The Other Uncle (a sequel)

A Sirius Interrogation

AN: Sorry it's really short, but I thought this part needed its own chapter. Plus, you guys seemed really excited for it. So, here it is!

(I apologize for the pun in the title, but you can't write about Sirius without making at least one pun!)

Sirius was lying lazily on a log, exhausted and starving. He'd spent the entire afternoon trying to catch a crafty squirrel, but, alas, it always climbed just our of his reach. He had always been known to be one to eat anything edible,but this was getting ridiculous. He'd even be willing to eat James' godawful cooking at this point. He'd thought he was completely spent but then he saw something that caused his adrenaline to kick in.
A blur of red fur.
Without even stopping to think, he bolted. Sirius loved Anna like a sister but he had no idea what was going through her head at this point. She loved James just as much as she loved him, if not more. And Lily was her sister by blood; her twin. If she still thought Sirius had a hand in their death...who knows what she'd do. One thing he knew was that he did not want to be handed over to the Dementors. In Azkaban, he'd seen what their kiss did to the other blokes. They were swallowed by their own fear and dread.
So, with that image in mind, he ran faster.
However, Red was quicker. She wasn't starving or tired, she was healthy and strong. And, what's worse, she was determined. He knew better than anybody that when Anna Evans was determined, she could accomplish anything.
He skidded to a stop when she suddenly appeared in front of him with a growl. In that moment, she could only be described as fierce.
With no way of escape, he relented and turned to his human self. She copied him and pinned him to a tree, her breath on his neck.
He chuckled a little, "I don't recall you being this handsy. Feeling a bit Foxy, eh Red?" She bit her lip. Tears were in her eyes as she strained to control her emotions. The witch pointed her wand at his jawline, "I don't have time for games, Sirius. I want answers. Why'd you save me in the forest that night?" He looked her in the eye earnestly, "I because that's what brothers do."
She sighed heavily, "Okay, next question. Are you a death eater?" Sirius sighs, with mournful eyes, "Red-" she pressed her her wand harder at his throat as she held back the tears that threatened to well in her eyes, "ANSWER ME!" He went quiet, "No. I'm not. Annabelle-" She cut off his next sentence, "No, Sirius! This is an interrogation, not a conversation. I- I need to know what's the truth first. Please, for once, just do as you're told."
The man nodded silently and she took a breath before continuing, "Did you do anything at all to tip Voldemort off about Lily and James?" The fugitive shook his head, "Of course not." She bit her lip again, "There's only one way to be sure."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a skinny, nearly empty, vile of potion. The liquid was clear and, if Sirius hadn't known better, he would've mistaken it for water. He looked at her in disbelief, "Veritaserum, Annabelle? Really?"
The redhead looked at her former friend with sympathy, "I'm sorry, Sirius, but I need to be sure. There is only enough left to last a couple minutes." He nodded in understanding. If this was the only way to get her to trust him, he would do it.
She handed him the serum and he downed it. It's taste wasn't that distinguishable from water. It had a very very slight tang to it; as if a single drop of lemon juice had been added. He didn't worry to much about it, though. He didn't intend to lie to her, anyway.
She slipped the bottle back into her pocket. The green eyed marauder backed up a little, "Okay, Siri, tell me now. Did you betray James and Lily?" He shook his head, "No." The edges of her lips began to turn upwards, into a smile, but she suppressed it, not wanting to get her hopes up, "Were you in contact with Voldemort at all?" Again, his answer was simple, "No."
Anna paused, as of trying to think of another question to ask. She tried to think of a way this could be a trick. It wasn't that she didn't trust Sirius, she was just so afraid of being fooled again. Every time she let someone deceive her, people got hurt.
Seeing this, Sirius tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, thoughtfully. His pleading, storm grey eyes met her green ones, glistening with salty tears, "Annabelle, you have to trust me. I know you don't really believe I killed all those people. You are the cleverest little fox I know. You know how much I resent my old family and the rest of those prejudice jerks. You guys, you and Remus and Lily and James, were my real family. Remember those last two summers, when you and I both stayed at James' house because we both had family problems? Do you remember how close you, me, and James were? We were siblings and what did we promise we'd do?"
Anna's eyes had softened and her voice came just above a whisper, "We promised to protect each other, no matter what." She was torn. She told herself he could be lying; that he was using her emotions to get to her, but this was her big brother. This was the man who beat up Lucius Malfoy with James for calling her a Mudblood. This was the man who broke up with the most beautiful girl in school just because she told him to stop spending time with Anna. This was the man who forfeited the final quidditch match because she had fallen off her broom and landed herself in the hospital. This was the wizard who had loved and protected her like a sister.
Suddenly, the dam that had been holding back all of her emotions broke. She dropped her wand and ran toward Sirius, and gave him a giant bear hug as she sobbed into his chest, "I missed you padfoot!" He sighed in relief, "I missed you too, Annabelle." She looked up at him, meeting his gaze, "I'm so sorry I didn't believe you." He smiled a little, "It's not your fault. At least you believe me now." She pulled back when she heard his stomach growl. It was then that she realized how bad of a shape he was in.
Anna gasped, "Sirius, when was the last time you ate?" He shrugged, "Two days? It's not that easy to find food out here." The witch picked up her dropped wand and waved it, creating a small picnic. She gestured for him to sit, "We can talk while we eat. I want you to explain what really happened on the night of Lily and James' death."
The fugitive didn't need to be told twice. He gobble down a ham sandwich and told his fellow marauder about what really happened. She growled in a way that reminded the wizard of her animagus form, "I knew there was a reason I didn't like Peter! Why would you trust that git over Remus?!" His eyes flashed with regret, "I was young and foolish, Anna. I made the mistake of judging Moony for his, er, condition, instead of his heart and, for that, I am forever ashamed."
She was about to comment but was cut off when her fellow marauder gaped at her hand, "When did you get that?!" She followed his gaze to her wedding band and a chuckle escaped her, "I'm married, Sirius. Didn't you know?" He shook his head, still in shock, "It's not like anyone would have bothered to tell me! Who's the bloke that proposed? Do I know him? I swear if you say Snape I'll-" she interrupted, disgust and amusement clearly written on her face, "Ew! Ew! No! Not HIM! Merlin, Sirius! I married Remus!" His jaw dropped, "Really?" She nodded, a blush coming to her cheeks. She was almost nervous about his reaction. He grinned, "As much as I hate to say it, that's absolutely adorable! The two geekiest marauders, falling in love! How did that happen? I mean you were great friends in school. We all were, but what happened to you guys after I was arrested?"
Her love drunk smile fell, "Think about it Sirius. Neither me or Remus had any family that cared about us left. We were all each other had. We were both heartbroken and looking for someone to latch onto. We had to use each other as a crutch to keep from falling. I moved in with him because we both agreed that we were in no state to be alone and his transformations had gotten worse and one day we just realized how in love we were and we have been head over heels for each other ever since."
He cringed, "I'm sorry you two had to go through that alone, Annie. I should never have chased that stupid rat. Then you two wouldn't of had to do it alone." She shrugged it off, "It wasn't your fault, Sirius. You did what any of us would have done. What kind of Gryffindor wouldn't go after the person responsible for killing their best friend?"
He sighed, "Yeah, I know. You're right. Hell, you're always right. I wanna be mad about you and Remus, but how could I be mad at the man, when he comforted you when I never could? And I'm just glad I finally have someone to talk to after all these years. Someone who doesn't look at me with hatred or fear. Oh and I read the newspapers about how you fight criminals and protect Harry. I knew you were tough. I Had a feeling you were destined for greatness my clever little Annie." She shoved Sirius's shoulder playfully, "You're such a softie, Black. Which is weird because I heard you were put in solitary at the prison for a week for starting fights, why was that?"
The fugitive's eyes widened slightly, "You heard about that?" She smirked, "Obviously or I wouldn't be asking!"
He shrugged, "Each were for different reasons. Some of the other prisoners, a couple death eaters, saw the picture of you and Remus in my cell and made comments about you I did not appreciate. So, of course, i had to defend your honor like a true Gryffindor. The other time, someone tried to steal my taters tots. Can you believe that?! The nerve of some people! Obviously in both cases, violence was completely necessary!" Well, Sirius had always been a lover of food. Anna shook her head with a smirk, "Sirius Black, you are the most ridiculous man I have ever met." He smirked, "I know. I'm amazing, aren't I?"
She laughed outright and realized just how much she missed how Sirius and James used to make her laugh. It felt good to laugh with her honorary brother again. She hadn't spoke to him in years. She had worried about how much he needed her in Azkaban. Little had she known, that she had needed him just as much.

AN: Does anyone know for sure what the real taste of Veritaserum? Was it even mentioned? I tried to find it but I couldn't. I really just guessed it would taste close to water, but a bit different, so I did that.

Also, what do you think of the pic of Sirius and Anna's animal forms?