Author's Note: Hello all! I just want to apologize for not updating sooner. Life is crazy right now. I hope you like this chapter. Just so you know...I've been writing a hell of a lot and I realized that this is going to be one long ass story. I'm sorry. A lot of ideas keep popping into my head and they are hard to ignore when they are beneficial to the story. I hope you don't mind. Well, I'll stop wasting your time. I hope you like it. Enjoy!


Chapter 51: Fools Rush In.

Andromeda walked into the room and smiled when she saw Lily and Sam hugging. They saw her and smiled. "How are you two doing?"

Lily smiled. "We are doing just fine." She nodded. "How are you?"

"I'm ok. I just wanted to check on the bride."

Sam looked pale. "I'm alright. I'm just a little nervous." She looked at Lily. "Do you think it worked?"

Andromeda looked confused as Lily laughed and nodded. "It worked, Sam. Don't worry about it."

"Lily, can I speak to Sam in private?" Lily nodded and left. She looked at Sam and sighed. "What were you two talking about?" Sam blushed and told her. Her eyes widened. "You really did that for him?" Sam smiled and nodded. "Do you really believe that he deserves that? Is he worth all this trouble?"

She gave her a weird look. "He is worth it. I love him and want to give him this. It's something he always wanted and I want to make him happy."

She hugged her tightly. "Sammy, you already make him happy. You don't need to do this for him."

"Andromeda, why are you saying that? Don't you want him to be happy?"

"Of course I do. I'm happy that he has someone as forgiving as you." Sam smiled. "Sam, you do love him, right? Would you forgive him anything?"

Sam stared at her like she was crazy. "Andy, I love Sirius very much. Are you ok?" Andy sighed. Sam's face fell. "Oh no! Has he changed his mind? Does he not want to marry me anymore?"

Andy shook her head. "No, that's not it at all! He loves you. He wants to marry you. He is so excited. I…uh…just wanted to make sure that you still wanted to marry him."

She let out a sigh of relief. "You scared me for a minute. I still want to marry him. You don't have to worry about that."

"Would you forgive him anything?"

She shrugged. "I guess so. It depends on what he did. If he cheated on me again, he knows that I would leave him in a heartbeat."

She nodded. "That's good to know. He won't do that again. He felt so guilty about doing that to you."

"I know." She hugged her. "We are going to be fine. We promised to be honest with one another and work through whatever problems come our way."

Andy shifted uncomfortably. "He said he would be honest?" Sam nodded. "I hope, for his sake, that he keeps his promise."

"He will. He has told me that he regretted leaving me and would do anything to make sure I stay with him."

She sighed. "He doesn't deserve you, Sammy."


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Mr. Meadows, the justice of the peace, stood by the window next to Sirius and Andy. Lily stood off to the side and held Sam's camera in her hands. Andy yanked on Sirius' arm and he winced. "We need to talk." Andy muttered in his ear.

Sirius looked at her. "Do we have to do it right now? It's about to start."

She gave him a look and he sighed. They excused themselves and went into the next room. She put up a silencing charm and glared at him. "Sirius, you have to tell her."

He sighed. "I know, Andy. I already said I would."

She gave him a pleading look. "You have to tell her before the wedding." He shook his head. "Sirius, don't you think it will be worse if you wait to tell her until after you're married? If you tell her now, you stand a good chance to keep her. If you wait until after the wedding, you will lose her for good."

"Andy, I know Sam. No matter when I tell her she will be upset. What will telling her now change?"

"It will change everything! You are taking away her freedom. You are taking away her right to choose to be with you!"

He groaned. "What the bloody hell are you talking about? I'm not taking anything away from her."

Andy sighed. "Yes, you are! Sirius, you are taking away her freedom by getting married. After today, she will be yours forever." He smiled. "You're marrying her under false pretenses. That's not fair to her. Yes, she will be upset and she will say things she doesn't really mean but if you marry her without telling her the truth, you are taking away her chance to truly choose you." He shook his head. "You believe you two are meant to be, right?" He nodded. "Then why are you scared to tell her? Why can't you trust her love for you? She will and has forgiven you anything! Why do you have to do it this way?"

Sirius looked down at the ground. "This is my last chance with her. She told me so. Sam will leave me if I tell her before. I can't lose her again. I can't be without her again, Andy. I will tell her soon enough. I promise I will. You just have to trust me."

"I want to trust you. I really do, Sirius. I'm just scared for you. I don't want you to get hurt and I don't want Sam to get hurt. That's what's going to happen if you wait to tell her the truth."

"Andy, don't worry so much. When I tell her, she will be upset but she won't be able to leave. It will take her a bit of time to forgive me but she won't be able to leave this time." She sighed in defeat. "It will be ok, Andy. She will forgive me this. She forgave me everything else, why wouldn't she forgive me this?"

Andy shook her head. "She won't forgive you this time because your actions almost got her killed. Your actions almost got Michael killed. Sam is very forgiving when it comes to you but I don't think she will forgive you this time. The other times you have hurt her pale in comparison to this."

"Stop worrying so much! Everything will be fine!"

"No, it won't! She will leave you, Sirius! You will be heartbroken when she does and I don't want that! I love you, Sirius. I don't want you to be sad anymore."

He hugged her and sighed. "I'm not sad anymore, Andy. I have her back now. She will be with me forever now. No matter what, she will always be with me. Sam loves me and knows that we are meant to be together. She has said so herself so many times. I was just too stupid to realize it was true until it was almost too late. Don't worry anymore, Andy. I know what I'm doing."

"I hope you're right about this."


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James stood next to his sister and waited for the wedding to start. He smiled when she started to fidget and placed a hand on hers. Sam looked at him and smiled. "James?"

"What?"

Sam took a deep breath. "Am I making a mistake, Jimmybean?" He gave her a curious look. "Am I making a mistake by getting married? I'm only sixteen! There is so much that I haven't experienced. There is so much that I haven't done. I'm giving up so much by marrying Sirius. Am I making a mistake? Should I just go to St. Mungo's and be done with it? Should I call this off? What should I do, Jimmybean? I never thought I'd do something this crazy before. I need my big brother's advice now more than ever."

He smiled and hugged her. "I don't know what to tell you, Sammabelle." She sighed. "I know that you and Sirius love each other very much and are meant to be together. You know that too. This may seem crazy but it makes sense for the two of you. You two have always been this way." She shrugged. "I don't want you to be sent away. Neither does Lily and Sirius. You don't need to be sent away. You are fine just the way you are." She shrugged again. "I know it may seem that you are giving up a lot to be with him but think about all the things you are gaining by marrying him. You will have the love of your life with you forever. Sirius will do anything to make you happy. He was an ass before but he knows that you are the only one for him now."

"What if he hurts me again? What if he lies to me again? What if he leaves me again? What if he cheats on me again?"

"Sammy, he loves you. I can't promise that he won't hurt you or lie to you. He's human and we make mistakes but I can promise that he will never leave or cheat on you." She nodded. "I know you are scared to trust him because of what happened before but I've talked with him. He knows for a fact that he loves you. He was scared before because he never experienced someone loving him as much as you do. He isn't scared anymore."

"I know. He told me so."

"I know that with the way he broke up with you, you have limitations on your heart now. Remus and Sirius broke your heart and shook your faith but it's time to move on from that now. Sam, it's time to let him in again. It's time to let yourself love him with everything you've got again. This is right. I wouldn't have suggested this plan if I didn't think it was right. You should marry him despite your fears and doubts."

She relaxed and hugged him. "Thank you, Jimmybean. I needed to hear that."

James smiled and kissed her cheek. "That's what I'm here for, Sammabelle. I'll always be here for you." They shared a smile and took a deep breath when the doors opened.


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Sirius looked up from the floor when the doors opened and his breath caught in his throat when he saw her. She looked like an angel in her white flowing dress. The flowers in her hair made it look like a halo hung above her head. A smile was plastered on his face and grew into a dopey grin as she came closer to him. Her blush made it appear that she was glowing. "She's beautiful." He whispered.

Andromeda smiled at him. "Yes, she is." She looked at her cousin and sighed. "She is all yours now, Sirius."

James patted him on the back and smiled. "Who gives away this woman?" Mr. Meadows asked.

He stared at the bald man in front of him and held in a laugh. "I do." He kissed her cheek and she smiled at him. "It's going to be ok, Sammy."

Sam smiled and kissed his cheek. "I know, James. Thank you for giving me away." He winked at her. She turned and looked at Sirius. He took her hands and she blushed. She was amazed by how handsome he looked in his crimson shirt and black tie and pants. His eyes were shining so bright that she thought she would be blinded by them. "I love you." She mouthed to him.

He smiled. "I love you too."

Mr. Meadows began the ceremony. It seemed to fly by. "Is there anyone who can show just cause that these two should not be married?"

Andromeda pretended not to hear that part. The doors opened and everyone looked over. Remus shut the door and blushed when he noticed everyone was staring at him. "Sorry I'm late. I got lost." He saw Sam smiling at him and couldn't help but smile back. "Please, continue the ceremony. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's alright, Remus." Lily said. "Come and stand with us."

Sam winked at him when he took a place next to James and Lily. "You may continue, sir."

He smiled at her and resumed the ceremony. "Do you Sirius Phineas take Samantha Eu-"

"You don't have to say my middle name!" Sam exclaimed.

Sirius and James stifled their laughter while the others looked confused. "As you wish, Samantha." Mr. Meadows said with a smile. "Do you Sirius Phineas take Samantha to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Sirius nodded eagerly. "I do. I really do!"

They laughed. "Do you Samantha take Sirius Phineas to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

Sam looked past Sirius when she saw something move in the corner of the room. She thought it was odd that she saw a pair of shoes moving around. "Sam?" She looked at Lily and notice everyone was staring at her. "You have to answer the question now, Sammy."

She looked at Mr. Meadows and blushed. "I'm sorry, sir. Can you repeat the question?"

He laughed. "Do you Samantha take Sirius Phineas as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

She smiled when she saw how nervous Sirius looked. "I do. I really do."

Sirius sighed in relief. "You may kiss the bride." Mr. Meadows said. Sirius pulled Sam to him and kissed her deeply. The others cheered. "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Sirius Black."

They continued to kiss but were interrupted when James pulled Sam away from Sirius and hugged her. Lily hugged Sirius and laughed. "I can't believe you two actually went through with it!" She exclaimed. He smiled and laughed in response. "Why didn't you use the true love rings?"

He shrugged. "Sam wanted to wait for the wedding we will have when she is done with school. She wanted her parents to be there when we first put them on."

Lily walked over to Sam and Remus. "How are you doing, Mrs. Black?" Lily asked.

Sam laughed. "I'm doing just fine. I can't believe I'm married!" Lily laughed. Sam turned to Remus and hugged him. "Thank you for coming, Hero. It really means a lot to have you here with us."

Remus smiled and kissed her cheek. "I promised you that I would come. I'm just sorry I was late. I took a wrong turn."

She smiled and held him close to her. "It doesn't matter. I'm just glad you're here."

They were holding onto each other for dear life. "You make a beautiful bride, Sammy." He whispered in her ear. "I always knew you would."

She blushed and kissed his cheek. "You better not be trying to grope my wife, Moony."

They separated and Sam giggled. "'Your wife'! That sounds so weird!"

Sirius laughed and kissed her. "Yes, it does." She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe we actually did it!"

"Do you regret it?"

"No, I don't. Do you regret it?"

Sam pretended to think about it and laughed when he pouted. "No, I don't."

"Hey you two!" They smiled at Andromeda. "Let's go back to my house for your brunch reception."

She hugged them. "I can't wait!" Sam said. "Then after that, the hard part comes."

Sirius gave her a curious look. "What are you talking about?"

"We have to tell my parents about what we did." Everyone sighed in response.


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They entered the living room and smiled when they didn't see their parents. They hugged each other and smiled. "Where have you been?" They jumped apart and saw Mrs. Potter's angry face. Sirius clutched Sam's hand while Lily hid behind James and Remus. "I wake up and you're all gone! Where the hell have you been?"

Mr. Potter walked in from the kitchen and looked at the kids. "What's going on?"

Mrs. Potter glared at the children. "They have been missing all day and have just returned!"

"Hello Remus. How are you?" Mr. Potter asked while avoiding the glare his wife was giving him.

Remus gave him a nervous smile. "I-I'm g-good, sir."

Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes. "Remus, it is very good to see you." He nodded. "Now, tell me, where have you been?"

Sam took a deep breath. "Mama, Daddy, we have something important to tell you. Now, I know you will be upset when we tell you but it really is a good thing in the long run."

Mr. Potter smiled. "Just tell us, Sammy. It can't be that bad."

Sirius tightened his hold on her hand. "We…we…uh…" He was terrified to tell them.

James rolled his eyes. "For Merlin's sake, just tell them!"

Sam glared at him. "Sirius and I…gotmarriedtoday."

Their eyes widened. "What did you just say, Samantha?" Mrs. Potter yelled.

She gulped and Sirius tried to push her behind him but she wouldn't let him. "Baby, it's ok." He nodded. "You heard what I said, Mama. Sirius and I got married today."

Mrs. Potter was fuming. "That's impossible! You are only sixteen years old! It can't possibly be legal!"

Sirius put a protective arm around Sam's shoulders. "We found a loop hole in one of the laws. Our marriage is legal."

She shook her head. "Samantha, how could you? The two of you are smarter than this!"

Sam sighed. "We love each other, Mama! Plus, we didn't want to be apart!"

"You only got married so we wouldn't send you away?" Mr. Potter asked in a small voice while glaring at his wife.

She looked down at the ground and her eyes widened when she saw her father's shoes. She looked at him closely. He noticed this and looked away quickly. "That was one of the major reasons, Daddy. But we do love each other! This is right!"

Mrs. Potter sneered at Sirius. "This is all your fault! If she never met you this wouldn't have happened!"

James rolled his eyes. "It's not his fault! It was my idea for them to get married. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine! We had to convince Sam to go through with it. She didn't want to deceive you! She wanted Dad to give her away but we changed her mind. She doesn't want to leave us and you forced us to do this! If you would have just listened to us instead of telling her what to do then they would have waited!"

Her eyes widened. "This was your idea, James?" He nodded and smiled with pride. "You're grounded, young man!"

He laughed and rolled his eyes. "No, I'm not! I'm seventeen and you can't ground me! I'll just move in with Sirius and Sam!"

Lily groaned. "James, we didn't tell them about that yet."

"What are you talking about? They live here with us!" Mr. Potter grumbled.

Sirius shifted uncomfortably. "We found an apartment in Diagon Alley yesterday."

"I can't believe this! I really can't believe this! How stupid can you all be? Lily, Remus, how could you let them go through with this?" Mrs. Potter grumbled.

They shrugged. "We agreed with James' idea." Remus muttered.

Sam smiled at him. Lily sighed. "They didn't want to be apart. Now, they won't be."

Sam looked at her father. "Daddy, you haven't really said anything."

He shrugged. "What is there to say?"

"Harold, say something! Your daughter and son have just thrown their lives away!"

"No, we didn't!" Sirius exclaimed. "Mum, we love each other. This is right for us. We didn't use the true love rings because we wanted to get married again with you there and we wanted you to see us put them on for the first time. Sam wants Dad to give her away when we get married again after she finishes school."

Mr. Potter sighed. "I can't deal with this right now."

Sam watched her father walk into the kitchen and sighed. "I better go talk to him."

Sirius nodded. "I'll go with you."

She shook her head. "No, I have to talk to him alone." He gave her a questioning look. "It's alright. Don't worry, Baby." She walked into the kitchen and sighed when she saw her father sitting in a chair facing the window. "Hi Daddy."

He sighed. "Sam, not now."

Sam walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. "Who's my favorite Daddy?" She whispered.

"Not now, Samantha."

"Who's my favorite Daddy?"

Mr. Potter let out a small smile. "I am."

She smiled. "That's right! Now, who will I love no matter what?"

"Me."

"That's good, Daddy! Who will always be the most important man in my life?"

"Sirius."

She laughed. "No, that's not right. Guess again."

"Is it James?"

She rolled her eyes and laughed again. "Daddy, that's not right! One more time!"

He laughed. "Is it me?"

Sam tightened her hold on him and laughed. "That's right!" She kissed his cheek. "Daddy, I love you more than life itself. No matter what, you will always be the most important man in my life." He nodded. "Just because I'm married now doesn't change that. Sirius could never take your place. Neither could James. As much as I loved James giving me away, I wanted you to be the one to do that."

Mr. Potter took her hands in his and sat her down on his lap. She smiled when he kissed her forehead. "I really wanted to give you away. I wish I could have."

"You still can! Sirius and I plan to get married again after I'm done with school and I want you to give me away."

He smiled. "Do you really mean that, sweetheart?"

She rested her head on his shoulder and nodded. "Yes, I do. I always pictured you giving me away. I really wish you did even though James was a great substitute." He held her closer. "I know you were there, Daddy."

He gulped. "What was that, Sammy?"

Sam looked him in the eye and smiled. "I saw your shoes while I was saying my vows." He looked away from her. "You used the invisibility cloak that you gave James, didn't you?"

"Samantha-"

"You gave Andromeda your permission for us to get married." He sighed. "Why did you do that if you wanted to send me away?"

Mr. Potter had tears in his eyes when he looked at his daughter. "You looked like an angel." She smiled. "You made a beautiful bride, Sammy."

A tear slipped down her cheek. "Thank you, Daddy." He kissed her cheek. "Why did you do that if you wanted to send me away?"

He held her face in his hands. "Get one thing straight, Samantha; I never wanted to send you away. You know how your mother gets. I just went along with her until she calmed down but Sirius walked in while we were talking and she lost her temper. I wanted to help you two out and show your mother how desperate you were to get out of going." He kissed her forehead. "When you said you hated me, it broke my heart. I never want you to hate me."

"I could never really hate you, Daddy. I just said that because I was upset."

"I know that, Baby. It just hurt."

"I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."

"I know." Mr. Potter hugged her. "I wanted to help."

Sam kissed his cheek. "Does that mean you accept my marriage to Sirius?"

He laughed. "Of course I do! I love Sirius like a son. I know the two of you belong together. I wouldn't have helped if I didn't believe in you two. I know you two will make it work."

"Thank you, Daddy."

"Please, just don't tell your mother. She would kill me if she found out."

She laughed. "I promise I won't tell anyone. It will be our little secret."

Mr. Potter nodded. "Thank you, sweetheart. Now, let's go find that husband of yours and get him away from your mother's wrath."

They stood up and walked hand in hand into the living room. They held in their laughter when they saw Sirius sitting in the fetal position while Mrs. Potter hit him with the morning paper. James, Lily, and Remus kept trying to stop her but she would just hit them as well. "How could you marry her? Why did you have to marry her? It was only for a month! You could have waited to get married!"

Sirius groaned when she hit him right on the head. "Mum, stop it! I love her! It was the only way!"

Mr. Potter walked over to her and ducked when she tried to hit him. "Evelyn, leave the boy alone! They are married now! We just have to learn to accept it!"

Mrs. Potter threw the paper down and hit Sirius on the head when he relaxed. "They are getting an annulment!"

"No, we aren't!" Sam exclaimed. "Mama, I know you are upset but that won't change anything. Sirius and I are married now. Please, accept this, Mama."

She sighed. "This can't be happening. You are too young."

"You were only a year older than me when you married Daddy."

"But we had jobs and we were finished with school! You have another year left at Hogwarts. How can you make it work if you are away at school?"

Sirius cleared his throat and winced when Mrs. Potter glared at him. "We can make it work, Mum. It will be hard but we will make it work."

Mrs. Potter shook her head. "I don't want you to be hurt again, Sammy."

Sam smiled. "He won't hurt me again. I won't let him hurt me again. You don't have to worry, Mama. We will take care of each other."

She nodded before she turned back to Sirius and began hitting him again. "If you hurt her again, I will hex you!" Sirius curled back into the fetal position. "If you cheat on her again, I will hex your balls right off!"

The others laughed. "Sam already threatened him with that, Mum." James said.

"Sirius loves his balls too much to make that mistake again." Remus said.

Sirius winced when Mrs. Potter hit him again before rolling his eyes. "Thanks for the support, Moony."

Mr. Potter smiled and helped Sirius get away from Mrs. Potter. He hugged him. "Welcome to the family, son." Sirius smiled. "Just don't hurt her again. I trust you with my little girl, ok?"

He nodded. "I know, Dad. You don't have to worry. I love her. I will take care of her."

He smiled. "Why don't you kids go upstairs and rest up? Come down a little later and we will celebrate your marriage and the New Year." The kids smiled and went upstairs. He turned to his wife. "So, what do you think?"

Mrs. Potter sighed. "I don't know what to think. They are just so young. How can they make it work?"

"They will find a way. They love each other, Evelyn."

She shook her head. "I give it a day and a half before he screws it up again."


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Sirius kissed the back of Sam's neck after he helped put on her necklace. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "You look beautiful tonight, Mrs. Black."

Sam laughed. "That sounds weird. It will take a lot of getting used to."

He smiled. "You better get used to it. You are a married woman now."

She kissed him. "Yes, I know." She smiled. "Now, Mr. Black, how does your wife look?"

Sirius stared at her as she took a step back and turned around slowly. He looked her up and down in her short black dress. "You look good enough to eat, Sammy." She blushed. "Now, Mrs. Black, how does your husband look?"

Sam laughed when he spun around. He wore the same outfit that he wore to the wedding minus the tie. "You look as handsome as ever."

He brought her closer to him and kissed her. "I love you, Samantha."

"I love you too, Sirius."

"Is it wrong for me to say that I can't wait for tonight?"

She blushed. "No, it's not. I can't wait either." He began kissing her neck. "Sirius, we have to stop. What if someone walks in?"

He groaned. "Ok, let's go downstairs. I'm sure everyone is waiting for us."

They walked downstairs hand in hand. James glared at them. "What the bloody hell took so long? You have delayed dinner long enough!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Mate, would you calm down? My wife had to finish getting ready and I had to help my wife with her necklace."

James laughed. "That sounds so weird. Your wife had to get ready."

Lily shook her head in disbelief when Sirius and James started to wrestle. She walked over to Sam and they shared a look. "These are the ones we love. I'm kind of ashamed of our judgment right now."

Sam nodded. "How do you think I feel? I'm married to one of them and related to the other genius."

She laughed. "Ok, you win."

Sirius picked up Sam and threw her over his shoulder as James did the same with Lily. "Put us down!" Sam laughed.

James smirked at Sirius. "Do you hear something, Padfoot?"

"James, you better put me down!"

Sirius returned his smirk. "Why, no, I don't, Prongs. I think it's just the wind."

Sam squirmed around. "It's the wind, is it? Can the wind kick you in the happy area and make you scream like a girl?"

His eyes widened. "Ok, I heard that." He set Sam down and smiled. "I love you." She rolled her eyes.

James started bouncing around and laughing as Lily squirmed. "I'll kick you in the happy area too if you don't put me down, James!"

He set her down and gave her a wide smile. "I love you, Lily."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know. For some reason, I love you too."

They sat down at the dinner table, Sirius made sure he was as far away from Mrs. Potter as possible, and began their meal. Mrs. Potter would glare at Sirius whenever he would kiss Sam, hold her hand, speak, or even breathe. Mr. Potter kept giving her warning looks to stop her from saying anything. He told her that if she didn't threaten them then they wouldn't have run off and gotten married. He said it could have been worse. They could have been pregnant and needed to get married because of that instead of the reason they did. Mr. Potter watched his family and smiled to himself. Despite his wife's anger, they were all happy. They were all healthy and happy. "Come on, Sam! Eat faster! The fireworks are about to start!" James grumbled.

Sam rolled her eyes as she slowly ate her potatoes. "You really need to make up your mind, Jimmybean. You were rushing us so you could eat and now, you are rushing to eat so you can see the fireworks. Which one do you want?"

He glared at her. "I wanted to eat and I did. Now, I want to see the fireworks! Hurry up and eat!"

"You're such a prat!" She groaned.

"You are a nag!" He replied.

"You scream like a girl!"

He turned red in the face. "Scarlet woman!"

"Ponce!"

"You are such a brat!"

"You are a moronic git!"

Sirius and Lily were turning red while laughing. Mr. and Mrs. Potter rolled their eyes. No matter how old they were, they still could act like such children when they were together. "Let's go watch the fireworks." Mrs. Potter suggested. She laughed when James smiled smugly and Sam rolled her eyes. "You can finish eating later, Sammy."

They put on their cloaks and went into the backyard. Sirius wrapped his arms around Sam and held her close to him when she shivered. "Are you cold, Sammy?"

Mrs. Potter glared at him. "It's only below zero out here! Of course she is cold and it doesn't help that she is wearing a short dress."

He gulped in response. Mr. Potter put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Evelyn, can you do us all a favor?" She looked at him. "Be quiet. Say only nice things. No matter what you say, it won't change the fact that they are married. It would just be nice if you kept the mean things to yourself."

She sneered at her husband but remained silent. Sam smiled at Sirius. "Don't worry, Sirius. She will come around eventually."

Sirius kissed her. "I know. She is just really scary right now." She laughed in response.

Lily rested her head on James' shoulder and sighed in content when he held her to him. "I didn't know about the fireworks."

James kissed the top of her head. "They started doing it when I was about six. They do them every year now."

"Who started it?"

He shrugged. "I don't know specifically but I do know that it is a group of local muggles."

"What time is it? They should be starting soon." Mr. Potter said.

As soon as he finished his sentence a streak of green sparkles lit the sky. Sirius tightened his grip on Sam when she started shaking. Sam wasn't mystified by the beautiful lights as she usually was since she was five but she was completely terrified. Flashes of the attack and Severus yelling rang in her ears. She paled when she closed her eyes and saw his angry face and his wand pointed at her. Sirius felt her shaking getting worse and saw how she grew pale. The others were staring at the fireworks in wonderment but all he noticed was her. Their faces lit up with each burst of light. "Sammy?"

Sam turned around in his arms and he sighed when he saw the terrified look in her eyes. She was reliving the attack. It was the burst of greens and reds and the loud banging noises that made her think about that night. It pained his heart when he saw the haunted look in her eyes. "Why?" She whispered.

He looked at her oddly. "Why what, Sammy?"

"Why…why did it happen, Sirius? Why did he attack me? What did I do to make him hate me so much?"

He paled at her questions. "I…Sammy-"

She shook her head and sighed as a tear slipped down her cheek. "I don't know why I'm even asking you. It's not like you have the answers anyway." He bit the inside of his cheek. "I just want to know why. I need to know why but I won't ever know. Hopefully, I will never see him again. The only downside to that is that I won't find out the reason."

Sirius held her as she continued to shake. He stroked her hair as she silently wept. His stomach was tied in knots just as it always was whenever she had a terrible nightmare about the attack and whenever he caused her pain. "Sammy, are you ok?"

They looked away from each other and saw the others staring at her. She let out a small smile. "I'm fine, Daddy."

Mr. Potter eyed his daughter closely. "Are you sure? You look very upset."

Sam shrugged. "I'm fine." She sighed. "I'm a little tired. I think I'll go to bed." She gave Sirius a kiss. "Goodnight everyone. Happy New Year."

He stared after his wife and sighed when the door shut. "The attack." He mumbled.

"What about it?" Mrs. Potter asked.

Sirius stared at her. "The fireworks made her think of the attack." They sighed. "I'm going to go check on her and make sure she is ok."

When he was gone, Mr. Potter turned to his wife. "Pretending it hasn't happened, has she?" She glared at him.

James looked at Lily and smiled. "I'm glad they are gone."

Lily looked at him in shock. "Why?"

He laughed. "It was a little weird for me to be on a triple date with two married couples." Lily smiled. "Especially when those two married couples are my parents and my little sister and best friend."

"James, you are very lucky that I love you."

He nodded. "I know. Why do you say that?"

She laughed. "Because I'm not sure any other woman could put up with how your mind really works." James laughed in response.