Taking a few tentative steps closer, Aeranna knit her brow as she peered into the flames. “Orpha? Is that you??” Aeranna hissed as she cautiously inched towards the flame.
“Aeranna? Thank heavens it is you.” Orpha sighed, “I’m with Albus at his school, and things are even worse than we thought. How soon can you make arrangements for my clan to visit?”
“You mean the Rion and her family? Now if necessary” she replied, looking towards Kalliope for verification. “We’ve been arranging things since the day you first mentioned it. Deo is ‘very’ intent upon making their visit as perfect as possible.”
“I thought he might.” Orpha nodded, “I’m going home in a few minutes, Albus and I just need to settle out a few things before I leave. If possible, I will send Kitty and the others first thing tomorrow. I’ll contact you as soon as I know for sure.”
Aeranna watched as Orpha’s figure quickly faded from the flames, turning on her heels, she snapped at Kalliope. “You heard her girl. Wake Lady Emma and tell her what you heard, and then make sure everything is ready for tomorrow. I’ll wake Deo and tell him.”……
“Any word from our ‘spy’ at Hogwarts yet?” Lucius growled as he stared at Pettigrew, causing the man to whimper pathetically as he took several steps backward.
“N-n-no, but he said it would be difficult finding out any information over the holidays.” Peter snivelled, wringing his hands as his watery eyes stared up at the imposing figure of Lucius Malfoy.
“Did he now? And do we know ‘why’ that is?” Lucius sneered as he loomed over the panicky man, sneering widely as he saw Pettigrew break into a sweat. “And what of my dear friend, Severus Snape? Any reports from him?”
“A-a- a few” Peter replied, “but they have been directly to Lord Voldemort himself. No one else was permitted in the chamber with them.”
“WHAT!!” Lucius roared, turning on the small man and glowering as he raised his cane high in the air, as if to strike. Realizing quickly that he would get no information out of the cringing man by scaring him even more. Lucius quickly regained his composure, straightening his cloak as he smiled condescendingly at Pettigrew. “It seems Snape is still as ambitious as ever. I must make it a point to look in on my dear friend.”…..
“Sara? What do you think is going to happen when Meg and Charlie wake up? Do you think they’ll kiss?” Ginny asked excitedly as she tried to get to sleep.
“I think they already have.” Sara yawned, “and I don’t just mean under the mistletoe. Although how anyone could just fall asleep like that…”
“Oh, they didn’t fall asleep.” Ginny explained. “Fred left some of his potions homework laying about. That’s what put them to sleep, powdered nightshade will do that, you know.”
“You get to make sleeping potions? Wicked cool” Sara grinned, “I know Harry says the potion teacher is a beast, but I’m betting I’ll ace that class. I love mixing stuff up.”
Looking a bit uncomfortable, Ginny answered, “Well, Professor Snape and Harry have never really gotten along, and its only gotten worse since he realized Snape is in love with his Mum. I guess it would be kind of awkward.”
“To say the least” Sara agreed, “especially since my uncles are all set on Uncle Sirius being her husband. Even Uncle Duncan likes him, and that’s saying a LOT, he’s usually the one to go chasing them off…..yelling like a barbarian…..sword in hand..”
Ginny giggled, “Stop it Sara, he couldn’t be that bad. Even ‘my’ brothers aren’t that bad.”
“Just wait til you meet him, Ginny. He’s sweet as dew to the girls, but let some guy give Aunt Kitty a look, and ‘boom’ he’s all over them. Its hysterical… she gets ‘so’ upset with him, she’ll stomp her feet and shake her finger at him like he’s five or something, but it’s the same thing over and over. You should have seen what he did to Uncle Sirius, Aunt Kitty nearly skinned him and Zach alive for that little trick.”
Ginny smiled as she looked at Sara. “It sounds like Sirius really fits in well with your family. I’m glad, he’s been so alone for so long. I see the way he looks at Harry and Cat when he thinks no one is looking, its so sad..”
“What’s so sad? He loves them very much. What’s so sad about that?” Sara asked.
“Don’t you know? He’s considered a criminal in my world. If they catch him, he’s done for. He can’t let anybody see him at school, he has to sneak around all the time…..”
“A criminal??” Sara gasped, “And what do you mean ‘done for’? You don’t mean they’ll kill him, do you?”
Ginny shivered slightly as her voice dropped to a whisper, “Worse. They’ll steal his soul……”
“This isn’t fair” Cat yawned as she cuddled with Sirius, who was amusing himself by playing with her hair.
Smiling softly, Sirius hugged her tightly as he felt her nuzzle against him. “What isn’t fair, gra?”
“It isn’t fair that I sleep so much better in your arms than I do alone.” she sighed. It was true, the feel of him next to her, the smell of him, everything about him simply made her feel safe and comfortable. “I shouldn’t feel like this just because you’re near me.”
“But I am oh so glad you do.” Sirius responded as he pulled her tight against his chest. Smiling as the ring dangled down, touching his chest and reminding him of how long he waited to hold her like this. “As far as I’m concerned, we can make these sleeping arrangements permanent right now. All you have to do is say ‘yes‘ and its as good as….”
“Sirius” Cat sighed, “we’ve been through this so many times already. My father, my clan, my brothers……”
“Your brothers who seem to like me, your son who adores me and wants me to be his father..” Sirius continued on for her, smirking as she swatted him. “You know its true, gra, there is no point in denying it any longer. Just give up and marry me, ….you know you want to.” he added, laughing deeply as Cat pretended to choke him.
“You are such a brat, Sirius Black. And before you start with that smug look of yours, mind telling me how we get out of here? I’m sure Harry’s looking for us by now, ….along with several other members of my clan, I’m sure.” she added.
“I have no idea” he admitted, “I actually thought someone would have let us out by now……you don’t think anyone is waiting on the other side to…you know…’get’ us or anything. Do you?”
“With ‘MY’ clan” she shrugged, “who can tell.”
Sirius paused, staring intently at Cat as he tried to figure something out. “You’re hiding something from me, gra. What is it?
“Nothing.” she replied softly and not at all convincingly.
“Catrianna……” Sirius spoke, his voice deep and forceful, but still filled with tenderness. “I know you better than that. What aren’t you telling me?”
“I’m afraid I know why this….why we were set up like this.” Seeing the look on Sirius’s face, she continued. “You said Luke was involved, right? I’m sure he’s figured out pretty near everything. He’s the quiet one, and you always have to watch out for the quiet ones. He would have no problem convincing Paddy, Colin or the others to help him. My guess is Duncan would have been the big obstacle….”
“But ‘why’ would he go through all the trouble? Its not like he would have had to ‘force’ me into playing along.” Siri asked.
“Because he needed witnesses, lots of them. So if I am pregnant, everyone will assume it was yours and this is when it happened.” Cat explained. “He’s giving you the ability to claim any child I may have, and he’s giving me deniability by ‘forcing‘ this to happen.”
“Won’t he ….I mean… well…your Father will be livid, won‘t he?”
“Luke will be put on the spot, but he and Duncan are the oldest. Luke’s the magi, Duncan’s the warrior; two halves of the same circle. Its always been that way, they won’t ever go against each other publicly. And if they are united, Father won’t put up much of a fuss,…as long as he likes you, that is.”
“I’ll make sure he loves me.” Sirius whispered as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close “After all, once he sees what a wonderful family we make, how will he be able to say no? And if he looks like he’s wavering, I’ll ask Paddy to let me hold Edana.” he added, relieved to hear her chuckling. “Come on, lets figure out how to get out of here and find Luke and Harry. I think we need to have a long talk with each of them.”
“Harry? Luke I can understand, but why Harry?” Cat asked.
“Have you already forgotten?” Siri grinned, “You specifically told me last night, as part of your ‘rules’, that I could act as your husband, as long as I didn’t actually tell Harry we were going to be married.”
“This you remember.” Cat deadpanned, “Do you remember the other two rules, Mr. Black?”
“Yes, dearest, I do, no ‘hanky-panky’ and act like a gentleman.” Sirius retorted, sticking his tongue out.
“ANNNNND” Cat prompted.
“Oh, alright,… and be nice to Snape” Sirius replied hastily. “But I agreed to that rule under duress.”
“Under duress?” Cat grinned, “Now this I have got to hear. Go on, explain it to me.” she encouraged, sitting down on the end of the bed and smiling.
Sirius stood barely an inch from her as he slowly knelt down in front of her. “Because of things like this.” he whispered, kissing her deeply while doing up the buttons of her blouse. “How long do you really expect me to be able to hold out, gra? It’s already been such a long time for me.” he asked, smiling tenderly as she blushed under his attentions.
“I should know for sure in three or four weeks.” she answered between kisses. “You can wait that long, can’t you?”
Sirius smiled sadly, “What’s another few weeks after all these years, right?”…..
Harry yawned, stretching as he heard Mrs. Weasley’s voice calling them downstairs for breakfast. He grinned as the smell of pancakes and the sound of voices drifted up to he and Ron. “Looks like everyone survived the night” he grinned to Ron, who did little more than snort back in his half awake state. “Come on, Ron. Lets get going, I have to get the girls together and get back home before Aunt Siobhan realizes we never came back. I don’t want to mess things up for Meg and Charlie.”
“Alright, alright…..I’m up” Ron groaned as he rolled out of bed, grabbing a bright orange sweater and hastily pulling it on over his pyjamas. “Lets go.” he mumbled.
Harry paused, considering explaining to Ron that he wasn’t actually ‘dressed’ but decided it would take to long, and right now, time was everything. “Come on, I’ll race you.” he grinned as he took off quickly, a suddenly awake Ron close behind.
They laughed and ran all the way downstairs, only to be caught in the strong arms of a man with long, dark hair. Panicking momentarily, Harry used his bracelet to send the man sprawling across the floor, causing a momentary panic within the Weasley home.
“Son of a …..Harry!” the man yelled as he stood up and dusted himself off. “What was that for? I thought you’d be glad to see me.”
“Uncle Duncan?” Harry gasped, “What….why….” his shock turned into immediate delight as he saw the mischievous smile on his uncle’s face.
“I thought I’d stop by and bring you all back, especially as Siobhan already thinks the four of us are out sight seeing with the Weasley’s here. I told her I would come along, as our Harry here doesn’t understand all the ins and outs of chaperoning just yet.” he explained, winking at Harry as Arthur laughed. “Luke and I have a sort of arrangement when it comes to things like this. It basically consists of NOT letting the ladies know when one of us guys messes things up.”
“Yeh, I guess I really did make a mess of things, huh?” Harry replied, his voice betraying the disappointment he felt for not doing better for his clan.
“No, not really,” Duncan insisted, draping a fatherly arm around Harry’s shoulders. “Actually, you did pretty good for your first time out, and with no back up either.” Hearing a ‘hmpft’ from behind him, he added. “Sara, you are NOT back up, you are an accident waiting to happen…..nice crown by the way.” He gave Harry a questioning gaze as he nodded towards Sara.
“Don’t ask” Harry sighed, “it’s a long and ugly story.”
“Hey, we resemble that remark” Fred chimed in as he helped himself to some sausage.
“Yeh, and at least ‘you’ didn’t have to wear heels all night.” George added, stabbing a stack of pancakes.
“You deserved it and you know it.” Molly countered, ending the discussion there and then as she brought more food to the table. “Duncan is it? Come on then, sit down and help yourself. Boys move over and make room.” She paused as she felt the man’s eyes staring at her. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
“No…. nothing” Duncan grinned, “You just remind me so much of Siobhan. Even down to the wonderful cooking. You should really come and meet her, I’m sure you would both get along famously.”
“That’s a great idea, Mum. After all, ….. Uhm.. I mean it may be a good idea to meet Meg’s family…..ahh….what I mean to say is…” Charlie stammered as he tried to figure out a way to encourage his mother without seeming over confident where Meg was concerned.
Duncan looked from Charlie to Meg and smiled, catching Harry’s eye and seeing his nephew wink at him, Duncan knew exactly what to do. “Actually, it is rather important, especially if Meg and Charlie intend to see each other again. It was only because Harry insisted Charlie was from a good family that we even allowed Meg to come to visit. But Harry’s only a one person, and still a child, the clan will want to meet Charlie here, and his family to see if …..well, if anything should come of it….you know.” he added vaguely, his eyes drifting from Charlie‘s eyes to Molly‘s.
He could already see the wheels turning in Molly’s head, goddess, she was so much like Siobhan it was positively frightening. Deciding to put the icing on the cake, he added, “And it might be a good idea for you to bring the other boys along with you. That is if you’re interested in them meeting any of the girls.”
“You mean Meg’s sister Diane?” Percy chirped, only to be immediately teased by the twins.
“Diane, Clara, Katie, Callista, Moira, Mandy, Tanja, Tris, Amanda, Sabrina, Ariele, Tara, Sinead, Mea, …” Duncan began, only to stop when Molly placed her hand on his.
“How many sisters does Meg have?” She asked, almost timidly.
Meg in particular? I honestly don’t know, but between us all, it’s a rather large family. Take Harry for example, he has thirteen uncles and three aunts alone.” Duncan grinned, seeing he had Molly firmly hooked. “What about you, Mr. Weasley? Do you have any objections to meeting the clan?”
“Arthur, please.” he insisted “And I for one would simply love to meet your famli..clan.. Meg’s already told me so much about Fernglennis. You do realize that in this world your home is considered a fairy tale?”
Duncan smirked, “Well, I guess that would make sense, considering our closest neighbours are Fae.”…………..
Cat felt herself grow weak with relief as she and Sirius walked down the hall. Not only had the door opened up the moment they ‘both’ touched it together, there had been no welcoming party camped outside the door as she had feared.
“Hey, wait up.” Sirius whispered as he hurried along side of her, slipping his arm around her waist as they walked to her room. “So, who first? Luke or Harry?” he asked as he opened the door to her room, and gasped.
“Calm down, lover boy, its only me.” Luke smirked as he reclined on Cat’s bed, reading a book. “The rest of the family is downstairs, half of them are giggling and whispering over the noticeable absence of the two of you, the other half is gossiping about this Weasley family and your son’s involvement with them.”
“Harry?! What about Harry and the Weasleys’?”
“He’s there now. Been there since last night. He took Meg to meet one of their sons, Charlie I think. Anyway, he called last night, seems Megsy and her new beau fell asleep and Mother Weasley refused to let anyone wake them up. So they spent the night.” Luke looked up at his sister, “He told me you wouldn’t mind, that you knew them and approved of them.”
Cat nodded, “He’s right, I do…. But still, Luke…”
“Don’t worry, I’ve taken care of that too.” he grinned, “I sent Duncan over first thing this morning. Told Siobhan that he’s checking out the family during a ‘sight seeing’ of their world. She’s thrilled, the kids are safe and Duncan is kept busy so he doesn’t go mad waiting for the two of you to wake up.” he added, smirking widely as he saw them blushing furiously.
Raising an eyebrow, Luke asked bluntly, “So, anything I should be aware of? I see my baby sister has a new piece of jewellery, any special meaning attached to it?” He smiled with satisfaction and joy as he saw Kitty reach up to touch the ring, a soft smile on her lips, and the unmistakable look of love in Sirius’s eyes. “Guess that answers that.” he stated as Sirius stood behind Kitty, encircling her waist as he pulled her against him.
“Nothing is official, Luke. You should know that better than anyone.” Cat commented “Father still hasn’t….”
“Father is the least of our worries, Kitty.” Luke explained as he placed the book on the nightstand and motioned for them to join him on the bed. “Listen, I’m not exactly ‘in the loop’ on this one, but I need some answers from both of you. Orpha left here last night to see Uncle Alby, she didn’t come back in a good mood.”
“Why?! Has something happened at the school?” Sirius asked, his voice laced with concern. “The students will be coming back any day now. If its not safe….”
Luke held up his hand, “I don’t know that the ‘students’ safety is the problem…..Kitty, she went there to checkout this Professor Snape,” Luke paused as he saw Sirius cringe and Kitty’s eyes grow sorrowful. “To the best of my knowledge, and remember, I’m NOT actually involved in this, she never got passed Alby’s office. Something happened last night that has her absolutely besides herself. As soon as she got home, she had Siobhan and Tris brought to her, ….never a good sign.”
“Please tell me Severus didn’t do anything stupid to her like he did to Mac Lir.” Cat sighed, “I can talk Mac Lir into forgiving him, Aunt Orpha won’t be nearly so easy to convince, especially since I wasn’t there.” Seeing Luke’s questioning gaze, she explained. “When Mac Lir came to bring me home, Severus tried to fight him, and he nearly got himself killed in the process. I keep telling Mac Lir that Sev was only trying to protect me, that he had no idea that we were clan and that he was only trying to bring me back to the safety of my home.”
“And Mac Lir’s alright with that?” Luke asked incredulously.
“Not totally, but I’m kind of his favourite niece, and since no one was really hurt…” she finished, her voice sounding weak and rather unsure. She startled slightly when she felt Sirius pull her against himself, kissing her temple as he gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“So, in other words, he didn’t make the best first impression on our dear Uncle.” Luke snickered, winking at Sirius who was doing his best not to grin ‘too’ widely.
“To say the least. I’m afraid he’s never been overly fond of non-humans.” Cat sighed as she picked up one of Sirius’s hands, playing absent-mindedly with his fingers. “Luke, should I ask Orpha what happened?”
Luke knitted his brow as he thought it over, “Give her a little time first, maybe late tonight you can broach the subject with her. But until then, you have a son, a brother and two nieces to bring back home…..don’t you?”……..
“Orpha, you must calm down and think this over rationally.” Merlin insisted as he listened to her rant and rave.
“Rationally? You want me to ‘calm down’ and be rational? Fine, tell me who is interfering with our clan and I’ll be every bit as calm as you are.” she spat. “You have been too long out of the mortal world to understand the danger to them, to all of them. This isn’t just about Kitty anymore, this is about our existence. Someone has managed to get through all of our defences, altered or outright forged letters to our friends and allies…….” she took a deep breath as she finally found what she was looking for. “Finally, maybe now we can get to the bottom of this.”
“What is that, Orpha?” Merlin asked, slowly edging closer to her. “It looks older than the two of us combined.”
“It probably is, it was created by my great-great-grandmother, she was Nuada Airgedlámh‘s concubine. She bore him many, many children both warriors and magi, it was even rumoured that she took Angus Mac Og into her bed on occasion.” she commented off handedly.
“So, …..what is it, exactly?” Merlin asked as he peered over her shoulder, staring intently at the rough hewn stone box before them.
“Consider it the Sidhe equivalent of Pandora’s box. All the magic that should never be used is contained within it” she paused as she heard him gasp. “Don’t worry, Merlin, I’ve kept it safe for centuries, as of this moment, you are the only other creature in the world that knows for certain that it still exists.”
“Orpha, my dearest, you cannot use this thing.” Merlin insisted, “I know you are concerned for our clan, but an item like this is more likely to destroy us than anything anyone else could ever possibly….”
“I have no intention of using it, Merlin. At least not in the way you think.” Orpha interrupted. “Our clan has faced worse obstacles than this before, the only difference was, those were all from outside forces. And THIS is most certainly an ‘inside’ job. Who ever is spying on us, interfering with the way things should be,….it has ‘got’ to be someone inside the school. Someone who can go anywhere without question or concern, either that, or they are completely invisible to eye, mind and soul.”
“And this artifact will help us, how?” Merlin asked.
“This box, in combination with the heart of the Sacred Oak, will allow us to see and feel any evil that is present within Albus’s school, regardless of its shape or blood lines.” Orpha whispered, her fingers clutching the box tightly as she spoke the last few words.
“Regardless of blood lines? Orpha, you cannot think one of our own has betrayed us in such a way. It is simply impossible…”
“Sadly, Merlin, ‘nothing’ is impossible”……..
“Well, that went reasonably well.” Siri grinned as he took Cat’s arm, walking her back towards the house. “Although I thought Molly might have to hit Percy over the head with that frying pan when he saw me.” he added, wryly. “And poor Charlie, I thought Duncan was going to have to pry his hand out of Meg’s. He’s got it bad, hasn’t he?”
Cat smiled happily as she nodded, “He certainly does, and Meg is not far behind him. I can’t believe how smitten she is. I just wish they would have come back with us. Arthur seemed all for it, but Molly……well, I don’t think she’s all that comfortable with me yet.”
“Its not you, gra.” Siri said softly. “Molly’s just worried about her children, and who could blame her? After all, you yourself have heard some of the lies the MoM has spread about the Sidhe and what you are capable of. My guess is either the kids will drift here one at a time, or Arthur is going to have to pullout all the stops to convince her to let them visit as a family.”
“Hmmm, well, two of her children have already been here.” Cat grinned, chuckling as she saw the look of surprise on Sirius’s face.
“Two? I heard about Ginny, ….did Ron visit with Harry?” seeing the look on her face, he tried again. “One of the twins with Hamish?”
“Percy.” Cat smirked as Siri’s jaw all but hit the ground. “It seems he took a little detour over the new year and met with Di. But I wasn’t about to tell that to Molly, she’d have had an absolute fit.”
“To say the very least.” he grinned, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “So, what sort of chance do Meg and Charlie ‘really’ have? Or does she need her clans approval as well?”
“My, my, you’re becoming quite the busy body, aren’t you?” Cat teased “And to answer your question, you yenta you. Yes, she needs clan approval, or more precisely the approval of the chieftain, Cash, a crone and myself.”
“YOU?!” Siri gasped, “But why you?”
“Because I have a responsibility to my clan, Siri” she sighed, “And that includes to future generations. I have to be sure that her husband would be willing and able to stand by the clan, to accept and support us and our laws.”
“So she would be held to the same standards that you are.” Sirius sighed, “Doesn’t give them much of a chance, does it?
“Of course it does!” Cat insisted. “I like the Weasleys, and I’m willing to bet there is blood between us. I mean, look at them! The red hair, bright eyes….not to mention their temperament. Besides, if anything, my situation makes me much more sympathetic towards others.” she added softly. “And she’s not the chieftains daughter, they’ll be much more lax with her, and with me on her side….”
She paused her comment as she heard a great deal of yelling coming from the front of the house. Looking up, she saw Harry chasing after Callista, all but tackling her as Paddy ran after them. At first she thought it was just another game, until she saw Calli hitting Harry and Paddy as she tried to get away from them. She didn’t need to ask Sirius if he had seen it, as she immediately felt his arm tighten around her. “Come on, Siri.” she said, only to be pulled along as his long legs quickly outdistanced hers.
“Whoa, hey, Calli, stop it!” Sirius yelled as he skidded to a stop in the snow, bumping Harry out of the way as he grabbed Callista’s wrists to stop her from hitting anyone else. “Harry, Paddy, what is going on here?!” he demanded as he saw Calli’s tear streaked face and red puffy eyes. “CAT! Hurry up.”
Sirius looked back to Harry for an explanation as Cat dropped to her knees next to the sobbing Callista. “What is going on here?” he demanded once more. “Why is she so upset and why was she fighting the two of you? Harry, are you alright?” he added as he saw Harry nursing his shoulder.
“Its Starry, she’s been missing since last night and Calli just….she’s completely lost it.” Paddy huffed, holding his stomach. “Harry and I tried to calm her down, but she started swinging, insisting she was going to find her puppy. …..Sirius, she can’t go into the woods, not alone, not with an escort. There are too many dangers for a child out there, the woods protect Fernglennis from outsides, but they are indiscriminate. They can’t tell friend from foe.”
“Sirius! Let her go!” Cat commanded as she held onto the weeping girl, comforting her as more and more members of the clan ran out of the house to see what had happened. “Calli, honey, you have to calm down and talk to me, sweetie.” Cat cooed as she brushed Calli’s wet hair from her tear stained face. “Come on now, talk to me, tell me what happened.”
“St-starry” the young girl wailed, “she’s gone, and they-they won’t let me find her.” she added, pointing accusingly toward Paddy and Harry. Paddy winced as he heard the tone in Calli’s voice, it was obvious she didn’t understand the danger involved. Kneeling next to Cat, he softly explained to her what he had just explained to Sirius. “But she’s ‘my’ puppy, she’s all I have left.” Calli wailed once more as she heard what Paddy had said.
“Then let the men look for her outside,” Orpha interjected, wrapping her arms around both Calli and Cat. “Come now, look at you both, you’re soaked to the bones, and in this cold weather too.” she admonished. “Callista, you are coming inside with Kitty. We can search the house top to bottom, Harry you will come with us. I’m sure the men will be able to search the grounds without your help. You look almost as wet as these two.”
“But what if she’s hurt? What if she needs me?” Calli asked, still sobbing. “She’s my responsibility, she’s my-my-”
“Hush now, Callista” Cat cooed as she and Harry encircled her. “Aunt Orpha is right, she’s probably somewhere inside the house’ sleeping more than likely.” she added, “Why don’t we let the guys look for her in the barn and around the yard, I doubt she would have gone very far.” She looked up at Harry, silently signalling him to keep holding on to Calli as she steered them towards the house.
Orpha waited until Callista was well out of ear shot before she continued. “Boys, see if you can find the puppy, but do NOT risk your own lives. I have a very, very bad feeling about this, that dog has barely left Calli’s side since the day she was given to her. The snow is fresh, but there are no tracks leading away from the house, be careful and stay together. If you don’t find anything within the next twenty minutes or so, I think we can plan for a long and tear filled night.” she added, sighing deeply as she looked back to see Harry holding the door for his mother and Calli.
“Come on, Paddy, you and I can check around the house, Luke and Duncan can check the barn.” Sirius suggested as he trotted off, Paddy close behind him. As they rounded the side of the large house, Sirius slowed down and faced Paddy. “Are we sure there were no tracks? The house is built into a hill for the love of heaven, its not like it has a back door she could have slipped out of.”
“That’s probably what has Orpha worried.” Paddy agreed, “but why would anyone want to steal a puppy, especially one like that? I mean, if it were one of the grims or even a border collie I might understand. But a dog like that is only good for companionship, nothing more.”
“Wrong, its good for getting a little girl very upset.” Sirius replied angrily. “She’s been through enough already, she doesn’t need this too.” Seeing Paddy’s concerned look, Sirius went on to explain. “I’ve seen Calli with that puppy, its like its her only link to her past, to her family. Starry is the only thing that can bring her peace when the memories get too much for her. I’ve heard her screaming and crying in her sleep, begging her mother to wake up,” he stated, tears rising in his eyes. “I’ve tried to calm her down, so has Cat, but when she has those dreams, when she sees her family being slaughtered. Paddy, that puppy is the only thing that has ever really soothed her. I won’t stand by and watch Calli lose her too, it just isn’t right. A person can only take so much loss in one lifetime, and I’d say she’s had more than her share.”
Paddy nodded keeping his eyes focused on the ground so Sirius would not see his own tears. “I think we need to spread out more.” he suggested, “if someone was trying to hide their tracks, I doubt they would have wasted the effort for more than a few yards.”
“You don’t think they went into the woods, do you?” Sirius asked, staring out towards the ominous mass of skeletal winter trees. He felt a bone chilling shiver run up his spine as he recalled what Cat had told him of the forest surrounding her home. There were creatures in these woods that put the forbidden forest to shame, fallen fae, ancient cursed creatures of stone and wood. He shuddered at the mere thoughts of what may happen to a lost puppy out there.