A/N: I have finally updated!!! Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter!!!!
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Remus looked around his bedroom. He had just heard the news Zani was alive and was ecstatic. Zani was his girlfriend after all.
Remus found a picture of the two of them at the Christmas ball in sixth year. 'She looked so beautiful!' Remus thought reminiscently. He and Zani had started going out in fifth year, and have been together ever since. Though they've had their fair share of fights, they were nothing compared to Lily and James, and usually ended in a quick 'I'm-so-sorry' kiss.
Remus lived with his mother in a small townhouse. His mother had breast cancer, however, and these days, as the cancer had spread, there was generally a nurse living with them to tend to his mother's needs. Remus' father had left his mother when Remus' was six, and he had always been an only child. His mother told him he had a half-brother and sister through his father, but he didn't want to know them, as their (and his) father had abandoned him.
Remus remembered that Bella had said to go to her place straight away after they got the letter, so he quickly walked into his mothers room where she was sleeping, wrote a note about where he was going, gave it the current nurse, Nurse O'Connor, and apparated to Bella's house.
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"SIRIUS YOU ARE THE BIGGEST IDIOT I HAVE EVER MET!" James shouted to his best friend as he struggled but succeeded to catch up to him. "Did you want to yourself killed?" he shouted again, as they ran side by side down they backstreets towards Bella's house.
"Shut up James! I know Zani's alive, and that's the only thing that matters right now!" Sirius shouted back.
Suddenly, Sirius was hit in the head by Bea, Bella's owl.
"James! That's Bella's owl! Grab it!" Sirius said from the spot on the ground where he had fallen.
James grabbed Bea and ripped open the envelope that she was carrying, and read Bella's letter.
"Sirius, you were right! She is alive!" James said, and Sirius looked back at him, wide-eyed.
"Let's go then!" Sirius said, getting up, and they continued to run to Bella's. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So, uh Bel when I was um, away, did you and Sirius get together?" Zani asked cheekily, back to her old self.
"No Zan, we didn't, and we never will!" Bella replied.
"Oh? Why is that?" Zani asked intently.
"Uh let's think, he doesn't like me back?" Bella replied sarcastically.
Zani made an unbelieving noise. "Listen, if Sirius Black doesn't like you, I'll give you ten galleons!" she challenged Bella.
"Then where's my money?" Bella asked sarcastically, completely forgetting what had just happened to Zani, and that of course she wouldn't have any money on her.
"Arabella, think about what you just said, and remember what just happened to me" Zani said, close to tears.
Realization dawned on Bella's face. "Zani I am so sorry, I just…got caught up in my own problems, and completely forgot yours are a million times worse than mine. I'm sorry" Bella said softly.
"It's ok Bel, I'm not angry at you, I'm angry at the stupid dickhead who made my life hell!" Zani said, and burst into tears again.
'DING DONG!'
Lily, who had been in the bathroom, yelled "I'll get it!" and ran to the door.
"Hi Lils!" Sirius greeted warmly, giving her a great big hug.
Lily looked at James who mumbled a "Hi Lily" and walked past her into the living room. Lily looked to Sirius, who just shrugged.
Lily heard some chattering from outside, and the voices seemed very familiar. In fact, they seemed to be the voices of – "Marie! Remus!" Lily called out, from the doorstep.
"LILLYYYYYYY!" Marie screamed, and gave Lily a big hug. Remus greeted her warmly and the three of them made their way back to living room, where Sirius, James, Bella and Zani were sitting.
Marie saw Zani looking extremely weak and exhausted, and burst into tears. Zani walked over to her best friend and assured her that although she looked like crap, she didn't feel that bad. Zani then walked over to Remus, and they shared a long awaited kiss.
The group shared an uncomfortable silence, before Bella asked Lily if she could speak to her privately. Lily agreed, and they went to the kitchen.
"Bella I'm so sorry for before, you're not a bitch and I don't hate you" Lily said, before bursting in to tears because she felt so bad for saying those things about Bella.
"Lil," Bella said softly, "I'm the one who should be apologising. I shouldn't have said anything about James, you were upset. It was stupid-''
"Bella, don't apologise, ok? You didn't do anything!" Lily said.
Bella smiled. "Best friends?" she asked.
"Of course!" Lily replied, and they hugged.
"Lily? Can I talk to you?" James asked from the kitchen doorframe.
"Ok" Lily replied grudgedly (A/N: Is that a word? My spell check doesn't think so, but I do!).
Bella took this as her cue to leave, and she went back into the living room.
Lily glared at James. "So?" she asked.
"Lily, I just wanted to tell you that the letter I wrote, I meant it. If you want me out of your life, I'm gone" James said softly.
"James, I don't want you out of my life! What I want is for us to be friends, at the least, on speaking terms!" Lily told him.
"So you really don't hate me?" James asked.
"No, James, I don't hate you" Lily replied. She smiled at James, then walked back attempted to walk back into the living room, but was stopped by Bella, who was clearly upset.
"Bella, what's wrong?" Lily asked her best friend worriedly.
"C…can we go upstairs?" Bella said, extremely close to tears.
Lily followed Bella to her bedroom, and Bella sat down on her bed.
"So Bel, what's wrong?" Lily asked again.
"S…Sirius just s…said he's g…going out w…with Chrissie Jones. You know, the really pretty, blonde and skinny Hufflepuff?" Bella said at the blank look on Lily's face.
"Oh, her" Lily said realization dawning on her face.
Bella burst into tears. "What does she have that I don't?" Bella asked Lily sadly.
"Bella, she has absolutely nothing that you don't! I have no idea what Sirius sees in her!" Lily said angrily.
"Wh...why can't he like me?" Bella asked.
Lily hugged Bella. "I don't know Bel, I really don't know" she said, and they made their way back downstairs, Bella wiping the tears from her eyes.
Meanwhile…
"Sirius, why am I under the impression that you just told everyone you're going out with Chrissie Jones?" James asked his best friend angrily.
"Because I am" Sirius said shortly.
"What about Bella? And how did you do this without me knowing?" James asked.
"I asked her out on the Hogwarts Express on the way home, and Bella? Well I don't like her James" Sirius said, almost as if he was someone else, not himself.
"Sirius, you have liked Arabella Figg for six years. Why the sudden change of mind?" James asked.
"Chrissie" Sirius said, again as if it were someone else.
"No Sirius, I know you to well to think that you would change your mind like that" James said.
"Well you obviously don't know me well enough, then, because it's the truth" Sirius said back at him.
"Sirius" James said in a way that Sirius could no longer lie to him.
"Alright James, I'll tell you the truth then. I love Bella, I love her more than anything. But I don't want her to get hurt. And that's exactly what I'll do to her. I'll break her heart by hooking up with some random blonde who I'll never speak to again, because I'm an idiot, and I always will be" Sirius said, then looked to James.
"Sirius, either way you're breaking her heart. It's you're decision, but I would go for it. At least she loves you back" James said dully, and walked back into the living room.
Sirius heard footsteps coming down the stairs and looked up to see Bella and Lily. Sirius eyed Lily, trying to give her an 'I-need-to-talk-to-her' look, and she obviously understood, because she went into the living room, leaving Bella and Sirius alone.
"Bella…" Sirius began, but Bella interrupted.
"Sirius, I want to say congratulations for you and Chrissie" Bella said, with no emotion in her voice, and not looking at Sirius.
"Bella, I need you to answer one question for me, and depending on the answer, maybe I won't need won't that congratulations" Sirius said, and Bella looked at him strangely.
"Bella, do you…do you love me?" Sirius asked, scared of Bella's reaction, as he thought it sounded a bit cocky.
"No" Bella said, looking at the ceiling.
"Can you look me in the eye and say that?" Sirius asked.
Bella looked into Sirius' eyes, and tried to say no, but no sound came out. Instead, the next thing she knew, their faces were getting closer, and closer until their lips met.
When they pulled apart, Sirius asked Bella softly "So, is that a yes or a no?"
"It's a yes, I do love you Sirius Black!" Bella replied, and they kissed again, and as they pulled apart they smiled at each other, happier than they had been in a long time.
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A/N: That's it! Please review!!!!
jellybeanqueen