Author's note: Please be aware that I own ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, everything, except my character OC(S) I place here, belongs to the wonderful Lady J.K. Rowling. THIS IS A TRIAL RUN! I would very much like to hear your thoughts. I was originally never going to upload this fiction, however, I know it was something I was looking forward to sharing. This is a Sirius Black/OC, maybe Severus Snape/OC, Fanfiction. So, welcome back, readers! I hope you enjoy this one as much as you have the first 2 Harry Potter stories! :) Do enjoy, this is the Harry Potter Era, so it's going to be a bit. Keep your heads up. Enjoy!

Updated: 12/2021

Chapter 17

Dumbledore's office

"So, her magic is what is killing her then?" Albus questioned Newt with worry.

"That is simply one assumption out of a few others, Dumbledore. I'm afraid I truly don't know what is the real cause, but magic is the only factor that I have seen that could be causing her health to disintegrate, nothing makes sense. She didn't have the proper training in her time from what I understand, therefore, leaving room for some form of a slight condition to occur, her continuous use of her magic without a wand and the improper training for wandless magic has left her, and likely other's, open to likely developing a type of Obscurus. It eventually kills its host. However, there are other inconsistencies in her. Her blood appears to be poisoned, almost like a disease has set in. Her body is slowly decomposing. Something, if not her magic, is killing her. Nothing makes sense." Newt said. Turning to Sage, he sighed with slight worry, "What exactly happened before you arrived here?"

Sighing with some thought, she shrugged trying to remember. "I don't remember. We were attacked, I was knocked unconscious then I woke up in the hospital in 1992." She said with a small shrug.

"No curse was sent at you, nothing hit you at all?" Tina spoke up from her seated place, tea held in her hand and resting in her lap. This was interesting indeed. However, it was terribly sad.

Smiling weakly to them, she sighed sadly, understanding their worry and appreciating their continued and deep attempts to save her from whatever this was, "I'm not worried about my health anymore, Mr. Scamander. My only concern is making sure Harry lives through the Tournament. I just can't remember what those journals said. Everything is gone. I have nothing to use as a reference anywhere that could help to make this easier to beat."

"Well, you are my concern, Sage," Newt said with a determined look. He would do all he could to try to save her life.

Sage didn't know what to say, she never expected them to try going this far to find out what was wrong with her, but at least they had a few answers. Her magic was eating away at her health for starters like an Obscurus did to its host. However, Snape had admitted that the blood sample they'd taken upon her arrival indeed showed signs of her body likely hosting a small trace of such an infection such as an Obscurus. They hadn't a clue how to fix it. The constant redirection so quickly from wandless magic to using a wand must have done something with the infection. It was not growing in the normal stages because it had changed, attacking her health and feeding off her magic, it was treating her like an actual infection instead of lashing out at others, it was killing her instead.

"Now, I have spoken with Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey about your results from their blood tests. However, I'd like to ask you a few other questions," Newt stated, taking a seat, "Have you ever felt a build-up of power that you feared would lash out and actually managed to suppress it?"

Thinking on that thought for a moment, Sage nodded, not truly sure why he was asking about that. "Yeah, always. Since I was a child. The New Order Elder told me to hold it in my stomach, to never let it reach my chest or my heart. I never understood what they were talking about and they never explained anything to me about it. But it has gotten stronger since I traveled back in time. Ever since I've had that attack last year I feel like my insides are always hot, but my skin is sometimes cold, or it's hot to the touch. I guess it just depends on the day I'm having?"

Nodding, he walked from her chair and with her permission moved his hand over her stomach, searching for any detected Obscurus, the magic was powerful but not dark. Not like the Obscurals he's seen in his life. "It's not an obscurus. It would have lashed out whether you'd have liked it or not eventually, yet your blood shows traces of what appears to be one. There's no holding an obscurus back when it builds up with fear or intense emotions. They had you storing mass amounts of your magic in your body since you were young, yes?"

"Yes?"

"What likely happened, is that your massive amount of magical storage has overflowed. Your body likely started to believe you were suppressing your magic and our blood began to develop an infection. That's one part of what could likely be happening. In your time were there any illnesses? Magical Bacteria's?"

Now that she thought of it, the water was tasting a bit funny, but that wasn't because of bacteria. There were new poisons Voldemort had been making that could have been slipped to her by Malcolm.

"You've thought of something, haven't you?" Minerva said with worry, the look on Sage's face said it all.

"I can't think of any illnesses or Bacteria, but Voldemort has been mixing new poisonous for quite some time. To replicate curses, like Snape Sectumsempra. Bellatrix was actually the one who manipulated a new version of his curse. Mixing a poison her lover laced into her own wand. The curse which she used absorbed the poison and it made a new curse, one no one but the Death Eater's know the name of." she explained.

"Did someone hit you with a curse?" Albus asked.

"No, not that I can remember, but a few days before I left, Malcolm and I shared a glass of wine. I won't lie, it was a very nice wine. I'd had it before because it was my mother's favorite. But it tasted a bit… bitter." She admitted.

"What kind of wine?" Snape questioned.

"A sweet Licorice Wine, cherry. It's supposed to be sweet, but this bottle was different. He said the Wine must have been mislabeled, and believe me, in my time that's possible. Only four wine distributors are left in my time for the Wizarding world. They have constant mass productions of wines. Sometimes a wine or a few carts will be mislabeled. When that happens the Wine houses are shut down to fix the problem and to make sure it doesn't happen again. The last time it happened I was just a little girl."

"Newt, could that have been the poison?" Tina asked with worry.

"It seems so, but since we do not have the Wine bottle, we cannot know if that is truly the case," Newt said sadly.

"Is it possible that the poison and infection in her body began to mix somehow, and this was the outcome?" Minerva asked.

"Depending on the manner of the poison, it could be," Snape said with a nod.

"Alright, enough talk of this. Please. I know I don't have much time left, I'm not going to spend my days worrying about myself and Harry at the same time. Harry is our focus. Let's worry about the boy first." Sage said, her tone was soft and her fear could be clearly heard in her tone, more so seen on her face.

"Sage, the Ball is coming up and I am sure Harry would enjoy seeing you there. With you now being a guest, you must have a formal invite to the Ball. However, as Headmaster of this school, you have my permission to come. Unless someone invites you as their own guest, then I suppose my invite is not required." Albus stated. A wide smile on his face. He knew she was dying, she knew it too and she wanted no one wasting time on her failing health. But they couldn't help but become attached and worried for her. Where she continued to believe she had done nothing to help Harry, she was not realizing that simply being there for the boy was plenty enough. However, his concern continued to grow, he knew, deep down, she would die for that boy. But would her death be so terrible in the end? She was living in constant pain, likely worse than Remus himself. Their current conclusion was that her own magic was killing her. Now, it was possible she was poisoned.

Nodding her head in appreciation, Sage smiled softly. "Thank you, I'll see you all at the Ball then. Have a wonderful evening. Newt, Tina, it was wonderful seeing you both again." She said to them thankfully as she left Albus's office.

Her eyes were sad. They saw it. And they all knew it. She wasn't making it to Harry's fifth year, she intended to die. It had been her plan from the very beginning.

"Newt -"

"She knows, Albus, she knows she isn't making it past his fourth year." Newt randomly spoke up sadly. His eyes hadn't left the closed-door the redhead had walked out of moments ago.

"That's what worries me," Albus admitted softly, his own eyes staring at the closed door.

Sirius's heart clenched tightly with fear, his fists balling into tight fists of determination and an attempt to control his anger. She knew, and she wasn't talking to anyone. Hell, she was practically avoiding the conversation with everyone. 'Like hell.'

As the days moved forward Sirius spent his time keeping his eyes on both Harry and Sage. He was not a fan of her carelessness regarding herself. If he could prevent her death, he would. She made his heart go wild every time he looked at her, his skin was always burning with the desire to touch her, to kiss her.

With winter already there, Sirius smiled with the thought that Christmas Eve was just around the corner. However, this particular night he found a rather unsavory scene of Sage comforting a mourning Maxime.

"What's going on?" He asked curiously. His voice was a smooth whisper, husky by nature.

Olympe attempted to tell him, but her crying was interfering with her french. Sirius took the time to simply understand he'd have to get it from Sage later.

After a few hours of them both comforting the dear woman they walked Olympe to her room and said their goodnights, Sirius took the time to walk Sage to her own room, "Mind telling me what exactly that was all about Love?" Sirius asked.

"One of her students was found dead when she went home to visit her brother. The house was burnt down. Apparently, Death Eaters were waiting for her when she arrived and they killed them both, burned down their home. Their bodies were nothing but ash when the authorities arrived. Aside from a few bones the authorities found. They were identified as Pual and Alicia Bonnet just this morning." Sage explained sadly.

The news shocked Sirius, "A student of Maxime's? One of her girls?"

Nodding, Sage sighed as she rested her back against the wall next to her door after handing the mourning Maxim over to Hagrid, Albus, and Minerva. It had been a long day. Harry and Draco had wanted to stay at school for the Holidays due to Ron and Hermione staying themselves and she was exhausted, the cold weather was taking its toll all its own, and her respiratory system was terrible. She hated being cold, and she found that no matter what she did, she always seemed to be cold to the touch now. It was as if her body as of late had chosen to settle on being cold, even when her insides were hot. She had no set temperature. But the sudden warmth she felt cup her cheek had her opening her eyes to come eye to eye with silver-grey mere inches from her own. His warm breath tickled her lips as he leaned into her, his chest and body trapping her back against the wall. The warmth of his smooth, intoxicating lips had her insides burning like an inferno. Inhaling deeply allowed his tongue into her mouth, and danced with her own.

With ie hand, he held the back of her head, tangling his digits in her long soft red hair, his other smoothing down her waist and leg, his fingers danced the fabric up into a hand full and slowly began lifting the soft, winter fabric of her dress. Gently, Sirius cupped his hand back over the soft material of her underwear of her firm behind and down the back of her leg before lifting the limb up to his waist to aid in hoisting her up against the wall, resting himself between her legs that wrapped around his waist. The heat his body generated warmed them both.

Her hands were chill against his neck, warming up thanks to his body heat, it seemed he had plenty to give as she held him close, her mind hazy as their kiss intensified almost three times. Pulling back from the desires and warmth, Sage sighed, resting her forehead against his, and smiled softly and apologetically, "I'm sorry, I can't. We're at Hogwarts, Sirius. I can't do that at a school." She breathed sadly. It had taken a lot for her to stop this, but with her nervousness of being intimate had aided in bringing this session to a temporary close.

Grinning a bit at her, Sirius nuzzled his nose into her neck before nipping playfully at her smooth and sweet-scented skin before gently setting her feet firmly on the floor, her back sliding down the stonewall sensually before kissing her lips a few more times, softly and fire burning behind his skin. "Maybe next time then, Love." Kissing her lips once more, Sirius opened her bedroom door, "I'll see you at the Ball tomorrow night. Goodnight, Sage."

Walking into her room she sighed sadly, her body still burning at the memory of his touch. Raising a hand to her heart pulsing lips, red from their actions she let the memory soak into her very pores before crawling between her sheets for rest her body easily succumbed to.

Sirius sighed, a small smile on his face as he made his way towards his room, but the figure draped in black robes resting against the wall, his arms crossed and his face frowning with anger, "I see you've made a move, Black."

Sighing at the man's irritation Sirius kept walking, "And if I did Snape, it is none of your business..." He said, but the words didn't make him feel any better. Stopping in his strides he sighed. "I made my move because I know she will not let anyone help her… She wants to die, Severus… If I can prevent that, then I will. I don't enjoy the thought of losing another person to this madman… It felt… Right. Goodnight, Severus." Sirius said and began to leave once again before he sighed heavily and stopped, "He likes you, Severus, he fell for you when she knew deep down that she should have, and you pushing her away is doing nothing for you. Either of you. While kissing her felt right to me, it may have felt like a betrayal from herself. She knows you'll never love her like you did Lily or Gabrielle, but let her choose anyways. Because in the end, we'll be the one left hurting." He told the man with a sad tone of advice and left for his room to sleep.

The Yule Ball- Christmas Eve Night 1994

The night was cold but the celebration was just beginning, Sage had walked up to the girl's dorms to check on the girls, Hermione had yet to come down and the boys had been making ridiculous accusations regarding her not coming because she apparently didn't have a real date, or so said Ron. Though, Sage had to grin at his idea because she could tell he was simply jealous at the idea of not having her on his arm tonight. "Come on, you look gorgeous Hermione,"

"But -"

"No buts, come on." Sage said with a smile and walked her down the steps, watching as she nervously looked around the corner of the stairs, "Well, go on, walk with confidence. And remember, he is the only thing that matters tonight." Sage told the nervous girl, smiling as she took a breath and rounded the corner, and walked down the stairs slowly, trying to breathe as she accepted Vitokr's arm.

"Very nice," Sirius said with a grin, leaning against the wall behind her.

She turned to Sirius smiling at her, a glint of happiness shining in his grey eyes at her. She loved it, but she also hated how his shining eyes made her heart go wild. "She just needed a pep-talk," she told him with a smile of her own as she looked around the corner then walked down.

"Dance with me," he asked her, his hand held out for her to take.

Sighing with a nervous smile she clasped her hands behind her back, "Why are you doing this Sirius Black? Helping me, trying to save what you can of me? Giving me attention like this?" she asked him softly. She wanted to know, she truly wanted his answer. Why did he do the things he did?

Smiling, Sirius sighed and walked up to her, his hands softly gliding down her bare arms, the empire sleeves and dip of her dark blue dress of silk and lace, it was fantastic on her. "Because, you saw an innocent man where many accused him because when you looked at me that first night I saw you, I felt alive once again. Like my best friend had sent an angel down to me. I felt… I felt like the young man I had once been before Azkaban. I felt believed in. And your determination to see Harry happy, safe. That drew me closer and closer to you, you're beautiful, your strong. You're so many things wrapped into one being that I can't believe you really even exist. And I'm scared I'm losing you like I lost James. Like we lost Lily. Sage, I am falling head over heels in love with you, and all it took was one look into your eyes to see that, in this life or any other, I'd find you. So, if we lose you here, in this life, in this time. I'll never truly lose you, because I know I will always find you in the next life." He told her, he was spilling his heart out to her, knowing he was going to lose her, fearing he'd lose her.

Her heart was pounding with so many emotions she didn't know what to say as he took hold of her hands, she felt her lips smiling. She felt like a somebody, she felt… Real. "Sirius -"

"What are you two standing around for?!" Minerva called for them, "The ball is starting!" she said to them.

Both looked from Minerva's panicking and anxious self as she ushed them into the ballroom as they softly laughed at how anxious the woman was.

The Yule Ball was astonishing, everyone was impressed, the walls were covered in what looked like Silver ice, Christmas trees were set up and covered in snow, with ice stands holding lanterns. Tables around the room were filled with food and punch. It was truly magnificent.

They watched the champions dance, Harry, poor Harry, dancing with his date and looking as though he was terrified of falling on his face as they danced. The poor boy was nervous. He truly hated the spotlight, then it was everyone else's turn to dance. Albus took Minerva onto the floor and others followed suit, Sirius and Sage included.

The Ball was mesmerizing as the night ticked by. Harry had danced with one of the Patil twins. Then, both he and Ron had pouted. All because of a girl. For that, there was nothing Sage ould do about it, especially when Draco joined them, his eyes traveling over Lavender Brown dancing with her Hufflepuff date. She and Hannah had defended him in the best possible way, and it had gotten her attacked by Dagny. The light scar along the side of her temple was hardly visible, but he knew it was there. But, she had unfortunately accepted a date to the Yule Ball before he had asked her. 'If I hadn't waited those extra two days I'd be the one smiling and dancing with her right now.' He thought with an annoyed sigh.

Sage was momentarily stunned when arms swept her off to the dance floor after taking the opportunity to dance with Severus, and the smiling face that graced her was that which had her face blushing like a fire, "Sneaky Sirius." She teased.

Softly chuckling he kissed her cheek, "I thought you'd think so. Come on," He whispered, easing her towards the Great Hall's doors and they both slipped out, Sirius pulling her up the steps towards a northeast Tower overlooking the entire school and lake. "I don't think I've been in this tower before." Sage sighed peacefully. Enjoying the sight, enjoying the sight for a while she and Sirius talked, him telling her about his past, his friendship with the other boys and Lily, Marlene, and Gabrielle. She was happy and envious of the happiness he told her about. A sudden shiver went through her and she hadn't thought twice of it before her chest tightened and her lungs burned and heaved with difficulty.

Seeing her difficulty breathing, Sirius grabbed ahold of her and eased her to the floor in his arms, "Sage?"

Trying to gain her breath back as his mind suddenly flooded and flashed with images, she looked up to him, her blue eyes filling with tears of fear. She didn't know what was happening. " 'irius - c-can' b- br-... 'iri-" Her vision spun, her hand grasping the fabric of her dress over her heart with clear pain. Soon she saw nothing but darkness and dreamed of a life she wished she'd had.

Dream

"For Merlin's sake hurry up! We have six minutes until the train leaves and your shaking legs are holding us up."

"Lily, I'm scared..." But the older redhead smiled and comforted her fears, soon they had boarded the train. But once again, her fears had set in when she lost sight of the girl, Lily she was called.

'Wait, wasn't that Harry's mother's name?'

She had been even more frightened when a group of older boys had attacked her and busted her lip in front of two older girls themselves. She felt the bite and sting as if it had really happened to her own body. Free of the boys returning to beating her, or tossing her from the train like one of them had suggested, she found her way into a car after she'd been unable to find Lily. And the faces she found had her struck still. One she was assuming was a youthful Sirius Black, and the one reading, what she was noticing, Peter Pan. 'That has to be Remus, but how do I know this? I've never seen them as youths before?'

"What happened to your lip?" The boy with glasses asked curiously. Sage was so dumbfounded that this boy looked so similar to Harry. 'Where am I?'

"Hi, I'm Gabrielle McKinnon," A sweet blonde introduced herself with a happy smile. At that moment, she found she liked this Gabrielle girl, she was sweet and all happy smiles and cheerful.

Her dream quickly flashed to a happier scene of a young Sirius Black dancing around a warm room with her singing "Welcome to Gryffindor!" with other young singing voices of boys, with many others clapped and laughed and cheered, then Sirius danced around with her, set her on her feet, grabbed her hands and began spinning then finally picked her back up again then passed her off to James, Remus then Peter who all did the same, until finally, and shockingly, Sirius Black kissed her knuckles.

Years flashed by her as she found herself in Hogsmead, not with Remus like she knew her first traveling had been with, but with Sirius, the two of them laughing and having fun, and their shared kiss that day to the night witnessed James ask Lily to marry him.

It was all a life she was dreaming, wishing she had witnessed longer, a life of happiness and filled with love. A life she'd have chosen over this life, the life she had to suffer just to find the people that she knew cared for her deeply, then came the horror of that life. Of a terrifying man standing before her, as a woman screamed with horror and the sudden pain that ripped through her tore a painful gasped shout from her as a woman screamed somewhere nearest her as a man's voice screamed; "AVADA KEDAVARA!"

Followed by a woman's screams of terror nearest her before it went silent.

Her body pulsed painfully as she flashed to a different event of an underground being attacked. A bother and sister splitting up, but she knew that face, she knew that blonde hair, "Anya?"

"Nesrin, go get dad!" the boy screamed. Sage was confused, the girl looked just like the adult Anya she had met.

The scene shifted once more to a girl screaming and crying as she ran past Hagrid's destroyed home and was stopped by a young man covered in scars and tattoos.

"Uncle Draco?" the girl asked with timid fear before it flashed to the girl running up the hidden back stairwell, Harry's spirit chasing after her as she cried and begged someone to leave her alone.

"Keep going! Don't look back!" Harry shouted after her. She was forced to watch the ruins of towers doors blow inward, the young man marching in and grasping the blonde girl by the back of her head.

"Hello, Aurora," he said.

Fearful for her girl, her heart hammering in her chest and she watched frantically for the girl, "NO!" She screamed fearfully, but her fears never came true as the girl vanished. The tower and time-reversed, turning back time as the tower was reformed and shifted into Albus's tower. "What the hell is going on?" she asked curiously.

"I am in so much trouble," the girl said with some fright and shock as they both looked around the tower.

"Couldn't agree with you more Aurora,"she said casually. Committing the girls' name to memory.

"I would say so my dear," Albus's voice came from the steps, drawing both females' attention. With her body pulsing once again, she found herself in the dark night of snow and the sound of a crying child rushing towards Albus as he lifted the crying child into his arms, "There, there," he told her. She watched as the child's years moved forward, Albus, Minerva, Madam Sprout, Poppy, even Snape, then there was Harry. She was watching him being sorted, listened to Ron introduce her as his brother's best friend, she felt herself laugh at the boy's rambling . "Okay Ron, I think he gets the message, hi, like he said, my name is Cordelia, but you can call me Corde." As the lives of these girls flashed before her, all looking different, but all sharing the same people in the end. That begin Harry, Sirius, Severus, Remus, and many others. Everyone she loved. And those she had not had the chance to meet or save in this life. It was heartwarming, but also it was a sting to her.

"A twist in time has come to a start, for death shall come, not to kill, but to fix and replace," A cold voice said behind her, startling her to turn and face whoever, whatever, was there. But there she found a dark cloaked figure, almost like a dementor, before her. At that moment she felt true panic as she backed into a non-realistic wall behind her.

Raising its hand to the fearful woman, the creature eased back in its floating state of shadow and black smoke, "Fear not child, for I have not come for you tonight. But, your soul does not belong here and those around so chose to love you, guard you and protect you, to give you a place. And a place you shall have, but your life must cycle thrice before a final path can be granted. A life of Thrice. For three lives you shall live, and three deaths you shall suffer. Whether by happiness or tragedy, you shall see them again. Do not fear me upon me coming to gather your soul next I see you. Now, Awaken, my child of three souls."

Waking up was a painful thing to do. She felt nauseous as she rolled to the side of the bed, then, to her horror, she vomited. Thankfully into an empty bucket that was there. "Holy mother of all gods ever known… That was disturbing." She panted as she spat the rest of the vomit from her mouth.

Minerva bolted from her chair as the young redhead gasped awake and rolled onto her side and began to vomit, Poppy and Newt had warned them that with her condition it was likely to be an effect of her waking up. However, she was not expecting Sage to vomit up a mixture of bile and blood. And from the partial sight she was getting from the bowl of puke, the blood was coagulated. Meaning it was dead blood.

It was official, Sage was dying. And there was nothing they could do to stop it.

All Minerva could find herself able to do was gently rub the young woman's back as she continued to empty her stomach into the bowl and try not to weep. She was paler than she was the last time she was awake, her hair duller in color as if her life was draining from her rapidly.

Seeing the filling bowl, Sage felt her tears mist her dry eyes as she spat the bile and blood from her mouth and began to softly cry. "Mum? I-I'm scared," Sage softly whimpered. She knew her mother was dead, and she knew Minerva was not her mother, but she was the closest thing she had to a mother. The closest thing she had to a parent figure that shared her blood. Her eyes burned with fear as she stared into the bowl filling with her nasty bile and clotted blood and her panic set in just a little, looking into the bowel and seeing the clots of nasty black clots that she thought were raisins at first, but she hated raisins and never ate them, which meant that the clumps could only be one other thing… Clots of blood. Her body cold rather than being hot to the touch. She hated she never had a regular and regulated body temperature. When her fear had kicked in and doubled, the words had just left her mouth.

Feeling her heart clench so tightly she was unable to hold her cries back. Minerva rushed around the cot and wrapped her arms around the young cold woman in her arms as Sage continued to lay over the side of the bed a little in case she needed to throw up again. Smoothing her once soft, now dull and dry like hair back, Minerva sniffed back as much of her own tears back as she could as she held the now sobbing woman in her arms. "I know dear, I know… I wish there were something I could do to stop this… But for now, I have you, and you've earned your fears and tears. So if you want to, you cry as much as you like."

* "So, unfortunately, the end is near, but do not fear, for a new adventure shall appear. After one life ends, another shall appear." -Nattie8516

** Thank you for reading and thank you for being so patient with my constant late updates! Have a wonderful day/night!