Disclaimer: As you've probably guessed by now, I don't own Harry Potter. I do own Meghan, Kate, and Ashley—more like they own me, but whatever—but I have no claims on Harry Potter…wish I did…Man that would be SO cool…anyway, to end my ramblings, don't sue me cuz I spent all my money shopping at the QVM this weekend! By the way, don't own the chapter title either, it's lyrics from a Beatles' song! Enjoy!

Previously: The Rescue!!! Meghan calls a Healer, who agrees to keep their secret because of the condition of Harry and Hermione. When last we heard, he had left, to come back the next day.

Chapter Orientation: It is a week later, and Harry and Hermione have yet to wake up. Kate and Sirius have been practically immovable from Hermione and Harry's sides, respectively, and Meghan and Remus are keeping the house together. Ashley is trying to spread cheer. You are now up-to-date.

Warnings: Some distasteful language, but other than that, I think it's pretty clean…umm, seven-year-old enthusiasm?

Chapter Nine: Getting Better All the Time, in which Harry and Hermione recuperate, Remus fixes a piano, and Ashley tends to the "family's" psyche.

Hermione was lost. Very lost. It was like she was wandering through an unknown gray foggy maze with no light to guide her and no friend to help. Things kept nipping out and biting her, or scratching her. She hurried along, running, in fact. It didn't help. They moved as fast as she did. Yet she felt herself getting stronger…

Harry suddenly appeared beside her, a determined look on his pale face. The scar stood out a mile on his white skin. It was red, inflamed.

"Keep fighting, Mya, keep fighting," he murmured. "We can beat this." Invisible beings bit and scratched at him, leaving red marks on all visible skin.

She closed her eyes for a moment. That was all it took for Harry to disappear and Kate to reappear. "Oh, Mya. What did you do to yourself? It's all your fault."

She tried to speak up, to tell her that she was sorry, that she hadn't done it to herself, but Kate disappeared, a cold look on her face. She swallowed heavily.

Remus appeared. "We're so disappointed in you, Hermione Rose. I think you need to go live with your parents some more," he said matter-of-factly. Hermione tried and failed to make any sound, say anything to protect herself. "I could never care for an idiot like you. And Meghan and Sirius will never care for Harry. Honestly, you two children are worthless!"

Hermione sat down on a gray-fog chair and started to cry, even as the cold and biting objects continued to nip more aggressively at her. She didn't belong. She drew her legs up to her chest and buried her face in them. She was unlovable, and her parents knew that better than she did. I only ever wanted a family. And it seemed to her that anything she wanted was immediately taken from her. Stability was yanked out from under her as a voice called her. "Mya. Mione. Hermione, love, wake up. It's Kate…can you wake up, love?"

She opened her eyes rather reluctantly…It had all been a dream. Kate was right here next to her. She looked into the kindly woman's brown eyes. Her tanned face was lined with worry, and her eyes were tired. Standing next to her was Remus, and next to him an unknown, with dark brown hair and glasses. He looked like a doctor…why was he here?

"Mya, love, are you alright?" Kate asked, laying her hand tenderly on the girl's forehead. "It was just a nightmare. Everything's okay."

"What?" she asked, her voice raspy and quiet. "Sorry," she said immediately.

"Don't apologize, sweetheart. You've been through a lot. You've been asleep for a whole week. Healer McCarthy said you'd be waking up soon…How do you feel, dear?" she asked, concerned.

"Fine," Hermione said automatically.

"How you really feel, Hermione," Sirius said from behind her. "Don't lie."

Hermione took inventory. "A lot better," she said honestly. Then she realized what had happened and blanched. "Sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Kate asked, trying to smile at the tiny little girl in front of her. It was so hard to see her so helpless. Hermione floundered. How to answer?

"Sorry—for—for bothering you," she decided. She looked across the floor. There, on another couch, was Harry. He was pale, but his face was calm with sleep. The unknown man came up to her and moved to grab her wrist. She yanked it away from him. He bit his lip and looked at Kate. "Use a spell," she muttered at him. He flushed and pulled out a short stick.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"Hermione, relax, it's just magic, remember, like you've seen us do before?" Remus reminded her gently. She gulped and nodded. Her memories were still a little rocky, and her mind was blurred, but what Remus said made sense. The man cast a spell that made numbers appear in the air. Apparently the man was satisfied with the results, because his face softened.

"You're healing well, Hermione," he told her softly. "You should be better soon." He murmured something to Kate that Hermione couldn't make out. Kate smiled gratefully, and looked back at Hermione.

"Is there anything you need, sweetheart? A drink? Are you hungry? Cold?" she asked concernedly. Hermione bit her lip. "No, Miss Kate," she said quietly, relieved to find that it was true, and wondering why.

"You should have a drink all the same," said the man—Kate had called him Healer McCarthy. "You'll be needing a lot of fluids for a while, and you need to eat more. I'll give you some lists of appropriate foods, Mrs. Lupin."

"Thanks, Healer—call me Kate. I'll get you a glass of water, okay, Mya?" Hermione nodded slightly, her eyes trained on the blanket pulled up to her chin.

Kate disappeared, and Meghan pulled the Healer to the side. Remus watched Hermione with sad eyes.

Hermione played with the edge of the blanket. What was she doing here? Moreover, how long could she stay before someone sent her back to her family? She didn't want to ask; she was afraid of the answer. She shivered slightly. Immediately Remus was tucking the blanket more tightly around her. "If you're cold, Hermione, just say so," he said softly to the apprehensive girl, who tracked him with her eyes as he came close to her. He unfolded another blanket from somewhere and tucked it around her as well. Warm and safe, Hermione felt her eyelids start to droop. She fought to keep them open.

"Here we are, Mya," Kate's voice reached her ears as the dark-haired woman once again knelt beside her, holding a cup of water to her lips. Hermione's cheeks flushed as she realized that Kate was treating her a little like a baby, but didn't have the energy to hold the cup herself. Kate laughed quietly and put a hand on Hermione's forehead, causing the little girl to flinch and Kate to draw her hand away immediately.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Kate assured the silent child.

"'m sorry," Hermione mumbled.

"Don't be. It's entirely understandable." Don't apologize for everything! Can't you see that pushing us away won't help you? Hermione finished sipping the water. Her eyelids started to droop and her mind fogged. "That's it, love, go to sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up, I promise." Hermione fell away into the land of nod and Kate sighed with relief.

"How's she doing?" Remus asked the Healer, who turned to the other man. "I mean, is she going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine. She'll need a lot of rest and TLC, but she should be okay in a few weeks' time. Physically." He scratched his ear. "I don't know about emotionally. I don't think she'll ever be fully all right." Remus nodded, clearing his throat uncomfortably and sighing.

"We expected that," he managed to say. "I don't know if I've mentioned how glad I am that you came to help us. It—I don't know what we would have done, otherwise." He held out a hand. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call us." Jason shook it once and turned to check on his other patient.

Sirius looked up at him with lost eyes. His attention focused on the small black-haired boy next to his daughter, he raked his hand through his hair and let the book he had been trying to concentrate on fall to the floor. "Mya's okay then?" he muttered, his eyes still trained on Harry. Remus assented, and Sirius let out a huge sigh. "Thank bloody God." He put a hand to Harry's forehead. Even in his sleep the boy tensed a little, and Sirius shook his head. "Bastards," he murmured, referring to the Dursleys (and the Grangers). Ashley, sitting next to him, looked up at her father, eyes wide. "You didn't hear that," he told her.

She didn't even pay attention, standing up from her position as guard next to Harry and rushing over to Hermione. "Mya's going to be fine, isn't she, Mr. Jason?" she said, confident. Jason smiled and agreed with her. He looked at his watch surreptitiously. Meghan caught him. "Jason, I think we can take it from here. I've dealt with sick children and an abused child before." He took on a questioning look, but didn't voice any of his thoughts. He wasn't sure he wanted the answer. "We're all very glad for your help, and you probably need to be getting back to your office."

"I can stay, of course—"

"Don't. You'll wear yourself out. Don't worry about us." She smiled at him. "I'll be along later to discuss the issue of compensation." She held up a hand to forestall the protest on the tip of his tongue. "Yes, I know you're firmly involved in this and probably wish to see your other patient wake up. But these kids are extremely volatile, and it probably isn't a good idea for them to see a total stranger immediately upon waking." She shooed him to the Floo and made sure he left.

"Anyone for a second breakfast?" she asked. "Sirius and Kate need to eat." Remus got up to help. "Ashley, you stay and make sure Harry doesn't try to run off."

"Yes, Mum," Ashley said softly. She was still watching Mya with a worried look on her face, occasionally glancing at Kate. Meghan left the room, and they could hear noise in the kitchen a few seconds later. Kate sighed heavily and put an arm around Ashley's shoulders.

"How are you doing, Ash?" she asked the small girl. The perceptive child snaked her arms around Kate's neck and pulled her into a hug. "I'm fine, Aunt Katie," she whispered in the woman's ear. "Mya is going to be fine too. And so is Harry, and we're all going to live together forever and ever and ever. We're a family!"

"Of course, sweetie," Kate replied, her voice choked. "Of course we are." She squeezed Ashley tighter. "We're a family." A few tears dripped on to the black head of hair as Kate thanked whatever deity was listening for the safety and love of her family.

BREAK

Meghan put a plate of food on Sirius's knees. "Eat, you stubborn man," she ordered. He looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "You have hardly moved from that seat for a week. I'm not going to let you kill yourself. You are going to eat all of that, and then I will watch Harry while you go take a nap."

Sirius began to protest. "Meghan, he's my godson, he's hurt! He needs me! You can't—"

"Sirius." Her voice was warning. "He's my godson as well. I care about him too. And he's not going to have you if you keep neglecting yourself like this. Part of taking care of someone is making sure that you're still able to do so! Now eat!"

Ashley handed her father a fork and put a cup of herbal tea next to his foot. "Mum says to drink that, too," she informed him. Sirius surrendered in the face of all the attention and let himself be bullied into finishing the very full plate of eggs, toast, and fruit.

Remus was having a similar fight with Kate. "Remus, she just woke up! What if she wakes up again and nobody's here? She'll think we abandoned her!"

"No, she won't, Kate, I told you that I'm going to stay here and watch her."

"Remus…" Kate pleaded. Remus shook his head and Meghan handed him a plate of food, which he shoved into Kate's hands. "Eat, please," he asked her. "Or you won't be able to, because you'll collapse."

Kate reluctantly obeyed, polishing off the food in record time. Some color had returned to her face, but she was still wan. "No, Kate," Remus said when she went back to holding Hermione's hand. "Go take a nap, please. You need sleep. You're going to get sick if you don't, and then where will we be? I'll spell you for a while."

She finally gave in and let him take over for her. She headed for their room, and collapsed on the bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

No one saw Ashley sneak into her aunt's room and tuck her favorite teddy bear under Kate's arm. Ashley patted her head with a smile and whispered, "Sleep good, Kate." A slight smile crept onto Kate's sleeping face, and Ashley left the room to go sit by her cousin some more, talking to her mother in hushed tones for the next hour as they watched the tired young boy, sleeping deeply and peacefully as his body slowly mended.

Ashley fidgeted. There was something she had wanted to ask her mother, but she wasn't sure how her recently tearful mother would react. It was weighing on her mind, and she really wanted to know. "Mum," Ashley began, "why did Aunt Lily's sister let Harry get hurt?" Her mother stiffened momentarily, and Ashley apologized.

"No, no, don't apologize," Meghan waved if off. Ashley took a deep breath. Meghan shut her eyes and wrapped her arms around Ashley, pulling her into her lap. Ashley didn't protest. Her mother was in a mood, a cuddling mood, and Ashley knew better than to push her mother away when she was in one of those moods.

"You know Aunt Lily was Muggleborn, right?" Meghan asked. When Ashley nodded, Meghan continued, "Well, Lily's sister Petunia was a Muggle through and through, and so is her husband, Harry's uncle Vernon. Lily's parents spoiled her, you might say, favored her over Petunia. It happens sometimes, with Muggleborns, because their parents idolize the magical child, since they seem so untouchable. Petunia felt shoved aside, I suppose, and started to hate anything abnormal to her, or what she called 'freakish', I think. When she and Vernon got engaged, she told him about Lily, as she was supposed to under wizarding law. Vernon, of course, seems to hate 'freaks' as much as Petunia." Ashley looked up at her mother, wanting her to get to the point of the story. "I know, but this will be important.

"Now, when Aunt Lily and Uncle James died, Dumbledore sent Harry to live with Petunia and Vernon because of a blood protection spell that linked to Lily—since Lily died so that Harry could live, the presence of her blood could protect him. Or at least, that's what Dumbledore thought. So Harry went to live with Petunia and Vernon.

"But Dumbledore forgot, or didn't know, that Petunia and Vernon really disliked wizards and witches. Maybe he thought that since they were related, Petunia and Vernon would tolerate Harry. And maybe he thought that since Petunia was a stay-at-home mother, so she had plenty of time to take care of children. I couldn't tell you. But I think Petunia and Vernon saw him as the 'freak' that Lily and James 'couldn't' take care of, and they felt really 'put upon' to have to raise this kid when they already had one of their own—"

"But Mum, wouldn't you have taken Harry if Dumbledore hadn't put him with the Dursleys? You always say so. And you had me, right? And Daddy wasn't there, so you would have been the only one taking care of the two of us, right?" Ashley was confused. If her mother had wanted to take Harry in when it was just her and two children, why was it different for the Dursleys when there were two of them? And Mum had a job, so wouldn't that make it even more difficult for her? Wouldn't she have a better reason to not want to raise Harry with Ashley than the Dursleys with Dudley?

"I know, Ashley, and I would have gladly taken Harry in and taken care of the two of you together, and even I, with a job, could take better care of Harry than those two. Harry would have at least known that he was loved. But the Dursleys saw him as a 'freak'. They probably drilled that in to him before he was able to talk. And that's why Harry's aunt Petunia let Harry get hurt. She probably made Harry hurt sometimes. It was Vernon and Dudley and Petunia, all three of them, that made Harry the person you know."

"But what did Harry ever do to them?" she wanted to know. "I think Harry's really nice, and he never yells at anybody or slams doors or does any of the things I get in trouble for."

"I know, baby, and he doesn't do anything like that at his aunt and uncle's home, either. But they don't like him because of who he is, not what he's done. Like if I didn't like you for having gray eyes. They don't like him because he has magic."

Ashley became indignant. "Well, he can't do anything about that! Either he's got magic or he doesn't, you know that!"

"Yes, I do, you and I both do. But the Dursleys don't. They think Harry can just stop being magic and he's being defiant by not doing what they're ordering him to." Meghan's tears didn't affect her speech as they slid silently onto her daughter's long black hair.

"Well, someone should have told them," Ashley said petulantly. "That way they couldn't punish Harry for something he hasn't got control of, 'cause that's not fair." Meghan just laughed, voice strangled, and buried her face in her daughter's hair.

She didn't have the heart to tell her daughter that a lot of things weren't fair, and things like this happened all the time. Ashley didn't need to hear it. Instead, Meghan agreed with her daughter and said maybe she should be the Minister of Magic, which made the little girl laugh delightedly.

Sirius walked in from the kitchen. "I ate lunch, okay? Can I watch Harry now?" he asked desperately. Meghan stood, crossed her arms over her chest, and gave him her best glare. To her delight, he withered slightly under her disapproving eyes. Ashley walked up to him, arms akimbo, and told him matter-of-factly, "You need to take a nap so you don't get overtired."

Meghan recognized the words she used to use on a four-year-old Ashley. The little girl had found "overtired" such an intimidating word—what happened if you were overtired?—that she had taken her nap without complaint.

No such ploy worked with her husband. He eventually glared right back at her. "Meghan, please," he asked her, pleading puppy eyes on full force. Her eyes hooded, she stared him down. A few minutes later, he looked away, rolling his eyes. "What's the problem?" he asked tiredly. She drew herself up to her full height to deliver her response.

"The problem, sir, is the fact that you have hardly slept at all for a week! You're going to wear yourself to the bone if you do not get some sleep, no matter whether or not you eat! It is extremely important that you take care of yourself." She took his hand and squeezed it. "Sirius, love," she said quietly, "can you try to rest, for me, please?"

He looked into her understanding but determined eyes and sighed. "You promise you'll wake me up if something changes?" he asked. She grinned widely and nodded. Ashley attached herself to his other hand and said proudly, "I'll come get you if she forgets, Daddy." Sirius smiled at her, exhausted now that he thought about it, and brought her hand to his lips playfully. "Thank you, Ashley."

Meghan and Ashley escorted him to the elder Blacks' bedroom. Sirius fell onto the bed in some sort of stupor. Ashley giggled and helped her mother tuck him in. Meghan left the room directly after, but Ashley hesitated, putting a hand on her father's shoulder and saying softly to the half-asleep man, "Thanks for finding all of us, Dad." She hugged him awkwardly and turned to leave the room. She stopped at the door and whispered, almost silently, "I love you," to the man in the bed behind her.

The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly as she shut the door, creeping away on cat-feet so she wouldn't wake him. And so, for the first time in a long time, Sirius Black slept with a smile on his face.

BREAK

Remus and Ashley sat in the kitchen, a checkers board in front of them. Meghan had gone out to get groceries, and Remus had cast an alarm spell to alert the two of them if either of the children in the other room awoke. Remus moved a red plastic circle, not really concentrating on the game.

Ashley was taking the whole ordeal quite well. It hadn't fazed her for a moment when she saw her father suddenly break down crying over the two children as they slept. She'd simply patted his back and helped Meghan slowly calm him down. She brought the tissues and left her mother some peace when Meghan finally cracked on the third day of their coma. She'd made sure Kate was never alone when she watched Hermione and Harry. And her childish ways and silly statements brought fleeting smiles to the faces of the agonized adults.

She was a happy little girl, and didn't seem to give that up even when she acted more mature than some of the adults Remus knew. She seemed to know what to say to calm people down and what to say to make them cheer up. She'd worked out that the full moon was due in about a week and a half and had made a drawing of her "Uncle Moony" as a werewolf, watching a full moon with "Aunt Katie" next to him, her hand buried in his neck fur.

He had thanked her and put the drawing up on the kitchen wall. Everyone had noticed at some point, and had complimented Ashley. Kate sometimes stood there, looking at it, with a smile on her face, when she thought no one was looking. Remus didn't say anything, taking comfort in the unconscious reassurance that someone loved him despite his "curse".

Sometimes, when no one else was watching the children—which only happened late at night, when Ashley was meant to be asleep—she would carry her flashlight into the family room and tell Harry and Hermione exciting stories about what they'd do when they were better. Remus had walked in on a few when heading to the kitchen for a glass of water. He'd wait until she reached the climax, then go up to her and gently lead her back to bed, promising that she could tell her stories in the morning.

But Ashley never did tell her stories where someone else could hear them. Remus smiled. He knew what it meant to be shy. Absently, he moved another red chip, "jumping" a black one in the process. Ashley groaned, captured a red chip in return, and got up to pour herself a glass of water.

"Want some, Moony?" she asked, holding up a glass. Remus drew himself out of his reverie and nodded. She poured him a glass with ease. Remus accepted it with a quiet thank you and moved a red piece.

"Why can you always beat me at checkers, Uncle Moony?" she asked innocently. Remus swallowed and looked kindly at his honorary niece.

"I suppose it's because you think with your heart, and I think with my head," he told her. "You'll make a useless move to save a piece and make sure it won't hurt another, while I'm not above sacrificing a piece to win one or two of yours. See, you want to protect your pieces, but I really just want to get rid of yours. And my game strategy seems to outrun yours, although that doesn't make the way I think better than the way you do. Strengths and weaknesses, Ashley."

Ashley was watching him with a wondering look on her face. "Are you a teacher, Moony?" she asked bluntly.

Remus laughed. "No, cub, I'm not a teacher. I'm just a guy who says deep things when he's tired sometimes." Ashley giggled and studied the board for a few minutes before she moved her piece. Remus examined her move and compared it with what he could do to out-maneuver her. Not seeing any way to trap her pieces, and not particularly worried about her managing to take one of his, he moved one red chip closer to the black end of the board.

As soon as he did so, a black chip, propelled by small fingers, "jumped" the red piece he had just set down, landing in a place isolated from any other red chips. Remus drew back, surprised. Ashley looked up at him and smirked.

"Maybe I can think with my head," she drawled.

BREAK

Meghan stepped into the house, carrying a few bags. She strode to the kitchen and unloaded the bags into the cupboards and the refrigerator. Ashley got out of her chair, where Remus had been teaching her to play chess, and gave her mother a hello hug.

"Mum, you'll never guess what I did!" she said excitedly. "I played checkers with Moony while you were gone, and I won our last game, really I did!"

Meghan laughed and kissed Ashley's forehead. "Good job, sweetheart! Even I have trouble, beating Remus at checkers. I think a lot of people do. He's quite good at strategic thinking games. Oh, is he teaching you chess?"

"Yes, see, he said since I was getting so good at checkers, I needed something new to do, and he said he knew I would be good enough to beat Dad soon."

Meghan raised an eyebrow at Remus. "You know Sirius hates it when someone brings up his almost complete inability to play chess."

"Yes, well, it's not my fault that he never quite grasped the concept of planning a strategy in a board game." Remus cocked his head. "You of all people should realize he is prone to rushing in to things, shouldn't you?" Meghan flushed and put the celery in the vegetable drawer in the fridge. "Just as I thought. Now, Ashley, why don't we go see if we can fix that old piano? I know Kate wanted it fixed, and I checked out a book from the nearest magical library on music and magic. I think it has some spells in it for tuning pianos." Ashley's eyes widened and shone bright with excitement.

"Do you play the piano?" she asked excitedly.

"A little. Kate plays better than I do, though. Maybe when she wakes up she'll play you something." Ashley whooped quietly and hugged her Uncle Moony. He laughed and grabbed the book from its place of honor on the kitchen counter as they left the room.

Ashley grinned when she saw the old upright in the corner. "I always wanted to learn, but Mum never had time to teach me, and she said she didn't play too well, anyway, just enough to scrape by on." She looked at her uncle in confusion. "Why did she have to scrape by?"

"It's a pureblood thing," he dismissed it. "They have to know how to play a musical instrument. Your dad played the…well, I don't remember, which suggests that he won't either." Remus smiled. "Can you look up piano tuning in the index for me?"

Ashley scrambled to do as asked. When she found the page, she handed to Remus and settled on the chair Kate had moved in there. She watched him practice the spell and smirked when he snapped his fingers, unable to get the pronunciation quite right.

Eventually, he was able to speak the words and Ashley clapped her hands when a jet of blue light streaked into the piano.

Remus pressed a few keys to check, and was pleased with the resulting sound. "There we go. Now, you want me to teach you something really quick?"

Ashley nodded excitedly, and Remus spent the next few minutes showing her how to play "Mary Had a Little Lamb", explaining the note names.

"ABCDEFG," she said, pointing them out on the keyboard. "I know, Moony. Mum did teach me a little bit. She said I had to know about music before I could play the piano. I still haven't learned how to read music, but maybe you and Aunt Katie could teach me." Remus smiled and agreed. Ashley softly plunked out the simplistic tune of the children's nursery rhyme, and Remus gave her a one-armed hug, ruffling her hair.

"Moony!"

BREAK

Harry, Hermione, Sirius and Kate had been sleeping peacefully for almost three hours now. Meghan was sitting in the kitchen reading the paper, and Remus and Ashley had moved to the living room to play chess, to be closer to the two children. Every once in a while, after her turn, Ashley would go peer at her cousin and her friend to make sure they were still okay. Remus would smile slightly and move his piece.

Hermione had shifted slightly in her sleep and let out a muffled cry once, but Ashley was right there whispering a quiet story in her ear. She had almost woken the two up when she tripped over a lamp cord coming back to the board, but Hermione just rolled over and Harry made a quiet noise of discomfort. Remus had glared slightly at Ashley, who had given him a sheepish look and shrugged. He had beckoned her back to the board and she had carefully picked her way there, not wanting to step on anything else.

A few times, there was a close call with them waking up the children when Ashley exclaimed over a move Remus had just made, but Remus gently reminded her where they were, and Ashley the ever-enthusiastic child had quieted with a guilty look on her face. Seven-year-olds weren't good at extended periods of silence, and Ashley was no exception.

Remus was just about to checkmate his niece when a cry echoed through the house. They heard Meghan drop her paper and stand.

When Ashley's mother strode out of the kitchen toward the bedroom Sirius was in, Remus and Ashley followed.

Sirius was thrashing on the bed, calling out nonsense words. Meghan's face sobered from its worried expression, and she traded glances with Remus, who obviously understood the nightmare. Remus nodded and looked at Ashley.

"Ash, could you go play for a little while?" Meghan put a hand to the side of Sirius's face. Ashley watched as her father relaxed and fell back into a deep sleep at the touch. Meghan took a deep breath and sighed. "He should be okay now, love."

Ashley wrapped her arms around her mother. "What happened?" she asked. Meghan shook her head. "I'll tell you when you're older, sweetheart."

"Now's not the time, or the place," Remus agreed.

Ashley looked worriedly from her mother to her uncle and ran to get another stuffed animal for her father. She tucked it under his arm. "Stay asleep, Dad, and have good dreams," she ordered him quietly. "You need to be better before you go watch Harry and Mya, Mum said so." Sirius shifted slightly, his worried forehead relaxing even more as he slept on.

Meghan took her by the hand and led her out of the room. "Why don't we find your coloring books? I daresay you could use something to do."

"I'll be in the music room if anyone asks," Remus murmured. He made himself scarce as well, leaving the children and adults to their peaceful sleep.

BREAK

When Kate awoke, she heard the faint sound of plunking notes on a piano. She got up groggily and followed the tune that whoever was at the piano was now playing.

She entered the music room to find Remus playing softly at the piano. She came up behind him and put her head on his shoulder. He stopped playing and looked up. "How'd you get it tuned up?" she asked him quietly. He pointed to a book on top of the piano, something about musical spells. "So that's how wizards have such well-tuned pianos," she observed. He scooted over on the bench and patted the seat next to him. She slid into place next to him and placed her hands over the keys.

"Gods," she smiled weakly, "it's been ages since I've played. Before Mya, practically. What should I play?" she asked him.

He didn't answer immediately. She re-angled her head to see him better. He looked at her, still pensive. "Play something you love," he said simply. Kate looked at him, confused, before watching her hands—almost of their own accord—move into familiar positions, and begin to play a familiar song. Remus smiled reminiscently.

After playing through an extended introduction, she began to sing, her mezzo-soprano voice warm and mellow. The song spoke of things she loved, her favorite things. Remus's soft voice joined in on the second verse, adding a harmony part that the two had sung often in post-Hogwarts years and gatherings with friends. Kate's voice soared up to reach the climax note, then returning to a normal volume for the last few lines. A high, childish voice and a full, low woman's voice joined in on the last two lines.

Remus turned around and smiled at Meghan and Ashley. Ashley clapped her hands. "Can you play some more, Aunt Katie?" she asked excitedly.

Kate smiled at the nickname. "Of course," she said with a laugh, and began to gently play a song that everyone there knew, a favorite of the Marauder group. Meghan started the song strongly, her alto voice warm as she sang of green trees and blue skies. Remus, Ashley, and Kate joined in at the chorus, speaking of a wonderful world.

And that was the scene Sirius walked in on half an hour later, Kate playing the piano and all four of them singing along cheerfully. He smiled blearily, taking a seat.

Ashley rushed over him and sat next to him. "Aunt Katie can play the piano really good, Daddy, and she says she'll teach me!"

"Will she now?" he laughed softly. Ashley nodded excitedly, grinning widely. She started to sing again, in her childish soprano voice, singing an old rock song about the shortcomings of money. Sirius recognized it as a favorite of Lily's. He joined in at the chorus, and the other four grinned. Sirius realized then that these were more than friends. This was his true family, and he wouldn't let anyone take that from him.

BREAK

Kate sat in Remus's lap, looking through one of Meghan's photo albums. Ashley sat next to Harry, coloring in a book of fairy pictures and humming to herself. Sirius was sitting next to Harry with a cup of coffee, and Meghan sat behind him, reading from a novel about mice and other animals in an abbey. It was the next day.

Hermione started awake, sitting half-up before relaxing back onto her pillows. Ashley squealed and jumped up. Careful to be calm, she came up to Hermione and spoke quietly to the girl. "Are you feeling better, Mya?"

Hermione coughed, clearing her throat, and said shyly, "Yes, thank you, Ashley." Kate watched the interchange with a smile. Hermione looked at her, and brown and green-hazel eyes locked.

"How are you feeling, love?" Kate asked. Hermione looked down, playing the hem of her blankets. "Just say it, please," Remus added.

"I'm loads better, thank you, ma'am, sir," she said very softly.

"Is there anything you need?" Kate pressed.

"No, ma'am."

"Any questions you have?" Remus asked. Hermione's head jerked up and she looked at Remus worriedly.

"Er, sir, I just wondered…how long would I be allowed to stay here?" She looked back down at her blankets. "Just that I should probably call my parents—"

"No, Mya," Kate said softly, but Ashley interrupted before she could finish.

"Aunt Katie and Uncle Remus said that you aren't going back to your parents' house, because you're going to stay here and be their little girl now!" she said excitedly. "You're going to be my cousin. You are, right, Mya?"

Hermione's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "I…I can stay?" she murmured. Remus smiled sadly. Those bastards had done quite a number on his little girl. He flushed slightly at his train of thought as he answered, "Yes, Mya, forever and ever." He held out a hand to the bedridden brunette, who timidly reached out her own hand until they were touching. He squeezed her hand lightly and let it drop. "We'll always be here for you."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears, but she seemed to refuse to let them drop. Kate reached for the box of tissues on the table. "It's okay, love, go ahead and cry." She handed Hermione a tissue and lightly touched her shoulder before Hermione broke down into tears.

Sirius watched the scene with sorrowful eyes. Ashley saw, of course, perceptive as she was, and came over to hug him.

Suddenly, the black-haired body on the next couch stirred and made a few soft moaning noises. Ashley moved over from her father, her eyes trained on her cousin as he slowly rose back to the world of consciousness.

Harry's eyes slowly opened, and he looked into the concerned gray eyes of Ashley Black. He jumped and scooted back. "A—Ashley," he said shakily. "Hello." Ashley pulled away, realizing that Harry needed a lot more space than she had given him.

"Oh, sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to scare you," she said sorrowfully. "It's just that, you've been asleep for so long, and I wanted to say hello!" Harry relaxed slightly, then seemed to take in his surroundings. Sirius was watching him with a wondrously happy look on his face

"W-where am I?"

"Home," was all Sirius said, but that was all Harry needed to hear.

BREAK

A/N: Sorry!!!! Sorry for the wait! Honestly, I meant to finish chapter 9 like 4 months ago, but it just didn't happen. And you should all thank AJ, because without her I would never have been pressured to finish it. THANK YOU AJ!!! I love you! And PLEASE review and tell me what you thought please please please!

And now I'm back in the spirit of writing for these characters! That means it shouldn't take nearly as long for chapter 10.

In case you hadn't noticed, I really wanted to develop Ashley this chapter. She may seem a bit perfect, but I was just trying to get across that she's very people-oriented! Tell me how I did.

I promise to try to update sooner this time!! Reviews will help , actually probably not, but you can try, right?

Coming your way: Ashley-Sirius bonding, "therapy" of sorts for our two troubled children, and probably some more singing/music/and such. I'm a musical person, so I need that! 

Love, LysPotter xo

PS: I may be adding a new story ASAP. Please read Finding Freedom when it arrives! AJ, it's tut...should I post it??