Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Author's Note: No I did not forget this story, I've just been very busy with my website. But I have not forgotten, so as penance I will try to post as many chapters as possible tonight.

Sirius and Helena

"Well, Harry. What do you already know?" Remus asked after they finished their supper.

"Not much. Lucius was married to Helena. Lucius had an affair with Narcissa. Draco was born. Draco went to live with Lucius and Helena. Val was born. When Val was five, Helena died, and Lucius married Narcissa. When Val was old enough they sent her to Beauxbatons Academy, and pretty much tried to forget she existed. If it wasn't for Draco she would probably still be there. That's it." Harry explained what he had learned so far.

"Well, Harry, if you truly want to know what happened you need to start way back when we were at Hogwarts. Helena was a Gryffindor and in our year. Sirius was infatuated with her the minute he saw her. But he would never let anyone see that, except his closest of friends. Ah but your Mom knew. She could always see right through us all. She's the one who got them together to begin with." Remus started the story and Harry could see a far off look in his eyes, knowing he was remembering happier times.

"Were they friends, my mom and Helena?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes, best friends to the horror of the Maxwell family." Remus chuckled. Harry looked confused. "The Maxwell family were purebloods, Harry, and more bigoted than even the Malfoys."

Harry understood immediately. His mom had been a Mudblood, and Helena had dared to have her as a best friend. "Val is more like her mom than I thought, then."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked.

"Val didn't have any friends at Beauxbatons, because she refused to be friends with the girls in her own social rank. Daughters of Death Eaters, I think she called them. The Malfoys were none to pleased, I guess." Harry explained.

"I imagine they wouldn't be." Remus smiled and then continued. "Oh it was fine for Helena to date Sirius. He was from the Black family, which held a very high social standing among the purebloods. But then the war with Voldemort started. Everyone was taking sides. Regulus Black as you know became a Death Eater, while Sirius aligned himself with the Order. When Sirius' mother disowned him, the Maxwell's went crazy. They locked Helena up, and wouldn't let her see Sirius."

"He surely did not stand for that, did he?" Harry asked, knowing his godfather would not let someone take something so dear away from him.

"No. He vowed to get her back, but then the deaths within the Order started. Your mom and dad were already married, but Sirius started to think about what it would mean for Helena if they were to marry and he would be killed. It didn't matter to him if he died in the service of the order. That was what being a member of the Order was all about. But if he were to marry Helena, her family would disown her. And without him she would have nothing." Remus said pausing for a moment.

"But she would have the Order." Harry said not understanding.

"Ah, but Sirius would not let her join the Order. Even though he was willing to risk his own life for the cause, he was unwilling to lose her to it. He loved her above any and all others. He knew if he were not in her life she would remain safe with her family. So he let her go. He wouldn't tell her the reason he would not see her anymore. She was heartbroken." Remus rubbed at his eyes as they threatened to tear up. He remembered how much it had pained his friend to do such a thing, but he understood why.

Harry felt he knew what some of the sadness he had seen in his Godfather's eyes was now. But there was something he did not understand. "But how did she end up marrying Malfoy? The way you describe her, makes me believe that she would hate him."

"She did hate him, Harry. She hated him more than any other man she knew. But her parents insisted. It was the only way to repair her reputation, after being involved with a notorious Blood Traitor, like Sirius. And after losing Sirius, Helena did not have the fight left in her to stop it. So she became Helena Maxwell Malfoy." Remus answered.

"But now that I think about it that wasn't the end of the story. I remember the day that Helena came to see me. She begged me to make her understand why Sirius had refused her. I knew I should just lie to her, but those large pleading emerald eyes could disarm anyone. I told her the truth. When she left me that day, she had tears in her eyes, but there was something else too. Hope. I never realized that she would find her way back into Sirius' arms, and he never said anything about it, but for a short while there, he was happy again. I never questioned it." Remus smiled at the memory. "It wasn't very long after that when your parents died and Sirius was taken to Azkaban. And that is all I know about the story, Harry."

Harry sat in silence for a moment thinking of all of the things he had just learned. "So when Helena found out about Lucius' affair with Narcissa, she had an affair with Sirius."

"Harry, don't think for a moment that what was between your Godfather and Helena was just a sordid affair. They loved each other just as deeply as your mom and dad did. I think maybe Helena was hurt by what Lucius had done, or maybe she had taken too much of life as a Malfoy. I'm not sure which, but she needed Sirius. And for a very short time, he was there for her again. If he had not gone to Azkaban, things might have been very different for the two of them." Remus said wishing he could change history to reflect the visions in his mind of a happy Sirius and Helena together raising a beautiful daughter with the emerald eyes of her mother, and the wavy dark hair of her father.

Harry went to bed that night, but did not sleep. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his Godfather, and how life could have been so much better for him. He wondered if Sirius had learned of Helena's death while he was in Azkaban. Or if that was one of the many things he had had to face after his escape.

But then Harry's thoughts turned to an emerald-eyed young lady who was back at Hogwarts. Harry could do nothing for his Godfather's grief. But there was one thing he could do for the man, now that he was gone. He could be there for the daughter he had never known, and try to help her cope with the loss of a parent she had never known. That was one thing Harry was very good at. He had had sixteen years to learn to cope with that type of pain, and he was very good at it.

Author's Note: I know very short chapter, but I wanted to center on the story of Sirius and Helena. Next chapter a shocking discovery at Black Manor.