Looking up at her cousin, “Don’t push your luck mop-top, I’m in no mood.” Sara all but growled “Can you believe what she’s making me wear? We have to dance in the middle of a field for goodness’s sake. You would think they could at least shorten the hem, I’m going to fall flat on my face.”

“I think you look very nice,” Harry replied, smiling and hoping it would make Sara feel a little better. “and it looks like your Mum approves, she’s got Remus aiming his camera at you already.”

“Oh nooooo” Sara whined, “not again with the pictures. I’ll never live this down if she insists on creative evidence. Come on Harry, dance with me, she can‘t take pictures if I‘m moving.” Quickly grabbing Harry, she led him across the room, hoping her mother and Remus wouldn’t follow them.

Harry rolled his eyes as they danced to Zach’s piano playing. “Honestly Sara, why are you being so difficult, she just wants to take a few pictures. It’s not ‘that’ bad.”

“Maybe not to you, but I’ve got to see these things brought out each and every time my Mum gets weepy about things. And lately that’s been a lot” Sara sighed deeply “I wish she and Da would just make up and get on with life, I hate to see them like this. Mum acts all strong and calm, but as soon as Da leaves, she starts crying, she really misses him.”

“Why does he leave? Is he angry with her?” Harry asked softly, wanting to be there for Sara if she wanted to talk, but not wanting to push her.

Sara shook her head, “No, it’s Mum that’s upset with him, she found out that he had been holding the truth from her for a very long time.” Sara sighed deeply and remained quiet for a few minutes and seemed unable to meet Harry’s eyes.

“Do you want to talk about something else?” Harry asked, knowing the answer. Seeing Sara nod, he tried to think of something else to discuss that didn’t revolve around family. Seeing Hamish laughing and carrying a strange instrument, Harry decided that was as good a topic as any. “Hey, Sara, what is that thing Hamish is carrying, it looks almost like bagpipes.”

Turning her head to look, Sara giggled softly, “Believe it or not, those ‘are’ bagpipes, they just look funny because he likes to tie things to them. If we grab him now, I’m sure he’ll show you what he’s got, but I’m warning you, some of its rather freaky.” she added, winking playfully.

Grinning happily, Sara and Harry ran over to Hamish, pulling on his kilt to get his attention away from Remus and Tris. “Uncle Hamish” Sara interrupted, “can you show Harry your pipes?”

Hamish smirked, knowing Sara’s sense of humor, he could only guess what she’d told Harry about his pipes so far. “Why, does he want to learn how to play like his uncles and cousins?”

“Watch it Hash, some of us girls know how to play too.” Tris teased, “And my bet is he wants to know what havoc you’ve caused to such a noble instrument.”

Sticking out his tongue and laughing, Hamish replied “Better keep an eye on your woman Remus, she’s got a sharp tongue that one.” Seeing both Tris and Remus blush crimson, a satisfied Hamish knelt down and turned his attention to the children. “Well Harry, what is it you want to know?”

Harry smirked as he pushed up his glasses, “Actually, Tris was right. I was wondering what you have all over them. Sara said you have amulets and things like that.”

“Not a word Tris….not a word” Hamish groaned as everyone else laughed. Pulling Harry close to him, Hamish whispered, “Just for future reference, when one of us guys makes a smart aleck comment to one of the girls, ‘try’ to back us up, huh?” he winked. “Now as for my pipes here, these are more than just decorations,” he explained, lifting the pipes so Harry could see the bright pieces of cloth, beads, amulets and other trinkets twisted and tied to the pipes. “These are badges of honor and tokens of memories, everywhere I’ve gone, they’ve gone, and each piece tells a story. See this ivory silk with the small flowers? That came from Japan, the kimonos that the geisha’s wear are actually painted by hand, and this was given to me by the grandfather of one of the families that crafts them, his family has been doing this for over 1200 years.”

“And see these beads? The ones that look like rough clay? They came from the Aboriginals in Australia, they are to remind us that we are all tied to the earth in one way or another. And this amulet is from Peru, its meant to ward off danger, it was given to me by your great-great-Uncle, he was an anthropologist in the mortal world, and a scribe in ours.”

Harry smiled in amazement, “What is this one, the blue piece with the little holes?” “That’s from the sail of the ship we used to cross the Mediterranean, I think it was during the 8th century. They considered us gods of the night, so the sail was dyed a deep blue to look like the night sky.”

“And the plaid piece?” Harry asked, running the cloth through his fingers.

“The ‘plaid’ piece” Hamish sighed as he rolled his eyes, “for goodness sake, hasn’t that mother of yours shown you the clan tartan?” seeing the uncertain look on Harry’s face, Hamish clucked his tongue. “This, my dear little nephew, is the tartan of Clan MacLeod, our ‘colours’ if you will. Come tomorrow night, you’ll see lots of us in clan colours, MacLeod, O’Hara, O’Brien, Fritzpatrick. I’ll teach you how to tell the clan and rank of the person wearing it tomorrow night.”

Smiling happily, Harry ran his fingers along the pipes, pausing at a pink lacy material that looked for all the world like a pair of panties, but he knew they couldn‘t be. “Where are these from? They look like….”

Coughing loudly, Hamish choked, “Oh, uhm, those…well those are….there was this really pretty girl I met in Paris, and uhm…..she gave me her, ahhh….when you’re older I’ll explain” Hamish stated quickly, his face turning slightly pink as he avoided Harry and Sara’s eyes. “Hey, will you look at the time……. I think I should play something now.” he added, standing up quickly and walking towards Zach and the piano as more and more family with instruments joined them. ……

Cat took one last deep breath before she descended the stairs. She hadn’t been this nervous about the ceremony since she was twelve and it was her turn to portray the maiden, but then again, Sirius Black had never been there either. Mentally chastising herself for acting so silly, she held her head high and continued descending the stairs as she heard the humming of Hamish’s pipes.

Smiling widely when she saw Duncan, Cat took the hand her brother offered as he escorted her down the last few steps. “Well, I’m glad to see you haven’t forgotten how to walk in that thing.” Duncan winked, reminding her of the first time she had been asked to portray the role of the mother, she artfully tripped over the hem of her gown and tumbled down the stairs. Duncan had made it a point to wait for her at the bottom ever since, just in case he needed to catch her.

“Leave it to you to bring something that embarrassing up ‘now’, shame on you brother.” Cat teased, gaining a broad smile from Duncan.

“Well I thought I’d give you something to occupy your mind…..that is until you see your wizard friend over there. He certainly hasn’t taken his eyes off of you, seems rather taken with you… again…. .still” he teased back.

Cat looked across the room and spied Sirius, and the sight of him nearly took her breath away. He looked almost like she remembered him from their school days, his face freshly shaved, hair falling gently on either side of his face, framing those blue eyes of his that never seemed to fail to steal her heart away. She could feel herself blushing as her eyes ran over the royal blue robes with the ermine trim and bright gold sash that match hers. He almost looked like a king, he certainly was holding himself like one, it was the first time she could remember seeing him standing so tall, so sure of himself since they had been reunited….

Sirius stood next to Luke, completely spellbound by the sight of Cat coming down the stairs. She had on a gown of the same blue material that he did, complete with the same fur trim and gold accents. He waited for her to notice him, only to see her smiling at someone else. Perching on his toes, his concern immediately turned to a soft smile as he saw Duncan standing next to her, assisting her down the last few steps as she daintily lifted the hem of the gown. Sirius felt himself sigh as he watched her smiling at her brother, her long, soft hair swept up off of her neck and held with an ornate pin as several stray curls gently grazed over her shoulders.

Feeling a sharp push on his back, Sirius turned and gave Luke a confused look. “Well go on Sirius,” Luke encouraged, “judging by her blush and your vacant stare, I’d say you’d better get things moving.” he explained, winking as Sirius smiled brightly at him. ……..

Harry pulled Sara next to him as he rushed to the other side of the room. “Look, Sara, over there, look at them.” he whispered excitedly. “Do you think Aunt Orpha’s is going to have them get married tonight or something?”

“Not tonight, she couldn’t” Sara explained “it’s the wrong time to do something like that, she’ll have to wait until after the New Year, or maybe for Candlemas to ensure lots of children.” she turned to see the crestfallen look on her cousins face. “Hey, don’t worry, like you said, just look at them.” she grinned, throwing one arm around Harry’s neck and jabbing him with the other. “I’d say as far as the clan is concerned, it’s a done deal, I just hope the crones agree with them.”…….

Sirius was at Cat’s side within moments, staring at Duncan who refused to move aside. “Do you mind if I dance with your sister? Or are you actually going to make me fight you for her?” he asked, barely containing his grin as Duncan snorted at the idea.

“As if you would last a minute against me in a fight.” Duncan smiled, “You’re still too scrawny, and do something about that hair, its nearly as long as Kitty’s.”

“But not nearly as nice” Sirius sighed, a besotted look on his face as he gazed at Cat. “So, may I dance with you? Or are your brothers going to have to beat me away from you.”

“Oh stop.” Cat sighed, giggling “Besides we don’t have time to dance right now, I’m just waiting for Sara and Aunt Orpha and then we have to go, the sun has already set.”

“Well then stop talking and lets get a move on” Orpha grinned as she stood in the doorway in a striking gown of black and red. “It simply will not do to keep the villagers waiting.” she added, motioning for everyone to gather around her. “Hamish, you and the others start playing as soon as your ready.” she called out as she hurried the small group outside.

“Let’s see, Sara, Harry, Kitty, Sirius, and myself, that sounds about right for the moment. Kitty, Duncan and Luke are going to catch up with us,” Orpha stated, seeing Cat about to say something, “I’ve asked them to do a few things for me tonight, and don’t look so concerned, I’m sure Sirius will be more than able to help us out in a pinch.” she added, winking at the wizard who had already slipped his arm around Cat’s waist.

“Everyone join hands please.” Cat asked, completely refusing to acknowledge Orpha’s not so subtle attempts at pushing her and Sirius together, as it was, things were probably moving too fast between them. “We’ll apparate to the village, just this side of the veil and enter at the riff. Sara, do you remember everything I told you?”

Sara sighed, “Of course I do, its only a simple spell and a few dance steps, honestly Aunt Kitty….”

Sirius chuckled, earning himself an elbow in his ribs and a stern look from Cat. “Sorry” he grinned, taking opportunity of her distraction to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. He saw Orpha and Harry smiling widely at him, and he thought he saw the shadow of Merlin behind Orpha, nodding his head approvingly…….

Draco Malfoy aimlessly roamed the corridors of his family’s grand manor, one day this would all be his, as would all the power and fear the Malfoy name invoked. He grinned wickedly as he imagined all the amusement he would have terrorizing the mud bloods once Voldemort’s reign began in earnest. He paused as he heard his father’s voice, it was obvious by the menacing tone that his father was once again upset by the way things were going. He himself bore the bruises of his father’s disappointment in his inability to capture Potter for their Dark Lord.

Draco cringed as he heard his father striking someone, hopefully it was simply a servant or one of his fellow death eaters this time, and not his mother. He swallowed hard as his stomach threatened to turn on him, he remembered how Christmas day had played out. His father had been in a foul mood since Draco had returned from Hogwarts, he noticed the wounds that his father had been nursing along with the alcohol he had been consuming at an alarming rate. But Draco had learned a long time ago to ’never’ question his father about anything, simply to do as he was told, no matter what.

Hearing his father’s voice growing closer, Draco quickly ducked into one of the many empty rooms and pressed himself tightly up against the wall. He staid there, motionless in the oppressive darkness, waiting until his father’s voice either became quiet again or simply walked past the room he was hiding in….‘Hiding,’ Draco smirked, how odd that he walked the halls of Hogwarts openly, almost brazenly, flouting the muggle loving ways of Dumbledore, daring teachers and students alike to challenge him, but here, in his own home, he was terrified of the very man he hoped to be like one day.

Draco slid slowly down the wall as he sighed and wondered why things had to be like this. It had always been a fine line to walk between his father’s pride and anger, but over the past four years, things had gotten considerably worse. Ever since Potter had managed to escape his father’s plan to bring Voldemort back through the diary. Draco found himself wishing he were back at school already, at least there he had….well, if not friends, at least other students, someone who was afraid of him, instead of the other way around. Even Professor Snape’s private lessons were preferable to the constant ‘walking on eggshells’ he was forced to endure at home.

Draco closed his eyes as he thought over the many nights Professor Snape had pulled him out of the common room, insistent that he study his potions harder than the other students. It seemed Snape had goal to make Draco the best in his class, and took special care to make sure he was well versed on potions and on the rare occasion, dueling as well. Draco felt a small smile crossing his face, as much as he taunted Snape and tried to spy on him for his father, he did like the man. He was the only man in Draco’s life who seemed to care about ‘him’, not his family or the power his name invoked. Snape had proven that on the occasions he had actually stepped between Draco and his father, attempting to distract the older Malfoy and spare Draco yet another ‘lesson’ in obedience.

His mind drifted back to the first time he had seen the soft side of Snape, his mother had drug Snape into her bedroom to show him what Lucius had done to her son. He remembered clearly the look of abhorrence on the man’s face when he looked at him. Draco could only feel ashamed as Snape’s eyes took in the cuts and bruises littering his body, he thought the look was one of disgust for his weakness, but quickly realized the look was for what had been done to him, not for him, himself.

He saw the pained look on Snape’s face as he mother explained what had happened, it had all been because of the kittens. Lucius had ordered Draco to kill them, all of them, but he couldn’t, he stood there crying instead, he didn’t want to kill them, he wanted to hold and pet them, cuddle and feed them. He had made the terrible mistake of defying his father, one that resulted in a quickly learned lesson. Not only had his father killed the kittens in front of him, but he then proceeded to ‘discipline’ his son for his weakness. He had only stopped when his mother and her house elves broke down the door, rescuing Draco from his father’s wrath as the servants quickly took him to his mother‘s bedroom.

He couldn’t have been more than six years old at the time, but he clearly remembered his mother’s tears as she stroked his bruised and swollen face, her voice nothing more than a muted whisper as the tall, dark man gently gathered him in his strong arms, apparating him back to his home. Draco had hoped that he would be allowed to stay there with Snape, after all, his home was every bit as large and grand as Malfoy Manor, although it seemed very empty and quiet. He would watch for hours on end as Snape mixed the potions to cure him, asking him what this or that was, why he was adding them in a certain order. Snape loved to talk about his potions, it was one of the few things he would freely talk about, that and how careful Draco must be not to anger his father.

But Draco was used to the anger, even then. That is why is was always so nice to visit with Snape back then, he was such a quiet man, his home full of books and pictures. In fact, the only time Draco had ever remember seeing a true look of anger in his eyes was when he had asked Snape about some of the photographs in his home. In particularly, the one with the two pretty redheaded sisters who had their arms around a young Severus Snape, the two girls were laughing brightly as Snape only smiled, shaking his head at something.

That was the last time Draco had been to Snape’s house, how old had he been then, ten perhaps. But even now, he sometimes wondered what his life would have been if Snape had been his father instead of Lucius. After all, both were wealthy, pure-blooded, and extremely powerful, the only difference was that Snape always seemed to treat him well, taking the time to explain things to him, teaching him, training him in something other than death and cruelty. In fact, up until two years ago, he had never experienced anything worse than a few, impatient, snarky remarks from Snape.

But then, that was the year Potter’s Godfather, Sirius Black, had escaped Azkaban and that werewolf had been allowed to teach at the school, a thought that still sent shuddered down Draco’s spine. And that filthy mud blood, Granger, she had known all along, not that she would bother to tell anyone else, she was probably hoping the beast would break its way into the Slytherin dorms and tear them all to pieces. But even then, Snape made time for Draco, he seemed to want more for him, taking pride in his accomplishments in a way his own father never did.

Draco smirked, he wondered if his father was even aware of the awards he had received, the ones he earned ‘without’ his father’s influence. The ones he was most proud of, of course, were the ones in potions, the ones that had actually brought a smile to Snape’s face. He had worked so hard for those, but he ‘had’ to, he hated to see the disappointment in Snape’s eyes, he hated it even more than the look of anger in Lucius’s eyes.

Not that a holiday went by without an angry outburst or ten from his father, his only goal in life was to control others, and to make his son as hard and cold as he was. Well, he got his wish, in fact Draco didn’t even flinch two days ago when his father instructed him to kill the muggle boy. The child couldn’t have been more than four, but he did as his father told him, his stomach still twisted and knotted as he thought about the look in the boys eyes, but he did it all the same, because no matter how much he hated his father, he needed his approval, he wanted to make him proud, he needed to earn his love and respect.

‘Love’ Draco mused, he wondered if his father truly loved anyone or anything, except perhaps power, that he seemed to love in abundance. It was truly a pity that Snape didn’t stand up to Lucius more, they were evenly matched in magic and money, and as far as Draco could see, Snape’s only fault was his unexplainable fascination with that sidhe bitch.

There had been the odd nights during their potion lessons that Draco had tried to broach the subject with Snape, but the professor simply turned the discussion to something else, but Draco had seen the look in the teacher’s eyes. He knew there was something that he didn’t want to say, something that made his face tense and his eyes narrow with pain and anger……..

Harry watched with eyes full of awe and wonderment as his mother joined Sara amid the withered stalks of grain, everywhere she dipped her hands, the dry, brown stalks immediately turned green and began sprouting what Aunt Orpha referred to as ‘winter wheat’. He felt Sirius standing next to him, as spellbound as he himself was. Feeling a hand gently stroking his hair, he looked up to see Aunt Orpha’s brilliant aqua eyes brimming with tears as his Mum began to sing.

“It’s been the same forever, Harry” she whispered, “since before the written word, perhaps even before memory. Every year, in the deep heart of winter, we come, bringing hope and promises of a brighter future. But tonight, tonight marks a change….things can no longer remain unchanged for us, we can no longer stay apart from the rest of creation.” he heard her sigh deeply “Tonight, we must take a stand, and I fear that it may create a riff within our clan. But I must have faith that if your mother cannot prevent that tear, she can at least, with time, mend it.”

Harry stared at Orpha as Merlin suddenly seemed to materialize at her side, wrapping his arms around her as he rested his head against to hers. “Don’t worry so much my dear, everything will work out in the end, you and I both know that.” he whispered, trying to soothe her nerves. “Just look at them Orpha, they are strong, capable, intelligent, and it would appear, very much loved.” he added, gently turning Orpha’s face to look at Sirius, who had yet to take his eyes off of Cat.

“He does love her, doesn’t he?” Orpha whispered as she cuddled against Merlin’s chest, resting the back of her head against his shoulder. “He reminds me a great deal of you, you know. Is the other one a great deal like him? I can see how Kitty would be so torn between them if he were.”

“Not exactly like him, although our little Kitty is able to see more similarities than most others can, including the two of them.” Merlin sighed deeply, “I’m afraid the two of them don’t care for each other in the slightest, and having them both fall in love with her isn’t helping. But as long as we can keep Maharet away from them all, everything should work out fine.” Kissing the top of her hair, Merlin released her from his embrace. “Time for you to join the girls, dearest. I’ll send in the boys in a few minutes.”

Orpha smiled, “I can’t wait to see how Kitty’s going to respond to this, she knows this is NOT how its done.”

“I know, but she’s a bright girl, and as long as we insist, work together as a team, you know as well as I do, she’ll follow along.” Merlin winked.

“Oh yes, she’ll do as we ask, but once we get home..” Orpha rolled her eyes. “You know, she does have her father’s temper.”

“Really?” Merlin quipped, “and here I thought she inherited that from you.” He grinned as she rolled her eyes at him, some things would never change, and luckily Orpha was one of them. Looking over at Harry and Sirius, Merlin felt a surge of warmth and love fill him, they were his family. One his descendant, the other, the child of his god daughter, there was no reason that they shouldn’t be together as a family, regardless of what Maharet may think.

Slowly gliding over the uneven ground, Merlin settled himself between Sirius and Harry, listening as all three women blended their voices. They had been dancing in small circles, each woman by herself, each dance slightly different in both steps and melody, but now they had joined hands, creating one dance out of the three as they called out to the heavens and the Earth, asking the mother goddess to bless the land, renew its life, invigorate the plants that grew within it, so that they in turn may revitalize the animals and humans that relied upon them. Merlin waited until the ceremony proper was over, and the women had released their hands and begun to dance in individual circles once more.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin did and he and Orpha had agreed upon. Placing a hand on Sirius and Harry’s shoulders, Merlin gently shoved them, sending them out to dance with the women, breaking the tradition of thousands of years, by allowing men to join in the rebirthing of the land. He gave Harry a second push towards Sara as the boy looked up at him uncertainly. “Its fine Harry, just dance like you did at home. Sara will help you if you need her to.” He smiled kindly as Harry took several uncertain steps towards Sara, then smiled with relief as Sara grinned and grabbed his hands leading him into an impromptu sort of polka. Sirius on the other hand required far less convincing to join Cat in the dance….

Needing little encouragement, Sirius quickly stepped next to Cat, wrapping his arms around her as she spun once more. He saw the startled look in her eyes as he tightened his grip, as he took the lead in a new dance, waltzing her across the winter ravaged field. He could feel the heat and the power pouring from her body as he pressed her against his chest. He adored the way she felt in his arms, so soft and warm, her tender, green eyes looking into his with a mixture of confusion and concern.

He felt Cat struggle for a moment, “Sirius, you aren’t supposed to be here, this is for the fertility and rebirth of the land, its only for the women to do.” But before she could argue any further, Orpha danced her way over with Merlin.

“Relax child, things are changing, and quickly” Merlin explained, only to be interrupted by Orpha “Kitty dear, smile, dance, and continue to give hope and faith to the masses.” she commanded as she motioned for Cat to look at the villagers.

The entire village was now on its knees, arms stretched to the heavens, praising and offering thanks for such a miracle. “It is time for things to change, for all of us, Sidhe, Wizard, Human…” she called as Merlin danced Orpha away from them, leaving only the younger members of her clan as the older couple began to fade back into the mist.

“You heard them Cat, its time for things to change,” Sirius said softly, his eyes staring deeply into hers. “I’d like to be the first to start the change, if you’ll allow me to.” he added as he kissed her softly. “Stay with me Catrianna MacLeod, stand by my side and love me as I love you. I want us to be Harry’s parents, to raise him together,” he explained as he rubbed his nose against hers, “you and I both know its what James and Lily would have wanted. It’s what Harry wants, and it is what I dearly hope for.”

Sighing softly, Cat rested her head against Sirius’ shoulder, inhaling the soft scent of heather which seemed to cling to his flesh. She could already feel the tears in her eyes, she wanted the same thing, but it wasn’t her choice to make, and no amount of wishing or hoping would change that. “Sirius, I can’t promise you anything, you know that.”

Sirius nodded, “I know….but if you could, if it was entirely your choice?”

Cat paused for a moment as she thought it through, their past still hurt her, that was true. But it felt so nice to be near him again, and he was right, Harry wanted this, ‘needed’ this. “I would say yes.” she whispered, sighing contentedly as she felt Sirius hug her tightly, burying his face in her hair as he whispered ‘I love you’……

The villagers continued to chant and praise their ancient goddesses and gods; this was truly a miracle, never before had the gods joined in the rebirth of the land. It was indeed a heavenly sign to all, crops and animals would be abundant this year, children would be plentiful and healthy, all will prosper, and the faithful who once again braved the bitter cold of the winter night would be rewarded for their observance of the traditions of their forbearers. Things would change for the better from this night forward, truly, no one who had seen this sight with their own eyes could walk away unchanged. The villagers stood in awe and watched as the youngest deities, the youth and maiden, slowly faded from their sight following the crones, the elderly, ghost-like couple, back to their abode beyond the mortal world. Leaving only the mother and father deities behind, who continued to dance in each other’s arms, bathing the land around them in an unearthly golden glow…..

Harry and Sara grinned happily as they found themselves back at Fernglennis. Orpha stood there, smiling and waiting for them as was the rest of their clan. “So, I see your parents haven’t made it back yet” she winked as she wrapped her arms around Sara and Harry’s shoulders. “Come along, they should be back at any moment. Until then, why don’t you two change into something more comfortable. It looks like Hamish and Zach are ready to play all night long.” she added as Hamish waved at the kids, giving them a thumbs up…….

Sirius sighed contentedly as he felt Cat’s warm breath against his neck “It seems we’ve been left alone again.” he remarked when he noticed the other two couples were gone.

“Only you would consider being the floor show for over one hundred mortals ‘alone’, Sirius” Cat teased gently, smiling as she felt him chuckling. “But you’re right, we should be getting back home, it must be very cold for them, and I have the feeling they won’t leave until after we do……Why are you still laughing?”

“Just remembering another night we spent dancing together like this, although granted, it was ‘much’ warmer, and as I recall, you were a bit…uhm… tipsy shall we say?”

“Yeh, and ‘who’ got me that way?” Cat responded, trying not to laugh at the innocent look Sirius had on his face. “As I recall, I was supposed to be in bed recuperating from something or another that someone insisted I had.”

“Ah yes, the mystery disease…..you do know that was all caused by a potion Malfoy dropped into the punch bowl at the party, right?”

“No actually, I didn’t, but it doesn’t really surprise me.” Cat said flatly.

“Well you certainly didn’t seem to mind my company” Sirius commented, gently trying to pry his way back into their collective past. “In fact, I personally recall it as one of the best days, and nights, of my life.” he smiled tenderly as Cat blushed in his arms. “Ah, I see you remember it too.”

“You took advantage of me Mr. Black.” Cat teased softly, not sure how Sirius would take her comment. She smiled with relief when she saw the look of shock on his face.

“I WHAT?! I don’t think so gra, in fact, if I remember clearly, and trust me, I do; it was YOU who started most of that.” he countered, laughing as he picked her up and swung her around playfully, winning a bright burst of laughter from her. “There you go, leading me down the path again….when will I ever learn?”

“Never, I hope,” Cat teased back, laughing at his behavior, “and may I add, I take exception at that last comment of yours. ‘I’ was not the one starting anything, I do happened to recall that night as well. I ‘had been’ fairly innocent before that. I should have learned never to fall for a man who is willing to sing to me, you got me with that each and every time.”