Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Harry Potter

Chapter 3

Ami's Secret Box

It was springtime now. The snow had melted and the weather had warmed up. Sirius was lying under a tree near the lake looking rather agitated. He crossed his arms.

"So this book you're reading is about some poor boy who gets a chance to become a rich man?" he asked Ami, sitting beside them.

Ever since that fateful meeting during Christmas Break, Sirius had a tendency to find Ami under the tree daily. When he could, he usually found himself sitting next to her and talking which was also daily. In reality, Sirius would check the Marauders' Map to see if Ami was there and then casually show up. Unkowingly, the two looked forward to the next meeting each time.

Ami, who was reading said book, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, looked thoughtful.

"It's a bit more complicated than that. Pip goes through a lot of conflicts through the story,"

For the last hour, Ami had been trying to explain the story of Great Expectations to Sirius. Since it was muggle literature, Sirius either got confused or started to get argumentative about a certain part. Right now was one of those argumentative times.

Sirius snorted at the answer.

"I'm sorry, Ami, but this Pip bloke is very stupid. I'm not talking education wise. I'm talking common sense wise. I mean that girl Estella is just so horrid to him yet he loves her," Sirius rolled his eyes, "How can you love someone who's cruel to you?"

Ami shrugged and smiled at him.

"You do bring a good point, Sirius. Love is complicated and sometimes strange,"

"He just proves my point as lacking in the common sense area," Sirius told her, "This is why I don't believe in true love,"

This caught Ami's attention and she turned her head to him.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just as I say," Sirius replied as he sat up and stretched a little, "I mean I date girls here and there, but I don't think I'll ever get married. It's not my thing,"

"Not your thing? How can you say that? There's someone out there for everyone," Ami said quietly. Sirius laughed a little.

"Now that's where you're wrong. I'm going to be a bachelor forever,"

At that comment Ami giggled. She tried to cover it up by coughing. Sirius gazed at her.

"And what may I ask is so funny?" he asked her huffily.

"I guess you're right. I can't picture you as someone's husband with little children running around yelling 'Daddy'," Ami smiled. Sirius scoffed.

"Trust me, having a little brother was enough for me,"

"But Regulus is only two years younger than you. He is fourteen," Ami pointed out.

"Two years difference is enough for me. And how about you? You'll probably marry Remus,"

"Why Remus?"

"Because you two have a lot in common. You're both quiet, studious, and kind. Why wouldn't you two get together?"

"Just because Remus and I have similarities doesn't mean we're meant for one another. Besides I-," she faltered a bit, her expression unsure. Sirius studied her for a moment. Ami smiled at him. "I don't have time for love myself actually,"

Sirius thought she looked quite serious about it. He patted her back and barked a playful laugh.

"You? Don't have time? By the time you graduate from Hogwarts, there'll be guys after you and you won't know what to do!" he told her cheerfully. Ami was taken aback by Sirius' reaction and just smiled slightly. He leaned in just a little so that their noses almost touched. "If you want, we can give it a go," he winked at her, grinning. Ami blushed deeply as she pushed him away from her.

"S-Sirius, really!" she scolded, touching her cheeks to feel if the heat from her blush had subsided. It hadn't.

"Ami," came a steely voice, making both teenagers turn to the source. Before them stood a tall, lean and lanky teenager. His hair was sleek and almost greasy looking. He looked at Sirius with the utmost hate and disgust he could muster. Sirius was obliged to do the same.

"Ah, Severus, what brings you here?" Ami asked kindly. Sirius noted how she didn't regard him with any malice or sarcasm like so many did to the greasy haired teen. Severus Snape ignored Sirius and turned his attention to Ami.

"Slughorn needs us for something. I've been looking everywhere for you,"

Ami got up and smoothed out her skirt.

"Oh? He didn't specify?" Ami asked. Sirius ran a hand through his hair irritably. Unlike James' hair that became even messier, Sirius' hair just fluttered back in place.

"Isn't it obvious, Ames?" Sirius told her, rolling her eyes, "Slughorn's playing favorites, again. He always does. He's probably going to tell you about some party he's going to have. It's in his nature,"

"Well Black, if Ami and I are being recognized for our intelligence, it just shows how little you actually have," Snape sneered. Sirius got up abruptly, and pulled out his wand. Snape had done the same.

"You want to say that again, Snivelly?" Sirius mocked, "At least I'm not an ugly bastard prick like yourself. You-,"

Ami's hand touched his. He glared straight into her blue eyes.

"Sirius, that's enough," she told him sternly, "I better go with Severus if Prof. Slughorn is looking for us. I'll see you later, okay?"

Sirius felt his gaze soften and his wand lower from its intense stance. He nodded numbly. He watched as the two walked away. His anger at Snape was still fresh. Didn't Ami realize what a stupid greasy prat Snape was? Apparently not.

"Damn Snape," Sirius muttered. He decided to head toward the castle since Ami had left. But as soon as he took a step forward, a strong force pushed him hard into the water. It completely soaked him to the bone. Sirius rose up for air and spluttered out the water that had went into his mouth. Sirius knew the spell. It was a simple pushing spell. James and himself used it sometimes to scare poor first years. Snape had managed to make the spell respond to an action.

Sirius climbed back on the dry ground and hurried to the castle angrily, still sopping wet.

oOo

"What were you thinking, hanging around Black?" Snape accused Ami when they entered the castle. Ami sighed as they started to make their way toward the Dungeons.

"Sirius isn't a bad person, Severus," Ami said gently.

"You're right, he's worse," Snape scoffed. Ami knew how much Snape hated Sirius and James. They were friends after all. Since Ami was in the same house as the two, Snape had always advised her on how horrible they were and that she should stay away.

Ami and Snape's friendship was a strange one. How could a boy as melancholy and cold as Snape become friends with a girl as quiet as Ami? And she being a muggle born no less. Added the fact that Snape was a Slytherin and therefore supposedly into pureblood philosophy and evil. However strange their relationship was, the two were friends. (A/N: their friendship will be explained later).

oOo

Sirius slammed the door to the dorm room loudly. His wet figure dripped dreadfully to the floor.

"Padfoot, usually when one takes a bath, they strip off their clothes first," James grinned. Remus muttered a spell from the desk in the room that dried Sirius off. He still looked just like he did when he got out of the lake, angry.

"What happened to you?" Peter asked.

"Couldn't you have dried yourself before you came in, Padfoot? You must have left a mess everywhere you went," Remus scolded slighltly. Sirius glared at his friends.

"Piss off, all of you. Snivellus ruined my day," Sirius said as he fell onto his bed sulkily.

"Forget about him, Padfoot. You know Snape is just a prick," James advised, lazily. As much as he liked cursing Snape, he wasn't much in a state to do anything just now. "It'd be better if you forget about it for now. We can always get him later, mate,"

"If Snape humiliated you in front of Evans, I don't think you would forget about it,"

James went silent. He knew Sirius was right on that one. Sirius groaned. He felt so frustrated. If only there was a way to get Snape back. Yeah, Snape would get his pay. But Sirius wanted something that would give satisfying results, not just a few second laughs. No, he needed something that he would be able to laugh about for years to come. But what? Sirius pondered for a few moments. Ideas flashed in his mind, but none were good enough for what he wanted. Then he remembered something. Sirius lifted his head from the comforter of his bed.

"Um, Moony, the next full moon is in a few days, right?" Sirius asked casually, his mind racing. This plan would put Snape in his place.

"Yeah," Remus sighed, "In about a week. Why do you ask?"

Sirius just shrugged, but mentally he grinned. Perfect.

"Nothing, mate. I was just wondering,"

oOo

(Present day)

Sirius opened his eyes sleepily before quickly shutting them. The sun was shining too brightly in his face for his liking. And his head hurt like hell. Where was he?

"Good you're awake, you prat," he heard Remus say. Sirius forced himself awake and saw Remus with a cup of tea in his hands.

"Where am I, Remus? Why does my head hurt?" he tried to sit upright and then slumped back into the couch. He groaned. "Why do I feel like crap?"

"You should," Remus told him, "You have a hangover. You've been drinking, Sirius. What's wrong with you?"

Ah, so that's what happened. He vaguely remembered going into a pub and ordering a couple of drinks. But only a couple.

"Apparently my head," Sirius answered. Remus shook his head and gave Sirius the tea.

"Drink this. I put a potion in it. It should ease your headache,"

Sirius took it and gulped down the scalding hot liquid. Instantly, he felt the hangover disappear.

"Thanks," he mumbled. Remus looked at him seriously.

"Look Sirius, I know you're still upset about Ami's death but do you think drinking and forgetting your family is going to bring her back?" Remus asked him. Sirius kept quiet. It hurt to hear her name because he could still picture her smiling and then disappearing right before his eyes. That's why he was drinking. For a while, he could forget Ami. The majority of Sirius' mind wanted him to forget Ami so he could forget the hurt of her dying. But he loved her too much to let it pass. It was tragic and Sirius knew it.

"I watched her die Remus," Sirius growled, suddenly feeling angry, "Ami died in my arms. Don't you remember? You were there,"

Remus went stiff. Ami's death hurt him, too.

"Of course I do. Everybody who was there saw it,"

"Then you know why I've been drinking. When I drink, I can forget that Ami's dead. When I sleep after I've been drinking, I don't have to remember Bellatrix kill her over and over in my head. I don't have to see Ami being buried in the ground six feet under!" As he said each sentence, the volume of Sirius' voice raised. He felt so angry now. Why couldn't Remus understand?

"You are a bastard," Remus said in a low voice, "Listen to yourself. Do you really think that everything right now is about you and how you feel? What about your children? What about Harry? Don't you love them enough that you need to start looking after them? They don't have Ami anymore to watch over them. They have you now, Sirius. They need you now more than ever. Can't you see that?"

oOo

Up in her room, Sunny silently knelt in front of a box. It was a simple wooden box with a simple yet beautiful design of a pink rose on the lid. There were a lot of memories in that box. Sunny knew it of course, she had added to some of those memories. She could still feel her mother's presence.

"Mummy, what do you put in that box?" a six year old Sunny asked Ami. Ami smiled at her daughter and picked her up. Sunny squealed playfully as her mother set her on her lap. Sunny awed at how beautiful the box looked. It looked even prettier than jewelry.

"Sunshine, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Can you keep it?" Ami asked her teasingly. Sunny's eyes widened. A secret with her Mummy? It must have been something very secret and Sunny was very honored. Ami laughed as she watched her daughter nod eagerly.

"I can keep a secret, Mummy! You can trust me!"

"I'm sure I can sweetheart. Are you ready?"

Another eager nod. Sunny watched excitedly as Ami opened the box with the utmost care. In it were piles of letters. Each one was inside an envelope and the same name was printed on each one. Sunny craned her neck in confusion a little. Ami placed a gentle hand on her daughter's head.

"Mummy, I don't think I understand the secret," Sunny told her, completely baffled.

"These are all for your father, Sunny,"

Once again, Sunny's eyes widened. She didn't know her father, but hardly asked about him because she thought having her Mummy was the only thing she needed. But she did dream sometimes of a handsome man picking her up and hugging her. That must have been her father.

"Daddy?" Sunny whispered in amazement. Ami nodded as she brought out her locket. Sunny loved that locket. When opened, it would become a size big enough to look at and admire instead of stay small and tiny like muggle lockets. Also, many pictures could be stored in it. Ami opened the locket and immediately, the locket turned to a picture of a handsome man. He was the same man in Sunny's dream sometimes. He had smooth black hair, coal black eyes, and a mischievous grin. Sunny touched the picture of her father gently. He smiled at waved at her. Ami let her hold onto the picture.

"These letters are for him,"

"Where is Daddy now, Mummy?" Sunny asked her. Ami gave her a sad smile.

"Daddy is on a trip, Sunshine. I don't know when he'll come back to us, but every week, I write him a letter to tell him about everything that's been going on with us. So when he comes back, he can read and smile at the memories we've made,"

"Mummy, when Daddy comes back, will he want to make memories with us?"

Ami planted a kiss to her daughter's head.

"I don't see why not. He loves you so much, Sunshine,"

Sunny giggled. "Mummy, can I write letters to Daddy, too? So I can show him that I'm a big girl and how much I love him?"

Ami smiled fondly at her daughter.

"I think Daddy would like that very much," Ami told her as she summoned some of her pretty stationery.

And Sunny did do that. Like her mother, she dutifully wrote letters every week to Sirius, her father. Sunny shielded her eyes with her hand as tears trickled down her cheeks. A sob escaped from her mouth. She missed her mother so much. Sunny needed her mother back. Sirius wasn't even considered a father. How could her mother marry someone as reckless as Sirius was? A thought came to Sunny. It had been awhile since Sirius was freed of Azkaban and the charges. He had yet to see the letters and read them all. Yes, all of them. Even when Sirius was on the run, Ami wrote letters. She had been writing them for 15 years. Wiping her eyes and grabbing the box, Sunny marched down the stairs bravely. She was ready to deal with her father.

As she neared the living room, she could hear Sirius and Remus arguing. Sunny knew that Remus was trying to get Sirius to stop doing what he was doing. And Sunny was grateful. But she also knew that her father could be stubborn and argumentative. Maybe these letters were what Sirius needed.

The two grown men had stopped arguing once Sunny entered the room.

"Good morning, Sunny," Remus greeted her. Sunny nodded as she went to Sirius. She stood next to the couch her father was resting on, the box in her hand. She clutched it a little before looking at her father in the eyes. Those coal colored eyes stared back at her, and Sunny knew that she had the same exact eyes when they stared back.

"Dad," Sunny started, pacing herself to make sure she wouldn't cry, "you loved Mum, right?"

"Yes, I loved her very much, Sunny," Sirius murmured. He looked away from her.

"Look at me when I talk to you Dad so I know you're listening," Sunny demanded, now she was starting to get angry.

Sirius looked at her in surprise. He didn't expect to be talked to like that. But this time he kept contact.

"If you loved Mum so much, why is it that all you can do since she passed away is sit on your arse and do nothing but drink, day in and day out?" Sunny asked calmly. Her voice was sharp and Sirius suddenly felt guilty. Why was it that Remus made him angry, but Sunny, only a teenager, made him feel guilty?

Because she's your daughter. Your child. She needs you, but you keep locking her out.

That's what the little voice in Sirius' head told him. And Sirius knew it was right.

"Sunny, I've been very upset over your mother's death. Please understand-,"

"No! You understand, Dad!" Sunny exclaimed to him, disgust on her face at his selfishness. "Do you see this box I'm holding? Do you know what it holds?"

Sirius looked at the box and shook his head questioningly. Sunny opened the box, overflowing with letters and dumped them all over Sirius' lap. Letters by the thousands landed on his lap or on the floor. After dumping all the letters on Sirius, Sunny closed the box with the care her mother used for it.

"Look at these, Dad. They're letters-,"

"I know what they are, Sunny. I can see them," Sirius said quietly. Sunny craned her head a little to give him an impudent look.

"Really? You see how they're all addressed to you? Mum loved you a lot, too Dad. So much that when you got hauled to Azkaban, she wrote you a letter every week for fifteen years,"

Sirius picked up a letter. He didn't know that. All these letters were for him? Ami wrote them for him?

"For me?" Sirius whispered, "All of these letters?"

"Just picture it Dad. Mum sitting at her desk, taking time to right you a letter each week so you would know what was going on in our lives. Even if Mum didn't know you'd come back, she'd still keep writing. That's true love Dad. That's true devotion. Do you think Mum sat around feeling depressed once you were gone? Do you think she drank away her troubles so she wouldn't have to think of you going to Azkaban?"

Sirius knew the answer. Of course she wouldn't. It wasn't in Ami's nature. She was strong. She knew when it was time to mourn and move one. It was he that wasn't strong enough.

Sunny's anger started to ease away. Memories of her mother flooded her mind.

"Dad, I need you," Sunny admitted gently, "The boys need you. Harry needs you. We all need you, but we can't get near you if you can't help yourself first, okay?" tears fell on her cheeks once again and she raced to her room.

"Sunny!" Sirius exclaimed, but he heard the door to her room shut and lock. Remus, who had stayed quiet during the whole thing, turned to his friend.

"Now do you see why you have to stop doing what you're doing?" Remus asked quietly, "Can you see how much people you're hurting because of it?"

Sirius stared at the letter he had picked up. His name was printed on the envelope. Tears started to sting his eyes. He covered them.

"Yeah, Remus, I see it now," he whispered, disgusted with himself.

End of Chapter 3! I hope you guys liked it. Please review so I know you enjoyed the chapter! It only takes seconds to review! Thanks!