Disclaimer: I, in no way, claim any ownership over any of the said Harry Potter characters. Any similarities to any persons living or dead, or to any actual events in this story are purely coincidental.

A/N: The words in italics belong to Brendan Graham, they are the lyrics to a song sung by Josh Groban, You Raise Me Up. I gotta admit, I have a thing for music, there may be a lot in this chapter. Groban has an amazing voice. wooo-eee. lol. Ooo the title comes from a Billy Joel song with the same name. I'm toying with the idea of naming all my future titles after a random song. I like songs. heh. Ok, movin on to the story... Thanks for all the reviews, please keep them coming! I really love to hear your opinions! (especially on the bar scene... I'm not sure how drunken brits talk. lol)

Side note: Muchisimas gracias to Nik for her help and inspiration! (you're pic provided the description for Sirius later in the chapter. lol) Rock on!

Chapter Eleven - We Didn't Start the Fire

"You raise me up
So I can stand on mountains
You raise me up
To walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be."

After some initial confusion over how to work the phone, Sirius called every hotel, motel, airport, bus station, and taxi service within 50 miles. No one had any information on Keira. It was now half-past six and Sirius was on edge with anxiety.

Sirius, wearing a long black hooded coat Keira had given him, slunk out the back of the inn. Once outside, Sirius became padfoot and took off into a run eager to find a trace of Keira's scent.

'Damn it.' his mind grumbled silently, 'what was I thinking? All these years without so much as real human contact and I really thought that I could make a girl fall in love with me. Sirius, you are such a fool.' His self-directed anger only made him run faster.

The sun was just settling on the horizon when Sirius's nose caught a whiff of something familiar. All four legs froze in unison and he looked up at the building in front of him, The Fox. Padfoot whimpered a bit, not caring much for the girl's choice in pubs, or for the fact that she was in a pub to begin with. A quick trot around to the back of the shabby building brought Sirius to the back entrance. Thankfully, the door was propped open with a rotting piece of plywood. He found himself in a small, empty kitchen. The floor, unwashed, was littered with abandoned scraps of food. In one corner, Sirius spotted three rats having a party over a piece of molded cheese. Cautiously, the dog crept forward through the swinging doors.

The smell of this place hit him in the face like a hardball. Quite possibly the worst combination of smells, Sirius thought, urine, beer, cigars, sweat, and something else so vile it was beyond comprehension. However, his hearing quickly surpassed his sense of smell.

"Purple haze all through my brain! La la la la la seem the same. Don't know why! 'Scuze me while I kiss the sky!" Before he could set eyes on her Sirius knew it was Keira, and by the sounds of it, a completely wasted Keira.

"Sing something sexy, baby!" A man yelled. Sirius's darkened eyes flew to identify his soon to be victim: a greasy, balding, fat man who had clearly not showered in a year.

"I am the baddest chickaroo shawdy if you don't believe me than come home with me tonight!" If this had been under different circumstances, Sirius would have been dying of laughter. Keira was standing on a chair in a dive pub, singing butchered lyrics without music, intoxicated beyond recognition. "Man it's a hot one! Like seven inches from the sun! Isn't it boys?" She asked, taking another swig of an unlabeled beer. Sirius watched carefully as her eyes made brief, but definite contact with his. "You don't have ta be rich to be my girl you don't have to be cool to rule my world, ain't no particular la la la, I just want your muah muah muah kiss!" She again, directed her gaze to Sirius's silent, sitting form and blew him a kiss.

"I can give you more than a kiss hunnie." Another man shouted, this one almost as appalling as the last, but this one was out of his seat and moving towards her. Someone had turned on a jukebox or radio of some sort and now loud, bass thumping, music flooded Sirius's ears.

"the more drinks in your system the harder to fight
when I move you move (just like that)"

The creepy man pulled Keira down from the chair and smiled, his eyes full of lust. Keira may have been drunk, but Sirius, even from the dark corner of the room, could see her mood had just changed. His sweaty hands were now on her hips as he tried to get her to dance with him. Sirius's eyes darted around the room, desperately seeking someone that would stop this. There was a man with what Sirius presumed to be a hooker off in the opposite corner, distracted, a few drunken men with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths cheering on the brute, and another man passed out at the bar. Even the bartender appeared to be sloshed. When Keira lazily attempted to pull away the man pulled her to him forcibly, grabbing her butt, so she was pressed up against him. The other men roared with laughter. Keira's face was the picture of fear. She tried, and failed, to push him away. This caused him to hold her tighter as he thrust his hips to the music. Trying to be slick, his left hand began traveling upward past her waist.

In under two seconds flat, Sirius was back into his human form, his body now in-between the man and Keira, his right hand clutching the man's neck. "Keep your hands off of her you filthy git." Sirius growled. His eyes, though shadowed by the darkness of his hood, were wild with rage.

"Hey lad, we were jus' havin' a bit of fun. We didn't start this fire, jus not fightin' it either. No need to--"

"If we ever see you again, you will regret it." Sirius warned. He then took Keira gently by the arm and led her out through the door in which he came.

"Siri?" Keira moaned.

"Keira, we have to move, come on sweetie, we've got to get out of here before someone else sees us."

"Sir--" Keira lost her balance and stumbled forward. Sirius easily caught her and, without hesitation, picked her up and carried her.

Fate was on their side as the pair arrived back at the inn and slipped into their room unnoticed. Sirius set Keira down on the bed and then went over to the couch to remove his shoes. Sirius attentively watched over Keira as she slept. A few hours later, Keira, now a bit more attentive, came over and sat next to him. "Sirius, your hand is bleeding." She pointed out softly.

"I know. I cut on something when I was looking for you." Keira disappeared into the bathroom and reemerged with a damp washcloth. Wordlessly, she dabbed his palm and then applied gentle pressure. Sirius put his free hand over hers. "Why did you leave?"

"I don't want you to get hurt Sirius. I'm dangerous, like a mind field. One day you'll take a step and boom I'll destroy you. The worst part is that I won't even realize what I've done until it's over. I'm not going to let that happen this time Sirius, not to you, after all you've been through. I won't do that to Harry. He's going to need you."

"Keira, you're not going to hurt me." Sirius tried gently. Keira stood up and turned her back on him.

"You don't know Sirius!" She exclaimed, fighting back tears. "I ruin everything and everyone I touch. I'm cursed, I'm evil, I'm a constant time bomb inside a hand-held grenade! You can't get to close to me Sirius." Her voice was grave.

"Keira, look at me please." She refused. Sirius stood up and delicately turned her towards him, holding her arms. "Keira, listen to me. You are not cursed and definitely, definitely not evil. Your father, Connor, all these people in your past, they were evil. They did terrible things to you, but none of that was ever, ever your fault. Keira I must know you better than you know yourself because I know that you are brilliant, honest, incredibly generous, compassionate, loving, and beautiful. Not only physically beautiful but you have a soul so majestic that sometimes I find myself in awe of you. Don't you ever say you're evil. I've seen evil; it killed my best friend. You are not it. I'm sorry about last night, I let emotion get the best of me, I know we're not ready for that, but I need you Keira. Please stay."

Without hesitation, Keira threw her arms around Sirius, squeezing her eyes shut letting the last of her tears fall. After quickly regaining his composure, Sirius whispered, "I bought Harry a firebolt today."

tbc....

yay new chapter done! If time allows there'll be another one soon, I want to keep going now but it's...err.. *cough*past 3 am*cough* lol. pleeease let me know what you think!