For Sophy, as a very belated GGE present (for November 2013). I used the prompts Sirius/Amelia, "In the end we're all alone, and no one's coming to save you," shooting stars, diamond ring, and "The Winner Takes it All" by Abba.

Also for The Dream Challenge, where my prompt was a dream about pie crust - To see or make piecrust in your dream indicates broken promises. You or someone is not keeping their word.

Word Count: 1,112

The Wish She Made

"Do you ever get the feeling something is about to go wrong? Not something magical, just sort of an ominous weight in your chest that this might be the last time you're happy?"

"Amelia," Sirius said, pulling her closer and kissing her forehead. "You make it sound like there's a Dementor nearby. Everything will be all right. I promise you I'm still going to be here."

The pair sat secluded on a hill in central England, watching shooting stars and trying not to think about their friends, hidden away from the world in Godric's Hollow. Though she and Sirius had been seeing each other for nearly two years, Amelia had only met Harry once, and seen the occasional picture. She couldn't imagine a one-year-old locked up inside. Especially not tonight.

Halloween was supposed to give the creeps to Muggles, who for some reason enjoyed it, and Amelia had always been immune. She was a witch every day; nothing was special about tonight. She moved closer to Sirius, resting her head between his shoulder and collarbone. It was the one place she belonged. Her siblings were both already married, and it made Amelia more aware that Sirius hadn't made their relationship more official.

Then again, he was younger than her - twenty to her twenty-two - and she understood how chaotic life was for him right now. The Order had them all busy, and it seemed every other month something went wrong or someone went missing. It would be worth it, though, to see You-Know-Who go down. There was no price she wouldn't pay to see it happen.

"Amelia, look! A shooting star!" He ran a hand along her chin and pointed her face toward the sky. "Make a wish, my love, make a wish."

She closed her eyes and wished that You-Know-Who would disappear.

Looking back, Amelia blamed herself. She got exactly what she wished for. Why didn't she wish for a diamond ring, or a life of peace and happiness with Sirius at her side? Why didn't she wish that James and Lily would be safe?

Sirius was sent to Azkaban in a murderous rage. Amelia withdrew from the Order, which had all but disbanded anyway, and joined the Ministry. She needed to provide to others the justice she never received herself.

He promised. He promised that he would still be here with her. They would be together. Maybe they would get married. Azkaban wasn't part of the deal. Even if Sirius was the one who committed those murders, Amelia understood. She couldn't blame him. The betrayal he must have felt, the wrongness of his best friend being dead. He made the wrong decision, to be sure, but she couldn't blame him.

It made her murderous angry, too, to know that You-Know-Who was gone at the expense of the Potters. Harry should have been raised by Sirius. He was godfather. Amelia understood he'd been sent to live with Muggles. But if Sirius hadn't committed revenge, the baby would be his. Theirs. They would raise Harry together.

The what if was too much to bear. Amelia threw herself into her work.

Could you write letters to Azkaban prisoners? Amelia wasn't sure. None of her law books told her. Maybe the criminals weren't the kind with families. Sirius was there for life. Everyone in Azkaban was there for life.

They wouldn't give him a trial. She wondered if her position in the jury had anything to do with that.

She wrote him anyway.

Dear Sirius,

I believe you're innocent. You were with me for much of the night. I know you would never hurt your friends. But you're gone anyway. It's like someone rolled the dice and determined you and I would be better off apart.

I won't get married. I wanted to marry you, Sirius. I was ready to. We could have raised Harry together, in a world free from You-Know-Who's horrors. I know how different we were, but I liked how free you made me. I liked how much more considerate you seemed when I was there.

Stay sane, Sirius. Find a way to make it through. I'll do everything I can to get you a trial, even if it takes me years. I'll be here for you, I promise.

I love you so much. I'll miss you - and James and Lily - for always.

Yours,

Amelia

She wrote it with her best quill and ink, in her best handwriting, and with the best flourish she could muster, she burned the parchment into pieces. He wasn't coming back. His promise was as broken as the parchment.

Sirius smuggled it in his mouth, and spit it into a corner behind his bare bunk in Azkaban. He refused to be there without it. November 1, 1978, he started dating Amelia Bones. And November 1, 1980, he planned to ask her to marry him. The diamond ring would stay with him.

There were two things that kept him sane: being able to transform into Padfoot, and the diamond ring, which reminded him of Amelia.

As he heard the screams of other prisoners, including the tortured moans of his cousin Bellatrix, he curled up on the bunk. In the end we're all alone, he told himself, and no one's coming to save you. Not even Amelia. She would move on and marry someone more deserving.

Wormtail was still alive. Sirius stared at the paper, twelve long years later. Wormtail was still alive, and Sirius would go after him. But he had two stops to make first.

Amelia Apparated to an alley near the Ministry, then made her way toward the entrance. As she wandered down a busy street just a block from the Ministry, a stray dog caught her attention. Ragged and wild-looking, like he hadn't been cared for in years, the dog moved with sentience.

People bumped into her as she stopped mid-step to stare at it. "Some dog, innit?" the stranger who bumped into her said. "Needs a bit of care, but would be a good pet."

"Yes, of course," she said absently. The dog seemed to be staring at her, too. She recognized those eyes. "Padfoot," she whispered, and moved closer.

She leaned down to pet him and he rubbed his face against her chin. Her mind rushed with a million ways to get out of work for the day, but in her hesitation, Padfoot licked her face and turned away.

He didn't even look back. Amelia took another step forward and nearly lost her balance. Something was underfoot. She lifted her foot and picked up a tarnished gold ring with a solitaire diamond in the center. "Sirius?" she said, but he was already gone.