Who knew?

[Sirius Black]

The last week had been an interesting one, and, though Sirius loved the two new additions to his ever growing family, he was also enjoying his quite time out on the town. Having two toddlers in the house made things more fun, which was a plus for the man who acted like a child himself more often than not; but over the past few years, mainly after his stay in Azkaban, he had grown up to act like a proper godfather to Harry. This new maturity had found him often wandering about, taking walks, and enjoying life more than he had before. That is what led him to Diagon Alley, to escape for a few moments of his day and enjoy new scenery.

He still couldn’t walk around without getting a few odd stares and some strange looks from people who would have been around his age or slightly younger. He tended to either ignore such people or grin at them widely. They clearly did not fully believe the reports - and the truth – that it was Pettigrew, not he, who had betrayed the Potters. Still, Sirius hung by his word that as long as Remus and Harry knew the truth, he didn’t care what others thought, and he managed such a feat rather well. The rest of the world was always too serious for his taste anyways, he reasoned, and kept on walking.

A trip to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes had brightened him up considerably, as the twins reminded him of himself as a youngster, always willing to cause problems and start some prank or another. They had sold him several interesting yet completely safe treats for the twins, and he had left with a wide smile plastered on his face. After that, he’d made his way down the shops to find a toy broom for James, which he found rather quickly before deciding that he wanted a treat himself before returning home. Seeing Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, he quickly served over, plopped down on a seat with his things, and smiled as the waitress walked over. “One vanilla ice cream cone, dipped in chocolate, please.”

[Rasalas Jones]

Rasalas had been out shopping in the Muggle district for her farm but she had decided to stop by Diagon Alley. She only carried a small bag and held a leash which was attached to Angel's collar. She had only ordered what she needed for her farm she she didn't need to carry much. After tapping the bricks that caused the archway to form she began shopping for herself. Normally she didn't take Angel with her but she hadn't felt like taking her home just so she could so shopping in the alley.

She bought a few new dresses and a few new robes, though she rarely wore robes. She looked around and stopped at some books that were outside the book store. Her grip slacked on Angel's leash, who took that as her chance to run after a mouse. Dropping the book she was looking at Ras started running after her dog, "Angel!" People jumped away from her since she looked like a wolf.

She gasped as Angel ran into a dark haired man sitting at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Ras took that moment to grab her dogs leash, "I am so sorry. I was looking at a book and I guess my grip got loose."

[Sirius Black]

The ice cream arrived, and Sirius thanked his waitress with a smile. It was a beautiful day, if a bit cold; but Sirius rare paid attention to the weather, and he ate ice cream no matter the weather, seeing as it was one of his favorite treats, aside from butterbeer or firewhiskey. He would have gotten one of those, but he felt wrong getting them from anywhere but Hogsmeade, as Rosmerta might find him to be cheating on her place, and he would never do such a thing. Besides, if he had wanted to get a drink, he would have found one of his friends, probably Gwen Lawrence, and dragged her a long with him.

Seeing as it was the middle of the day, she was probably working, and he didn’t feel like getting a drink today. He had the night with the twins, and he wanted to fully enjoy it. He imagined all the fun they would have before having his thoughts broken by a wolfish looking dog who was at the moment licking his hand. Having an affinity for canines – particularly wolves- for reasons he couldn’t shout out to the world, he smiled and began to pet the large dog. “There’s a good little girl. How are ya, pretty thing?”[/color] he cooed to the dog softly, effectively stemming the dog from running off any further.

"I am so sorry. I was looking at a book and I guess my grip got loose." Sirius looked up to see a young girl grabbing the dog, who he presumed was named Angel. Smiling, he held out his hand. “Oh, it’s no problem. I love dogs, and she’s absolutely gorgeous. Looks part wolf though. Angel, is that what you said her name was?”[/color] he asked, then turned back to the dog and patted her gently.

[Rasalas Jones]

"She is part wolf, she loves chasing anything, she chases the chickens at the farm." She chuckled as she watched the man with Angel, "Yeah, her name's Angel." She looked at the man for a moment he looked familiar but she couldn't quite place why. "I'm Rasalas Jones." She sat her bags down before holding out her hand. As she did that it dawned on her who he was, "wait a minute, you're Sirius Black, aren't you?"

She had never met the man before and she didn't really care that her brother believed he was a murderer, she didn't. "May I sit with you? Running after Angel got me wanting an ice cream cone." She smiled at him, "Most people don't get close to her because she looks like a wolf."

OOC: Sorry it's short ^^

[Sirius Black]

Sirius looked up from the wolf dog and was surprised to see a girl who was roughly half his age. He guessed she was in her twenties, and he was in his forties. Still, the bond over animals could be a strong one, and he found that he often was endearing to younger people for his deep love of animals. He did have a hippogriff at home, come to think of it. With a smile, Sirius took her hand and shook it lightly. “I knew I could see some wolf in her. Yeah, dogs’ll chase anything,” he laughed, knowing all too well how true that was.

“Rasalas. Interesting name you have there. I’d tell you mine, but you already know it. Yes, I’m Sirius Black. Pleasure to meet you,” he said, her introduction not stopping him from being friendly for a moment. In fact, he found it nice that she was willing to sit down with him and introduce herself despite knowing who he was. Apparently she found him to either be completely innocent or no longer dangerous, as those who knew him and still thought him guilty would not dare such a feat.

He nodded at her request, waving a hand at the seat across from him before looking back down at Angel and motioning for her leash. “You can tie her to the table – it won’t go anywhere, trust me. And that’s a pity. Wolves are great animals, but I guess they get a back reputation sometimes, kind of like hippogriffs. I have one, sweetest pet, but people get a bit frightened. I think it’s the size. Or the wings. They can be pretty intimidating if you’ve never seen one up close before.”[/color]

[Rasalas Jones]

"Yeah, the only thing she will not chase is the rooster, he chases her when she starts after the hens." Ras smiled, "It's nice to meet you, Sirius, I never did believe you guilty." She couldn't believe that some still thought him guilty. "I don't know what my parents were thinking of when they named me. Truth be told I don't know anything about my real parents," she paused for a moment before adding, "I'm adopted."

"I've seen one in Hagrid's class in my third year. Though I didn't get the chance to see one really up close." Ras told him as she tied Angel's leash to the table. She looked at him as she sat down, her eyes never made contact with his eyes. She tried her best but it was a habbit she couldn't break. "Angel is the best dog I could ever ask for, she minds me so good though sometimes I swear she is human." She laughed at the thought of her dog really being human.

[Sirius Black]

Sirius let out his signature bark-like laugh, much to the amusement of the waitress, who he noted had to stifle a laugh of her own. Still, the mental picture he had of the large, part-wolf canine being chased by a rooster was amusing. He’d had some experience with the creatures, of course, but he had never had a rooster charge him for very long before. Most of them had backed off after a while, seeing as he was rather huge when in his animagus form. “Well, she’ll have to watch herself around him. She wouldn’t want to get pecked. Painful thing, that is. But thanks for the belief in me. Most people these days don’t believe I was ever guilty either, but some of them seem rather set in their ways. Not a worry though. If they don’t believe my innocence, it bothers them more than it does me,” he smiled.

His face softened when she spoke of being adopted. He understood the feeling rather well. “There’s nothing wrong with being adopted. I left home when I was sixteen, and my best friend’s parents took care of me. Sometimes it’s better that way, you know. Probably ended up better off with your adopted family than your real one. Happens sometimes,” he mused, only partly to her. He knew that he wished he’d been sent to live with James at a younger age, but then he thought of how Harry had grown up with the Dursley’s instead of the Potters and considered rewording his statement. Sometimes things worked well; other times, they really didn’t turn out well at all.

[Rasalas Jones]

"She knows that but she still likes to chase the hens." Ras said with a slight giggle at both the memory and Sirius' laugh. She looked at the waitress, "Vanillia cone please." She smiled at her then looked back at Sirius. "I suppose the rooster learned how to protect the hens from my grandfather, he had a nack of teaching any animal anything." She looked down at Angel, "She was abanded as a pup near my farm when I was a kid." She ruffled Angel's fur on her head. "I found her and brought her to my grandfather, he let me name her and told me she had to stay at the farm while I was at home and school. She never listened to him, only me." She nodded at his point of view. "That there is sound logic."

"I know, I am glad my parents adopted me, I just would like to know more about my birth parents," she paused for a moment then added, "I really know nothing about them." She shook her head, "I never want to return to the orphanage so I haven't went there to ask about them." She looked up as the waitress brought her her cone. "Thank you." She looked down at her dog when she whined. "No." Angel laid down almost in a huff, Ras shook her head with a smile before she started licking her icecream cone.

[Sirius Black]

Sirius glanced at the girl with a smile. She reminded him all too well of his younger friends, Tonks and Harry and the others in the Order. Sirius was used to having younger friends, mainly because he never grew up during his years in Azkaban. A forty year old physically, Sirius thought more like he was in his twenties, and it was something that other people knew about him. He was a child at heart, and thus often befriended those younger than himself. Those his age, he typically respected and could remain on par with only because he knew how to be mature when absolutely necessary. War did that to a person.


“Yes, well, dogs can be pretty persistent,” he chuckled, remembering his own times as a large canine. “Well, it sounds as though your grandfather and I would get along well. He wouldn’t happen to be Hagrid, would he? The Hogwarts gamekeeper? That man can tame animals that few would even consider animals,” laughed, remembering some of Hagrid’s favorite pets, including an arcrumantula. “Still, I’ll bet she’s glad for the good care and home. Pets have a way of knowing to whom they belong.”

Sirius smiled as Angel put her head down in a huff before petting her softly. “Come now, Angel, there’s a shop down the street where I can get you some treats before I leave, alright?”[/color] He tilted his head to the side as if asking if that were okay before continuing, “Well, the orphanage would be the best starting place. Do you know whether your pureblood, halfblood, or muggleborn?”[/color]

[Rasalas Jones]

"True." Though Ras saw it as Angel being stubborn saying she was persistent was another way of saying stubborn. She stopped in mid lick when he asked if her grandfather was Hagrid. She shook her head then looked down, "No, my grandfather died not long after I finished my last year of school." She looked up at Sirius, "Oh I know about his love of animals, I may have been a Slytherin but I still liked his class." She looked down at Angel then bent over and petted her on the head before sitting up and licking her ice cream.

"She loves the treats from here." She looked at the man then furrowed her brows as she thought. "I believe I'm pureblood but I'm not one hundred percent I am." She finished her ice cream cone then looked at him, "I barely remember where the place is, I just remember they told me my mother just left me on the street then someone found me and took me to the orphanage." She couldn't remember anything about her parents, "All I have is this ring," she touched the ring she still wore as a necklace, "I'm not even sure if it's my mother's or father's."

[Sirius Black]

Sirius hadn’t meant for his words to bother her, so he felt a pain of guilt when she stopped eating her ice cream and looked down. He understood the pain of losing a loved one, so he could sympathize with her grief. He had only meant the bit about Hagrid as a joke, but not he regretted it. “Oh, I’m. . I’m very sorry. I’m sure he was a wonderful man though,” he said, trying to skirt past the awkwardness. He brightened as she returned the focus to Hagrid, a topic he was much better suited to discuss. “Well that’s good to hear. The Slytherins tend to give him a hassle, but I suppose you might be one of the few decent ones. I was a Gryffindor, you see,” he said with a smile as he chuckled. He still wasn’t the biggest fan of Slytherins, but his younger brother had been one, and though he had walked the wrong path at first, he had righted his wrongs and given his life to fix his mistakes. Sirius would never forget that.

As she mentioned her pureblood status, Sirius looked up from Angel. “Well, if you’re a pureblood, tracking your heritage shouldn’t be too hard. In fact, you’re probably related to me!” he said with another laugh. “You see, nearly all of the pureblood families are related. And, well, I’m a pureblood, so I could probably help you figure out your family tree.” He raised an eyebrow as she pointed to the ring which he hadn’t noticed until she pointed it out. Most of the pureblood families also had heirlooms or certain items identifying themselves, so the ring might give something away. He smiled once more at his ability to figure some thing out. “Can I see your ring? I might know the family to whom it belong.”

[Rasalas Jones]

“He was the best grandfather a person could ask for.” She smiled at Sirius though her eyes avoided his, “He and my grandmother left the farm to my brother and I but my brother wanted nothing to do with it.” She remembered that he never did like going to the farm, she never understood why. “I know, Draco Malfoy never was the best student in his class, he didn't listen and ended up insulting a hippogriff after Harry rode it. I love animals so I payed very close attention to his class.”

“True. I know that much, hard not to learn that even coming from a Muggle family.” Ras smiled with a chuckle. She looked at the necklace then looked at Sirius, she remained silent as if debating about it. After a few moments she reached back then unlatched the necklace before taking it off and handing it to Sirius. “I hope you do know who it belongs to because I'd like to know my family.” She looked down at the spot where the ring was then took a deep breath, “This is the first time in years I have taken it off, I guess I had hoped that it would tell or show me something.” She looked up at Sirius, “bit silly I suppose.”

[Sirius Black]

Sirius noted how the girl averted her eyes as she spoke of her grandparents, and he understood enough not to press her any further. His seriousness turned lighter as she spoke of Draco, Harry, and the hippogriff incident. Of course, everyone thought that the hippogriff escaped, and few knew that it was actually time travel, as well as Harry and Hermione, who led to the saving of the hippogriffs life. Few also knew that the hippogriff, known as Buckbeak, was the one which he currently considered his familiar, his pet. Granted, few would care, but he merely nodded as she spoke, finding that telling her the entire story would take far too long for the time they probably had.


“Oh yes, I guess that is a fairly well known fact,” he said with a smile and a chuckle. Yet the seriousness returned as the girl studied her ring, and Sirius knew then how much she revered the only item left to her from her parents. He didn’t look at the ring which was now in his hand until she finished speaking, purely out of respect. “I hope I can help. And no, it’s not silly, not at-” His voice cut short as he looked down and examined the ring. His voice was taught, his face tight, as he looked up at her, his eyes wide. “Are. . . Are you sure this ring belonged to your parents? Wasn’t something they found. . . or, or bought?”

[Rasalas Jones]

Ras leaned over to pet her dog, “My parents knew about magic since my brother was eleven when they adopted me.” She still remembered the day she was adopted, couples were walking around some were talking to a few children. When some saw her they would smile but never stop but after about the fifth couple Mr. and Mrs. Jones chose her. They didn't pick her out of pity or anything, they chose her because they spent some time with her and felt a connection with her. “He is muggle-born and got his letter before they adopted me.”


“It's hard not to learn that fact about purebloods.” Rasalas watched Sirius when he looked at her ring, she was a bit worried when he looked at her with wide eyes. “I'm positive, it was with me when I was taken to the orphanage. Why?” She wondered if he did know who it belonged to. She remained calm so as not to get her hopes up on finding her father or mother. For the first time in her life she looked into his eyes, she had never looked into anyone's eyes. She didn't know what to think, she wanted to ask him if he knew whom it belonged to but her mouth did not want to work.

[Sirius Black]

Sirius heard her story about her parents, how they knew of magic early, how her brother was older when she was adopted, how her brother was a muggleborn and how he had gotten his letter before she had even been a part of the family. Since he found that there was little of his own story to contribute – except perhaps that he had been adopted by another family despite the fact that he had a pureblooded family of his own – he merely nodded as she spoke.

The ring jolted him from his thoughts, but instead of back to reality, into another world, one more dream-like. He was leaving his family for the last time. His brother, Regulas, said nothing as Sirius packed his things and left. Then Sirius was crying; James and Remus both laid a hand on his shoulders as he mourned the death of his younger brother. Sure, Regulas had been a pain. Sure, he had turned to the Death Eaters. But he was still Sirius’s brother. Then another tear was shed as Harry explained that Regulas had turned against Voldemort and attempted to destroy a Horcrux. Regulas had turned to the good side, albeit a little late.

When he looked up, Rasalas was looking into his eyes, and he saw his brother in her for the first time that day. In fact, he saw his brother, in a way, for the first time in years. “I never knew. . . never thought. . . He didn’t tell me . . He had a child.” The words came out staggered, and he drew in a breath sharply, the entire thing confusing yet strangely comforting.