"Mum, is there some code you or the marauders used to use when you were
young?" asked Cho sitting down beside her mother.
"Um yeah I think so. It was all part of being in relations with the marauders. The code was so only the sender and the receiver understood the message. Sirius gave me the code while we were dating at first, since he didn't really want James or Lily to know we were dating." Said Ilya dabbing her eyes lightly.
"You still have that code? I have a feeling Mr Lupin was trying to tell me something," said Cho.
"Um I think so. It's in my school trunk in my room," said Ilya.
Cho watched her mother levitate her trunk down the stairs and it thudded as it landed in the floor in front of the sofa.
Ilya opened it and Cho saw lots of old books and robes.
Ilya rummaged around until she found a red leather book covered in stickers and in the top corner was a crest made up of a black dog, wolf, deer and a mouse all running in a circle
"What's this mum?" asked Cho curiously.
"Well when I was friends with Lily Evans she kind of got me involved in marauder business. She made me keep records like how many pranks a marauder managed to do a day and how many detentions were had all year.
When I dated Sirius I got more involved and began to put together a crest for them, it was simple at first but James charmed the animals to move." said Ilya opening the book.
On the inside cover was good luck messages from each marauder and each friend Ilya had had. There were even a few Slytherin names.
"I loved being part of the group so much. So I made up this book, which I put photos and things to do with Sirius and records as well as me. Sirius never knew, but he signed this book thinking it was just a record book." smiled Ilya slowly turning the parchment pages.
"So where's the code?" asked Cho.
"In the back with all the notes Sirius ever sent me. I even have the last one he sent me before I left Hogwarts." said Ilya turning to the back.
She passed the book to Cho and Cho looked over the parchment stuck into the page covered with words and definitions.
"Here's the present Sirius gave me for my sixteenth birthday. I forgot I still had this." said Ilya pulling out a silver chain with a star shaped pendant studded with diamonds and hollow in the middle.
"It's beautiful. Why the star?" asked Cho taking the necklace from her mother to look at it.
Ilya giggled as she thought of it.
"I suppose Sirius told you of the night James and Lily pushed him up to the astronomy tower. We were looking at the stars that night when Sirius said I should be up there because I'm just as beautiful as a star.
The nickname kind of stuck after that and if you look on the front of the book where the crest is, you'll see a small twinkling star in the dog's eye. It's meant to be me." smiled Ilya.
Cho looked back down at the code and saw the code words Remus had used.
"So what do you think Remus said?" asked Ilya putting the silver necklace around her neck.
Cho recalled what Remus had said and soon under stood what he meant.
"Um I don't know about that Cho. He seems very distressed. I'll owl you later with any information you wish to know." whispered Cho to herself.
She grabbed some parchment and rearranged the statement and used the code to make sense of it.
"He said that Sirius didn't want to speak to me but I should call back later," said Cho.
"So what exactly are you doing calling Remus anyway?" asked Ilya suspiciously.
"I just wanted to talk to him that's all," said Cho.
"Uhm. I'm sure. Either way I think you should leave it for now. I'm sure Sirius will be back soon." said Ilya putting her hand on the star pendant and stroking it absentmindedly.
"Yeah I'm just going to call Gabrielle. She should be back from Diagon alley by now," said Cho grabbing Ilya's black phone book and the red leather bound book as she ran up to her room.
She closed the door to her room behind her and dialled the order's number.
"Hello?" asked Remus.
"Mr Lupin it's Cho, you wanted me to call back what's wrong?" asked Cho sitting down.
Remus looked up to where Sirius was writing a letter to Ilya before replying.
"You need to talk to Sirius. Ever since he got here all he's done is convince me to give stuff to Ilya," said Remus.
"I know but he doesn't want to come back after he saw the daily prophet," sighed Cho.
"I know but you need to talk to him Cho. He seriously can't stop stressing about Ilya," said Remus.
"Give me the address and I'll be right over in fifteen minutes." Said Cho brushing her hair.
Remus looked back at Sirius before giving the address to Cho.
"I'll be right over." smiled Cho before she hung up.
Cho stood out side the address Remus had told him and knocked on the door.
Remus soon answered looking relieved she was here.
"He's in the lounge. I'll go and make some drinks," said Remus showing Cho the lounge before he left her alone with Sirius.
"Um dad, I think you and me need to talk," said Cho clutching the red book to her chest.
"Cho? When did you get here?" asked Sirius getting up from his chair.
"Sirius, mum is very upset that you left." said Cho as she sat on the chair arm of the sofa next to the chair Sirius sat in.
"I know but this is best for the two of us." assured Sirius.
"Do you remember this?" asked Cho passing Sirius the red book of Ilya's.
Sirius rubbed his thumb over the black dog and smiled at the twinkling star in its eye.
"Yeah I remember this." whispered Sirius as he opened the book and looked over all the messages.
"My mum has kept this ever since she left Hogwarts, she obviously still loves you despite what people think." said Cho.
"And I love her too. I just don't want her to be caught up in my trial," said Sirius fingering a picture of him and Ilya after a Quidditch match.
"If you love her too then why not make the effort to go out with her? Unless you are too afraid." said Cho.
Sirius sighed as he closed the book and passed it back.
"Can you go now Cho? I need sometime alone," said Sirius looking down at the floor.
"OK but I'll be back," said Cho getting up from the chair arm and leaving the room.
"How'd it go?" asked Remus.
"He's thinking, I'm sure any second he'll come back home," said Cho walking to the fireplace.
"Thanks a lot Cho." smiled Remus before she flooed away.
Ilya sat back in her bedroom staring at the ceiling.
She really missed Sirius; she just hoped he wouldn't forget her.
She changed for an early night and listened as Cho came up the stairs to bedroom.
She lay back in bed and read through some reports.
Cho changed for bed and sat in her bed reading through the book her mother has written.
Ilya and Sirius had been such a cute couple when they were younger, now they still seemed a good couple.
Cho looked at the marauder group picture and saw the carefree sides of Sirius and Ilya.
It was amazing how they had grown.
Cho soon fell asleep over the book, dreams filing her head of her parent's times at Hogwarts.
The next day...
Ilya woke up to see Sirius sat next to her looking at her lovingly and kissing her lips.
"Sirius what are you doing here?" whispered Ilya.
"I needed to see you Ilya," murmured Sirius kissing her neck.
Sirius pulled her face to his and kissed her forehead. He spotted the star pendant on Ilya's chest and kissed the bare skin inside the hollow star.
"Please don't Sirius." whispered Ilya as his lips traced the neckline of her nightdress.
"I need you ilya," murmured Sirius against her skin.
"Don't Sirius this isn't fair." whispered Ilya as his lips tickled a weak spot under her collarbone.
"It is Ilya. I'm never going to leave you again," said Sirius siting behind her and kissing the nape of her neck.
"Sirius we went through this before you know you can't promise th..um." murmured Ilya.
Cho woke to hear Sirius and her mother talking.
She could hear murmuring but could tell that there was more going on that talking.
She picked up the book and looked through it for pictures of Sirius and Ilya. There was one that caught her eye; it looked like the night when Ilya and Sirius had gone on their public date.
She smiled to herself as she got up and dressed in a pair of jeans and a polo neck sweater.
She then went down stairs still carrying the book, passing her mother's room, to get ready for when the twins and Wanona came over.
She needed to tell her friends about all the good times her mother and father had shared when they were young.
Cho ate a bowl of cereal while she waited and turned on the stereo to drown out the intimate noises from upstairs.
The flames in the fireplace grew larger as Wanona and Gabrielle appeared in the grate.
"Hey Cho." said Wanona sitting down on the sofa beside her.
"What's that noise?" asked Gabrielle referring to the noises from up stairs.
"Just my parents. Anyway I've got something to show you that my mum showed me yesterday," said Cho picking up the book she'd left on the coffee table.
"What is it?" asked Gabrielle sitting on the other side of Cho.
"It's a book of stuff that the marauders did while mum was at school." said Cho opening it at the pictures.
"Whoa your mum and dad looked like they really liked each other," said Wanona.
"They were and I have a feeling they still are." smiled Cho.
"So what's wrong?" asked Gabrielle.
"Well with Sirius being chased by the Aurors and Dementors there isn't anyway they can stay together," sighed Cho.
"Don't worry about that. I'm sure Sirius will be found innocent soon." assured Gabrielle as she and Wanona hugged Cho.
"Thanks girls. Where's Gabriel anyway?" asked Cho.
"He said he was coming. " shrugged Gabrielle.
The flames grew in the fireplace and Gabriel appeared in the grate with a newspaper in his hand and a smile on his face.
"Hey Cho sorry I'm late. I was doing something and got a bit carried away," said Gabriel coming towards Cho and kissing her on the forehead.
He sat on the arm next to Gabrielle and two talked amongst them while wanona and Cho continued to look through the book.
Then Gabriel stood up in front of the sofa and Cho wondered what he was going to do or say.
"Cho I have something to tell you," said Gabriel.
"What is it?" asked Cho.
"Well last night I talked to my dad who's a lawyer in the wizarding world and well I think you should read this copy of the daily prophet," said Gabriel offering it to her.
Cho took it and read the front page her eyes wide.
" Your dad cleared Sirius' charges? But how?" asked Cho.
"Let me see that." said wanona taking the paper from Cho.
"He managed to find some evidence that showed that Sirius couldn't possibly have blown up the street that day as it wasn't recorded in the ministry as the ministry records every piece of magical activity in the country." explained Gabriel.
"So did you find out who did?" asked Cho.
" Well at the exact time Sirius was supposed to have blown up the street and killed those muggles the name who did use magic is Peter Pettigrew who received a medal for supposedly catching Sirius. He is now being found and put in Azcaban," said Gabriel.
"But why did you do this?" asked Cho.
"Because I knew how much you wanted a proper family and it seems that now you've found Sirius and he's cleared that you will have." smiled Gabriel.
"Oh thank you Gabriel," said Cho getting up and hugging her thanks.
"I can't believe your father did this," said Wanona still looking through the article in disbelief.
"It wasn't so hard. Me and Gabrielle helped as well," said Gabriel.
"I owe you two so much," said Cho hugging Gabrielle.
"It was nothing. But I'm sure you mother will be happy when she finds out." smiled Gabrielle.
"Um yeah I think so. It was all part of being in relations with the marauders. The code was so only the sender and the receiver understood the message. Sirius gave me the code while we were dating at first, since he didn't really want James or Lily to know we were dating." Said Ilya dabbing her eyes lightly.
"You still have that code? I have a feeling Mr Lupin was trying to tell me something," said Cho.
"Um I think so. It's in my school trunk in my room," said Ilya.
Cho watched her mother levitate her trunk down the stairs and it thudded as it landed in the floor in front of the sofa.
Ilya opened it and Cho saw lots of old books and robes.
Ilya rummaged around until she found a red leather book covered in stickers and in the top corner was a crest made up of a black dog, wolf, deer and a mouse all running in a circle
"What's this mum?" asked Cho curiously.
"Well when I was friends with Lily Evans she kind of got me involved in marauder business. She made me keep records like how many pranks a marauder managed to do a day and how many detentions were had all year.
When I dated Sirius I got more involved and began to put together a crest for them, it was simple at first but James charmed the animals to move." said Ilya opening the book.
On the inside cover was good luck messages from each marauder and each friend Ilya had had. There were even a few Slytherin names.
"I loved being part of the group so much. So I made up this book, which I put photos and things to do with Sirius and records as well as me. Sirius never knew, but he signed this book thinking it was just a record book." smiled Ilya slowly turning the parchment pages.
"So where's the code?" asked Cho.
"In the back with all the notes Sirius ever sent me. I even have the last one he sent me before I left Hogwarts." said Ilya turning to the back.
She passed the book to Cho and Cho looked over the parchment stuck into the page covered with words and definitions.
"Here's the present Sirius gave me for my sixteenth birthday. I forgot I still had this." said Ilya pulling out a silver chain with a star shaped pendant studded with diamonds and hollow in the middle.
"It's beautiful. Why the star?" asked Cho taking the necklace from her mother to look at it.
Ilya giggled as she thought of it.
"I suppose Sirius told you of the night James and Lily pushed him up to the astronomy tower. We were looking at the stars that night when Sirius said I should be up there because I'm just as beautiful as a star.
The nickname kind of stuck after that and if you look on the front of the book where the crest is, you'll see a small twinkling star in the dog's eye. It's meant to be me." smiled Ilya.
Cho looked back down at the code and saw the code words Remus had used.
"So what do you think Remus said?" asked Ilya putting the silver necklace around her neck.
Cho recalled what Remus had said and soon under stood what he meant.
"Um I don't know about that Cho. He seems very distressed. I'll owl you later with any information you wish to know." whispered Cho to herself.
She grabbed some parchment and rearranged the statement and used the code to make sense of it.
"He said that Sirius didn't want to speak to me but I should call back later," said Cho.
"So what exactly are you doing calling Remus anyway?" asked Ilya suspiciously.
"I just wanted to talk to him that's all," said Cho.
"Uhm. I'm sure. Either way I think you should leave it for now. I'm sure Sirius will be back soon." said Ilya putting her hand on the star pendant and stroking it absentmindedly.
"Yeah I'm just going to call Gabrielle. She should be back from Diagon alley by now," said Cho grabbing Ilya's black phone book and the red leather bound book as she ran up to her room.
She closed the door to her room behind her and dialled the order's number.
"Hello?" asked Remus.
"Mr Lupin it's Cho, you wanted me to call back what's wrong?" asked Cho sitting down.
Remus looked up to where Sirius was writing a letter to Ilya before replying.
"You need to talk to Sirius. Ever since he got here all he's done is convince me to give stuff to Ilya," said Remus.
"I know but he doesn't want to come back after he saw the daily prophet," sighed Cho.
"I know but you need to talk to him Cho. He seriously can't stop stressing about Ilya," said Remus.
"Give me the address and I'll be right over in fifteen minutes." Said Cho brushing her hair.
Remus looked back at Sirius before giving the address to Cho.
"I'll be right over." smiled Cho before she hung up.
Cho stood out side the address Remus had told him and knocked on the door.
Remus soon answered looking relieved she was here.
"He's in the lounge. I'll go and make some drinks," said Remus showing Cho the lounge before he left her alone with Sirius.
"Um dad, I think you and me need to talk," said Cho clutching the red book to her chest.
"Cho? When did you get here?" asked Sirius getting up from his chair.
"Sirius, mum is very upset that you left." said Cho as she sat on the chair arm of the sofa next to the chair Sirius sat in.
"I know but this is best for the two of us." assured Sirius.
"Do you remember this?" asked Cho passing Sirius the red book of Ilya's.
Sirius rubbed his thumb over the black dog and smiled at the twinkling star in its eye.
"Yeah I remember this." whispered Sirius as he opened the book and looked over all the messages.
"My mum has kept this ever since she left Hogwarts, she obviously still loves you despite what people think." said Cho.
"And I love her too. I just don't want her to be caught up in my trial," said Sirius fingering a picture of him and Ilya after a Quidditch match.
"If you love her too then why not make the effort to go out with her? Unless you are too afraid." said Cho.
Sirius sighed as he closed the book and passed it back.
"Can you go now Cho? I need sometime alone," said Sirius looking down at the floor.
"OK but I'll be back," said Cho getting up from the chair arm and leaving the room.
"How'd it go?" asked Remus.
"He's thinking, I'm sure any second he'll come back home," said Cho walking to the fireplace.
"Thanks a lot Cho." smiled Remus before she flooed away.
Ilya sat back in her bedroom staring at the ceiling.
She really missed Sirius; she just hoped he wouldn't forget her.
She changed for an early night and listened as Cho came up the stairs to bedroom.
She lay back in bed and read through some reports.
Cho changed for bed and sat in her bed reading through the book her mother has written.
Ilya and Sirius had been such a cute couple when they were younger, now they still seemed a good couple.
Cho looked at the marauder group picture and saw the carefree sides of Sirius and Ilya.
It was amazing how they had grown.
Cho soon fell asleep over the book, dreams filing her head of her parent's times at Hogwarts.
The next day...
Ilya woke up to see Sirius sat next to her looking at her lovingly and kissing her lips.
"Sirius what are you doing here?" whispered Ilya.
"I needed to see you Ilya," murmured Sirius kissing her neck.
Sirius pulled her face to his and kissed her forehead. He spotted the star pendant on Ilya's chest and kissed the bare skin inside the hollow star.
"Please don't Sirius." whispered Ilya as his lips traced the neckline of her nightdress.
"I need you ilya," murmured Sirius against her skin.
"Don't Sirius this isn't fair." whispered Ilya as his lips tickled a weak spot under her collarbone.
"It is Ilya. I'm never going to leave you again," said Sirius siting behind her and kissing the nape of her neck.
"Sirius we went through this before you know you can't promise th..um." murmured Ilya.
Cho woke to hear Sirius and her mother talking.
She could hear murmuring but could tell that there was more going on that talking.
She picked up the book and looked through it for pictures of Sirius and Ilya. There was one that caught her eye; it looked like the night when Ilya and Sirius had gone on their public date.
She smiled to herself as she got up and dressed in a pair of jeans and a polo neck sweater.
She then went down stairs still carrying the book, passing her mother's room, to get ready for when the twins and Wanona came over.
She needed to tell her friends about all the good times her mother and father had shared when they were young.
Cho ate a bowl of cereal while she waited and turned on the stereo to drown out the intimate noises from upstairs.
The flames in the fireplace grew larger as Wanona and Gabrielle appeared in the grate.
"Hey Cho." said Wanona sitting down on the sofa beside her.
"What's that noise?" asked Gabrielle referring to the noises from up stairs.
"Just my parents. Anyway I've got something to show you that my mum showed me yesterday," said Cho picking up the book she'd left on the coffee table.
"What is it?" asked Gabrielle sitting on the other side of Cho.
"It's a book of stuff that the marauders did while mum was at school." said Cho opening it at the pictures.
"Whoa your mum and dad looked like they really liked each other," said Wanona.
"They were and I have a feeling they still are." smiled Cho.
"So what's wrong?" asked Gabrielle.
"Well with Sirius being chased by the Aurors and Dementors there isn't anyway they can stay together," sighed Cho.
"Don't worry about that. I'm sure Sirius will be found innocent soon." assured Gabrielle as she and Wanona hugged Cho.
"Thanks girls. Where's Gabriel anyway?" asked Cho.
"He said he was coming. " shrugged Gabrielle.
The flames grew in the fireplace and Gabriel appeared in the grate with a newspaper in his hand and a smile on his face.
"Hey Cho sorry I'm late. I was doing something and got a bit carried away," said Gabriel coming towards Cho and kissing her on the forehead.
He sat on the arm next to Gabrielle and two talked amongst them while wanona and Cho continued to look through the book.
Then Gabriel stood up in front of the sofa and Cho wondered what he was going to do or say.
"Cho I have something to tell you," said Gabriel.
"What is it?" asked Cho.
"Well last night I talked to my dad who's a lawyer in the wizarding world and well I think you should read this copy of the daily prophet," said Gabriel offering it to her.
Cho took it and read the front page her eyes wide.
" Your dad cleared Sirius' charges? But how?" asked Cho.
"Let me see that." said wanona taking the paper from Cho.
"He managed to find some evidence that showed that Sirius couldn't possibly have blown up the street that day as it wasn't recorded in the ministry as the ministry records every piece of magical activity in the country." explained Gabriel.
"So did you find out who did?" asked Cho.
" Well at the exact time Sirius was supposed to have blown up the street and killed those muggles the name who did use magic is Peter Pettigrew who received a medal for supposedly catching Sirius. He is now being found and put in Azcaban," said Gabriel.
"But why did you do this?" asked Cho.
"Because I knew how much you wanted a proper family and it seems that now you've found Sirius and he's cleared that you will have." smiled Gabriel.
"Oh thank you Gabriel," said Cho getting up and hugging her thanks.
"I can't believe your father did this," said Wanona still looking through the article in disbelief.
"It wasn't so hard. Me and Gabrielle helped as well," said Gabriel.
"I owe you two so much," said Cho hugging Gabrielle.
"It was nothing. But I'm sure you mother will be happy when she finds out." smiled Gabrielle.