Ace Dante wasn't much taller than Sirius, but looking at him made Sirius feel very small.

A lot had changed about Ace's features since Sirius had seen him last, but there was no mistaking that it was him. He had a bit of a five o'clock shadow on his chin and jawbone and his eyes were tired, his face a bit sunken about his cheekbones and his hair was not the admirable height and shine that it had once been. Instead, it was cut short, growing back from a shave - a look at Sirius recognized all too well from his experience following the agrafo curse he'd been subjected to in fifth year. Ace's frame was skinny, hollow almost, in a way that said he'd been under nourished for a great deal of time.

He's been in jail, Sirius reminded himself, and the thought conjured images of his time in the cell at the Ministry.

Honestly, looking him over, Sirius felt more bad for Ace than angry at him, or even hurt by him. A funny twist went through him that he wasn't sure he knew how to put words to. It was something akin to pity, but in a weird way. Later, Sirius would vocalize it as being an intuititive understanding that there was nothing Ace or anyone else could do to repair or change what had been done to Sirius, but that a price had indeed been paid nonetheless. Like Sirius had lost something, it was clear looking at him that Ace Dante had also lost something and perhaps Ace had ultimately lost even more than Sirius had in the end.

Sirius stared at the man he'd once had nightmares about, the man who Achlys had conjured up in him as a sort of mental boggart, and he found that instead of Achlys voice speaking now, he heard Dorcas Meadows voice.

"Sirius, you need to let go of your resentment."

"But he hurt me and I want him to hurt," Sirius had said.

"Sometimes," Dorcas's voice had been gentle compared to the grit of Sirius's tone, "It hurts us more to hold onto things. As long as you're holding onto it, it has power over you. It has the ability to hurt you. He has the ability to hurt you. Achlys has the ability to use that over you. Do you see? But if you let it go, if you choose for yourself to release the resentment, then you're opening yourself up to freedom from that power. And what way do you most hurt someone who seeks power?"

"Annihilating them and everything they love?" Sirius jokingly guessed.

Dorcas shook her head. "Take their power away."

Sirius stared now at Ace Dante and he realized two things: First, Ace Dante had no power over him, Sirius, whatsoever. He felt pity for the hollow man before him, not hurt for the things that Ace had done to him. Second, Ace Dante had no power at all. He was a weakened shell compared to the slick, cool figure that Ace had once represented in Sirius's mind - before everything happened - and whatever power Ace had actually had back then was completely obliterated now. As though time had annihilated Ace without Sirius ever lifting a finger.

Sirius stared at him and Ace stared back. It was as though time had stood still to allow Sirius a moment to process all these things in his head so that when things began moving again, it was like he was ready for it.

"Sirius Black," Ace's voice finally ground out, a defeated sound to the tone of it. "Holy shit. It's you."

Sirius didn't speak. He couldn't. Not because of emotion or anything, just something in him told him to hold his tongue for just a moment, as though he were watching himself on a film reel and it wasn't time for him to deliver his line yet.

"I've been trying to - to figure out how to reach you - but the old address I had for you in Godric's Hollow. The house isn't even there anymore. Like it burnt down or something."

"Why were you trying to reach me?" Sirius asked.

Ace reached into his pocket and he pulled out a ring of keys. Hanging from the ring was a chip - a chip from Alcoholics Anonymous. He held it up. "I'm trying to clean myself up. And part of that is facing people I did wrong and saying that I am sorry for what I did. I don't remember everything. I don't remember much of what I did to you, honestly. I know I did you wrong. I know I did you really, really wrong and I wanted to say that I was s--"

"Stop." Sirius interrupted him. He stared at Ace. He shook his head. "I don't want an apology from you." The next words he spoke, he knew he meant it with every fiber of his being, "I don't need an apology from you."

Ace stood before him and Sirius could see the honest regret in his features. Ace drew a deep breath. "I am sorry, needed or not."

Sirius nodded. He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets awkwardly, turning and looking around the square, unsure for a moment how to reply. He looked at Ace. "Was prison as hard as the mental shit I've been going through?"

Ace shook his head, no. "I'm sure not." He struggled for words a moment, then settled with, "I didn't deserve the chance to talk to you, but our paths have crossed for a reason, I reckon." The smartass drawl he's once spoken with was gone, and Sirius thought that Ace seemed like an entirely different person. "I'm thankful I was given this opportunity, and I'm thankful to see you're --" he looked Sirius over, "Alive."

"I'm happy." Sirius paused after the words came out, and he realized it was true. So he repeated it. "I'm happy."

"In spite of me," Ace supplied.

Sirius nodded. "In spite of a lot of shit. You were just one thing among a good load of things that broke me that summer. All my life really. But I got help and I grew and despite other shit that's tried at breaking me, I'm alright for now. I'm more than alright. I'm happy."

Ace said, "Good. You deserve to be happy."

Sirius considered this, then he said, "You know what? So do you. Everyone does. And if you're trying to be better then, hell. Good for you. Good for you. I don't wanna be your friend or ever see your fucking face again, but - but I hope you find happiness and that the shit in your past is gone and that you really do change and become someone better than who you were when you were. I hope those demons are gone for you. They're gone for me. You are gone for me."

Ace nodded. "Bye Sirius."

"Bye."

Sirius watched Ace walk away. He headed across the square and disappeared beyond the snack hut, and Sirius took a deep breath and let it out. He felt like he might cry as he inhaled, a load of emotion overcoming him like a weight that held him down and crushed at him... but funny enough when he exhaled, the weight went with the air and it seemed to lift off and go away. Tension in his shoulders he didn't know he'd been holding released and he let out a laugh. He wiped his eyes and laughed more, then, with a flourish, lighter than he had felt in a great deal of time, he turned and went into Spinner's to hand over his application.

Remus was drawing when he saw Ace Dante. He wasn't sure it was Ace, he did look quite different after all, and he stared at the man as he passed by the table where he and Bradley sat, his pencil still against the parchment he was drawing on.

"Can we get ice cream?" Bradley asked.

"We'll stop by Fortescue's," Remus murmured, eyes following Ace's progress. "We used the only muggle money I had on the toastie."

"What're you looking at?" Bradley asked.

"Nothing." Remus shoved his pencils into his bag and gathered his things. "Get Sirius's record. C'mon. We gotta go find Sirius."

Bradley wiped his hands vigorously on his trousers and carefully picked up the record, following after Remus across the square, back toward the record shop.

If that had been Ace Dante, Remus wondered if Sirius had seen him? If he had, was Sirius okay? And did it matter if it actually was Ace? Wouldn't Sirius react the same way whether it was or not? Remus felt panic bubble up in him. Things had been good. They'd been good. Please, he prayed, don't get messed up now. Not when things were good.

But to his shock, when they were just about to the shop, Sirius came out of the door, a grin on his face. "Moony!" Sirius called out. "Moony! I've got the job!"

Bradley shouted with excitement, dancing about and pumping his fists, celebrating. Sirius rushed forward and hugged Remus - arms tight around him - and Remus patted his back, numbly moving through motions of congratulations, wondering if Sirius had seen the man who looked so much like Ace Dante or not.

He reckoned not.

After all, Sirius seemed happier than he'd been in years.

Lily was in class, bent over a chart of child behavioral needs from her textbook, and she felt a sudden urge to cry - then to laugh - which flooded her entire being so acutely... She gasped and sat upright, hands steadying herself, palms pressed to her desk.

"Oh," she whispered, and she wondered what Sirius was doing, what had caused such strong emotions to fill her up like this?

"Alright, Potter?" asked a voice beside her, guy in her class was giving her a funny look and she laughed out loud at the fact that someone else was asking her the very question she'd asked James so many times.

"Yes," she said. She got up, "I have to go."

"What?"

A couple classmates looked up. Professor Laurie looked up now, too. "Is everything okay, Ms. Potter?"

"Oh excellent, but I have to go.".

Professor Laurie looked unsure what to say, and Lily didn't wait for a response. She grabbed her things up and hurried out the door of the class, down the hallway, and into the ladies room stall, where she could disapparate without being seen. She appeared in the alley behind the flat in east London, and stampeded up the narrow stairs to the door, knocking excitedly.

The door opened and to her surprise it was Peter there, looking twitchy. "Hi Peter. Is Sirius here?"

"No him and Remus haven't been home all day." If it occurred to Lily to think it odd Peter didn't invite her in, she didn't show it. He stood in the doorway, head stuck out, a nervous expression on his face. "Dunno where they went. Remus had class then Merlin knows what after."

"Tell him I came by," Lily said.

"Alright," Peter answered.

Lily turned and rushed down the stairs again, disappating away again, this time to Diagon Alley, planning to go by the Odairs and see if James had arrived to get Oliver yet. Perhaps Sirius had decided to play quidditch with James and Oliver and she could find him that way, she thought, and if not the next best thing would be a moment to discuss what she felt with James himself.

Peter watched Lily go before ducking back into the flat and locking the door behind himself. On the table, he'd spread out books he'd found on the shelves, turned to pages about the history of Gellert Grindelwald and the duel that had been his downfall at the hand of Albus Dumbledore.