Dying

By: RemmysGal

Disclaimer: Victoria Rokaway is mine. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

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"It's about Sirius." Remus said.

Victoria's heart stopped beating. "S-Sirius? Sirius B-Bl-Black?"

"Yes Victoria. Sirius is dead."

*---------------------------------------------------*

"Victoria!" A 20-year-old Sirius Black opened the door of his London flat and walked inside. It smelled like his girlfriend was cooking dinner. And what an excellent cook she was. What did it smell like tonight? Sirius thought as he sniffed. Ah, chicken and spaghetti. Very good.

"Sirius? Is that you?" Victoria's voice echoed through the house. Sirius padded softly through the house to the kitchen. Victoria was at the stove, her back to Sirius. He walked up behind her, and slipped his arms around her waist. She shrieked and jumped up.

Victoria turned around to see her boyfriend grinning madly at her. "Sirius!" she snapped playfully, hitting him lightly on the shoulder. "How many times have I told you not to do that?"

"Only every day," he replied, cupping her face in his hands and leaning down to give her a soft kiss on her lips, which she returned.

"God, I love you," he whispered when they broke apart.

"I love you too," she replied.

*-------------------------------------------------------*

Victoria's heart stopped beating. She stood behind the counter of the store, staring at the phone receiver for what seemed like hours before Remus Lupin's voice came through the receiver.

"Vic? Are you alright? Talk to me—"

"I'm here Remus," Victoria's voice was trembling with tears waiting to surface.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"Bloody Hell."

*--------------------------------------------------------*

"Hey Rock, how's that homework coming?" A sixteen-year-old Sirius Black entered the Gryffindor common room, making his way to the corner of the room by the fire where fellow sixteen-year-old Gryffindor Victoria Rokaway was sitting in one of the armchairs with books and parchment spread all over the place. She didn't look up as he walked over. "Didn't you hear me Vic?"

"Yes, Sirius, I heard you but that doesn't mean I'm inclined to respond," Victoria replied coolly without looking up.

"But you responded anyway," Sirius said pleasantly, "which means you do want to talk to me. So why don't you quit that homework for a moment and we can have a nice friendly chat."

"Why don't you go bother Remus?"

"You know him, he's exactly like you, doing homework. But I can't bother him cause he knows too many hexes. You wouldn't hex me. Plus Pince would die of shock if I entered the library since I never go there, and I'm feeling generous so I'd like to keep her around a while more."

"I'd hex you Sirius. I'd hex you right now if I didn't have to finish all this homework."

"No you wouldn't, you love me too much."

"Right. Go bother Peter then."

"Kitchens, pigging out. I'm trying to maintain my figure, thank you. Besides, I'd get weighed down if I eat to much then I can't play up to my potential on the pitch."

"What figure?"

"Come on, Rock, you know you like my figure."

"Then go find James and maintain your figure with him."

"Can't."

"Why?"

"He's off snogging Lily in some closet." Victoria's head shot up. "Aha! I knew that one would get you to look up!"

"Don't go spreading things like that about Lily!"

"Hey, I'm just saying it like it is, I saw them. Our precious Prefect and soon to be Head Girl is snogging James Potter, Mr. Prongs, and Marauder Extraodinare!"

"So you're here bothering me with rubbish while I'm trying to work just because you have nothing better to do?" Victoria asked.

"Yep, pretty much." Sirius replied cheerfully. Victoria sighed and put down her books and parchment. "Ha! I knew I could get you to stop working!"

"Yes, well I've stopped now, was there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"

"I just wanted to hear your beautiful voice," Sirius said smoothly.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Sirius," Victoria responded, "but not with me,"

"You'll learn to love me in the end."

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"Vic," Remus' voice sounded again, this time almost urgently. "You need to…er…come…back." He finished somewhat nervously.

"Come back? Why?" Victoria thought she would never go back. "This is my home, I have a job, friends, a flat…I mean apartment, I can't just leave it all now. Why are you calling me to tell me this anyway? Sirius is in Azkaban. Most criminals die in Azkaban anyway of insanity. And Sirius was insane."

"No he wasn't Vic," Remus began.

"Yes he was Remus. He killed my best friend! Your best friends! He sold them out, he killed them for a little bit of power—"

"No he didn't."

"Why are you denying it? You know it was him. He was laughing, laughing like a maniac, like a murderer—"

"Peter is a murderer."

"Peter Pettigrew?"

*---------------------------------------------------------------*

"Um…Victoria?" 17-year-old Victoria's head shot up from the table in the Library. How long have I been here? I didn't know I fell asleep, she thought. She turned and saw 17-year-old Peter Pettigrew standing in front of her nervously (Peter is not a wimp in my story! He's just as cool as James, Sirius, and Remus, but kinda shy.)

"Hey, Peter," she said casually. Peter smiled.

"Hey, um, Sirius wanted me to tell you that he wants to meet you under the tree by the lake now."

"Any idea why?" Victoria asked.

"No, he just said for me to tell you. He had something in his hand though."

"What was it?" Victoria asked eagerly.

"Dunno, it was wrapped. So you'd better go meet him, huh?"

"Wha? Oh, yeah," Victoria got up and put her things in her bag. "Thanks, Pete," she said smiling as she walked, no sprinted out of the library.

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"Vic, if you come back, I'll explain it to you. I can't right now." Remus said, almost urgently.

"No," Victoria became stubborn. She could be very stubborn if she wanted to, and she wanted to right now. She wanted to believe that Sirius Black, the love of her life for 3 years, was responsible for killing her best friend and it wasn't some shy little boy who hung out with him. She wanted to be mad. Mad at him for something. She needed a reason to cover herself. "Sirius Black killed the Potters' and Peter."

"That's what you thought happened, Vic. I know the truth."

"How Remus? How do you, and only you apparently, know the truth?"

"If you come back, it will all be explained. Did you know he escaped?"

"Escaped? Who?"

"Sirius. He escaped from Azkaban."

"When?"

"About two years ago."

"Remus Lupin, you get yourself over to this continent right now and explain it to me, I am not, repeat NOT going back there until I fully understand what happened."

"On my way."

Remus hung up the phone three thousand miles away and sighed.

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I'm Dying, Dying to find a distraction, get you away from me
I'm Dying, Dying to reach a conclusion, so that the world can see
It's the same old story of love and glory that broke before it bent
I'm Dying to live without you again

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Author's Note: Well I am somewhat pleased with that chapter. I'm lucky it's my Easter break and I can write. After next week, I may not be posting as much, cause life will go back to soccer, glee club, and the never-ending History paper.

And thanks so much to Lina and Mio for reviewing…it means so much to me. Glad you liked the story.

Please hit that little button and tell me what you think.

Much Love,

RemmysGal