It was the night of Halloween 1981. Sirius had been acting strange all day, muttering about something feeling "off". Melanie did her best to sooth his fears, but she was a little preoccupied soothing their baby, not even a year old yet, to pay him much mind. Sirius had become increasingly paranoid over the months, distrusting his best mates and wearing holes into their rug. Melanie was so enraptured by the infant swaddled in her arms (she thought the baby looked just like Sirius and it pleased her to no end) that she hadn't even noticed Sirius' sudden departure.

"Look Padfoot, she's smiling!" Melanie exclaimed, whipping around for fear he would miss such an important milestone, but the lack of heavy steps on the rug was deafening. It didn't take her long to piece together where he might have disappeared to. Wormtail. Sirius had been on edge since making him the Potters' secret keeper. He didn't think the mousy little man had the guts to try anything, the way he suspected Remus, but he also hadn't trusted that he would stand up to torture should it come to that. Because of this, Sirius had dropped in on him at random times to see how James was doing. He couldn't very well go check on James himself, he would lead Voldemort right to them.

Melanie sighed, knowing she would have to play peacekeeper between the two, again. Wrapping her sweet little child in a front carrier, Melanie left the house, passing the ward before apparating. She appeared just as she watched Sirius disappear, a look on his face she had never seen before. It screamed of desperation. A quick look around revealed what Sirius had been distressed about. Peter was no where in sight. Her own sense of dread escalating, Melanie did the one thing she knew she shouldn't but was the only logical move.

The moment Melanie appeared in Godrick's Hallow, the small suspicion rearing its head in the back of her mind, the one that she desperately tried to subdue, came to fruition. The dark mark hung like an omen over the Potter's cottage home.

"Sirius," Melanie breathed, forcing her feet forward, faster and faster until she was streaming into the building. Almost immediately Melanie found James. He had been the first line of defense, fallen face first on the floor of their living room. It looked as if he'd been swatted down like a fly. Sirius was there, holding his best mate, disturbingly calm.

"I'll kill him" It was a whisper. Melanie didn't think he'd even been aware of her presence as she knelt next to him.

"L-Lily?" Melanie was barely able to choke out. Sirius didn't acknowledge her inquiry. Maybe he hadn't heard her. "Harry?" She tried again. As if somehow summoned by the softly spoken name, a fierce wail came from upstairs. "Harry!" Melanie took the stairs three at a time in her haste to reach him but the sight at the top of the stairs drew her up short. The door to the room she and Lily had spent days decorating for Harry was blasted in. And in the doorway was Lily. Melanie seemed to choke on her own breath as she struggled to get air into her lungs. Anyone… anyone but her. There was no one in Melanie's life that had been truer, braver or kinder than her oldest friend Lily.

Melanie was drawn out of her shocked grief by another high-pitched wail. "Harry." She collected the boy in her arms. He went willingly, far larger than Elizabeth, he wrapped his arms around Melanie's neck, curling himself around his Godsister and wept. That's when Melanie noticed the scar, almost like a lightening bolt it lanced across the toddler's forehead.

Time passed by in a knotted mess, Melanie wasn't sure if it was seconds or hours when suddenly Hagrid was there.

"Melanie…" the giant began timidly. Remorse coated his vocal cords, making his words sound garbled and harsh. Melanie looked up to meet his eyes. "Pro-Professor Dumbledor wants me to take Harry."

Melanie was having a hard time understanding what he was asking. It took her a moment before she responded, "Where are you taking him?"

"He says I need to take him to live with his aunt and uncle." His tone was gentle, but Melanie flinched.

"But… I'm his Godmother, Sirius and I… we should take care of him. That's what Lily and James would have wanted. Lily's sister was… cruel to her." Lily was the only one out of the pair that had any family left. Voldemort had wiped out nearly the entire Potter line, his cruel way of retaliating against James, who had been a key player in the resistance. He'd even managed to take out most of Lily's, her parents being the most devastating blow. He had taken everything. Melanie's own parents, it had been devastating.

Melanie had spiraled into her own thoughts and didn't put up much of a protest when Hargid drew the baby out of her arms. Dumbledore must have had his reasoning. Honestly, the safest place for Harry to be during the rest of this war was with his muggle relatives that Voldemort probably didn't even know about. She imagined that being the only explanation for their survival when everyone else's families were torn to pieces. Melanie would come collect him when this was all over. She briefly considered sending Elizabeth with him but by the time the thought had fully formulated, Hagrid was already gone. Then she heard the familiar sound of Sirius' motorcycle. That must have been how her spouse had gotten here, Sirius being unable to apparate since his wand was snapped in the last battle.

The thought of Sirius brought Melanie to her senses and she rushed downstairs. She caught a glimpse of Sirius just as he mounted a broom. Melanie swore and muttered, "Accio Lily's broom" before mounting it and following, child tucked tightly against her sternum. Lily's broom was slower than James', James being a seeker and Lily having little interest in Quidditch but Melanie was the better flier, with her background as a chaser. Sirius was a decent flier but he was always in too much trouble to consistently play the sport so he didn't have the practice that Melanie did. He sure did have the desperation though, Melanie thought as she struggled to keep him within her sight.

Melanie wasn't sure how Sirius knew where he was going but she knew what his objective was. Peter Pettigrew. It took a while, flying at breakneck speed, before Sirius had apparently found him. Melanie had lost sight of him for a while before she rounded a corner and reared up sharply. Sirius and Peter stood in the middle of a muggle road. They didn't look terribly out of place, as it was Halloween and most people were dressed up, but Melanie suspected the muggles could sense the danger in the air, as most of them clung to the sidewalks.

"Sirius!" Melanie called, in an effort to prevent him from doing something he'd regret. Sirius whipped his head up to look over Peter's shoulder, shocked at the sight of his wife and their 11 month old baby. Peter used the distraction to his advantage.

"Sirius Black betrayed the Potters!" Peter called and then everything exploded. Melanie met Sirius' eyes, a look of denial in them. Melanie acted on pure maternal instinct as she whipped her body around and used every ounce of magic in her being to throw up a shield around the bundle in her arms. Making it big enough for both of them wasn't even a thought in her mind, Elizabeth being her only and final thought.

"We begin overseeing the case of the custody of Elizabeth Black, father Sirius Black imprisoned for the murder of one Peter Pettigrew as well as 13 muggles, mother Melanie Black née Parks deceased, godparents James and Lilian Potter also deceased. Step forth those who petition for guardianship." The high judge's voice droned in boredom as Narcissa Malfoy and Andromeda Tonka stepped forward.

"You may begin your defense, Mrs. Malfoy," the judge invited. Narcissa smoothed her robes and gazed around at the jury regally.

"As you all know, my husband is Lucius Malfoy, a family dating back centuries, one of equal reputation to the Noble house of Black, my own family. As such we can provide the child with the proper means she deserves, being the last surviving Black. My cousin Sirius and I were close growing up. We drifted apart as he delved further into the dark arts but I know back when he was still a reputable member of our family, he would have wanted me to raise his daughter with our traditional values. Where Sirius has failed the Black line, I know with a proper upbringing that Elizabeth will bring honor back to her house. Furthermore, my son Draco is just a few months older than Elizabeth and I know they will grow to love each other as siblings. My sister Andromeda, bless her heart, has been cast from the Black family, has brought dishonor on her heritage. She has neither the means, as her husband has not the income to support another mouth to feed, and no inheritance. Everything that is left of the Black family will be willed to Elizabeth. Andromeda might attempt to take advantage of the child, given the direness of her situation, and poor innocent Elizabeth would be none the wiser. What does a one year old know of inheritance?"

The court room was silent. Narcissa had made some truly nasty personal attacks. Andromeda was flushed an angry red. Despite this, she rose with elegance and a calm expression; after all, they were raised by the same mother.

"I wish to counter my dear sister's defense." She stated, a delicate sneer on her face. "It is true that I was cast from the Black family tree. My crime? Marrying the man I loved, a muggle born, which happens to be the same crime that my cousin Sirius was cast out for. I was very close to Sirius, always had been and that didn't change like it did for the rest of my family. I truly believe he would wish his daughter to be raised by me, with our shared values."

"Your argument is to align yourself with a mass murderer?" Narcissa laughed harshly. "If anything we should do the opposite as Sirius wishes, the man was obviously paranoid and dangerous, a secret servant to the Dark Lord all along. Only a heartless man would be able to pull off such a great betrayal."

"Sirius loved Lily and James, he would never have betrayed them. And you're one to talk, your spouse has been doing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's bidding for ages now." Andromeda countered. Narcissa took a menacing step forward.

"Lucius had been under the Imperius curse, he has been cleared of all charges. To question his innocence is to question the authority of the Prime Minister himself. I will not have you run down our reputation like that. The Malfoy family has done wonderful things for the Wizarding world at large, you have no right-"

"That's enough, ladies." The judge dropped his gavel. "I hereby award custody of Elizabeth black to Mr. And Mrs. Malfoy. Court dismissed."

Most jaws in the room fell open at the rushed and blatantly biased ruling. Narcissa smirked triumphantly before heading off to collect her new ward.

"It's missing something." Aunt Cissy's reflection was visible in the mirror behind me. I had just finished pinning my hair just so and frowned, distressed over what I could have overlooked. My midnight hair was straightened into a smooth cascade down my shoulders with various pieces pinned in the current fashion. My make up was not heavily applied, except for my red lipstick that created a striking juxtaposition to my pale skin. The dress I wore was a simple, for me anyways, black cocktail dress, which was the appropriate attire for a semiformal dinner party, and my feet were robed in strappy black heels. I stared at my reflection in concentration. Of course I could see every flaw in myself, I, being my own worst critic. But as to what Auntie had pointed out, I had no idea.

Aunt Narcissa gave a knowing, maternal smile. "I think I've figured out what it is." She approached me from behind and wiped my hair to one side before reaching around and clasping something around my neck. "There we are. Now you're perfect." She smiled at me fondly. I reached up to gently touch the Sapphire necklace. It was hung on a delicate silver chain and settled right between my collar bones.

"Auntie, it's stunning."

"This was a gift from my mother on the eve of my eleventh birthday. I know you are not quite 11 yet but I figured, as you are going off to Hogwarts soon, you should have a piece of Black jewelry to accompany you."

Being careful not to smear my makeup or ruin my hair, I embraced my aunt tightly. Cissy chuckled. "I'm glad you like it." Black women did not need to say much to convey their feelings. In a society where words are used as weapons and, more often than not completely fabricated, a person's body language is the most effective means of communication and I imagined Cissy knew how much I appreciated the gesture by the soft smile and proud shoulders. "Come now, our guests will have started arriving."

I joined my family in the parlor to greet our guests. Draco was already there, looking smart in his three piece and Lucius looking intimidating in nearly the same attire. I quickly joined Draco where he was conversing with the Notts, father and son.

"Theodore here already knows exactly how to succeed at Hogwarts as a Slytherin." Nott senior bragged. Theo squirmed under his praise though he hid it well. It was only because we were old, close friends that I noticed and sympathized.

"Draco seems to think he's already been sorted. His entire bedroom is green." I smirked, Draco fired me a look but Mr. Nott chuckled.

"It is alright to be proud, boy, it is a great and noble house. Speaking of great and noble, Lucius, how wonderful to see you." Smooth as a snake Mr. Nott slid further in the room to take up conversation with the adults. Once he was out of sight, Draco threw me a sharp elbow.

"What was that for?" I protested.

"For making me sound like an over-eager child."

"You are an over-eager child."

"Well you don't have to point it out to people."

I chuckled in reply and turned to Theo. "So how has your summer been?"

At some point Draco drifted off to join his other friends. Theo and I retreated to the quiet of the corner of the sitting room while we regaled each other on the adventures of our summer. Theo' s was much more exciting than mine as his father travels for a living. They get to go see all kinds of exotic places, some of which I had never even heard of, whereas the most exciting place I ever visit is France.

"Why am I not surprised to find you hiding in a dark corner, Elizabeth Black?" A voice drawled and I smirked.

"Severus, I imagine I hide for the same reasons as you." I quipped. Theo ducked out of our alcove, Severus terrified him for some reason.

"And what would that be, pray tell?" Severus watched Theo scurry off with a look of disdain.

"To maintain my complexion of course. You don't stay this pale standing directly under lights."

Severus snorted in spite of himself, apparently not having expected my joke. With no way to recover he lifted his nose in the air in an accurate impression of Lucius. "That will be Professor Snape to you soon, young lady."

"Oh! Did you get the defense against dark arts position?!"

Severus' expression darkened. "No, Dumbledore has appointed some stuttering fool in my stead, he claims I am needed in the position of Potions Master. I can't imagine having a competent potions master is more important than having a competent defense teacher. Blubbering idiot is afraid of his own shadow."

I allowed Severus a moment of righteous indignation before approaching the subject that had been weighing on my mind lately. "Sev- Professor Snape… what happens if I'm not sorted into Slytherin?"

Severus studied me for a minute before apparently deciding that I was genuinely distressed over the idea. "Did you know your mother was a Hufflepuf?" he asked.

"Really?" I raised my brow in interest. My parents weren't discussed very often, especially not my mother because she was muggle born. But I knew Severus had agreed to be my godfather when I was adopted because of his fondness of my mother. I knew he was equally disinclined because of his relationship with my father.

"She was. Honestly, your mother could have easily been sorted into any house. She had the wit and cunning of a Slytherin, the intelligence and work ethic of a Ravenclaw, and the courage of a Gryffindor. I think the reason she was sorted Huffllepuf was because above all she was exceedingly loyal and all in all a genuinely good person. Even after Lily… even when no one else wanted to be friends with me, your mother was still there. Once you form a friendship with a Hufflepuf there are very few things you can do to break it. And trust me, I did plenty to dissolve that friendship, if not entirely on purpose."

I sat in silence for a moment, pride and fondness of my mother filling me. It was very rare when even Severus talked about her, I treasured every word.

"Your father, on the other hand, was a Gryffindor in every sense of the word." He sneered then seemed to notice my expression, though I had know idea what my face showed, and his expression softened.

"Though you may look like your father," his nose wrinkled in distaste. "You have your mother's spirit."

It was the greatest compliment I had ever received. I swallowed against the knot in my throat and did my best to compose myself. In an attempt to draw the conversation away and control my emotions, I blurted, "It's just that yellow isn't really my color."

Severus stared at me as if I was insane before seeming to understand. "Well yes, I suppose yellow would look horrendous on me as well."

I almost cried in mirth at the image of dark and gloomy Severus in happy-go-lucky yellow. "I don't know sir, it might bring out the yellow undertones of your skin."

"You can talk, your skin is nearly the same shade as mine." He countered.

I held up my hand and pretended to examine it. "You know, you're right. If I stopped taking care of my hair for a few days and walked around with a sour expression on my face, we'd look nearly identical."

"Not all of us can spend six hours a day combing our hair. Some of us have better things to do." He said snidely.

"Oh yes? Like inventorying frog legs?"

"I'll have you know, Melanie, I quite-" Severus stopped short. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

I waved him off. "It's okay. I miss her too."

Severus looked like he might have said something before Aunt Narcissa swooped in on us. "It does not do for a lady of the host family to act as a wallflower, Elizabeth. Go ask Theodore to dance." She scolded. The Malfoys have been pushing a marriage with Theo for as long as I could remember. He was, as Lucius put it, "a boy of fine breeding." Meaning he was a pureblood and they were trying to restore the reputation of the Black line. Honestly though, unlike the other girls my age, I wasn't terribly boy crazy. I mean I was only 10, I had plenty of time to worry about that later. The other girls never shut up about Draco though, it was really quite tiresome.

My peers all stood in a gaggle on the other side of the room. I breached the crowd in a poor imitation of my aunt, trying to mirror her effortless grace but feeling like I fell short.

"I just think, if you're part Veela, you really can't be held to the same standards of beauty-"

"The Cannons have no chance against the Magpies this year. They have shotty beaters, subpar chasers and-"

"Seriously though, you can't wear green robes with a red hat, it just-"

"Antonio Bravo is the best seeker in Quidditch history-"

The girls and boys of the group were holding two separate conversations in close quarters and it was difficult to follow either of them. It turned out to be unnecessary when the girls noticed me.

"Elizabeth! Your dress is so pretty!" Pansy squealed.

"How do you get your hair so straight?!" Daphne reached out to touch my hair. I did my best not to flinch.

"I could never pull off that shade of red." Tracy gushed.

It took all my power not to roll my eyes. The girls were always like this. I assumed they thought being nice to me would endear them to Draco, or at least get them closer to him. It didn't seem to be of any use. Draco really could care less who was gushing over my appearance, if anything it probably annoyed him almost as much as it annoyed me.

"Yes, you're so beautiful Elizabeth, we are but mere humans placed in this earth to revere in the light of your grace." Draco drawled. I raised an eyebrow in amusement. It was actually a fairly eloquent dig and I could respect that.

"But Draco, I don't even hold a candle to the ethereal beauty that is this hair!" I quickly reached up to ruffle his hair, yanking my arm back before he could inflict damage in retaliation. To violate his hair is to commit the most treacherous of sins. "Theo, would you care to accompany me on the dance floor?" I asked, hoping to make a quick escape as Draco drew his wand. Theo hastily complied, drawing me out into the crowd in a fluid motion, swinging me into the middle of a dance flawlessly. We fell into a familiar routine, one beat into all of the pureblooded kids.

"I don't know whether to applaud you or berate you." Theo commented.

"Probably both." I smirked.

"What did Snape want?" His eyes tracked my Godfather, presumably, over my shoulder.

"We just talked about Hogwarts mostly. Houses and what not." I shrugged nonchalantly.

Theo looked at me for a moment before moving on. "Do you think you'll get sorted into Slytherin? I mean, you're not actually a…"

"A pureblood?" I raised an eyebrow. "I know… I just, I don't think the Malfoys will want to keep me if I'm not sorted into Slytherin." And there it was. It slipped out, without my consent, laid out and bare for Theo to see. I couldn't stand the pity in his eyes. "Forget I said anything, they're my family, of course they won't get rid of me over a stupid sorting."

"It's okay to be afraid, you know."

I gave him a humorless look. "I'm not afraid, Theodore. And besides, all my aunt and uncle really care about, in terms of my blood status, is that I marry you."

I succeeded in making him uncomfortable. I watched as he looked across the room back at our group of friends and felt a little guilty for bringing it up. We didn't really talk about our family's plans for us. He was embarrassed about it and we didn't feel that way about each other anyways, I suspected Theo never would.

Most of the rest of the night was spent on the dance floor with extended silence. I told myself it would be better when we all got to school.