Sirius and Charlotte said their final goodbyes to Remus, Lily, and James as they arrived back in Sirius' flat. She wasn't surprised when he practically threw her body onto the couch. She whimpered a little bit when his body pressed into hers urgently.

"Charlotte…what do we do?" She shook her head sadly.

"I have no idea, Sirius. I just can't keep my hands off of you." He grunted in reply, agreeing with her statement and nuzzled his cheek into the crook of her neck.

"I'm so lost. I really don't know what we should do at this point." She nodded as well and ran her fingers through his raven hair.

"So who do you love more?" he suddenly asked.

"…" she responded so quickly Sirius looked up quizzically, his eyes telling her to say it again. She took a deep sigh and opened her mouth.

"I love you both," Sirius closed his eyes. He expected her to say that.

"I expected as much so. I just wish you could see what kind of guy he really is." He muttered bitterly. Her eyes opened wide and she shoved him off of her.

"What are you saying?"

"Charlotte. You may not realize this, but William Hallsworth is a bigger slut than I could ever be." He snapped. He intentionally didn't want to tell her this. She was happy with him and he made her smile all the time. He didn't want to see her cry but thought it was about time she knew the truth.

"How low can you get? You're just saying that because you want me to leave him! You know what? I take it back. I only love him." Sirius blinked. This, he was not expecting. Anger flashed through his veins and he bit his lip back His blood began to boil as he realized what just happened.

"You're so stupid!" it was her time to blink and she glared evilly at him.

"William has been the sweetest boyfriend I've ever had! I thought I loved you, Sirius Black! But you only care about yourself!" He scoffed and stood up.

"Are you calling me selfish? Me? The guy who would die for you, Charlotte!" He couldn't believe his ears.

"Die?" she whispered. He smirked and crossed his arms across his chest.

"That's right. I would die for you. That's how much I love you." She stood up abruptly and gave him the filthiest glare she could muster up.

"Die? Die, you say? You would die for me but you won't save me from fucking Donahue?" Sirius faltered and blinked, taking a step back as he peered onto her with a confused gaze.

"W-what?"

"I heard you, Sirius. I heard James and you talking after our duel! You totally disregarded Orion Black's orders! If it was for something mindless like kill some muggles, I would understand why you'd throw it away, but it said to stop my engagement to Donahue!" Sirius bit his lip back. Shit.

"Charlotte-"

"It's Ms. Striker to you, Mr. Black."

"Look! That was when we weren't talking! It's all different now-"

"Why? Because you slept with me? And here you stand saying you would die for me. All lies!" Sirius licked his lips nervously and looked away from her.

"That's not true." She shook her head and wiped her tears away as she whipped her wand in the air,

"I didn't want to bring the letter up, Sirius. I wanted to forget about it thinking you've changed, but I guess you haven't. William would never cheat on me. He's faithful and kind, and I love him." She said harshly, nostrils flaring up in the process. Sirius seemed to have been brought back to his senses as he saw multiple items flying out of the rooms and piling themselves back into her satchel.

"Charlotte. I would never hurt you."

"You already have," Sirius breathed hard and shook his head.

"Look. You can hate me or whatever, but I implore you to make the right decision. Hallsworth might seem like the perfect boyfriend, but he's not! I'm trying to protect you! He is capable of seriously hurting you!" She retreated for a moment and shook her head.

"Sirius, I…I think it's best if I leave." He took in a sharp breath and stared at her.

"Charlotte, please." She shook her head fervidly and turned around.

"You're afraid, aren't you?" He called. She stopped in her tracks and turned around slowly.

"Of what."

"Of trusting people." She blinked back her tears and shook her head.

"I trust people."

"Bullshit. You don't even trust Lily Evans."

"What are you going on about, Black."

"You tell her how important she is to you but you would never get closer to her because you're still paranoid of your parents and Damarcus! True Gryffindor you are!"

"Don't you dare involve Lily in this. I trust her with my life. She's got nothing to do with the situation at play,"

"You're doing it again! You're pushing away what I'm saying because you're afraid of the truth! You're the selfish bitch here!" He shouted losing all composure. She walked over briskly and slapped him across the face.

"You dare. I don't need to be scolded by the reject of the Black family." Sirius held his cheek, tasting some blood and grinned sadistically at her.

"You said the ring burned you right? Well it was right. Guess you belong in Slytherin with the rest of your filthy family after all!" She tried to slap him again, but he caught her wrist and twisted it, hearing her cry out in pain.

"Get out of my house." He whispered into her ear before throwing her on the ground. She glared at him and quickly retrieved her stuff and walked towards the fireplace, aware of Sirius' hard gaze on her back. She turned around one final time and found Sirius' eyes glazed with tears.

"Maybe it's a good thing we're leaving off things as it is now." He looked up and stared into her honey eyes.

"Perhaps you're right. We just have too much drama between us. This looks like our final goodbye."

"Have fun with yourself, Sirius Black."

"Enjoy having your heart broken many, many times Charlotte Striker." They stared at each other one final time and she turned around on her heel and grabbed a fistful of green sand.

"Lily Evans." Then she was gone. Sirius felt tears trickle down his face and he wrapped his head in his hands. This time, he didn't have Charlotte Striker to comfort him. He would never have her again.

Lily Evans rolled her eyes at her sister, Petunia Evans, and grabbed another cup of tea from her mother before making her way upstairs. Petunia's shrill scream made Lily turn around and race down the stairs as she saw a familiar figure in the fireplace. Petunia was on the floor, wheezing heavily, and Mrs. Evans had a hand over her heart as Mr. Evans sighed in relief.

"Charlotte?" Lily turned to her best friend and her eyes widened when she saw Charlotte's tear stained face.

"H-Hi, Lily."

"What are you doing here?" Lily asked, perplexed at her sudden intrusion.

"S-Sirius." She didn't have to say anymore as Lily wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Charlotte, dear! Are you alright?" Mrs. Evans asked worriedly, patting the sand off her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry to intrude…but may I stay here for a couple of days? Just until school starts again?" Lily nodded her head and Mr. Evans chuckled kindly.

"Charlotte. You don't have to ask. You're always welcome here." Charlotte smiled graciously at her best friend's parents and felt tears welling up in her eyes once more.

"No! She will not stay here! It's bad enough having one freak in here but two? Vernon would never come again!"

"Tuney!" Lily scolded, helping her dear friend up. Mrs. Evans gave Petunia a hard stare but Charlotte smiled sweetly at the elderly woman.

"It's alright. Tuney's just jealous. Right?" She sneered at the boney woman. Petunia snarled and ran up to her room, slamming the door. Lily sighed at her sister and looked over Charlotte. She was still wearing the dress from dinner and nodded at her parents.

"Come on. Let's get you freshened up. Mom, would you mind making us some hot chocolate?"

"Of course not! Help Charlotte get settled, dear. We'll deal with Petunia." Lily nodded and guided Charlotte to her room. The red head unpacked all of Charlotte's stuff and forced her into the shower. Charlotte stripped off her clothes and stepped into the warm shower, running the soap all along her nude body. She reached her collarbone and froze when she felt the pendant. She picked it up with soapy hands and stared at it quietly. It was a very simple thing, the simplest out of all the jewelry she owned and she loved it. The minimalistic qualities of it appealed to her sense of aesthetics more and she felt hot tears stream down her face. She knew her fight with Sirius was silly, but the man just knew the right buttons to push and she couldn't handle him asking her to break up with William. Although she didn't want to believe it, she did have a hunch William wasn't as faithful as he made out to be, but she couldn't just run off to Sirius again. He'd break her heart again and she wasn't sure if she could mend it if he did. She debated taking the damned thing off but shook her head, wanting to keep at least a piece of him to herself. She grabbed it and saw Sirius' steel eyes pop out in her mind. She sighed angrily and got out of the shower, magically drying her body and hair as she called forth a pair of her underwear, a large sweatshirt, and pajama pants. She walked out the door and saw Lily place two pillows on the bed as well as place two mugs of steaming hot cocoa on the bedside table.

"What happened?" She asked immediately.

"Sirius. I think we're done. For good."

"Why?"
"Lily….I'm just so tired of him…of our fights. We always have an argument and I've said so many horrible things to him tonight, I'll be surprised if he even talks to me."

"Maybe you guys are right. Although I still believe Sirius is good for you…well, better than Hallsworth, it's not healthy for a couple to fight as much as you two do."

"So what do I do?"

"Just pretend this whole fight never happened. When you see him, the best thing you'll have to do is act civilly and not get too close to him."

"I guess it is time to let him go," Lily nodded and wrapped an hand around hers.

"If you two are ready to mend the pieces, the time will come." She reassured. Charlotte smiled and hugged her friend loosely around the shoulders.

"Lily…You know I trust you with my life, right?" Charlotte could tell Lily was a bit shocked at her friend's confession but nodded, patting her back motherly.

"I know. Tomorrow, I'll show you around muggle London." Charlotte didn't respond as Lily felt her shoulder soaked. The red head turned to her friend and smiled softly when she found her sleeping silently, tears staining her rosy cheeks.

"Everything will turn out alright." Lily whispered before turning on her side and falling asleep as well.

After staying with Lily and her family over the break, Charlotte's mood lightened up considerably. Sirius had also decided to spend some time with James and his heart was mending as well. The two vowed to themselves not to be ever tempted to stray back to each other. They each decided it was time to forgive and forget. Charlotte would spend some nights wide awake in her bed, wanting to write to Sirius or actually going to his place. She had to stop herself from racing to the fireplace to just apologize to him or to see him. Sirius seemed to have a similar problem which annoyed James greatly. James just couldn't believe how much Sirius had changed over the past few weeks. From the confident Casanova, he now reminded James of a neglected puppy. Before they all knew it, they were all crowded around the train station once again, watching the Hogwarts Express with weary eyes.

"C'mon Charlotte. Let's find a seat before, they're all gone!" the brunette nodded and turned to her host parents for the past week and hugged them each.

"Mr. and Mrs. Evans…I can't thank you enough for taking me in,"

"Of course! You are like our third daughter! You're welcome any time!"

"Yes, please come visit soon. I prefer your casserole to the Mrs." Mr. Evans whispered to Charlotte. She laughed loudly and Mrs. Evans slapped him hard across the arm. The two elders stared at Charlotte with a kind expression and waved her off as she ran forward, still staring at them with an appreciative glance. She bumped into someone's broad shoulder and was spun around, winded by the pressure.

"Hey!" She looked up and smiled softly.

"William! How are you?"

"Baby, we haven't seen each other for a while and this is how you greet me?" She bit her lip but shook her head and grinned up at him.

"Come here," He laughed breathlessly and grabbed her waist and planted his lips firmly on hers. He spun her around, not caring what the general public thought.

"William?" a voice interrupted the two. William pulled his girlfriend off of him and turned around to see his mother giving him a firm stare.

"Who's this."

"Mother! This is Charlotte, my girlfriend." His mother gave her a condescending look and looked away disinterestingly.

"Charlotte Striker." William muttered, emphasizing her surname. His mother's face immediately brightened and she grabbed Charlotte's hands bowing her head.

"Ms. Striker. I am so glad you are dating my son!" Charlotte's eyebrows furrowed and wrenched her hands out of the elderly woman's.

"Thank you for your blessing. If you don't mind." She said before nodding to William and walking into the train. She peered out of the window and saw his mother lecturing him. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes walking towards the end of the train. She bumped into another person and was going to apologize but she saw just who it was.

"Sirius."

"Er…Hi Charlotte." He mumbled awkwardly. She took in a deep breath and turned to him.

"Could…Could I have a word with you?" He looked down towards the corridors and shrugged, his heart pounding furiously.

"Sure." She walked into an empty compartment and waited for Sirius. He walked in cautiously after her and took in a deep sigh.

"I…I don't like how we left off." Sirius nodded and sat down, elbows placed on his thighs.

"I agree. You know…I never meant to hurt you." She leaned against the window and nodded.

"Yeah. I know." Sirius sighed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"What now?"

"I think we should…just stop even being in contact with one another."

"A bit harsh," he bit back. So this was it then.

"Or we can still…just be friends." He looked up hopefully but shook his head and smiled instead.

"You're right…We can't keep hurting ourselves like this. Just friends." He agreed. She turned form the window reluctantly licking her lips. Why did he look so good today?

"Right. Just friends." She echoed. Sirius stood up and brushed his pants.

"I'll miss you." She smiled softly and held out her hand. He trailed his gaze from her hand to her chest, then to her face.

"Me too," he grabbed her hand and shut his eyes so tightly he could see sparks of white and he swung her into his arms and he inhaled her scent. She would've pulled away but he just felt so good and she found herself wrapping her arms around him as well. She realized their last conversation and pulled away hastily, clearing her throat.

"U-Um…Just friends, Sirius. Just friends." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Of course. I'll see you around." She gripped his hand one final time before nodding her head and walking out the compartment door. Sirius breathed hard and leaned down against the wall burrowing his head in his hands. It was really over. He couldn't believe they were done now. She slipped through his fingers like an elusive fox or an enigma. The only girl he'd ever come close to loving….wait no that was a lie. The only girl he ever loved walked out of his life forever and there was no way of getting her back. They'd both made their decisions to go their separate ways and he couldn't have left off things as well as they were now. He looked towards the window and combed his long black hair.

"Goodbye, Charlotte." James, Peter, and Remus walked in at the opportune moment, startled to see Sirius.

"Pads! When did you get here?"

"A while ago. Sorry Prongs. Couldn't wait too long." James shook his head and gave him a smile.

"Why did Charlotte leave? I just saw her!" Ah. Leave it to Peter to darken Sirius' already foul mood. Sirius snarled at him to which the mousy boy flinched and leaned against his seat, propping his legs up on the opposite seat.

"We're not really on speaking terms anymore." Remus shot him a wary glance to which Sirius ignored and turned his head stubbornly to look at James and force a smile.

"So, Prongsy. Ready for the Quidditch match soon?" James jumped in excitement and immediately started shouting joyously. Sirius sighed in relief and stared out the window blankly, completely oblivious to Remus' scrutinizing gaze.

Charlotte walked into the compartment with shaky hands and locked the door behind her. She was so glad Lily was alone and drew in a sharp breath as she started to relay what happened.

"I told him Lily. I told him, but I didn't know it was going to hurt this much," Lily dropped her book in an instant and opened her arms wide.

"Oh, Charlotte. It's okay. Everything will turn out for the better." Charlotte nodded wiping a lone tear and licked her lips.

"We decided to just be friends."

"That's good then!"

"I guess it is for the better. We can't keep hurting ourselves like this. It's not healthy for either one of us." She nodded and smiled at Charlotte.

"You're absolutely right. Let's just focus on our studies and try to finish this year strong."

"You're right. That seems like the best idea. Thanks Lily." Lily shook her head and smiled.

"Stay strong Charlotte. Don't let a guy steer you away from your path." Charlotte sighed at last and turned her attention out the window.

"That's right. My path." Charlotte muttered cryptically into the dark night surrounding the train, as she waited for the rest of her life to unfold, without Sirius Black.

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for sticking with me for so long! Thanks for all the faves, reviews and many nice comments. They are all very well appreciated. This story's not over; on the contrary this was the first part of a three part series! I hope ya'll enjoyed it!