Shelter • wolfstar au

17 ; pebblebrook

Despite that, Sirius took five minutes after Remus's departure to shake away the discomfort he felt. Then he turned back to his human form and without a second's hesitation, disapparated.

As soon as he landed on hard ground, he realised it was a bad idea to have done this without a little practice, for nausea swept through him and he felt bile rising up his throat. Scrambling to his feet, he stumbled sideways and threw his arms out to the wall to support himself. Blinking back tears, he clamped his mouth shut to keep from throwing up, and a minute later, the nausea subsided. Taking a deep breath, he straightened up and looked around, letting out a relieved breath when he saw that he hasn't ended up in a remote beach or amidst a dense forest.

Sirius knew that Marlene had moved away to a hiding place after the rise of Voldemort, and though he didn't know where, he knew the general area. He wasn't sure if she still loves there, but it was the best option he had right now. Transforming back to his canine form, he walked out of the shadows and into the open.

It was a deserted street, with occasional trees lining the footpaths. The place had a dead look to it, as though it hadn't been used in years. Small, wooden houses sprouted here and there, the insides dark and the roofs caving in. He knew each house was inhabited by a different family, protected by the Fidelius charm. One of them belonged to the McKinnons.

Pebblebrook House, Pebblebrook House. He kept repeating the words as he walked cautiously along the street, keeping his eyes focused on the houses around him. The secret keeper, Marlene's oldest brother had revealed it to him once, which was why he would be able to find their house. The only problem was that he didn't know whether they had moved to a different place.

After a minute of walking, one of the houses rippled and he halted in his steps. All the houses were identical, and this was no different. Parts of the walls and the whole roof were badly damaged, ivy grew wildly along the sides and crept into the open windows, the planks of wood were ripped along the middle, and the whole house shook in the wind. Except, this house was now rippling, as though an invisible layer of water separating it from Sirius was disturbed by a stone dropping onto it. The ivy drew away into neater layers, the planks repaired themselves, and the house straightened up, now standing two storeys tall. It was as good as new.

Sirius drew in a shaky breath, and walked towards the house, brimming with cautiousness. He stood in front of the door, on which a strip of black wood was nailed in, the words Pebblebrook House engraved on it. He raised his hand and rapped on the door, slowly and quietly, not wanting to act as a threat to the inhabitants. Surely they didn't get many visitors in the middle of a war.

A few seconds later, the sounds of footsteps reached his ears, and he held his breath, hoping for everything to turn out well. He heard the footsteps halt near the door, and he felt the presence of someone on the other side. He could imagine Marlene or her brother, if he hasn't dies in the rumoured massacre, leaning against the door, wand drawn and ready to strike at any moment.

"Who is there?" A male voice spoke, flooding Sirius with relief as he realised it must be one of Marlene's brothers, though he could never differentiate between their voices - Nathan or Nigel.

Sirius remained silent, not sure what to say. It would have been better if he could speak to Marlene, but then he decided that she was most likely by the door too. So he leaned towards the door, his mouth nearly touching the strip of wood, and spoke in a low voice. "Marlene? Are you there?"

He heard a sharp intake of breath before a shaky and dazed voice reached out, clearly Marlene's. "Sirius?"

"Yes," he answered, speaking an octave louder than last time. "Please let me in."