Katie Scarlette's Final Note: I want to thank everyone who inspired me to write this tale throughout the five years since I published it. I never thought I would finish my fantasy of a story, but yet I have and I am very happy with the ending. Thanks again for everyone's support and maybe I still have some of my old readers, but I figured it was time for this story to have closure anyways even if everyone has gone! Please review if you like and thank you for reading the final chapter of 'Harry Potter and Sirius' Past'. (PS- This story began before the fifth book was published and before the 3rd movie). On to the last of my tale...
The Final Chapter
Madam Pomphrey adjusted the fluid nourishment potion packet that led into the iv attached to Riley's limp lithe forearm. Her expression was still that of worry, examining the poor girl's body with her elder wise eyes. The girl was way too thin, she thought, and only heartbreak could bring this type of illness on. She peered at both the former ex-classmates, Severus and Sirius, and shook her head. Severus sat, with his chair as close as could be, to the unconscious Riley, eyes streaming with worry and sorrow. All the while, Sirius leaned back in his chair, sorrow, pain and yet still, resentment upon his face. This was a triangle that even the potion master himself could not solve with a solution of sorts. Madam Pomphrey sauntered away and hoped as she left that once the girl awoke things would fall into place.
"S-Severus."
Riley's black long lashes slowly batted open as her eyes strained to focus upon the object above her. The potion master straightened up immediately at the mere sound of her American voice. His long fingers trailed her dark coppery hair and smiled softly and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Take it easy, Ry. You've been through a lot."
She slowly smiled at him and reached her tiny, tanned hand to his long face to feel if he was really there in front of her. The warmth of his skin startled her in her slightly loopy state of mind, trying to still feel the full effect of consciousness. Harry Potter looked on with a curious expression, seeing the potion master smile warmly at the woman in front of him. It was almost dream-like seeing Snape in that way, maybe scary even to Harry.
"Have you told S-Sirius?" Riley stumbled through the words, her body still exhausted from its lack of nutrients and vitamins. Sirius sat up from his sunken position and stared at Riley from his spot on the right side of her bed, down by her mid section, where she clearly had not seen him yet. Severus opened his mouth, ready to tell her that her love was right by her side as well, but she continued to mumble on.
"D-Did you tell him about the l-letters? How father hid them for 20 years?"
Her voice was incredibly soft, and a bit hard to interpret, but the words scorched Sirius' ears. He rose from his chair completely with a scrape of the wood against the tiled floor and stood above the gorgeous head of the girl he once loved. His shadow moved across her face and she turned away from Severus to see who had magically appeared on her right side.
"Sirius!" She exclaimed, though her exclamation sounded nothing more than a loud whispering wind. Her brown eyes sparkled for the first time since she last laid her eyes upon the sullen man's face and the curves of her lips attempted to smile once again. Sirius's eyes did not sparkle back in response, still focusing on the words that had left Riley's mouth seconds before.
"Your father? How could I believe he would be so cruel?"
Riley's eyes dulled, the sparkle dying in her eyes as she attempted to sit up in the bed, struggling for strength. Severus halted her endeavor by laying a hand upon her tiny shoulder, resting her back down in bed.
"I wrote you back as well! But my father stopped the owl every time I tried to contact you. I found my letters and yours in a box in my mother's old vanity right before I got my letter from Albus to teach at Hogwarts. I couldn't believe my eyes and confronted my father when I found them all. He told me that he wanted me to have a clean start in the US and forget about my days in Hogwarts, he told me he thought it was for the best with my mother's death."
Sirius stared down at Riley with confusion written all over his face--confusion for wanting to believe, confusion for the twenty years gone by for utter loneliness.
"If you really loved her at all, Black, you would believe her." Severus injected with his rumbling baritone voice, noting the confusion in Sirius' eyes. Severus turned to Harry, who had been silently seated on the cot next to Sirius with distress written in his green eyes. Snape pointed to the leather suitcase next to Harry's legs and signaled the boy by clearing his throat.
"Potter, hand me the suitcase."
Harry did as he was told, after pressing a finger to the bridge of his glasses to slide them back up his nose. He handed the suitcase to Severus and sat back down on a nearby bed. The potions master looked at Riley, who had already turned to him with a enlightened expression, and pointed to the suitcase.
"Riley, what do you keep in here?"
"The letters."
"His?"
"All of them, every single one."
Severus popped open the suitcase with the switch and viewed it to Sirius, who gazed in disbelief. Sirius reached in the case and pulled out dusty old letters with his hand writing and hers. He looked at a very worn, yellowed envelope with Riley's scrawly pen ship and picked it out of the pile. He flipped open the tab in the back and pulled out a crumbly piece of parchment. The date was eighteen years back and was stained with droplets of dried water, most likely tears.
My Dearest Sirius,
What have I done to hurt you so much that you will not speak to me anymore? I have written you twenty-five letters for the past two years with not even an utter of response. Do you not love me anymore? Have you found another to better suit you? My heart is broken without you.
Sirius stopped reading the letter and let it fall into the suitcase on top of the pile of other broken hearted letters. He faced Riley shamefully, his gray eyes filled with tears of sorrow and his mouth dry of speech.
"Riley, I--" He uttered, his lips stumbling to form a complete sentence.
Her shining doe, brown eyes knowingly gazed up at him and she raised her hand to his handsome, rugged face. Her fingertips ran slowly down his jawline and she smiled, oh so gently.
"I know, Sirius, I know."
"I'm so sorry. If I had known..."
His large hands rose up and clasped Riley's hand in his. He looked down at her with adoring eyes and a melting heart. She gazed back up at him with the prettiest smile the world had seen, her heart singing in her chest. It was then Harry felt whole once again, the aching feeling swept away by the connection of the two lovers' eyes. Harry knew he had a family once again.
"That is it for the day, guys. No Homework!"
Riley looked up at her class from her chalk board and dusted her hands off with a grin illuminating her face. The class cheered with exuberance, gathering up their books and parchment, jumping to their feet. Harry fell behind the rest of the class, Ron and Hermione trailing behind. He adjusted his glasses with a smile and approached Riley.
"Hey Harry!" Riley cried cheerfully, pulling him in for a big hug. Harry grinned at Riley's excitability as his cheeks blushed from slight embarrassment of Riley's entirely extroverted affection. To top off his bashfulness, she tousled his already scruffy hair with her fingers in a playful manner. He gently pulled away, red as a beet to have such a show in front of his friends.
"Are you going to the end of the year feast in the Great Hall?"
He asked, trying to fix his hair back to its somewhat tidier, messy state. Riley smiled at Harry and nodded, pulling her wand out of her pocket and pointing its tip towards her garment. Her clothes transformed into a tight, silk black pencil skirt, form fitting tiny, black button up vest, a white tight short sleeved oxford shirt, platform black patent leather pumps, and a black silk tie. Her hair bounced into chestnut curls, cut to the chin around her shining face and the appropriate, infamous Riley black eyeliner provided the finishing touch. Ron gapped, his jaw slightly unhinged, gawking at her version of a teacher's wardrobe. Hermione nudged Ron grouchily, causing him to wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth.
"That's so attractive, Ron." Hermione hissed sarcastically, nudging Ron in his ribs.
"Ok! Off to the feast!" Riley cried, bouncing off towards the door, with Harry, Ron and Hermione dashing to catch up. It was so hard to believe the woman was over thirty, Harry thought, shaking his head.
Struggling to catch up, Harry, Ron and Hermione trailed behind as Riley slowed down to settle her pace with that of a gliding potions master.
"Severus!" Riley called, reaching out for the professor's elbow with her tanned fingers. Severus glanced over at her, not slowing his pace and offering what appeared to be a glimmer of a smile.
"Professor Brannigan." He said, acknowledging her presence with a nod. Riley laughed at him with the laughter that closely resembled that of tinkling bells.
"Severus! Stop being so formal, you know I hate that! And the students won't fear you any less if you call me Riley, dearest."
Snape blushed at how fondly she referred to him in public, in front of students none the less. Young Hufflepuffs catching the conversation behind them giggled softly until Snape turned around and stared them down. He allowed her to grasp on to his elbow, as they sauntered down the hall together, her clothing finally finding his eye. Only she could get away with such an outfit, not looking the age that she and Severus shared, only months apart. He wished he did not love the way her body curved or how her hair always smelt of a summery ocean breeze. She finally filled out since her stay in the hospital wing, her hourglass shape back to its curvy beauty that reminded him of the muggle women of the 1940s. She seemed happier, brighter, and ready to bring back all the light in life: his life, Sirius', Harry's and the whole of Hogwarts. He loved her this way and would hope her heart would never have to be broken again. So when she leaned her head towards him, he didn't pull away, forgetting the stares of the incompetent students around him, she made life worth living.
"Are you staying for the summer, Riley?" He asked, emphasizing the use of her name like it was a struggle, though she knew it was all in fun.
She smacked him playfully and nodded in reply.
"Yesss, Professor. Sirius, Harry and I will be here this summer. Dumbledore invited us to stay for the time being."
Severus secretly smirked behind the curtains of his black hair as they entered the Great Hall, summer would be better than he hoped.
Riley perked up as they entered the Great Hall and Sirius came into her view from the professor's table up at the front. Riley gently released Severus' elbow and smiled at him, walking quickly towards the grand table in front of them. Students turned their heads, watching as she soared past, a bubbling fountain of happiness. Her curls bounced with each step up the steps to the table and her brown eyes settled upon the gray eyes of her lover. Sirius stood as she reached him and pulled her seat out, being of gentlemanly sorts. Instead of taking the seat, she reached out and put Sirius' rugged face between her hands, pressing her ruby red lips blissfully upon his. A few students hooted at the sight and Riley pulled away, sitting down in the seat provided for her. She grinned up at her Sirius with his dark wavy hair hanging loosely around his face and watched as he sat down next to her.
"That is a great outfit." He said playfully, winking at her. "Maybe if I'm wickedly bad, I'll have to serve detention."
Riley grinned at him mischievously like a marauder.
"Detention. In my quarters, Mr. Black. At 1100 hours."
Her eyes sparkled as he took her hands in his and grinned eagerly at her, unconscious to the world around him. They continued to stare into each other's eyes until Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly and everyone turned to peer at the old man in his marvelous, sparkling robes.
"It has been a grand year here at Hogwarts. We have seen many changes, in our students and in our teachers. Thank you, everyone, for taking so kindly to our new members of the staff: Professors Sirius Black and Riley Brannigan. You might also be happy to know that these new members of staff will be returning next year," Dumbledore paused as rapid applause rang out through the hall, mainly surfacing from the exuberant faces of the Gryffindor table. "And that Professor Brannigan and Black will be joined in holy matrimony this summer!"
Dumbledore had no more hope of speaking for the moment as the entire hall was deafened with the sound of applause directed from every corner. Riley turned to look at Sirius, and Sirius looked at her with a loving look in both their eyes. They turned back to the crowd where they spotted their godchild sitting tall at the Gryffindor table. Their eyes all connected with knowing looks that they were going to be a family. The family that they all had deserved. Riley pressed her hand to her ruby red lips and blew a kiss to her godchild as his godfather sat nobly with a grand pearly white smile and laughter in his eyes. They were all happy at last.