Nox Redux

Coda: one week later

Arabella's house smelt of cat piss and cabbage. She always did like cats and boiled vegetables. Sirius paced around the living room like a caged thing, thankful that she'd left him by himself. Despite both Remus and Dumbledore's assurances that there were no further signs of Memory Charms, or anything else for that matter, there was really only one way to find out if he truly had broken the curse. But he was still nervous; what if there was still something there?

Eventually, just as he thought he would go mad with impatience, he heard the doorbell ring, and Arabella's shuffling slippers as she went to answer it. Then came the sound of voices as she greeted the visitor. The living room door opened and Arabella came in, saying, "In you come, dear, there's someone here who wants to see you."

When he saw who it was, Harry's expression was priceless. "Sirius!" he exclaimed through one of the broadest grins Sirius had ever seen.

"Hi, Harry," he responded, grinning back at him like a complete idiot. "How are you?"

A slight shadow flickered across the boy's face, and Sirius felt a rush of concern, as Harry replied, "Oh I'm fine, don't worry about me. What about you, is it safe for you to be here?"

"Never mind me, I wouldn't be here if I didn't think it was important." Then he gave a rueful grin, and gestured to Harry to sit down on the sofa and sat down beside him. "We're a right pair, aren't we?" he said, "Never mind me, don't worry about me, both lying through our teeth that we're fine. However, since I'm supposed to be the grown up here I'd better start doing my job."

As he slowly and painstakingly got the boy to talk, all he could feel was a deep desire to protect him, and to try and make things up to him. There was nothing in his head telling him to kill, nothing telling him to harm Harry in any way. It felt as if he could see the first, small shoots of spring after a long, dark winter.

Harry finally finished unburdening himself and looked at him with a glint in his eyes saying, "Right, Sirius your turn, I want to know how you really are."

He looked back at the boy staring earnestly at him, and while he knew there were some demons in his past he might never shake off completely, for the moment he wasn't lying when he replied, "It's OK, I really am fine."

---

That's really the end, but readers who had been wondering what happened to Buckbeak, may be interested in this archive clipping I found. It's from the Amblesbury and Hexley Dispatch of 17th July 1995.

Is it Something in the Water?

Local residents are clamouring for Southern Water to check filtration systems in the Amblesbury water treatment plant following claims that New Age Travellers contaminated the water supply with psychedelic drugs after two farmers shot a dog belonging to them last week.

The farmers, Bert Haddon (43) and Pete Simpson (37) both Hexley, were detained on Monday under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983. In a bizarre incident, they attacked local vicar Robert Midgely in the churchyard of Hexley Parish Church claiming they were shooting at a winged monster, which had landed behind him. Following Mr Midgely's rapid departure they claimed the monster attacked them before flying off, apparently unhurt, in a southwesterly direction.

The winged monster was later identified from the farmers' descriptions as a hippogriff, a mythical beast half eagle and half horse, which does not, of course exist.

Evidence for the water contamination theory was provided by Hexley publican, Bill Laidlaw (56), who reported seeing the two farmers in an altercation with two New Age Travellers who had been looking for a missing dog.

A spokesperson for Southern Water was not available for comment yesterday.