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Hold on Tight	By : cls2256 Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 7315 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. This fic is for entertainment purposes only!

Chapter List
- 1-one
- 2-two
- 3-three
- 4-four
- 5-five
- 6-six
- 7-seven
- 8-eight
- 9-nine
- 10-ten
- 11-eleven
- 12-twelve
- 13-thirteen
- 14-fourteen
- 15-fifteen
- 16-sixteen
- 17-seventeen
- 18-eighteen
- 19-nineteen
- 20-twenty
- 21-twenty one
- 22-twenty two
- 23-twenty three
- 24-twenty four
- 25-twenty five
- 26-twenty six
- 27-twenty seven
- 28-twenty eight
- 29-Twenty nine
- 11
- 12
- 13
Sirius awoke sprawled out in the middle of the bed on his back. He rolled over and reached for Allie, only to find she was already out of bed. He sat up and rubbed his eyes lazily, then blinked the room into view. Allie's uniform that she left on the bedroom floor was gone, as well as her new peacock quill set and one of the inkwells. He looked over to the clock—it was still early. He wondered if he'd be able to catch her before she headed off to class.
He found Allie at the kitchen table, already dressed in her neatly pressed Hogwarts uniform. She had a steaming cup of tea in her hand as she read this morning's issue of the Daily Prophet.
"Good morning,"
Sirius's voice was rough and gravelly from sleep. He made his way over to the stove and poured himself a cup of tea. Allie looked up from the newspaper and smiled warmly.
"Good morning, I didn't know if you'd be up this early," she folded the paper neatly and set it off to the side. "I made pancakes— yours are in the fridge."
"Thanks," Sirius nodded. He turned around and leaned back against the stove, sipping his tea gingerly. "What's your day look like?"
"6th year Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions, and 6th and 7th-year Charms," Allie said, sighing. "Charms is back to back, but I have 7th year first."
"Sounds like a full day. You'll be home at a decent hour?"
"I don't know," she said, "It depends on how much homework I'll have."
Sirius frowned; He was hoping to be able to spend most of the day with her, forgetting for a moment that Allie's course load was twice what was typical.
"I'm sorry," Allie said softly, hunching her shoulders and flushing. "I'll try to be home as soon as I can,"
"No, no," Sirius waved her off. "Don't worry about me—if you need to take the time to study, so be it. But I'll have dinner ready for you when you get home."
Allie's posture relaxed, and she smiled more easily. "you don't have to do that, I can always eat at school."
"No, no, I insist—" He sat up tall and puffed his chest out "I'm a high profile chef now, I can cook my lady dinner."
Allie snorted, "You're a cook at a greasy spoon pub," she said teasingly, "I wouldn't exactly call that high profile."
Sirius grinned. "If you think small then you'll always be small, kitten. Aim for the stars."
Allie's laughter settled into a natural smile. Sirius admired the way her emerald eyes would twinkle when she would allow herself to relax. The moment was short-lived once she glanced down at her watch. She stood, taking one last sip of her tea and humming urgently.
"Mm– I need to get going,"
"Wait," Sirius caught her hand as she was turning towards the floo. "I wanted to hear about yesterday."
Allie frowned apologetically, then leaned in and kissed him. He snaked his free hand into her hair, holding her lips to his for a few moments longer than anticipated. Her lip balm tasted like spearmint, complementing the remnants of mint tea on her tongue.
"Mm—"
Allie hummed urgently once more. Sirius released her, grinning sheepishly as he brushed his thumb against her cheek.
"Sorry," he murmured, "I just can't help myself around you."
Allie blushed, biting her lip to fight the smile creeping across her expression.
"I promise I'll fill you in tonight," She said, "Then I'll have loads more to tell you."
She broke away and picked up a worn-in crochet knapsack from the table next to where she had been seated and threw it over her shoulder. She tossed a handful of floo powder into the fireplace, then turned around and blew Sirius a kiss. He caught the air playfully and slapped the kiss to his cheek, earning himself a giggle from her. She stepped over the hearth and disappeared into the emerald flames. Once she was gone, he drew his attention to the Daily Prophet on the table. He unfolded the newspaper and read the headline with disdain.

DEATH EATER NUMBERS CONTINUE TO GROW

Excellent. He thought grumpily. That's just what we need.
Sirius spent his and Thorson's overlapping shift in a constant state of annoyance. From the moment he entered the Leaky Cauldron, Thorson was up his ass asking him questions and slapping him on the back as if they were best mates. It was the longest hour of his life.
"You sure you don't want me to hang around and help for the lunch shift?" Thorson asked as he tossed his apron into the hamper.
"Colleen won't pay both of us to do one man's job," Sirius said.
"Nah, I'll stay and do it for free," Thorson said, "I don't have much going on today."
"No, no, that's... unethical," Sirius insisted, thinking quick on his feet. "Go explore Diagon Alley, go check out Weasley's Wizard Wheezes—you can spend hours in there!"
His suggestion worked. Thorson was out of his hair, and he had the entire kitchen to himself for the next three hours.
This shift turned out to not be nearly as hectic as his first shift off training, albeit he was unsure why. It was another lunch shift, and he assumed it would've been just as chaotic. Maybe he was getting into the swing of things? He had fewer plates get sent back to the kitchen than he had the previous day, and Alma only snapped at him for her table's orders twice the entire shift.
Lenore had been positively pleasant the entire shift, sweetly asking him for side dishes her tables requested and calling him names like 'mon cheri' and other french phrases he didn't understand. Her smooth, alto voice was like velvet against his eardrums, and her almond eyes were enchanting every time she appeared in the kitchen window.
"Sirius, mon cheri," she purred "Have a drink with me."
"Me?" he asked, "Right now?"
"Oui," she smiled, as if she found his question silly, "Your shift is finished, no?"
She must've asked this rhetorically, as she did not wait for Sirius to answer before beckoning him towards the dining room.
"Come,"
If he were honest, he'd instead rather go home and take a nap before Allie got back, but he felt it would be rude to refuse. He nodded and followed her, allowing her to lead him to a small table off to the side of the dining room.
"Sit, please," She said, beckoning for him to sit across from her.
Sirius sat down awkwardly, folding his hands into his lap. Lenore flicked her wand, and two water glasses with a pitcher appeared on the table. The pitcher contained what looked to be slices of cucumber and leaves of mint. Sirius also noticed how beautiful her wand was; it was jet black and polished to a high shine like a grand piano. The handle had a gorgeous hand-carved beveling. Simple, but appeared high end and expensive.
"Your wand is…"
"–Exquisite?" she answered for him.
The corners of her mouth upturned and Sirius couldn't help but notice just how exquisite Lenore was also. Her bone structure looked like she'd been carved out of stone, with high cut cheekbones and a slightly pointed chin. Her features were sharp, striking—beautiful, but with a touch of harshness that gave her an intimidating appearance. Her almond eyes were dark and inscrutable, like a curtain of black velvet concealing the doorway of her soul. Her head cocked to the side as she smirked at him.
"Ebony, ten inches," she continued, now focusing her attention on her wand as she held it up for Sirius to get a better look. She ran her slender fingers against the smooth surface as if she were a wand salesman showcasing their latest and greatest merchandise. "–Dragon Heartstring core, and polished to a high shine. My grandfather is a wandmaker— one of the best in Lebanon if I must say. Customers will pay at least 30 galleons for this custom finish and detail."
"30–" Sirius choked on a sip of water, "Who would pay that kind of money for a wand?"
Lenore snickered in amusement. "Those who appreciate the finer things in life, as many of my grandfather's customers do."
"Well, It's certainly a fine wand," Sirius said, still through coughing. "very… exquisite, as you said."
Lenore gave her waist-length, glossy hair a gentle toss over her shoulder before stowing her wand in the folds of her uniform skirt. She settled back into her chair, studying Sirius for a moment before she spoke. Sirius felt like she was x-raying him as her eyes moved from the top of his head and down to his feet slowly, scrutinizing every inch of him. He shifted his weight uncomfortably as she leaned back in her chair.
"You did well today," she stated, "guests were pleased with their meals."
Sirius opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a giant hand clapping him on the shoulder. He looked up, wondering if his groan was audible at the sight of Thorson.
"You two havin' a pint?" Thorson asked enthusiastically, "Mind if I join?"
Thorson didn't wait for either of them to tell him no before sitting down. Sirius grimaced as Thorson flashed them both a yellowed, toothy smile. A ghost of an annoyed expression crossed Lenore's face but was gone before Sirius could even be sure it was there.
"What are you still doing here?" Sirius asked.
"I took your advice and roamed around that Wheezy joke shop!" Thorson said, "You're right, I did spend hours in there! I figured I'd stop back in here and see what was going on—Where're your ales? You can't tell me you enjoy drinking water? Or whatever the hell that shit is..."
Thorson's face scrunched as he observed the mint and cucumber floating in the pitcher. Lenore chuckled easily.
"I enjoy a nice glass of water," Lenore purred smoothly. "I find alcohol dulls... Oh, how would I say it… sensations, I believe?"
Sirius could've sworn her foot brushed against his knee as she spoke. Sirius choked on his water once more, attempting to play it off as he took too large of a sip. Judging by the small grin that was present on her face, she meant precisely what Sirius thought she had. Thorson must've picked up on her innuendo as well, as he now gaped at her, eyes bulging like a dog would admire a t-bone steak.
"You arseholes having a party without me?
Alma plopped down in the chair across from Thorson, scowling at the three of them.
"Thanks for the invite," she muttered brusquely, "Thorson, what are you still doing here?"
"Figured I'd have a pint before heading home," Thorson said jovially, "I did some shopping, then found Black and Lenore here drinking this girly water— "Hey —hey, Jack!" Thorson called back to the bar. "Can you pour us four pints?"
"Just three, Rod, S'il vous plaît," Lenore said, with saccharine sweetness, "Water is perfectly fine for me."
"Make that just three, Jack!"
If Lenore was annoyed by the intrusions, she didn't show it. She simply leaned back in her chair and sipped her glass, glancing at Sirius leeringly as she did so. She, however, seemed less interested in making Alma and Thorson feel welcome than she was in studying Sirius. He wondered what was so interesting about him to stare at—did he have sauce on his face? Cilantro in his hair?
"Not drinking, Lenore?" Alma asked, a brow raised.
"Watching my figure," She winked.
Lenore held her glass up as if she were toasting to good health. Alma rolled her eyes and muttered something about Lenore's perfect figure under her breath, to which Lenore seemed utterly pleased.
"Good job at not completely muddying up the kitchen today, Sirius" Alma continued, "you're getting better.
Sirius was unsure if this was meant as a compliment or not. Alma was not known for warm and fuzzy accolades.
"Thanks," Sirius said flatly, forcing a smile.
"You two, Thorson- not nearly as many complaints."
"Aw thanks, Alma!" Thorson laughed wheezily, "I was worried about forgetting what all went on the breakfast platter, but I think I managed…"
Sirius pretended to listen to Thorson's ramblings about the breakfast shift as his mind wandered to what he was going to make for dinner. Would he attempt a more complicated recipe like Beef Wellington? No, he knew he wasn't skilled enough for that. He could always resort to peanut butter and jelly, which would earn him a laugh. Maybe he'd step it up one notch—grilled cheese? He'd surely be able to tackle grilled cheese without any trouble.
Jack set two pints of ale on the table, one in front of Alma and one in front of Thorson. He looked at Lenore inquisitively, which she returned with raising her water glass and nodding. He avoided Sirius's gaze as he spun around to head back to the bar.
"Uh, he said three ales, Jack," Sirius hollered.
Jack didn't turn around. He continued walking back to the bar and spoke loud enough that the entire table could hear his venom-laced retort.
"Pour your own damn ale."
The silence that followed this was painfully awkward. Sirius squirmed in his seat as Alma let out a soft, low whistle.
"Damn," she muttered, "I've never seen Jack act so cold."
"Excellent…" Sirius shrugged, muttering under his breath. "Well, I guess I'll go pour my own, then."
He made his way over to behind the bar and grabbed the closest clean pint glass to him. Jack stared him down the entire time he stood at the tap. Sirius stared back, returning the same deadly glare as Jack was giving him. His pint glass nearly overflowed from being too focused on his staring contest.
Sirius shot him one last look before heading back to the table. He sat down in his chair, rolled his shoulders a few times, then took a large swig of ale.
"Sirius," Lenore said smoothly "Rod was just telling us about your prison stay."
"Oh yeah, Thorson and I were the best of mates in prison," Sirius said flatly, between gulps of ale. "Bloody Frick and Frack— ask anyone."
Thorson laughed wildly, wheezily coughing as he did so. "Sirius and I were in the same cell block —he was a fantastic kickballer…"
They sat and drank their ale together at the small table as Sirius ignored sharp glances their way from Jack. Lenore seemed incredibly interested in Sirius's life before the Leaky Cauldron.
"And you and Allie," Lenore casually said, "You are... betrothed, no?"
"Well, er— no, technically no—it's not that I wouldn't want to," Sirius said quickly, "but things have been busy. She got pregnant, she's busy with school…"
"I see," Lenore's eyes flickered, "Jack and she were betrothed, were they not?"
"Yeah," Alma said darkly. "broke his damn heart, she did. We were all shocked when she called the wedding off. No offense, Sirius," she added with a polite shrug.
Sirius felt his face grow hot. Not only was he weirded out by Alma's faint bit of kindness, but he also didn't want to sit here and talk about Allie's previous engagement.
"She is so quiet," Lenore remarked, "She's hard to get to know."
"She didn't speak a lick the whole month she was in our cell block," Thorson said, "I'm surprised Black got her to talk."
"Men and women are together in English prisons?" Lenore asked, furrowing her brow. "seems a bit... unethical."
"Not usually, Allie was the only one I'd ever seen in our cell block. Overcrowding, there was —they put us two in a cell when we was supposed to be alone. Lucky ol' Black here got Ginger put in his cell." a wide smile spread on Thorson's face, "Man, we'd be buffin' on the daily had she been in mine—"
Sirius kicked Thorson's shin as hard as he could under the table. Thorson let out a crude expletive, catching the attention of a few patrons at the bar.
"You watch your mouth, Thorson," Sirius growled.
"What?" Thorson said through clenched teeth as he rubbed his shin “You can't tell me you didn't shag her while she was there—"
As Sirius was contemplating driving a fork into Thorson's eyeball, he caught a glimpse of something flutter by the front window. A peculiar feeling ignited in the pit of his stomach; he stood abruptly, hid knees knocking the table and rattling the glasses.
"Did you lot see that?" he asked, interrupting whatever Thorson was rambling about now.
"See what?" Alma asked.
Alma whirled around in her seat as Lenore lazily leaned forward, looking at the front window with little interest. Thorson craned his neck to look towards the window, then turned to look at Sirius inquisitively,
"Yeah, Black, see what?"
"I'm sure its nothing," Lenore said smoothly, "Sit back and enjoy your ale."
Had Sirius not been so focused on what he saw in the front window, he might've been off-put by Lenore's not so casual suggestion. Her tone came across as her suggesting Sirius relax and enjoy himself, but the flash he saw in her dark eyes informed him she was more than just suggesting. He chose to ignore this, as he had bigger fish to fry. Who was this damned sneak with nothing better to do than stalk him?
"I've got to go," Sirius said urgently "See you lot tomorrow."
Sirius bustled out the front door without a look back at the table. He caught sight of a hooded figure zipping around the corner into the alley adjacent. A sense of deja vu washed over him as he chased after the fluttering cloak, running at full speed down the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley. Once he made it around the corner, the figure was gone. He sighed in frustration and then paced the alley a few times, looking for anything that could be out of place. When nothing and no one suspicious was to be found, he gave up. He contemplated going back to the Leaky Cauldron to apologize for running out so quickly, but decided against it. He wasn't in the mood to hear more about Thorson fantasizing over Allie, or to be on the receiving end of Jack's brutal stares again.
The day was mild and pleasant, but Sirius had worked up a sweat running through Diagon Alley's side streets. He unbuttoned his grease-stained uniform shirt, frowning at how dirty he'd gotten during his shift. He was never the best with household magic like cleaning charms or laundry spells and hoped Allie would be able to get the mess out. He threw the soiled shirt over his shoulder, allowing the cool breeze to air out his sopping undershirt. He was just now aware of the stickiness of grease and sweat on his skin and in his hair and looked forward to a hot shower.
Mrs.Tannenbaum was outside watering her bushes as Sirius walked by. She had a lawn bag filled to the brim with bush clippings and common garden weeds that she must've tended to this afternoon. He waved politely as he stopped on her front sidewalk.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Tannenbaum," he called,
"Oh Sirius, hello!" the woman cried, smiling warmly. "Has Allie started her classes at the University?"
They'd told Mrs. Tannenbaum that Allie was starting nursing classes at the local University. Nurse, Healer—same thing, right?
"Started this morning," he said, nodding.
"Oh, please tell her best of luck—not that she probably needs it, however," Mrs. Tannenbaum tossed her garden shovel on the ground next to her waste bag and removed her soil-stained gloves. "Where are my manners —would you like an afternoon cuppa? I baked some biscuits this morning as well."
Sirius nodded. "I would love a cuppa, Mrs. Tannenbaum."
Mrs. Tannenbaum made a fantastic cup of tea. He wondered if she grew the leaves herself in her garden, then dried them in her cellar to make the freshest, most flavorful batch of tea he'd ever had. Remus would need to try whatever tea she made once he returned from his assignments— it would put his Lemon Hibiscus or Ginger Blueberry artisan bullshit teas to shame.
As Allie had affirmed the other day, Mrs. Tannenbaum was indeed quite worldly. They spent a half hour admiring photographs of her and her late husband Roger hiking through India on their honeymoon.
"I fell in love with Chole," she said, her eyes gleaming at the memory, "chickpea curry—I've never been able to replicate the recipe, even after all these years…"
He was enjoying his afternoon with the old woman, now understanding why Allie liked stopping by on her way home from work. She was an excellent conversationalist in addition to her impressive life experience. She'd done quite a bit in her time, even after she was widowed. She was just telling him about a sailboat trip through the Adriatic Sea in the '60s when a rustling noise, followed by a loud thunk, came from the front of the house.
"Are you expecting another visitor?" Sirius asked, rising from his chair automatically.
"No," Mrs. Tannenbaum said, "It must've been an animal."
Sirius narrowed his eyes at the front window as a sickening feeling struck his gut. "Would you mind if I checked?" he asked.
"Not at all," Mrs. Tannenbaum said, a hint of confusion in her voice.
Sirius ran out the front door, only to find Mrs. Tannenbaum's mums smashed to smithereens. He heard a soft pop from around the corner of the house and took off running. He knew, despite him running around the corner to check, that he'd find nothing because the noise was unmistakably the sound of a witch or wizard apparating. He observed the squished mums in front of the window once more; someone had been spying on them.
"Oh my," Mrs. Tannenbaum said, "My mums are ruined! Must've been a raccoon," she sighed "I'll have to stop by the nursery in the morning and see if I can't find some more pots this time of year."
"Do you have raccoons smash your flowers often...?" Sirius asked slowly.
"No," she said, shrugging, "I've never had a problem."
Sirius let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Whoever it was had followed him here— he'd thought he'd lost the cloaked figure back in Diagon Alley, but he must've been wrong. He'd need to get around the block and apparate home, so he didn't risk leading an undesirable back to 12 Grimmauld Place.
"I actually need to be headed home," Sirius said, lowering his voice. "how about I stop by tomorrow, and you can finish telling me about your trip?"
"Sure thing, deary," she said, "I'll be around."
Sirius waited for Mrs. Tannenbaum to reenter back inside and move away from the window before drawing his wand. He walked the outside of her townhome, muttering spells under his breath.
"Salvio hexia...cave inimicum…"
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Hold on Tight