his fingers through hers.

"Where first?" Sirius asked as Abby freed her fingers and wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Dunno. Where do you want to go? We've got all day."

"Can we go get ice cream?" Abby piped up.

"Abby! It's 10:30 in the morning!" James said.

"So? Doesn't matter."

Sirius shook his head. "Mate, let's just get her her ice cream. It's not like it'll take that long."

James had his back turned for a while as Abby ate her ice cream. She winked at Sirius, then picked up the cup of dessert and licked it slowly, her eyes locked on his the entire time. Sirius made himself swallow, but he felt as if he'd jump right across the table if she kept it up, James be damned. James called out toward the passers-by, which made Abby set down her treat.

Sirius looked up and saw Remus walking towards them, grinning widely. He joined them, looking at Sirius oddly.

"What?" Sirius asked, nonplussed.

"Mate, it was in the paper that you ran away, your mother was going spare!"

"Obviously, if she resorted to that," he replied, snorting with laughter. "We've had our share of her this summer, no worries."

"What drove you over the edge?"

"Tell you later," Sirius muttered. He'd just spotted the very person he did not want to see, and resultantly slumped down in his chair. Two of his cousins were stalking toward him, and James grit his teeth. Bellatrix and Narcissa were two of Sirius' least favorite people; Bellatrix had graduated from Hogwarts three years before and Narcissa had just graduated. Sirius wasn't surprised to see that Andromeda wasn't with them; he'd gathered that she had stayed with her Muggle-born boyfriend from school and resultantly been blasted off the tapestry.

"Hi, Sirius!" Bellatrix said brightly; Sirius glared at her and this false show of affection. "Oh, but haven't you heard? Cissy and I are both engaged!" It took a great effort for Sirius not to roll his eyes or gag; Abby spat her mouthful of ice cream onto the ground unceremoniously.

"Yes, Sirius, isn't it wonderful? Purebloods, they're really incredible. Fine gentlemen."

"Who?" Sirius asked stiffly, though he thought he already knew.

"Lucius Malfoy for me, and she's engaged to Rodolphus Lestrange!"

James went white as a sheet, and Abby paled as well. Both of them hated the Dark Arts; anyone involved in them was at the bottom of the totem pole in their world, and both of the named had been notorious for it at Hogwarts. Both were older than the girls, and had been in Slytherin. They finally flounced away, and Sirius realized he was gripping the table so hard his knuckles were white.

"That ruined my day," Sirius grumbled. "Completely ruined it."

James nodded. "Am I thinking what I think you're thinking?"

Sirius, jaw clenched, nodded as well. "Death Eaters. To hell with them, too!"

Remus shook his head. "That's pathetic," he agreed. "Sirius, remind me again how you're related to them? Is it really by blood?"

Sirius and James both took the joke and burst out laughing. "No," Sirius replied. "I was adopted, or dropped out of the air by a stork. I'm just a look-a-like, not REALLY related."

Abby smiled at his sarcasm, and pushed her ice cream away. She started to sneak her hand up his thigh, but he brushed it away. Before she could say anything, he winked and stood up. "Let's go get our school stuff. Like I said, that completely ruined my day."

It didn't take long to find what they needed, and they parted with Remus after getting their textbooks. "Let's just go home," James muttered as they entered the Leaky Cauldron. "I don't much fancy another encounter, do you?" They flooed back, stumbling out to find Mr. & Mrs. Potter already home.

"Did you see your cousins, Sirius?" Mr. Potter asked tensely.

Sirius nodded. "Unfortunately. Did you see Andromeda, by any chance?"

Mrs. Potter smiled. "Yes. She was with her fiancé, did you know she was engaged?"

Sirius wracked his brain for a minute. "Umm... yeah, I think I did. She sent me an owl at school, I'd just forgotten about it. Did she talk to you?"

"Oh, yes. She seems happy, Sirius. She's glad you broke with your parents, you know."

"Yeah. I do know, she's kind of been spurring me on since I was five or six. It was always my own thoughts, but she sort of... pushed them along you could say. Encouraged me." Though upset he hadn't seen his favorite cousin himself, Sirius couldn't help but be in much better spirits. When September first rolled around, he was more than ready for term to start.

"Thanks for letting me stay," he said as he hugged his friends' parents.

"Really, Sirius, it's our pleasure. Will we see you at Christmas?"

"Definitely," he replied. He, James, and Abby dragged their trunks onto the train, looking into each compartment. Finally they found an empty one. "Wonder where-"

Before he could finish, the compartment door slid open and Remus followed Pettigrew in. Abby had a sudden feeling that she couldn't shake, and linked it immediately to the round, cowering wizard next to Remus. "You okay?" he whispered so only Abby could hear.

"Yeah," she replied, "I just don't like him. I get a weird feeling around him."

Sirius settled into the corner, and Abby cuddled up to him. In his warm, secure embrace, she soon fell asleep. Sirius grinned at her sleeping figure, kissing the top of her head before joining the conversation. Abby slept right through the food trolley; Sirius only woke her when the lamps flickered to life so she could change into her robes. She was pale, and suddenly Sirius wondered how he'd missed it before.

When they got into Hogsmeade Station, Sirius held her up. "Tell me the truth, Abby, what's wrong with you? I just noticed you back there, you're pale!"

Abby looked up at him; seeing the concern in his eyes made her mind up for her. "I told you I get a weird feeling around him?" Sirius nodded, nonplussed, as they walked. "Sometimes I get these weird feelings about stuff, or around people. They usually make me sick, it was everything I could do not to lose my breakfast all over him."

"Do you... do you feel better now?"

"Yeah," Abby replied, managing a smile. "You helped, too, you know. Holding me close like that."

"Really?" A memory flickered to life. "Abby, is that what happened after... after she grabbed you? And around Bellatrix and Narcissa?"

Abby nodded. "Just... please don't tell anyone. Promise?"

"Of course I do," he replied, kissing her and helping her into the carriage. Abby knew he meant it, but was still trying to sort her jumbled thoughts when she was pulled back into reality.