Sirius and Liesel spent most of the days outdoors where he showed her many things about the grounds, such as the Black Lake and told her the legends of the giant squid and the merepeople. He took her to the boathouse and on to Hagrid's hut, where they took their lunch with the kindly half-giant.
Later in the afternoon, upon their return, Professor McGonagall urgently pulled him to the side and handed a small parchment to him. Liesel could see that he was visibly upset by the contents of the communication and watched the good professor place her arm around him and lead him to the Headmaster's office. She was left standing alone in the corridor for several minutes wondering if he'd gotten into trouble. Finally James, Remus, Peter and Lily approached her.
She looked up into Remus' eyes and went on about what she had witnessed. Not being able to get a word in edgewise, he took a play out of her own book and covered her mouth with the palm of his hand and James chuckled.
"If you'll only be quiet for just one minute, I'll be able to share with you what happened," Remus said gently. "Alright?"
Liesel stood motionless, her eyes were the size of golf balls and brimming with tears, but she nodded finally.
"Good. It seems that Sirius' uncle has died. He was Sirius' most favorite family member. Oh Liesel, there's so much that you don't know about him! About any of us!"
Lily put her arm around her and led her toward the staircase. "Why don't you come with us and we'll tell you everything you never wanted to know about Sirius Black?"
"Where are we going?"
"To our common room," Lily said.
"But I'm not in Gryffindor! Won't we get into trouble!"
"My dear," James began, "you happen to be accompanied by two prefects as well as the Quidditch team captain!" He looked into her eyes and took her hands in his. "And besides, the four of us are his closest friends and he would never forgive us if we didn't look after you in his absence. He's family and by extension, so are you now."
Lily looked up at him in awe and shock.
"What," he asked.
She smiled slowly and shook her head. "Nothing," she said.
He ran his hands through his hair and looked away and she rolled her eyes and shook her head. Liesel studied the pair on the way toward the Gryffindor common room and while on the stairs and the clock tower chimed six and she gasped. Remus stopped and took hold of her elbow. "What is it," he asked quietly.
"Rommy," she exclaimed. "I've got to go!" She turned abruptly and headed down the stairs
"Wait!"
"I can't! He hasn't been out since this morning and the way my luck runs, he's probably eaten Abby's cat by now and she already doesn't like me much!"
"Right. Okay, we'll go with you, Lily and myself," James said. "Say, why don't you bring him along?"
Remus moved to speak and James looked toward him imploringly and he closed his eyes, swallowed hard and nodded his head.
"Come on then," James said to Lily; he realized that she was torn as to how to proceed. He looked up toward his friend. "Oi Remus! You cool with this, mate?"
His eyes moved from James to his new friend and he closed his eyes and nodded. "It'll be fine. Go."
James raised his brow. "You sure?"
'Absolutely. Go on."
Lily squeezed his hand and quickly descended the stairs before they moved again. The trio ran through the corridors, through the Great Hall and the kitchen and finally to the portal to the Hufflepuff Common Room where they saw a pair of long legs clad in denim on the floor behind a stack of old oaken casks. Lily was afraid for her rebellious friend...he seemed the type to go off half-cocked at any little thing and most of the time, she would be correct in her thinking.
"There he is," James whispered. "We must have crossed paths upstairs."
Sirius sat on the cold floor, leaning his head on the stone wall. His eyes were closed and he looked as if he were sleep. James and Lily followed behind her, halting a few feet behind.
Liesel approached slowly and crouched down beside him then she reached out to touch his face causing him to open his eyes. Their eyes met and he smiled a defeated half-smile and he chuckled silently. He then looked behind her to his best friend. "Wanna hear what I just learned? Alphard's been dead for eight days...EIGHT BLOODY DAYS! But you know what really chaps my arse? It turns out that my family knew. THEY FUCKING KNEW AND THEY DIDN'T TELL ME! NO! It took my Uncle's bloody solicitor to hand-deliver a letter to me!" Anger and stress played across his handsome features.
"Well, you know what? Fuck them. You have us," Liesel said quietly.
James approached and knelt down. "Liesel's right mate. You have us."
Lily's eyes well up with tears as her lip trembled. She too approached him and took his hand in hers. "We can be your family of choice, Sirius. If you'll have us?"
A single tear finally escaped from Sirius' left eye and he looked into Lily's emerald colored eyes and tried to smile. "Thanks Ginger," he said in a low voice. He could tell that they were holding back something fairly important and he asked what was going on?
Lily explained that Liesel needed to take her leave because of her dog And Sirius smiled and nodded then looked into Liesel's eyes and smiled. "Go take care of your dog, Love," he said. She smiled and nodded.
"I'll be back as soon as I'm done with him," she whispered and offered up a kiss and he hungrily accepted it. She rose to her feet and headed for the portal and turned to make certain that he was alright. He motioned with a playful sneer to take off and so that she could hurry back to him.
"Oh and do me a favor, will ya?"
"What's that?"
"Don't ever be afraid to tell me anything please? I don't like secrets." He nodded. "I can keep them to the grave, but I don't like 'em."
She smiled and nodded. "It's the same for me," she said.
"Good. Now, off with ya!" His smiling gaze fell once she disappeared from view each time he blinked his eyes until he was staring at the floor before him. "And hurry back," he said quietly. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, held his breath for a moment and exhaled quickly.
"Well goddamn man," James whispered.
Sirius lifted his heavy eyelids and look into his eyes as he raised his brow.
"I've never seen you look at any other girl like you look at her. I really do think you're in love this time."
Sirius harrumphed. "Is that what this is? Feels...foreign." He looked up again and shook his head. "Don't let me fuck this up James. Beat me over the head with a number ten sized cauldron, zap me with your wand...whatever it takes to make me straighten up and take notice, I don't care! You all know how I get! I don't ever want to hurt her! She's...she's all I ever wanted before I knew what I wanted. Merlin's beard! I'm not even making any sense! I've finally gone loopy haven't I?
"Can I get all that in writing?"
He looked up and James made a silly face and him and Sirius laughed. "You're a bloody wanker James!"
"Well, you of all people would know, now wouldn't you?"
"Yeah." He looked to his best mate. "James, do we have anything to drink?"
Lily cast her eyes toward James just as he was about to speak in the affirmative and he hesitated at having seen the Prefect eyeing him with a raised brow. "You know, I'm not one-hundred percent certain, Padfoot."
Lily smiled as she looked away and began singing to herself and between the la-la-las, she mentioned that she was gong to see if Liesel required assistance as she rose to her feet to follow her. Sirius once again looked into the eyes of his best friend and leaned in. "I swear on my uncle's grave, James Fleamont Potter, if you feck this up with Lily...I solemnly swear...I will castrate you. With. My. Teeth. Got it?" Sirius smiled, flashing Padfoot's white, razor-sharp canines.
James' eyes grew wide and he nodded silently as he swallowed hard.
"Good."
"Erm, I've a question though?"
"What's that?"
"Why would your uncle's solicitor hand deliver an obituary?"
"He didn't. He delivered a cheque made out to me to get me started on my fortune, apparently. I have to travel to London to set up an account at Gringotts to deposit it in. You see James, my uncle never married, you know? Didn't have any heirs and so he left his entire estate to me. Soooo... upon the morning of my seventeenth birthday, I'll be waking up a very rich man."
"Well, fuck me! How rich?"
"Richer than you," Sirius grinned. "Don't. Tell. Liesel."
James nodded his head. "Right."
"I don't want money to factor into her and me. She doesn't seem the type, but I don't know her that well and I don't want to take any chances. Alright?"
"Got it. It's about time something worked out in your favor, Sirius!" James placed his hand on his shoulder, then looked over his own shoulder. "I think they're coming back."
James smiled brightly at having seen Lily and just as quickly, his smiled disappeared and a look of fear replaced it. "What is it," Sirius asked.
The second the words left Sirius' mouth, did he see a black spongy canine nose, followed by a massive gray and white head, with a bit of brown. The head slowly turn in their direction and he averted his eyes.
"Don't look into his eyes, he may perceive it as a threat," Sirius whispered.
"Okay," James whispered.
Liesel giggled. "James, you look like you've seen a ghost!"
Sirius moved his body slowly into a fetal position, slow moved to all fours, still keeping his head down. He moved his body slowly down the length of the large dog and commenced to sniffing.
"Well that's one I haven't seen before. You really know about dogs, don't you?"
"That's an understatement," James said under his breath.
Sirius tilted his head toward his new girlfriend and grinned. "Does he get on with other dogs?"
"What?"
"Does he?"
"Umm, yeah. Why?"
"Ya gotta promise not to tell..."
"Thought you said that you don't like secrets?"
"I don't. Didn't say I didn't have any though did I...promise."
"Fine, I promise," Liesel replied as James quickly moved to grab his arm, causing the large dog to growl. "Hey Rommy, easy..."
"You're not going to do what I think you're going to do!"
"Yes I am," Sirius replied with steely resolve.
"That dog is fucking huge!"
"Padfoot's bigger." He looked into Liesel's eyes as James uttered a guttural noise. "Easy Prongs, I've got this under control. Move back about ten feet or so and be prepared to turn him loose if needs be, alright?"
"Why?"
Sirius smiled. "Trust me?"
Liesel noodled and moved herself and the dog back and grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her along as neither girl had any idea what he had planned.