A/N: Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since I've written anything, and I've been itching to get my creative juices flowing again! So when I was listening to the song, Dead Hearts by Stars, a premise for a story just came to me! Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this one... unlike my other stories... *cough* I hope you'll give it a read anyways!

Summary: With many followers and indescribable power, Voldemort is at the peak of his reign. The war has caused many friendships to fall apart. When Sirius Black happens to bump into his former best friend at a pub, many memories of the past come flooding back and they reminisce on all of their past experiences together. This is the story of their final year at Hogwarts, before the war changes their lives forever.

Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Harry Potter or anything you may recognize from J.K. Rowling's books.

Prologue

Tell me everything that happened, tell me everything you saw.
They had lights inside their eyes...
They had lights inside their eyes...
Did you see the closing window, did you hear the slamming door?
They moved forward and my heart died...
They moved forward and my heart died...
Please, please tell me what they looked like, did they seem afraid of you?
They were kids that I once knew...
They were kids that I once knew...

The Stokerton Pub was accustomed to having strange characters walk through its wooden doors. John Fortescue, the owner of the bar, worked every day and was able to oversee the comings and goings of the various men and women that graced the pub's presence. He was a friendly man, known for engaging in witty banter with his customers, and therefore knew a lot about those that frequented his establishment. Many liked to boast and tell extravagant stories as they drank, while others preferred to keep their exploits a secret. Every man was different, and John knew never to judge a person by their appearance. There was only one thing he knew for sure about every person that walked into his pub; that they were part of the magical community that muggles refused to believe existed.

Wizards and witches were his main patrons, but goblins, dwarfs, half-giants, veelas, and various other creatures were also welcome. The Stokerton Pub was one of the liveliest bars created solely for magical beings that resided in London. That is, it was one of the liveliest bars until the war started. Every witch and wizard was affected by Voldemort's reign of terror and it reflected on John Fortescue's business. He still had many customers, but it was no longer the happy place he loved to work in. Now that Voldemort and his followers held a large amount of power over the magical community, the pub all but became a place for lost souls to rest and drink their troubles away. One such person was Evelyn Wilcott.

She sat in the corner of the pub, swirling the amber liquid in her glass. She had always known of The Stokerton Pub, having even heard of it from upperclassmen who managed to sneak in while they were still in Hogwarts. She had dreamed of coming here with her friends before... before everything changed. That was a dream she had prior to the war. Now, her dreams were completely different and quite less trivial than managing to sneak into a pub underaged. It had been a couple of years since she graduated from Hogwarts and while she was still very young, her life experiences caused her to age in unimaginable ways.

She surveyed the various people inside the pub. Those who talked spoke in hushed voices. Many eyes were downcast. Several people had a table to themselves and it was adorned with countless empty bottles. Evelyn shook her head.

"What a disappointment this lot is," she muttered. It was her first time visiting the pub and she had hoped that the place would be filled with people in higher spirits.

Just as she took a sip of her drink, the wooden doors opened and a man dressed in all black walked in. His dark brown hair was long enough to cover his face, but the way he stood with such purpose and attention caught Evelyn's interest. He was the only other person in the pub apart from herself and John that showed some life in them. He walked briskly to the bar and sat down right in front of John, his back turned towards Evelyn. Without even having to order, John gave the man a glass filled with the same amber liquid that Evelyn was having.

"Firewhiskey, John?" the man asked loud enough for her to hear. "I know you have something stronger."

Evelyn's body tensed. She knew that voice.

"Come on, lad. We don't want a repeat of last time. Take it easy. Firewhiskey is strong enough," John said to him. He shook his head but there was a smile on his face.

"I do believe my body has built up some sort of immunity to the effects of firewhiskey," the customer responded. Evelyn gripped her glass tightly. There was no way it could be anyone else. She had spent almost eight years in the presence of that voice. She watched as the customer took a long swig of his drink before turning his attention back to the pub owner.

"So how's the business going, John? I see the rowdy lot haven't come back yet."

"Business is going, but that's about it. This ridiculous war has pretty much scared everyone into hiding, I'm afraid. You're probably the only one who's willing to have a normal conversation with me nowadays," John said.

Evelyn couldn't help but smile. It figures that he, out of all people, would try to keep his spirits up. Her acknowledgement of the men's conversation caught the pub owner's eye and he looked at her over the customer's shoulder. She tensed up once again.

Oh no.

The customer turned around to see what John was looking at and once his gaze fell on her, he froze with eyes wide open. Evelyn abruptly stood up but her feet did not move. Now that the customer was turned, it was easy for her to study his face. He was still as handsome as he was when she last saw him, and his grey eyes never lost their twinkle. But there was something different about them. They were... harder. In fact, there was something off about his whole presence. The fatigue and stress of war had caused him to age greatly, not unlike her. She finally took a step forward in his direction.

"Sirius Black."

He merely continued to stare. She gave him a small smile.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost," she said.

"Yes, well..." his eyes bore into her. Her smile faltered.

"Right."

John gave Sirius a light smack on the head to shake him out of his stupor. "Sorry about him. Probably can't think very well in the presence of beautiful ladies."

Sirius glared at John before looking back at Evelyn. A small smile formed on his lips and he gestured towards the seat next to him.

"What, no tearful reunion hug?" she asked as she made her way over. Sirius lightly grabbed her right hand just as she was about to sit down. She avoided looking into his eyes, slightly afraid of what she would find in them. Anger? Sadness? Regret? Probably.

"It's good to see you, Evelyn," he said softly. "It's just that... Well, I would have preferred a pre-arranged meeting instead of a chance encounter."

"I know, I'm sorry I haven't been in touch-"

"Are you?"

An uncomfortable silence passed through them. Evelyn took her glass and downed all of its contents, making a face as the liquid seared her throat. With a sigh, Sirius mimicked her actions.

"John, we'll have two more. In fact, just keep them coming," he said, stealing a glance at his companion. She sat looking straight ahead and a slight shade of pink tinged her cheeks. It was several minutes before they began to talk again.

"How are the others?" Evelyn asked quietly.

"As good as can be expected, I suppose," he replied. "Peter's been acting awfully flighty, but I guess we all knew his nerves would be the first to go."

Evelyn allowed herself to laugh. "And Remus?"

"Tired, but alright. I suspect he's trying to hide just how much the fighting is taking a toll on him." She nodded in understanding.

"James and Lily?"

"Still going strong," Sirius smiled. "Lily refuses to stop fighting, even though she's well into her second trimester."

Evelyn laughed. "I wouldn't doubt that for a second."

Another pause.

"She wants you to be the godmother, you know."

Guilt washed over her. "I haven't even seen them since the wedding," Evelyn shook her head.

"You're still her best friend."

Evelyn looked down at her cup. There was an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. She traced circles on the table with her index finger in a feeble attempt to keep calm.

"I wish we were still in Hogwarts," she whispered.

Sirius laughed darkly. "You and I both, love."

"If I knew then what I know now... I think I would have done a lot of things differently."

"Like what?"

"I would have worried less about the trivial stuff, like the fighting and dances and boys... I wouldn't have stressed about my marks so much. It all seems so silly now."

Sirius nodded in agreement.

"And I would have just cherished every moment with you guys - with everyone," she continued. "If I'd have known that this war would pull us apart, I would have made sure to etch every single happy memory into my brain so that I would never forget. It's not fair. I feel like all of our memories are just half-remembered dreams."

"Like they never actually happened. I know the feeling," Sirius agreed with a sigh.

"And I feel like we should have been able to do more things, should have been given more time to... I don't know."

Sirius stayed quiet. Evelyn turned and looked into his eyes for the first time. There was no anger or regret in them, but there was sadness. Evelyn would have preferred the other two emotions over it.

"We never got the chance to... We should have been..." she found it hard to find the right words, but there was no need for it.

"I know."

There was the faintest trace of a smile on his lips. For some reason, it just made Evelyn even more upset. After they sat in silence for a couple of minutes, Sirius reached into his jacket and pulled out his wallet. He grabbed something inside of it and held it out for Evelyn to take.

"I take it everywhere I go," he explained.

Evelyn looked down to find a photograph of herself, the Marauders, Lily, and their other friend, Hazel Thomas. It was taken right after Gryffindor's first match against Slytherin in their 7th year (which they won) and the friends were celebrating in the common room. They waved and jumped around in the photograph and Evelyn could see the sparkle in everyone's eyes. They were truly happy, and she felt her heart ache.

"I remember this night," she said. "You guys managed to sneak in some firewhiskey and other drinks that tasted like rubbish. This was the first time that James and Lily..." she trailed off.

"Yeah," Sirius smiled. "Thanks to a little prodding by yours truly."

"And the alcohol helped some as well," she added. "But I have to admit, that was one of the most passionate kisses I've ever seen."

"And thank the gods they weren't like Pete and that wretched girl, Victoria," Sirius said, making a face. "I didn't think Peter had it in him! Quite proud, I must say. Although I would have liked to have seen a little less."

They both laughed at the memory.

"Things were so different then," she murmured, looking back at the photograph. "I don't even feel like I'm looking at myself. It's as if..."

Sirius gulped down his drink before finishing her sentence.

"As if they were merely kids that we once knew."