Mr. Black — 10

Emma sat at the dining room table in death row, stacks of marking spread around her. Every year, she promised herself she'd give them less work, and every year she wound up with the same amount of marking. That she had left all of this to the last minute wasn't helping. They had only another two days before term resumed.

She sighed, correcting a question. Why couldn't her students just listen when she spoke so she could give them all 100s and be done with it? It didn't help that Crabbe had written "Potato Cake" for half of his answers.

She smiled at the sound of Harry and Sirius talking a few rooms over. She was elated that they could have this time together, and she'd been trying to give them some space. Sirius was still adamant that he wanted to get Harry a Firebolt as a belated Christmas present. Emma had tried to convince him the broom was dangerous, but the fact was it had always been near impossible to deny Harry anything after all he'd had to endure, and Sirius had always known how to change her mind. She figured Sirius would have her wheedled down by the end of the month.

Remus was still around, but the Weasleys and Hermione had left after the first week. None of them had gone back to the apartment since she'd grabbed Sirius' wand. Frankly, she was at a bit of a loss when it came to rearranging the place. Sirius needed to have his old room back, but where in the hell was Harry going to sleep when he came over? She was trying not to think about it when possible.

She'd also learned from Remus exactly what had happened at the trial that they'd wanted her absent for. She sighed, putting her quill down and rubbing the bridge of her nose. They'd used vertena on Sirius, a very dangerous spell. Once cast, the subject of the spell is unable to lie without risking serious injury or death. But it wasn't just lying, leaving out details, trying to dodge questions… vertena wasn't the sort of spell usually used in court, and for good reason. At least they'd given him veritaserum first. The potion would have forced truthful answers on its own, and minimized the need for vertena to force its own answers in a less humane way.

She could not believe Dumbledore had allowed the spell to be used. But then, what had been the alternative? Sirius kissed by a dementor? The idea made her shiver.

"Swift!" Sirius called from the other room. "Emma!"

Emma sighed, "Well that didn't take long."

"Swift!"

She abandoned her paperwork, and found them in the long windowed room at the back of the house. "What are you two up to this time?" she asked with a smile.

She noticed then that Remus had been roped into whatever scheme Sirius had devised. He gave her a half-hearted shrug.

"Is it safe to fly over these things?" Sirius asked, waving vaguely behind him and at the snow-covered forest.

"They're just trees-"

"Just trees? I've seen them eat people," Sirius said. Harry looked surprised by the news.

"I, well…" Emma winced. "Okay, maybe. But yes, you're all keyed into the wards. It's safe for you to come, go, and fly." She gave him a suspicious look. "Why are you asking?"

"He had me swing by the apartment and pick up our old brooms," Remus said.

"Two-on-two quidditch," Sirius said, looking excited.

Emma looked back, thinking of her marking, but the excitement on Harry's face changed her mind. "Alright, one game."

It was the first time Sirius had been on a broom in over 12 years. Thankfully, it seemed flying was rather like riding a bicycle. He didn't even hesitate getting into the air, and was content to fly circles around Remus and harass him for most of the afternoon.

By the time they came in, the sun was setting and the cold had turned biting. Harry and Sirius had won most of the games. Sirius groaned, stretching. Emma gave him a knowing look.

"We're getting old, Padfoot," she said.

"Tell me about it," Remus complained. Harry laughed at the three of them.

"One day, when you're an old man, I'm going to remind you about this," Sirius told him, smiling.

Emma had been preparing to have to cook something for supper, but Dobby had beat her to it. "You are a lifesaver," she told him as he put spaghetti into an already boiling pot of water. He'd already finished the sauce, which was simmering on the stove.

"Dobby is just trying to make things easier for Protem and Master Harry," Dobby said, blushing at her praise. His old masters had never complimented him.

"Oh my Merlin, smell that," Sirius said, lifting the lid off the sauce and almost dunking his head in it. "You're amazing, Dobby."

Dobby absolutely beamed at him.

When they sat down to dinner a few minutes later, Dobby served wine and butterbeer. Emma wasn't even sure where he'd gotten it from, as she did not think there was any alcohol worth drinking in the house. Harry invited Dobby to sit with them at the table, and after some encouragement from the adults he did, a shot glass filled with butterbeer on the side to go along with his meal.

"Why do you have shot glasses here?" Harry asked, a fork filled with spaghetti on its way to his mouth. "Wasn't this headquarters?"

"Yes," Sirius said, himself eyeing the fact that Emma had taken less than half a glass of wine. "But there was a time when we used to drink — you used to drink?"

"It makes her control worse," Remus supplied, when Emma looked a bit embarrassed.

"It's better not to blow the roof off this house in the literal sense," Emma murmured. She cleared her throat. "Anyways, Sirius is right. We were young, half the time we were heading out from here to a mission we might not come back from, and it was the one place we could get a bit inebriated and not worry about death eaters popping up."

Harry looked supremely amused with her discomfort. "What were drunk marauders like?"

"I think, maybe, you're a bit young for this conversation-"

"Remus used to moon people," Sirius cut Emma off, making Harry choke on his spaghetti.

Remus looked absolutely scandalized. "I did not!"

Sirius gave Harry a wink before turning to Remus. "Why do you think we called you Moony?"

Remus looked torn between giving Sirius what for and not sounding too defensive.

"Remus never mooned people," Emma said, wagging her fork at Sirius. "Eat your dinner before I tell him about the things you used to do."

Sirius grinned, but turned to his food, which was all the confirmation Harry needed that Sirius had, in fact, done some rather humiliating things.

"Have you finished your homework, Harry? Term starts day after tomorrow," Emma asked.

"Yeah, I've been doing it in the morning," Harry said. "Are we still having lessons, like on top of the ones you're holding with Ron and Hermione?"

"Of course," Emma said. "Those lessons are just about concealment charms. You and I are still working on summoning charms and their uses."

"Wait, you give him private lessons?" Sirius asked.

"They both do," Harry said. "Remus and I are working on the Patronus Charm."

"He's nearly got the hang of it," Remus said, giving Harry a smile.

"What level is he at?" Sirius asked Emma.

Emma frowned, considering. "Probably fourth year, maybe fifth on some things. We have lessons once a week for an hour or so."

"For how long?"

"Since his first year, when he decided to fight a mountain troll in the girl's bathroom," Emma said, giving Harry a look.

Sirius' mouth twitched into a smile. "Seems like everyone at the table is equally good at finding trouble… well, except Dobby."

"No, he's pretty good at it too," Emma said, making Dobby blush.

"Dobby was just protecting Master Harry," Dobby said, shrugging. "Dobby didn't know Protem would try to murder him for it."

Sirius gave Emma a look. She was studiously ignoring him. "Now, this is a story I have to hear," he said.

By the end of the night, Sirius was happy to flop into his bed, muscles sore and belly full. It was amazing how much his life had changed in only a few short weeks. He couldn't imagine going back and missing this, his family.

He smiled at his ceiling just thinking about it. The only thing that could have made it better was if Lily and James were there.

.

When Sirius went downstairs the next morning, he found Emma asleep at the dining room table, her marking spread around her, and, from the looks of it, completed. He picked up one of the tests and leafed through it, chuckling. Her students had improved since that one semester of defence against the dark arts she'd taught years ago, but some of them were still scraping the bottom of the idiot barrel.

"What is the best means of breaking a living ward — chanting 'Potato Cake,' of course, how could it be anything else," Sirius whispered with a snort.

"That's Crabbe's son," Emma murmured, tilting her head slightly to squint up at him. "He's truly inherited his father's brains."

Sirius smirked. "Didn't you once use the confundus charm on him, only for him to shake it off?"

"Lily wasn't supposed to tell you about that," Emma said, stretching. She rubbed her back, looking sore.

"She told me years later," Sirius said. "She also told me she'd tried to look up in her healing studies to see if there were any cases of that happening, but she couldn't find any."

"Being stupid isn't a medical condition," Emma said. "Although, Crabbe really pushes me sometimes."

Sirius chuckled, and Emma smiled at him softly. "How are you feeling, about tomorrow?"

"I'm trying not to think about it," Sirius said honestly.

"Have you been to the apartment at all?" she asked gently. "Did you want to go later?"

"I have plans to go with Remus after lunch," Sirius admitted. "I thought that might be easier."

Emma nodded in understanding. Going with Remus would be less emotional than going with her or Harry.

"I was actually thinking, if you're okay with it, of staying here," Sirius said. "That probably sounds cowardly…"

"It doesn't," Emma said. "You spent 12 years in Azkaban, the entire world blamed you for something you never did, and now they need time to come to terms with you being innocent, just as much as you do. I can understand wanting to lay low for a while; it's the smart thing to do. Just make sure laying low for a short while doesn't turn into never venturing back into the world again."

"Being alone at the apartment seems wrong," Sirius said. "But here? I've gotten used to it."

"Honestly, I've been thinking a lot about the apartment recently," Emma said. "It seems too small. With this place, I wonder what the point of having both the apartment and here is."

"The apartment used to be a sanctuary from the war. But if it picks up again… I heard from Remus what happened that night, that death eaters broke in."

Sirius was watching Emma intently for a reaction. She sighed. "I fought them off."

"Pettigrew let them in, didn't he?"

"That is our best guess, but we may never know for sure," Emma said. "But I understand what you're getting at. We could always use the fidelius charm, but if one of us died, well, it's not that secure. Headquarters is the safest place."

Sirius frowned, looking at the walls, suddenly seeming to consider something. "Not to be morbid, but if you did die, what would happen to this place?"

Emma hummed, seeming to consider. "I think the people who I keyed into the wards would still be able to come and go. And I think they would be able to bring people, but that would depend on if the trees liked them."

Sirius gave her a funny look.

"But no new people could be keyed in," Emma said. "Some wandless may be permitted entry, the same way I can enter Shade's territory, but it would depend on my lingering magic… I want to be buried here, when I do die."

"Well, tell Harry. I don't plan on being around to make your arrangements," Sirius said. Emma rolled her eyes.

"We should get breakfast," Emma said, she made to stand but Sirius put a hand on her arm, stilling her.

"How are you?"

Emma gave him a funny look. "I'm fine?"

Sirius shook his head. "You've been so concerned about how I'm taking being free and its changes. But you-"

"Sirius, I'm happy to have you back," Emma said, holding his hand.

"I know you are," Sirius smiled. He sighed. "I was asking about your control, actually… it seems like so much has changed since I last saw you… you won't have a glass of wine because of it, you spent an entire year ripping the globe apart, and that's only what I've noticed in the last few days."

"Ah," Emma sighed. Unconsciously, she rubbed her right arm, the one that still held Infinity's markings. "I'm a wandless, Sirius. Not a witch, no matter what I want."

"But-"

Emma stopped him. "I'm okay, Sirius. I think, maybe, you've heard a lot of stories about what happened at the very end of the war. And yes, I was a mess. I did horrible things, things I will never be able to make up for. But I have control now, perhaps more control than I ever did as a student."

"The drinking?"

"I am much more powerful than I used to be," Emma said, and Sirius didn't doubt it for a second. "If I were to lose control, to really lose control, the effects could be… well, devastating. I noticed right after the war that drinking made my control worse. I'm in control now, but I try not to tempt fate."

Sirius still looked concerned, but Emma smiled at him. "Sirius, what are you really so worried about?"

"We'll be late for breakfast," Sirius said, changing the subject. Emma frowned. "I heard Dobby was going to do pancakes."

"I should talk to him about taking some time for himself," Emma said, absently.

"House elves don't want time off?"

"He's a bit peculiar. Harry taught him to read, you know?"

"I know."

Harry and Remus met them for breakfast. Afterwards, Sirius and Harry spent some time out in the forest together. Unlike Emma, Sirius wasn't averse to talking about the war. There were things they did not discuss, like the child death eaters or how Stebbins had been sliced in half by a trap set for them. But what had it been like? Sirius was not afraid to tell Harry it had been both heaven and hell.

"The war itself was hell," Sirius said. "You never really knew if you'd come back from a mission, and it was hard to trust anyone, to be certain they weren't selling you out to a death eater. But, and perhaps it was because the war was so horrible, everything else seemed like heaven. I had finally convinced Emma to go out with me — that was a war in itself — and your parents were married and had you. The Marauders were as close as we'd been in school, or at least, we thought we were…" he smiled. "It was the one thing I was sure of, until I wasn't."

"Was he really your friend?" Harry asked. "I mean, how did he… if he was really your friend, what happened?"

"I've asked myself that question a lot," Sirius said. "How did Peter come to hate us so much that he could have done what he did? The truth is, I think he was scared. Scared and enchanted by Voldemort and his power.

"If he had come to us and told us what he'd done before giving up your parents, I like to think we would have forgiven him. The truth is, I'm not sure we would have, but we certainly would have protected him. He was not the first spy in the Order, nor was he the first person to be afraid."

Harry nodded, seeming to consider all Sirius had said. He frowned as a tree bent over to inspect them. "Did they really eat people?"

Sirius nodded. The tree watched them in interest, threatening to dump a load of snow if it leaned any closer. "It sounds horrible, I'm sure, but this was the one place we were at least 90 per cent sure we were safe. Swift is not the only one who did horrible things during the war, and everything she did, she did to protect the ones she loved."

"I know," Harry said. "She takes protection very seriously."

Sirius smirked. "She's settled down a bit now that she knows I'm not trying to murder you, hasn't she?"

Harry laughed. "She has — until the next disaster, anyways."

Sirius seemed to consider. "I'll work on her. I was always the reckless and impulsive one. I should know; she gave me hell about it enough times."

"She does some pretty reckless things," Harry said.

"I know, Moony has told me," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Fighting a basilisk… what she was thinking? Although, I guess you did that too, didn't you?" he gave Harry a look. "The Wandless couldn't handle it, so you thought, 'fuck it, I'm 12?'"

Harry ran a hand through his hair, reminding Sirius eerily of James. "Ginny was in trouble; I told you about it already. I didn't have a choice."

Sirius snorted. "You'll make a marauder yet, Harry."

Harry couldn't hide his grin.

.

Sirius spent the afternoon at the apartment with Remus. He hadn't been sure what to expect. Would it be emotional?

It was… weird. His last memory of this place was fighting with Emma, and then he'd left for the Potters'.

He walked the entire apartment slowly. Remus didn't trail him, instead making his way into the bedroom at the end of the hall, which had once been Sirius'.

Sirius could remember Mirage's laughter as she cuddled with Wilberforce. He could remember obliviating Mike, and finding Swift missing after Bella had poisoned her. He could remember phoenix feathers appearing in a burst of flame, calling them into battle, and sharing a butterbeer with Prongs.

His bedroom had been rearranged. Remus waited for him, standing beside Sirius' old Hogwarts trunk. "She kept everything," Remus said.

"She told me," Sirius said. "I guess Harry's been sleeping here?"

Remus nodded. "I know a lot has changed but…" he trailed off, seeming to war with himself.

"Spill it, Moony."

"She only recently redecorated in here," Remus said at last. "She locked the door after… well, it was left in its original state until Harry needed a bed."

Sirius sighed, sitting on the bed. "Things really went to hell around here, didn't they?" he looked up at Remus. "She left for nearly a year… but you kept the apartment?"

"Dumbledore intervened," Remus said. "He wanted me to stay, I think to try and tempt her back. I had planned to leave, wanted badly to leave everything behind… it took me a long time to forgive her, after she got back."

"I shouldn't have gone after Peter," Sirius said. "I had Harry in my arms… when I gave him to Hagrid, I tossed him away as much as Emma did giving him to the Dursleys."

Remus sat beside him and patted his shoulder. "None of us can change what happened. Emma and I should have known you were innocent."

"You thought there was a trial, that I was the secret keeper," Sirius said. "I should have trusted you, trusted her, but I didn't."

Remus sighed. "We're together now," he said. "Now may be the only thing we have. Let's not waste it."

Sirius grinned. "Always the voice of reason."

Sirius brought his trunk back to HQ with him. When he arrived, Emma was throwing golf balls for Harry to summon. He was doing a remarkable job of it, letting only one or two hit the ground.

"Your spell work really is impressive," Sirius said, startling them both. The last ball Harry had summoned nearly caught him in the face.

Emma tried to hide a chuckle. "You are doing remarkably well," she said. "But as Mad-Eye would have scolded, 'constant vigilance!' You need to be ready for distractions."

"Are you this hard on all of your students?" Sirius asked, looking amused.

"She's worse in class," Harry said, also grinning.

Emma shook her head. "The two of you," she smiled. "When was the last time you duelled, Sirius?"

Sirius looked a bit like a deer caught in headlights. Harry couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"Well, maybe not today," Emma said, seeming to rethink the challenge. "I'm a bit sore from working with Harry."

Harry looked between them, before frowning. "I think I'll make sure I'm packed… could we go for a fly later?" he asked Sirius.

"Whenever you want," Sirius said. He ruffled Harry's hair as he walked past. When Sirius turned back to Emma, she was vanishing Harry's small mountain of golf balls.

"You let me off easy," Sirius said. "We both know it would take a bullet to make you sore."

Emma rolled her eyes at the hyperbole. She paused, moving across the room to look around the door frame before answering Sirius. "Peter escaped, and he could be anywhere," she said lowly, coming back into the room.

"Do you really think he would be stupid enough to come after Harry?"

"No. He's too much a coward," Emma said. "But I think we need to remember that Peter is a puppet in the wrong hands."

"You think Voldemort will make a play."

"I know he will," Emma said. "He's already made two, a third is inevitable. He will come for Harry again… he may come for us again."

"Swift-"

"I do not think he will have forgotten about the marauders and the absolute havoc we used to wreck on his forces," Emma looked at her hands, which she'd clasped in front of her.

Sirius sighed, pulling her into a hug. "I have been doing magic, you know."

"I know."

"You are such a worry wart," Sirius said, making Emma chuckle. "Do you give Moony a hard time about these things too?"

"He's not quite as reckless as you are," Emma said, wrapping her arms around him. "Remember the time you put Fenrir in a giant hamster ball in the middle of a muggle shop?"

Sirius grinned at the memory. "You and Remus were both there for that," he said. "What about the time you set off a flaming crossbow in the middle of the common room?"

"We all did that," Emma said. "Hell, James transfigured the thing from a cup coaster. Thank god Lily had the sense to put the fire out."

"She always was the sensible one," Sirius said. "I miss them."

"Me too."

They stood there for a long time, watching the snow-covered trees as they swayed in the wind.

.

.

Term started the next day, and Emma felt very much as though she was sleep walking through her classes. Her seventh years were beginning the animagus transformation, and she could barely muster the patience to observe them while they meditated on their inner animal, a task she usually enjoyed.

Her students seemed similarly distracted. She caught them watching her, and many looked tempted to ask questions, and she knew what about. The newspapers had covered her testimony at Sirius' trial — Sirius Black was now innocent, and everyone had questions. She hoped that Harry was not being absolutely bombarded.

Thankfully, she needn't have worried.

Wherever Harry went, a Weasley seemed to appear. Fred and George materialized out of nowhere more than once, ushering anyone who seemed too interested in Harry out of the way.

"What, are you new? You've never seen a celebrity before?"

"We know he's handsome, Diggory, but he's not interested in you."

Ron, too, seemed particularly vigilant.

"Mum told us people might give you a hard time," he confessed to Harry at lunch. "Doesn't seem fair for you to be punished for helping Sirius, after everything."

Up at the head table, Harry noticed that Emma was in deep conversation with Hagrid. A bit further down, Snape was glaring at her. His gaze was so dark that it made Harry shiver.

"I'm certain they'll find him innocent at the trial, Hagrid," Emma said. Hagrid nodded, looking on the verge of tears. "He's a hippogriff, for the love of Merlin, not a chimera."

"Dumbledore said he'd help where he could," Hagrid said. "He's a good man."

"I'll do some research too, and I'm sure Remus and Sirius will help… actually, Sirius might be an excellent resource."

Hagrid blew his nose loudly.

"Since when has Black ever been a good resource on anything," Severus spat then, making Emma jump.

She turned, surprised to find he'd walked up behind them.

"What's up with you?"

Severus looked murderous, and possibly beyond words. "You ran back to him-"

"He was an innocent man-"

"HE'S A MARAUDER!" Snape roared.

Emma stood as the great hall went silent. "Keep your voice down, Severus-"

"Afraid they'll find out about you?" he sneered quietly.

Emma's eyes flashed, "you're always going off about how mean Sirius was to you, maybe you've forgotten your part in recruiting his younger brother into Voldemort's ranks."

Severus' lips curled. His hand jerked, fingering his wand. Emma waited, ready to pounce.

"That's enough," Dumbledore said then, startling them both.

It was enough to bring them back to their senses. Severus turned on his heel, his cape billowing behind him as he stormed off to the dungeon. Emma watched him go with a snarl.

"They're all watching," Dumbledore said quietly, and Emma could see he was right, the entire hall had turned to watch them. At the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables, several people were standing.

Emma took a deep, calming breath. "Thank you," she said to Dumbledore. "I wasn't thinking."

Dumbledore sent her a knowing smile before turning to face the great hall. He raised his hands. "Nothing to be alarmed about," he said. "Just a mild discussion among colleagues. Please, continue to enjoy your meals."

The students sat slowly, many murmuring amongst themselves. Emma noticed that Fred and George were eyeing her suspiciously.

"Gods, I hope they didn't hear him."

"Oh, they definitely did," Dumbledore looked supremely amused with the idea.

"You might be a bit more concerned about the mayhem their identities could cause," McGongall said, looking annoyed. "I for one do not want to have to see Argus in a tutu ever again."

Emma laughed. "I'd forgotten about that. That was funny!"

"You're not the one who had to see him before we got the tutu on him," Remus said. He blushed wildly when the other professors turned to look at him. "Not that I was ever involved in those pranks. I was a prefect."

"You were just harder to catch," McGonagall said with a sigh.

It was all anyone would talk about for the rest of the day, completely pushing Sirius from most people's minds. While no one knew who Snape had been talking about, everyone was buzzing at the thought of the Marauders having been mentioned. No one knew when the door had been enchanted — could they be more than a legend?

After supper, Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to go down and visit Hagrid. They'd noticed that he looked upset at lunch. As they left, Harry spotted Fred and George making a bee-line for Emma.

"I'm not sure how much more drama our lives can handle," Ron said as they crossed the snow-covered grounds. "Hopefully he's just upset some of our flubberworms have died."

"I'd be okay with that," Harry said.

It was dark, but the lights were on in Hagrid's cabin. Harry knocked, stepping back to wait, only to be surprised to hear laughter.

"I hope we're not disturbing him," Hermione whispered as a chair creaked from inside the hut and Hagrid's footsteps sounded on the other side.

The door opened suddenly. Hagrid beamed down at them, seemingly in good spirits.

"Wha' are yeh three doin' out this late, eh?" he asked. "Come in before you catch yer deaths."

They hurried past Hagrid, only to see Sirius sitting at the table, an over-large mug in front of him. Buckbeak the hippogriff was lying behind him and enjoying a good head scratch.

"Harry!" Sirius grinned, seemingly genuinely pleased to see them. "Ron, Hermione. It's good to see you again."

"We didn't mean to interrupt," Hermione said.

"You're not," Sirius said, waving her concerns away.

"Sirius, here, was jus' helpin' me with my case for Buckbeak," Hagrid said, grabbing a few more mugs and putting the kettle back on.

"Swift told me about it, and I've done my share of looking up cases against magical creatures," Sirius said, taking a drink. He paused. "They know about Swift, right?"

"They know about the Marauders," Harry said.

Sirius nodded, looking relieved. "Thank Merlin. I have to be careful with that."

"I was jus' tellin' Sirius abou' wha' happened at lunch," Hagrid said.

"What were they arguing about?" Ron asked. "She looked like she wanted to murder him."

Sirius looked delighted at the news. "Snape and I have a bit of a history," he said. "I've never liked the slime ball, and it's mutual."

"He's a professor," Hagrid said, giving Sirius a look.

"Not mine," Sirius said, shrugging. Ron snickered.

"Why are you helping Hagrid with a case for Buckbeak?" Hermione asked, changing the topic. "Is something wrong?"

"Lucius Malfoy," Hagrid said. "He's convinced those gargoyles at the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that Buckbeak needs to be put down."

"That's awful!" Hermione exclaimed. "What happened wasn't Buckbeak's fault — Malfoy insulted him!"

"We'll tell them, Hagrid," Ron said. "We'll tell them Buckbeak's not a bad hippogriff."

"Well, of course he's not," Sirius said. He'd hit a good scratch spot, and Buckbeak was purring, filled with contentment. "But it will take a lot to convince the council if Malfoy has them in his pockets."

Harry watched them, frowning. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Sirius shook his head. "With you, Swift, and Moony back at school I have more free time on my hands than I can take. Besides, I think your schedule is full enough. You're probably missing a meeting with someone being here."

"Nah, I had tonight off," Harry said, a bit sheepish. Between two sets of lessons with Emma, lessons with Remus, and quidditch, Harry wasn't entirely sure when he was going to get his homework done.

"When is your next quidditch match?" Sirius asked, seeming to read Harry's mind. "Swift wasn't sure when I saw her earlier, and I don't want to miss it."

"Not until spring," Harry said, feeling a bit warm around the collar. "You, you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"Of course I want to," Sirius said. "I came to the last one."

A lightbulb seemed to go off in Harry's mind. "It was you. You were the dog I saw in the stands — and I saw you outside the apartment in the summer too!"

Sirius looked a bit embarrassed. "I, err," he looked at Ron and Hermione. "I wanted to get a look at you and Swift before I went after Pettigrew. I, well, I didn't expect all of this to happen. I thought it might be the last time."

For some reason, it didn't really sink in for Harry until that moment exactly what he and Emma meant to Sirius. A strange, warm sensation blossomed in his chest as he realized that finally he had the one thing he'd always wanted, a family who loved him.

A knock on the door made the house erupt into mild chaos. Hagrid stood to get the door while Fang howled, startling Ron, whose lap he'd been using to rest his head.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Hagrid. Fred and George simply would not let me go."

"Yer alrigh', come in," Hagrid said moving aside.

Emma looked a bit startled to see the trio. "What in the-?"

"Honestly, I feel like you should have expected them," Sirius said, grinning.

Emma shook her head and sighed. "I guess it's not curfew yet."

"I'm amazed you even know when curfew is," Sirius said, making Ron snort.

Emma gave him a look. "I'm a professor now, it's in the job description," she turned to Harry. "How was your first day?"

"It was good. So did the twins get it out of you?"

"Eugh, no. I told them the Marauders were an old legend and Severus was just being dramatic, but they weren't buying it," she said, conjuring a seat beside Sirius. "I eventually just had to start walking here with them following… I lost them though."

"That sneaky corner turnaround?" Sirius asked, referring to a weird passage on the fourth floor.

"Yes, and then I took the slide behind the armour with the huge feathers."

"But they had the map before me, they know those passages," Harry said.

"But they didn't expect me to know them," Emma said. "Plus the passages are dark. I disillusioned myself and blended right in. It will be a while before they can out-sneak me."

"I can," Sirius mouthed, giving the trio a wink behind Emma's back and making the trio snicker.

"I saw that."

"Saw what?"

Emma sighed. "Anyways, what did I miss while I was dodging Weasleys?"

"Mr. Black is going to do research to help with Buckbeak's hearing," Hermione supplied.

Emma smirked slightly. Sirius looked baffled. Finally, Emma cracked.

"Mr. Black!" She laughed, slapping the table. "You're old!"

"Sh-shut up, Swift," Sirius said, still looking shocked. Emma was hanging onto the edge of the table to keep from falling off her chair.

"Sh-should I not call you that?" Hermione asked, looking a bit uncertain.

"No, please, always call him that," Emma said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Mr. Black!"

"Shut up, Swift," Sirius said again, shifting and looking uncomfortable. "Sirius is just fine," he said to Hermione gently. Emma still looked like she was about to wet herself. "They call you professor, you know," he said.

Emma waved his comment away. "That's different."

Sirius crossed his arms, which greatly annoyed a now pet-deprived Buckbeak. "Old mule," he muttered.

"Hey! You're older than I am," Emma said, grinning.

"By one month!"

"It counts as a whole year, I think you used to say," Emma's eyes were sparkling with mirth. "Should I call you Mr. Black too?"

Sirius' face changed. "Well Miss. Dill, I think that depends on whether or not you…" he paused, seeming to remember they weren't alone, "… er, want me to tell Moony on you."

Emma rolled her eyes, but changed the topic, seeming to realize he'd nearly said something inappropriate. "Can I do anything to help with the hearing?"

Hagrid looked supremely amused, and while Hermione looked a bit embarrassed, Ron and Harry were just confused. "I think Sirius should 'ave i' covered," Hagrid said.

Emma nodded, seeming to accept that. "Well, you know where to find me if you need anything."

Sirius was still eyeing her. "I heard you had an argument with Sniv—Snape today."

Emma eyed the trio before turning to Sirius. "Maybe we could discuss this later?"

"Did you hex him?"

Emma sighed at his eager expression. "He's a professor too, Sirius."

Sirius looked like he wanted to argue, but seemed to sense he wouldn't win. "Fine, but I have questions for the walk back to the castle."

Emma looked confused. "I thought I'd walk you to the gates? You can't floo into HQ?"

"I'll walk you to the castle and then make my way there," Sirius said. "It's dark."

"Padfoot, I'm the scariest thing on these grounds," Emma said.

Sirius shrugged. "I was raised to be a gentleman."

"Oh my god…" Emma muttered.

Hagrid roared with laughter, startling everyone. "Yeh a gent'eman?" he set his tea cup down with a thump on the table and pointed at Emma and Sirius. "I can remember yeh lot stealing my nifflers to set on ol' Celestia!"

Both Emma and Sirius looked at their drinks a bit sheepishly while Hagrid continued to laugh and the trio gave them probing looks.

"I'd actually forgotten about that," Emma admitted.

Sirius smirked. "I didn't… and it's still funny!"

The duo exchanged a mischievous look that wasn't lost on Harry. For a split second, he could imagine what it was like when they were young and had full run of the school. It was no wonder McGonagall had white hair.

"It's nearly curfew," Emma said, standing. For a moment Harry thought Hagrid was going to laugh again. "We should all be getting back."

"We can make our own way," Harry said, standing.

Emma raised a brow, a bit suspicious. "Oh?"

"You should walk Sirius to the gates," Harry said.

Emma seemed amused. "Well, good night then," she said. She resisted pulling him in for a hug in front of his friends, and watched as the trio made their way out of the cabin.

"You know he's setting us up, right?" Sirius asked when the door closed behind the teens.

"Yes, I know," Emma said; she was still watching the closed door with a bemused smile.

"Wha' is goin' on with yeh two?" Hagird asked.

Emma sighed deeply. "If you don't need me for help with Buckbeak, I'm going to head out," she bent down, scratching Buckbeak under his chin, and he chittered at her contently.

"Don' le' her go alone; I'll see yeh in the morning," Hagrid said, shooing Sirius out and collecting their mugs.

Emma shook her head. "Men are ridiculous, Buckbeak," she said.

The hippogriff nuzzled her hand with the side of his head.

"He's my wingman," Sirius said.

"You only came up with that because you're beside a hippogriff."

"It's still funny though."

They said their goodbyes to Hagrid, who all but threw them out of his hut. Emma let Sirius lead the way. True to his word, Sirius took the path leading up to the castle, not towards the gates.

"I really can make my way to the castle from the gates, you know," she said.

"I know you can," Sirius said. "I've never doubted your ability to take on any obstacle in your way."

Emma shook her head and took his hand. She snapped her fingers, and a lumos ball appeared to light their way. Sirius grinned lopsidedly. "Now, that is something I've not seen in a while."

Harry watched from one of the windows, grinning.

"They do make a cute couple," Hermione said from beside him.

"A cute couple? From the sounds of it, they're worse than Fred and George," Ron said. "You do remember they got over 1,000 detentions each, right?"

"Well, you do know how to ruin it," Hermione said, seeming to reconsider her opinion.

Harry ignored their bickering, turning away from the window as Emma and Sirius stopped at the foot of the castle. As they made their way up to the common room, Harry couldn't help but think about what Dumbledore had said about Swift being dead after the war, about how giving him up had killed that part of her.

He had a feeling she wasn't dead anymore. The Marauders, for all Emma may have told Fred and George, were still very much real, and now, finally, they were together again.

Harry grinned as he slipped through the portrait hole. He doubted they'd ever have a peaceful moment again.

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Thank you all for your reviews! I really appreciate all of your kind words; you're all wonderful!

Thankfully, this time I remembered to erase my notes from the end of the chapter ;)