Chapter Three

Sirius Black

It was Halloween; Audie's least favorite day of the year because it was the day she had lost her father. Last year, Fred had spent the day skipping class with her and spending it by the black lake. Today however Fred and their friends were going to Hogsmeade. Hermione had invited her to come with her and Ron but she declined her offer. Fred and Angelina had been avoiding her. Angelina was still upset with Audie because she blamed her friend for being the reason why Fred didn't return her feelings. Fred had been avoiding her ever since the fight they had a couple weeks ago.

Flashback

Audie glared at the three Slytherin boys who were standing in front of her. They hadn't stopped harassing her since rumors about her and Fred started circulating around the school. She was lucky her aunt and uncle hadn't found out yet, otherwise it would be the end of her Hogwarts career.

"Hey, you three scam!" The twins yelled, walking up behind their friend. The slytherins gave them a look of disgust but walked away.

"I didn't need your help," she told them, slightly annoyed at her rescuers.

"Hey, that's no way to talk to your Knights in shining armor!" Fred joked, slinging his arm around her but Audie shrugged away from him.

"Fred I told you to give me some space to think. I didn't tell you to scare off every Slytherin that harasses me!" George backed away from the two as to not be part of the argument that was surely to take place.

"I don't see why you need space! Stop denying that you have feelings for me!" Fred snapped back. "You know you feel the same about me as I feel about you!"

"Fred, that's not what matters," she started.

"Of course not, your family would never approve." Audie nodded and Fred sighed. "What if I don't care if they approve or not? They haven't exactly been the most caring people towards you."

"They're the only family I have left! What do you expect me to do?" She snapped back at him.

"To be honest with them! Tell them to shove off!" Audie walked up to him and slapped him across the face. "What was that for?" He hollered, pushing her away from him.

"For telling me what to do! I don't need you yelling at me and expecting more than I can give. I'm sorry if led you to thinking I saw you as anything more than a friend." Fred huffed and walked away, George following behind him.

Fred looked over his shoulder at the now crying girl and glared hard at her. "You are lying to yourself. Come find me once you are ready to admit the truth."

End of Flashback

She knew she had been lying to herself but it was for the best at the time. Now it was making her miserable. Fred wasn't speaking to her, George hardly acknowledged her, Angelina and rest of the girls in her dorm were pretending she didn't exist and Harry was still holding a grudge against her because she didn't tell him her father wanted to kill him. So, here she was sitting in a common room next to Ginny who was reading a muggle book Hermione had lent her.

"This book reminds me of you and Fred." Ginny mused, sending Audie a smile.

"Really?" Audie asked, looking at the cover of the book. "And how does the notebook remind you of Fred and me?"

"She comes from a rich family and he's poor. Her parents don't want them together so they play a part in them splitting them up. They are from two separate worlds but in the end find love with one another." Audie gave the younger girl a curious look but nodded for her to continue. "You and Fred are different in many ways but you'll end up together in the end because he loves you and you love him."

"We are fifteen; I highly doubt we are capable of being in love." Audie told her, getting up from the couch and stretching out her back.

"No wonder Fred's so upset with you," Ginny muttered under her breath.

"I'm going for a walk, want to join me?" Ginny shook her head, "Suit yourself." Audie walked out of the portrait hole and started down one of the corridors. She eventually found herself outside of the castle and spotted Harry by the Black Lake. After a long debate with herself, she walked over and sat down by him.

"I'm sorry about you and Fred," Harry told her, knowing it was her who sat down by him without having to look at who it was.

"Yeah well according to Ginny we will end up together anyways," she huffed, crossing her arms and looking out over the lake.

"What's so bad about that?" Harry asked. "You should feel glad that someone cares about you."

"Harry, my aunt and uncle are all I have left." She whispered, knowing that he was in a similar situation with his aunt and uncle.

"That's not true," he told her, looking at her and smiling. "You have Ginny, George, Ron, Hermione, me and most importantly you have Fred. Don't push away the ones who really care for you because the family, who doesn't, wants you to be someone you're not."

"Since when did you become so smart?" Audie teased, ruffling his hair.

Unknown to them, Sirius was in the woods watching them in his dog form. He was surprised at how grown up his daughter and godson had become. He knew he had to see them and tell them that he was an innocent man, he would do it tonight.

"Are you going to talk to him tonight?" Harry asked her as they headed into the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast.

"Yeah, I think I will right now!" She walked away from Harry and towards Fred who Angelina was desperately trying to flirt with. She tapped his shoulder and sat down next to him as George made room for her. "I'm sorry," she stated out loud as she plopped mash potatoes into her plate.

A smile grew on his lips as he turned to look at her, "Oh, and can I ask as to what you're sorry for?" George snorted beside Audie and Lee laughed a high pitch laugh. Angelina's face fell into a pout as she crossed her arms across her chest and turned to talk to Alicia.

"For falling for a pig headed git!" She teased, a grin also spreading across her lips.

"Oh, you love me!" He sang, taking a bite of chicken and slinging his arm around her shoulders. His grin grew even wider when she didn't shrug away but leant in closer to him.

"Finally!" George groaned, earning a roll to be thrown at him by Fred. "Oi, I was only expressing my happiness for you!"

"Oh, and what are you exactly celebrating?" Audie hummed her face red from blushing at the compliments Fred kept whispering in her ear.

"We are celebrating you and my dear brother finally getting together!" Audie winced at George's words and Fred took notice of her reaction.

"How about we don't put labels on us yet?" Fred suggested as way to get to keep and not lose her at the same time.

Audie sent him a grateful smile and squeezed his hand, "Thank you," she whispered loud enough for only him to hear.

"Love, I would do anything for you," he breathed in her ear. His breath was hot against her skin and sent shivers down her spine. He had an effect on her and he knew it.

XXX

Gryffindor students piled on the stairs outside the Gryffindor Portrait, where the fat lady was missing from her painting. Fred and George were towards the front of the group while Audie stayed towards the back. Percy pushed his way through. As he followed Dumbledore and soon the crowd was rushing up another flight of stairs. The next word Audie heard was, "Sirius Black!" She became dizzy, the crowd swirled around and she went limp.

"Daddy!" A three year old Audie squealed running towards Sirius who was surrounded by a group of men with their wands out and pointed at him. He wore a striped jumpsuit and his hands were chained together. He knelt down and leaned his head on his daughter's shoulders as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. She pulled away and frowned, "Daddy, why aren't you hugging back?"

Sirius blinked back the tears that were pricking at his eyes and looked up at his old friend Remus who was a couple feet behind the little girl. Remus looked away from him, not believing the man in front of him was his friend Sirius. The Sirius he knew would've never betrayed his friends, wouldn't murder innocent people. Sirius looked back at his daughter and gave her a small smile. "I have to leave for a little while..."

"Where are we going?" She asked, not understanding what he meant.

Sirius tried to look at Remus for help but the man pretended to not notice him. He looked back at his daughter and shook his head, "I have to go by myself. You need to stay here."

"Why?" Audie, sniffled, rubbing at her eyes. She was so tiny compared to him, she was becoming her own little person and he was going to miss seeing her grow up.

"Daddy has to go on a trip," he lied, wishing his hands weren't tied behind his back so he could brush the tears away from her eyes. The men pulled him up and Remus went to pull Audie away. She pushed away from him and clung onto Sirius's legs, crying.

"Daddy don't leave me!" She sobbed, struggling against Remus's hold on her waist as he pulled her away from her father who was struggling to get away from the men so he could comfort her. "Daddy!"

"I love you!" He shouted, his own tears falling from his eyes. "I love you to the moon and back! Remember that!" He pleaded, looking into his daughters watery eyes. "I love you!"

"I love you to, daddy."

Remus started to turn around and the guards turned him around but Sirius had his head turned around to watch his daughter leave, hearing her cries, they rang in his ears and he felt a pang in his chest. She kept calling out for him and he kept telling her he loved her as he was pulled away and brought down the hall and disappeared from his daughter's sight.

"Daddy!"

She snapped awake, finding herself in the dark Infirmary that was lit up by a couple candles here and there. Madam Pomfrey noticed she was awake and went over to greet her. "What happened?" Audie whispered, feeling sore.

"You fainted, drink this." Madam Pomfrey handed her a cup of juice to drink and helped Audie sit up.

"Where is everyone?" She asked after seeing no one else was in the Infirmary except them.

"I sent everyone to the Great Hall. The castle is under lockdown." Audie nodded, hoping the healer wouldn't bring up her father.

"Can I go back to my dorm or..."

"All students are sleeping in the great hall tonight. I've been told to keep you in here for the night. You will be safer away from the rest." Audie sighed as Madam Pomfrey walked back into her office. She thought over what she saw after she had passed out, wondering if it was a dream or a memory. The look in her father eyes didn't look like the eyes of a guilty man, he looked like a concern father. He was her father.

XXX

Audie waked out of the Infirmary and towards Professor Lupin's classroom. She wanted to talk to him first before going down to the Great Hall and having to face everyone. She wanted to know if what she saw when she passed out was real or just a dream. He was in it; he was the one who had pulled her away from her father. If it was real, he would be the one to talk to. Walked down the stairs and then turned the corner before walking into his classroom. She knocked against the door and he looked up from where he sat at his desk in the front of the classroom.

"Miss Black, how can I help you?" She walked past the some of the tables before sitting down at the one that was in front of his desk.

"I had a dream of some sort after I had fainted last night." He gave her a curious look and clasped his hands together. "I was wondering if you could tell me something about my father."

Remus blinked his eyes before standing up from his desk and walking over towards her. "What is it you want to know?" He wondered, sitting on the end of the table and facing her.

"Last night I saw my father saying goodbye to me before he went to prison. You were there and you had to pull me away from him. Did my imagination make it up or did it really happen?" She bit her lip and waited for his answer.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, questioning if he should be talking to her about Sirius. The girl reminded him so much of his friend, both of his friends. She had Emma's dark curly hair and red cheeks along with her intelligence. If one glanced at her they would think she was an exact replica of Emma. She had bits and pieces of Sirius in her too. Besides having his eyes, she also had his contagious smile and lively personality that her father had during his youth. He knew that she would be curious about her parents and if she didn't find out from him, she would find out from someone else.

"I think what you saw was the last time you saw your father. I was the one who brought you there and handed you to your aunt and uncle shortly after you two said your goodbyes." He stood up and walked around to place his hand on her shoulder, "Sirius was like a brother to me. He was a good man for a very long time."

"Why'd he do it?" She croaked her voice hoarse. "I want to know why he would betray his friends after he had already betrayed his family for them."

Remus didn't know how to respond, he didn't know why Sirius had done it. He couldn't lie to her, not after she lost so much. "The Sirius I knew and the one who landed himself in Azkaban are two completely different people. Some people say he did it because of a broken heart. Others say he was always a death eater. I however believe that he was never part of Voldemort's rank. He just acted on an adrenaline rush of some sorts. He wasn't himself."

Audie squished her eyebrows together and let his words play over and over in her head so she could hold onto them. "Did he love my mother?" She asked, the words spitting out of her mouth like word vomit. "I've always wanted to know. Did they love each other?"

"Very much so," he replied while a small smile spread across his lips. She nodded, still looking at him for more answers. "They had married right after Hogwarts, a year or so before James and Lily. Sirius had been quite the player before he started dating your mother. She seemed to set him straight and keep him in line. He had been with many girls before your mother but Emma was the only one he ever loved. I wouldn't be surprised if he still loved her."

Audie sniffled and gave Remus a puzzled look. "If he loved her then why would he kill all those people? I don't remember much about her but I'm sure she wouldn't approve of him being a murder."

"Audie," he began, kneeling down so he was eye level with her, "Love makes us do crazy things. Don't doubt that he loved your mother or you for that matter. You and your brother were his proudest accomplishments, he told me and James that almost every time we would see him."

"I still don't understand why he would leave me behind then." She mumbled, pushing the chair back and standing up. Slowly she walked towards the back of the classroom but stopped when she came to the door and turned around to ask her professor one last thing. "What was my mother like?"

Remus smiled, "A lot like you."

She smiled and nodded her head in thanks before leaving the classroom. In that moment she felt as close to her mother as she ever had and even more confused about her father then before.

A/N: I want to say thank you again to all of you who are following and have favorite this story. I do take my time updating but I spend a lot of time piecing together chapters and making them good enough to post. I hope this chapter is as good as the others and you enjoyed! Don't be afraid to tell me what I could fix. The next chapter should be up soon.