Sirius Black's Secret Love

Chapter One - Arabella's Surprise Messenger

Mrs. Figg had just finished her afternoon tea when she heard a familiar sound. Albus Dumbledore wanted to speak with her through her fire. She lived in a Muggle neighborhood and was careful to make sure that any magical aspects of her house were carefully concealed so that if any of her neighbors visited they wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Mrs. Figg stood up from her kitchen table and removed the whistling teakettle from the gas stove. She took her wand out from her deep pocket and waved it over the flames.

"Yes, Albus. What did you want to tell me?"

Dumbledore's head appeared in the flames in miniature. Only a portion of his long hair and beard was visible.

"Arabella, please open your fireplace flue. You will be receiving someone who will give you some dire news and a new assignment from me. Do not be alarmed by the messenger - he is to be trusted. You'll understand after you hear his story, which has been verified by me. That is all for now."

Dumbledore's face popped and the flames resumed their normal height. Mrs. Figg replaced the kettle to the burner and shut the flame off.

Dumbledore's words echoed in her head. "Don't be alarmed by the messenger." Who was he sending she wondered. She started to frown. She understood that Dumbledore could often be cryptic, especially when communicating from a distance. He was cautious to not reveal too much that somehow might be intercepted by others. That's why he was sending someone in person to give her detailed information.

Mrs. Figg moved to her fireplace and mechanically opened the flue. She also waved her wand about a foot above the mantel and magically reconnected it to the Floo Network. Most wizards and witches had their fireplaces constantly connected to this network. She saw this as a vulnerability where anyone could fly into your house unannounced and attack you. Therefore, she only allowed travel by Floo powder under her own control.

Mrs. Figg sat down in her favorite chair and held her wand in her lap. She would be armed and ready for whomever Dumbledore was sending. She looked at the clock on the mantel. Any minute now. Then she heard the rumbling of someone coming through the chimney and landing on her hearth. Her eyes opened wide as she recognized the figure, struggling to stand. Before her stood a man wearing ragged robes and having long matted hair and a shaggy beard. The orange tabby cat that was sitting at her feet arched his back and hissed.

"Sirius Black!" Her knuckles were white from clutching her wand tightly.

"Arabella, didn't Dumbledore tell you I was coming?"

Her eyes were cold towards him.

"He told me to expect someone, but didn't say who. Give me your message and then give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you."

He held out his hands in front of him.

"Please, calm down. The message is lengthy - the first thing you must know is that Voldemort has risen. He has a body once again and Dumbledore needs our help to fight Voldemort. I'll tell you all about that but I must tell you that I never betrayed the Potters. That evil deed was done by Peter Pettigrew. I had tried to track him down and seek revenge, but he got the better of me."

Arabella Figg's eyebrows furrowed. "But you killed him as well as a street full of Muggles."

Sirius shook his head slowly. "No. That was done by Pettigrew. He faked his own death and caused the explosion. He framed me for everything. I snapped. Lily...James...and then all those innocent people killed by someone I thought was my friend. I had trusted him. And I misjudged and underestimated him...I was devastated. When agents from the Ministry came - I was hopeless in stating my case. They didn't even test my wand they just sent me to Azkaban without a trial."

Sirius then told her of Pettigrew, James and himself being unregistered Animagi and how Pettigrew lived for twelve years as a rat. Arabella was visibly shaken when she heard how close Pettigrew had been to Harry Potter. After he finished telling her how he had escaped from Azkaban in order to save Harry and how Wormtail had escaped after that night in the Shrieking Shack, she had tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, Sirius. You don't know how many nights I laid awake wondering how I missed signs about you. I blamed myself since we had worked so closely together and I felt responsible for...everything."

Sirius crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the sofa nearest Arabella's chair. She set her wand down and Sirius took her hands in his in a comforting gesture. The cat at this point crawled up on the hearth and started to sleep, he was now satisfied that the visitor meant no harm.

"That's how I felt about Pettigrew. Thoughts of betrayal, vengeance and the bitter taste of injustice were all my constant companions. They weren't happy thoughts so the Dementors couldn't feed off them. Somehow, I managed to maintain some semblance of sanity. I don't want you to start thinking about Pettigrew now. He's not worth any more aggravation for anyone. You've punished yourself enough thinking about me."

"Sirius, when I heard about what you were accused of, it hit me really hard. Hours after Lily and James were killed, Dumbledore asked me to watch over Harry. We had the perfect plan. If I was present when Petunia discovered Harry - then I could work to become a trusted family friend. I was to live here and establish a close relationship with the Dursleys and be a surrogate grandparent for Harry and Dudley. Except...that's not what happened."

Sirius frowned. "What happened?"

"Well, the plan worked at first," Arabella started slowly. "I had stationed myself across the street hiding waiting for Petunia to open her door in the morning. She screamed and fainted as soon as she saw Harry. I rang her front doorbell to wake up her husband Vernon. When he came downstairs, I told him that I saw her faint dead away. That's when he saw Harry and already he started in muttering. I helped make tea and resuscitate Petunia. Then I worked on feeding and changing the two small boys. I spent all day with them, ingratiating myself with them and offering to help them out as much as possible. And then...I came home and found out about you and Pettigrew."

New tears came streaming down her face. Sirius took one hand and tenderly brushed them away.

"I was devastated," she continued. "I simply couldn't function properly. Nothing could make me get out of bed for a week. By the time I got over my shock and tried to reconnect with the Dursleys, it was too late. They had already decided how they were going to treat Harry. He was an embarrassment and they were going to try to pretend he didn't exist. I also became an embarrassment to them, because I knew of Harry's existence. I pretended to accept them at their word that a close family friend had dropped off Harry when his parents died in a car crash. So, I was someone they turned to only in times of desperation. In order to seem less of a threat to them - I became eccentric. The crazy old cat lady. Harry has never known that I'm here watching over the neighborhood to protect him from Dark Forces."

Arabella had now finished crying. She turned and looked Sirius straight in the eye. "Dumbledore said I was going to have a new assignment. What is it?"

"He wants you to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor."

"Really? What happened to the last one?"

Sirius gave a wan smile. "Well, you see he's doesn't seem to be able to keep anyone for longer than a year. Last year he had Alastor Moody in that position...except it wasn't really Moody."

"What?" she asked nervously.

"No, it was Bartemius Crouch, Jr., a Death Eater who everyone thought died in Azkaban. He and Wormtail had overpowered Moody. Crouch kept him hostage in his own trunk under the Imperius curse."

Arabella shook her head slowly. "Oh poor Alastor. He's always been paranoid. I can't imagine how he'll recover from that."

"I know, there's so much more I need to tell you about Crouch and what happened to Harry."

"Yes, yes, I know," she said nodding. "Tell me, who is supposed to watch over Privet Drive while I'm at Hogwarts?"

"Well, Dumbledore thinks that this would be a good place for me to hide out at."

Arabella tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. "Not looking like that. Oh, we need to do a bit of work to change your appearance. After all, you're still a wanted fugitive." She shook her head. "I can't believe that Dumbledore didn't try to help you get rid of the convict-on-the-run look. Honestly, you look like you just escaped from Azkaban two days ago instead of two years ago."

Sirius gave a sheepish grin. "Well, most of the time I didn't appear in my human form, but in my Animagus form."

"That won't do you any good in this neighborhood. Look, why don't I get dinner going and you can take a nice long, hot bath. When you get out, I'll cut your hair. Come and follow me."

Arabella crossed to the fireplace and closed the flue and then waved her wand to disconnect it from the network. She took Sirius down a hallway into a tiled bathroom with a bathtub that had a shower attachment. She brought out some large fluffy towels and handed him a razor and shaving cream.

"Everyone remembers you from your youth as clean shaven with longish hair. Now your wanted photos show you with a beard and long wild hair. Why don't you shave and leave a mustache? I'll give you a good haircut before dinner. Then we'll work on other ways to change your appearance to help you walk with ease in both the Muggle and the Wizarding world."

Sirius gave her a big smile. "Thanks Bella." He paused then said softly, "Could you do me a favor?"

Arabella returned his smile. "What's that?"

"Resume your true form for me. I'd like to see my old friend and not your disguise."

Arabella nodded. "All right. Just for you. And I'll see if I can find any clothes for you. We need to burn these robes. Oh and before you step in the bath, could you please place five drops of this under your tongue?"

She handed him a small bottle with a green liquid inside. Sirius looked at the bottle quizzically.

"What is this?"

Arabella gave a small smile. "It's to rid yourself of ticks and fleas. I give this to all of my cats. If you've been living as a dog for a few years now, I'm safe in thinking you may have picked up a few fleas. I don't let the cats bring them in this house and I'm not letting you do it either. Have a nice bath."

Arabella closed the bathroom door. She could hear the bath filling with water. She then started to imagine Sirius disrobing. She shook her head and started blushing. How long had it been? How long since she had been held tenderly? How long had it been since she was kissed and made love to? Far too long. It had been fifteen years since Robert's death. Since Robert's murder she quickly corrected herself.

She opened her closet door and looked at the far end. Here were the few things of her late husband that she had kept. She took out a white shirt, black pants and a simple black robe. She didn't have any undergarments for Sirius, but right now - that probably wouldn't matter. She doubted that when he was in Azkaban that they would replace any worn out clothes. Instead, she assumed that the robes he was wearing were the same ones he had been arrested in. Had he worn any knickers then, surely they would have been thrown away years ago.

Arabella then looked in her closet for her own clothes. She chose a simple black dress with short sleeves. It was a warm summer's evening and there was no real need for a robe. She changed out of the frousy old lady housedress she wore into the black dress. Then she reached for a small vial of potion. She administered three drops of the clear fluid under her tongue and looked in the mirror waiting for it to take effect. Within seconds, the wrinkles around her eyes started to melt. Her eyesight started changing and she quickly took off her spectacles, as they were no longer needed. Her hair color started moving up the strands of her hair until the bun on top of her head was now filled with a honey blond colored hair instead of white. Arabella was now looking at her true self, a forty-four year old woman. She smiled appreciatively at her reflection and noticed how her figure had changed and firmed up.

"Not too bad, if I do say so myself. Arabella, I haven't seen you look this young in ages!" She laughed to herself and then rubbed her hands together, "Now about that dinner."

Arabella walked into her kitchen and started looking in the refrigerator. What should I make, she wondered. He probably hasn't eaten well in years, so it won't matter really but...He needs some good stick to your ribs kind of food. She made her mind up and decided on Shepherd's pie, a garden salad and an apple crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert. She directed her wand in many different directions getting a knife chopping onions, while a pot was filling with water for the potatoes to boil in. Another knife was peeling apples. The kitchen started to fill with the smell of dinner cooking. She allowed her mind to drift backward in time.

"Sirius, I need to talk with you about your sex life."

"Arabella...please," Sirius sputtered. " I think my love life is my own business, thank you very much."

"It would be if you were in love with someone. But you aren't. You have a different girlfriend every week. It's a liability for us. Sooner or later you're going to be on a date with someone who will want to kill you."

Sirius looked at her darkly. "I think I can take care of myself."

Arabella returned a stern look at him. "You're endangering everyone with your reckless behavior. You don't even know half of these women before you go out with them. I'm assuming you sleep with most of them. That's putting yourself in a very vulnerable position. We simply cannot allow you to jeopardize everything we've been working on in the last few years because you cannot control your hormones."

Sirius softened his tone with her. "That is easy for you and Lily and James to say. You all have found someone to fall in love with. I haven't. I'm just trying to find someone to love."

Arabella continued in a direct and no nonsense manner. "Love is more than just shagging someone. You need to find someone who you truly like, someone that you can trust, someone that will laugh at your jokes and that makes you laugh. You need to find someone who will love you for who you are and who understands what is in your heart. Going from bed to bed like you're doing - you will never find love. Right now, your libido is a liability. You need to either find yourself a steady girlfriend, take a sabbatical from dating for awhile, or you're going to have to screen your dates with me first."

"Whoa, Arabella! I've never seen you like this. You're..."

"Direct, that's what I am. Word around town is that you show the ladies a good time in the sack. How come you can't get a second or third date?"

Sirius blushed darkly. "I don't have to listen to this."

"You bloody well have to. You report to me and I'm telling you that we're all lucky that you haven't been targeted yet and find out that a Tuesday evening girlfriend happens to be a Death Eater in disguise. If they capture you and torture you..."

Sirius's anger was rising. "I'll never tell them anything and you bloody well know that."

"Then they'll just kill you," she spat at him. "Sirius you are a brilliant wizard and I don't want to lose you. Now start doing some thinking with that larger head of yours for a change. From now on, you cannot just meet someone at the Leaky Cauldron and then take them back to your flat. If you meet someone you're interested in, you will make a date with them. But you will bring me their name, year and house from Hogwarts and any other personal information you can gather before you are alone with them."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You're going to do background checks on them?"

"You bet. I'll try to find out anything suspicious and let you be forewarned so that you can be forearmed. And Sirius, this is not negotiable."

"Very well," he muttered darkly under his breath.

Arabella started sprinkling the cinnamon sugar over the layers of apple slices in the ceramic dish. She really had liked working with Sirius; it's just that he was so cocky and headstrong at times. It infuriated her, but also endeared him to her because that weakness was also his greatest strength. She remembered how Dumbledore came to her and offered her a job as a free-lance Auror. She'd have more freedom and less bureaucracy than continuing to work for the Ministry of Magic. He also wanted her to train and supervise two new graduates from Hogwarts that he praised highly: Sirius Black and James Potter. Arabella's thoughts then drifted to one of her darkest nights.

Arabella was watching from a safe distance as two young people were kissing on a bench under a gazebo. It was a warm autumn evening. She was quietly sitting there in her cat form in the shadows and silently wondering whether or not this was even necessary. Sirius started to kiss the young woman's neck and then he started to unbutton her blouse. One button, two buttons, three buttons. This exposed an ample amount of cleavage. Arabella started wondering, "just how far is this guy going to go in the great outdoors?" He buried his head in the young woman's chest and she gave out a low moan. Then Arabella's ears straightened and her eyes narrowed. The young woman's arm that was supporting her against the bench started to move, but it was not moving towards Sirius's back in an affectionate manner. Instead she was reaching behind the bench for something. Arabella saw the glint of moonlight off the blade of a large knife and she transformed back into her human form.

"Expelliarmus!" she roared. The knife flew towards her and she used her wand to slow the knife down and to bring it to her. She took out a handkerchief and placed it on the handle. She carefully smelled the blade and frowned. She then placed the weapon in a large purse.

Sirius had raised his head immediately when he heard the curse being uttered. His date had flown backward and was knocked unconscious. He then saw Arabella emerge from the shadows.

"I was following up on a hunch of mine. There was something in her background check that just didn't smell right."

"Thank you," he sighed heavily and then shook his head. "Maybe I do need a sabbatical from dating."

Arabella smiled, "We'll have to test this knife when we take her to the Ministry, but it smells like a very potent poison on it from the Amazon rain forest. A single scratch can be lethal. Please help me with her."

Arabella conjured ropes around the young woman's hands and Sirius slung her over his shoulder. He carried her over to his motorcycle and Arabella climbed on the back. The unconscious woman was then sandwiched between Sirius and Arabella. They rode in silence back to the Ministry of Magic.

As they entered the Ministry's offices Arabella strode to the front desk. "Hello, Ralph. We're here tonight to turn over someone who attempted to murder my partner, Sirius Black. I have the weapon here in my purse with her fingerprints on them. We'll revive her as soon as she is securely in custody for interrogation."

Ralph looked up with grave concern in his eyes. "Arabella, we've been trying to get in touch with you for a couple hours now. Have you spoken with anyone?"

"Why? What happened?" she asked with great dread in her voice.

"It's your husband. Robert was killed. The Dark Mark was over your house."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Arabella heard the water from the potatoes boiling over on the stove. She quickly went over and shut off the flame. She tested the potatoes and they were done. She then directed her wand to a potato masher to mash them in the pan.

Sirius was knocking on the Potters' door. Lily answered and looked surprised to see them.

"Arabella, Sirius. What brings you here at this time of night?"

Sirius was supporting Arabella. "It's Robert. He was murdered tonight."

Lily opened her arms and gave a strong embrace to Arabella. "Please come in. You will stay with us tonight." She then turned to Sirius, "Go get James, he's in the nursery."

Lily walked Arabella over to the couch.

"I wasn't there Lily. I know that it was meant for me, not Robert! I was supposed to be home for dinner, but I followed up on a hunch and..." she stammered.

Sirius walked back in the room with James. "And you saved my life. Arabella, if you had been home then maybe you, Robert and I would all be dead. Would that be better?"

"No, but..." She broke down in sobs.

Lily stroked Arabella's hair. "You need to try to calm down. I know it's hard because you and Robert shared such a strong love for each other, but right now you're going to have to stop thinking of yourself and think of your baby."

"Baby?" Sirius looked at Lily and James.

Lily nodded, "Yes, she's almost five months pregnant." She then raised Arabella's chin up and looked her in the eye. "Everything you feel, your baby feels. You have to try and stay as calm as you can otherwise it'll hurt your little one."

Arabella nodded but the tears continued to stream down her face.

James turned to Sirius, "Who's leading the inquiry at the Ministry?"

"Moody."

James nodded, "That's good. At least they have someone competent in charge."

Arabella then looked up, "We'll have to put a note on the outside of the Apothecary that it'll be closed until further notice."

"Don't worry," said Lily. "We'll take care of that. Now why don't you come with me, I'll start a pot of tea. Later I'll find you a nightgown and you'll sleep in our guest room. James, why don't you get some blankets so Sirius can sleep on the couch. I think she's going to need all of our support in the morning."

Lily, James and Sirius had been so supportive to her during those dark days, Arabella reflected. They truly were dear friends. The Potters' deaths were as much a shock to her as was her husband's. Dumbledore thought she was the perfect candidate to provide security for the orphaned Harry. The position did allow her autonomy and privacy, but it also was very isolating. She had purposefully lost contact with all of her friends and relatives in the Wizarding World. Here she was in a neighborhood where she constantly was on the look out for any suspicious people or activities. She longed for contact with those she could confide in, laugh with and share her true self and feelings with. Tonight's dinner with Sirius would do wonders towards filling that tremendous void in her life.

Now she looked around the kitchen and it seemed that all was ready. She merely needed to put the meat pie and apple crisp in the oven and let them bake. The salad was made and chilling in the refrigerator, the table was set for two with candles and flowers. Arabella turned to the three cats that were in her living room. She told them that she'd appreciate it if they'd stand guard outside the house this evening and to pass the word on to the other sentries. If there were any signs of dark magic in the neighborhood that she'd need their reports, otherwise to please not disturb her. To anyone else it would have sounded like she merely was meowing at them. They then turned and went through the cat door. She'd now go back and see how Sirius was doing.

Arabella heard the bathtub draining. She knocked on the door and said, "Please don't try to wear those horrible rags again. I've got some nice clothes here for you to try."

"Come on in."

Arabella nervously entered the bathroom. Sirius was standing at the sink shaving and was wearing only a bath towel wrapped around his waist. He was thin, but muscular. His long hair reached the middle of his back and there was facial hair lining the sink in a thick blanket. He looked at her and smiled. "You look much better. More like how I remember you."

Arabella blushed and felt a warmth spread throughout her body.

Sirius then turned back to the mirror and took one hand and felt his smooth cheeks. "What do you think? You like this mustache?"

"It needs a little trim. Here's some scissors. I'll be right back with a chair so I can cut your hair."

Arabella hung the clothes on the back of the door on a hook and slowly walked out to retrieve a chair. Her heart was beating hard. Sirius looked so attractive. She didn't know if she'd be able to resist his charms. Then again she thought, she wasn't sure if she wanted to either. She walked back into the bathroom and set the chair in the middle of the floor.

"Have a seat," she announced.

Sirius sat down and Arabella started to cut his long hair from the back. Snip. A foot of hair fell to the floor. Snip, snip. More long and stringy clumps of hair fell onto the tile. She then used the comb and started to cut closer to his head. She wanted a short hairstyle for him. One that would befit an everyday working class Muggle. As the hair fell down on his shoulders, Arabella would find herself brushing it off onto the floor. When her fingers touched his shoulders she found they felt like they tingled with electricity.

Arabella started to chat as she continued to cut his hair, "We'll have to come up with a good cover for you to stay here while I'm gone. I'm thinking that I should say that I'm visiting a sister I haven't spoken to in twenty years. She lives in Scotland and has terminal cancer. I'm going to help her manage in her last few months and then help to set her affairs in order after she's gone."

Sirius agreed. "That sounds reasonable and no one will really be able to quibble about how long you'll be. As long as it takes. I like it."

Arabella beamed. She was glad that Sirius thought it was a good cover. "And as for you, I think you'll be a nephew on my late husband's side. You'll be house sitting while I'm gone."

"That sounds plausible enough."

"Yes, but I also want you to have the same name for both the Muggle world as well as the Wizarding world. It makes it far easier in case there's a witch or wizard passing as Muggle - and I think to help in your disguise we need to do a little more than just a shave and haircut."

"What did you have in mind?" Sirius asked.

"I think you'll need to age to be in your fifties and we'll get you some nice Muggle contact lenses for your eyes. They can change the color to brown. I also think you need to learn an Australian accent," Arabella answered.

"You're the boss. So what am I supposed to do for a job? Don't all Muggles have jobs?" Sirius asked.

"Hmm," she mused. "You could be a writer who works from home. You will have to figure out how to deal with Nadine Henderson across the street though."

"Who's she?"

"A single mother in her thirties with a small daughter. She looks at any man who's not behind bars or mentally incompetent as a potential future husband. That includes married men, I'm afraid. She'll be drooling the moment she sees you."

Sirius thought for a moment. "Well, I'll deal with her. I'm not about to make any stupid mistakes like I did in my youth. I never truly thanked you for saving my life and for telling me the truth about how foolish I was. Thinking back, I realize that I was fearful of ever letting myself fall in love with someone. I was afraid of being rejected once someone knew who I really was. So I'd cut them loose first and never allow anyone to really get close to me. That is except for you, James and Lily."

Arabella had to stop cutting hair for a moment because her eyes welled with tears. "Thank you, Sirius. That means a lot to me."

"I'll just tell Nadine, that I'm watching this house as a favor for my aunt. That I am married to a wonderful woman, but that we are currently separated. That our relationship has spanned many years and right now she's trying to sort out a lot of problems from her youth that she's never adequately dealt with. That I will wait for her for as long as it takes and I would do nothing to harm her in any way. Think that'll work?"

"It does for me."

Arabella then turned to cut his hair in the front of his face. This was far harder as she felt Sirius's eyes on her. She could also feel his breath on her face. She found her heart beating faster. As she was finishing up and surveying his haircut, Sirius reached up and pulled at the hairpins holding Arabella's hair on the top of her head. As the pins were released, her hair cascaded down over her shoulders and fell past her waist.

Sirius gave a warm smile as he helped to smooth her hair over her shoulders. "That's better. That's the way I remember you. I always loved your hair."

Arabella looked into his blue-gray eyes. They were smiling at her and then they changed. She saw a hunger and a longing that she recognized.

"Bella..." Sirius whispered, stroking the side of her face.

Arabella leaned forward and kissed him. Their lips touched and she felt like she was on fire. The kiss was deep and their tongues met causing her to melt into his arms as he pulled her close to his chest. His arms swept her legs onto his lap. Arabella dropped the comb and scissors onto the floor and heard them clatter as they hit the tile. Her hands were running through his hair. Sirius slowly unzipped the back of her dress and unsnapped her bra. He then slipped the right shoulder of her dress down exposing a breast. He slid his lips down her neck and then started to lick and kiss her nipple. Arabella's breathing slowed down. Sirius then took his hand and placed it under the hem of her dress and slowly moved it upwards towards the juncture between her thighs and gently groped it. Arabella uttered a low moan and then took her right hand and placed it under her legs. She found the gap in the towel and then squeezed his erection. Sirius groaned with pleasure.

Arabella released him and stood. She took Sirius by the hand and they walked across the hall to her bedroom. The towel fell on the floor. She pulled back the covers to the bed and Sirius helped remove her clothing. They fell on the bed and found their hands roaming over each other's bodies. Their legs were entwined and as Sirius entered her, they both gasped. Their lovemaking was frenzied. It was as if the world was going to end in five minutes and they needed to make each second count. When it was over they were both panting and drenched in sweat.

Sirius tried to think of something to say but didn't know what was appropriate. Instead, he simply started to kiss her cheeks, her forehead, her eyes and then her lips. He didn't want this moment to ever end. Arabella felt tears rolling down her cheeks. She had never felt so loved and so complete. Not even with Robert. She was going to be certain that nothing happened to Sirius. She was never going to lose someone she loved again.

"I think our dinner is ready," Arabella said quietly.

"Mmm, I did work up an appetite," Sirius said lewdly.

"Yeah, well, so did I. Let's go eat before the dinner burns in the oven."

They threw on some bathrobes and then Arabella glanced around. "Maybe we ought to clean up the bathroom a little."

They walked in and saw his long black hair everywhere.

"My God, it looks like a bear shed in here," she laughed as she picked up his tattered robes. She then pointed her wand at the largest piles of hair and commanded, "Accio!" The hair flew to her. She repeated this by waving her wand in every direction around the room, the sink and the bathtub. She placed the clumps of hair on the robes and then went back to the bedroom and collected the hair that was in her bed. She took the whole mess with her to the living room and placed it in the fireplace. She opened the flue and commanded, "Incendio!" Flames appeared and consumed the hair and clothes in a matter of seconds.

"Ugggh! There's nothing quite like the smell of burning hair," said Sirius. When the flames died down Arabella closed the flue again.

"Come on, it'll smell much nicer in the kitchen," as Arabella took him by the arm.

As they walked inside Sirius began to beam. "The table looks wonderful and it smells incredible. Is that Shepherd's pie and..." he sniffed, "baked apples?"

Arabella smiled and nodded.

"Those are my favorites, thank you." Sirius picked her up and twirled her about the room. He gave her a kiss and set her down. She blushed and waved her wand to open the oven door and bring the meat pie to rest on a hot plate at the table. The apple crisp went to rest on the top of the stove to cool. She then waved the oven to turn itself off.

After Arabella dished out the food for both of them, she turned to him and sighed heavily, "Okay, I guess it's time for you to tell me what I don't want to hear. Tell me how Voldemort came back and what has happened to Harry."