Prologue taken from Prisoner of Azkaban
DISCLAIMER: Meredith, Angela, and all other characters not appearing in the Harry Potter books are mine.
Chapter 1
13 years earlier
Remus couldn't believe it was true. James and Lily dead. Peter dead. Dead at the hands of Sirius. It couldn't be true. Sirius
couldn't have betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort. He wouldn't. He stood up as his old headmaster entered the room.
"Professor," he said. "Please tell me I have been wrongly informed." Dumbledore looked at him sadly. In all the years he'd
known the man he'd never seen him look so old.
"I am afraid you have not been misinformed." Remus could feel his heart breaking. He sank into his chair and buried his face
in his hands. Scalding tears fell from his eyes. Two of his best friends, dead. Betrayed and murdered by the third. The only
people he had truly loved were gone. Dumbledore put his hand on the young man's shoulder offering what comfort he could.
When at last he had no more tears he looked up at Dumbledore.
"Sirius has been captured I assume," he said feeling a bitter hatred toward the man he thought was his friend.
"Yes," Dumbledore said. "Twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement squad were sent. Barty Crouch has sentenced
him to Azkaban for life"
"Good," Remus seethed. "The bastard deserves it. How could he? Lily, James, Peter." Remus's fists were clenched tightly,
his nails digging into his palms.
"Calm yourself Remus." Dumbledore said. "Sirius Black will pay for his crime." Remus took a deep breath and tried to calm
himself.
"Harry?" he asked. "They're saying that Harry survived the killing curse. That it rebounded on Voldemort"
"It is true," Dumbledore said. "Though we don't understand it." Remus sighed with relief. Harry was alive. Thank Merlin.
"I've taken him to Lily's sister. I left a note explaining everything."
"Lily's sister!" Remus gasped remembering Petunia Evans, well it was Durby or Durnley or something now. She was the
worst kind of muggle there was.
"How could you give Harry to that muggle? She and Lily hated each other. She'll be horrible to him"
"It is for the best Remus," Dumbledore said in the voice that told him that the matter was closed. "There is however another
who will need you right now"
"Who?" Remus asked.
"Angela," Dumbledore said. "You remember her no doubt." Remus nodded thinking of the woman with flame colored hair
that had been the love of Sirius Black's life.
"Angela is dying Remus," Dumbledore said. Remus's eyes widened.
"The news of Sirius's betrayal has been too much for her. She has been taken to Saint Mungo's. The healers there are doing
everything they can for her, but it is as though she has lost her will to live."
"Oh Merlin," Remus gasped. He had been very fond of Sirius's girlfriend, almost as fond as he was of Lily. If she died, he
would truly have lost everyone he loved.
"I must go to her," Remus said standing.
"You cannot help her, Remus," Dumbledore said. "Angela is lost to us"
"Then why did you tell me she needs me. If I cannot help her..."
"It is Angela's daughter that will need you now." Remus stared blankly at Dumbledore.
"Her daughter?" Remus gasped sitting back in the chair.
"Yes," Dumbledore said. "Angela became pregnant her seventh year at Hogwarts. Though they wanted to keep her they
realized that they were too young to take care of her. Also, with the threat of Voldemort growing everyday they knew she
would not be safe with them. Though he never said so, I also believe that Sirius was afraid of what his family would do if
that found out about the child"
"I remember," Remus said the memories coming fast now, "our seventh year. Angela was always tired, and sick all the time.
I thought it was just the stress of NEWTS and graduating and Voldemort of course. She was pregnant"
"She did not really start to show until her seventh month. You were a month away from graduation at that time. Madam
Pomfrey put a concealment charm on her to hide her stomach"
"After graduation I remember that I didn't see Sirius and Angela for a few months. When they came back and started
working for the order Angela seemed different. Sadder"
"It nearly broke Angela's heart to give up her child. She was almost unconsolable"
"Where is the child now?" Remus asked.
"I took her to a muggle orphanage in London a few hours after she was born. She will be five years old now and will have
no memory of her parents"
"Why are you telling me this?" Remus asked.
"I have recently recieved word from a contact in London that the child, Meredith is her name, is starting to come into her
powers. The people at the orphanage are finding it most disturbing. She needs to be raised by a magical family"
"You want me to raise her?" Remus said disbelieving. "Albus I can't. I'm a single man, I've no place to live, no money, no
job, and for heaven sakes I'm a werewolf." These were not the real reasons he couldn't do this. Sirius had betrayed them all
and the hatred he felt toward the man did not put him a good place to raise the traitor's child.
"I'm prepared to offer you a place to live. A small house a short distance from Hogwarts. It has a large basement where you
can go for your transformations"
"Locking myself in the basement will not keep the child safe from me." He couldn't even bring himself to call her by her
name.
"Have you heard of the Wolfsbane potion?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, can't say I have"
"It was only recently discovered. It is quite an amazing creation. When a werewolf takes it a week before the full moon he is
able to keep his or her mind when he transforms"
"Sounds great but I couldn't possibly afford it"
"Fortunately, Severus knows how to brew it and is willing to supply it." Remus curled his lips in disgust.
"Why oh why would Snivellus be willing to help me?"
"Because I asked him to," Dumbledore said. "He knows nothing of Meredith's true heritage, however and I don't want him
to. No one must know who Meredith's father is, especially now"
"Even if I were able to keep my mind when I transform, there's no gurantee I would not hurt the child"
"Do you remember Sirius's cousin, Andromeda?"
"Yes," Remus said. "She was two years ahead of us in school. Married a muggle-born, disowned by her family. Sirius liked
her quite a bit if I recall"
"I have spoken with Andromeda and she is willing to keep Meredith at her house on the nights of the full moon. Andromeda
has a daughter a few years older than Meredith so she is no stranger to taking care of little girls"
"Then why doesn't she take the girl?" Remus demanded. Before Dumbledore could answer there was a blast from the fire
and a single piece of parchment fell onto the desk. Dumbledore snatched it up and read it quickly.
"It is from St. Mungos. Angela is fading. She is asking for you." Remus stood quickly as Dumbledore grabbed a clock from
his desk.
"Portus," he said tapping it with his wand. "Quickly Remus." Remus siezed the clock.
"Three, two, one," Dumbledore said. Remus felt the tug behind his navel and shut his eyes. When he opened them again they
were in St. Mungos. They hurried down the hall and pushed through a set of doors. A nurse took them immediatly to
Angela's room. Remus gasped in shock as he looked at his friend. Though she was only twenty-two she looked about
eighty right now. She was ghastly pale. Her green eyes had lost there sparkle and stared at the ceiling glassy and unfocused.
Her hair which was once the color of a roaring flame hung dead and limp around her head.
"Angela," Dumbledore rushed to the young woman's side.
"Albus," Angela rasped staring at the headmaster as though she did not really see him. "Where is Remus?" she asked. "I
need to see him. I need to see Remus"
"I'm here Red," Remus asked, using her nickname from school. Everyone had called Sirius and Angela Red and Black.
'There they go Red and Black. Where there's one there's other. Where there's smoke there's fire." He knelt by her bedside
and took her limp hand.
"Remus," Angela rasped. "Oh Remus, Lily and James"
"I know Red," Remus said stroking her forehead. "I know"
"They're saying Sirius did it," she whispered tears falling from her eyes. "He didn't do it, Remus. I know he didn't do it"
"Shh," Remus soothed. "Don't try to talk. Save your strength"
"Remus," Angela said intensely. "My little girl. I want you to take care of my little girl"
"Angela," Remus said.
"I didn't tell you about her. I didn't tell anyone. Sirius and I...We couldn't keep her"
"Hush," Remus said. "you did what you thought was best"
"Sirius said that if we had kept her he would have wanted you to be her godfather. I wanted that too. I wanted it so much..."
Angela was gasping for breath now.
"Angela please," Remus begged her. "Don't speak. You have to save your strength"
"Remus," Angela said so softly she was barely audible. "Take care of my little girl. I love her so much..." Remus felt tears fall
from his eyes as the light faded from Angela's eyes. With a shaking hand he ran his hand over her face and closed her eyes.
"Goodbye Angela," he whispered kissing her forehead. He turned and looked at Dumbledore.
"I'll take Meredith," he said.