The house was still quiet when Harry woke up.  It had to be pretty early, he thought as he put his glasses on.  He decided to head downstairs and maybe get a glass of water and then go back to bed for a while.  Cautiously, trying not to make noise, he walked down the stairs, when suddenly he tripped and... "AAAAAAAAAAH!"

 

Naturally, the scream woke up Sirius's mother.  "FILTH!  BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS...." She began.

 

Sirius opened his eyes and looked over at Harry and then down at Lyria.  "Um...we weren't like that last night, I swear."

 

Harry ignored it.  "You're supposed to be dead!  When - how - And I wake up and you're snogging your girlfriend all over the floor!"  Harry yelped.

 

Lyria woke with a groan.  "If you all don't stop screaming my head's going to implode..."

 

"It looks like they were doing more than snogging," Dung commented helpfully on his way to the kitchen.

 

"You were - have you been hiding from me?!?"  Harry demanded of Sirius.

 

"BLOOD TRAITORS!"  Screamed the portrait.

 

"No!  Harry, listen, I haven't.  I got back last night...or this morning, if you want to get technical...WILL YOU SHUT UP?!?!" He screamed at the portrait.  "Wait until everyone comes down and I'll explain what happened...okay?"

 

"ABOMINATION!"  The portrait screamed at Sirius.

 

Lyria had covered her ears and curled up on the floor.  "Sirius, shut your mother up, please??"  She pleaded.

 

Sirius got up and ripped the curtains closed.   "Shut *UP* you old hag." He said to the portrait.  "Better?"

 

Lyria nodded, sitting up.  "Morning, Harry," she greeted, forcing herself to stand.  "I think I'm going to make coffee, anyone interested?"  She headed to the kitchen.

 

Harry stood there a moment, dumbfounded.  Sirius wasn't dead; it was a wonderful relief, but where had he been?  And that Auror was mental... spent a night on the floor and then just got up like it was nothing looking for coffee.  "Sirius?  I'm glad you're okay."

 

"Come on, Harry," Sirius guided him into the kitchen. 

 

Lyndell rolled over and buried her head under Remus's arm.  "Make them shut up, please." She groaned.

 

"What - I think we'd better get up.  It sounds like Harry found Sirius."

 

Lyndell paused and laughed.  "Great."

 

"And I'm sure he's thrilled too," Remus commented, helping Lyndell to her feet.

 

"Do we have to? Can't we stay up here?" She practically begged.

 

"I think I'd better go down at least.  And I smell coffee."

 

"Coffee?"

 

"Coffee," Remus confirmed.  "Interested?"

 

"Mmm." She replied, getting up.

 

"Then let's go downstairs."

 

"Okay." Lyndell held onto his arm and followed Remus down to the kitchen.

 

Fairly quickly, the entire Order had gathered in the kitchen.  Lyria started breakfast and Mrs. Weasley helped when she got downstairs, and conversation was casual until everyone was seated.  It was then that Dumbledore asked the question they all wanted answered.  "Sirius?  What happened?"

 

Sirius sat down and sighed.  "To be honest...I'm not really sure.  Bellatrix fired a stunning curse...and I fell behind the veil...I really thought I was dead, I couldn't find the way -- the rip in the veil-- to get out." He paused, looking around the room. 

 

Lyria reached over suddenly, taking his hand as if to assure herself that he was real.

 

"And I remember desperately wanting to get out...and then I was...I don't know how long I was behind there, but after I got out, I made my way back here."

 

"Made sure you weren't followed?"  Moody growled.

 

"Positive.  I had a bit of a time figuring out that underground train...but I wasn't followed."

 

There was a moment of silence as if no one was quite sure what to say.  Then Harry rather unexpectedly got up and gave Sirius a hug.

 

Sirius returned the hug.  "Sorry if I scared you, mate." He told the boy.

 

Harry let go.  "It's alright.  You're okay."  And he actually smiled.

 

"Well that's encouraging, I haven't seen Harry smile since we dropped him at the Dursleys," Remus commented to Dell quietly.

 

"I am." Sirius messed up Harry's hair.

 

Lyndell merely nodded, not having seen the boy since he was a baby.

 

"I don't think his hair needs any help, Sirius," Molly commented, trying to sound disapproving but failing miserably.

 

"Oh well.  Let him do what he wants, it's his hair after all." Sirius replied.

 

Lyria squeezed the hand that she still hadn't let go of.

 

Sirius smiled at her.  "Now, I believe I'd heard something about food?"

 

"There's breakfast," she told him.  "Can I trust you to help bring it over here or will you eat it before it ever meets the table?"

 

"Lyria, how well do you know me? If there is any chance of anyone eating at all this morning, don't let me near that counter first."

 

She smiled and got to her feet.  "I'll be right back, then."  She kissed his cheek and headed to the kitchen counter.  Mrs. Weasley got up to help as well, insisting that Tonks stay put.

 

Sirius smiled and ate the food ravenously.  "Delicious."

 

"If it doesn't move when you poke it with your fork, you declare it to be wonderful," Lyria noted.  Harry grinned a bit; from all the times he'd seen Sirius, it was true.

 

Sirius grinned.  "You don't know how long it's been since I've eaten an actual meal."

 

"Well there's more if you want it.  Just make sure everyone else eats too."  She pinched a piece of sausage from his plate.

 

"I'm not stopping them."

 

She smiled, wishing suddenly that they didn't have an audience.  There was so much to tell him... but making public service announcements of it didn't appeal to her.

 

Lyndell walked over to the coffee and had a cup, drinking it very slowly.

 

"Think you're going to make it?"  Remus asked with a slight smile.

 

"I don't think I like scotch as much as I did last night." She muttered.

 

"Well then you should be glad I didn't let you have more."

 

Lyndell smiled.  "I am."

 

He returned the smile.  "Make sure you eat something, too."

 

"If there's anything left." She remarked, glancing at her brother.  "I swear, he'd eat the entire house if he had the chance."

 

"That's why we won't leave him alone too long."

 

Lyndell smiled a bit.  "When can he be left alone?  I don't think there were ever this many people in the house."

 

"Yeah... we're actually using most of the house."

 

"I know."

 

Lyria waited until she was *certain* he'd finished.  "Can we find someplace quiet to talk for a little bit?"

 

"Sure." Sirius replied, getting up from his seat.  "What about?"

 

"Just... things."  She stood up with him.

 

Sirius led her back to his room.  "What's going on, Lyri?"

 

"I just... it's been so long since I've seen you," she said.  "And... I know it's dumb in retrospect but the last thing we did was fight."

 

"I know.  I remember." Sirius replied.

 

"And I guess I just... wanted to make sure we're okay.  I mean, picking up where we left off after fourteen years - and in the middle of a war... it's going to be weird."

 

Sirius kissed her with feeling that'd been holed up inside of him for the past fourteen years.  "It doesn't have to be."

 

She found himself reaching up to tangle her fingers in his hair.  "I guess not," she agreed.

 

Sirius smiled.  "I've missed you."

 

"I missed you too... I missed you so much..."  She rested her head on his shoulder. 

 

"I know." He replied.  "I know."

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

"Dell? Can we talk a minute?"

"Sure...is everything alright, Remus, you look a little peaked."

"No more than usual," he replied, putting an arm around her and leading her into a nearby room.

"What's going on?" Lyndell asked as he shut the door behind them.

"Well... I think we need to talk... we were engaged before everything, if you remember."

Lyndell nodded. "That's not really something I'd want to forget."

"Well then... then... you still want us to get married?"

"Remus, I still feel the way I did before...so yes, I do, honestly...but if you've changed your mind..." She trailed off, suddenly finding great interest in piece of thread sticking out from the couch.

"No! No, I haven't... I just... we had to make it clear. So... then... we need to start planning a wedding?"

Lyndell nodded. "Are you sure, Remus? Really sure?"

"Yes. As sure as I could possibly be."

"Okay...Okay...then yeah, we've got to start planning." Lyndell smiled brightly.

Remus smiled back. "This is... well, I didn't think this would ever actually happen."

"You didn't? I'm surprised you didn't find someone else."

"It wouldn't have been the same. And even if I'd wanted to, who's going to willingly marry a werewolf?"

"Me." Lyndell kissed him. "And you're not just a werewolf, either."

"Not exclusively. But it's fairly often how I'm seen."

"That's not how I see you."

"I know. That's why you get to marry me," he teased.

"Lucky me." Lyndell replied. "Not just anyone gets to marry Remus Lupin."

"Nope. Only one woman in the entire world."

Lyndell curled up in his lap. "I...I think I missed this."

"You think?" Remus asked teasingly, holding her close.

"Well...yeah." She kissed him again. "It's been so long...but it doesn't really seem like it."

"I know," he said.

"When do you want to get married?"

"Soon."

Lyndell nodded. "What about... a month and a half from today?"

"Think you can be ready that fast?"

"For you, I think I can manage." She teased.

"Then I think it sounds like an excellent idea."

Lyndell smiled. "This seems a bit surreal."

"Doesn't it? But it's going to be good. It'll be wonderful."

"I hope so."

"It will be. I promise."

"Well, I'm marrying you, aren't I? How could it possibly be any better?"

"I'm sure it could for you... but definitely not for me."

"No. I couldn't imagine it being better." Lyndell sat up a bit in his lap. "I hate to sound trite, but you're the only man I want to marry."

"Good news for me, then."

 

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