A/N: thank you for those expressing concern about the fact that I've not updated in a week. As forewarning, it's probably going to be two weeks before my next update. this is for two reasons:

- I've had to go back and re-read my entire story in order to make notes on each chapter because I was stupid and didn't update my notes while I was editing my story which means it is now seriously out of date and I needed to know something I'd written before I proceeded with chapter 52. I could be uploading chapters 41 till 50 but I've discovered I'm making minor changes to the proceeding chapters and those have already gone through editing three times, while all chapters after 38 have only been edited once which means they are most likely to have mistakes.

- Second reason is because I started a new Pokemon/Harry Potter story a week ago and the plot bunny just won't die. Every time I go to read or write something else, it's just sat in the corner of the mind demanding my attention. I've already written seven complete chapters, which is the most I've ever written on a Pokemon story, even one that i started a year ago only has three chapters!

So, this will be the last chapter I post until I've finished updating my notes, at which point i will probably post all 50 of my complete chapters. and then you can wait three to four months for me to write chapter 51, because I'm really struggling with the politics and tasks of fourth year since it doesn't quite fit nicely within my style of writing, especially since i'm trying to include more characterization and less descriptive story telling.

Chapter 40: Meetings and a Healer

The day after Sirius's trial, the Black residence woke early to eat the filling breakfast provided by Dobby before beginning their day. Sirius had complained to Aileen through the journals about the Black House elf Kreature. Aileen wanted to speak with Kreature and overcome the past relation between Sirius and the elf, but she figured that was a job left for when she was living with the man and officially wearing the Black heir ring. Instead she had simple sent Dobby as a temporary measure to ensure that the man didn't starve to death and it also gave her a medium in which she could give him nutrient potions.

The first order of business that day was to go to Gringotts so Sirius could take up his Lordship ring and allow Aileen to transfer regency of House Potter over to Sirius, put on her heir rings and begin the paperwork she needed sorted. Sirius also needed to update his will. They would have done so straight after the trial, but they knew that the news of his innocents wouldn't have reached to many ears by then so they figured they were better of leaving early in the morning (so as to miss the morning crowd) but most people would have already read the special addition evening paper that had been published the night before.

"So," Sirius began after his second cup of coffee which woke him up enough to function. "Why do I need to go into politics?"

"Because I can't until I'm seventeen and you're the only person that I trust enough to actually ask for my opinion before voting on something. We'll need to go over my aims, of course, but we can do that between now and the next session on August 5th." Aileen answered, wide awake and mentally planning the day. She had been up for nearly two hours, planning and reading since she hadn't done her normal physical routine that morning (Sirius had asked her to suspend it until they had seen the healer).

"And why am I your steward?" Remus asked next before Sirius could respond. He was a little more awake than Sirius, but that was just because he was still use to getting up early and getting ready to teach. Normally Sirius was the more awake of them in the mornings, but Sirius had stayed up late the night before going through some pictures for Aileen and annotating them so that she knew the story behind them.

"Because you're smart, organised and someone else I trust." Aileen shrugged. "Although there are some things I can now do, it's easier to have an adult medium especially when dealing with solicitors and my estates."

"And Remus, I'm putting you down as the Black Steward as well." Sirius added.

"WHAT!" Remus shouted, both shocked and annoyed.

"It makes sense. Aileen is my heir and so the lines will likely be joined when I pass and therefore it makes sense for you to become familiar with everything now instead of a couple of years down the line. And there's the additional point of you being better at all that paperwork juggling then I am especially if I'm about to enter the political arena." Sirius explained his line of reasoning.

Remus glared annoyed at the two of them but didn't say anything. After Aileen's guilt tripping the night before he had agreed to be Aileen's steward despite the fact that he disliked charity. However, he hadn't agreed to be Sirius's Steward and his argument had been too solid for him to find a reasonable reason to say no without some time to think about it (which he didn't have).

"What time have you organised for Andromeda to come and see us?" Aileen asked, hoping to distract Remus before he could come up with an excuse to turn Sirius down for the job offer. The man needed to work and since no one else will employ a werewolf they might as well offer him places in their houses. Places in their house which had the happy consequence of offering protection from prosecution, and getting him respect he would have never normally achieved as a werewolf.

"Ten thirty." Sirius answered.

"Right then we should get going." Aileen announced, standing and heading to the fireplace.

Behind her back Sirius and Remus exchanged amused glances, but got up to follow her anyway since they had already finished their breakfast and were simply stalling while they talked. Neither of them really wanted to take up their places but they knew that Aileen needed their help and they had already abandoned her for the last twelve years, they were doing everything they could to make up for that.

When they arrived at Gringotts the three were immediately led to Sharpclaws office which also had Griphook and Bloodclaw there as well since Aileen had told them she would be coming in the day after her godfather's trial and what they were going to be discussing. Bloodclaw was pleased that he would now be interacting with the Black Lord instead of his heir since it meant more could be done about the accounts although Aileen had done her best with what she had access to.

First Sirius signed what he needed to take control of the Black finances and received a large file from Bloodclaw with all the financial information and estate information Sirius needed to go through, including notes on the changes that Aileen had already made (or recommended). Then it was Remus' turn to sign the Stewardship papers which gave him access to the Black and Potter finances and estates to a greater degree than a minor member of the house, but less than an heir or Lord would have.

Finally, it was Aileen's turn to get the paperwork sorted. First, she read through the business and partnership document that Griphook had drawn up for her and the twins when she sent the twin's portfolio to Griphook. It was everything that she wanted it to be, stating that the twins would own 30% of the business each, then Aileen would own 25% and the remaining 15% would be up to other investors. Aileen would put a start-up fund of 10,000 Galleons into the business and get a return interest of 2% of the profit.

"Arrange an appointment with Fred and George Weasley on the 27th of August since they should have gotten their official OWL results and have time to figure out a way of getting to Gringotts without their mother stopping them. They are old enough to sign the paperwork without their father present, but if you can get Bill to be present – or suggest that he's the one to bring them in – that would probably be best." Aileen said proudly handing the contract back.

"It shall be done. Will you continue monitoring this business proposition?" Sharpclaw inquired.

"Yes. I'll remain responsible for the WWW and the Lily Potter Foundation as a primary and I'll also be working with Remus in restoring the Potter properties, but other than that I'll trust my Steward until I turn fifteen and take on a couple more projects, and again when I'm seventeen and take on everything I need to be doing as the Lady of my House." Aileen outlined her plan.

"Lily Potter Foundation?" Remus asked confused. Aileen had time to explain to them the WWW but hadn't gotten around to explaining what she had worked with Dumbledore to put in motion. She figured as former pranksters they would be more than happy with what she had planned with the twins and she had been right since that discussion had dissolved into Sirius and Remus reminiscing over their time at Hogwarts and some of their best pranks.

"The board of Governors at Hogwarts weren't releasing funds that the school desperately needs – the headmaster is barely able to offer six scholarships each year and he can't replace any of the school equipment or get the wards looked at. I slayed a basilisk, and last year – with the help of the goblins and William Weasley, a Curse Breaker – it was harvested and the parts sold. That money went to the Foundation and since I own the vault and the charity the board don't get a say. I will be arranging a meeting with the headmaster in order to hash out the contract and he will be handing over the lists of prices needed for the equipment and such so that I can go through and sign off on it.

The first thing that is our biggest priority is for the wards to be checked which will be taking place as soon as the Goblins, myself and the headmaster have everything arranged and the best team can be made available. They will also be using the opportunity to compare the current school wards with the original ward construction, remove what isn't needed, renew what had been lost and place what has been created." Aileen explained as best she could.

"Have you thought about advertising what you're doing, what the foundation was for?" Sirius asked after a moment of thought. He vaguely remembering Aileen suggesting this to Dumbledore over the summer, but he hadn't realised how far they had gotten in the planning stage. "Once you do that, Purebloods and those trying to get into the 'right circles' are likely to donate and you'll have more money at your disposal. In fact…" Sirius turned to Bloodclaw. "I want you to transfer 20,000 galleons into the Lily Potter Foundation Vault the moment that everything has been finalised."

"Once I've talked with Dumbledore, I'll give a statement to give to Remus as my intermediate with the press." Aileen agreed, liking the idea. She had thought to post it but she wasn't used to thinking like the high society purebloods, and as much as he hated it, Sirius did know their ways of thinking.

"Heir Potter." Sharplcaw drew her attention. "I have the first draft of the contract, you may make any changes you want now. We've also made a meeting room available for you and Dumbledore on the 5th for final talks. Then there is another meeting room booked on the 30th August in order to meet with the Curse Breaker team who will be going over the Hogwarts's ward. Mr Weasley will be leading the team and he has requested your presence while they go through the wards since Salazar Slytherin had several parsel based wards and you are the only one who understands them and so will be able to strengthen and recast these wards. He needs these translating as soon as possible."

The goblin handed over several thick scrolls that Aileen placed in her bag. She had given Bill everything she had on the wards – including notes she made while talking with Salazar. However, there were two books she hadn't completed and that must be where the parsel wards were mentioned along with the diagnostic magic Bill had cast that first day. Although he could probably work out what the wards were (and how to tear it down) he wouldn't be able to recast it and it is always safe to be certain.

"I'll send my notes directly to Bill." Aileen informed the goblins, knowing that they didn't like being message carriers. However, since Bill was working for Aileen and didn't have any other means of contacting her at the time (in regards to business), they had no choice but to do it this way.

Aileen read through the contract she had been given, using a spare piece of parchment to write any suggested changes she wanted to make. Sirius – more experienced with this sort of thing from his training – read it over her shoulder but he didn't offer any suggestions. Once she had finished going through it he nodded approvingly, letting Aileen know that he wouldn't change anything other than what she had already noted down. With his approval (which gave her an unexpected warm feeling) Aileen handed the contract back to the goblins.

"Is there anything else any of you wish to go over?" Griphook inquired.

Aileen shared a look with Remus and Sirius before turning back to their goblin hosts. "No, thank you masters Griphook, Sharpclaw and Bloodclaw for your time. May Your Business Prosper."

"And may your enemies tremble at your feet."

With their business complete, Sirius led the way to their next stop. Sirius needed a whole new wardrobe, as did Remus, and Aileen wanted to pick up a couple of new shirts. They spent nearly an hour while Sirius went to town with buying himself and Remus a whole new wardrobes (despite the amount Remus protested) and he even got Aileen a couple of dresses that he thought would look stunning on her even though Aileen didn't want to many cloths.

But finally, as the clock turned ten, they were finished just in time to head back to Grimmauld Place, get changed into comfortable cloths before greeting Andromeda in the receiving room which was one of the rooms Sirius and Remus had dedicated time to making look presentable (besides the kitchen and bedrooms) since they knew they would be using it when Sirius was declared free but before they could hire someone to go through the house.

"Cousin." Andromeda greeted with a regal nod as she stepped out of the fireplace with a healers bag at her side. Remus had been the one to contact her and arrange the appointment – without telling her who her client was going to be – only that they were two high profile individuals. Immediately on Sirius being declared free, Remus had sent the note explaining that it was Sirius who had booked the appointment, along with the Floo address and evidence of Sirius' innocents since it wouldn't have reached the news by the time that Andromeda got the letter.

"Andy." Sirius returned the greeting with a smile. "Thank you for agreeing to be our healer."

"You're family." Andromeda responded. "Now, who am I looking over first?" Andy's eyes travelled down all three members of the group, making Remus shift uncomfortably since he wasn't actually there to get an examination - only for moral support.

"I'll just go look through those documents for your estates, Aileen, so that we can discuss them later." Remus said, making a hasty retreat out of the room.

"I'll go first." Sirius volunteered with a role of his eyes at the way Remus had practically run away. He had spent at least two days every month in the hospital wing when they were at Hogwarts, you would think that he would have gotten used to being around healers who noticed that he wasn't as physically healthy as he could be.

"Good, do you want Aileen to stay?" Andromeda asked as she transfigured one of the sofas into an examining table and cast privacy spells around the room which she always did when she did home visits whether there was only family in the house or not since she took client confidentiality very seriously.

"Yes." Sirius said serious although Aileen was more than willing to leave the room. Aileen looked at the man confused. They hadn't known each other long, and he didn't know much about her life (he had demanded to be told the story about the basilisk once they left the bank and Aileen had promised to tell him that night about her time at Hogwarts).

"You're my heir, you've been training to be a healer for the last three years – two of those with the tutelage of Poppy. It was you taking care of me and looking after me over the last year that has me in the decent health I am in now, and I think you deserve to know the extent of what is wrong with me and what you've helped heal." Sirius explained.

He had other reasons of course – he had seen scars on Aileen's body and he was hoping she would allow him to stay, and by showing her how much he trusted her, he was hopping she would reciprocate. He was hoping that the few scars he had seen were all that there was but his gut was telling him that wasn't the case considering the number of times he had detected blood on Aileen and the fact that she had run away from the Dursleys at thirteen. Even he hadn't run away from his crazed mother until he was sixteen!

After staring assessing at her godfather for a long moment Aileen made her decision. She needed to talk with someone about everything she had been through because she was very much aware that repressing her emotions was doing her no good. Being at Hogwarts – surrounded by so many people – was stressful and scary and she was so used to hiding herself from others that she knew she couldn't start a proper relationship or connect with her friends properly because she was always holding a bit of herself back. If Sirius was there for her examination, then that was one step towards telling someone, and perhaps confiding her thoughts and feelings in the older man who had been through something terrible would help her (and him).

"I would like you to stay for my exam as well." Aileen told him.

"Right, on the table." Andromeda ordered briskly. "I'll run my standard scans, and depending on my results I may ask you to remove your robes and strip to just your underwear so I can get a better assessment and begin treatment."

Sirius did as he was told and Aileen stood at the side of the table, not touching her godfather since she knew that doing so would disrupt the scans.

"What potions are you on?"

"Nutrient potions, which I've been on since July 26th." Sirius said promptly. Aileen had started sending him the potions within two days of getting him out of Hogwarts.

"What level?" Andromeda asked making a note.

"Medium. I didn't want to give him a high level until he could get a proper medical examination since I knew he was already putting on weight naturally." Aileen answered for Sirius since he hadn't asked. Andromeda nodded her understanding and motioned for Sirius to continue.

"I'm not taking anything else except for the occasional calming potion if I've woken from a nightmare and can't sleep. That happens perhaps once a week."

"You only have nightmares once a week?" Andromeda questioned making another note on the parchment.

"No, I have nightmares almost every night." Sirius answered, knowing that being frank was the best way to go in situations like this. "I can normally calm myself with my Occlumency exercise or I've woken late enough to just get up and start the day. I only take the calming draught if the nightmare is bad enough that I can't calm myself – even if it's late enough to be a reasonable time to get up."

"Okay." Andromeda nodded her understanding, writing that down as well before she cast her detection charm which would tell her all the problems with a patient's health as long as it was nothing obscure. Once the medi-quill had finished writing her results, she cast more spells over him.

Sirius sat as still as he could during this entire process, eyeing the quill which was writing away, dubiously. He knew he still had lingering problems from his stay in Azkaban, he got tired easily, his magic wasn't as strong as it used to be, he wasn't as in control of his emotions as he should be (although he had been getting better since Aileen took him in), he was almost always cold and he knew he was still somewhat underweight.

Finally, Andromeda stopped casting spells and she picked up the parchment which was full of Sirius's data. After pursuing it for a long moment, she nodded approvingly.

"You're in much better health then I thought you would be. I've treated people who have come from Azkaban after only spending a couple of months there, a year at most, and they weren't nearly as well off as you; especially since you've not actually been to see a healer. Aileen's work with you has slowly been bringing your weight to a more normal rang and if you continue taking the nutrient potion and following your current diet, you should be within the healthy range by September. Have you been doing any physical activity?"

"I run with Aileen in my dog form. I'm planning on taking that up as a human now I'm free." Sirius answered. "I'm also hopping to start duelling practise soon, however I was waiting to see if it was safe for me to do so."

"You've matured." Andromeda said giving Sirius an approving smile. "The running is doing you a lot of good. How far can you run?"

"I have no idea, but I know it's a greater distance than what I was doing when I first got out." Sirius answered, turning to Aileen who he knew tracked the distance she ran.

"At first he could only run half a mile, maybe a full mile if he was pushing himself before he stopped and rested. That was normally enough to get us to the local park and I would complete my own distance while running around it. It normally took him about forty minutes to recover enough to do the run back." Aileen answered, thinking back to all that time ago. It had been nearly eleven months since Sirius had joined her and he almost immediately joined her running route. "The last time we ran together – which was about fifteen days ago – he ran nine miles and it only took him twenty minutes to recover and walk back to Hagrid's hut which was about quarter of a mile from the lake."

"That's impressive. How much do you normally run?" Andromeda asked Aileen as she made a note about Sirius physical fitness.

"I normally do about 12 miles right now on a relaxed day when I'm doing other physical activities. If I'm just running, I generally do about 18 miles." Aileen answered. Fortunately, the Lake at Hogwarts was 3 miles all the way around so it was easier to determine how much she had run compared to when she was running around Surry.

Andromeda got a second parchment and made of note of what Aileen had said. "I'll ask more questions about your physical activities later." She said before turning back to Sirius. "Unfortunately, I have some bad news. The damage your body suffered while at Azkaban means you'll never be able to sire children."

Sirius nodded resignedly. He had already guessed that he wouldn't be fertile, but he had Aileen and she was the closest thing he had to a daughter and he was fine with that. He didn't plan on starting a relationship anytime soon, and even if he did, he felt like he was too old to be raising children. Aileen grasped Sirius' hand in comfort.

"That was the only thing of concern I had." Andromeda admitted. "You're health is well on track and there is nothing I can recommend that you aren't already doing. You may start duelling, but like with the running, you need to take it slow. Any other symptoms of exposure you may still be experiencing will slowly fade with time although you may always be vulnerable against the beasts."

"Understood." Sirius said, mentally planning his duelling schedule around the basic auror training he had gone through and working up to the training he and James had been doing with the Hit Wizards during the war. Doing it that way meant he would be starting at an 'easy' relaxed level and working his way back to where he had been before.

"Right, Aileen swop places with Sirius please." Andromeda ordered, setting Aileen's parchment up. "First, what is your current exercise routine?"

"I run every morning, like I said. Every other day I run only 12 miles and then I do sit ups, crunches and push ups. I do sixty of each. Then I go through some martial arts forms and 'shadow fighting' for about thirty minutes. I cool down with Yoga." Aileen answered confidently. She didn't mention the stressed shadow fighting she did since it wasn't regular and so not part of her routine.

"Shadow fighting?" Andromeda questioned.

"Oh… it's when she pretends she's fighting an opponent with her sword, dagger or even just her hands. It's bloody scary and I can't wait to get her in a magical duelling setting." Sirius answered that question excitedly. After he had seen Aileen fight of those dogs when she ran away he was concerned for her safety. Then he had seen her training routine and she was frightening in her intensity. If she was also practising her magical duelling to the same degree then she would be one hell of an opponent.

"Are you on any potions?"

"I've been on a low grade nutrient potion for the last three years, but I started taking the medium grade one at the same time as Sirius. I don't take any other potions."

Andromeda nodded silently and began her series of diagnostic spells. Unlike Sirius who only had about three foot of parchment (which included injuries he had suffered in the past) Aileen's parchment was nearly eight feet by the time the medi-quill had finished. Sirius and Andromeda shared an uneasy look: most hit-Wizards didn't accumulate such a long parchment until they had been on the job for at least ten years.

When Andromeda began reading the parchment her face became pinched in anger, and her grip tightened, but she didn't let her professional mask drop. Aileen watched all of this with a blank expression. Knowing that the Healer would need to see the extent of the damage so that she could properly assess what could be treated, Aileen slipped of the table and began disrobing. Sirius immediately turned slightly so he wasn't staring at her, however Aileen didn't really care for modesty and the only reason she didn't change in the same room as her dorm mates was because she didn't want to answer the questions that her scars would arise.

"Where did you get these scars?" Andromeda asked when Aileen was just in her underwear.

"The Dursleys." Sirius growled angrily, his eyes flashing as he took in the damage done to his goddaughter's body but he made as thought to march out of the room – his magic reacting visibly to his anger.

Aileen caught his hand, unconcerned for her own safety in response to Sirius' crackling magic since she knew it would recognise her as his goddaughter and someone he was trying to protect. She was right, the moment she made contact, his magic calmed and seemed to wrap protectively around Aileen who was staring pleadingly at Sirius. "Please Sirius, you can't go after them." she said worriedly as she saw the amount of anger he was radiating.

"But they hurt you. Scared you. They deserve to be killed." Sirius growled angrily. Andromeda stepped back, waiting for them to finish or, if Aileen couldn't talk him down, subdue Sirius. Sirius' magic was likely to register her as a threat right now and so she was better off staying back until she had no choice but to step in or Sirius was in control again.

"Yes, Vernon Dursley hurt me. But you can't go after him Sirius, I didn't go through so much trouble to make you a free man for you to land yourself in Azkaban. I need you here, please."

At those words, Sirius immediately deflated. "All right, but you deserve justice."

"I know, and I'll go after the Dursleys, but in my own time in my own way." Aileen told him confidently.

"Alright, now that's settle, I'm going to need an account of some of your scars and past injuries. Particularly the more severe ones. Age and cause will impact treatment." Andromeda said, getting a clean piece of parchment that she cast a spell on that created an outline of a human.

"I don't know where some of them came from, but I'll do my best to answer your questions." Aileen told her.

"Then we'll start with the ones that are causing the greatest concern and damage." Andromeda decided as she cast another scan over Aileen's body which caused several scars to light up as purple, red or yellow.

Instead of waiting for questions Aileen simple began addressing the injuries. First, she started with the circle scar on the crook of her elbow of her right arm. The scar that went all the way through her arm and she received from the Basilisk back in her second year. It was glowing purple, signifying that it was from a magical creature.

"I receive this scar when I was twelve and was bitten by a basilisk. I survived only because Fawkes the Phoenix had been with me at the time." Aileen explained succinctly.

"I'm really going to need to get that story from you." Sirius said in a very tightly controlled voice as his eyes widened at how close to death Aileen had been.

Andromeda silently nodded and made a note on her drawing of a person. She had already indicated all the scars that had highlighted and what colours they had highlighted in.

Next Aileen ran her fingers along the scar which went from the hallow of her right hip, diagonally across her chest to finish at her shoulder. It was an enflamed red with hints of purple. "I received this one when I was seven. Sirius, you remember the dogs you saw me fight?" Aileen inquired.

"Yes, but I don't recognise their species." Sirius answered, confused by the question.

"That's because the monsters of Greek Mythology are real. Those dogs were hell hounds. The first time I faced one I was seven, and I still wasn't used to the monsters that hunted me down and attacked every now and again. One of them got me with its claws, causing this scar, when I wasn't fast enough to roll out of the way. As I got older, I got better at using my environment, and eventually I was able to get weapons that would kill the monsters and began training to use them."

"If the monsters of Greek Mythology are real, why don't we see them?" Sirius questioned confused.

"Because they are hidden from your sight by the Mist. You only saw the hell hounds for what they were because of me. I'll explain more later," Aileen tagged her promise on the end when she saw that Sirius looked ready to ask more questions since he would rather be talking about the relatively safe topics of monsters than the injuries Aileen had sustained since his control over his anger was strenuous at best.

"Can you explain the scar that runs along your back?" Andromeda asked, stepping in now the family moment was over. She was here purely in a professional capacity so unless it related to Aileen's health it wasn't her right to ask questions. However, she wasn't going to stop Sirius asking questions, although it looked like Aileen was more than willing to shut down that avenue of questioning for now.

"Which one?" Aileen asked confused.

She couldn't exactly see her own back and know which ones had been highlighted. Sirius stepped forward, having seen the way that Aileen reacted to most people's touch, and gentle ran his finger along the red scar which ran between Aileen's shoulder blades in a perfectly straight line. Aileen stiffen immediately at her godfather's touch, and she fought back the instinctual reaction to flinch away. Once he had reached the end of the scar, Sirius stepped back.

"That one was from Vernon. He was punishing me for something – I don't remember what. I was about five at the time. He used a knife to run along my back, and then every time I cried out during the rest of my punishment he would rub salt into the wound." Aileen explained blandly.

Sirius growled angrily and clasped Aileen's hand in his own as a way of grounding himself and offering Aileen comfort. Although she was putting on a mask of not being affected, Sirius knew very well that Aileen did feel pain and sadness as much as she tried to hide those emotions from herself and the world.

Aileen took a deep breath and offered Sirius a half-hearted smile. "Are there any more on my back that have been highlighted?" Aileen enquired, keen to be moving on and so getting this over with since she knew that the internal damage she had suffered will need to be addressed at some point.

"There's another two." Sirius informed her. "This one…" he carefully ran his finger just of the centre of Aileen's spin, from the base of her neck to just below her ribs, were the scar started to curve left and finished just under Aileen's left breast. Sirius didn't know if it continued under Aileen's bra, nor would he ask his goddaughter to remove the only thing preserving her modesty and offering her some form of protection so that he could see the extent of the damage done to her.

Before Aileen could explain how that scar happened, he also ran his finger along the final scar on Aileen's back that had been highlighted, except this time it was yellow. It was a large circular patch of skin on the back of Aileen's right shoulder that was about the sizes of a fist. Despite it being obvious that this was a scared piece of skin, there were old and knew scars on/under it as well.

"The red one was caused by a wire. It wrapped all around my body…" Aileen drew her own finger from where they could see the end of the scar, up over her left breast, and across her chest to the base of her throat where she then wrapped it around her neck to join with the tip of the scar. Now that she had shown them the line it had taken, Sirius noticed that there was a faint scar present. "It didn't dig as deep into the front of my body and it was easier for me to treat and clean it, then it was to treat and clean my back where it had dug deeper."

"The yellow one…" Aileen closed her eyes in a remembered pain.

She had tried to repress those memories – pushing it to the back of her mind to not be thought about. Noting that Aileen was struggling, Sirius took his cloak and wrapped it around Aileen's shoulders and drew her into a half hug. Aileen was stiff and uncomfortable in the hug at first – completely unused to someone offering her general comfort, but she eventually relaxed into the safety of his arms and from there continued her explanation.

"Yellow means that there was a wound that would have been red, but it became heavily infected to the point that most people die without assistance. And I nearly did, especially since I had no true medical treatment beyond what I could provide myself. I think, the only reason I survived was because of my magic. The original injury was caused when I was fixing the Dursley's fencing. Dudley, he came running out into the yard and pushed me back. I fell on a piece of wood which pierced my shoulder. Petunia left me in the bathroom so I could remove the wood as best I could – including the splinters with some pliers. But it was difficult due to the position. She also gave me some rubbing alcohol and let me use the shower to try and wash it out before bandaging it with proper bandages – I'm pretty sure that was the only time I got to use actual bandages without stealing them first. When Vernon got home, he was furious that Petunia had let me use the rubbing alcohol, hot water and bandages." Aileen took in a shuddering breath. "He hit her in punishment before locking me up. He wouldn't let me out for any reason for nearly two weeks. No light, no clean water, no toilet. My shoulder became infected, and I know my temperature spiked to the point that I should have been hospitalised. But I pulled through in the end. But that was the last time my Aunt did anything obvious to help me."

"So your aunt didn't abuse you?" Andromeda inquired, frowning in thought as she wrote what Aileen had said in her notes.

"I think, if I had just been living with my aunt I wouldn't have been loved, but I wouldn't have been abused either. She would have made sure I had food – even if it wasn't the sugary feasts my cousin got – that I had decent cloths that fit, that I did well in school, that I had my own bedroom and that I knew about my heritage. But with Vernon's anger and fists, there was only so much she could do. She was the one who first started giving me chores so that I was out of Vernon's way most of the time but that ended up backfiring when it just gave Vernon another reason to punish me for not doing something right and the chores became things that weren't remotely age appropriate."

"Perhaps, we could see about giving your aunt a way out?" Sirius suggested. "I know your mother never approved of who her sister had married and had offered Petunia sanctuary if she ever needed it."

"I think that would be a good idea." Aileen nodded her acceptance. She didn't love her aunt, but she didn't hate the women either. She had been put in a precarious situation, especially when she couldn't contact anyone in the wizarding world about Aileen's safety.

"We just have a couple more scars left to go through before we move onto other matters." Andromeda drew them back on topic.

"Right." Aileen pulled away from Sirius, and he let her go, but she kept his clock on since the next scars they were discussing were on her legs and still clearly visible. "This one…" Aileen indicated the purple bit mark on her left leg. It looked like it was from a massive dog since it covered most of her calf, but Aileen had been a very small child and the scar had simple stretched as she grew. "…is from a dog bite. Vernon's sister, Marge Dursley, breeds Pitbull dogs. They're vicious beasts and she had one that was trained to attack me on sight. I wasn't fast enough to stop or distract it and so was chased. Before I could get up a tree and to safety it was able to clamp its jaws around my leg. It hung on until I was able to hit it hard over the nose and escape."

"How are you not afraid of dogs?" Sirius asked in disbelief. Aileen hadn't been remotely afraid of him when she found what she thought was a stray dog in the streets that easily came up to her waist.

"Well Hell Hounds are nothing like normal dogs and I know why they're attacking me. The Pitbull that bit me was bread and trained to do so. Any of the other dog's I've met are kind, playful beasts. Like humans – some want to harm me, while others don't." Aileen shrugged off her godfather's concern. She could have chosen to fear cyclops because she was attacked by one, but she knew that they were her half-brothers (in a sense) and only the abandoned ones actually grew up to hunt half-bloods. The principle there was the same as it was with the dogs, with wizards and with humans in general.

"And the final scar?" Sirius prompted.

The last scar was red and ran under her knee cap. Andromeda had seen similar scars before and guessed at what it was, but waited for Aileen's confirmation encase she was wrong it it's shape and placement was just a similarity as opposed to having the same root cause.

"I broke my leg very badly when I was pushed down the stairs. My bone pierced the skin." Aileen shrugged carelessly. Of all the scars that had been highlighted, that was the least painful to recall the cause of or the reaction to.

"I won't be able to get rid of these scars, but there is a cream that can be applied each night which will heal some of the damage so that they won't be as prominent. If used on the other scars on your body, they will fade to almost nothing – only the keenest eyes will be able to spot them." Andromeda told Aileen the good news she had before they moved onto the next cause of concern that needed to be addressed.

"If you give me the recipe, I would prefer to make my own potions so that I'm sure that it will work." Aileen told Andromeda as politely as she could.

"Understandable. Considering you've been making a nutrient potion without any detrimental effects, I'm confident enough in your potion skill to allow such." Andromeda agreed.

"I'll make the potion lab the next priority then." Sirius announced.

"My next cause of concern is your weight. Despite the nutrient potions you've been on for the last three years, you're still underweight and you're nutrient levels aren't were they should be. Most of your body mass is coming from your muscles." Andromeda reported her next health concern while Aileen slipped into her shirt and trousers before wrapping Sirius' cloak back around her shoulders. She found it surprisingly comforting to be surrounded by Sirius' scent while they were discussing her health.

"I was being forced back to the Dursleys, which meant by the time I was starting to eat a relatively decent meal I was suddenly having to cut back. Now that I've living with Sirius though, that won't be a problem and I should start putting on weight and getting the proper balance of food. I've spoken with Poppy Pomfrey about it before when I went to her with questions about what sort of diet would be best to try and increase nutrient intake." Aileen explained.

"Then I won't ask you to change anything about what you're doing about your diet. Continue with the potion and eating three to four decent meals each day. I'll come back in a month to see if you've put on weight and see if you're nutrient levels have improved. If they have, I'll probably take you off the potion and encourage you to get used to getting the proper nutrient levels without it." Andromeda made a note of this on the start of the next sheet of paper, pleased that Aileen was already somewhat trained in healing and willing to work with her to improve her health.

"Do you know how to make a calcium potion?" Andromeda enquired.

"Yes, I take my bones aren't as strong as they could be?"

"Indeed. You have five bones that I'll need to break and reset. Another four that will need to be banished and regrown. Then you'll need to take the calcium potion for two months." Andromeda explained.

"When do you want start breaking and regrowing her bones?" Sirius questioned.

"I'd prefer to wait until you have the potions ready. I'll also need to get some skelegrow from the hospital since it's patented." Andromeda answered. "So I'll return on Saturday, the bones can be regrown overnight."

Sirius nodded his understanding.

"Then next thing I need to discuss is a rather sensitive issue." Andromeda said, relaxing her stance and looking to Aileen. She silently asked if Aileen wanted to explain this to Sirius or if she wanted her to do it.

Aileen's grip tightened on Sirius' cloak and she bowed her head, allowing her shoulders to hunch in slightly in a subconscious comforting gesture. Completely confused about what his cousin was talking about but recognising the distress of his goddaughter, Sirius gathered her small body into his arms and hugged her against his chest but made sure his grip wasn't constricting so that Aileen could pull away and escape if she wanted to. Instead of pulling away like Andromeda had expected Aileen too, she buried her head against Sirius's neck and clutched at his shirt in a desperate search for comfort as she tried to gather her thoughts and broach this topic.

Aileen didn't understand why she was so comfortable allowing Sirius to hold her. Like when she had seen her father during first year, and she had attacked him with a hug which was highly out of character. She didn't know why she allowed contact with these two men but shied away from any other form of contact. She guessed it had something to do with their aura/magic which was comforting and familiar to her since she knew that both of them had attempted to protect her when she was a baby and again over the years since (even if Sirius' didn't break out of Azkaban until she was nearly thirteen). They had both been there for her in one way or another, and Aileen guessed that her magic recognised that and allowed her to seek conform and touch from them because she knew they wouldn't hurt her on the most basic of levels.

"What do you know of blood wards?" Aileen eventually decided to start with.

"Very little beyond that they are a means of protection. Some of the strongest wards on this house are blood wards that when fully active will prevent anyone but those with Black blood from entering and even then they won't be able to enter if they wish harm." Sirius answered cautiously, not releasing his hold on Aileen who seemed perfectly content to hide within his arms like a scared child.

"When mum died, she activated a blood protection. In an attempt to anchor and strengthen it, Dumbledore left me with Petunia and Vernon Dursley. He sent Mrs Figg to watch over me since he couldn't put more wards around the property without alerting the ministry to my location and one of my greatest protections was that no one knew where I was – particularly while the wards settled.

What he didn't know was that Petunia's fear of magic and discontent meant that the wards could be unintentionally manipulated. Dudley grew up hating me – someone with the Even's blood. And then there was Vernon, who immediately began hating, neglecting and hurting me. So when the wards solidified they trapped me. I couldn't fight back against Vernon without the wards stopping me. And I was bound to the house – if I tried running without the intention of returning, it was like someone was stabbing me in my heart and after a while I was pulled back to the house. The only reason I haven't been pulled back already is because I have Black blood in my veins and it's giving me a bit of leeway. We'll need to discuss a way of making that leeway permanent." Aileen looked up, locking eyes with Sirius.

"The only way I can do that is a two way adoption. Taking you as my daughter and you taking me as your father. It would involve the sharing of blood and so the transference of the blood wards as well." Sirius said thoughtfully. "I'll go over the information on blood wards that we have in the library before doing the ritual though."

"Thanks," Aileen smiled grateful and honoured that Sirius didn't even contemplate not taking Aileen as a daughter. "Anyway, the wards meant I couldn't fight back and successfully defend myself. So when Vernon started…." Aileen trailed of her eyes closing as she tried comforting herself. "When he started to touch me… I couldn't."

"Shhh…" Sirius soothed, shoving his horrified anger to the back of his mind as he realised what Aileen was saying. "It's alright, I won't let him touch you again."

Aileen truly broke then. For the first time in her memory she let go of her emotions and cried. Andromeda left the room at this point, knowing that there was nothing she could do until Sirius had calmed Aileen down. Sirius himself transfigured the examining table back into the sofa so that he could more comfortable hold his goddaughter while she cried her heart out into his shoulder. It broke his heart to hear her sob so violently, but he could do nothing but hum soothingly and gentle rub her back.

Edited: 18/05/2020

Word count: 8,113

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