Hidden Secrets {Bill Weasley}

84

"WHAT THE F-"

"Fudge balls." Said Bill placing a box down in front of Harley as she read over a letter from Remus. Harley looked at him in annoyance and promptly placed three of the fudge balls in her mouth to show how pissed she was.

Bill laughed as it looked like she was a chipmunk with chubby cheeks and an adorable glare. Harley turned back to her letter, chewing the fudge quickly, ignoring Bill's smirk as he sat beside her.

"What's up?" He asked her, brushing his hand through her hair, sipping his coffee too.

Harley said something but the man couldn't understand her. The fudge in her mouth made all of her words sound like drunken man who was also high and couldn't even form the sound of letters.

"Can you try that again without your mouth full, please?"

Harley swallowed the fudge and sent him a grimace. "Remus has resigned!"

"Why?"

"Snape the...the...snake! He told some slytherin's about him being a werewolf and the whole school now knows, he can't work with parents getting all snotty about him and things. Also, Sirius Black. He's... innocent..." She mumbled, in confusion.

"How? What? When? Who?" Bill questioned, looking at the letter. "You mean Peter Pettigrew their other friend was the...rat? And he's Harry's godfather?"

"Yes...it doesn't make sense. How dare he write this all in a letter and think I can understand it all?! This is some different language! Pettigrew is dead!"

"Look at the bottom, 'I'll explain better when I see you', you have a day off, so do I. Do you want to go and see what the hell is going on?" Bill offered. Harley nodded tucking the letter into her jean pockets and grabbing her wand. She waisted no time before clasping Bill's hand and disapparating.

Lyall greeted the pair with open arms, allowing them in telling them that Remus was in the living room with company but they were welcome to go in there. "I'm staying in the kitchen and making some tea, do you want to help, Bill?" Bill nodded and let Harley leave to the living room and followed the man into the kitchen.

"Remus' friend Madison is in there and so is Sirius, I suggested you come in here because I don't quite know how she will react to the pair. I read Remus' letter, it wasn't very clear." Lyall told Bill.

"Yeah, it wasn't." He chuckled, "so it's true? He's innocent."

"Very. I've only just understood it all for myself to be fair. Let me tell you..." Lyall began to explain everything to Bill as he made some tea and coffee for the group. Meanwhile Harley got the shock of her life entering the living room.

"Madison? Sirius?" She asked looking at the pair, Madison looked wonderful, she hadn't changed much. Sirius however, was skin and bone, his clothes hung on him and he looked as if he had only just had the first shower in years.  He was clearly wearing a set of Remus' clothes as he had rolled up the bottoms of the trousers and and the shirt sleeves.

"I wasn't expecting you here so soon, Little one, no Bill?" Remus greeted giving her a short hug.

"He's in the kitchen with Uncle Lyall...I'll treat. Sirius? Maddie?" Harley replied not tearing her eyes off of the adults.

"This isn't?" Asked Madison smiling at Remus who nodded. "You're...an adult!"

"It comes from growing up to be honest. It happens to everyone." Harley said, her eyes staying in Sirius.

This wasn't the boy she remembered.

That boy had a careless smile and a bark-like laugh. His long curly hair was neat nonetheless and not with slight grey hairs poking through. He had a moustache and that looked like something had died on his lip, it was a mess, unruly and nasty, not a nice neat one. But tat probably came from being in Azkaban for that long. He had tattoos visible, last time she saw him, he only had the 'tattoos' on his back which were actually scars but she was young and called scars tattoos. His bright grey, happy, eyes were dark and sad with bags beneath them.

This was not the Sirius she remembered, and it was unlikely he would never be the same as what she remembered.

Truth be told, Sirius didn't recognise the young, beautiful blond woman in front of him. Until Remus called her "Little one", he didn't realise it was Harley. The small, bubbly child who wanted nothing more than cuddles from him. The sassy girl who gave great advice despite being five, the girl who needed help cutting her food and hated being called a princess. The girl who wore shirts with pirates, knights, dragons and other such things on them and that day she was a pirate or a knight or a dragon or something else. The girl who had to be taught how to swim, who played with a dragon toy, who liked to 'fly' when being picked up. The same girl who called him a drama queen.

Not a young woman who was only slightly shorter than him. Who worked in Egypt. Not the young woman before him.

"Harley?" Sirius asked, his voice rather hoarse but it had softened upon seeing the woman before him.

She nodded not being able to form words.

Resume and Madison watched the small interaction between the two with smiles on their faces. It was a beautiful sight. Remus knee how much Harley loved Sirius, he knew that the day she said she wanted to marry him or Remus himself. He also knew how much Sirius cared for his cousin all those years ago.

Lyall and Bill entered the room carrying two trays but remained silent watching the pair in confusion.

The group witnessed as tears welled up in Harley's eyes. They watched as Sirius gingerly wrapped his arms around the girl cradling her in his arms as she cried into his shoulder, holding him tightly.

"How are you little knight?" Sirius asked her quietly.

"Better now I know you're innocent, Siri."