In the middle of the night, Nancy woke up. So used to Violet having nightmares or creeping into bed with her she couldn't sleep the whole night through. She shuffled in her sleep, she couldn't get back to sleep and to be frank she was overheating. Charlie was sound asleep beside her, his arms around her waist and his head laying on her boobs. He hadn't changed much, he always used them as a pillow in school.

Carefully lifting up Charlie's arm, she slid out of bed and crept out of the room towards the bathroom. The floor was cold against her bare feet and the hallways eerily dark. She didn't like it so much. She went to abandon her early hour toilet break but when she turned around she bumped into someone.

She jumped back in fright and looked up to see Sirius. "Whoa, didn't mean to scare you there. Nancy isn't it? Charlie's girl?" Nancy still was not sure why they all trusted this man. He's a mass murderer! She shook her head, stepping backwards away from Sirius. "Well, you aren't Belle, Tonks, Harley, Hermione, Ginny or Molly so you must be." He laughed.

Nancy still continued to shake her head. "N..no."

Sirius' eyebrows furrowed as he stepped towards her, "Why are you stepping away from me? You don't need to be scared, Nancy."

"That's what they all say." She said her fingers running across the wall. "Just leave me alone!"

Sirius stopped, "look, sweetheart, I'm not going to hurt you. I can tell you're scared but there is no reason to be. I'm not who you think I am."

Nancy's eyes didn't leave him as she tripped, her feet connecting with another set of staircases that she hadn't see due to her backing away from Sirius Black. "Yes, you are!" She retorted, climbing the stairs on her hands, feet and bum. "You're a mass murderer!"

Sirius guffawed, "Oh sweetheart, I'm not! Did Charlie not tell you that I'm innocent?"

"Don't lie to me! You sold out James and Lily Potter! You killed those muggles! You killed Peter Pettigrew!"

Sirius tapped his chin then pointed at her, "That's where you are wrong. Peter Pettigrew did all that, he cut off his finger then left in his animgus form of a rat. He lived as Scabbers Ron's rat for years, he did all that! Not me. If you still thought I was the murderer in this story, why are you staying in my house?"

"Your...your house?" She stuttered. "I'm not staying in your house! I'm not staying anywhere near you! You're lying! You are NOT innocent-"

"Nance?" Sirius turned around to see Charlie looking puzzled and partially asleep. "What's going on?"

Sirius looked at Nancy then back at Charlie, "She doesn't believe that I am innocent, she thinks I'm going to hurt her and that she can't stay anywhere near me." He told the redhead.

Charlie pushed past Sirius and sat beside Nancy on the stairs, placing his arm around her and pulling her close. "He's a murderer Charlie!" Nancy exclaimed in a whisper.

"No, he's not, Nance, whatever he has said is true. He's innocent You trust me right?" Nancy nodded, "Then you can trust Sirius."

"But how? How are you innocent?" Nancy turned back to Sirius.

"Shift over and let me squeeze my skinny little arse in next to you and I'll tell you." Said Sirius and he perched next to Charlie and the wall. "So it all happened when..."

After hearing all of Sirius' story, parts which made Nancy laugh, some parts made her cry but the whole time she began to understand not only Sirius but the Dark Lord much more than she already did. By the end of his story, Nancy held Sirius with the uttermost respect. This was a man that had endured years of torture all due to someone who he thought as his friend.

"I am so sorry, Sirius, for all that I said to you. I understand if I am no longer welcome in your home. I will leave immediately if that is the case." She went to stand up but Charlie held onto her.

"Oh hell no! You are not leaving. I don't want this ginger twat moping all holiday, I don't want my cousins' wrath because I chucked out her best friend and I don't want a kind girl like you to not feel welcome in this hellhole that is my family home. You made an honest mistake. I would be a hypocrite if I made or let you leave. I misjudged Remus all those years ago, I accused him of being a traitor but I was wrong. Like you were wrong with your judgement over me. It's all in the past and will stay that way. Now if you don't mind I need to go get some beauty sleep." Sirius left the two alone on the stairs, returning to his bedroom.

"Why did you get up and end up in that situation?" Charlie asked Nancy, rubbing her arm which had goosebumps forming on her skin.

Nancy sighed, "I needed the toilet and still do but this is a really creepy house and I went to turn around to come back to bed when I ran into Sirius and then boom this all happened."

Charlie chuckled and pulled her closer into his chest, "Aw bless you! But why didn't you say anything earlier about Sirius if he scared you?"

"To be honest, I didn't notice him. I was too focussed on you, Tonks and your family." She admitted. "Now, I really need that wee. Can you come with me?"

Charlie nodded his head and took her hand, "Come on then, Nancy. Then we're going back to bed, it was cold without you."

"Sure thing, petals."