This was once part of a larger fic. I abandoned it, saving only a few bits and pieces, such as this.

I own nothing but the character Emily. In a sense, she is similar to the Emily found in the Destiny Unwritten Series (Only Middles, Delicious Ambiguity, The Myth, et al), but nonetheless a different character.

These Last Few Seconds

Point of View: Sirius Black

It's these last few seconds that I begin to wonder where it all went wrong. We used to be friends. Good friends. Sometimes you were a better friend to me than James or Remus or Peter. No. Always better. You never judged me.

Now, here we are, battling to the death.

You've changed so much. I don't understand it.

I know this was has changed people. All the death and destruction, it gets to you.

But not like this.

We were born into it. We grew up in it.

Maybe we weren't raised on the right side. Our parents drilled it into our heads a million times. 'Muggles and Mudbloods are scum' blah blah blah.

But we saw through that.

We knew they were wrong. We vowed to out an end to all this Pure-blood crap. No matter what the cost.

But something happened after Emily left.

I don't know what happened between you guys, but you were so different when she was gone.

Cold.

Distant.

Then you started dating Rudolphus Lestrange.

You hated him. Merlin, everyone did.

Everyone but your lovelymother (and mine for that matter). She'd been trying to set you guys up for years.

I guess you finally gave in.

Which is so unlike you. You never listen to your mother. You never listened to anyone that said something you didn't like.

And yet, a year later, you were getting married. To him.

Did I ever tell you how much I hated him? Of course I did. And I'll say it again. I really hated that guy.

I'll tell you, I blamed him for the longest time. I blamed him for changing you.

But after a while, I realized something:

He could have only changed you, if you wanted to be changed.

So now, here I am, fighting my best friend.

I have to admit, I don't want to kill you.

I will, if I have to, but I'll hate myself for it.

But then, I guess I won't have to. You've beat me to the punch.

Now I'm falling. I can't breathe.

The last thing I see, before it all goes black, is your eyes.

I see something flicker.

The tiniest hint of emotion.

Sadness.

And then its gone. Anger and rage has returned.

And then it hits me. Right as the lights fade, and I can feel my hold on this world falling to pieces.

They say that when you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes. Giving you a little clarity on your life. Perspective.

They're right.

Let me know what you think.

Ella