Hello there!

The next chapter is up. It came to me quickly as I'm eager to move on to the sequel. There will only be one more chapter to this story (I think) but it will continue in the next.

BTW: Happy Belated Birthday to Nicoley 117-MissBlueMartini. Hope it was great! And thanks for all your reviews.

Disclaimer: Nope, not yet.

Chapter 17: Life & Death, or Vice Versa

The winter months in Hogsmeade passed quietly for Kali, melding into spring, but the questions that haunted her lingered unanswered.

Sirius had all but disappeared since their meeting on Hallows Eve, and even though, at times, she sensed she was being watched, he never appeared to her again. Hogsmeade, meanwhile, was overrun with Ministry members and Dementors on the prowl for one of the most wanted men in wizarding history. Despite this, he made headlines in February when he managed to infiltrate the walls of Hogwarts for the second time.

Kali didn't know what to do; she knew the truth (at least the most important parts) but felt she couldn't help him without giving away secrets, old and new, and from his lack of contact, she doubted he even wanted it. She had tried to tell Remus but couldn't bring herself to do it, despite the fact that she knew he was keeping the vital fact that Sirius Black was an unregistered Animagus from the Ministry and Dumbledore.

She was going mad with thoughts and worries about a man she didn't even know, a man she wasn't even sure she wanted to know. She considered the fact that one of the reasons her mother never told Sirius about her was because of the kind of man that he was, or rather, hadn't been. The stories about his calculating charm, his haughty attitude, his penchant for women and drink – they all added up to a man that was less than father material and even though Dahlia had failed her early on, in the later years, before her death, she had tried to protect her from harm. It also occurred to her, somewhere in the back of her mind, that perhaps he didn't even believe she was his daughter, or worse, didn't care.

All the questions weighed on her; pointing her down a road her mother had traveled. It frightened her to think she would never be happy, never have peace. She couldn't let that happen, she wouldn't.

Determined not to become like Dahlia, she chose to focus her energy on more positive things. She began her lucrative (and illegal) career as a Healer once again.

It was in the revived pursuit of this endeavor that Kali, having been to London twice since November, found herself standing outside an unassuming house in the middle of London on a warm, sunny day near the end of May. She knocked once and a tall, dark woman answered in haste.

"Thank Merlin, you're here," she said as she ushered Kali into the somber hallway. It was a stark contrast from her first meeting with the same woman months earlier.

"How is he?" Kali asked as she followed her up the stairs.

"I'm not sure." The woman stopped at a bedroom door, wringing her hands in worry. "My brother said I should summon you the moment he saw father." She stepped into the room and Kali followed, her eyes adjusting to the hovering light at the head of the bed that seemed to glow and pulse like a beating heart.

"Miss Del Fuego, thank you for coming," a deep voice said, startling her. She turned to see the familiar face of Kingsley Shacklebolt staring down at her, looking tired.

It still seemed odd to her to be in the Auror's childhood home, even though she'd already been there a few times at his request. He approached her in November, clearly desperate to save his father, who had been in bad health since being attacked by Death Eaters twelve years ago. The Healers at St. Mungo's had done all they could and declared he would be dead in a month but the Auror, privy to details of her family history, became convinced she could help.And, for a while, she did.

"How is he?" she reiterated to him.

"Not well," he said wearily. "He's been home from hospital two days now and he seems to be getting worse rather quickly."

Kali looked at the elderly man unconscious on the bed. She approached him and began to wave her wand slowly over his chest. "What did the Healers at St. Mungo's tell you?" she asked as she examined him.

"They told us…there's nothing more they can do," he answered weakly as his sister, the tall woman, sobbed.

Her back to the siblings, she finished her examination and pocketed her wand. "I'm sorry," she said regretfully, turning around, "but they're right. His illness has advanced beyond treatment."

"Can't you do anything?" the woman asked between sobs. "Dark magic did this to him, dark magic can make it stop!"

"I'm sorry, but it's not that simple, " Kali answered, not sure what else to say.

"So there's nothing to be done?" Kingsley asked her. The look on his face told her he already knew the answer.

"I'm afraid not," she said softly. The woman's sobs became louder and more uncontrolled at her words.

The Auror examined her with shining eyes and suddenly seemed to realize his sister was in distress. He embraced her, trying to calm her down with soothing words. Kali looked away, suddenly feeling like an intruder.

Even though being a healer was in her blood, there were still things she couldn't do – she couldn't cheat death. It was something she'd seen her grandmother struggle with and despite her strength and seeming coldness, Kali knew it was the part she loathed but for Kali this, undoubtedly, was worst part – being a witness to grief.

Trying to make herself as unobtrusive as possible, she inched her way to the foot of the bed. As she watched the hovering light flicker and dim she knew tonight would be Pelasgus Shacklebolt's last night on earth.

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Remus sat at the desk in his office in Hogwarts, trying to reread an essay on vampires for the third time without much success. Rolls of parchment lay stacked beside him at his elbow. He eyed them wearily and sighed.

"Perhaps you should hold off on marking papers for a few days," he heard a voice say from the fireplace. Startled by Professor McGonagall's sudden appearance, he jumped and knocked down the untidy stack.

"Sorry, Lupin," she said as she dusted off her robes and walked over to help him pick up the essays with a wave of her wand.

"It's quite alright," he responded, embarrassed by his reaction.

"I was calling your name," she said, looking at him with concern in her eyes, "from the fire but – "

"Sorry," he said, cutting her off, "I was just…concentrating."

She continued to look at him with worry and Remus had a feeling she wanted to say something but thought better of it as she informed him that Severus would be bringing him his wolfsbane potion momentarily and that she would be locking his office door after him instead of Dumbledore.

"He's busy with the Ministry and the nasty business of that hippogriff execution," she informed him with a grave look and a thin mouth when he enquired where the headmaster was.

Remus hadn't realized the sixth of June was also the night of the full moon when he promised Hagrid he would attend the hearing. He hoped Hagrid would understand. As he arranged the last of the essays on his desk, a sudden burst of angry voices caused him to jump and knock down the papers once more.

"It's mine!"

Get off it, you toad!"

Startled as well, Professor McGonagall hastily rushed from the room to see what the commotion was, calling to Remus that she would return momentarily. He figured it was students with frayed nerves getting out their frustrations. As he remembered, this time of the month – exam time – always saw more duels and hexes between students.

He began to pick up the rolls of parchment once more when a bit of old, blank parchment sticking out from his briefcase caught his eye, and recalling that Harry was Hagrid's friend, a thought seized him. He pulled out the parchment and tapped it. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he whispered even though he was alone. The Marauder's Map sprang to life as hundreds of tiny black dots moved around the map of the castle and the grounds beyond. Remus combed the map, searching for Harry's name and grimaced as he found it just outside the castle, traveling towards Hagrid's cabin accompanied by Hermione and Ron.

"Of course," he exclaimed aloud.

He wasn't surprised to see Harry out of bounds but he was disappointed. The lecture he'd given him about repaying his parents poorly for their sacrifice and making it easy for Sirius to lay hands on him by breaking the rules and sneaking about obviously hadn't sunk in. Remus sat down and closed the office door with a flick of his wand as he watched the three dots disappear into the cabin.

He sat staring at the parchment, wand ready to wipe the map should McGonagall return, for almost half an hour when the dots suddenly reappeared. Remus watched as they moved around the back of the cabin while four dots, including Dumbledore's, moved towards the front door. He caught himself smiling despite his chagrin at how alike Harry was to his father when he realized there weren't three dots but four.

"What the…" he exclaimed but the words died away as he read the name in tiny letters by the fourth dot.

Peter Pettigrew.

That can't be.

He felt his stomach leap to his throat as the meaning of those two tiny words sunk in. He couldn't believe it but knew it had to be true.

It has to be; the map never lies.

Without a second thought, he jumped up, shoved the map into the front of his robes and ran down the corridor, down a long flight of stairs, down another corridor and out the front entrance. Once outside, he pulled out the map and searched for the names once more. He spotted a jumble of dots at the base of the Whomping Willow and a gasp escaped him as he registered another dot, Sirius Black, moving among the fray then suddenly separating and disappearing into the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack, Ron and Peter in tow.

Remus bounded down the front steps, missing the last and knocking his chest against the weathered stone. Searing pain coursed through his already aching limbs and he struggled to keep his head about him. For a moment he felt panic seize him as he struggled for breath but his need to keep Harry safe far outweighed his own discomfort and he clambered to his feet, moaning in pain as he dashed across the darkened grounds towards the Whomping Willow.

He sprinted past Hagrid's cabin, barely registering the gruesome scene in the garden but relieved that the execution party had moved on, as his mind raced to conclusions, each as improbable as the next.

He couldn't have.

He approached the dangerous tree at a run, jumping back as the branches began to gesticulate wildly.

It's impossible.

He grabbed a branch off the ground and prodded the knot like he'd done in the past so many times before. The trees limbed ceased their mad dance and he approached the hole at the roots. As he climbed in he noticed drops of blood and torn cloth snagged on the bark and it hit him.

Oh, Merlin, this is really happening.

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An hour later, Sirius Black sat in a dark room high above Hogwarts in the West Tower, waiting for Dementors to arrive. In one night he had gone through a myriad of emotions: had reunited with one friend, exposed another as a murderer, met his godson for the first time in twelve years, had his life nearly taken twice and been rescued from a fate worse than death only to end up back where he started.

Though he tried desperately to grasp to his former headmaster's words – "there is still hope, my boy," – he felt hope slipping through his bony fingers. The only solace was that Harry, his godson, now knew the truth.

He thought of Remus and the look on his face, that of a wrecked man as he realized Peter was the killer, not Sirius and he wondered if Dumbledore would be able to stop what was about to happen.

As he sat in the dark awaiting his fate, his mind turned to the young woman. He still didn't know her name but knew instinctively she was indeed his daughter.

He thought about what could have been and what he would say to her if he had the chance and just as he began to accept his fate, an urgent voice called out to him and he turned towards the small barred window and beheld a sight that gave him hope once more.

I hope you enjoyed a different take on that infamous night. Let me know what you think. Just click on the purple tab and tap out a few words.

Coming Soon: Chapter 18: The End, or is it just the beginning?

The sequel is tentatively titled Living Eternities. Look for it about the same time as the next chapter.

See Ya!