DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything in this chapter, aside from a few mentioned characters. The poem, "Childhood is the Kingdom Where Nobody Dies," belongs to Edna St. Vincent Millay.


"Forever is a long time, but I wouldn't mind spending it by your side." ~ I Wouldn't Mind by He is We


Chapter 29- One Year Together Alice's POV

On the day that Dad died, for the first time in years, I actually took the time to sit back, and think about that day. I had been so busy during the last few years, I hadn't really had the time to grieve. Now I had time, and I had Jasper, who tried the best he could to keep me happy. Now that I had forgiven him entirely, it was easier to grieve for him.

"Good morning," Jasper said, kissing my temple.

"Good morning," I murmured.

"What have you been up to?" he asked quietly, as I turned to face him.

"I've been thinking."

"About?"

"Do you know what today is?"

He thought about it.
"June eighteenth," he said after a moment. Then, it all clicked and his eyes widened. "Al, I didn't—"

I shook my head, and held a finger up to his lips.

"No, don't. It's okay. I was just thinking….I've never really had time to grieve for him. The first year….I was so busy with my undercover work, and I was gone before the second year came."

Jasper closed his eyes, and kissed my temple again, but lingered there.

"Alice, I know it's hard, but you don't have to go through it alone."

"When he died, I was working on forgiving him," I said quietly. "We had been spending the day together, and he was trying to get to know me more."

Jasper pulled me tightly to him, and I closed my eyes again.

I could remember the day Dad died just as clearly as I remembered the day Mum died.
Since Christmas, I had been spending more and more time at Grimmauld Place. Remus insisted Dad and I tried to fix our relationship, and I myself didn't think it was that bad of an idea.

"What happened to our old house?" Dad asked, not looking up from his cards.

"When I turned seventeen, it was transferred over to my name. It's still there."

"And your mother's stuff?"

"It's still there. Her wand, clothes. Everything. I haven't been back."

"Have you thought about going back?"

I shrugged.

"I haven't been there since the night you were arrested. Remus left me with Molly and Arthur while he went back to get my stuff. I had nightmares for some time…."

I trailed off, and looked up to Remus, who wasn't quite meeting my eyes.

Dad turned back and looked at him too.

"Is he okay?" Dad asked me quietly.

"I don't know," I murmured back. "He's been like this for a few weeks."

"You two didn't get into a fight, did you?"

I shook my head.

"No."

"When is the full moon?"

"It was the first of the month."

Dad leaned back in his chair, and learned to Remus.

"Alright there, Moony?" he asked loudly.

Remus jumped, and looked up from his book.

"What?"

"Are you alright, sweetheart?"

He smiled weakly and nodded.

"Yes. I'm perfectly fine."

I looked back at Dad.

"I'm scared that he's going to leave me," I said, quietly.

"I don't think he will. He loves you a lot. Besides, if he does, I'll kill him."

I laughed and leaned back, as Dad winked at me.

From the other room, I thought I heard the sharp bang of the fireplace.

"Did you hear that?" I asked, looking up again.

From the next room, it sounded like Harry yelling, then the crackle of the Floo system.

The three of us looked at each other before I jumped to my feet. As I stood, I was hit with a vision, which almost caused me to fall backwards.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood stood in a dark room with glowing orbs. Harry stepped forward and reached for one of the glowing prophecies. In the next instance, Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange was walking towards Harry and the others. The scene of the vision shifted, and I was shown a tattered, black veil. The veil had whispers coming from it. It shifted again, and I was shown a sign that said, The Department of Mysteries.

"Alice?" Dad asked, holding tightly onto my elbows. "What is it?"

"Harry," I murmured as my eyes struggle to focus. "He's going to the Department of Mysteries. Death Eaters are going to be there."

Once I regained my balance, I bounded out of the room to the room I had heard Harry's voice. Kreacher sat in the floor near the fireplace, grinning.

"Kreacher!" I exclaimed, catching his attention. "Was Harry here? Did he come through the fireplace? Answer me honestly!"

"Yes, Little Miss," Kreacher said with glee. "Harry Potter came to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place searching for Master Sirius."

"What did you tell him Kreacher?"

"Master Sirius was not home. That he would not return from the Department of Mysteries."

"Stupid elf!" Dad roared from behind me.

I turned on him.
"Dad, that's enough!"

Remus turned to me.
"Alice, you must gather the Order. Tell them they must meet us here."

I nodded, and pulled my wand from my cloak.

"Expecto Patronum!"

The silver glistening dog sprang from my wand, and turned to face me.

"Find Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Nymphadora Tonks. Tell them to come to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. I had a vision, and Harry is in trouble."

The dog bowed his large head before disappearing.

"Alice!" Dad said, running up to me. "We don't have time to wait for them!"

"We must," I said. "Harry's smart, and he'll get them through this—"

"We don't have time! We have to help him!"

"The best way for you to help him, is to stay here and wait!" I exclaimed, pushing him into a chair. "We have to figure out the best way in!"

Suddenly I heard footsteps rushing through the room, and Remus appeared with the three Order members I had sent for.

"Black!" Mad-Eye exclaimed pointing at me. "What exactly did you see?"

"Harry, Hermione Granger, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood were going to the Department of Mysteries. They're trying to find Dad. Kreacher told Harry Dad wouldn't come back from the Department of Mysteries."

"What section were they in?"

"There were prophecies," I said.

"Hall of Prophecy," Tonks mumbled under her breath.

"And there was a black tattered veil."

"That sounds like the Death Chamber," Kingsley said.

"You got a number for the isle in the Hall of Prophecy?" Mad-Eye demanded.

I shook my head.

"Close your eyes," Kingsley said.

We all turned to look at him.

"Kingsley, we don't have time to—"

"Sirius if you want to find Potter, then your daughter needs to get us a number. So I suggest you let us do this." He turned to me. "You. Eyes closed, now."

I closed my eyes.

"Alice, focus on that vision, and bring it back," Kingsley said.

I sighed, and focused on the vision I had previously seen.

"Do you have it?" Mad-Eye asked. He sounded far away.

"Yes," I murmured.

"Focus on your surroundings," Kingsley said.

I looked around the glowing hall. A little ways down, I could see a marker. I focused on the blurry marker, and the more I focused, the clearer it became.

"Ninety-seven," I said, snapping my eyes back open.

"Lupin and both Blacks," Mad-Eye said, snapping to gain our attention.

The three of us turned to him.

"You three go first. If she sees anything else, she can move quicker."

We nodded, and Remus, who had a hold on my waist, reached for Dad's hand.

The tube was tight as the three of us squeezed through, appearing in front of the phone booth.

I jerked open the door and stepped inside. Remus kept an arm around my waist.

"When we get to that floor, we can't wait," I said, to the two of them after I got our badges. "If they see Dad, they'll ambush us."

"I'll change into my Animagus form."

"Won't they know it's you?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"I'm not like you. I didn't register."

Before I could get another word out he shifted, and the lift came to a jerking hault. Once we were outside the doors, Dad shifted back, and everyone caught up.

"So we're going to the Hall of Prophecy, isle ninety-seven, right?" Tonks asked.

I closed my eyes and focus on Harry.

"They're not there anymore," I mumbled. "They've moved."

"Find them!" Dad exclaimed.

Behind me, I could hear shouting, and my eyes snapped open.

I turned and kicked the door open before running inside, everyone else following behind me.

Lucius Malfoy looked up, and raised his wand to Dad.

"Stupify!" Tonks and I shouted in unison.

Both streaks of light hit him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

I Apparated off the platform, and directly in front of Antonin Dolohov.

"Crucio!" he hollered.

I felt my knees buckle as I dropped to the ground, but nothing registered. I could hear screaming, but I didn't know where it was coming from. I couldn't focus on anything but the pain.

I struggled to raise my hands, suddenly thankful for being able to do wandless magic.

I concentrated on the wand in the Death Eater's hand as best as I could, and suddenly it clattered against the floor and the pain stopped. So did the screaming. I grabbed my wand, and pointed it at his chest.

"Stupify!" I gasped weakly.

Much like the older Malfoy, he flew backwards across the room.

Remus was ducking through the jets of light, running to me.

"Alice!" he yelled.

"I'm okay," I gasped, and he pulled me into his arms.

"Sirius and I heard you screaming. He was going to come find you, but I told him to go find Harry. That I'd come for you."

In the pain, I had forgotten why we were here. Harry.

"Come on," I yelled. "We have to hurry!"

We ran through to where Dad was fighting. The jets of light had stopped, but I wasn't sure why.

"Come on!" Dad teased, his voice echoing through the room, as he ducked out of the way of a red light. "You can do better than that!"

The second jet of red light hit him scare in the chest. He laughed as his eyes widened in surprise.

It took Dad a long time to fall. His body curved into an arc and he fell through the veil. The second his body touched the veil, he was gone.

The room was silent as we waited for Dad to come back through the whispering veil. He didn't reappear. Bellatrix screamed, triumphantly.

"SIRIUS!" Harry bellowed. "SIRIUS!"

Harry ran forward, and Remus sprinted after him.

I was held frozen in place, unable to bring myself to move as I watched wide eyed in horror.

"DAD!" I screamed.

I wasn't frozen anymore, and I moved to run forward.

Suddenly, someone held me back, pinning me to them. After I moment, I could see that it was Kingsley.

"Kingsley let me go!" I shrieked, fighting against him. "DAD!"

Mine and Harry's screams echoed off the walls of the room.

"LET ME GO!" I screamed, clawing at Kingsley's hands.

"You know I can't do that, Alice. I'm sorry. He's gone."

"HE'S NOT GONE!"

"HE IS NOT DEAD!" roared Harry from beneath me. "SIRIUS!"

I stopped thrashing against Kingsley's hold, and crumpled to the floor, and sobbed.

Kingsley let go of me, rushing forward to take Dad's place in the duel with Bellatrix.

I looked around the room. The fight seemed to have continued. I clutched my wand and jumped to my feet, rushing for Bellatrix.

"Alice!" Remus shouted. "Harry, no!"

"She killed Sirius!" Harry bellowed at him. "She killed him! I'll kill her!"

Bellatrix, who was halfway up the stairs now, turned, and fire one more spell, which hit me in the chest.

I fell forward, my legs bound together. Harry disappeared in the same direction Bellatrix had gone. Footsteps ran behind me, and Remus was pulling me into his arms.

He muttered a spell under his breath, and my legs were free.

I turned in his arms, and buried my face in his chest. While I sobbed, he rocked me side to side.

"I'm so sorry, Alice."

"He's not gone," I said again. My voice was muffled by his robes.

I knew he had to be gone at this point. However, I thought that if I said it enough times he'd come through the veil laughing, saying it was all a joke. The joke wasn't funny.

"He is, Alice," Remus said. His voice was muffled as he buried his face in my hair. "He's gone."

My sobs echoed off the walls of the Death Chamber. Remus held me tightly, and began crying himself. Kingsley, Tonks, and Mad-Eye made their way to us.

Sometime later, after I cried all that I could cry, the Minister approached me.

"Ms. Black, I am so terribly sorry for your loss," he said, crouching down in front of Remus and I.

I stared up at him, but I couldn't speak.

"Given the proof that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned, we have no choice to believe Mr. Potter's story that he gave last June," the Minster continued, pulling out a piece of parchment paper from his robes. "Taking that story into account, we have to believe that Peter Pettigrew is alive. Therefore, Sirius Black is determined innocent, and is now a free man."

"So that's what it took?" I asked. My voice was raspy, and barely went above a whisper. "It took his death to make him free again?"

"Ms. Black, I am truly sorry—"

"I lost twelve years with him," I interrupted. "If I had those twelve years, maybe our relationship would have been better than it was when he died."

The Minister looked at the ground for a long time. When he spoke to me, he didn't meet my eyes.

"Ms. Black, we will be sending Dumbledore to your residence, after you've had time to rest of course, to sort out your father's will."

"Thank you, Minister," Remus said, nodding at him.

"Of course."

He turned and looked at me.

"I truly am sorry, Ms. Black."

"Come on," Remus said in my ear. "Let's go home. The Order is going to meet us there. Once we get there, I will send Floo Molly, and see about Fred and George coming over."

He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, and we were gone from the Death Chamber.

"We were working through everything," I said mumbled against Jasper's shoulder. "We were in a good place the day he died."

"That's good."

I looked at Jasper.

"I told him I was scared Remus was going to leave me."

"What'd he say?"

"That if Remus left me, he'd kill him."

I grinned and Jasper laughed.

"Do you think Sirius was mad when Remus got to wherever you go after you die?"

I thought about it for a moment.

"If I know my Dad, I'd say he was happy to see him first, and then he'd be angry with him."

Jasper laughed and I smiled up at him.

"Tell me more about him," Jasper said. "Tell me more about all of them."

"Well what do you want to know?" I asked, closing my eyes. "You know just about everything there is to know about them."

Jasper thought about it.

"I don't know what else there is to know," he said. "I just want to know more."

So I told him stories. Of my days in Hogwarts, and my days in training to be an Auror.

"I thought about becoming an Unspeakable. But after Dad died…." I trailed off and looked up to Jasper.

"An Unspeakable?"

"They work in the Department of Mysteries. I was asking Kingsley about it. But once I saw Dad die in the Death Chamber…."

Jasper put a finger under a chin, and tilted my head back so I was looking at him.

"It's all going to be okay. Don't be sad."

He leaned down and kissed me.

"He wasn't supposed to die," I said quietly.

"What?"

"Dad. He wasn't supposed to die. Bellatrix didn't hit him with the Killing Curse. He wouldn't have died if he hadn't went through the veil."

Jasper closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against the side of my head.

"But," I said, taking his hand in mine, "wherever he is, he has Mum again. And James, and Lily, and Remus. Wherever he is, he's happy. "

Jasper smiled, and I turned to face him.

"And I am here with you. And I'm happy."

Jasper beamed at me.

The day passed, and the day after. On my birthday, Jasper came up to me grinning. He held roses in one hand, and a box in the other.

"Happy birthday!" he exclaimed, kissing my cheek.

"Thank you, Jasper," I said, kissing his cheek as he placed the flowers and box in my hand. "Is this what you've been changing your mind about?"

He nodded proudly.

"I found it a few weeks ago. Open it."

I placed the flowers behind me on the bed, and moved to open the box.

Inside was a ring. It was silver, and inside sat an unfamiliar stone. It was red, and had a few black lines running through it.

"It a jasper stone," he said, as if he had read my mind.

I laughed, and looked up to him.

"It's beautiful, Jasper."

"It gives you courage," he said, taking the ring from the box and sliding it onto my right ring finger.

"Are you calling me a coward?" I teased, looking up at him.

"Of course not," he said, kissing my forehead.

I smiled and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you," I said. "I love it."

"I'm glad."

He kissed me again and looked down at my hands.

"You're not wearing your other rings."

"I have a lot of rings," I said, looking down at my hands. If I wear them all at once, I'm going to start looking like a gypsy."

He laughed.

"Well that's a good point."

I looked up to him.

"But I do love the rings you've given me."

He smiled and kissed me.

"Good to know. Happy birthday, Al."

"Thank you."

He hugged me tightly to him.

"I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you too," I said, grinning up at him.

In the days leading up to the anniversary to the day we met, I spent time in the city, aiming to find the perfect gift. We had decided that we would celebrate our anniversary on the day we met, since we had always been something more than friends.

The day before our anniversary, I found a gift, and I felt like it wasn't much, but it would do.

"I know it's not much," I said, sheepishly, shaking my head. "I asked around, and they say for the first anniversary something paper would be good. Books, calendars, things like that….although I think they were talking about marriage and—"

Jasper cut me off by kissing me and smiled.

"I love it."

"You had said you liked philosophy," I said.

He smiled and nodded.

"I do. I like it. Besides, I did the same thing."

He leaned over the bed, and pulled out a box before handing it to me.

"I thought the ring you gave to me on my birthday was my present."

He shook his head.

"No. I gave you that on your birthday. It was for your birthday. This isn't your birthday."

He smiled, and handed me the box.

"Open it," he said.

I smiled, and moved to open the box.

Inside was a book titled Collected Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

"I thought maybe you'd want more Muggle reading outside your fairy tales."

I grinned.

"I love it, and I love my fairy tales thank you very much."

He laughed and pulled me close to him.

"I know you do. But I figured you might want to try something else."

"Why this though? All the books in the world, and yet you chose this?"

He grinned.
"That's because this book, happens to hold a poem I like."

"Really?"

He took the book from me.

"Would you like me to read it to you?"

I nodded.

He flipped through the pages, and I closed my eyes. His mouth lingered close to my ear as he began reading to me.

"Childhood is not from birth to a certain age and at a certain age, the child is grown, and puts away childish things. Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.

Nobody that matters, that is. Distant relatives of course die, whom one never has seen or has seen for an hour, and they gave one candy in a pink-and-green stripéd bag, or a jack-knife, and went away, and cannot really be said to have lived at all."

His voice was soothing as he read.

"And cats die. They lie on the floor and lash their tails, and their reticent fur is suddenly all in motion, with fleas that one never knew were there, polished and brown, knowing all there is to know, trekking off into the living world. You fetch a shoe-box, but it's much too small, because she won't curl up now: So you find a bigger box, and bury her in the yard, and weep. But you do not wake up a month from then, two months, a year from then, two years, in the middle of the night, and weep, with your knuckles in your mouth, and say Oh, God! Oh, God!

Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies that matters—mothers and fathers don't die."

He paused, and glanced down at me.

I was comfortable. Between Jasper's soothing voice, and the tight hold he had around me, it made me feel safe.

"Should I continue?" he asked in my ear.

I nodded.

"Please do."

He smiled, and returned his attention to the book.

"And if you have said, 'For heaven's sake, must you always be kissing a person?' Or, 'I do wish to gracious you'd stop tapping on the window with your thimble!' Tomorrow, or even the day after tomorrow if you're busy having fun, is plenty of time to say, 'I'm sorry, mother.'

"To be grown up is to sit at the table with people who have died, who neither listen nor speak; who do not drink their tea, though they always said, tea was such a comfort.

"Run down into the cellar and bring up the last jar of raspberries;

they are not tempted. Flatter them, ask them what was it they said exactly that time, to the bishop, or to the overseer, or to Mrs. Mason; they are not taken in.

Shout at them, get red in the face, rise, drag them up out of their chairs by their stiff shoulders and shake them and yell at them; they are not startled, they are not even embarrassed; they slide back into their tea is cold now. You drink it standing up, and leave the house."

He closed the book, and laid it down at my side.

"So tell me," he said, "do you like these more than your fairy tales?"

I shook my head.

"Never."

"Do you at least like it?"

I grinned.

"Of course I like it. You gave it to me, so I'll read it, of course."

"Even if you don't, I will," he said smiling.

I laughed and turned in his arms to face him.

"Well some use will come out of it."

I pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Thank you, Jasper."

He smiled, and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Don't thank me," he murmured. "I'd give you the world if I could."

I grinned.

"I already have the one thing I want."

"What's that?" he questioned, his voice turned more soothing than it had been before.

"You," I said, smiling.

"Forever," he murmured before kissing me.


Happy Valentine's Day! I unintentionally wrote this chapter corresponding to Valentine's Day….Well technically my time, it's not Valentine's Day yet. We still have two hours. BUT on any note, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and those to come.

New chapters will come soon, so be on the lookout!

Follow, favorite, and review! :)(: