Title: Regarding That Fairytale
Summary: After the second war is won, Sirius Black thinks about the girl he let go years ago and when a certain Weasley decides to pull them back together, will he be able to reclaim the love he thought he'd lost?
Author's Note: First of all, I need to thank SnapesEvilMistress for the title and for beta'ing this chapter. This is the first time I've written a Harry Potter fiction. It's from Sirius' point of view and will feature my own character, Remus Lupin and Ginny Weasley, with the possibility of more being added on later. I truly hope everyone gives it a chance and reviews it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters mentioned in the books. They are solely property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers and other companies. I'm not making any money off of this. However, I do own the plot and Abbey Meyers.
Chapter One
Simple Hellos
Regret. Out of all the emotions I sensed about my life, regret was the one that haunted me the most. Regret over not being able to save James or Lily. Regret over not being able to save Harry during the second war. And regret for not telling Abbey Meyers how I really felt about her during our last day at Hogwarts.
But they were all gone, either by death or because they couldn't handle the way I conveyed myself to them. James, Lily and Harry all died knowing how I felt and how I was enormously loyal to them. But Abbey left me, standing near platform 9 3/4, thinking I had only used her for one thing. What I fool I was.
She was the girl that no one noticed yet knew who she was because she'd found a friend in Lily Evans. Abbey was a quiet intellect that could brew a wicked potion and yet couldn't carry a social conversation without fumbling over her words. We often laughed at her behind her back, calling her Stuttering-Abbey. And not only did she stutter, she wasn't particularly pretty with her blemished face and ratty hair.
Her big transformation came between our sixth and seventh years. The first time I saw her was beside the Hogwarts' Express, and I thought she was a new student. When I introduced myself to her, she laughed and told me whom she was and I almost passed out. No longer was she the ugly duckling.
Abbey's light brown hair had smoothed itself out and she had it cut to right above her shoulders. Her brace ridden teeth were finally straight and white, while her face had cleared up to reveal a milky complexion. And her stutter was gone and I was smitten. She wasn't gorgeous like some of the girls I'd dated but she was beautiful in the classic sense of the word.
I knew I had to have her so I spent the first two months of the school year pursuing her. She brushed off my advances on a daily basis but I knew I was getting to her; something that was confirmed when we were paired as lab partners in potions class.
By the first week of November she had become my girlfriend and the envy of a handful of girls who were waiting for their chance with me. We did all the normal couple things: snogging in the astronomy tower, going to Hogsmeade and the Yule Ball together and someplace along the way, I fell in love. But I would never confess to that.
The school year progressed and soon we were graduating as Voldermort was gaining power. Abbey and I spent our last night at Hogwarts together and she gave herself to me, an act I'd never forget. The following day she admitted that she was in love with me and waited for a response but I never gave her one. Instead I slipped a leather bound book into her trunk and left her standing there so I could go find my friends.
I waited for a post from her, thanking me to the expensive book of fairytales I'd given her but one never came. At that time, my seventeen-year-old self couldn't quite grasp what I had done wrong. Abbey loved books about fairytales and often spoke of the one her father had given her as a young child. It wasn't until Lily clued me that I realized I'd broken Abbey's heart.
I could have sent her a post but never did. Life got in the way and then I was sent to Azkaban. I spent too much time there and when I escaped, there was always something to be done and time was precious. The second war began and all of us rallied behind Harry since we knew he was our only chance.
The final battle came merely months after Harry's graduation from school. It took place on a rain soaked night and as the final charm dissipated, it was clear that he wouldn't make it out alive and scores of people died, magical and muggle alike. Some of them we knew, like Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, while others we didn't.
Things changed after that. We mourned Harry and buried him beside his parents. There were celebrations, weddings and eventually babies, for the darkness we'd all lived under was now gone. Death Eaters were arrested yet I was still a wanted man and had to stay hidden away from the world.
It would take close to two years before I would be pardon for the crimes I had never committed. Arthur Weasley, the Ministry's new minister, gave me a full pardon and a page long apology in the Daily Prophet. I was finally a free man and yet I didn't know how to deal with it.
For the first time in years, I had the freedom to do what I wanted. I no longer had to listen to what others thought would be best for me. And my thoughts, which were consumed before, went to Abbey as I wondered where she was and how I was such a fool where she was concerned. Deep down I knew there was a chance I'd never see her again but then fate, in the form of a red haired woman, stepped in.
~*~
"Sirius, I would like to discuss the final plans for your party," came Ginny Weasley's voice as she rounded the corner of the house I shared with Remus Lupin and sometimes her. I looked up from the project I was doing and gave her a slight smile.
The party she was talking about was to celebrate my pardon. I wasn't in the disposition to celebrate since most of the people who mattered to me were now gone. Yet I still humored her because I knew how much she meant to Remus.
"Fine," I said as I placed my wand in my belt, "I'm all ears." Ginny gave me a placid smile and pulled up a piece of patio furniture.
"I have the final list made," she said before sitting down, "And almost everyone has posted back to say if they are coming or not." I simply nodded my head and took the list from her outreached hand.
I scanned the list, noticing that most of the names belonged to old classmates. Then I got to the bottom where her name was, in bright red marker. I pushed out a breath and looked up at Ginny. "Whatever Remus has told you about..."
"Oh Sirius, she was one of the first to post back!" said Ginny, who then knitted her brow in confusion, "Don't you want to see her?"
"It's not a question of whether I want to see her or not," I calmly said as I paced around the chair Ginny was in, "I wish one of you would've told me sooner instead of throwing it out at the last moment." She quietly nodded and stood.
"You're still coming, right?" she asked as she took the list back and neatly rolled it up. I tapped my fingers on my wand and stepped around her.
"Yes," I timidly said, "What time does it start?" Ginny glanced down at her watch and looked at me again.
"In about four hours," she said as she turned toward the house, "Thank you for doing this."
"Don't thank me yet," I called out as she went inside the house. I let out a long sigh as the door clicked behind her.
~*~
The party had started and yet I wasn't ready. I guess you could say that I purposely took my time so I wouldn't have to face any of them. I was standing in the loo, looking in the mirror, when I realized that I needed a haircut, something I hadn't gotten in years.
Some said they liked me better with long hair for it added to the whole mystery of being Sirius Black. I didn't have long hair the last time I had seen Abbey and I couldn't have her think I was muddled. Maybe if I didn't make any noise they would think I was gone; a plan that fell through the moment there was a knock on the door.
I stepped over to the door and tugged it open. "Hello Remus," I said with a growl to my voice. He gave me a smile and stepped inside.
"Something wrong?" he asked as I moved over for him. I looked at him and then looked at my reflection in the mirror.
"I need a haircut," I stated. Remus looked at my hair and then at my reflection.
"I'm not cutting for you," he dryly grinned, "Just tie it back." I turned and looked at my friend, who at the moment was a complete genius.
I dug through the loo looking for something to hold my dark hair back since Ginny had a mountain of hair products there. "Do you think Ginny has something for me to use?" I finally asked.
"I'm sure she does. I'll go check," he said as he patted me on the shoulder and ducked out of the loo. I stood in the doorway and looked around the corner to see if I recognized any of the guests. But it was hard to see so I stepped back inside.
"Will this do?" asked Remus as he stepped back in and held out a black ribbon. I nodded and took it from his fingers.
"Is she here?" I asked as I pulled my hair back and quickly tied the ribbon around it. Remus ducked his head outside of the door and then looked at me.
"I don't really know," he shrugged, "There's a lot of people out there." I nodded and pulled the ribbon tighter.
"Do I look all right?" I asked, suddenly feeling like a teenage boy going on their first date.
"You look fine," said Remus as I tugged at the tailored suit I was wearing. I gave him a huge grin and slapped him on the shoulder.
"Ok then," I said as I steered him out of the loo, "Let's go show this lot how a true Marauder celebrates." He nodded his head and walked down the long hallway that would take us to the party.
"Hey Sirius!" said Ron Weasley as he stepped in front of us, "Congratulations mate!" I smiled as he shook my hand with heartiness. I would have to speak to someone about cutting him off from whatever he was drinking.
"Thank you Ron," I said as he stumbled off to find whichever woman he was interested in at the moment. I then turned my attention to Ginny, who was walking over to us.
"You look nice Sirius," she whispered as she slipped an arm around Remus, "Abbey's here." I felt my mouth go dry.
"Where?" I stammered out. Ginny pointed a long finger to the furthest corner. I let my eyes slowly travel to the spot and that's when I saw her.
She was standing alone, a glass of clear liquid in her hand. Her brown hair, which was a bit longer than it was the last time I'd seen her, was pulled back with an emerald pin holding it in place. I quietly drank in her beauty and saw that the years had been kind to her.
"Go talk to her," said Ginny as she gave me a small nudge. I stepped forward, my legs feeling like jelly and made my way to her. And when I was just inches from her, I stopped and silently stared.
She turned toward me and gave me a soft smile, as her hazel eyes looked me over. I was at a lost for words and all I wanted to do was touch her just to make sure she was real. "Hello Abbey," I heard myself say.
"Hello Sirius," she said back before the silence engulfed us again.
And I stood there, waiting for the next word to be said, hoping that one moment would give me another chance with the woman I had lost so long ago.