Chapter 15: The Epilogue
Padfoot's Story
Disclaimer: For the final time, I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters.
The last Chapter. The one that explains it all. Sorry I took so long to post it, but I just didn't want it all to be over. I've become very attached to my characters in the past 5 months. ^_^
I want to thank (and now I feel like I'm accepting a Grammy, or something, by whatever) everyone who reviewed. I really appreciate it and besides getting reviews is just plain FUN! I hope you guys had as much fun reading the story as I did writing it.
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Sami hugged her bare knees to her chest and stared out over the lake.
"Life doesn't get any better than this," she told the black dog when he climbed onto the wide, flat rock she was sitting on. He dropped a tennis ball next to her, and she hurled it out over the water.
Even though it was late July, the morning air wasn't steamy like it was after noon, and Sami was enjoying her favorite part of the day. She looked over to where Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were swimming while she waited for Sirius to bring the ball back. Harry was going to be 16 the next day and he looked his age, for once; he had grown a good 3 inches over the year. He was still skinny and pale, but in a way that Ginny seemed to think was cute, if the way she was staring was any indication.
Ron was nearing six feet and was in that in-between stage of being gangly and being muscular, but his goofy grin and personality hadn't changed a twit. He was wearing the grin now, and he couldn't take his eyes off Hermione, who looked the same as always in a modest one-piece.
"Teenage love," Sami thought to herself, not trying in any way to hide the smile on her face.
Sirius climbed back onto the rock and dropped the tennis ball again. "My arm's starting to get tired, you know," she told him. "I've been throwing this ball for over an hour."
Sirius barked in a way that clearly meant, "You've been flying with it for five years and you expect me to believe you're tired after an hour?" Then he shook his fur vigorously and sprayed her with water, just to annoy her.
"You're really going to have to do better than that," said Sami. She pushed him off the rock.
While Sirius swam out into the middle of the lake for the ball, Sami examined her reflection in the water. "He's gone and made my shirt completely see-through," she told her reflection in exasperation. She pulled the tank top over her head to reveal the bikini under it. Sami wasn't particularly fond of showing off her body, which was why she left on her jean shorts, but who was here to see her, anyway?
Oh, yeah. Her boyfriend.
But Sirius, of course, was only allowed to compliment her unless he wanted a cockroach cluster to mysteriously appear in his soup that night, so she laid back on the rock and put her hands behind her head. No one else knew how good it felt to feel the sun warming her skin, and not her feathers.
Harry, Ron and the two girls had swum over to join her. Hermione and Ginny climbed onto the rock with Sami, but Harry and Ron remained in the water. Sami propped herself up on her elbows.
"Wow, I think that's the first time I've seen you in a bathing suit all summer," Ron teased.
"That's 'cause they look horrible on me," Sami replied swiftly.
"Don't be ridiculous, you look fine," said Hermione in a very business-like way.
"You look wonderful," Sirius said flirtatiously. He had snuck up behind them all and transformed. Without missing a beat, Sami turned around and smacked him on the top of the head.
"Ow! What was that for?" said Sirius, rubbing the spot and giving Sami his most pathetic puppy-dog face.
"Oh no, not the puppy face!" Harry exclaimed, clutching his heart in mock despair.
"The things love will do to a man," said Ron, shaking his head.
Sirius ignored them. "I swear, you just can't say anything nice to your girlfriend anymore. Were you looking for insults? 'Cause I've been saving a few good ones."
Sami smirked and put one arm around his neck, drawing him in for a kiss.
"Oh, get a bloody room!" said Ron loudly, but Hermione caught his eye and he blushed.
"Mmm . . .we should go, I think these lovebirds here need a little alone time," Ginny said meaningfully, and nudged Harry with her shoulder. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and grinned.
"Yeah, c'mon Ron, weren't we just talking about Harry's birthday present?" Hermione added, pointedly looking at Harry as she unceremoniously dragged Ron from the water and began to steer him towards the shore. There came a few words of protest from Ron before he started cottoning on. Harry and Ginny glanced at each other and burst into laughter, then followed their arguing friends.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Sirius whispered in Sami's ear, "I don't mind the alone time at all," and kissed her deeply. When he pulled away, Sami's face was flushed. No matter how many times he kissed her, it would always feel as good as the first one had.
"I still can't believe I'm here," Sami said wistfully, as she looked out over the water. "Just the fact that I'm not a bird, and you're not in danger of being arrested any moment . . ."
"I still can't believe how good you look in a bathing suit," Sirius murmured. "Look at your tan!" Sami punched him lightly on the arm.
"You are so narrow-minded!" she squealed. "Stop avoiding the subject."
"What's the subject?" asked Sirius suggestively.
Sami rolled her eyes before meeting his.
"That I'm in love with you."
Sirius's heart stopped beating for a full three seconds.
"Really?" he said, in a daze; never before had she said that to him. He hadn't been expecting it at all.
"Really," she replied softly. "Only that's not what you're supposed to say back."
"Oh," Sirius said rather sheepishly. "I love you too." Sami sighed in contentment.
Silence endured for a few minutes. Then Sirius brought up a subject that had been discussed and talked about so many times in the last month both Sirius and Sami knew it by heart.
"So . . .what exactly happened to you all those years ago?"
Sami moaned. "Sirius. . ."
"What?"
"I've told you a million times!"
"Well, I want to hear it again. It makes me sound good." The corners of Sami's mouth twitched.
"Alright-- where do I start?"
"Start where you're walking alone at one o'clock in the morning and I heroically save your life."
Sami stared at him, her eyebrows raised. He looked just like a little kid settling down to hear a good story, his legs crossed, a grin on his face and his eyes eager. She couldn't help but notice that he looked pretty good in a bathing suit, too.
"My life which wouldn't have needed saving if you and your friends hadn't decided to play Sherlock Homes," she retorted.
The grin faded.
"Decided to play what?"
"Oh never mind. It's a muggle thing."
"Oh."
The conversation continued and eventually they came to the part where Bellatrix used Polyjuice Potion to torture Sirius and bring him to the Order meeting.
"Was it really horrible for you, thinking for all that time I was really a Death Eater?"
"Yeah, it-- it felt like betrayal."
"I'm so glad you didn't have to live all these years thinking it was really me who did that to you," Sami said quietly, examining a crack in the rock and knowing that if he had, he never would have forgiven her.
"Mmm . . .So anyway, she started the fire and we got separated--"
"And then?" Sami asked, because after they talked about this for the first time, Sirius would fill in all the details if she encouraged him.
"Then you managed to get the wand from Bellatrix and tried to put out the fire, but it didn't really work, so you went to get the Order members, and when you came back there were a hundred Death Eaters in the room with me, give or take a few--"
Sami rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time; her love sure liked to exaggerate. As if a hundred Death Eaters could have fit into the Room of Rebellion.
"Even though there were spells so you couldn't Apparate?" Sami prodded, like she was the one who hadn't been conscious that night. Sirius loved telling this story, but pretended Sami was the one who did.
"Voldemort and his followers have a way of getting places without Apparating," Sirius replied proudly. "So Dumbledore and the rest of the Order members went into this fantastic duel with them, and you get knocked out. Finally the Death Eaters realize they're outmatched, so they disappear and Dumbledore revives you. The first thing you do is run to me--" here Sirius sort of puffed out his chest, feeling important --"but Dumbledore tells you not to help me, and that you should stay in your animagus form until further notice, because it was important that the Death Eaters think you had died in the fight."
"Right," Sami added calmly. "I watched while he sent Hagrid to bring you to the hospital wing, then listened as he told me I couldn't be seen as a human anymore. He was going to tell everyone I was dead. Because if Voldemort knew I was still alive, he would keep after both of us until we really were dead. I couldn't talk to you, couldn't let you even glimpse me in my owl form either, because you knew."
"A part of me died with you, when Lily told me what happened."
The first time she had had to explain this to him, she had cried, but it was much easier now. Each time she retold her story her emotions showed less and less, and Sami knew soon she'd be able to talk about it in an offhand way. It was just a memory, after all, no matter how painful it had been at the time. "It's over now, it's like it never happened . . ." Sami said aloud. "And . . . where were we again?"
"When I was told you were dead."
"Oh. Okay. Yeah, I joined the other owls in the Owlrey, watching you every day when I could. Every chance I got I talked to Dumbledore, begging for information and to know when I could see you again, when I could talk to Lily. He told me no, every time." She watched as a hawk swooped low over the water and grabbed a writhing fish. Inwardly she thanked her voice for sounding normal.
"And then, on the day we graduated . . ." Sirius coaxed.
"It should have one of the most exciting days of your life, and you looked so unhappy. I couldn't bear it, there all of you were, and the thing I wanted most was to be with all of you, get my diploma too. And I almost transformed smack in the middle of all the students, but Dumbledore stopped me at the last moment. I was furious with him at the time, but now I'm so glad he did. It could have ruined everything."
She gazed into the water beside the rock for a few minutes. Sirius didn't stop her. A breeze was picking up, rustling the tree branches. He reached out and tucked a brown curl behind her ear. His touch seemed to bring her back.
"Times were growing darker, hope was dimming and the entire Wizarding World was in disarray," Sami said steadily, because this part was well rehearsed. "I watched as Lily married James, became pregnant and delivered Harry. Dumbledore told them someone close to them was passing information to Voldemort and suggested the Fidelius Charm. James insisted you be Secret- Keeper, of course, and I thought he had never made a wiser decision. In fact, that day I broke the rules and went to see Lily. It was foolish, but I craved human contact too much. Lily was overjoyed to see me. I got a chance to hold baby Harry. Lily promised never to tell a word to anyone I had spoken to her. The next day she and James were dead."
"And I was arrested," said Sirius. His tone was strained. "Wormtail, that little worthless piece of--"
"But that was it, I didn't know you had convinced James to change to Peter at the last second, I thought you had really sold out James and Lily." Sami said somewhat sadly.
"For twelve years you haunted my memory," Sirius muttered, partly to himself. "Twelve! The bloody Dementors kept making me relive the day you 'died' and it nearly made me go mad."
"Nearly," Sami reminded him. "But you were stronger. After you were sent to Azkaban, I really didn't know what to do, or even whom to believe. I didn't think I could trust anyone anymore. So I went to Eyelops Owl Emporium and waited for a wizard to claim me as their pet. And who should that be but Harry Potter. So I was soon in close contact with Dumbledore again, but my feelings towards him were somewhat tense."
"And then, on a more cheerful note," Sirius said brightly, "I broke out, and nearly a year later, Harry knew I was innocent."
"Yes, you were," said Sami warmly. "And he kept having me send letters to you. I was so thrilled to be in you presence again. I remember once, after Harry's name had come out of the Goblet of Fire, you told him to stop using me because I stood out. I was so mad at him at first, but then I thought maybe you had figured out who I was and didn't want me coming anymore."
"And I still can't understand how that even crossed your mind. I wish you had transformed, all those times we were alone together."
"I'm sorry," Sami said gently. "I was terrified you'd reject me, or that you'd forgotten all about me and moved on."
"Go on," Sirius prompted.
"I was becoming very attached to Harry, Ron and Hermione, especially after that long stay in Grimmauld Place. I had watched for many years as Dark Magic threatened the school, and each year they stuck together and conquered it. They reminded me so much of you, James, and Remus," Sami said. "I longed to be in the Order again, and once or twice Dumbledore allowed me to make small trips between the members with important information. I learned about the prophecy and Voldemort's plans to steal it. I urged Dumbledore to explain it all to Harry before it was too late, but he wouldn't listen." Here she paused, and her voice became more confident. She was getting to her favorite part. "Towards the end of the year Fudge and that old hag, Umbridge, learned that Harry had organized a secret club and they had been meeting in the Room of Requirement throughout the year. In the end Dumbledore was driven out of the school. Then, one night when I had worked up the nerve, I went to find Dumbledore. It took me forever to find him, but in the end he was in that cave you had stayed in in Hogsmeade. I told him that I couldn't put up with the owl masquerade anymore, that it was going to drive me out of my mind and I was old enough to make my old decisions. I thought that the longer I waited, the worse Harry's reaction would be to his pet actually being a human-- the way Peter Pettigrew was Ron's rat."
"And then," interrupted Sirius excitedly, "Snape shows up saying that Harry's gone off to the Department of Mysteries, and that I was at Grimmauld Place and would explain everything when he got there."
"Dumbledore told me to go back to the Owlrey, but I insisted on coming, because I knew that you would never have hung around if Harry was in danger," continued Sami, with a wry smile at the look on Sirius's face.
"So you get there and all you find is my lunatic house-elf, who needs a little 'persuading' to explain everything, but nevertheless you get to the Department of Mysteries and see me battling with my cousin," Sirius exclaimed, talking very fast, "and you fly down to give her a piece of your mind and end up saving my life--" Sami burst out laughing--"and then you transform, finally, and I do something that went like this." He pulled her up, spun her around, and kissed her, stifling her laughter.
"And," Sami giggled, gasping for breath, "The Minister of Magic arrives to find out who's broken in and stalled a lift and what should he find but a bunch of Death Eaters trapped in the Department of Mysteries; and Dumbledore proves once and for all your innocence and the next day there's an eight page article in the Daily Prophet about us and our fairy-tale story, making us instant celebrities."
"And we got so tired of all the attention and people asking for our autographs and the post burying us alive every morning we had to escape to the great outdoors for the summer, along with Tonks, Remus, Harry, Hermione and the entire Weasley crew," joked Sirius.
"I got tired, you mean. You loved it!"
"You know, it's such a waste for you to be in a bathing suit and not get wet."
"I don't want to get wet, thank you very much!"
"Well, if you won't do it yourself . . ." He pushed her into the water. She shrieked, then there was a loud splash and she came up, spewing lake water from her mouth. There was another splash and another shriek as Sirius jumped in with her.
"Sirius!" she complained. "My hair is always a nightmare to untangle after it gets wet!"
"That's why you have a wand," Sirius replied sweetly, and she groaned and pushed him under.
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That evening after dinner, Sirius and Sami escaped again to sit on their rock together and share a pitcher of lemonade. The sun was setting over the water, and it strongly reminded Sami of the time on their first date when she had seen the sun setting over the lake at Hogwarts.
They had both showered, Sirius afterwards teaching Sami some handy little spells to help with her hair. Now they were both more comfortable, Sirius in a tee shirt and shorts and Sami in a sundress. Sirius had performed a complex charm to keep the mosquitoes away.
"What a splendid night," said Sami, sounding pleased.
"Yeah . . .Sami, something came for you in the post right before dinner." He pulled an envelope made of thick yellow parchment out of his pocket.
"More fan mail?" she asked in exasperation.
"Nah, it was from one of the old school owls."
She took it hesitantly and slit the top. She opened the piece of parchment, and seeing the Hogwarts crest on the top, relaxed.
Dear Ms. Jackson,
It is our pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted as the new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Sami blinked, and then reread the line again. It couldn't be true . . .could it?
Meanwhile, Sirius had read the letter over her shoulder, then looked at her, his smile too big for his face.
"Yes!" he shouted, pumping her fist into the air. He pulled her up and started dancing in circles with her around the dock.
"I can't believe it," said Sami excitedly. Her eyes were sparkling.
"This is great!" yelled Sirius, going into a weird sort of jig. "Now we've both got the jobs we always wanted!"
"What?"
"Oh, didn't you know? Look, I got the letter last week, they've accepted me into Auror training." He pulled out the scroll and showed her. "I'm going to be partners with Kingsley, the same wizard who was in charge of my capture!"
"This is incredible," she said in amazement. She sank down onto her knees and drained her glass of lemonade. Beside her, Sirius had sat down too.
Sami was staring out at the sunset again, the breeze whipping her hair around. Sirius pulled a small box out of his pocket. "Sami . . ."
"Mmm?" He reached out and took her chin between his thumb and index finger, turning her face towards his. Her eyes widened considerably when she saw the box.
"This is something I tried to give you a long time ago, but to the wrong Sami. So now I want to give it to the real you . . ."
He opened the box with a small click to reveal the tiny snowy-owl shaped pendant. The last rays of the setting sun bounced off the glass, making it glitter and shine.
"Oh, it's beautiful," she whispered. Sirius lifted it out of the box and Sami held up her hair so he could fasten it around her neck. She took the bottle in her hand so she could examine it more closely.
"It's even more beautiful when you're wearing it," said Sirius fondly, and Sami knew he wasn't being sarcastic, like he usually was. Her hand found his.
"I love you," she said simply, and Sirius's heart soared.
"I'll never get tired of hearing that."
Together they looked out over the water, as the last slimmer of sun disappeared under the trees.
"Everything is so perfect," said Sami, awestricken.
"Yeah," said Sirius, pulling her closer. "Perfect."
The End
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Ha! How many of you thought he was going to propose? Probably none of you, since I can't write anything suspenseful to save my life. Oh well. Maybe some of you really didn't think this Chapter was boring, but I'll find that out in your reviews, I guess.
So ends Padfoot's Story. But if you stick around and read my next fanfic, Moony's Story (Noticing a trend here?) you'll get to read some more about the great Sirius Black.
BlackLupin: HI! I think it's traditional for me to update right after you do. I'm so glad you liked it, your reviews are really encouraging and I always look forward to them. And- lol- It never even occurred to me Hedwig might be male! But it's too late to change that. By the way, your black balloon and passion fruit lollipop should be along any day now. Or week. Or year. (Hmm, maybe it got lost in the mail??)
Cestari, ANNE (v) 79, and shadows13: Thanks! Yes, I love happy endings too . . .
DavidCamp, SOBlack113, and alwaysginny: If, in a review, you ask me to read your story I certainly will take the time to look at it as soon as possible. As of now, I've read all of your stories (yes, the whole story, except for DavidCamp's who's story rocks but I haven't finished yet). You guys are all great authors!
Smiley-Freak :D : Yeah, sorry, it was bound to be confusing. Hope this Chapter cleared it up a little bit for you. I'm glad that (even if you didn't have a clue what was going on) you still liked it, though!
Yesterday was Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a good Turkey Day. I'd be thankful for any reviews ^_^
~*Padfoot-dreamer*~