Prologue

October 20, 1981

The night was oddly calm and quiet. The moon hardly lit anything at all as it hung in the highest part of the sky. The sound of the child screaming in laughter filled the front room of the brick house and echoed throughout the rest of the rooms. The family's striped tabby had been rubbing his face against the year old child as she grabbed for him.

"Mitty!" She exclaimed as she gripped the cat tightly and held on for dear life.

The cat screamed for relief as the child picked him up and held him in her lap. The other child on the floor began to chase after the tormented cat as the baby girl held the cat tightly. Its eyes looking like it could come out of his head.

"Alvara! Let that poor cat go," A sandy haired woman said coming in and removing the child's arms from the cat. The tabby darted up the stairs stopped at the top to hiss at the baby reaching up for her mother.

"Clara, you know that cat is not going to live to see three, as long as these two are around to torment him, right?" A red headed woman laughed picking up the other child.

"Lily, I'm surprised he has lasted this long with Sirius constantly chasing him around," Clara laughed sitting at the dining room table. She placed the baby girl on her lap and ran her hand over her head. She watched with her brown eyes as her red-headed friend sat down at the chair across from her. Her baby boy, Harry, was looking at the room around him.

"Men, you can't live with them and you can't live without them," Lily joked as she looked at Clara. The two women's laugh had died down and the room got quiet as they looked at the table or around the room. It was as if there was an elephant in the room that they were trying not to talk about, but would eventually come out.

"It's hard to believe that all of this is going on, isn't it?"

"It is," Clara agreed. Her head nodded slowly. "I have not seen Sirius more devoted to something however. I think this war, if you will, has changed him. It has changed us all."

"I agree," Lily nodded, "How are your parents and bother?"

Clara looked at her friend from the corner of her eyes, "Right, like that Mr.-Perfect-Son, will ever talk to me and my parents, they have forgotten about me long ago, ever since I showed any interest in the Black-Sheep of the Black family."

Lily shook her head and spoke, "You would think they would want to have some contact with their grandson or niece for that matter."

"That's what I would have thought, but she looks like her father," Clara sighed, "Besides Lucius is married and has a son of his own, Draco, I believed they called him."

"Well, maybe Hogwarts will change all of that," Lily smiled, "I know I haven't heard from my sister since she sent me that god awful vase." The two women laughed in unison as Lily spoke again, "Besides I have the sister I need. "

"Aw, I love you too," Clara spoke, "Just don't let Sirius know. You know how he can get jealous."

"I won't if you won't," Lily chuckled and looked down.

Clara watched her friend of ten years look down at the table. It had seemed like there was something she was not saying. Her expression was blank, and that was something that was unheard of by Lily Potter. She had always had her face in some sort of expression.

"Lily? What is going on? You seem like something is bothering you," Clara asked. Lily looked up at her friend and then let out a small sigh.

"It has to do with the boys. Sirius wants to change out secretkeeper from him to Peter," Lily answered slowly.

"What? Why? He hasn't said a word to me," Clara exclaimed, "Don't get me wrong, Peter is a great person, but I honestly don't think he will be strong enough to keep your whereabouts a secret."

"He doesn't want to worry you," Lily explained, "He is afraid that they will come after him and the two of you if they try and find us. I mean you know what happened to the Longbottoms. Imagine what they could do to you, or him."

Clara looked down at her daughter. She had become both her and Sirius' pride and joy. She could not imagine her growing up without both her parents. But, if Peter did not hold up to what was being bestowed on him, then what would happen to James and Lily. Not to mention their son Harry. This war had already taken its toll on the world, how much more could it take.

"Do you trust Peter, Lily?"

"If I trusted him do you think I would be so worried?" Lily half laughed. Her eyes went to Harry. "I love him Clara. Being a mother through this war, it isn't easy. You know that." Clara nodded her head slowly to her friend's comment. "Promise me, that if anything does happen to us, you will take care of Harry?"

"Psht! You didn't make Sirius and me his godparents for nothing!" Clara pronounced, "I would raise him as a son of my own. I'm pretty sure Harry and Alvara will get along just fine." The two women laughed as the babies reached for each other.

The two women looked up as the front door opened and shut. Two windblown men came into the room and smiled widely.

"Enjoy the bike ride?" Clara huffed. The two men laughed as one came over and gave her a kiss.

"Yes actually," Sirius answered grabbing his daughter from Clara's lap. "What do you say Ally? Huh? Want to take a ride on the bike?" The baby giggled as Clara huffed.

"I would like to see you try and take her."

Laughter soon filled the three adults as Alvara was slowly placed back into her mother's lap by her father…

Present Day

The woman looked down at the letter before her. The sender was not one she had ever expected to get one from ever again. Why hadn't her daughter told her? Of all the things that she could have kept from her, she had to keep the fact that her father had come in contact with her. The escaped criminal of twelve years in Azkaban had come in contact and even met his daughter and was now looking for the two of them.

Clara read the letter again stating he would be in contact as soon as he could be. Her eyes scanned the letter as her heart beat fast in her chest. Did she dare write back? He had chosen to go after Peter after all and "kill" him. Peter had been dead for twelve years. How could Sirius be going after him? Why would he choose to come back? Something had caused him to go crazy. That had to be it. He could not be chasing ghosts. Could he? And why come back now? He did not seem concerned with what was going to happen to his family when he went after the man. Why now?

Clara shook her head and bunched the letter into a ball and threw it into the fire place. She was living in a place that, if he was seen, he would surely be killed or turned in. Things were not as they had been, not as she or he would have remembered them. Lily and James Potter were killed by the Dark Lord and their son was sent off to live with his muggle aunt and uncle under the assumption that he would be safer for some unworldly reason. Sirius had gone after and killed Peter for turning in his best friend. His sentence was to be life in the horrid wizard jail, Azkaban.

No, she could not let Sirius come back. She stuffed the letter back down in the drawer of the dark wood desk. Her life here at the Malfoy Manor may not have been everything she would have wanted, but it was safe. Her world changed and it was something that changed her. She was not the person Sirius would have thought she would have been. He world changed and her daughter did not need a man in her life like that. Yes, she was her father's daughter, but he was not the influence she needed now or ever.