Breed Doesn't Matter (Sirius Black Love Story)

by Fading-Fading-Gone

Emalia is James' younger sister, who's only friends with his friends. She has a secret, though. Well, actually, several. But when they all get discovered, will her feelings be reciprocated? Or will people end their trust in her? Follow Emalia Isgred Potter as she learns her place in the world! Most characters and setting ps and such belong to J.K. Rowling. Rated T for paranoia!

This story is on Quotev, and will be updated more regularly (but with shorter chapters) on there, so go check it out!

I ran into someone. Or, actually, someone ran into me. Again. "Oh my god, Sirius! Leave. Me. Alone!"

"But Emmy! I'm want to talk to you!"

I turned to face my very obnoxious good friend. "Look, Sirius…" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I get that you're upset you and Marlene didn't work out. I made a bet with Alice that you two would be the new Jily, since Lily despises my brother. I lost five galleons, thanks to you!"

"Not helping-"

"But," I interrupted loudly. "I know that you will find someone better for you, and that person will be the one person you will ever love. Because you, Sirius Black, deserve to be happy, even if nobody else in this cruel world does." What I didn't say was that I hope that person is me.

He nestled his head into my neck, making my heart race and my head spin.

Let me explain.

I'm Emalia Potter. I'm a year younger than James, but I'm only friends with people in his year. I'm in fourth year, meaning Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and my annoyance of a brother were in fifth. I take classes a year ahead, because I'm smarter than most sixth years, so I have the same classes as all of "The Marauders", as they like to call themselves. Also in my classes are Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon, Mary MacDonald, and Alice (?). I talked to Dumbledore in my first year, arranging for me to room with the four of them even though I was a year younger. My life at Hogwarts is perfect. Well, almost.

The only problem?

I'm in love with Sirius Black.

He and I met before even he and James did, when I was seven. I was sitting in the backyard, hanging out in my favorite tree, when I heard very loud shouting from the house across the field.

~Flashback~

Sitting in my tree, eating an apple, I was very content. I had just levitated myself up here, so I knew I would get into Hogwarts. James still hasn't performed any magic, which makes me smug. Suddenly, as I was looking out over the river, I heard an argument from the creepy house across the field. Taking my telescope out of the hole in the tree, I looked across the way just in time to see a young boy run out of the house with a broom in hand. He seemed to slam the door in someone's face, then turned and jumped on the broom and flew away from his mother who had emerged from the house. I heard her shout some profanities at him, making me cover my ears in shock. The boy ignored her, dodged the spells she shouted at him, and flew towards me.

I hastily put my telescope back in the tree, as to not appear creepy. He flew above my tree and then looped back, stopping to hover in front of me.

"Are you a Muggle?" he asked cautiously. I shook my head and he looked relieved. "Oh, good. If you were, your memory would have to be wiped and I would get in a lot of trouble. I'm Sirius Black, I know you're pleased to meet me." He stuck his hand out.

In response, I raised one eyebrow, making him tilt his head in confusion. "Well, Mr. Black, you must be mistaken, because surely it is a pleasure to meet me. I'm Emalia. Emalia Potter."

A big grin snuck onto his face as he dropped onto the tree next to me. "Hi, Emalia. Nah, your name's too long to say. How about… Emmy. I'm going to call you Emmy." He frowned at the expression of shock on my face. "What?"

I shook my head and smiled. "It's just… nobody except my family ever calls me anything other than my real name. You can, though. I like Emmy."

"Good. What does your family call you?"

"Well, my parents call me Mali, unless I'm in trouble. Then they call me Emalia. And my brother calls me Mali, too, but only if he's comforting me. Otherwise, he calls me Ali or Alea just to annoy me. What about you? Oh, wait! Have you performed magic yet? How old are you?"

Sirius laughed. "Everyone just calls me Sirius. Yes, I have performed magic. Oh, and I'm eight. Judging by your pouting face, I'd say you're not eight."

I shook my head again. "No, I'm seven. My brother James is eight, though. I did magic earlier today, and James hasn't yet, so I'm very proud of myself."

We talked for hours, talking about Hogwarts, our families, and just other random stuff. I learned a lot about Sirius that day.

~Back to Present~

In my first year, he and I got in a fight. I wasn't talking to James, so Sirius had to choose sides. He chose James over me. We only made up at the end of the year, after he decided to talk to me and apologize. Our friendship was scarred, though. It took a lot of late nights sitting in our tree just talking to get back to that same trust level.

Speaking of scars, I do know about Remus'... condition. The boys found out in my second year, and told me last year. I was mad at them, but less so when they said Sirius didn't want me to get hurt. I became an Anagamus over the summer so they wouldn't have to help Remus alone. They didn't know it was me, though. I never told them I did that. I'm an Australin Shepherd, which is a little difficult to explain why there's a random stray dog wandering through the grounds, but I make do. They don't always see me, but I always follow them. I hide in the shadows of the shrieking shack, only coming out if they need help. In fact, it's a full moon tonight, so I have to get ready.

"EMALIA ISGRED POTTER." I snapped my attention to Sirius who was waving a hand in front of my face.

"What?" I asked, irritated.

He laughed. "You've been staring off into space for about five minutes. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… thinking," I replied, blushing. "Sorry, Si-Si, I gotta go. See you later!"

"Don't call me that, Ali!" he called after me.

I laughed lightly. "See you around, Padfoot!" With that, I ran down the hall towards the kitchens, getting ready for a night of danger.

I raced down the halls, dodging to avoid other students as I made my way to the kitchens. Judging by the position of the sun, I'd say I had about an hour until the moon rose. I talked to the house elves, took the food they offered me, and got back to my dorm in under twenty minutes. The other girls were at dinner, so the room was empty. I quickly packed the food into a small bag, then shifted to my animal form, after opening the window. I crawled onto the windowsill, then took a deep breath and jumped down to the ledge on the window below mine. I landed steadily.

Then my paw slipped.

I tumbled down to the ground, falling as good four stories. I landed on my right front paw, whimpering in pain. I tried to stand, finding my leg couldn't support my weight and falling back down on it again. This time, I heard a sickening crunch and could tell it was broken. I started to struggle and cry lightly, then I froze and looked to my left. I had heard a noise… there! A pair of glowing yellow eyes looked out at me from the shadows. I saw a large black dog step out of the shade.

Crap.

It's Sirius! I quickly looked away, hoping he hadn't seen my eyes. Luckily, though, he seemed to not think anything of it. He came over and sniffed me, then barked in the general direction of the Forbidden Forest and shifted back to human form. He gently scooped me up and held me to his chest and took me around the castle and in through the front doors. He quickly carried me up to the hospital wing, making me suddenly panic. If Madam Pomfrey found out who I really am… i whimpered and softly tugged on Sirius's sleeve with my teeth. He looked down at me.

"Shush, girl, it's okay. I'll get you help."

I whined louder and nudged his face with my nose. I yipped, then made a quick decision. With a deep breath, I rolled out of his arms and landed on the hard marble floor of the hallway.

"What the-" whatever Sirius was about to say was drowned out by my loud screech of pain as I landed on my injured arm. Again. Fighting off the urge to vomit, I stood as best as I could and limped off down the hallway, leaving a very confused Sirius behind. As soon as I thought I was far enough away, I changed back to myself and ran back to my dorm. Once there, I sat on my bed and waited for Lily.

About ten minutes later, she arrived with the rest of the girls, laughing. Their grins soon faded. "Oh my god! Mali! Are you okay? What happened?"

I grimaced. "I just… fell off my broom. Yeah. That's it. Can you heal it, Lils? Please?"

She bit her lip in worry. "Well, I might be able to, slightly, but you'll need to go to Madam Pomfrey to get it completely fixed. Here," she walked over and aimed her wand at my arm. "Episkey!"

I felt my bones snap together painfully, making me gasp. It still hurt to move my arm, but it was considerably better. "Thanks, Lily. I promise I'll go to Madam Pomfrey first thing in the morning, I just don't want to bother her this late at night. I'm gonna go to sleep, now, girls. 'Night."

They all mumbled replies as I quickly changed into my pyjamas and climbed under my covers.

Within seconds, the pain had lulled my to sleep.

I woke to Lily's frantic voice in my ear. "Mali! Wake up! You need to go to the hospital wing!"

I sighed and opened my eyes. "Why? Can't I eat breakfast first, Lils?"

She rolled her eyes, but they were lit with worry. "No, because I must have done something wrong. Look at your arm, Emalia!"

I did as she asked and gasped in shock. The spot where I had landed on my arm (three times) was swollen to almost twice its size and was covered in blood, both dry and fresh.

I sat up and leaned on Lily as she led me down the halls, slightly dizzy from blood loss. Everything looked fuzzy, until I got into the healing ward and Madam Pomfrey gave me a disgusting potion, practically shoving it down my throat. Said potion made me pass out, supposedly needing me to be unconscious when she put more blood into my body.

But I guess it didn't work, because when I awoke five minutes later, I saw a plump face staring down at me with worry.

"Miss Potter, thank goodness you're awake! For some reason, your body wouldn't accept the blood I tried to give you! I know this is hard, dear, but do you know your blood type?"

I squinted in confusion. "Umm… O Negative?"

She tutted. "That's what I was giving you…" she trailed off, seemingly thinking very deeply. She suddenly turned to face me. "Dear, you're… not… any sort of ...creature, are you?"

I horsed an unconvincing laugh. "W-why would you think t-that?"

Her eyes narrowed as she sat on the edge of my bed. "A certain Mister Black showed up here last night saying he had somehow found a very injured young dog in his possession, but it got away. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

I gulped nervously. "N-no, ma'am. I don't know how or why Sirius would have a dog."

She smirked triumphantly just as I realized my mistake. "Well, see, I never said anything about Sirius Black. I very well could have been speaking of his brother Regulus. Look, Miss Potter, if you're an illegal Animagus, you need to tell me. It could get you in very big trouble one day."

I sighed in defeat. "Yes, I am. But please don't tell anyone!" I pleaded. "I'll fill out the paperwork and everything eventually, just not yet. I don't want anyone to know!"

She studied my face thoughtfully. "You're doing it for Mr. Lupin, aren't you?"

"What?"

"I take him down to the tree every time. I know his friends, including your brother and Sirius, help him through it in their different shapes. What is your animal, anyway?"

"I'm an Australian Shepherd. Yes, it is for them, but they don't know about me."

"You haven't told them?"

I looked at her in shock. "Are you kidding? James would kill me if he found out!"

She smiled softly. "The things one will do for their friends and family. I will not tell anyone, but only if you promise to tell the four boys before you enter fifth year. Deal?"

I nodded eagerly. "Deal."

And we shook on it.

After getting my needed medication, I was discharged and walked slowly down to the Great Hall. Once there, I ignored the strange looks I was getting and went to sit with the other Marauders. It's a Sunday, so I don't have to worry about classes.

I sat between Sirius and Lily, effectively cutting off their argument about Marlene. Sirius narrowed his eyes at my arm. "Emmy, what happened to you?"

"She said she fell off her broom last night," Lily supplied. "I tried to fix it, but it didn't work so I took her to the hospital wing this morning."

James leaned across the table and poked at my cast, making me wince in pain. "Ali, why do you still have the cast? When I get hurt, Madam Pomfrey can fix it up within a few minutes, usually."

Sirius' eyes were slits at this point. "Unless you were Prongs when you got hurt, James."

I fought down the urge to gulp nervously. "W-what's that supposed to mean, Sirius?"

He leaned over and sniffed me. "What the hell, Sirius? What was that?"

He laughed humorlessly. Looking around at all the marauders and then me, he said, "Guys, please come with us. We have something to discuss."

James, Remus, Peter, and I stood and followed Sirius out of the room and down the hall to a deserted corridor.

He turned on us. "So, last night, I was out helping Remus, and I heard a slight whimper. So, naturally, I went to find the source of the sound. I found-"

"Geez, Sirius, you found something? Are you sure you're not a Hufflepuff?" Remus joked. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Haha. But anyway, I found a very injured Australian Shepherd. I sniffed at it, then brought it inside and tried to bring it up to the hospital wing. But it stopped me, and rolled out of my arms. I heard it's right front paw break, then it limped away. I went to tell Madam Pomfrey about it, then went back to help you guys." At this point, he was addressing the boys, but looking straight at me. He continued his tale. "Then, this morning, you walked in. You have your right arm in a cast, and you say you fell off your broom. But we were outside last night, and no one was riding a broom. The only person out there other than us, was the dog. Not to mention, you smell like it."

I gulped one last time, looking away from his stern gaze. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Si-Si."

His gaze softened when I said that, and he walked towards me and pulled me into a gentle hug. "Look, Emmy, if you're doing something you're not supposed to, I need to know. You're so important to me, if you were to get hurt I couldn't stand it. If you're doing this for me, for any of us, please tell me."

I nodded slightly. "Yes, I am. I crawl out my window every time, but I slipped and fell last night. I tried to stand up, but fell back on it, making it break. When you brought me inside, I was worried Madam Pomfrey would figure out it was me, so I went back to my dorm. I'm sorry, Sirius. I didn't want you to be mad at me!"

Peter coughed loudly, reminding us of the others' presence. James looked at us weirdly. "Look, guys, we all ship you two together, but either just kiss and get it over with or start yelling. This whole… friends thing is very unsettling. Cool? Cool."

I rolled my eyes at my stupid brother, ignoring how red my cheeks were becoming. "No, James, we won't do either of those things, thank you ve- hey!"

Sirius had grabbed me and pulled me back to his chest, bringing his face closer to mine. "Oh, won't they?" he asked. "I think it takes two people to make either of those decisions, Mali…" he trailed off, letting his face move even closer to mine.

"Get a room!" Our moment was interrupted by the other boys' combined shout. Sirius smirked and let go of me, letting me back off and stutter an excuse before running up to my dorm.

I sat on my bed and took a deep breath. "He can't like me, can he?" I asked myself softly.

"Who?"

I screamed and looked over to the source of the sound. I saw Alice lying in her bed, tucked under the covers. "God, Alice! You gave me a heart attack! What are you doing still here?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I felt a little under the weather this morning so I decided to stay behind."

I frowned. "Didn't you feel sick a few days ago, too?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, but I'm sure I'm just still recovering. It's nothing. Anyway, who might like you?"

"Well, Sirius almost kissed me just now, so…" I shrugged. "Wait- aren't you dating Frank?"

She nodded again, then sat up suddenly. "Oh. My. God," she glanced at me quickly, then darted out of bed and slipped on her robes. "Sorry, Mali, but I have to go!"

"Hey, wait up!" I followed her out of the dorm. "Alice, what's wrong?"

She swallowed nervously. "Well, um, so I'm dating Frank, right? And, well, he and I- well, we um…"

I suddenly understood what she was trying to tell me. "Oh my god."

She nodded. "Mali, I might be pregnant!"

We ran out of the Common Room together, then I stopped her quickly. "Wait, Alice, if you're… you know… then should you be running?"

Alice shook her head. "If I am, it doesn't matter this early on. Once I get to, like, my fourth month or something I need to be careful, but not yet."

I nodded and we took off again. We got to the hospital wing and I was about to open the door when she grabbed my arm. "Mali? I don't know what to do. If I am pregnant, then what should I do? I mean, I'm only fifteen, for god's sake! What if Frank doesn't accept it, or- or me? I'm so scared, Mali!"

I wrapped her in a hug, minding her belly. "Well, Alice, I'm sure that if you are, Frank will definitely accept you and the child. But," I continued over her protests. She fell silent. "We don't even know if you actually are… that yet, so don't worry about it. And if he doesn't, we will help you ourselves, and beat some sense into him. I promise!"

She nodded and sniffed. "Okay. Thanks, Emalia."

I nodded. "Now, let's get you in here."

We walked into the hospital wing. And promptly screamed.

Lying on one of the beds, covered in blood, was Sirius. On the one next to him, Lucius Malfoy sat with his head swaying back and forth and blood gushing from his nose. Then we saw the worst part of it. On the ground in between the two beds lay my brother, with even more blood covering his face, seemingly unconscious.

"Madam Pomfrey!" I cried out in fear and surprise. She came bustling out of her office and gasped at the sight, then ran over and started fussing over the three boys. Once she seemed satisfied with their state of health, she turned back to us.

"Thank you for bringing them up here, girls. What happened?"

Before she had even finished speaking, I was shaking my head. "We didn't bring them up, Madam Pomfrey. We were in our dorms, then we came up to-" I broke off as Alice nudged my side and nodded at the awake Malfoy.

She carried on my sentence. "Talk to you, but as you're busy…"

"Goodness no, children! What did you need?"

Alice bit her lip. "Can I talk to you in your office?"

The matron frowned, but nodded. They walked in and the door was closed. A few minutes later, I heard Alice crying and Madam Pomfrey comforting her. I walked closer and was able to hear a few snatches of their conversation.

"Come on, dear, you'll be alright," came the calming voice of the nurse.

"B-but my boyfriend won't w-want us! He'll n-never accept th-this!" Alice was clearly sobbing.

"Well, if he doesn't, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will help him see sense. Now, dear, clean yourself up and go tell Miss Potter the good news."

I scrambled back to where they left me. A few seconds later, they both emerged from the office, Alice's cheeks streaked with dry tears. She wrapped me in a hug, crying silently into my shoulder.

I pulled back and looked at her, a question rising to my lips. Before I could ask it, though, she was already nodding. I pulled her back into my arms, rocking her back and forth. "Do you want to tell Frank?" she nodded again. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and led her out the door, with a quick nod of thanks to Madam Pomfrey. We walked down the stairs and up to the place where the boys usually hung out on the weekends. I let her go and tapped Frank on the shoulder, then motioned to Alice, who was waiting a few paces behind me. When he saw the tears still staining her cheeks, he jumped up and ran over to her, unknowingly entering a conversation that would change his life forever.

I sniffed and walked over to the remaining two boys; Remus and Peter. They looked at me curiously as I plopped down on the ground under the oak tree by the lake, right next to them.

"Do you know where Sirius and James went?" Peter suddenly piped up.

I frowned. "You didn't know? They're in the hospital wing. Looks like they got in a fight with Malfoy."

Remus shot up, looking upset. "What? I'll be right back!" He stormed off towards the castle.

"Someone's upset…" I stage-whispered to Peter. He nodded.

Then we heard Frank. "What? How? Oh, oh right. That's amazing!"

I grinned, but Peter remained confused. "What are they talking about?"

"Yeah, Mali, what happened to Alice?"

I screamed again. "Oh my god! That is the third time I've screamed in the past hour!" I yelled, turning on Lily who had appeared behind me.

"Sorry!" She chirped, obviously not sorry at all. "But what happened to Alice?"

I bit my lip. "I don't know if I should say. It's her secret to keep or to tell. Sorry, Lils."

"Why not? What happened? Can you give us a hint?" Marlene asked, appearing out of thin air.

Naturally, I screamed. Again. "Where are you guys coming from?!" I shouted at them, upset.

Lily smiled sheepishly, then grabbed at thin air and took down a barely visible piece of silk, revealing Mary. I rolled my eyes. "Of course, the cloak. How'd you get it?"

This time, Marlene responded. "Mary and I were the distractions, but we weren't needed. The boys weren't in their dorm last night, so we just took it. Weird, huh?"

Just then, saving me from responding, Alice and Frank ran up to us, grinning madly. Alice was the first to speak, though. "We're gonna have a child!"

And we all squealed like the schoolgirls we are.

I was walking with the girls, back through the halls, when we ran into James and Sirius. James still had a cut on his cheek, but it had mostly healed. Sirius had bruised knuckles, and was looking around and laughing randomly. Probably still on his medication. I ran over and checked on my brother, then turned to find myself face-to-face with Sirius.

I gulped. "A-are you okay, Sirius? What happened?"

He seemed incapable of speech for the moment, so James answered for him. "Malfoy- little git- insulted you, Mali. I went for him, but was pulled back by this guy-" he gestured to Sirius "-and got hit by Malfoy's little goons."

I frowned. "What did he say about me?"

"Well, he said-" James started, but was cut off by my yelp of surprise when Sirius yanked me back to him and stared into my eyes.

"Um, Sirius? Please let go of me?"

He ignored me. "You're eyes are so pretty… they're blue, but with flecks of brown and gray. So… pretty…" he murmured, leaning closer with each word. His eyes fluttered closed, and I began to panic.

"Sirius? What are y-"

I got cut off when his lips met mine.

I melted into him, just barely noticing that we fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, or that James was gasping and the girls were giggling. I could only think about how soft his lips were, and how he was just… perfect…

I pulled away what seemed like an hour later, but was probably actually only a few seconds. Sirius rested his forehead on mine, suddenly acting very sober. We ignored the others around us, because nobody else really mattered.

"Emmy, that was…" he struggled for words.

"Amazing, I know," I finished for him.

Of course, James had to ruin our moment. "I would have said disgusting, but, you know, whatever…" he interrupted loudly.

Sirius and I pulled completely away, feeling quite awkward. Lily squealed and ran over to me to give me a hug. This left me with my head on her shoulder, facing James. I signaled to him with my eyes, telling him to ask Lily out. I might be loyal to my friends, but I really love Jily.

He cleared his throat loudly and tapped her on the back, making her turn in surprise.

She scowled. "What, Potter?"

He smiled goofily. "Well, Evans, I was wondering if you might want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend…" he wiggled his eyes suggestively at the end, ruining the whole thing. Or so I thought.

With a sigh and a slight smile, Lily walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "I'd love to, Potter."

Everyone within earshot gasped, and the whisperers began… well, whispering. James flung his arm over her shoulder and grinned triumphantly at the whole group, making Sirius laugh. The six of us walked back outside, running into Peter and Remus, the latter of whom looking extremely more relaxed and carefree. When asked about that matter, however, we all got a shock.

"Hey Remus, why were you so upset earlier?" I asked after a moment's silence.

He chuckled. "Oh, just mad at my girlfriend."

"What?" Mary she looked embarrassed. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Remus dismissed it with a wave. "Anyway, I was dating Narcissa-"

He got cut off again, but this time by everyone's shouts of displease, including Sirius' more... profound expressions.

"-but it was shaky anyway, and I knew she has feelings for Lucius, so I broke it off after he attacked you two," he continued, paying no attention to our exclamations. He turned back to us, having been walking a little ahead, and laughed at our faces. "What?"

"W-we didn't know you were dating anyone!" Peter spluttered in disbelief. Remus' eyebrow arched curiously.

"What, didn't think I was capable of getting myself one?" he replied jokingly. Mary started to nod, then changed her mind, giving me an idea. I smirked.

"Well, Remus, putting the matter of your ex aside, I meant to ask you earlier, but with all this… confusion, I forgot. But anyway, Mary's been having some trouble in Arithmancy, and we were wondering if you could help her out?"

Mary looked confused, but started smiling and nodding when I elbowed her from behind my back. I knew I would get questioned about it later, but I didn't mind. Setting up two people who were obviously meant for each other was totally worth it.

I dragged myself out of my thoughts when I heard Remus agree, and not reluctantly. I grinned, happy with the new arrangements.

"Great!" I said, glancing at the beam on Mary's face. "How about you two meet in the librar-" I was cut off by Lily's scream and a sharp blow to my head. The last thing I said was, "What is it with everyone screaming today?"

And then I passed out.

I woke with a sharp pain stinging the back of my head, my eyes snapping suddenly open. I stared around, trying to figure out where I was, tense. When I noticed the distinct characteristics of the hospital wing, however, I relaxed, allowing myself to fall back onto the bed. This small movement seemed to catch the attention of a slim figure at my bedside, making her call out for the matron.

"Madam Pom-" Lily's fragile voice was cut off as Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter stormed in, pointing their various wands at Lily in a threatening manner.

This, naturally, caused Madam Pomfrey to rush in and exclaim, "Wands away, gentlemen! Now!"

Three of the four boys did as they were told. But not all.

"Sirius," James cautioned. "Don't do anything stupid." Sirius turned on him.

"Don't do anything stupid?" he exploded. "James, she almost killed your sister!"

I found this a good time to question their presence. "Wait- what? What the hell is going on here?" I asked. Everyone ignored me.

"Yeah, she's my sister," James countered hotly. "So why do you care about this?"

For the first time, ever, I thought I saw Sirius blush. "You know bloody well why I care!" he shot back.

James scoffed. "What, because you think you have a shot with her? Your own family can't stand you, do you think mine can?"

It was silent for a moment, before James seemed to realize what he had said. "Sirius, I-"

Sirius shook his head. "No, you're right. I expect too much of you. You obviously can't handle the problem kid. I'll just… I'll leave you all alone now."

With that, he turned and walked out of the wing, leaving us all in shock. "Wh-what happened?" I asked shakily.

James came over and kneeled by my side. "Mali, you… well, you got hurt. Really bad. And Lily didn't know how hurt you were, so she tried to heal you. And-" his voice broke. After a deep breath, he continued in a whisper. "It's March. You've been… asleep for four and a half months."

I looked around at the people around me, to see their grim expressions. "How did I get hurt?"

Lily answered. "You fell out of a window. Sirius found you and brought you to me."

My head started to spin. I had so many memories, but how many are real? I remembered kissing Sirius, but had that happened? I remembered the boys finding out about my Animagus form, but did they really? Did I even have an Animagus form? Were all my memories fake?

Did I know anything anymore?

I could feel Lily squeeze my hand, I could hear James say my name, I could see Remus get Madam Pomfrey.

But I wasn't there.

To the world, I was lost. To the world, I wouldn't breathe another breath, I wouldn't see another sight, I wouldn't hear another sound.

That's what the world would breathe and see and hear.

But as I faded away, as darkness claimed my life and took me away from this world, I could tell that I would continue to breathe my breaths. I would see the sights. I would hear the sounds.

But not here.

I knew, in that moment, that I could go on seeing these faces, seeing these people until the world collapsed.

But they wouldn't see me.

I would be able to feel their touch, to hear their words, to see them.

But they would never see me again.

I could feel the darkness creeping in, could see it coming over my eyes. I felt my body and mind becoming weaker and weaker, could feel Death himself reaching out to claim me for his own. In front of me I saw two options. I could join Death, become one of his.

Or I could fight.

I closed my eyes. I heard James and Lily yelling at me, telling me to keep my eyes open, not to leave, to hold on. I laughed a bit at their foolishness. Of course I'm holding on, I thought.

I summoned all the strength, all the courage I had and pushed away the darkness. I spread a light throughout my brain, throughout my body. I heard yelps of pain from those clustered around my death bed, but I pushed all distractions to the back of my mind. I allowed myself to be consumed by the light, to be covered with a shield. With one last final push, I sent any additional shadows scurrying out of my mind.

When they were all gone, I smiled to myself. The strong light faded away to just a slight glow, but I could tell it was still just as strong as it had been.

I opened my eyes to find my friends and family huddled around me, jaws agape and eyes wide.

I smiled at them. "What's wrong?"

James (who was closest to me) gulped and blinked a couple times. "Emalia, you just started glowing and… well…" he trailed off.

Lily handed me a mirror, and I gasped. Instead of my brown hair and dull blue eyes, I now had bright red hair shockingly bright eyes. I blinked. My eyelashes were long and delicate, and my face was spotted with freckles.

I took a deep, shaky breath. "Okay. So, I look different. Anything else?"

Madam Pomfrey snorted uncharacteristically. "Well, other than the fact that you literally just died, no, that's it!"

I tilted my head to the side, making my hair fall into my eyes. "What?"

James grabbed my hand. "You had no pulse, no breath. You died, Mali."

What do I say to that? I was saved from answering, however, when Dumbledore burst into the room and walked up to me.

"I need to speak to Ms. Potter. Alone." his booming voice filled the air as he spoke with authority in his tone.

The others filed out of the hospital wing one at a time, leaving just us two. "Headmaster?" I prompted.

His eyes met mine. "Emalia Potter, you are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."