As Plain As

AlwaysPadfoot

EDIT: Why half the story came up the first time god only knows?! Damn you FF! It should all be there now...

Dear Elliot,

Don't scream, 'kay? We're in the Great Hall remember - the last thing you want is McGonagall breathing down your neck. Besides you're a Slyth, you're supposed to be subtle and we both know you're not.

My father is going to accept your father's offer of marriage.

You probably think I've gone round the twist and trust me when I say you're scary when you're angry so you shouldn't blame me for deciding to write you a letter instead. Don't get up and rip my head off just yet.

Now before you go mental just let me explain. Elliot you are the only girl I've ever loved, we both get along, we both need a get out card and I know that we both would be much better off not separating from our families - never mind how much I hate Kreacher.

Despite the fact I would like to be disowned officially even though I'm living with Prongs right now I don't want to miss my chance of making the Black family name something better. You know you want to do the same from the Whyte's.

Bloody hell, this is hard. I can't believe that I, Sirius Black, am struggling for words. I bet you're reading this all smug right now, wanting to make some sarcastic comment probably, like how the cats got my tongue. I mean honestly, how is that even possible?! I'll never understand the stupid phrases you use, EVER.

Now you'd probably tell me off for rambling.

I know you're Dad's next move is to line you up with Rastaban Lestrange or Adam Flint. They're not good enough for you! Not to mention they're both pricks and isn't Lestrange like your cousin? The Black and Whyte lines haven't been fused for centuries now, who the hell came up with these last names? Moving on...

You're amazingly talented and gorgeous and you deserve to enter Healer training, you know you won't be able to do it without me. You know that deep down this is right Elliot.

We may not be soul mates and be deeply in love, but lets be honest, this is an arranged marriage we're talking about. I appreciate we need to talk and that we can't do this by letter. Bet you're thinking: Damn right we can't Black! Just send me a time and a place and we'll talk but I've already taken a liberty in telling my father to agree our marriage. Just don't be mad.

I guess what I am trying to say is: Elliot Kassandra Whyte, will you marry me?

Sirius

Dear Diary,

It's been two weeks since Sirius asked me to marry him, one week and six days since he got me to stay yes. I don't understand why it didn't take him longer to persuade me and why I haven't been more opposed to it, but I suppose it's not like either of us had much choice I guess.

Tomorrow morning our marriage was being announced and I severely doubt that either my family or his weren't going to make a big fuss over it, especially as his marriage to me would apparently prove that he hadn't shunned his pureblood roots and wasn't about to disgrace his family. I couldn't keep avoiding everyone though, particularly Sirius. Even if he had convinced me everything was okay, I couldn't help but avoid him as much as possible. I don't know whether I was still angry at him or whether I might be more anxious than I originally thought.

I could only hope that everyone wasn't going to make a big thing out of the marriage, but even now I knew that was never going to happen.

Elliot

Master Sirius Orion Black & Miss Charlotte Kassandra Whyte

22nd December 1977

It was announced earlier today that there has been engagement between the Most Noble and Ancient Houses of Black and Whyte. Lord Black has approached this paper to announce that his son, Master Sirius Black is to be married to Miss Charlotte Whyte at the Winter Solstice later this year. A unison between these lines hasn't been formed for many centuries and we wish them many years of happiness together.

- The Daily Prophet Staff

Mum and Dad,

Sirius Black surprised many people on the day his marriage was announced to Slytherin, Elliot Whyte. He walked into the Great Hall, which was relatively empty, and sat down alongside her to eat breakfast. Everyone stared, even Professor McGonagall, but nobody said a word to him or her because their marriage was between two families that weren't to be messed with. Of course people whispered and gossiped and spread rumours that weren't for a second true, but that was what happened with every couple in the whole school.

Do you think he's happy? Because he never spoke to her before, and he was going to disown his family completely before she arrived. Then all of a sudden he changed his mind, but he didn't tell Remus or Peter or me about it, he just did. He didn't speak much this morning, he just passed the paper to us and went down to breakfast without us.

I'm scared for him already.

It's almost too Sirius for him to do something like this.

Love,

James

"Sirius Black, I'm going to kill you."

Sirius' head snapped up from the magazine he was reading to hear footsteps thundering up the stairs. He froze, unable to move from the bay window he was sat upside down in, until Elliot appeared in the doorway in her pyjama top and knickers. He gulped as he took in the look of fury on her face, "What's up?"

"You told me you'd down the thank you's for the wedding," she said, her eyes narrowing in annoyance. Sirius winced, his eyes falling upon the unfinished thanks you letters on the window sill. Elliot huffed, "Your mother is going to kill us."

"Probably not kill," he muttered, "Just seriously injure."

He readjusted himself quickly when she rolled her eyes, before she grinned, "Do them now."

Thank You

Lord and Lady Potter, and their son Master James Potter

Mr and Mrs Sirius Black would like to send their humble thanks for your attendance at their wedding, which was held on the 22nd December 1977. They would also like to thank you for your gifts and to offer their deepest apologies for the lateness of this letter.

Elliot,

Maybe we just have to agree that this isn't working. I'll move out before even our friendship goes to shit, because if there's one thing I cannot bare to lose, it's your friendship.

Sirius.

Late on the 7th November 1979, Sirius was called to St Mungos by a Healer who had been training with Elliot. Terrified that one of his friends, or even Elliot may be harmed, he rushed to St Mungo's in the middle of the night looking like he'd just got out of bed. He was told to wait in the main reception so that a Healer could come and fetch him, but he refused to wait when he found out that it was indeed Elliot that had been admitted. They may have not seen each other for four months, but he'd hated every second they'd been apart.

As soon as he'd coaxed the room number from the receptionist, Sirius ran up five flights of stairs rather than waiting for the lift and didn't stop until he was stood outside room twenty-three. He allowed himself to catch his breath, and scared that Elliot may not want to see him, he waited in the corridor staring at the door for what seemed like hours.

When he finally plucked up the courage to go inside, Sirius was completely and utterly confused.

Elliot was indeed there, and she was undeniably and most obviously pregnant. He stared at her and she stared at him back, neither of them spoke a word for a long time. How could have Sirius not known she was pregnant? Four months ago Elliot must have known, she must have looked bigger so why didn't she tell him.

"I know what you're thinking," Elliot croaked from the bed, "I didn't tell you."

Sirius couldn't even bring himself to be pissed off, "It's mine right?"

"Of course, idiot," Elliot beckoned him towards her and he quickly did. She took his hands, "One more thing, before this all happens, they are both yours."

"Bloody Hell."

CHARLOTTE BLACK, 20, MISSING

Prongs,

I wish you could be here, and not be in hiding, because right now I'm a mess.

Elliot's been gone forty-one days, two hours and 37 minutes and I don't think I can go much longer without her. The kids haven't stopped crying, although Greengrass and Remus have been helping out in that respect. I've searched every night, looked for any sign that will show me where she is, but there's nothing. I don't know what I'm going to do if she's dead Prongs because I love her and I truly don't know whether she knows it.

If she's trapped somewhere, and someones hurting her, I need her to know I'm looking for her and that I love her.

You'd know what to do, but I can't even send this letter to you because of stupid old Voldemort.

I wish everything was back to normal. I wish it was...

Padfoot

You're awoken by the sickening and alarming sound of apparation into your heavily warded house and immediately you're on your feet, sprinting towards the kids room. When you get there, something slams into your skull and you collapse to the floor, your vision blurred. You can barely make out the dark, hooded figures hovering above you, but you can hear your children screaming in terror over the ringing in your ears.

"Don't you dare touch my children you scum!"

Your words slur and someone chuckles. Even though you fight to keep conscious, your world fades to black and you slip into a painful unease.

When you wake up you're still on the floor of the nursery, but so is someone else. Your breath sicks in your throat when you realise that the someone is Elliot, but despite how much pain your in you crawl to her and shake her shoulders.

She doesn't stir.

She doesn't move.

"Elliot?" Your voice cracks as panic grips you. You touch her face and its cold, you reach down to find a pulse...

...there is none. You panic and pull her towards towards you, begging her to wake up as you sob against her chest. You refuse to believe she's dead, she can't be dead. She was your Elliot, that calm, cool yet undeniably unsubtle Slytherin that you love and will always love. You barely managed to make it two months without her, how could you go the rest of your life without her beside you everyday? What about your children?!

Your children.

You scramble to your feet and almost throw yourself at the cots on the other side of the room. Your breath hitches...

CHARLOTTE BLACK DEAD, SON TAKEN

Charlotte 'Elliot' Kassandra Black

June 1960 - March 1981

Wife, Mother & Best Friend

As Plain As Black and Whyte

"That's where Mummy is sleeping," Sirius Black whispered to the small bundle in his arms, "And everyday she looks down on you and your brother and she's so very proud."

He couldn't bring himself to say that Elliot looked down on him, because in those last two months before she died Elliot probably felt lonelier than ever. Sirius had never got to say she truly loved her, he felt guilty that she probably felt like he wasn't looking for her and what made him feel even worse was that he never found her. Sirius never found her, he never saved her from the hell on earth she'd most likely been living in and every moment he thought about how he couldn't save her it tore him apart inside.

A tear slipped down his cheek and a small hand reached up, unknowingly wiping it away. Sirius held back a sob and looked down at his little girl, "We're going to find your brother soon."

Sirius looked up at the grave he was sat by, thinking about all the things he could say but couldn't. He never got to say goodbye, her path had simply stopped, never to meet his again. It didn't seem so plain as Black and Whyte now, it was just black and all his words were about to come tumbling out into a deep abyss of nothing.

"I love you and I hate myself for not really telling it you before you went missing. Every day and night I looked for you for weeks straight and everyone thought I'd gone mad. I needed to tell you I would never leave you, but I was too late. Maybe if I'd thought about it I would have found you, maybe even if I'd fought harder that night then they might not have taken you. I could have saved you, I could have. I feel so stupid for being so reckless that couldn't even protect our family. It's all my fault for being part of the Order, and now, and now they've got our son, our baby boy. They've got our beautiful baby boy and all I'm doing is sobbing to your gravestone in front of our daughter."

He took a shuddering breath, "I never got to say goodbye, in your last moments I wasn't there. I'll never get to tell you how much I love you, how much I caed for you, how much I missed you when you weren't here. And now I'll never get to say those words to you and it breaks my heart. It breaks my heart."

BLACK MURDERS 13 MUGGLES WITH A SINGLE CURSE

BLACK SENT STRAIGHT TO AZKABAN

BLACK CHARGED WITH MURDER OF HIS OWN WIFE AND CHILD

Elliot,

This is where I belong.

It's my fault that I couldn't save you and our son and our daughter, wherever they've moved her is better off without me. I'm a failure and I'm guilty of pretty much killing everyone they blame me for. I couldn't save anyone and I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Sirius