Choices to be Made Chapter 10

For Christmas break Jackie went back with Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter; for almost three days the two weeks, the boys spent the time together. Jackie didn't care, in fact she liked it that way; and then she could be with her sisters for a while and catch up on stuff. When Sirius did come back she and Regulus were in the sitting room and she was telling stories about everything; he sat down between Jamie and Jodie and listened as she finished the story. When she was done Jamie and Jodie clapped and Sirius went over to her and kissed her; her sisters pretended to be grossed out by making a noise.

They laughed as they looked over at them and he did it again to get the same reaction from his brother, "Sirius get a room." he snapped and got up.

"Okay we will." He muttered and grabbed her hand and went upstairs to his room, he lay down and she right next to him with his arm under her neck for a pillow as he told her about Dorea and Charlus' battle against Jimmy. He whispered to her about everything and yet nothing, fourteen and in love since eleven years old… things couldn't be any better- right?

Wrong.

Once returning back to Hogwarts the Minister brought Jackie up to the headmaster's office and sadly told her of her mother's suicide, she killed herself not two weeks after Christmas. Jackie had found it hard to breathe and collapsed onto the floor and Dumbledore hurried over and told her that her sisters are going to continue to stay with Walburga and Orion Black. Jackie left a few days after classes started up again and went to bury her mother, her sisters were four years old and she saw Jimmy for the first time in a long time. They were afraid of him and didn't leave Jackie's side the entire time the funeral was in progress; she also learned that her Great Uncle, her mother's uncle had also died a week before and left everything to Chelsea. Did I mention that he was a Minister of Magic in Ireland? Then in Chelsea's Will, she left everything to her oldest daughter with instructions to make sure her sisters lived a fabulous life away from Jimmy. She was also left her wand and Chelsea's mother gave her a necklace, years ago when she started Hogwarts… well, Chelsea passed it on to Jackie Cross. Jimmy was there but had to stay back five hundred feet; orders given to him by Albus Dumbledore himself. Jamie and Jodie were each given the opportunity to take something that belonged to their mother from her room; they took a shawl that she always wore in winter and a bracelet; the two girls cried harder then Jackie. After the girls finally realized their mum was dead, they broke down just as Jackie had done in the Headmaster's office.

After returning to school, Jackie had asked the people who dealt with her mother's death and asked for the crime photos. She knew right away Jimmy killed her to get back at her for everything she's done. She told Dumbledore and he said there was no proof so she let it go- knowing she won't be able to get any while miles away at magic school. Jackie's grandparents hadn't been there either, she realized one day in class; she wondered why not and let it go when a classmate brought up the Unforgivable Curses.

"Maybe it's easy to die, sometimes professor. I mean Mrs. Cross was able too soo easily-." Jackie took out her wand and hexed him right there. Sirius jumped up and pulled her away as the classmate, a rival of Jackie's, was on the floor in the middle of a seizure.

"Jackie!" Sirius yelled when she went to use another spell, he grabbed her wand and looked at James for help. He got up and hurried over and took her wand from Sirius as he took her from the room, everyone was talking quietly.

"I'll kill you if you say that again!" she yelled, she was making a threat and she probably would keep it too- Sirius knew that when it came to her mother or even her sisters.

"Go to Hell Cross!" he bellowed out after her as Remus helped Sirius take her from the room.

"Already there, get off!" she added I a snap-like tone and pushed them away and left without their help.

Oddly enough after that incident, everyone who witnessed that was on Jackie's side. The boy who said that got the detention and Jackie just did 'community service'. She went around for a week, every night and made sure the students were in their common rooms; the Prefects got the week off from their duties. That was also the week when the nightmares started and refused to stop. She got barely any sleep for the rest of the year and spent the first week of summer vacation in bed trying to catch up on the sleep she missed. Her room was still next to Sirius' and she loved that Walburga refused to let her leave that summer. She had also resigned also from her Quidditch team, she spend the games when Slytherin played sitting next to Severus praying the other team won; the boy who did that bull shit was made Seeker, he replaced her and oddly enough Jackie couldn't care less. The late night and early morning training wore her out even more each Saturday. In Mid August she did something that would change her life forever…. (well, not really but still….)

Jackie left one day, lying to Sirius she was going to go see her mother when really she took a detour and went to her old house. Jimmy was sipping coffee when she rang the doorbell. An odd smile rose to his mouth when he answered it and saw it was her.

"Heard what you did after your mum died, wanna see the room where she killed herself in. It's your old room," he added just for her. (Imagine Creed playing, One Last Breath).

She took out her wand and used the killing curse on her father as she told him why, "You murdered my mother, and now your conscious is returning in the form of your eldest daughter. I can't live in fear and neither can my sisters," she said as she said the spell. "Avada Kedavra." She whispered it and the green came from the tip and right away she used another spell to hide the killing curse. She looked down at her mother's wand in her wand and snapped it; she threw the wand in growing fire and watched until the wand was turned to ash. She looked back at her father's body and saw his eye open and staring at her, she took a deep breath and went over and took him by his shirt and propped him on the couch and took out his own wand and put it in his wand.

A week and a halfish after her fifteenth birthday on 11th August 1985, Jackie Cross murdered her own father, Jimmy Cross. (Fade Creed)

She then, left by the back door and went through backyard after backyard and got to her mother's grave in the Black Family Cemetery an hour later. A few minute after she got there Sirius came up behind her as she sat in the grass against a tree looking at her mother's grave. The snow was gone of course and fresh flowers had been placed not even a day ago. He took her hand and walked her into the mausoleum and kissed her, he told over and over again he loved and never would stop. Jackie looked him in the eye.

"I love you more than anything or anybody else in this world Sirius. I need you," she whispered as she kissed him. He smiled as he felt her run her hands up his shirt and pulled it off. He kissed her neck and pulled off her clothes one by one….

The rest of the summer was spent while James and Sirius and Peter showed off for Jackie the second week of summer vacation when they showed her how well they could turn into their animals; James into a stag, Sirius into a shaggy black dog, and Peter into a small fat rat. They also formed odd names for themselves as well, James became Prongs, Sirius as Padfoot, and Peter Wormtail with Remus left as Moony. Sirius often called them the Marauders and when Jackie asked what that meant, he chuckled and said it was a secret; he was referring to the map they had made. James also often call his sister Cygnus which ticked her off, since she hated that name even when Hydro and Hydra call her it; nevertheless she practiced as well and could soon turn into the swan as Hydra said she would become. Literally and physically.

Jackie grew over the summer in a way that made Sirius love her body more and she also began practicing more magic although the Ministry never caught her because she used muggle books and used magic without a wand. She grew about three inches and Sirius grew and as did Remus and James; unfortunately for Peter he stayed a short little man. Jackie never had nightmares about her father although her mother continued to haunt her dreams. Sirius said that they were becoming better wizards then anybody else in the world and in June he it was proven to James when he was attacked by Death Eaters and they told him he should side with Voldemort and become one as well. When he refused his youngest two sisters were attacked while Jackie was with them at the park near the house. After that Jackie decided that she do something about that, she moved Jamie and Jodie to a very distant relatives house and they stayed there while she stayed in London with Sirius and James and Remus and Peter. Also during the summer James often practiced Quidditch with his sister and best friends at his house in the backyard; James often apologized about Jamie and Jodie being attacked by Voldemort's followers. She always hugged him and said they were fine and he didn't have to blame himself anymore; their sisters were going to live very long lives, just as they would. She always looked at Sirius and he smiled and nodded.

At home as well that summer the Black family began arguing about the attacks over the Jamie and Jodie; Jackie didn't know what side to take: her boyfriend's side or the people who took her and the girls in? She often sided with Walburga and that always got Sirius really pissed off at her.

On the first night that happened, after Jimmy died, she went to his room and told him that she didn't know what to do.

"I thought you of all people would side with me Jacks." He growled turning over, acting like a five year old that had been grounded to his room for the day. Jamie and Jodie did that a few times when they were still with Jimmy and Chelsea. He started calling her Jacks when he began sleeping with her at the start of the summer, she didn't mind. Only her brother and his friends called her that. She groaned and went over to him.

"Sirius- I'm sorry, I just can't be put on the spot like that, Regulus and I heard you from the sitting room; as soon as we entered you rounded on me, what I was going to do?" she asked him, he snapped something but she didn't quite catch what he said. "Sirius?" she whispered, she went over to him and sat down beside him. "I'm sorry, I seriously-seriously am, but you can't hold this against me. Please forgive me," she asked looking over his shoulder. He glanced back at her.

"And what will you do if don't?"

"You really wanna know…?" he nodded smiling as she kissed him….

As they lay under the covers an hour later, their legs tangled; she looked up at him. "Does that all mean you forgive me?" she asked him, he nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Sure does," he chuckled as he added. "I thought it was obvious when we did it the second time." He muttered, she shrugged and kissed him back and he moved her onto him and she laid her head on his chest.

By the time school started again, the Ministry had found Jimmy and questioned Jackie about it, she did a good job pretending to be broken over it. She gave nothing away but the Ministry still looked at her for his death. She knew they would and didn't let it bother her; the Dark Lord Voldemort also looked at her at his death and had his newest Death Eaters watch over Jackie Cross while at Hogwarts. Right off the bat he was told she was dating Sirius Black and was even living with him and his family. Her sisters are living somewhere else in Great Britain and they have no idea where that may be. He didn't care about the two girls, just Jackie; if she became a Death Eater he could really take over. If she really did murder her own father, her conscience is weak and had no effect on her at all.

Dumbledore knew of the obligations against Jackie and refused them, however he also had his doubts but also wanted to protect her from the warrant on her freedom by Voldemort. He kept his eye on her throughout the year and into the new year of their fifth year (1985-1986). In their fifth year she was also made Prefect and Severus one as well, Remus was made Gryffindor Prefect along with some other girl Jackie didn't really know. At fifteen the group of four Gryffindors and one Slytherin was reckless and Lily Evans hated that; when James wanted to impress her, he often showed off while he played on his broom during a game of Quidditch when he knew she was watching. Jackie wanted him to stop but knew he wouldn't. She and Lily also became friends, somewhat, and began studying together where she asked Jackie questions about her half brother. James often begged Jackie to repeat everything that went on during those study hours but she refused to say. Jackie loved how she could torture her brother by doing mostly nothing. Severus and Lily also began hanging out, renewing their childhood friendship before school started; Jackie kept that a secret from her brother completely. Not long after Christmas Jackie went into a state of minor depression with the approach of her mother's death; Severus comforted her when Sirius wasn't around.

"She misses you too, I'm sure." He muttered as he sat next to her in the common room, she nodded and stared into the fire place.

"Severus what about Jamie and Jodie? I haven't heard from them since summer break," she croaked out. "They'll never know her or our father; I know he was a bad man Sev but he was our dad. How was Tobias this past summer?" she asked him, she didn't want to talk about it anymore quite suddenly.

He shrugged, "getting better if that answers your question, he's afraid when we can use magic outside of school though. He should be, when we can I'll be using it everyday on that bastard." He said to her, she smiled and hugged him and told him her secret involving using magic that summer and not getting caught. Of course, she only told him that she used magic and didn't get caught; she said nothing about killing Jimmy Cross and covering it up. He listened as she spoke about the muggle books involving how to become a wizard and the spells they got to learn right away. He loved her he realized, not like what Sirius does, but as if they really were brother and sister. He hugged her and she went to go get them, she handed them over to him and he gratefully accepted them as he took them up to bed with him. She smiled after him and picked up her quill and put quill to parchment for Jamie and Jodie as she wrote them a long letter about the past several months. She mailed it on the day she was told her mother died.

James had changed somewhat terribly:…

That spring the afternoon after O.W.Ls were finished being taken by the fifth years, the N.E.W.Ts by the seventh, Jackie went outside with Lily Evans for the bright fresh air. Severus Snape was busy practicing the magic that Jackie gave him from the books and began writing in his own book signing it with a false name which he never told anyone. He began to keep that like a diary. Jackie could see her brother going over to Severus but passed him, she turned back to Lily and as she did she heard laughing and turned to see Severus in the air, dangling upside down.

"JAMES!" Jackie yelled, Lily looked up; they stood and the two girls ran over, Sirius frowned and stepped back behind Remus. Lily yelled at James as Jackie undid the spell, with er own counter curse. "Go back to your own business, nothing to see here. Now!" Jackie told the other students. They hurried away not wanting detentions and helped Severus up from the grass. "Severus?" she asked, he looked up at her as Lily turned around.

"I didn't need your help, Lily." He muttered he didn't need a Mudbloods help. Lily was hurt horribly; Jackie put her hand on Lily's shoulder.

"You obviously did Severus." She said, taken aback. James frowned; Jackie whispered his name, worried he'd do something stupid. He did.

He took out his wand and hexed James, by blasting him backwards almost to the lake, a hundred yards away. The student who had been laughing and pointing at Severus Snape was now afraid of him. Lily ran down with the other three Marauders to James Potter. Sirius looked back to see Jackie and Severus fighting loudly about what happened just then.

"You didn't need to do that. Detentions Severus is what you can do. Only!" she yelled as a few first years watched James being helped up by Remus and Peter.

His face was red, "You must not have seen what he just did to me Jackie-!"

"Of course I saw it, I'm sorry he did that to you. But hexing him is not the way to handle it!" she yelled and started to go down to her brother. From behind her took out his wand and held it; pointing at her back. She turned around when a second year whispered that she had a wand at her back. She closed her eyes and said, "Severus if you want me too, I'll tell the Headmaster, but please don't do this. Not here, not now, not ever; if you do you'll lose me Severus. Forever and I won't go back."

"I won't either," Lily said as she went over to them. Jackie looked at her; Severus frowned and lowered his wand. Lily looked fearful, "Severus I can't be friends with you anymore, not after this; I've also noticed the magic you've come up with and it scares me-."

"Lily, I-."

She held up her hand, she had tears in her eyes, but was holding them back. "Please Severus don't talk to me anymore, stay away from me." she cried as she hurried away as Sirius came over.

"Lily!" Sev yelled after her and then turned to Jackie. "I lost her." he muttered.

"Because you scared her Sev, you can't do that to people." She said looking back at James, "You're a very good wizard Severus Tobias, but the magic you wield is dangerous. You called her a Mudblood, what did you expect her to do. Anyway, I didn't give you those spell books to manipulate into deathly concoctions." She told him, Sirius took her hand and she held it tight in her own. "Lily is right; I can't be your friend either if you continue this massacre of deadly spells." She said and turned and left. Severus was the one who was hurt and humiliated and he was the one who lost two good friends.

Jackie knew she did a good thing, but also a bad one; Severus was her best friend after all. A week after that happened she spoke with him and they became friends again when she admitted she was wrong.

Severus got Jackie Cross back, but not Lily Evans who was always asking if James was alright now; Jackie wanted them to get together, but in the sense that they don't because she chose James over Severus by the way she had. Nevertheless, both boys were given detentions for the remaining of the school year and avoided each other as much as possible. Jackie also was angry with Sirius for letting James do that to him; she also avoided him for a long time. So long he thought they were broken up after five years; when the train pulled in, she found him a the compartment with James, Peter, and Remus.

"Do you forgive me Jacks?" he asked.

"Yeah, me too?" James muttered avoiding eye contact.

She nodded telling them, "Sev and I decided to part as friends. Probably a good thing from here on out," she looked at her brother. "James, just stay away from him for next year, please." She asked him. He said he'd try and she hugged him.

That summer after Sirius moved out- with Jackie behind him- he went to live with James and his mother and father Dorea and Charlus Potter. She didn't want to leave Regulus but had no choice… she had to make a choice and she chose her boyfriend. Dorea and Charlus welcomed the two teenagers into their home but made sure they had separate rooms. They even asked about Jamie and Jodie, Cygnus told them that they were living with distant relatives; they wanted more then that, but she admitted that the relatives came to get them; she didn't take them to them. Dorea even wanted Jackie to call her 'mum' and Charlus agreed she could call him 'dad' as well. she began calling them that almost right away, at first she felt like she betraying her mother, but Sirius told her that Chelsea would want her to be happy; she had kissed him when he told her that and agreed with him. That summer Jackie also began learning the troubling process of cooking and proper house care as she helped out too make her stay more welcoming. She found she wasn't exactly the best cook, but at least she could and gradually got better with Dorea's help. Once a month for three months (three times) Remus came over and they went out all night as their animals; Remus could be controlled better when he had his animal friends with him.

Angel and Spike had worked together not long ago when they went back to London; they found Jackie, now living with a very wealthy family and dating one of the brothers. Her sisters had disappeared and her parents dead, at sixteen now she was very beautiful and beginning her sixth year at her school. One the first night they found her she left with her boyfriend, his brother and two others as they hurried down to a cemetery.

"Come on Remus, you can make it," Peter begged him to hurry. Sirius came back and helped his werewolf friend get there in time. They helped Moony to the Black Cemetery because it was close and no one goes there; he changed in the mausoleum and they kept the door open and turned into their animals and went with him all night as they went around the city at night. Four different creatures and a grown werewolf. James came back and pulled him into the back room; Remus hated it when people watched him change. Spike snuck a peek in through a window and saw him change into a ravishing beast. He liked it and as a human passed the cemetery he ate her quickly and suffered a beating from Angel.

Jackie came out; Angel sensed the impureness of her and ignored it. He didn't care, she wasn't his daughter and besides he can't have kids so why would he want to care at all. As she looked back she moved aside as Remus came out, slashing at the air as he ran from the cemetery. As James and Sirius came from the mausoleum, they turned into the bear-like dog and stag and chased after him. Peter smiled and chuckled, they usually never left the Black Family Cemetery on full moon nights; just as extra precaution. Remus was thrashing, tonight.

"He doesn't seem pleased with the large wall." Peter muttered, Jackie shrugged.

"Will you be riding on my back again Peter?" she asked, he laughed and nodded.

"I've never ridden a bird before now!" he said happily. They both laughed as they turned into a rat and a swan. Spike privately thought the swan fit her well. Her long neck reach at about 4 feet above the ground, the small rat stood out on her white feathers. She actually could fly as well. She went out above them, keeping as look-out was more like it. Sirius and James messed around getting Remus to do what they wanted; Jackie turned back into herself once she got on top of the mausoleum and Peter did as well.

She sighed, "Sirius is being mean again." She muttered, Peter looked over the edge and saw she was right. They were wrestling around in the grass away from the graves. "Okay maybe just playful," she said quickly when Sirius was thrown to his back and he whined a little. "Serves you right Padfoot Black!" she yelled. Peter laughed and clapped his hands. Sirius stood and looked up at her; she made sure James had Remus far before he turned into himself.

"What the hell does that mean luv?" he called back.

She pointed at Remus, "I can see the crimson from here." She meant blood, "please be careful, I don't want to dress your wounds again. Last month was just gross," she called. He laughed at her, he saw Prongs galloping his way and turned quickly into the dog again and took over the chase. James took a break, being a stag was tiring when you're not used to it yet. Remus howled at the moon and Sirius did too. Somewhere Jackie knew that muggles were yelling for the two dogs to shut up; she and Peter laughed when he voiced her thoughts about that.

James climbed up the ivory and to them on the roof of the mausoleum, "seen anyone yet?" he asked her, she shook her head. "You're a good look-out little sister," he told her. She stared at him.

"I'm good at other things too!" she snapped, but she grinned. He put his arm around her shoulders and she went to look behind the mausoleum. "JAMES!" she yelled as she saw Remus holding the body of a woman. He sprinted over and Angel could smell the fear, so could Spike. "Sirius, get him into the mausoleum, quick!" she yelled, he barked signifying his understanding her and growled for him to get inside.

He dropped the woman's body (thankfully he did) and Jackie had to wait for Peter to turn as she had to get them both down to the ground. She turned into her human self as she ran over and knelt back down to the woman.

Sirius ran over, "I didn't see him do anything I swear!" he cried, James went to him and told him everything would be alright. Angel hurried over realizing it was the same woman Spike killed. They all took out wands.

"Don't worry; I know who killed her, your friend didn't do it."

"That's very reassuring-."

Jackie put her hand over Sirius's mouth, "no he's right." Sirius and James looked at her; she used her own hand to move the woman's head to the left. On the right side of her neck were two small holes signifying a vampire's kill. "Why'd you kill her Angel?" she asked recognizing him. He stared at her, impressed she knew him; he had had to tell Spike her name because he had forgotten. He went over and grabbed Spike and threw him down at their feet, as if forcing him to beg for mercy. "He did it, he killed her?" she asked, Angel nodded and told the boys what they were.

"Vampires?" James and Sirius said at the same time, Peter hid behind James. Spike instead got up and made a move toward Jackie, but she hit him; Sirius never felt more proud.

"That's for threatening my life and my brother's, I hope you remember." She growled, James suddenly remember why Spike looked familiar. He took out his wand and held it at Spike's neck.

"You nearly killed me that day." he said, Sirius looked at Jackie.

Spike laughed, "Still alive and kickin' though, aren't you?" he made a point and Jackie put her hand on his and lowered his wand for him.

James looked at her, "He was turned by Drusilla in 1860, 110 years before we were born James. He's much stronger then a few spells," she glanced at him. "He's not worth it anyway."

"You did your research, fine then, who turned Dru?"

"The master is first, Darla, Angelus or Angel," she looked at Angel. "Then he turned a hunter's very young daughter and Dru who turned you. I memorized the book, somewhat anyway, come one quiz me." she grinned, Sirius chuckled.

She looked at James; he put his wand away and looked at the building where their werewolf was being held. "Fine," he looked back at Spike. "But if you ever try to kill me or my sister again, I'll kill you first." Sirius nodded glaring at Spike.

Angel spoke up, "I thought you two boys were brothers?"

Sirius and James looked at each other, "No, Jackie and James is the brother-sister grouping," then Sirius added. "I'll be James' brother-in-law in less then three years."

"With that in mind I guess you could call him your brother now couldn't you Sirius?" Jackie asked, he smiled and shrugged and took her hand; she chuckled and whispered something in his ear.

The sound of breaking glass could be heard.

"You seem young to be thinking of marrying him, don't you?" Angel asked the three boys hurried around the check on Remus. She shrugged.

"We're in a war Angel, we want to live our lives, have and raise families. I know it does seem fast but it natural for wizards to marry young, and it's also common for people in Sirius' family to marry each other. Try marrying your second cousin twice removed!" she grinned. He shook his head, but smiled. He liked her, like a friend but still thought she was going too fast with the vows thing.

As they walked around to the front of the building, Remus was fighting with Sirius as his dog form. "He'll get hurt!" Angel told her, she nodded. At least she knows that, he thought. "Don't do anything to help me," he said finally and pulled Sirius out and put himself in. Spike yelled that he was a fool for going up against a grown werewolf. Jackie went to Sirius who was bleeding on the ground. Peter and James helped Sirius move to a safer spot while Jackie watched Angel, a vampire go up against Remus, a werewolf. Angel finally elbowed him and Remus was down for the count. Jackie went over to Remus and Angel was there in case he jumped up to bite her suddenly. He never did.

"Is he alright?" James asked fearful that the fight between the two mythical creatures killed one of them. She looked at him and nodded he'll be fine.

Angel knelt down, "I'll help you move him inside. He'll be out for a few hours probably the rest of the night."

"Thanks Angel." Jackie could only choke out; she thought Moony was gone as well.

Sirius went over to her as Angel dragged the wolf inside the building, "I love you Jackie, so- don't go to Remus again when you look like this and when he looks like that. Okay?" he whispered taking her hands. She nodded and he kissed her.

"I love you too Padfoot." She whispered. The necklace around her neck caught Angel's eye, the Amarra gem; she still had it.