Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter twenty-nine – Till Death do They Part (I loved this title too much to get rid of it)

Song: Dare You to Move – Switchfoot


After that night I was more careful of hiding my secrets from Cissy. I knew she would want to know about Reggie but I couldn't tell her. Mainly because I was worried about what Malfoy would get out of her, but also because I knew Reggie. She would leave again eventually, and I don't think Cissy could take it a second time. I doubted I could take it, but I had no choice.

I spent much of my time with Reggie now, catching up on old times. She told me about a boy she had met in the village and was trying to protect and take care of like her own child. She told me about her new muggle life, and many other things. She claimed to be married now. Not legally of course, but she claimed that she and Sirius were married. I eventually got used to this. It caused more fights between me and Sirius though.

Reggie had one request in staying here with Sirius. She wanted the children to know nothing of her presence here. She did not want to meet Harry, she constantly had to tell Sirius, and she had no need to know the other children either. It hurt the fatherly side of Sirius that kept promising Harry that once things were smoothed out they could be a proper family and I couldn't help but wonder what Reggie thought of this, but he kept her wish, and I did as well. But Reggie wasn't as careful as she should have been. The children were all convinced that there was a ghost in the house (Reggie was still very pale) but Granger was smarter then she should have been, and eventually figured out there was someone else in the house. And who did she go to? Not Sirius, like she should have. Not the Weasleys, even though they would have told her. Not Remus, although I could see why. She came to me!

It was one of those days where the children were off of school and Reggie was spending the time in her room. Being very antisocial. Of course Sirius had forbidden me to set foot in the upstairs part of the house, but Reggie was still an expert at pouting, and always got her way. When she spent her days in her room I was allowed to visit, although I always had the strange feeling of being watched. Sirius had been studying his spying charms, ever the mistrustful one.

I was just leaving her room so she could go to sleep, but I forgot to look both ways as I left the room, and ran right into The Golden Trio as I left the room.

"What the hell are you doing in Sirius's room!?" Harry said outraged. He must have gotten a fresh shipment of teenage hormones today.

"You were going though his stuff weren't you!?" Ron asked.

"Or maybe master Sirius called him for some fun," that damned house elf said, appearing out of nowhere. I caught Harry's hood as he leapt forward, probably intent on pounding the little thing to a pulp.

"I was merely fetching papers for Sirius," I responded in a low growl as the little elf ran away as fast as he could from Harry, who I swear was growling. Like godfather like godson. For a moment I worried about letting go of Harry for fear that he would bite me. But the moment I let go he and his little boyfriend stormed down the stairs. Hermione however remained.

"Professor, was Sirius ever married?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering who the ghost wandering around this house is," she said, but the way she put air quote around the word ghost worried me, She looks oddly familiar…"

"Miss Granger, what are you implying?"

"Is she the girl from the picture?"

"Miss Granger!"

"She is, but she loves Sirius, that's why it made you sad, and you told everyone she was dead. But now that Sirius is back so is she, and that's why you were in the room. She is either cheating on him or you're hoping she is cheating on him."

"You were almost all correct, now run along and go play with your little friends, or at least keep them from setting themselves on fire."

"Where was I wrong… oh, you actually believed she was dead didn't you?"

"Run along!"

"Good day professor!" she called as she almost skipped down the stairs.

Damn kids! Reggie was going to be mad with me.

Of course Ganger managed to keep her secret. Or at least I suspected she did, since Reggie didn't mention anything.

But of course good things never last. Reggie wouldn't be staying with us forever. But for now things seemed to be going just fine.

Until the night at the ministry. I wanted to go, but Dumbledore had insisted I stayed put. It wouldn't be good for me to go and ruin things for the order, especially right after Malfoy torturing me. He had gotten nothing out of me, and been in trouble for hurting the precious spy. I was beginning to see why Reggie had liked her old job. It came with special privileges.

So I could do nothing but sit in my little run down house that hadn't been cleaned in the last two years I watched out the window for a signal that the fight was over. I could do nothing but pray Reggie hadn't gone along, but chances are she did, and she was dieing right now. Oh how I wanted to help, but I couldn't blow my cover, for either side.

The wait seemed to go on forever, but eventually Dumbledore told me I could leave the house and I ran straight to the order's headquarters. First I searched among the downstairs where the ones who had fought were returning. Reggie was not among them, but neither was Sirius, and I knew he must have gone. Had they died together?

"Severus," Molly said, gently touching my arm.

"Where is she?" I demanded, sadness welling up inside, ready to let anger take over.

"She's sleeping, but we don't want to wake her. He died tonight by the hand of Bellatrix, your old friends wasn't she? We're worried how Reggie will take it," Lupin said solemnly, the last marauder alive (not counting Peter who was dead inside).

"And how do you plan on telling her?"

"We aren't sure, but we don't want her to run away again."

"So you are going to lock her in her room!" I said, they seemed offended I was screaming right after they told me Reggie was asleep, but I knew Reggie, and she wasn't asleep.

Before they could fight me I was running to her room, but she ran into me first. I tried to comfort her, but she was delusional again. I knew Reggie, when she yelled she was mad, and I could handle that, I had before. I could handle the tears again as well. But she was stone cold. She didn't seem to care he was dead, but the suitcase in her hand was a clear indicator that she did know.

I tried to comfort her, but she didn't want to be comforted. I could see from the glint in her eye she wasn't sad, she was angry.

"Just tell me who killed him!" she said, ice in her voice.

"Reggie…"

"Just tell me!" she demanded.

"Don't go getting ideas of revenge, I'm here for you, I am."

"Tell me."

"Bellatrix," I said.

I offered her a place to stay, not wanting her to leave. I knew that talking to her was the only way to change her mind, but even that wasn't likely to work. Reggie was stubborn.

It didn't work. She wasn't thinking straight; death can do that to you.

As I pleaded with her, asked her to stay, if only for me she was clearly eager to push past me. If only she were taller. I saw Lupin watching from the kitchen doorway, he was fingering his wand. Whether to attack me or Reggie I wasn't sure, but I had my own wand if he tried anything funny.

"I'll stay for one night, and one night only Sevy," she bargained. Was this a joke? Was she trying to trick my to get by and out the door. Her hands slid up my neck, and as she kissed me I realized this wasn't a joke, or a ploy. She was hysterically insane, or did she mean it? Why was this still so confusing after so many years?

Part of me didn't want to pull away from her, as her fingers pulled on my tie, but the rationally thinking part, that part that wasn't consumed by my love for Reggie told my I couldn't let her go through with this. Well, that and the part of my brain that knew Lupin was still watching. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had hexed me dead right there, but he didn't.

Instead I pulled away from her and stumbled to give some speech about how I loved her, but if she didn't truly believe I was worth more then one night she should leave. I can't remember what I said. My brain didn't seem to be working right.

I bundled up the pain that came rushing back as she went running out the front door. The optimist inside me said, well, at least she isn't dead this time.

Lupin stepped forward, placing his hand on my shoulder. Was he going to kill me now for kissing his dead friend's wife? No, instead he just stood there as the rest of the order came out and followed his lead. Oh no! Were they going to hug me? But they didn't hug; they stood there, daring me to do something. To fall to my knees like I had done last time, to scream, to do anything, but for a moment I was frozen there. But the moment was over fast. I couldn't take the looks they were giving me. I pushed them aside and ran up the stairs to Reggie's room. Or I guess it was her old room now.

She had left in such a hurry that the closet was still open. Some of her dresses still hung in the closet. She had dropped pictures on the floor on her way out. I picked them up slowly and looked through them. My eyes fell on the picture of Reggie and me at my graduation party. It seemed a million years ago.

I let the pictures fall to the floor and dropped my head into my hands. Why wasn't my brain working right?

"You know, I secretly think she has always loved you more then Sirius, and that's why she doesn't want to start anything with you. She loves you too much to lose you," Remus said, sitting down next to me. Looks like I hadn't escaped the dreaded hug after all.

"She's already lost me twice," I muttered, still not looking at him.

"No, you've lost her. She's known all about you this whole time."

"Do you think she'll come back?"

"Let her cool off, and plan her revenge. She won't leave you forever. I get the feeling you'll be seeing her again."

"Thank you," I said, dreading the hug that would be coming next. But it didn't come. He just sat there with me, the hand on my shoulder. This time I wasn't alone when I lost her. I think that's what kept me from becoming completely emotionless again. I knew that I wasn't the only on hurting. Other people were sharing my pain, and they were managing to deal without blocking their emotions. I would deal with it too.