Author's note:

This is a sequel to My Everlasting Love, which has also been posted on this site. If you haven't read that story yet, I suggest you read it first before diving into this one. The original fic can be found on my profile.

For everyone who did read Everlasting, welcome to the long awaited sequel! There are a few things you should know before we get started: this sequel is basically a What if-story: what would have happened if Mary and Erin had somehow survived the attack on Halloween? Yep, it's totally AU, haha. However, there will still be enough canon knowledge to deal with. Sirius has still been in Azkaban for twelve years and there's also a second wizard war to fight.

Basically, the only difference (which is big, I admit) is that Sirius still has a fiancée. Oh, and a kid!

Disclaimer:

I owe nothing of the Harry Potter-world. My original characters on the other hand…

Prologue

It was the night of June 9th in the year 1994 when two men in their early fifties were slowly making their way home from a night at the pub. They lived in a small village in Southern Scotland; a village where everybody knew each other by name and nothing exciting ever seemed to occur. In fact, the weekly highlight in their lives was to leave their nagging wives at home and head out to the only pub in the village for a round of billiards and a few pints. As a result, they weren't all that sober when they were walking down a completely deserted country road. Frankly, they were quite drunk; wandering from one side of the road to the other, hugging each other's shoulders while singing The Flower of Scotland. "O flower of Scotland!" the man called Tommy boomed loudly. "When will we see your like again, that fought and died for-"

He stopped singing mid-sentence when his friend had stopped walking abruptly. "You wee bit hill and glen…" Tommy had tried to draw his attention, but fell silent when his singing didn't have the desired result. His friend was staring up at the sky, his mouth hanging slightly open. "Clive?" Tommy asked.

His friend didn't respond immediately. And when he finally did speak, he was still frowning at the sky, which was cool and cloudless. "Tell me, Tommy," Clive said. "How many pints did we have tonight?"

Tommy stared at his friend. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason. I was just wondering… Did we drink more than usual?"

"Eh…" Tommy was trying hard to recall how many drinks they had ordered that night. He wasn't the brightest of men, and counting up had never been his best asset. "No more than ordinary, I reckon," he said after a pause. "Around twenty, I reckon. Oh, and Paddy also got us those extra large units of Guinness, d'you remember, mate?"

"Ah," Clive replied, nodding thoughtfully as he continued to stare up at the sky while scratching his round belly. "Well, that explains it a bit, I s'ppose."

"Explains what?"

"That there's some kind of misshaped horse up in the sky."

Tommy stared at him, trying to perceive if his friend was messing him around. Clive, however, still refused to take his eyes from the sky and in the end, reluctantly, Tommy decided to follow his gaze. Nothing could have prepared him for what he was seeing next. A small and odd-looking animal was indeed flying through the sky. It seemed to be floating in and out of some clouds, right in front of the moon, about five thousand feet above their heads. "Bless me soul," Tommy whispered, hastily crossing himself. "W-What in the name of heavens is that?"

"Beats me. Looks like a horse, doesn't it?"

"A horse!" Tommy cried. "But what about the wings? No, it's definitely not a horse, horses don't fly. It's gotta be some kind of hawk."

Clive made a derisive sound. "Ever seen a hawk with four legs and hooves, Tommy?"

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Ever seen a horse with wings and the head of a bird?" he countered testily.

Clive finally took his eyes from the sky and the flying creature to look at his friend, who also lowered his gaze when he realized Clive was watching him. His friend grinned widely. "That Paddy is up for some payback next week. What do you say, mate?"

Tommy blinked in confusion. "What, why?"

This time it was Clive's turn to roll his eyes. "Obviously Paddy has played some kind of prank on us. Obviously he thought he was being funny. Obviously we're hallucinating. You don't actually believe that there's a bird-like horse flying over our heads, now do you?"

It took Tommy a moment to understand what Clive was talking about. But after shooting him a clueless stare which lasted for about a minute, something finally clicked. He gasped. "He put something in out drinks!"

"Exactly," Clive nodded earnestly. "And that, my friend, is something that should not go by unpunished."

"Right. Right…" Tommy nodded slowly. "Well, we have a whole week to think about how we're going to make old Paddy pay."

"Indeed," Clive replied with a wicked grin on his face, and he looked at the sky once more. The flying creature was still there. "Have a good one, weird horselike-bird that you are!" he bellowed at the sky, pretending to be shooting the creature down with a rifle before looking back down at his friend and grinned. "Come my friend, it's about time we woke up the misses."

Tommy nodded once again and, after shooting one last look at the sky, he put his arm around Clive's shoulder and walked on. "Proud Edward's army…" he sang after hiccupping loudly, and waited patiently for Clive to join in: "And sent him homeward," they sang together. "Tae think again!"

The two men resumed their merry saunter down the meandering road while continuing to sing happily. They were long gone from sight when their waffling voices finally stopped disturbing the peace in the idyllic Scottish country sight.

In the meantime, the odd-looking creature right above Clive and Tommy's heads was ascending the sky. Not by his own accord, but because a thin man on his back was urgently driving him upwards. "Come on, Buckbeak," the man called Sirius Black said. He spoke in a hoarse voice that sounded as though he had long ago lost the habit of using it. "We have to get up even higher, for now we are still visible to Muggle eyes."

Sirius pulled the rope on the Hippogriff's neck as gently as he could. He did not want to hurt Buckbeak, but it was crucial that they got up higher in the sky, and fast. It was bad enough to have Dementors and the Ministry of Magic chasing after him, and he couldn't use to also be charged with revealing the existence of wizards and magical creatures to the Muggle world. "Up, Buckbeak. Up!"

The Hippogriff obediently rose a little more and when they soared into a big cloud and out of sight, Sirius felt he could breathe freely again for the first time since he had left the surroundings of Hogwarts. He looked down and watched the dark Scottish scenery flash by underneath him, enjoying the cool rush of wind blowing through his long and untangled hair. He was just trying to think about how much more South they were supposed to go to remain safe when there was a burst of flame in the sky, right next to him and Buckbeak. It continued to burn and seemed to be flying along with him and after a moment of hesitation, Sirius extended his hand. The very second he touched the flame, it extinguished. He was now holding a letter and a Phoenix's feather in his hand; a red and golden feather. Sirius frowned. He only knew one Phoenix with red and golden feathers. Could this be from… He hastily unfolded the small letter and, as Buckbeak flew on, read:

Sirius,

Fly to the cave on the eastside of the tall mountain near Hogsmeade.
You will be safe there. Wait for my arrival. You will not regret it.

-Albus

Sirius reread the letter four times and still couldn't make any sense of it. Fly back to Hogwarts? Practically handing himself to the Dementors and be done with it? Going back there would be nothing more than a suicide mission. What was Dumbledore going on about? Sirius stared ahead, frowning as he tried to find a reason for Dumbledore to make him fly back to the danger zone. Was he expecting Sirius to fetch Remus from the Forbidden Forest? Give a statement to Fudge and beg for forgiveness?

Sirius grinded his teeth in frustration: never, he would rather die than try to explain to the Ministry that he had been framed by one of his oldest friends. However, it was impossible to block out a tiny spark of hope when his thoughts shifted to Peter. Would Dumbledore have managed to catch the little rat? Would this be it, then? Was he finally going to be cleared from all charges, released from the shame for a terrible crime he did not commit? He would be able to walk around freely again, be a good godfather to Harry and raise him like his own son, just like James made him promise a few days before he died. After another moment, Sirius made up his mind. He put the letter in the pocket of his robes, tugged the rope on Buckbeak's neck and made the animal change course. "We're making a little detour," Sirius explained to the Hippogriff while patting its neck. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

It took them another two hours to reach Hogsmeade. Thankfully there was not a Dementor or Auror in sight and Sirius made it safely to Dumbledore's cave. He took Buckbeak inside and made the Hippogriff lie down in a nice spot near the back. He then walked to the entrance and stared out over Hogsmeade. He could still remember the time when he was walking around there as a young guy; playing pranks on Snape with his friends or having a good time with one the many girls he had dated. Sirius blinked repeatedly while trying to fight off the sudden image of a smiling girl with long brown hair and extraordinary blue eyes. He would not, could not think about her. He had learned to live with the gruesome truth long ago: Mary Woods and her daughter had been captured and murdered by Death Eaters on the same night James and Lily Potter died and he, Sirius, had failed to fulfil his promise and protect them from any harm.

Sirius had made the crucial mistake by leaving them behind on that fateful Halloween to check on James, Lily and Harry. They had all been killed and there was nothing he could do about it, but thoughts on them or his best friends felt like a stake was being stabbed through his heart; Azkaban had intensified those feelings even more, and it didn't take Sirius long to realize that pushing back thoughts on his loved ones was the only way to endure the daily torture of the Dementors. Twelve years… That's how long Sirius had had to deal with these foul creatures, but no more: he had escaped Azkaban and would never go back. Not that they would even let him get that far… Sirius was not stupid; he knew all too well that, if the Dementors or the Ministry got hold of him again, a far worse fate would await him: the Dementor's Kiss. Sirius shuddered. He would have been worse than dead right now if it hadn't been for Harry and his friends.

Harry. Harry Potter: the boy was even more like his father than Sirius could have ever expected. Not only was he the spitting image of his dad, but he seemed to be just as courageous. Only thirteen years old and already fighting off a hundred Dementors with the Patronus Charm. Sirius smiled. James would have been glowing with pride if he knew. He was just making a mental note to himself to tell Harry that one day when he heard a soft pop. He turned back and found himself looking at Albus Dumbledore, who was smiling at him. A smile Sirius did not return, who was eyeing the Hogwarts Headmaster suspiciously when he said: "You made it back and right on time. I knew you would, well done."

Sirius leaned back against the cold wall. "And why exactly did you make me return here, Albus? You may be interested in hearing that I had almost crossed the border of England when I got your letter."

"Hmm," Dumbledore nodded, sitting down on one of the rocks. "Impressive. I never knew you were this good at handling magical creatures, Sirius."

"Hagrid showed me and James a few tricks from time to time. But you better have a good reason for making me fly back here. What if I would have encountered some Dementors on the way?

"The Dementors have all returned to Azkaban," Dumbledore said and Sirius could detect a note of anger in the Headmaster's voice. It was a well known fact he was not fond of those creatures, to say the least. After another moment, he smiled and gestured to the rock opposite of him. "But I do have a valid reason for making you come back. Why won't you come and sit down?"

"I'm fine right here," Sirius replied shortly, crossing his arms. "What is this about? Did you manage to arrest Peter after I left?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Unfortunately not. But I would like to talk more about what happened on the night James and Lily died."

"I already told you everything there is to know."

"Indeed you have," Dumbledore said, nodding. "But this time it is my turn to talk. I really suggest you sit down, though, because this information will not be easy to take in."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "If it's that important, why didn't you tell me this during our conversation in the tower?"

"Because we didn't have much time then and I needed to hear every detail from your side of the story to come up with a plan that could set you free. And we, or should I say Harry and Miss Granger, succeeded in doing that."

Sirius couldn't prevent a smile crossing his face at the thought of his godson. "And I'll be eternally grateful to them. Is this about Harry?"

"No. It is about someone else dear to you."

"Who?"

"Mary."

Sirius stared at him. "What?"

"There is something you need to know," the Headmaster explained. "Now if you would just sit d-"

"-No."

"Alright, if you are that sure you don't want to sit down… What do you think happened to Mary?"

"I said no, Albus!" Sirius called a lot more forcefully than he had intended. "Don't…"

"Sirius…"

"Don't talk about her."

He turned around and was once again staring over Hogsmeade. Dumbledore put his elbows on his knees and thoughtfully folded his fingers before touching his crooked nose. "I know you loved Mary, Sirius, but-"

Sirius wheeled around and shot him a furious look. His grey eyes seemed to burn in their sockets when he growled: "What part about the word "no" do you not understand?"

Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment. "I know this is difficult, but it is crucial that you listen to what I have to say. You think you know what happened, but things may not be what they seem. If you knew the whole story…"

Sirius was trying harder than ever to block out all sorts of unwanted images from his mind: Mary flirtatiously feeding him Sugarquills on the leather couch in the Common Room, Mary as a bridesmaid standing next to Lily, Mary handing Erin over to him while simultaneously trying to take a photo of the three of them… "Not interested," he said through gritted teeth, snapping his eyes shut.

Dumbledore shot him a thoughtful look before conjuring a large bottle of mead, two glasses and a bowl of mixed nuts and putting it down on the ground. He poured himself a glass while saying: "Didn't you wish Harry would hear your side of the story earlier tonight? And weren't you overwhelmed with relief when he decided to at least listen to what you had to say?"

Sirius's eyes dropped to the bottle of mead in Dumbledore's hands. "Yeah, so?"

Dumbledore took a handful of nuts and chewed thoughtfully before swallowing them and saying: "You might want to consider following his lead, Sirius. Thirteen years old he may be, but tonight Harry proved he is more mature than you."

He said nothing and tried to let Dumbledore's words get through to him. He was still angry with the Headmaster for bringing up the subject of Mary and Erin, but he had to agree that it wouldn't hurt to follow his godson's example. It wasn't like he had anything to lose. He made his way over to Dumbledore and sat down. The Headmaster poured him a generous amount of mead before he said: "Can you tell me what happened to Mary?"

Sirius sighed and tiredly rubbed his brow. "She and Erin got killed on the same night James and Lily died," he said at last.

The Headmaster nodded. "Of course, that is what Crouch told you."

"Right before he sent me off to Azkaban without a trial. He told me that Mary and Erin had been kidnapped and were probably already dead. The Ministry could not prove that I had anything to do with their disappearance, but refused to give me updates on their whereabouts. I didn't hear anything for weeks, until one prisoner with outdoor connections told me that their deaths had been confirmed a few days ago by Ray Matthews of the Auror Office."

"Exactly," Dumbledore nodded. "I remember giving Ray this order, even though their bodies were never found."

He frowned. "Why in Merlin's name would you say that?"

"Because I promised Mary I would take care of things."

Sirius choked on his mead. "You what?"

"Like I said, things may not always be what they seem."

"I don't understand." He ran a hand through his long and untangled hair. "What… What does this mean?"

"It means Mary and Erin are still alive."

Sirius nearly dropped his glass of mead. He was unable to say anything, even understand what Dumbledore had just said. He had heard the words, but it was like they had been spoken in a different language. Mary was alive? How was that possible? Shock and disbelief were rapidly altering each other in his mind, but they were soon joined by a darker feeling: anger. If this was true, if Mary was somehow still alive, then why had she left him? She had not once visited him in Azkaban, and Sirius knew her well enough to know she wouldn't have done that. Or at least he thought he did. All this time he had been staring at the Headmaster's face, but now he finally cleared his throat. "What…? How? And where are they now?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "Before we get to that point, I'll have to explain the whole story. You do recall the moment you left your house to pay a visit to Godic's Hollow?"

Sirius nodded stiffly. "Yes."

"Well, not long after you left Mary and Erin, they were attacked by Death Eaters who were trying to come up with a way to revive Voldemort. They apparated in the living room of the house. Luckily Mary was upstairs with Erin at that moment and could disapparate to bring your daughter to safety. She went to Alastor's house at first, but he wasn't home. Nor was Remus or Peter. In the end, Mary decided to come to Hogwarts. A wise decision, but I was on my way to James and Lily and told her to wait for my return in my office. She did not know what happened in Godric's Hollow earlier that night and I did not want to tell her about it any sooner than I had to. Mind you, at that time I was still convinced you had been the traitor. And… Yes?"

Sirius had opened his mouth, but no words were coming out. So instead he just ushered Dumbledore to continue. "I returned to Hogwarts after I had delivered Harry to the Dudleys. Mary was a bundle of nerves; pacing up and down the office. She looked terrified, said the portraits had been whispering about the downfall of Voldemort at the cost of a young family. I had no choice but to tell her the truth, or what I thought was the truth…"

He could vividly imagine a stressed Mary pacing around Dumbledore's office. "How did she react?"

Dumbledore shot him a long look. "She was in a state of shock, had trouble believing what you had done to your friends, to her. She just didn't understand."

Sirius nodded slowly. He could see that the idea of him betraying the entire Order would freak her out, but he still didn't understand how she and Erin could have vanished without a trace. "But where did she go, then?"

Dumbledore refilled both their glasses with mead. "It is essential that you're aware of the fact that Mary did not want to run away, Sirius. I made her do it. In fact, I practically forced her."

"Why?"

The Headmaster sighed. "At the time I believed it would be dangerous for her to remain where she was." He shot Sirius a look. "I assume you know what happened to Frank and Alice Longbottom?"

"They were tortured into insanity. Yes, I know. But what has that to do with Mary?"

"If I am not mistaken – and I rarely am -, the same fate would have awaited her if she didn't leave. In fact, she would not have been okay if those Death Eaters had managed to capture her that night, or a few weeks later."

"So?"

"So," Dumbledore continued, "I forced her to take Erin and leave the country."

"And go where?"

"Brazil," the Headmaster said simply.

Sirius stared at him. Mary had been living all those years in the tropical paradise called Brazil? Dumbledore, interpreting his shocked gaze correctly, took another sip of mead and said: "I only made her go to Brazil because I knew she would be safe there.'

"But freaking South-America? Why, Albus!?"

Dumbledore shot him a close look. "I'm fairly certain Sean Zabini has mentioned his numerous adventures in Brazil at least once."

Sirius couldn't prevent a snort from escaping his throat. "Mention once? More like reciting his adventures over and over again in class. James and I used make fun of him whenever he got going again."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Understandable. Sean could get eh… a little carried away sometimes."

Sirius smiled, remembering their kind Professor and valuable Order-member who had died a gruesome death, before his thoughts returned to Mary. He had still trouble trying to get his head around the fact that the only girl he ever loved wasn't dead. "What does Zabini have to with Brazil?"

"He's a celebrated wizard around northeast coast of that country, Sirius. He managed to chase down practically every dark wizard in the region. Zabini had only just graduated as an Auror when he assisted in fighting Grindelwald. He wasn't the only one. This pre-Order of the Phoenix existed of a small group of people. One of the others was Roberto Alvarez, who had travelled down from Brazil to teach Defense of the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. He left after one year, but stayed in Europe to help finding a way to defeat Grindelwald. When, as you probably know, I succeeded in 1945, Roberto moved back to Brazil."

Sirius shot him a bemused look. "I still don't get what that has to do with Mary."

"Roberto bought a ranch in a small wizarding village with the Galleons he earned while working at Hogwarts. Sean followed him about six months later. Together they raised a commune of people with different skills; some can work magic with horses and all sorts of magical creatures, others are great at brewing special potions with the herbs they cultivate on the fields near the ocean."

"That's all wonderful, but what does that have to do with-"

"-Roberto also offers his ranch as a shelter to refugees from abroad," Dumbledore cut him off calmly. "You see, he knows the consequences of living in times of war. He offers the victims food and a roof over their heads and they pay him back by working on the ranch."

"And… That's where Mary is right now?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Nor she, nor Roberto, gave the impression she has moved in the meantime. You should know that she was considering it, though, right after she learned about your escape."

He lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "You write to each other that often?"

"On the contrary," the Headmaster said as he got up and headed over to Buckbeak. He bowed and, when the Hippogriff had bowed back, gently stroke its feathery neck. "Mary and I agreed to only have contact by owl when the matter was concerning you."

Sirius got up as well and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Hang on, but does she actually think I would chase her and Erin down to finish the job I started twelve and a half years ago?"

Dumbledore turned to look at him. "Twelve years is a long time to come to terms with a murderous ex-boyfriend, Sirius."

Sirius put his hands in his pockets and shrugged moodily. Dumbledore could drivel all he wanted, but that Mary could as much as think he would ever betray her of their friends was beyond him. "Now what?"

"I suggest you take a trip to a rather sunny country in South-America. Harry will be safe over the Summer and you can write him from your holiday address. I am somewhat envious to tell you the truth. Britain hardly ever gets tropical Summers."

Dumbledore's was guiding Buckbeak back to the entrance of the cave, but Sirius did not move. "But what about Mary? How…"

"I wrote her an owl over an hour ago. Don't worry about Roberto. Mary will tell him the truth and he will give you a chance to stay with the commune. He is very fond of her, or so I've been told." He turned around. "It's time to go, Sirius. I realize it's a lot to ask after everything that has happened, but I have already asked for your forgiveness, and I need you to trust me one more time."

Sirius stared at the Headmaster for a moment. He had not forgotten about telling Dumbledore that he was forgiving him, but in all honesty, he was still resenting that old man. And now he was supposed to travel all the way to Brazil and face a woman who - he was unable to see it differently – left him on his own when he had needed her the most?

"Sirius," Dumbledore said calmly. "You should go. The longer you stay, the more dangerous it gets. The sun has already started to rise. Before I forget, the village is called Arraial d'Ajuda."

Sirius slowly walked over to him. Was he really doing this? After he had climbed onto Buckbeak's back and the Headmaster was wishing him a good journey, he felt a strange kind of curiosity rise up in his chest. "Albus…" he began hesitantly.

"Yes, Sirius?"

"What was in the letter you wrote to Mary? What did it say?"

The Headmaster's blue eyes were twinkling briefly before he said: "That she was right, and that I have been wrong all along."

Sirius shot him a puzzled look and he smiled. "Mary refused to accept you would ever betray her, or James and Lily. She probably always believed that you simply aren't capable of committing such a crime. In her heart she never did."

And with that, Dumbledore gave Buckbeak a gentle tap on the back and the calm Hippogriff started momentarily before taking off. This time Sirius didn't waste any time and forced Buckbeak to rise as quickly as possible. Soon enough they had disappeared in a thick cloud and the Hippogriff was flying at full speed. Sirius made sure he was holding on to Buckbeak with all his might. He realized he might be hurting the animal a bit, but at least the feathers he was gripping felt real and reassured that he wasn't dreaming. The confusing thoughts swirling around in his head were making him dizzy; he had not forgotten Dumbledore's last words. His angry and frustrated thoughts with Mary had subsided somewhat. If what Dumbledore said was true: if she never truly believed he had betrayed them…

Sirius found himself wondering what Mary looked like by now. Would she still have that long hair and would the Brazilian sun have made her look tanned, dotting her face with countless tiny freckles? With another pleasurable jolt his stomach, Sirius thoughts shifted to Erin. His darling baby girl had not been killed after all. She would be about twelve years old right now. He was suddenly wishing he could see both his girls right now, but he was still torn on the inside. It was impossible to predict what he would feel if he was standing in front of them. On one hand he was still furious with Mary for leaving him, even though a small voice in his head was trying to remind him of a certain agreement they had made right before James and Lily died. But on the other, he was positively aching to hold her again, kiss her, ran his hands through her hair, make love to her... If only he knew what to do when he finally would be facing her… Because what do you tell someone who you had thought to be dead for all those years?

-End of Update-

A/N: I'm looking to hear (or read, more like) what you guys think about this. Let me know! -Mara