“Mine, mine, mine, mine..” she insisted, only to have Sirius slip a spoonful in as she babbled on. She seemed shocked for a moment, but quickly smiled as her tongue smacked against the roof of her mouth. “More” she giggled, slamming her hands down on the tray of the high chair.

“More it is” Sirius grinned, quickly shovelling food into her now eager mouth. He smiled as Cat brought a bowl of warm cereal to him, a look of sweet adoration on her face. He couldn’t believe how close he came to screwing this all up again, not more than an hour ago he had jokingly threatened to leave her, as if such a thing were even possible now. Too much of his life, his heart was intertwined with hers, his godson was now her son-their son- her clan was quickly becoming his own, and the children, blessed mother of heaven, how could he ever live without the children now. “Do you think she’ll eat more?”

“I hope so, try mixing in the applesauce it will make it sweeter.” Cat replied, kissing both his head and the toddler’s as she went to clean up the dirty pot. She honestly couldn’t believe this was the same boy she had fallen in love with all those years ago. He had matured so much, granted he was always fond of children, especially her nieces and nephews the few times they had come to visit her. But this, this was something different, this was what she had hoped to see from him, not only the ability to help tend to the children, but a willingness to do so.

Actually, she thought happily, he had stepped in and prevented her from tending to them several times now, particularly where Edana was concerned. A flash of sadness filled Cat’s eyes as she thought of the meeting the others were attending. When Orpha told her she wasn’t to come, her stomach had cringed, she feared they were already making their decision regarding Paddy and Edana. It would just kill Padriac if they took his little girl from him, even if it were to give her over to she and Sirius.

Cat paused at her own thoughts, ….her and Sirius…. Was she suddenly so sure? And if she was, when did that happen? Just this evening she had been possitive Sirius was going to turn around and walk out of her life, and now here she was, making plans for the future, a future together. Leaning her back against the counter, she watched with tender eyes as Sirius continued to tease and trick Fionula into eating more and more of her food. She felt a pang in her heart as she watched his long, black hair move over the deep indigo robes, reflecting the soft lights of the candles every time he gave the toddler another spoonful of cereal. He was still handsome to her, still the object of her desire and longing. Gods above and below, how much she wanted to be with him, if it weren’t for the children under their care, she had the distinct feeling they would find themselves in her room quickly reviving their past. Her eyes grew moist as she recalled all the love and tenderness that had passed between them. She had always felt safe in his arms, even that time he had locked her in the closet with him, deep in her heart she knew he would never hurt her.

Placing her hand over her abdomen, she sighed as she thought about the life that may be there. Did it REALLY matter who the father was? One look at Sirius and the way he adored the children was enough to convince her that he truly wouldn’t care if the child was his or not. And its not as if anyone but her would every truly know what had happened, but then again, that is what Anna had tried to do, and she ended up paying dearly for such games. No, it was best to wait, she HAD to wait, besides, what was another week or two after all these years. And in the mean while, perhaps she could find some way to get him back to a ’healthier’ state.

As it was, she had some serious doubts regarding Mac Lir’s acceptance of Sirius in his current condition, he was too thin, to haggard to be regarded as a suitable husband for her and she knew it. But her heart was yearning for him so badly it felt like a physical pain to her, if she closed her eyes she could feel the pressure of his hands caressing her flesh, his lips kissing and nibbling at her, his hot moist breath on her neck as he entered into her, her own voice sounding wild and animal like as he planted his seed inside of her. Heaven help her, that is what she wanted right now, she wanted to feel him inside of her, she wanted to make love to him, to never return to his world, to never, ever lose him again.

She felt herself blushing as her nipples grew hard with the mere thought of what they had done together, what she wanted to do with him again. If he turned around and looked at her now, it would be all over, there was no way she could hide her desires from him and they both knew it. Taking a deep breath, Cat willed herself to think of other things, more practical things, such as how to take care of Sirius without wounding his pride. She wanted better for him, something more than a life in the shadows. She wanted him to regain the life he once had, the one Lily had written to her about. His fortune, his friends, his career as an Auror, the heir of his father’s businesses, she wanted him to have it all once more, just as he always should have.

When she stopped to think about it, it was nothing short of amazing. Here he was, an escapee from Azkaban, hunted and feared by his entire world, in her kitchen happily babbling like a fool as he soothed and nurtured a child he had never met before this evening. Rarely if ever did she hear him complain about his lost life; the loss of friends and freedom, most assuredly, but never did he rant over his lack of money or property….

Feeling someone watching him, Sirius looked back over his shoulder to see Cat gazing at him with what he sincerely hoped was longing in her eyes. It took all the willpower he possessed not to go to her, take her in his arms and make her ‘his’ once more. His thoughts were disturbed when he heard Cat laughing, looking back to the baby, he smiled with relief and satisfaction as he saw the little girl grabbing fistfuls of cereal, cramming her hands into her mouth as she ate ravenously.

“I’m very impressed, Sirius” Cat beamed, “you really have a way with children, you know.” She could feel her cheeks going red as she saw the look in his eyes, obviously she wasn’t alone in her yearnings. “Sirius, …I….that is ‘we’ need to talk…..to discuss things…..” she stammered, “about the future….our future…and Harry, the school….”

“Come here, gra.” Sirius whispered softly, holding his hand out to her. He couldn’t believe the change in her over the past few minutes, her face and chest were changing from a soft pink blush to a deep, rosy flush as she looked at him. Could all of this be due to his helping with the babies, did being a good parent mean so much to her that it was what would finally convince her to accept him back into her heart and her arms. If that was truly the case, Harry could consider himself part of a family right now, because nothing would make him happier than to be able to raise a family with Cat. “You never answered my question you know, would you miss me if I left?” he asked almost meekly as her fingers intertwined with his.

“Terribly” Cat whispered as she felt his palm press against her own, sending shivers through her body. “But I’m frightened to death of what may happen if they don’t allow me to be with you Siri. I know they won’t let you go now, they love you far too much. But the thought of you marrying one of my cousins and raising a family with her….” she blinked away her tears as she tried to pull her hand out of his. “Sirius, please, this isn’t…..you don’t know what I’ve done, ……what I did….”

“It doesn’t matter, not to me.” Sirius assured her. “All I know is you and I are here now. We are surrounded by people who love and care for us, Harry is happier than I have ever seen him in my entire life. Cat, I don’t care if we don’t go back to Hogwarts, I know Harry may be upset at first, but I’m sure he would gladly trade it for what he has here.” He closed his eyes and sighed as he felt Cat’s fingers gently stroking his cheek; lifting her captive hand to his lips, he kissed her fingers seductively as he heard her gasped softly. Just as he opened his mouth to ask her the all important question, he heard the toddler squeal and giggle loudly. Turning to say something to Fionula, Sirius was caught off guard as the little girl shoved what was left of her cereal into his mouth.

Sirius froze, unsure of what to do or say, of all times for the toddler to decided to be funny, this had to be the worst. Hearing Cat laugh hysterically, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to join her laughter or cry with disappointment. He had been so close, he could feel her resolve wavering, he could see the look of yearning and passion in her eyes. But now it was gone, replaced by laughter, more than likely by the sight of him, he felt his shoulders sag as he sighed heavily, how much longer could he hold out?

“Shame on you Fionula” Cat chided playfully as the toddler giggled, very pleased with herself for her performance. “Sirius, I think she’s trying to tell you you’re too thin.” Cat said softly, noting the pain filled look in his blue eyes. Conjuring a wet cloth, she quickly cleaned off the toddler and sent her on her way as Sirius made his way to the sink, attempting to wash off the now sticky cereal.

“Here, let me help you.” Cat insisted as she turned him to face her. Her heart melted the moment she looked into his sad eyes, she knew he had so much more to say to her. “Did you mean what you said Siri? About not going back to the school?” she asked as she rinsed out the cloth and continued wiping his face. “Wouldn’t it bother you to never return to the only world you’ve ever known?”

“No, not if I have you and Harry,” Sirius stated firmly as he stared down into her emerald green eyes. He half smiled as Cat used the cloth to get the worst of the mess out of his hair. “Why do I get the distinct impression you ‘like’ taking care of me?” he asked innocently as he slowly placed his arms around her waist, resting his hands on the crest of her hips. “And when can ‘we’ start a family, gra? Soon I hope, considering what Maurice said this afternoon.”

“And what exactly did Maurice say to you?” Cat asked, smiling up at him as she allowed Sirius to pull her closer. “I don’t think I was there for that particular comment.”

“Actually, you were. I thought it odd that you didn’t say anything to him about it.” he explained as he bowed his head next to hers, kissing her temples softly while his hands slowly snaked up her back. “He referred to you as my ’dear wife-to-be’ while we were ordering our ice cream.” he reminded her. He moved his lips down the side of her face and along her jaw line as he pressed against her. “Do you forgive me gra, do you love me?” he whispered as his mouth closed over hers. He felt his pulse quicken as Cat’s soft form melded into his, bringing a wonderful warmth to his flesh and soul.

He pulled her even closer as he deepened the kiss, sighing as her pliant body yielded to his masculine form. How could this still feel so right after so long? Every time he got close to her like this he felt like a teenager again, as if no time at all had passed between them. “Marry me” he whispered as he nuzzled her neck “Forget about the crones, I’ll convince them, and your father.” he insisted as his hands roamed her body, causing her to react in ways he had only dreamed about.

“Just say you’ll marry me, let me love you again, in word and in deed.“ He could feel Cat quaking in his arms as he waited for her reply. She whispered his name so softly he wasn’t even sure he had heard her, but her eyes told him more than any words ever could. She still loved him, still desired him, and she was struggling with herself to keep up the wall she had placed between them. He moaned softly as he felt her hips pressing up against him, rousing his passion and his senses, made extraordinarily keen by too many years as a dog. He nuzzled her neck once more, inhaling deeply as the sweet, musky scent of her arousal flooded over him. He could feel his knees growing weak as her breathing became deeper, pressing her breasts against his chest. Even through the fabric of their robes, he could feel her nipples rubbing against him, teasing and taunting his own as he bent her backwards ever so slightly, forcing her hips to ride his own.

He had thought she might struggle, but she didn’t, she only let out a soft gasp as his lips found her neck. He twisted one hand through the silken locks of her auburn hair as the other moved to her bottom, encouraging her to press against him even harder than she already was. Sirius’s own breathing had become deep and almost raspy as his passion crested, he wanted this, there was no denying that, but he wanted so much more. He wanted to carry her to her room, to removed their clothes, to make love to her like he used to, as wonderful as these brief interludes were, they simply weren’t enough for him.

He needed to feel her flesh against his own, he wanted to become tangled in her hair, he wanted to feel her warmth and her love closing in around him, he wanted to hear her scream out his name with passion and desire. He wanted to become one with her, to feel their souls touching once more, to feel fulfilled and content. He wanted to be her husband.

Closing his eyes as he kissed her throat, he imagined her laying underneath him once more, her soft, trusting eyes looking up at him with love and adoration, her lips parted with the screams of her orgasm as he planted his seed deep inside of her. A single tear fell from his eyes as he felt his body shudder with the force of his own eruption, and a low, almost painful moan escape his lip which were still pressed against her. “Please, gra, don’t make me go on like this,” he pleaded, “I feel like a thief, I feel dishonest. I want to be able to hold you in my arms regardless of who is here. I want to be able to wake up with you in my arms and not worry about who may have seen us. I love you.” he whispered as he kissed her tenderly, hoping to remind her of how sweet and passionate their life together had been.

As their lips separated, he looked down into her half opened eyes, they were so full of emotion and tenderness, could it be, had he finally broken down the invisible wall that was between them? Kissing her once more, he smiled softly as he stroked her cheek, “Well, mo ionúin, have you decided? Will you make an honest man of me?”

Sirius could feel the relief flood his body as she smiled back at him, caressing his face with her warm hands, only to have her body tense suddenly, as whimper escaped her lips. She fell against Sirius in what appeared to be pain, “Cat? Gra, what is it? What’s wrong?” he cried out, gently guiding her to the floor as her legs gave out from under her. She immediately rolled against him, burying her face in the folds of his robe as she sobbed pitifully. “Remus! Duncan! Hamish! Someone!” Sirius screamed, becoming panicked by her actions. “Gra, gra,…come on, talk to me, what is it?” he pleaded as he finally pulled her far enough away from his chest that he could see her face.

“Oh Circe! Cat what is it, why are you bleeding?!” he gasped as he quickly lifted her off of the floor, cradling her in his arms as Remus ran into the room. “Remus, find Orpha or Tris, I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“No, Remus,….find Hamish, now” Cat managed to get out between sobs as her blood-tinged tears continued to roll down her ivory cheeks, staining both her and Sirius’s clothes. “Hurry Remus, its one of the Gangrels, one of Cash’s childer…..I think they might be dead. Please hurry.”……

Gustavas had laid his plans well, he had dropped to his belly, like the snake he was, avoiding Brutus’s blow completely, leaving Angus and Cobryn to take the full brunt of the unstoppable blade. Roel stared directly into Brutus’s eyes, he had only one chance to do this right, but his timing must be perfect. If it wasn’t both Angus and the young hunter would die, and by the hands of a Gangrel hunter none the less. It would mean dishonour to his clan and possibly war if Prince Daithi decided to make an issue of it.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion from that point forward, - the realization that the only death today would be one of their own, the look of horror on Brutus’s face as he attempted to pull back the blade, the painful look of helplessness on Cash’s face as he recognized there was nothing he could do to stop the horror had been set in motion. The dull look of pain and anger in the Caitiff‘s eyes as he saw death raining down on his skull. But most of all, the look of acceptance and forgiveness on Angus’s face as he stepped in front of the young hunter, fully intending to take the death blow for the sake of his clan.

The wickedly gleeful laughter of the Tremere rang in their ears as the beast rolled to his feet, waiting to see the soft spoken Angus die at the hands of his own clan brother. It was a joy that would be short lived as Cash’s eye began to glow brightly and a fierce growl escaped his lips. The moment he realized he would lose one of his childer, he went into a rage, the likes of which none of them had ever seen before. He didn’t even bother with his sword anymore, he simply ran at Gustavas, falling on top of the monster and tearing at him with his fangs and claw-like nails as blood tears filled his eyes for the loss of his dear childer, Angus.

Brutus closed his eyes and turned his head, he had swung with so much certainty, positive that ‘this’ time Gustavas would not escape him. He had put everything into his blow, every fibre of his being, every cell of every muscle, but now, instead of killing the Tremere he saw only Angus’s trusting, gold-flecked eyes staring up at him. Even with his eyes closed, Brutus could still see him, remembering the first time he had ever met Cash’s childer, the calm and thoughtful Angus, the sensitive, quiet Rick, the ever witty and raucous Roel, and of course the proud and protective Hamish.

They had been the ones who pulled him up out of his depression when his sire had faced final death. They had taken him in, talked to him, fought with him, supported him in a way he was at a loss to describe, and now it had come to this, he had failed them too, just as he had failed his mortal family.

Brutus cringed and sobbed as he felt the blade hit something soft, something that screamed as those around him yelled out in their anger and grief. As Brutus slowly opened his tear filled eyes, he gasped with shock as he saw what lay in front of him. He looked at Cobryn’s stunned and disbelieving face as Angus screamed out in anguish, he realized he was not the only one to be surprised by the selflessness of his Gangrel brethren.

Even Cash tore himself away from the ravaged form of the Tremere when he heard Angus’s scream. It was full of pain and heartache, but it wasn’t the cry of a dying man. All but scurrying over the uneven forest floor, Cash yelled out as he ran to Angus, who was cradling Roel in his arms, rocking him back and forth as if he were trying to rock a baby to sleep. He watched with numb amazement as he began to understand what had happened, Roel must have jumped in front of Angus and Cobryn, sacrificing himself to save them.

Cash dropped to his knees next to them, pushing Roel’s blood soaked hair out of his face as he watched the life giving blood seep out of the deep, ragged wound. “Roel, what were you thinking?” Cash asked, weeping softly as he watched the youngest of his childer fight to focus on his face. “Can you feed? We need to get blood into you, you need time to heal.” Cash felt his stomach tie into a knot as Roel simply smiled peacefully at him, not bothering to respond. “Brutus, finish of that creature….NOW!” Cash snarled as he carefully picked up his dying childe and walked back towards their haven within the thick stone walls of the school.

Brutus nodded silently, tears still rolling down his cheeks, staining his long, blonde hair as he turned to find his brother and end both of their lives. “NO!” Brutus wailed as he saw Gustavas crawling toward the pit he had opened earlier when they had first attacked him. ………

Harry slowly drifted off to sleep as he thought over the wonderful day he had had. He smiled softly as he recalled the way Sirius and Cat had cuddled with each other while watching the movies, the way they had been sharing their popcorn and soda, laughing and chatting softly, only to boo and hiss when the “wicked witch of the west” with her green skin and hag-like appearance flashed on the screen.

He sighed deeply as he remembered his conversation with the mouse, and then with Callista. An uncomfortable feeling snaked through his stomach as he remembered the conversation he and Sirius had about Calli becoming his sister, looking back on it, he couldn’t believe he had kissed her, not that it had been unpleasant, far from it, but now, knowing she may well be living with them, as his mother’s daughter…..well, it just put things in a whole new light. Snuggling under his blankets, Harry grinned as he imagined how he would protect his ‘little sister’ when they went back to Hogwarts. He had seen Ron and the twins do it often enough with Ginny, and he had the distinct impression they would be more than happy to help keep an eye on Calli if he wasn’t around.

The last thing Harry remembered thinking as he drifted off to sleep was the last movie they had seen, “Moulin Rouge”. He could so easily picture Sirius as Christian and Cat as Satine. He pictured them dancing on the rooftops, a backdrop of sparkling fireworks behind them as the stars lined up, pointing the way they needed to go, only to form a staircase which led them towards the cloud covered moon……

“Come on Harry, we need to get you dressed and ready” Cat called out as she shook Harry awake. “Hurry on, Harry, Mac Lir hates it when I’m late, and I am always late.” she added, winking playfully as he groaned.

“Harry! I mean it,…. Gheez, didn’t take long to get you spoilt did it? Not even here two weeks and you can’t get out of bed. What are you going to do when classes start again?” she asked as she lifted the blankets off of his feet and tugged at his big toe. “Come on sweetie, I’m not letting you go back to bed, if I have to get up early, so do you.” she said as brightly as possible, trying to mask the fact that she had been up all night, talking to Cash, Hamish and Angus about Roel.

“Misery loves company?” Harry asked sleepily as he realized his Mum wasn’t going to change her mind. “Hey… no….stop… no tickling.. Muuuuuuumm.” he whined as Cat tickled the soles of his feet until she was positive he was awake. “You know, I bet Sirius would never do that to me.” he quipped as he slid out of the hammock, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he reached for his glasses.

“True.” Cat agreed, only to grin wickedly as she added, “then again, I doubt Severus would do that to you either.” She burst into a fit of laughter as Harry shot her a look of both shock and horror. “Oh, Harry…. Come on now, get dressed and meet me downstairs. I want you to have a good breakfast in you before we go. And please remember to wear your torque, its very important that you keep it on as much as possible. In fact you should never really need to take it off, even when you bathe.”

“It won’t go all funny in the water then?” he asked as he rummaged through his trunk, trying to find something to wear.

“Here sweetie, try these.” Cat said as she handed him a soft, thick sweater and heavy denim trousers. “And of course it won’t go ‘funny’ in water, in fact, you can use it to talk to salmon and dolphins, among other things.”

“Cool” Harry grinned as he fingered the warm metal of the torque, quickly slipping it around his neck before taking the jumper and jeans from his mother. “I’ll be downstairs in a flash. … Is Sirius going with us?”

“No sweetie, not this time.” Cat replied softly, “But I have no doubt he is downstairs waiting for us. I’m sure he heard me getting up and ready this morning.” she said distractedly as she looked towards the door. “I’ll wait for you in the kitchen, Harry. Don’t be long” she added as she gave him a quick kiss on his forehead………

“Cash, is there anything I can do to help?” Severus asked softly. It had been a long night for all of them, especially Rick and Cash. Sev remembered with blood curdling clarity the heart rending scream that had escaped from Rick earlier that night. Looking back, it must have been when Roel was wounded, it was the only thing that would have explained Rick’s behaviour.

“No, Sev,….why don’t you go get some rest.” Cash replied wearily, his eyes red-rimmed and the trail of his blood-tinged tears still easily seen. “If we need you we’ll send word, right now all we can do is hope Rick does as good a job with Roel as he did with you.”

“Why don’t you call for Catri? Surely she could……..” Severus fell silent when he felt Angus’s hand on his arm. He looked from Cash to Angus, knowing there was something he wasn’t being told. “Angus?”

“Go on Angus, take him to his room and explain it to him, I don’t have the strength to deal with it now.” Cash sighed as he stared at Rick and Roel, “You know where I’ll be if you need me.” he added as he walked to Roel’s bedside.

Severus followed Angus obediently out of the room and part way down the hall, only stopping when he felt they were a good distance from the haven. “Angus, tell me what is going on. He’s one of you, Catri considers you family, why won’t Cash ask her to come back and help him?” He was surprised to see the normally calm Gangrel visibly bristle over his words.

“Can we at least wait until we’re in your room?” Angus practically growled, “I’d prefer not to discuss it in the middle of a hallway.” He registered the look of surprise on the professor’s face, but just didn’t care, not now, not after tonight. He turned and stalked off down the hall, hearing the potion master’s footsteps staying close to his the entire way back to his rooms, although thankfully the wizard never uttered another word……

Sirius took Cat’s hands in his own, pulling her into the corner with him as they continued their argument from last night.

“I don’t like the idea of you going, gra. Not after last night, did you even sleep at all? It sure doesn’t look it,” he whispered, a harsh edge of worry in his voice as he pulled her closer, kissing her forehead “I think you should put this off for a few more days, get some rest…”

“You know I can’t Sirius.” Cat reminded him, “besides, you didn’t get much more sleep last night than I did, seeing as how you wouldn’t leave my side. Although you do look kinda cute sleeping in my bed.”

Sirius rolled his eyes and snorted, “Now if only you had been in the bed with me….” He stopped mid-sentence when he saw Colin and Katie walk in the room. He nudged Cat playfully, nodding towards the newly engaged couple. “Now why can’t we come downstairs together looking like that?” he asked, grinning widely.

“Because I say you can’t” Duncan stated, his voice a menacing whisper. “and you haven’t given her an engagement ring, and you haven’t asked father’s permission, and you…”

“Alright, enough, enough” Sirius sighed, “I get the point…..when is Magnus coming back home?” he added, grinning wickedly up at Duncan who was now having a hard time keeping a straight face. Siri laughed outright as Duncan swatted the back of his head on his way to congratulate Katie and Colin on their engagement. “You know, gra, you could have told me he was standing right there.” Sirius whispered, pulling Cat closer to himself as he did so.

“Now where would the fun be in that?” she laughed back, nuzzling against him as he pulled her into a hug. “And please, please, don’t make such a fuss over my trip with Harry, he’ll be nervous enough as it is.”

“I can understand that, from what I’ve heard Mac Lir is rather…..imposing….to say the least.” Sirius said, “And after what Remus told me happened in Hogsmeade…..”

“Don’t go there Siri.” Cat warned, “I’ve explained to both you and Remus why he did that. He had no intention of hurting me, he just wanted me back home, he doesn’t feel its safe for me to be in your world. Although he was ‘very’ impressed by our little boy, couldn’t believe he stood up to him like that.” she added, beaming proudly.

“And to think, I’m ‘willingly’ asking to be part of this madhouse you call a clan.” Sirius smirked, “It’s a very good thing you are the perfect woman, Cat. Because I doubt I could withstand it otherwise.” he teased, kissing her quickly before she could respond to his comment.

“Morning Mum, …can I call him Dad yet? Or is it still Sirius?” Harry added, grinning from ear to ear as Sirius gave him the thumbs up and Cat blushed deeply.

“You planned that” Cat smirked, staring intently at Sirius as Harry chuckled at them and took a seat.

“Of course I did” Sirius acknowledged, “you won’t give me a straight answer when I ask you to marry me, so I’ve decided to go for popular support. Let’s see, so far I have Harry, Paddy, Katie, Meg, I think her sister as well, Diana isn’t it? And your godfather, I’m pretty sure Aunt Orpha likes the idea, Remus, can’t forget your best friend Remus….”

“You better stop while you’re ahead Sirius.” Siobhan suggested as she placed another platter of pancakes on the table, “I’m not sure if she’s amused or angry right now.”

Sirius paused and took two steps back, only to look intently at Cat. He gave a lop-sided grin as Cat laughed at him. “Amused, she can never seem to stay angry with me for very long. Hey… whoa… Cat…. Knock it off…..” he yelped as he felt jolts of electricity hit him.

“Keep it up Mr. Black, …..obviously you’ve forgotten about my temper…and my deep seated need for revenge.” She countered, still pointing her fingers at him, energy crackling at the end of them, ready to be discharged by nothing more than her will. “Hmmm, speaking of revenge, …..where ‘is’ that permanent make-up kit I used to have.” She waited expectantly as Sirius’s eyes grew large and he mouthed the words “you wouldn’t”.

Harry looked at Remus’s grin and couldn’t help laughing, he had heard bits and pieces about what his Mum and Sirius were like in school. Apparently the stories weren’t as exaggerated as he had thought, it was almost scary to think of his Mum not only holding her own against the marauders, but actually trumping them on occasion. Shaking his head, Harry reached over to take yet another helping of steak and eggs, only to pause when he saw Aunt Siobhan looking at him. “Sorry” he said softly.

“For what, Harry? You’re a growing boy, you need to eat, the more the better.” she smiled, “I just can’t understand where it’s all going, you’ve gotten taller, but you haven’t filled out much.”

“Now Siobhan, let him be, he’s doing just fine.” Duncan grinned, winking at Harry’s grateful smile. “Besides, if he keeps helping me out in the barn the way he has, he’ll not only have muscles, he’ll have a firebrand as well. I can’t believe the way some of them have taken to him, just like the chats with Sirius.”

“Is that so?” Cat smiled, “Well then, maybe we’ll ride the firebrands to the coast of Armagh instead of just apparating.”

“Can we?!” Harry asked excitedly. He watched as Cat, Duncan and Sirius exchanged looks. He could tell right away Sirius didn’t like the idea, he probably felt it was too dangerous for Harry, but against Uncle Duncan and Cat he really didn’t stand a chance. “YES” Harry smiled as he saw Sirius relent.

“And you will be careful, you will listen to your mother, you will ‘not’ do anything reckless….” Sirius began.

“For the love of heaven, Sirius” Duncan commented, “it’s a short journey on horseback, it’s not like she’s going to let him ride Viggo or anything. Shoshi is a wonderful steed, she’s gentle and she doesn’t like to run full out. Have some faith, man, this is his mother, the woman you want to marry. Do you honestly think she would do ‘anything‘ to risk him?”

Before Sirius could answer, Siobhan cut in, “Speaking of mothers and faith… you DID promise me that once he started growing I could put him in decent clothes.” she stated not so subtly. “proper clothes.”

“True, what about tonight when we get back?” Cat asked between bites of toasted soda bread.

“Proper clothes?” Harry asked, screwing up his face as he looked down at what he was wearing.

“A kilt, Harry, a kilt. You know” Duncan winked, “man’s clothes. I think we can even talk your Da into it, he seems more than willing to join us in pretty near anything.” he added, grinning mischievously at Sirius as Cat stared at the two of them and shook her head.

“I’m not even going to pretend I want to know what the two of you hooligans are up to.” Cat sighed as she walked over to a rather sleepy Remus and kissed his cheek. “You alright Lupy?” she asked as she replaced his half empty mug of cold coffee with a steaming cup of chai.