A/N: Hi, everyone :) Okay, I've always wanting to create an OC who was close connected with the Marauders and yesterday I came up with this story. I really hope you will like it :)

Disclaimer: I don't own "Harry Potter", only my OC

A warm something on her face brought Diane back to reality from her pleasant dreams. She opened her eyes slowly and left a loud yelp when her entire sight turned white. Abruptly, she rose on her bed to reach for her wand, only to hear something soft falling on her pillow and an angry mew. Apparently, the warm, white something was nothing else than Coral, her new-bought cat, that stared at her as if she had committed a terrible crime.

'Don't look at me like that, Coral, it was you who slept on my head' Diane said while wearing her clothes. 'My hair is not a pillow'

'Meow?' was the cat's only answer.

'Really. Now, if you excuse me, I think I deserve some breakfast before going to this madhouse called Ministry of Magic'

Diane caressed her cat, checked her owl's cage, to realize that Sky was still out, and rushed to the bathroom to comb her black curls. In the past years, she preferred her hair long, unlike how she liked wearing it at school, and now it was reaching the middle of her back in unstyled locks, framing her pale face. She remembered, with a sting of pain, how almost everyone pointed out, even these days, how much she looked like her late first cousin, some even mistaking them for siblings.

James…God, how much I miss him. How much I miss all of them…Voldemort, you bastard, when you return, I swear that you will find me opposite you, first line on the battlefield!

Blocking out her thoughts, she went to the kitchen and made herself some toast. Since she still had some time until work, she decided to watch a bit TV while eating breakfast. In Hogwarts, she and Lily used to entertain their friends by explaining the Muggle ways of entertainment—Sirius, in particular, had once told her that "Muggles really know what having fun means".

'The public is warned' the speaker on the news said 'that Black is armed and extremely dangerous…'

Diane chocked on her toast and started coughing violently. With quick moves, she turned on the volume and the man's voice filled the small living-room, announcing that a convict, Sirius Black, had escaped from prison and the citizens should be very careful, because he was a cold murderer.

Diane felt dizzy and leaned on the back of the couch, but what made everything only worse was a picture of Sirius onscreen—pale, with long, greasy hair and a wild look he never had while they were students in Hogwarts. Memories filled her mind: of her school years, of the war, of that night at Halloween, 1981, twelve years ago, of the news that Sirius had betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort and was imprisoned in Azkaban…

Which created the tricky question…

'How on earth did he escape?' she wondered out loud.

She had heard of Azkaban, the wizarding prison that was located somewhere in the North Sea, and during the war she had encountered Dementors, the creatures that later became the guards of the prison. No one had ever escaped from there in history, and now Sirius, twelve years after everything, had managed to sneak out. How and, more important, why?

'Fudge will run to sort out what can not be sorted out!'

When that thought hit her, she jumped on her feet and, after putting her plate in the sink and letting Coral free in the garden, she used the Floo Network to go to the Ministry, where she worked as an employee for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

If Voldemort himself had appeared in the middle of the main office in the Investigation Department, a subdivision of the Auror Office, he wouldn't cause the chaos she met when she came in. Her colleagues were running up and down like maniacs, discussing and disagreeing on what should be done. Some said that Black should be hunted down fiercely, with every single Auror they had at their disposal; others that maybe they should see what he intended to do and one or two that they should go thoroughly through Black's story in order to predict his next step. One was yelling at someone else about Fudge's decision to inform the Muggle Prime minister. And some were staring intently at Diane, probably having heard that they were classmates and friends in Hogwarts; some with pity, some accusingly. Not giving them a single glance, she approached Jason, a colleague with whom she was getting along quite well.

'We must secure the school!' he told her urgently without even a "good morning".

'Hogwarts?' Diane gasped, staring at him. 'You think that…that he'll try to go inside the school?'

'Why not? Anything to be expected by this lunatic! We must place more protective spells…Detectors…I don't know'

'First of all, calm down. We won't achieve anything by freaking out' Diane said. 'Someone should contact Dumbledore first and see what he thinks on the matter; then we should speak with the Minister…and then we'll see'

Her words, though, didn't seem to comfort Jason, on the other hand, the man's gaze became suspicious and angry. Diane sighed in frustration, because she sensed what was coming: she was confronted with the same argument from the moment the Daily Prophet had written that Sirius was the one who had revealed James and Lily's hideout to Voldemort, leading to their tragic deaths.

'What do you mean "we'll see"? Diane, you should be the one leading the investigations, demanding that he should be caught and thrown back into Azkaban immediately, seeking revenge for what he did to your cousin! Or don't you think that he will go after the boy as well?'

'The boy?' Diane repeated. 'Harry? Do you seriously think that Siri…I mean, Black, will try to kill Harry as well?'

The last time she had seen Harry, he was only one year old, a beautiful baby, the spitting image of his father and with his mother's eyes. She received letters from Dumbledore, who had informed her that Harry had been sorted into Gryffindor and his accomplishments in Hogwarts. Now he would be thirteen years old and she still hadn't laid eyes upon him; Dumbledore had warned her, and she agreed, that the sudden appearance of another relative with magical powers would worsen Harry's already tensed relationships with his uncle and aunt.

If only I could take him with me…But I am not as close related to him as Petunia is…

And now his godfather—his godfather—is free and he doesn't even know that Sirius, the man considered responsible for his fate, is his godfather.

Bloody. Hell.

'Diane? Diane, what are you thinking about?' Jason's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. 'Of course I am thinking that Black will go after the Potter boy as well. Or don't you believe that? He is the one who sold his parents to You-Kow-Who; who do you think will be next?'

'Jason, why do you even bother?' Heather, another colleague, whom Diane couldn't stand at all, joined their conversation. 'You know she was always reluctant, always trying to find another explanation from the fact that Black is a serial killer!'

'I might be wrong, but my opinions and my wish to search things beyond the surface and the image are none of your business, Rivers' Diane hissed, using Heather's last name, like always. She hated her bossy attitude and how she thought she was right, while everybody else were idiots.

'I at least honor the memory of my relatives! If you encounter the man who's responsible for what happened to the Potters, your cousins, what are you gonna do?'

Exasperated and not wanting to talk further to the two of them, who were locked in their small world, Diane turned her back and headed toward her office. Before entering, though, she turned again and gave them a serious look.

'If I encounter the one who betrayed my family, I'll personally punish them' she said. 'Although, don't bet that Black was the one who did it. At least not the Black I knew'

The second she closed and locked the door behind her, Diane left a groan. Always the same story, always the same assumptions and unanswered questions, twelve years now. Despite the time that had passed and the end of the war, Diane couldn't let go off it. Her parents kept telling her that this wasn't doing her good, Ruth, her best friend, said that she should leave the past to the past; but she couldn't.

Not after everything she had lived.

"'James Potter. And this is my favorite cousin, Diane Walker'"

"'Come on, Diane' Sirius laughed. 'No need to feel ashamed when you're with us, after all, you're our unofficial Marauder'"

"'Diane, promise me that you won't tell anyone' James said and she had never seen him so serious before. 'You know what will happen if everyone learns that Remus is—'

'I know' she interrupted him. 'And I also know that you, Sirius and Peter are going to the Shrieking Shack to help and protect him. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me'"

"'What did I do this time?' James asked her with genuine concern.

'Oh, ask yourself that, not me!' Diane answered sternly, staring angrily at her cousin.

'What do you mean?'

'Come on, James, you're smart enough, aren't you? Do you want a chance with Lily?'

'Of course, what kind of question—'

'Then stop being the arrogant, bullying toerag she thinks you are—and which you are, by the way—stop embarrassing yourself every bloody time you see her and become more mature!'"

"'Diane…I want you to be my maid of honor at my wedding with James. You're my best friend and there's no one better for this'"

And then there were the numerous battles they had fought, all of them, as members of the Order of the Phoenix. Years and years of loyalty to each other, as if they were all a large family, she refused to believe that all this had simply ended.

After searching in one of her drawers, she pulled out some of the newspapers that were close to the date James and Lily were murdered. They were all the same, dooming Sirius as a monster, a double-agent who didn't respect his friends and didn't hesitate to reveal crucial information about them to Voldemort. Diane shook her head, recalling how Sirius was: carefree, always teasing his friends and always into trouble.

" 'No!' Diane screamed, horrified at what her mother had told her. 'No, mum, I promise, Sirius didn't do it! He would never betray James, never!'

'I am sorry, Diane, but this is the truth' her father said lowering his head. 'After going away from the house, he murdered at least twelve Muggles, only with a curse'

'Dad, you don't understand!' Diane insisting, the horrors of the night overwhelming her. James and Lily dead, the orphan baby given away to his aunt and now Sirius a traitor? 'Even if Sirius did it, maybe it wasn't Sirius. Maybe…Maybe he was under the influence of the Imperius Curse…Or he was threatened somehow…But he would never give them away willingly'

Her parents, of course, believed the accepted truth. Not that Diane blamed them; they were also struck by the family tragedy and sought relief in the fact that the murderer was in prison. Even Remus believed it; even Diane herself, at her worst moments, when her grief didn't allow her to think clearly.

'Think logically' she ordered herself, rubbing her temples, as if she was giving her Transfiguration exams (the most difficult lesson for her) again. 'Would Sirius betray his friend and Lily? Would he willingly give them away to Voldemort? After their year-long friendship and after they fought together in the war?'

What a load of rubbish!

Something else happened, she would never stop insisting on that. The Imperius Curse…A conspiracy…A great threat…Sirius was framed…Someone had used Polyjuice Potion and taken his form…Something.

" 'You're in denial' Ruth said.

'No. I am not!' "

'Well' she sighed 'with Sirius free, I guess we'll find the answer sooner or later, unless the Dementors find him first, of course'

'Miss Walker?'

Diane raised her head at the sound of Amelia Bones's voice. Madam Bones was just and didn't count on prejudices when she was to make a decision, and this was one of her traits that had made Diane respect her very much.

'Yes, Madam Bones?'

'Would you be so kind to come in my office? I would like us to discuss a few aspects on the case of Sirius Black'

Diane sighed again and hid the newspapers in her drawer, feeling slightly more relaxed. Her boss, at least, would listen to her carefully and wouldn't accuse her that she supported "the enemy", "You-Know-Who's most loyal servant" and all the other titles Sirius was given.

'I am coming at once, Madam Bones' she called out and, suddenly, felt something wet in her eyes. She blinked a few times and the tears disappeared.

That's it, Walker. Don't cry. Crying is weakness.

Diane stayed in her office until late, working like crazy, filling in case files, sending owls, speaking to Aurors. It was already eleven when she left the Ministry and the stars illuminated her way, together with the street lights. Her house was in a quiet alleyway and she felt safety when she was heading toward the outer door.

Suddenly, she heard a brunch cracking and a strange howl coming from a nearby corner. She turned towards the sound immediately, pulling her wand at the same time, feeling the same tension she used to feel before an attack.

So much for safety.

And then she remembered some old words, like in a fairytale, said by someone who couldn't speak now and caused her another sting of pain.

'I think I know what the matter is, Diane, and it's absolutely understandable' Alice Longbottom told her gently. 'You are not haunted by the war. You miss it. Now that we're not fighting anymore, it's extremely difficult to adjust to normal life'

Maybe Alice was right, Diane thought now, her grip around her wand tightening. Her dark brown eyes stared cautiously and intently at the corner the sound came from, expecting the worst. After all, she knew very well that Voldemort, despite what most people thought, wasn't dead; only extremely weak and into hiding. Therefore, she was constantly waiting for news coming from the dark side; a reunion amongst the Death Eaters, perhaps, or even Voldemort's return.

'Whatever or whoever you are, show yourself!' she commanded, ready to jump into action and, the next moment, a large shadow emerged from the darkness so that the streetlight fell on it. It was a huge and painfully familiar black dog.

Her feet started shaking violently at this sight and she considered it a miracle that she didn't start throwing curses and charms everywhere. While at Hogwarts, she was used in seeing this dog, accompanied by a stag, a rat and a werewolf. Once every month, she used to sit by her window, watching the dog, the stag and the rat going into the secret passage that was hidden inside the Whomping Willow; and then she went in the common room, ready to cover for them if anyone wondered where they were, seeing them laughing when they returned in their human forms. But now, looking at this very same dog, caused waves of pain and nostalgia crashing her down, as hard as the moment she saw the corpses of James and Lily.

The dog stared back at her and left out a loud bark that sounded like a laughter. It could be a way of laughing at her confusion and lack of words (something as rare as a kind Death Eater) or a way of greeting an old friend. Whatever it meant, it did its magic: Diane lowered her wand, smiled widely and uttered only two words, as if this was the most normal situation in the world.

'Hello, Sirius'

A/N: Okay, guys, that was it :) Hope you enjoyed it and I can not wait for your reviews :) xx