A/N: I don't own any cannon character you might find in here other then Avril...oh I do own the plot. Please R&R!


Chapter 1: Hope and Denial

Sirius Black looked to Avril Potter from across the large table in the basement at number twelve Grimmauld Place. She had changed in the three-an-a-half years he had not seen her since she first came across him in his animagus form of a big bear-like black dog with Remus Lupin on their way back to Grimmauld from a meeting with Albus Dumbledore.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ 3½ Years Ago +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

SPOV+

"Why if it isn't Sirius Black and Remus Lupin." a voice as cold as death set Remus and myself on edge, frozen to the spot, as if the use my name was not enough.

Remus was the first to turn around, I was more reluctant to, but nevertheless I did in time to hear Remus gasp softly.

"Avril...you're alive..." Remus was shocked. I was not. I had spotted her picture in the Daily Prophet only hours before my escape from Azkaban nearly half-a-year ago.

She looked tired and worn out, dark circles under her eyes as she looked like she hadn't ate anything in a good several month streak. The black duster she wore faded a bit and torn in different places showed its apparent use as did the rest of her clothes.

"Sorry to disappoint." she hissed, my eyes catching sight of her wand already in her hand, though loosely gripped, gave away that she clearly did not see us as any kind of threat. It really did not matter; she could do magic nearly as well as Dumbledore without the need of her wand or spoken words.

"I thought...the Prophet said you had been murdered by Death Eaters only weeks after you left eighteen years ago!" Remus replied, too shocked by her presents to think to point his wand at her.

She laughed, nothing like her natural laughter that I had known at one point.

"Well when you go deep undercover you go deep." she smiled, the skin pulling tautly over her hallow cheekbones.

I thought of changing out of my animagus form, but realized with anger that we were indeed in the middle of the streets in a large crowd full of muggles on their way to the line of stores behind us or from them.

"Harry...do you know about him?" Remus asked and I realized he was trying to buy time to think of a plan to get away from the Auror.

"Yes." she answered sharply, not moving from her distance less than a good five paces away her eyes taking us both in with study.

"He doesn't know about you." Remus retorted.

I watched out of the corner of my eye as his wand raised slightly from it position at his side, his knuckles had turned white with how hard he was gripping it.

"Obviously." she snapped. "What would be the point? So Voldy and his Death Eaters could use me against him? Also what with you lot thinking I was dead, what would be the point in telling him."

Neither of us made any sudden movements, my senses practically smelling the anger rolling off her in a fog.

"But enough of that-- OI!" she growled, stepping forward wand raised chest level as Remus had tried and failed to disarm her.

I watched as Remus suddenly went ridged under a silent full-body locking charm, but instead of falling over losing his balance, as he should have, he stood rooted to the ground. She had cast a levitating spell only to keep up appearances for the muggles that were swarming around us. I knew this was going to be the end result and that I would have to take action. I moved to leap forward and tackle her, but her wrist flicked and I found my paws glued to the ground.

A sticking charm. She was fast.

She drew closer to us, her face showing a slight smile of triumph.

"If they had sent me after you instead of that idiot Shacklebolt you'd have been caught and back in Azkaban by now," she said, her voice low. "but no--- previous emotional ties and all."

"He...didn't...do...do...it." Remus was fighting the hex and trying to free himself.

Then she did something that surprised both of us and scared me. She smiled quite clearly, her eyes gleaming brightly a bit compared to the dull existence they held only seconds ago.

"I know."

What? My mind screamed. She still wanted to send me to Azkaban knowing I was innocent?

"Our dear Black cared more about James..." her words cold and icy hung on with vehement loathing on the last word, " and the idiots mudblood wife then his own child's well being for him to give away his precious friend's hiding spot. He didn't trust you, Remus so that only left one person..."

Her smile widened and she nearly said it gleefully. "Peter Pettigrew."

I growled deeply baring my fangs. Since when did she start calling people mudblood? She used to hate people for saying such things! On top of that, If she knew it was that traitor why did not she say anything to the Ministry?

Suddenly Remus stumbled forward catching his footing and I found my paws no longer attached to the cement walkway. She had released us? Remus looked just as confused as I was, the facial expression rather hard for being a dog at the time.

"But you're not my problem." she said, her wand loosely in her left hand. "And I've no desire for the wizarding world's presumptuous praise for your capture."

"You're letting us go?" Remus asked still looking rather perturbed.

"Would you like me to take you in?" she asked over her back as she walked away disapparating within the crowd, none of the muggles seemingly noticing her sudden disappearance.

We both stood there for a while in shock, surprised by her simple gesture. Remus turned on me suddenly.

"What child?" he asked

I looked up to him from my animagus forms squat height.

Avril and I had never told anyone that she was pregnant...nor did I tell anyone that the reason she left was that she blamed me for the loss of our child. She had every right to...I should have been where I was supposed to be rather then with James and Lily that night.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+Summer of 1997 - Present Time+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Sirius watched her wrap her hands about the hot mug of coffee she had made herself, smelling the sweetness from the creamer and sugar added only seconds ago. His grey eyes watched her movements, seeing that she looked plumper then she had been three and a half years ago when her eyes had looked sunken in and her clothes hung off her malnourished frame. She had been eating properly since then, but more over she was now Hogwarts' new Headmistress. That news alone accompanied by the fact that Dumbledore had been murdered by Severus Snape and that Minerva McGonagall had stepped down from possibly becoming official Headmistress for reasons only the older woman could explain, nearly blew Sirius away. Then again, several things had happened since his fall through the veil and reappearance thanks to Avril.

"She saved me. Pulled me from the Veil when everyone else thought I was dead." Sirius thought to himself, part of him had hoped she had done it because she felt something for him, but merely told him she only did it for Harry because the boy needed him more than anything now that the second war had begun.


A/N: First chapter, more to come! Things will be explained so don't worry and I'm trying not to leave any plot holes! The next chapter should be up shortly today...probably with the third one too. I'm on a role! This story is the base of all the other Harry Potter stories I've popped out thus far. It's my version of the seventh book if you will...obviously with my own OC. Don't hate me please!

OTHER NOTES: This is not an AU. I guess one would think so, because of Sirius' return, but it is not because I never deny the fact that he falls threw the Veil. He does. There are consequences to her actions. It's not like he magically was able to swing himself away from the Veil in the nick of time or did some spectacular jump away from it. He fell through it. It's that simple. So once again this is not an AU, so please don't call it that. If you are simply because of the existence of an OC, then all fanfic's with OC's in them might as well be called that. Thank you.