The Second Encounter
by DawningStar
Sirius Black looped the end of the hippogriff's rope around a low-hanging branch, hoping it was sturdy enough to hold. "Be quiet," he cautioned Buckbeak. "We don't want Nicoma to get in trouble."
Buckbeak studied the forest floor intently and didn't appear to have heard a thing. Sirius sighed. The flight from Hogwarts had taken several hours and he'd talked to Buckbeak quite a bit while they flew, but the hippogriff still didn't like the fact that Hagrid was gone and he had to stay with this stranger. Sirius was quite certain Buckbeak understood-hippogriffs in general were fairly intelligent, and this one seemed particularly so-but it was more convenient to pretend incomprehension.
Hoping Buckbeak would stay put, Sirius transformed and set out for the McKinnon house. He'd landed not terribly far off, and he had a fairly good idea of where it was even without resorting to his dog senses.
He'd never intended to return to Nicoma's home, but with hopes of proving his innocence and capturing Wormtail gone for now, it was the only place he might be able to get help. Nicoma trusted him, and against his better judgment, he trusted her as well. The child likely couldn't do much, and he couldn't ask more of her than was safe for her to attempt-but Nicoma could at least provide food and a source of news.
The house reared out of the forest suddenly, and Sirius carefully picked his way around it to the woodshed, staying out of sight. Returning to human form for a moment, he tentatively tested each board until he found the one that twisted on its rusty nail, and placed a large rock just inside. Now, if Nicoma kept the promise she had made a year ago and checked, she should be here at sunset. There was little else to do but wait.
Red stained the blue-gray sky through the black branches above, and there was still no sign of Nicoma. Sirius laid his head on his paws and let out a tiny whine. Well, it was probably too much to expect that a child would remember for a whole year.
But then leaves rustled to the rhythm of small footsteps, and the inside door of the woodshed creaked faintly. There was a gasp, and the next instant Nicoma was scrambling through the loose board regardless of the rough edges that caught at her unbound black hair. "Padfoot!" she exclaimed, voice low but filled with delight, as she knelt at his side and stroked the rough fur on his head. "I was so worried about you!"
He shifted to his human self and smiled at her, knowing he looked, if possible, even worse than the last time they'd met. "I didn't want to put you in danger, but now..."
Nicoma shook her head, her small face serious. "I've been reading the newspapers. Dementors all over Hogwarts, and permission to use the Kiss on you...but what happened with Harry Potter? Is he safe?"
Sirius nodded. "Harry is safe from Pettigrew, for now at least. The little rat got away," he added with a growl, "but I was able to talk with Harry. He knows I'm innocent. So does Moony-he was teaching there this year-and Dumbledore, and a couple of Harry's friends. No one else."
"I am glad Harry knows, at least," Nicoma said. "And I'm glad you got away, and came here. I was worried." Suddenly she grinned. "Wait one minute. I almost forgot." She leaned halfway back into the woodshed and came out holding a plastic sack in one hand and a pair of scissors and comb in the other.
Sirius's eyes fixed on the sack first-it gave off a distinct aroma of food. Then he noticed the scissors, and sighed in resignation.
Nicoma's blue eyes flashed fiercely. "You need a haircut," she said, enunciating each word distinctly. "You need a bath and new clothes, too, but I'll take what I can get at the moment." Thrusting the sack at him, she circled around and began to work at the matted black mane.
Patiently enduring the small pains of Nicoma's efforts, Sirius opened the sack. Smells of fresh bread drifted out, making his mouth water. He pulled out two loaves of bread, wrapped in a magical coating to keep them good, and several kinds of cold meat and cheese similarly protected.
"I've been keeping some stuff there just in case," Nicoma commented absently, snipping away. "You're lucky-Mother did a baking just yesterday, and I got some of it. I had to replace it every so often, you know."
Sirius didn't answer, being too busy eating at the moment. Nicoma took the steady chewing as a compliment to her mother's cooking and her own preparation, and kept working.
"Done," she announced proudly at last. "Just a second, I'll get a mirror so you can see..." Nicoma reached through the plank once more for the item. Sirius wondered for a moment just how much stuff she kept in there, but decided that it really wasn't any of his business.
Looking briefly into the mirror, Sirius had to admit he didn't look quite so much like a convicted criminal running from the law without the long, tangled black hair. Now he just looked like a man who'd tried cutting his hair with a knife.
He was immediately ashamed of the thought. Nicoma really had done a pretty good job, and it was an improvement. Just about anything would have been, actually. "Thanks, Nicoma," he said, "for this and the food." He'd already finished nearly the entire sack.
Nicoma smiled, pleased. "I can get more whenever you need it," she promised. "Did you just get here? When did you leave Hogwarts?"
"Actually, I only left Hogwarts last night," Sirius replied. "I had...a rather unusual method of transportation."
"Really? What?" she asked, intrigued.
A misgiving crossed the adult's mind. Was it a good idea to tell Nicoma of Buckbeak? Of course she'd never do anything to give him away, but if she happened to be frightened of large animals, for instance-but Sirius dismissed it. He got the feeling Nicoma wasn't afraid of much of anything. "A hippogriff," he told her.
Nicoma's face lit up like a lantern. "You saved him! How wonderful, Padfoot! I knew you wouldn't let anything bad happen while you were there."
"What?" Sirius asked, badly confused.
"The hippogriff that was supposed to be executed yesterday for biting someone," Nicoma explained patiently. "Hagrid's pet. Daddy said he was probably framed by the Malfoys, and I was hoping someone would rescue him. There was an article in the Daily Prophet."
"You really have been paying attention to the papers, haven't you?" Sirius commented. He hated to destroy her heroic picture of him, but certainly he couldn't lie to her. "But actually, no, I suppose Harry got Buckbeak away. I was in some trouble around that point." He told her of his capture and near-miraculous rescue, something he still didn't understand. He hoped Harry and Hermione hadn't gotten in trouble for it.
Nicoma had listened wide-eyed while the forest grew darker, and now she entreated, "Please, can't I see Buckbeak? I've never seen a hippogriff before, and I love animals."
He grinned at her. "All right," he assented, "if you have enough time before your parents will miss you."
Clapping her hands in delight, she jumped to her feet and bounded ahead, impatiently waiting for him to catch up. "Plenty of time," she said eagerly. "I told Mother I was going to play in the woodshed and she won't expect me back for almost two hours."
Sirius nodded, and transformed, trotting to her side to show the way. It shouldn't be long, even for the child, he thought. She was surely used to travel in the forest-she ought to be, with all the times she'd apparently gotten lost in it.
Nicoma moved quickly, barely waiting for him to indicate the direction before she'd run ahead another ten feet. She nearly succeeded in outpacing Sirius, to his astonishment. He was panting slightly by the time they reached his landing point-even at night, the summer heat was stifling.
The hippogriff was still tied to the branch. The ground nearby had been torn into, exposing the roots of several plants, and Buckbeak was munching contentedly on something. He looked up in faint surprise as they approached.
Sirius Black returned quickly to his human form, bowing to the gray hippogriff. Buckbeak returned the bow courteously, eyeing the girl with suspicion.
"Bow," Sirius told her, "and try not to blink. Hippogriffs are extremely polite creatures, if you're polite to them."
Nicoma nodded hard, eyes so wide he doubted she could blink, and made a bow. "He's beautiful!" she murmured.
Buckbeak returned the bow, preening so obviously at the compliment that Sirius laughed. "He likes you," the adult remarked.
"Really? Can I pet him?" She moved closer, one hand outstretched.
"Of course," Sirius grinned.
Buckbeak bent down so that Nicoma could just reach the smooth gray feathers of his head, and she gently stroked them. "You know," she said absently, "you're not like you were. Nicer. Happier, maybe. You smile now."
Sirius considered, and admitted to himself that Nicoma was right. "Maybe it's just that you and Harry and Moony know I'm innocent. And being away from the dementors." He hadn't told Nicoma Moony's real name, though she could probably have figured it out if she wanted to. It was better for her to be kept out of things as much as possible.
"That would do it," Nicoma agreed. One hand still on Buckbeak's head, she looked at Sirius. "What are you going to do now?"
He shrugged. "Leave the country. With Buckbeak I'll be able to travel quite a ways. I'd like to get a message to Harry, but I don't know how I could manage that."
The child nodded. "Maybe I can help," she suggested hopefully. "You write a letter, and I'll send it from the Owlery in town, or something."
"No," Sirius said firmly. "Absolutely not. What if someone read the letter? I'm not getting you in trouble."
Nicoma pouted for a long moment while she thought this over. Padfoot was just so stubborn! "Okay," she said at last, drawing the word out. "Do you have any money?" It wasn't likely, but it would make things a lot easier.
Padfoot smiled faintly. "Quite a bit, but not with me. I still have a vault at Gringotts."
"Didn't the Ministry take it away?" Nicoma frowned.
He shook his head. "No, Gringotts is run by goblins. They don't really have to pay much attention to the human Ministry of Magic as long as they stay out of Muggle affairs."
"Oh. But you can't exactly go to Gringotts and ask for it, can you? So that's not much use."
"Well..." Padfoot said slowly, "I did manage to get some out once. I sent a cat with an order in another name, but with my vault number."
"And it worked?" Nicoma demanded. "They didn't find out? Maybe you could do it again."
Padfoot looked doubtful. "I think they didn't find out. If I tried it again, though, they might. And it's too dangerous for you to be doing it, anyway."
Nicoma stamped one foot angrily. "I want to help you! But you won't let me do anything!"
"I do appreciate your help," Sirius said patiently. "I just don't want you to get hurt, or under suspicion of helping me. Do you understand?"
Sullenly, Nicoma nodded. "I just get so worried about you!" she burst out. "I don't know what I'd do if you were caught."
"I won't get caught," Sirius assured her, "not if we're careful. Now. Is there any way you could buy an owl, or find one?"
With a sigh, Nicoma thought this over. "Well..." she said at last, "...the Owlery in town has a few owls that no one uses because they're just a bit too small to carry much. They're given away free sometimes, I think maybe they're glad to get rid of them. If I went in and asked for one, nobody would ask any questions. Everyone knows I love animals."
"If you're sure it's safe," Sirius said doubtfully.
She nodded. "I'll bring one to you by tomorrow or the day after. And I'll bring food every night, and as often as I can otherwise." Then a mischievous grin crossed her face. "Meanwhile, you can go take a bath. There's a stream not too far away, over there somewhere. I would bring you a new robe, but Daddy might notice it missing, so I suppose I better not."
"Well, good luck, then," Sirius said in resignation. Nicoma flashed a smile of farewell and darted away through the fast-darkening forest.
The tiny owl twittered away merrily, unheeding of how annoying Nicoma found it. She'd been right-the Owlery had been thrilled to get rid of the little pest. Too bad he was the only one available.
Her father was still shopping for whatever it was he'd been sent on the errand for, so Nicoma had some time yet. Hurrying to a dark corner, she pulled out a thin envelope, a sheet of parchment, and a feather-light quill, about all she thought the bird could handle. Scribbling a sentence on the edge of the parchment, she fastened the items to his leg. That took some doing, as he refused to hold still, bobbing about like a soft bubble.
Nicoma glared. Ordinarily she gave a name to just about everything, including trees and inanimate objects as well as any animal she so much as glimpsed, but this owl was really irritating. Whoever was unlucky enough to end up with him could name him; she wouldn't. "Go on," she ordered, "take that to Padfoot. And hurry up. This is important, and you're about all we can manage."
Looking delighted to have a job, the owl flitted off. Nicoma unobtrusively returned to the street where she had been told to wait, hoping the little bird would deliver its message.
The sun was beginning to sink into the western clouds before Nicoma made it back to the forest, lugging a fairly heavy bag of food and also a dark-colored robe.
She was rather proud of that purchase, despite the fact that she'd spent most of her allowance on it. Nicoma was quite certain that the best way to keep Padfoot safe was to make sure he didn't look like Sirius Black, or at least not the pictures of him. The haircut had started that process, and the new robe would come close to completing the task. Now if only she could get him to stay this way...
Padfoot was waiting for her not far from her woodshed, his face clean and his hair still slightly damp. Nicoma grinned; he'd taken her advice. "Did the owl get here okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied, "he made it. I sent him off again with the letter." Padfoot smiled. "Thanks, Nicoma. It makes me feel a lot better now that Harry will know I'm all right."
"What did you say?" Nicoma asked curiously, settling down on the ground and beginning to unpack the bag.
He shrugged. "Some things that needed to be cleared up. And I sent him a permission slip for Hogsmeade-I'd overheard some things about that, seems his guardians refused to let him go. Dumbledore should accept it, I'm pretty sure I convinced him I'm innocent."
Nicoma hid a giggle. She knew the situation wasn't funny, but the thought of the grown-ups' reactions if they ever saw that paper struck her as amusing. "What're you gonna do now?" she inquired curiously.
Padfoot reached for the food. "Leave," he said bluntly. "As soon as possible. I can't put you at risk, Nicoma. South, I think, somewhere they won't be looking for me anyway."
"Oh." The child looked away, blinking hard to hold back tears. Padfoot was right, he couldn't possibly stay here forever, but...it was just so nice to have a friend! "When?"
"Tonight if I can manage it. Tomorrow morning at the very latest." Sirius paused for a moment, eyes on the child's distressed expression. "I am sorry, but it can't be helped."
She nodded, sniffed once and scrubbed a hand across her face. "I understand. I, erm...I brought you something." Nicoma held out the new robe.
The adult glanced from it to her, nonplussed. "It's not your dad's, is it?"
Nicoma shook her head. "I bought it myself. And I've something else for you, too, before you go."
"What?" Sirius asked, a bit apprehensive at this announcement. It didn't keep him from digging into the meal she'd brought, though, a rich warm stew that was probably the remains of the family's supper.
Reaching to the back of her neck, she unclasped something, and in a moment held out a small golden locket on a delicate chain. "Here."
Sirius saw her proud expression and knew he couldn't refuse the token. Gingerly, he lifted it from her hand. "Where did you get it?" he asked curiously.
The child giggled. "It's a Portkey!" she announced. "Daddy made it for me for my birthday, because I kept getting lost. When you open it, it'll take you to my woodshed."
"Will you get in trouble for losing it?" demanded Sirius.
Nicoma shook her head. "I already said I used it," she told him, face smug, "so I never wear it anymore."
Sirius laughed and acquiesced, doubling the child-size necklace about his wrist. Nicoma fastened the clasp for him. "Don't lose it," she admonished sternly. "It's your way out of any trouble you run into."
Well, always assuming they didn't notice the golden locket...but it would give him a better chance at escape in any case. "Thank you, Nicoma," he said sincerely. "I'll be careful with it."
She looked up, and to his astonishment her eyes were tear-filled. "Just be safe, Padfoot," Nicoma whispered, and gathering up the bag she fled through the woodshed.
Sirius was about to call her back, but thought better of it and only watched as the child dashed across her yard and into the house. The shorter their goodbye, the less Nicoma would miss him. Once again, he had no intention of returning to place her in still more danger...but she'd shown herself to be resourceful and intelligent, and he knew she'd be hurt if he didn't manage to write every once in a while.
And besides...Sirius hated himself for thinking so, but he might need a safe place to hide when he returned, and Nicoma's forest was the best place he'd yet found for an escaped convict. It was no wonder the girl's parents got concerned at her tendency to wander off into it...
That thought made him look down at the fragile golden locket. He felt bad taking it, but Nicoma was right, he might well need it. She certainly seemed to know her way around well enough.
What, he wondered suddenly as he headed back into the forest toward Buckbeak, would Nicoma make of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts? It wouldn't be so very long before she received her letter, only another two years, and if her activities now were any indication, the Marauders might have some competition for the record...though Nicoma tended more toward insatiable curiosity rather than pranks.
He smiled faintly. It should be interesting to watch.