Home, Sweet Home

Ashley woke with a start. "S - Sirius!"

"Ashley? Oh, thank merlin!" She hugged him for a second, and jumped up.

"James!" she ran over and gave him a huge hug.

"Whoa, Ashley, you were only out for an hour or so," said James.

"It was horrible! I said I wish I knew what the future was like, and it was awful!" Ashley cried.

"What happened?" Sirius asked, directing her to the couch.

"Er - Sirius - You were - You were in Azkaban. It was so horrible! I visited you in 1982. We were engaged but you were arrested for a crime you didn't commit and I was - I was murdered!"

"You were killed?" Sirius asked fearfully, turning white.

"Yes. I was dead. James was dead. Lily was dead. We were killed together. Oh god! I almost forgot! It's Peter! Peter - He's a death eater!" Ashley cried, blinking back tears. They probably thought she was crazy.

"There's got to be some sort of mistake. Peter isn't capable of that," Sirius whispered, still white as a ghost.

"You told me yourself! It was a month after James, Lily, and I died. You told me what happened. Please - Professor! You know the room wouldn't lie! I was sent into the future, and you told me that I was probably there to change it! Can't we do something to try to catch Peter?" Ashley begged desperately.

"If that is what you saw, then it is most likely true. However, we cannot just arrest Mr. Pettigrew, so I'll do all that I can to try to see if he is indeed a Death Eater," Dumbledore replied softly.

"Oh, and in the future, Sirius told me not to make Peter the...what was it...Secret Keeper? He told me to volunteer to do it myself," Ashley shrugged.

"Guess we'll worry about that one when the time comes," said James, looking a bit less frightened.

"I guess so. But please guys, don't mention this to Lily or any of them! I don't want to upset them. It's bad enough that you two know what your futures hold. Maybe we could change it if only the three of us know," Ashley begged. Sirius and James nodded in agreement.

A week later, Ashley's life was getting back to normal. She was starting to feel better about what she saw in the future, and she was now sure that they would be able to change it. Sirius and James were shaken for quite a while, but they were starting to get over the shock, and taking Ashley's point of view. The gang steered clear of Peter. They were so shocked and appalled, but he didn't notice much because he wasn't hanging around much anymore. Everyone else wondered why, but Ashley, Sirius, and James knew very well why he wasn't hanging out with them so much anymore.

It was around 12:00 a.m. on a Wednesday morning in the common room. The only ones there were Ashley and Sirius.

"Sirius - I want to stop worrying about the future. I want to live for today. Forget about the past. Forget about the future. I just want to live in the present, and see where life takes us. Hopefully I know enough for us to save the future, but we'll worry about that stuff when the time comes. We have almost a year to worry about that, and I can't go on living each day, thinking that I could lose you at any second. It's too much," she said somberly.

"You think you're scared? I'm a nervous wreck! I haven't a clue how I'd survive if you - if you - Ugh, I can't think about it anymore!" Sirius cried.

"Well, then we won't think about it anymore," Ashley said simply.

"I love you so much," Sirius whispered.

"Always and forever," Ashley whispered back with a smirk.

Two days later, Friday, Ashley awoke in the best mood she had been in all week. She woke up, humming to herself as she got ready and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. On the way down, she saw Sirius waiting for her in the common room.

"Hey, sweetie," Sirius said pleasantly.

"Hi, Sirius." They held hands as they walked downstairs. On the way there Ashley heard her name being mentioned, so she slowed down to listen to where it was coming from. Behind the wall she was at, she heard a couple of girls voices.

"How dumb is she? Does she actually think she can change a guy like Sirius? He's the biggest player there is!" came the voice of Jolene Abraham, a seventh year Ravenclaw.

"He seems to care about her," said a girl with a soft voice.

"Get real, Delaney! I bet I could get him to cheat in 24 hours," Jolene replied.

Ashley looked over to Sirius, who looked as if he'd been punched in the stomach.

"I doubt that, Jolene," Ashley said cruely, coming out from behind the wall.

"Oh! Ashley!" Delaney squealed.

"Hello, Delaney. Hello, Jolene. If you have any comments about Sirius and I, I'd prefer you tell me to my face, thanks assholes," Ashley said coldly. With one last scowl she gripped Sirius' hand and continued to walk. When they were close to the staircase Sirius stopped walking.

"I want to change my reputation," Sirius stated earnestly.

"Sirius - I know that you've changed. I know you love me, okay? As long as I know you're faithful, then who gives a damn about other people?" Ashley asked, looking up into his grey eyes.

"Er - Can you meet me in the Astronomy Tower after dinner tonight?" Sirius asked hushedly.

"Uh - Sure, Sirius. Let's go to breakfast."

Potions was first that day, and they were beginning Healing and Protection Potions.

"Can anyone tell me what Vervain is?" Slughorn asked brightly. "Ashley?"

"Vervain is one of the most important remedies for wounds that protects people from metal weapons," Ashley replied, without really paying any attention.

"Excellent. Five points to Gryffindor."

"Today our potions main herb will be, as you may be able to guess, Vervain," said Slughorn cheerfully.

Ashley heard James mumble, "Good, I can hardly wait." and Lily shot him a reproachful look.

Finally it was time for the last class of the day, Muggle Studies. "You will have a homework project coming up. Not a big deal, but I'll give you until Friday to hand it in. The project is about any muggle object and how it is used. I'll explain more tomorrow, but in the meantime, do try to research muggle objects." the bell rang and classes were over.

After dinner Ashley looked around for Sirius, but he had already gone to the Astronomy Tower, so quickly without anybody noticing, she hurried off after him.

"Oh, Sirius!" Ashley squealed fondly. There were candles lit everywhere and rose petals covering the floor. "What's the occasion?"

"It's just that...I love you, Ashley. And I know that we're trying not to think about it, but the future seemed horrible, and I don't want to waste a second. I'm glad we're getting the chance to fix everything that's yet to come. But, I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm not saying that we should do it now, but once we graduate - Would you marry me?" Sirius got down on one knee and opened up a black velvet box. There was the most beautiful diamond ring Ashley had ever seen. Engraved on the inside was "Always and Forever". Ashley felt ready to cry.

"I love you so much Sirius. It's beautiful, and you're incredible. Yes, Yes, I'll marry you!"

"YES!" cried Sirius happily as he slid the ring onto her finger, and they kissed. After a couple of minutes, Ashley pulled away.

"Er - Do you want to take this somewhere else?" Ashley asked with a small blush.

"Yeah! Wow, uh, Let's go!" Sirius said, his eyes wide. He grabbed Ashley's hand and they dashed out of the Astronomy Tower.

AUTHORS NOTE: I loved writing this chapter. It was a lot of fun.