He sat at a table covered in a white table cloth with two candles in the center. Tonight was sure to be one of the most important nights of his life. He tried to remember how he'd met her; it had been so long ago. Before Hogwarts. He seemed to remember it being when he was seven years old.

O

"SIRIUS RYAN BLACK!"

The screeching sound of his mother's voice followed him up his make-shift ladder onto the roof. That was the only benefit to be stuck in the attic of the old Black Mansion, roof access.

He sat down on the roof and pulled his knees to his chest trying to squint through the quickly forming black eye his mother had just given him. He'd called his new baby brother ugly. Regulus; he was tiny, ugly and pale.

Sirius could hear his mother banging around in the hall outside of his room screeching his name. Then his little brother started screaming and he heard his mother retreat down the stairs to look after her favorite son.

As the house and grounds finally quieted down, an unfamiliar sound drifted to Sirius's ears. Small gasps and stifled, sorrowful sniffles. Sirius picked his chin up off his knees and looked around interested. He caught a glimpse of a young girl with fire engine red hair sitting just as he had been moments before on the roof of the house next door.

"Hey," he said trying to get her attention, when she didn't even flinch he tried again later, "HEY!"

Her head jerked up and she quickly swiped at her eyes and looked around. She caught sight of Sirius and said warily, "Hi?"

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, nothing broken or anything serious like that," she said in a levelheaded manner.

Sirius stood up and walked over to the edge of the roof closest to her house and sat down with his feet swinging in the open space, she followed his example.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Madison MacNaire." She pulled a small face when she spoke her last name, but it passed quickly, "What's yours?"

"Sirius," he said loudly.

"But what's your last name?" Madison asked like a true pureblood was supposed to ask.

"I don't have one," Sirius said quite proud of himself.

"How'd you do that? Could I?" Madison asked excitedly leaning forward towards Sirius.

"Sure!" Sirius said pleased with himself that he could teach this pretty girl something. "All you have to do is think of all the reasons why you don't belong in your family. And then its gone, just like that."

She smiled happily, "It's that easy?"

Sirius nodded watching her feeling like a hero. He'd never felt so good about himself in his entire life. Except maybe that one time when he'd managed to trip Bellatrix and she'd skinned her knee and no one blamed him as hard as she tried to get them to. No, though now that he thought about it, this was definitely better.

She closed her eyes tightly, bit her bottom lip, and crossed her ankles. Slowly her forehead furrowed and her hands clenched into dainty little fists.

Sirius was entranced as he watched her. Suddenly her whole body relaxed and she opened her green eyes which shone with excitement, "What's your name?"

"Madison." She looked at him and grinned radiantly, "I think its gone!"

Sirius grinned back, "Yeah it is!"

"MADISON GABRIELLA MACNAIRE!" came a voice from inside her house.

Madison winced and the happy expression disappeared from her features.

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU, YOU USELESS GIRL!" screamed a shrill voice.

Madison's bottom lip began trembling so she bit it again. She stood up slowly and laboriously.

Sirius jumped back up as she was about to turn around and held his hand towards her.

She looked at him a moment and then she offered a small smile that somehow managed to reach her eyes. She reached her hand towards him and they touched for a moment in the space between their houses.

"SIRUS RYAN BLACK" echoed from behind Sirius and "MADISON GABRIELLA MACNAIRE" resonated from behind Madison.

They both moved forward at the same time and their hands clasped tightly and grey eyes met green eyes. Sirius smiled encouragingly, Madison smiled gratefully.

Their names tore through the muggy summer air one more time before they both reluctantly let go. She had turned around facing her family and had straightened her small back.

Sirius felt like in that space between his house and hers they had connected. They were in this together now, the two of them. Two of the same kind, from the same mold, and the same type of family.

O

Now he wanted to offer her the chance to be part of a new kind of family, one that they would begin together, their own family.

Then he saw her, she was wearing a black dress that stopped right below her knees. She hadn't seen him yet and she was looking around the restaurant for him. When she finally caught sight of him her green eyes lost the tired look and lit up.

She walked over and he watched her admiringly, he stood and held her chair out for her. She sat gracefully in it and smiled as he gave her a kiss on the top of her head, "I'm sorry I was so late! I got caught up there was an emergency and all the other healers had already left for the night."

"It's alright it gave me time to think. Do you remember when we met the first time?" Sirius asked smiling as he looked into her beautiful green eyes.

"Why? You don't?" she teased him giggling a little.

"No I want to ask you a question about it," Sirius said grinning back.

"Of course I remember. I got rid of my last name that day! Even if just for the moment," Madison said giggling a little more.

"Yeah you can't ever really get rid of your last name can you?" Sirius said chuckling a little as Madison shook her head. "I like to think I've made my last name my own though."

Madison smiled, "Yeah, you turned the last name Black on its ear," she laughed.

Sirius listened to her laugh happily. "Well I was wondering if you would share it with me, my last name, I mean."

Madison froze and then slowly smiled luminously, "Sirius Black, are you asking me to marry you?"

Sirius smiled back, "Well?"

"I would love too!" Madison smiled even wider if possible.

Sirius pulled out a small jewelry box out of his pocket and opened it to unveil a diamond ring. "Not a MacNaire heirloom, and not a Black heirloom. I wasn't sure but I thought you'd like it better that way."

As he slid it on her finger Madison said reverently, "Ours."

Sirius smiled as she leaned across the table and kissed him.