***DISCLAIMER*** I do not own Harry Potter nor anything affiliated with the series; JK Rowling and Warner Bros do. I do not own the lyrics to the song "Everything" by Sterofuse; obviously, Stereofuse does! I own my plot and my original characters.
A/N This is a story that I've been thinking about for a long time, but I never really got the chance to write it until now! It was originally going to be very different because I thought it up in May before Order of Phoenix was published, but I think that it's much better now and I hope that you enjoy reading it. : - )
Thanks so much to my lovely betas: Felicia, Flames, and Lolipop. : - )
Sorry that I've been absent from FF.net for so long!!! It's been a rough senior year, but things are looking brighter now that my college apps are done and I'm just waiting for them to get back!!! This story is a bit different than my usual Ron/Hermione fluff, but I'm REALLY excited about it so PLEASE let me know what y'all think!
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Everything
Chapter 1 ~ Album in the Attic
By American Wings
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Summary: Sirius Black had a girlfriend, but after the Potters and he were betrayed she disappeared. Now that he is free again, and has the chance to locate her, will he take it? Takes place during OftP and follows the plot.
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"Are we almost there, Sirius?" Hermione asked in a hushed voice, so as not to wake his ancestors and raise mayhem in the house. Ron and she had been cleaning in the study at 12 Grimmauld Place when they discovered that they needed a key to get into a rather large desk whose drawers had been locked. Hermione brought this to Sirius' attention at lunch and he told them that the key was most likely located in the attic, as the desk had belonged to his father and was rarely used by anyone else. It was likely that the key was among his personal belongings, all of which were in chests in the attic.
Ron coughed as they proceeded deeper into the dark and cobwebbed house. The walls were covered with dust and he had a sneaking suspicion that he had seen a giant spider on the wall.
"Um, Sirius, are we almost there?" he asked in a weak voice, repeating Hermione's words as Sirius seemed not to have heard them.
Sirius rounded on the pair and gave them a stern look, "Just wait a minute, you two. We are, in fact, almost there. I can't control the largeness of my own house; it would be much easier if you lot could Apparate. Now, if I could only remember which door it is. . ."
Hermione noticed that they had reached the end of the hallway, culminating in three doors: one at the end of the hall and then one on either side. All three were cobwebbed and had a musty odor about them. Sirius stood examining the Victorian style door knobs, but would not touch them.
Ron broke his thoughts, "Sirius, what are you doing? Can't we just open each door and check?"
Sirius gave a forced laugh, "Well, no actually. Only one of these doors leads to the attic; another leads to our small, private family vault and the other leads to my father's private study area. The problem is that the vault and the study are protected by very dark magic. I could get through without a problem, at least I think I could, but I know for certain that you lot would not make it back out. You know my parents were dark wizards and although they never actually became Death Eaters, I have always had strong suspicions that my father was engaged in more dark magic than he let on. I have no proof, of course, though I would if I went down there. I'm just afraid that he set up some sort of trap that only a member of the Black family could break, and I'm also afraid that my mother may have tampered with it and found a way to block my magical aura. I hope that made sense. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's this one." He pointed to the door to his right and shrugged.
Hermione gave him a skeptical look and asked, "Are you quite sure?"
Sirius nodded, "Almost positive. Look at these door knobs. See how that one has a money bag on the back? That's the vault. Now, that other knob there, it has a wand and a piece of parchment engraved on the back, so I'm pretty sure that it leads to my father's office. And this one? There's a box."
Ron shook his head, "But Sirius, don't you think your parents would have scrambled the pictures to throw people off?'
He shook his head, "No, Ron. Why? Because they are so small that no one would notice them, and no one knew about them but members of the Black family and those they chose to tell. Anyway, this door also seems to have less dust and I know Kreacher has been up in the attic recently, indeed, many times since my mother died. Let's go in, shall we?"
Hermione still looked skeptical, "You can go in first." Sirius laughed and nodded, opening the door carefully, exposing a long cave-like tunnel which sloped upwards. Sirius brightened.
"See? I told you it was the right door! The other two go down." He walked right in and started up the gentle slope. Ron grinned at Hermione and followed right behind. After a couple minutes, the trio emerged into a massive room as dark as night. Sirius called out an incantation and torches in the corners of the room sprang to life, allowing light to spread throughout the cavernous room.
Hermione stood awestruck, "You would never guess looking at the outside of this house that this room was here. It's, it's brilliant. Enough storage space for anything."
Sirius grinned, "Magic, don't leave home without it. Alright, let's get to searching for that key, and be careful! You don't know what my parents might have cursed.
Ron and Hermione took the far right side of the room while Sirius began searching near the door to the left. The boxes and chests were scattered around the room haphazardly; Hermione determined that the Blacks hadn't been terribly organized, although they seemed to be very good at locking charms. Neither of them could get many of the boxes open manually, and the ones that they could open only contained old, moth-eaten clothes and in some cases magical toys. Sirius was having a bit more luck getting chests opened, but still had not found the key.
Hermione had moved away from Ron to scour a couple chests off to one side. As she got closer, she noticed that an even thicker layer of dust rested on the top, I wonder how long these have been here?
She dusted them off with a rag from another box and discovered that something was written on top that she could not quite make out. She rubbed even more furiously and managed to make out a couple of the letters: S_r_us. The other letters had rubbed off, but there was no doubt in Hermione's mind that the letters spelled only one thing: Sirius. Quickly, she attempted to open the chest and was delighted to discover that it was not locked or charmed in any way.
Coughing, she lifted the lid and peered furtively inside for a look. Her spirits lifted as she discovered little clothes that Sirius must have worn as a child, toys he might have played with, school supplies, letters, but most exciting for her: photo albums. She lugged one out of the chest and opened it to see a dark-haired little boy laughing as he rode a broom around the garden of 12 Grimmauld Place. Turning the page, she saw the boy was now accompanied by a younger boy of similar features; the two were chasing one another through the house and seemed to be having the time of their lives. As she proceeded through the rest of the albums, she watched Sirius grow more different from his brother. The two no longer seemed to enjoy one another's company in the pictures and the brother was replaced by pictures of James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. As she neared the end of the album, Lily Evans and another girl with shoulder length light brown hair and blue eyes with golden specs appeared, however, the album seemed to end abruptly after what seemed like 6th year to Hermione. Frowning, she glanced at her watch and realized that she had been staring at the pictures for a full twenty minutes without telling Ron or Sirius where she was.
"Sirius? Ron? Are you still here?" Hermione called into the room as she moved back into the open area, yet leaving the chest of memories ajar. Sirius moved back to the center as well and Ron followed soon after.
"We found the key, Hermione. What have you been doing?" Sirius asked her sternly, "I thought I told you to be careful."
Her eyes widened, "I was being careful; I discovered something, and I think you might like it."
Sirius raised an eyebrow and replied in disgust, "Unlikely, but I'll see what it is." He and Ron followed Hermione back to the chests out of the way and Hermione gestured towards the photo album she had left on the floor.
"The box has your name on it, Sirius, and I found a couple of photo albums as well as various childhood items inside. I thought you might like to see it."
Sirius' eyes brightened visibly and he dashed over to the box and knelt on the floor, "Wow, Hermione! I thought my mother either burned these or gave them away long ago. This is great." He began thumbing through the album and giving commentary on the majority of the pictures. When he neared the end, he finally came upon the picture of Lily and her friend with blue and gold speckled eyes. Slowly, his hands began to shake and he set the book down.
Hermione looked at him in surprise; she had been enjoying the running commentary, "Sirius, what's wrong? Did you see a ghost or something?"
Sirius stared into space for a moment, then shook himself and regained his composure, "Ron, what's today's date?"
Ron shrugged, "Uh, it's the fourteenth of July.
Sirius nodded, "That's what I thought, oh, Mari. . ."
I remember you; do you remember me too?
Born on the fourteenth of July
The smell of roses made her cry
And though you're going far from home
Rest assured you're not alone
Sirius sat staring at the album for a long while before Hermione ventured to interrupt his silence again, "Sirius? What is going on? Who is Mari?"
He looked up and smiled at her sadly, "A friend, a good friend. Excuse me, I need to look through these things. I'll talk to you two at dinner, can you find your way out alright?"
Ron nodded and Sirius placed the albums carefully in the box once more, hoisted it up onto his shoulder, and proceeded to the doorway down from the attic to the rest of the house. Hermione glanced at Ron and he shrugged.
"That was a bit odd," he said, glancing about the room again.
Hermione agreed, "Yes, it was. Well, you have the key? Let's go then."
He nodded and followed her out of the room, being sure to close the attic door tightly.
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Sirius raced furtively to his parents' bedroom and lit the lamps within. He disturbed Buckbeak's sleep in his haste and he whispered an apology to him as he shut the door as silently as possible. He set the box on his parents' bed and began taking things out of them. He first removed a small toy broom…
"Sirius, look what we have for you for Christmas!" a man said to a small dark-haired boy. He looked up and began jumping up and down in excitement.
"Is it a broom, Daddy? Is that what it is?" his blue eyes sparkled and his father let out a hearty laugh.
"Yes it is, my son. A broom for you, and a baby brother."
Sirius laughed shortly, "A broom for me and a baby brother. What a joke." He set the broom aside and continued through the box. He pulled out a small sled, then a green jumper, then a folder of parchment. Curious, he began flipping through the folder and pulled out his birth certificate, medical records, and a wad of letters.
September 2, 1971
Dear Mother and Father,
I've been Sorted into Gryffindor House. I know that you might not be happy about this, but the Sorting Hat knows more about my personality than you do, and I've met some very interesting people. There's a boy named James Potter…
But Sirius couldn't read much beyond this because the letter had been torn and he could not find the other piece. He pulled out another letter.
December 10, 1973
Dear Father,
I don't care what you think about Remus; he's my friend, and I'm not going to abandon him no matter what you say. Now will you PLEASE stop criticizing everything I do and everyone I talk to. I know that I'll never live up to Regulus in your eyes, but I'm your son too. I have to go now.
Sirius smiled to himself; that was a couple weeks before he went to the Potters' house for the first time to visit over Christmas break. Most of the letters had been torn or scorched in places, but he finally got to the last letter in the stack, which, oddly, had not been torn or burned in any way and was completely legible.
September 29, 1976
Dear Mother and Father,
Mrs. Potter insisted that I write to you explaining my whereabouts over the summer and assuring you that I got to Kings Cross and Hogwarts safely. I am sure this will bring you more grief than joy, but I am merely complying with her wishes. I spent August at the Potters' house and I've returned to school for my sixth year; I fully intend on graduating. As for the Howler you sent, Father, I have no remorse over what I told that bloody git Snape to do, and I frankly don't care about your relations with other dark wizards. Do you understand? I don't care. Just to let you know, James, Remus, Peter, and I are having a grand time here and we've started making friends with two girls named Lily and Marissa. I've sent you a picture of them and of us. Don't expect any further written correspondence from me, ever, unless something changes on your end of the Floo. This letter is to say goodbye, and as you've already disowned me, there's really no need. Mrs. Potter insisted that I send the pictures as well. And tell Regulus for me that I think he's an extreme idiot for befriending Snape. Well, I've done what I was instructed to do. Maybe you'll one day regret treating me the way you have.
Sirius
Sirius grunted to himself and stuffed the letter back in the folder with the rest of them. He reached for the photo album and turned to the last page, where he saw the picture of the Marauders and of Lily and Marissa.
Oh, Mari, whatever happened to you?
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Remus Lupin stepped into the kitchen and smiled warmly, "Good evening, Molly. May I stay for dinner? I have something I need to discuss with Sirius regarding Harry."
She turned from stirring a pot of stew, "Oh, of course, Remus. We actually haven't seen him in a couple of hours. He went up to the attic with Ron and Hermione after lunch and they returned saying that he rushed out with a box full of photo albums and the like. Maybe you can convince him to come down for dinner?
Remus sighed inwardly; Sirius had been so much more cheerful since the Weasleys and Hermione had arrived, and here he was locking himself in the bedroom again. There had to be something in the box that set him off.
What could have been in there?
He gave Mrs. Weasley another reassuring smile, "I'll do my best." He turned and left the room, walking carefully through the foyer and up the stairs to knock on the door of the bedroom. He passed by Ron's bedroom and he could hear him talking softly with Hermione inside, and then heard a yelp and a loud CRACK followed by the twins' voices. Chuckling, he moved aside as Ginny dashed past him, apologized, and threw open the door. He continued up the stairs and finally got to the bedroom door and knocked steadily.
"Go away," came Sirius' muffled voice through the wooden door.
Remus rolled his eyes, "Come on, Padfoot, it's me. What have you been doing in there all afternoon?"
He heard the locks on the door come undone and the door opened to reveal Sirius' weary face, "Come in, Moony. I have something I need to show you." Surprised, Remus stepped into the room and Sirius closed the door tightly behind him. He followed him to the bed where Sirius had laid open the album and a couple scattered letters.
"What is all this?"
Sirius gave him a little smile, "It appears that my parents did not destroy every trace of me, but merely stuffed it all in a box and put it in the attic. Who knew? There are toys, clothes, my birth certificate, medical records, letters, everything. Everything they found in my room that I didn't take with me when I went to the Potters' house was in this box, including a couple photo albums. Look at the last page, Moony."
Remus sat on the bed and drew the album towards him so that he could get a better look and turned to the page that bore the two pictures of the Marauders and Lily and Marissa. He drew a sharp intake of breath.
"Your parents had a picture of Marissa?"
Sirius nodded, "I forgot, until just now, that I sent them one at the beginning of sixth year. Remember Mrs. Potter insisted that I write them a letter? Well, I sent those two pictures along with that letter. Remember how furious Lily was the day we took that picture?"
Remus laughed, "Yes, but Mari convinced her to let me take it, because it was you. She always had a soft spot for you."
Sirius sighed, "I know. Moony, what happened to her? I completely forgot that I sent my parents this picture, did they go after her? She wouldn't have been hard to find. I remember her being at my trial, or lack thereof, and she was the last person I saw before they carted me off to Azkaban. I never heard from her again. There're things about us no one knows but us."
Remus' heart sunk in his chest; he had managed to avoid the subject for two years. Well, now is as good a time as any to break his heart…
"I haven't spoken with her since 1981 either, Padfoot. I have no idea where she went."
Sirius fixed him with a pained look, "When did you last speak with her?"
"November 19, 1981. I spoke with her just before both of us left to get away from it all. We couldn't take it, it was like pieces of our souls had been ripped away from us, especially for her. She lost her best friend, and she lost you. She loved you."
Sirius snapped back testily, "I loved her too, you know! It wasn't my choice to be carted off to bloody Azkaban!"
I knew he'd react this way…
Remus placed a hand on his shoulder, "I know you did, Sirius. And she knew that too, I promise."
Sirius nodded sadly, "Do you have any idea where she went? Any at all?"
Remus looked at him thoughtfully, "She was going to visit her parents first and she told me she had plane tickets to fly to the States."
Sirius sighed and agreed, "That seems plausible. Far away from what happened, and she had extended family there. I want to find her, Moony."
Remus jaw dropped and his heart began to race, "You can't! You have to stay here, it isn't safe! And you don't know what she's been doing the past fifteen, sixteen years. She could have a totally different life, married someone else, had kids, you just don't know! No one has had any sort of contact with her, except probably her parents, and they're dead."
Sirius' voice shook, "Dead? When? How?"
I knew this would break his heart…
"Twelve years ago they were in an accident involving a backfired spell and a duel no one was supposed to know about. There was a very nice funeral service held at their house in Bristol, and actually I think Mari might have been there. There was a woman who walked in the back of the room after the service started and snuck out during the final prayer. I caught her eye for a brief moment, and you know that there's no one else in the world that has eyes like she does."
Sirius looked dreamy, "Blue with gold specs."
Remus nodded, "Exactly, and this girl had those eyes. I tried to catch her after the service, but she was gone."
Sirius swore lightly, "I bet Dumbledore knows where she is."
Remus nodded, "Yes, he probably does. He's never mentioned her to me, though. Sirius, there's not much you can do about it. You can't leave this house and she still thinks you're guilty! How would you feel if the man you loved once turned out to be a murderer, or was thought to be one?"
Sirius shook his head, "I told you, Moony, there were things between us that you, nor James nor Lily, knew about. She knows that I'm innocent."
Remus cocked an eyebrow, "Then why did she run?"
"That's my question, too. That's what I've been thinking about this afternoon."
"Well, are you hungry?"
Sirius fixed him with a tired grin, "Starving. What's on the menu?"
"Molly's beef and vegetable stew, and some bread I bought in Hogsmeade."
His friend smiled, "I think I can stomach that. I'll meet you downstairs, alright?"
Thank Merlin.
"Sounds great, old friend."
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As soon as Remus left the room, the memories came flooding back.
Mari, my love, where are you?
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So, what do you think???? REVIEW!!!!!!!! Thanks so much.
~Wings~