Azkaban

Sirius, Sirius Black

Sirius walks over to the woman again, Severus trailing behind him. They stand over her, looking at her closely with Remus. She looked shockingly different from when they had last seen her. Her skin was unnaturally pale, and her hair was dirty and matted, having grown past her hips. Dirt and dried blood covered her face, and her sunken cheeks housed tear stains. Her ribs, visible through her tattered shirt and cloak stuck out in a sickly manner.

Molly waves her wand, quickly getting rid of the stench she was giving off. "Who is she,'' she asks.

"Amarea," Remus responds, his voice barely being heard around the table.

"Just...Amarea?"

Sirius nods at Tonks, "She never did tell us her last name...We should-"

Across the table, Snape's thoughts run wild, thinking about the time that he and Amarea had spent together as kids, how out of all the people in the room, he was the only one who knew who she really was. All the secrets he knew, rushing to the front of his mind, so fresh, it was like he had learned them just the day before. All the secrets that she knew about him, just the same. "We can use the room for Potter; he isn't here yet. She wouldn't be comfortable in a room full of strangers," Snape sneers, tension filling the room as he glares at Sirius.

Sirius clenches his jaw, returning the glare, "Let's not bring this up right now, hmm?"

Molly moves to the door, clearing her throat and trying to settle the awkward silence in the room, "Well then, I'll open the door for you. And, try to find some clothes to fit her."

"We need to tend to her injuries first...and these," Remus says, holding up one of the shackles.

Snape holds up his wand, muttering under his breath. After a few minutes, he shakes his head, "No spell I know is sufficient." Grabbing her shoulder, he snaps it back into place after a few seconds, causing everyone to wince. It seemed like second nature to him, and he gently massages her shoulder through her cloak, like he had done this before.

"We can ask Albus when he arrives. For now, let's make the poor girl comfortable," Molly fusses. Opening the door, she leads Snape up the stairs where they're met with the teenagers that had previously spied on them.

A flurry of voices flies at Molly, prompting her to put her hands on her hips and narrow her eyes at the group. "There will not be any questions right now. This is a private Order matter. Now, off to bed, all of you. Ron, you'll be bunking with Fred and George. And no complaining."

They all groan, trudging back to their temporary rooms. Opening a door a little way down the hallway, Snape walks in, pulling back the blankets and placing her on the bed gently; she was light enough to hold with one arm. "I'll go find her some clothes. Ginny's taller than her, but we'll make due."

Snape sits down next to Amarea after Molly scurries off. He looks at her for a second or two, her breath the only thing telling him that she is alive, her heart still beating in her chest. Looking at her with remorse-filled eyes he frowns further than he usually does, thinking about what could have happened to her. He stands, getting ready to leave the room but stops himself.

"Accio gloves."

---

The silence blanketing the house is unsettling, everyone anxiously awaiting Moody's mission set for tomorrow. The day that Harry would finally arrive.

Amarea shifts slightly in the bed, waking up startled. Staring at the ceiling, she stills her breath, listening for noise around her. Hearing nothing, she lifts her head, looking around the room. Lifting her arms, she looks at her hands, one dislocated and the other broken. Staring at them, they snap into place after a moment, and she lets out a relieved sigh. She stands, grabbing the plain black gloves that are sitting on the nightstand beside the bed.

A pile of clothes sits beside them, but she ignores the items, pulling the gloves on and walking carefully over to the door, limping from pain in her left leg. Wincing as the door creaks, she creeps out and down the stairs, her heavy chains dragging against the floor.

She reaches the door after a while, but before she can open it, she remembers him; the words he told her. She could trust them. Spinning around at a sound Amarea presses herself against the door.

"Hey, hey...it's okay. It's Sirius, Sirius Black." Amarea narrows her eyes at him, not knowing what to think. "You don't think it's me," he concludes with a smile. "In the third year, we snuck into the forest. You taught me how to ride a Threstral, and I fell off and sprained my ankle." Sirius chuckles at the memory, "You laughed so hard that you fell and sprained yours too. We had to hobble all the way back to Hogwarts since the Thesrals ran away. We got in so much trouble after that."

Amarea relaxes slightly, still timid from being in an unknown room. "You know, you can't just drop in without telling me." She furrows her brow at him and narrows her eyes slightly. "You dropped on my kitchen table. Very unexpected if I do say so myself. Anyway, you should probably meet everyone...if you're okay with that."

"Oka...," Amarea tries to speak, her throat too dry from lack of water. She was cautious about trusting him but tried to push the thoughts away when she remembered what he had said. She could trust them.

"I'll get you water too. Follow me."

She complies, following Sirius into the kitchen slowly, immediately tensing up at the number of eyes on her. She looks around, scanning the room as best as she can. She only recognized two people, although her mind was scattered. Remus and Severus, she knew them. That was it...or at least she thought. Her mind was hazy, scattered with thoughts and skewed memories.

Amarea stays by the entrance of the room, slightly grabbing the doorway. Her chains hit her thigh, causing a woman to look down at them. She didn't trust these people, at least not fully. But he had said that she could trust them. Amarea stood perfectly still, the silence in the room unsettling. She would trust them for now. He said so. He did. Amarea trusted him.