The Unknown Black

I'm NOT JK Rowling and I don't own Harry Potter anything you don't recognise belongs to me.

Seventeen at last thought Evan as he watched the dawn of a new year through Naomi's bedroom window. Naomi was asleep beside him they were alone in the house. Naomi's mother Siobhan had dragged the rest of the family to their grandparent's house. He smiled when Naomi muttered his name in her sleep and reached out for him. His smile vanished when she turned her left palm up to reveal the scar running diagonally across it, a souvenir from the Battle of Hogwarts. He touched his own scar on his left forearm where the Dark Mark once was, now there was a scar like his arm had been badly burned.

It had been a year since the Battle of Hogwarts and the wizarding world was still recovering. Hogwarts had reopened in late September that year and it had been difficult going back after having to attend the funerals of their fellow students. Naomi was the reason he had went back for his sixth year and now his seventh. Evan had been getting glares from most of the students when they had found out about him being an ex-death eater but Naomi stood up for him and so did Cúshla, Sarah and Livvy.

Naomi was the eternal optimist she had told him to focus on what he wanted to be once he had left Hogwarts. She was going to be the potions mistress at St Mungos when she left Hogwarts, though Evan knew that she secretly wanted to teach the subject. Evan doubted that anyone would want to hire him; after all he had been a death eater. He had wanted to become a professional quidditch player preferably for the Appleby Arrows. Madame Hooch had told him that it would be a realistic dream as he was one of the best Slytherin keepers she had seen. She had sent out an owl to the Captain of the Appleby Arrows to invite him to Evan's next game against Ravenclaw when term restarted.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a tap on the window. Naomi's barn owl Zuzu, his screech owl Apollo and a brown owl he had never seen before were waiting to be let in. He got up and opened the window letting all three owls fly in. Zuzu and Apollo perched themselves on the top of Naomi's wardrobe while the brown owl landed on Naomi's desk beside her computer. Evan moved to Apollo first and the owl stuck out his leg so Evan could get the letter off his leg. It was from Sarah:

Hey Evan!

Happy Birthday! Seventeen at last you old geezer! =P only joking! I couldn't send your present with Apollo because it's too big. Livvy and Cúshla say Happy B-day as well. Say hi to Naomi for me will you? I'm missing you lot like mad!

See ya at Hogwarts! Sarah.

Evan couldn't help but laugh at Sarah's letter, she always had the ability to cheer him up no matter how depressed he was. Apparently she had got him a large present even though every year he told her not to get him anything and knowing Sarah she would probably throw a party for him as soon as they were back at Hogwarts. He groaned internally at the very thought of having to drag Sarah to the Room of Requirement because she had passed out drunk while listening to Cúshla's lecture on how Sarah should have been more responsible.

He moved to the owl that had landed on the desk and it stuck its leg out for him, it had a two letters and a small parcel for him. One of the letters was bearing the ministry's seal and the other was handwritten. He picked up the one from the ministry

Dear Sir,

We have had this letter and parcel in our possession for sixteen years. It was left with instructions to send it to you on the date of 1st January 1999.

Yours sincerely,

Tabatha McCormack

The Wills and Heirlooms Office.

Ministry Of Magic

Evan read the letter again someone had left him something sixteen years ago, who? What? He tried to think who would leave him something in an office that dealt with wills and heirlooms. The only person he could think of that had died and would want to leave him something would have been his mother. What would his mother have left him that he could only have once he had turned seventeen? He picked up the handwritten letter.

My sweet child Evan,

Congratulations on turning seventeen, I wish I was there to celebrate it with you. I love you more than anyone in the whole world remember that when you read this. I've decided to put the truth in this letter as I won't be there to tell you myself. No doubt you are asking yourself what is the truth? It is difficult to write, so I will write it bluntly. Alden Downes is not your father.

You are now probably wondering who your real father is. Your father is Sirius Black; he is the only man I have ever loved. Your real name is Evan Thadeus Black not Downes. It is a long story and I am not sure I could tell you properly so you will understand my actions so I have left you my memories.

All my love and best wishes.

Your mother, Samantha Ellen Downes.

Evan stared at the letter unsure what to say or think. He reread the letter several times thinking he might have misread it at some point. Evan clutched the parchment like it was a lifeline. He couldn't help but notice the subtle similarities between his handwriting and hers like how her capital letters towered over the rest. Then he eyed the package that came with the letters, his mother's last and most precious gift.

Evan tiptoed down the stairs as quietly as he could, stepping over the squeaky steps so he wouldn't wake Naomi. He carried the package from his mother in his hand, he wanted to see her memories for himself. He made his way to the kitchen, he all but lived at the Skilling's house during the summer so he knew where everything was kept. Evan took a bowl from the cupboard and placed on Siobhan's spotless worktop before pulling out the ornate flask which contained his mother's memories. Evan poured the silvery substance that seemed neither liquid nor gas into it and then plunged his face into it.

Evan fell through black nothingness and then his feet hit solid ground. He peered around he assumed because the circular room was decorated in shades of red and gold he was in the Gryffindor Common Room. He frowned in confusion, Alden Downes had always told him that his mother had been in Slytherin. There seemed to be a party going on around him. There was loud music playing and Gryffindor students were drinking butter bear and chatting. Then he saw her. Samantha was sitting in one of the armchairs near the fire reading a book and obviously trying to block out the noise around her.

Samantha had long golden hair which reached halfway down her back and had two small braids in it. Her eyes were the same colour as his, dark blue. Eva approached her to get a better look at her, she looked almost nothing like him except for the eyes. On closer inspection he did notice some subtle similarities between them.

"Sam!" both Evan and Samantha turned to look up at Sirius Black. "Why aren't you enjoying the party? It's your birthday!"

"I need to study." She replied not looking up from her books.

"Oh come on! Have some fun you're seventeen! There's always tomorrow!" Sirius said.

"The charms test is tomorrow." Samantha replied sounding slightly annoyed. Sirius frowned at her

"You're the only person I know who would rather study on their birthday than have a party." He stated sitting in the armchair beside hers.

"Because I have my priorities straight."

"You've been studying for that test for a week! One party won't kill you!" Sirius attempted to reach for Samantha's book but she slammed it shut before he could reach it.

"Look Sirius it's our N.E.W.T.s this year and I want to be able to teach Charms so I have to pass this test." She said turning to look at him for the first time. Sirius slung an arm around her shoulders

"You're going to ace that test Sam! You know that text book inside out if you don't pass that'll be the day when Lily actually agrees to go out with James." He said confidently. Samantha still looked doubtful

"You think so?" she asked looking at her hands.

"I know so now stop studying and start partying." Sirius said pulling Samantha to her feet. Samantha smiled at Sirius

"You're a good friend Sirius." She said. Sirius frowned for the briefest second and then smiled at her again.

"You too Sam."

The scene changed and Evan was standing in a deserted corridor. Samantha stormed around the corner her expression was murderous. Sirius ran behind her and grabbed her arm and spun her around so she faced him.

"Piss off Sirius!" Samantha snapped.

"Just listen to-" Sirius began but Samantha cut him off

"I don't need to! I saw what you did to Alden!" Evan jumped at the name.

"Sam I-" Sirius tried to speak.

"Don't!" She said putting a hand up to stop him "I don't want to hear your apologies because I know you aren't sorry at all!"

"But do you see who he hangs out with! Avery, Mulciber and-" Sirius broke off at the last name. Samantha crossed her arms and glared at him

"Go on." She said her voice was deathly low and menacing.

"Snape." Sirius finally said. Samantha whirled around and stated walking away again. Evan and Sirius ran after her

"Sam wait!" Sirius said.

"I don't want to hear it!"

"It's not because of-" Sirius began again.

"Snape!" Samantha turned to face him her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "I know you hate Alden because he hangs about with Snape. See? You don't even deny it! I don't know what I ever saw in you! You think you're so high and mighty and that all of Hogwarts will worship at your feet but you know what you really are? You're an unbelievable pig Sirius Orion Black and I hate you!" Sirius stood there and let her scream and yell at him he flinched slightly when she said she hated him but other than that he showed nothing but calmness.

"Sam I'm sorry. Really I'm sorry I didn't mean to lose my temper like that but do you know why I did?" he asked. Samantha scowled at him

"Why did you then?" she said rolling her eyes.

"I was jealous of him." Sirius said after a few moments.

"Why you have no reason. You are only my so called best friend. But you aren't acting like it!" She shouted she turned on her heel and stomped of down the hall, holding back the tears that threatened to fall.

"I don't want to be only your best friend." He shouted down the corridor. She froze and turned slowly.

"W-w-what?" She stuttered, Evan thought she had the deer caught in the headlights look about her.

"Samantha Ellen Clearwater I have always loved you and always will." He said softly. Samantha stood in the corridor one moment and then before Evan could blink she was in his arms, crying shamelessly into his shoulder. Evan looked on with weary eyes he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His mother with Sirius Black! Then he reminded himself that this man was his own flesh and blood, his...father. Realisation finally hit him and then the scene dissolved.

Evan was standing in the middle of a crowded London street his eyes scanned the crowd for the golden haired woman that was his mother. Then as if on cue he saw her enter The Leaky Cauldron and ran after her. She looked a couple of years older about nineteen or twenty years old so she had left Hogwarts. She moved through the dimly lit pub and through to the courtyard. Pulling her wand from her handbag she tapped the brick and the entrance to Diagon Alley opened in front of her. She walked quickly down the street and past Gringotts then down a side street. Samantha stopped outside a large apartment building and sucked in a deep breath

"Calm...he's going to be ecstatic...no fear." She muttered to herself in reassurance before entering the building with Evan following her. She soon arrived at flat number 303 and after a brief hesitation knocked on the door. The door swung open to reveal a younger and less grey Remus Lupin.

"Hey Sam!" he greeted Samantha.

"Hi Remus is Sirius in yet?" she asked after giving Remus a hug.

"Yeah he is...he's a bit beaten up though." Remus said frowning a little. "The Order was in a battle last night. It's nothing serious just some cuts and bruises." Samantha nodded and stepped through the door with Evan following after her.

She closed the door and really looked at Remus he was scratching his usually messed up hair and wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. Samantha looked at him then the clock and back to him. She blinked and asked astonished,

"Remus are you only up? I left at nine!" He nodded and yawned. "Mooney it is 12 o'clock in the afternoon!" She exclaimed, he shrugged his shoulders and went back to his bedroom. She sighed and shook her head at that moment Sirius walked through the door of their room looking bored and sleepy. But the moment he caught sight Samantha he brightened and woke up. He rushed over to her and gave her a hug.

"Hi baby." He said with obvious joy.

"First of all, hey Sirius. Second of all I have something important to tell you."

"So what is this very important information for me." He laughed and then grew serious "What is it Sam? Are you sick? Is it your parents? Has Philip done something stupid again?" He asked frantic She rubbed her hand up and down his arm soothingly.

"Shh shh calm down shh." She cooed he did and smiled at her.

"What is it you wanted to tell me?" He questioned, she took a deep breath.

"Sirius you might want to sit down." He shook his head.

"No it is okay I'll stand. Remember I am a big, tough, strong, stunningly handsome man." He said. Evan rolled his eyes; man did his dad have a big head. Maybe he needed to do an Uncle James and deflate his head a little bit. After it is the reason Aunt Lily finally admitted she loved him. Samantha rolled her eyes and murmured,

"On your head be it." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, tensed up and shouted at top speed "Siriusiampregnent!" Sirius paused, stopped breathing, turned red then blue then purple and fell to the ground unconscious.

"Well don't say I didn't warn you." Samantha whispered as she ran to his side. Evan was rolling about on the ground laughing at his dad. He stopped suddenly and stood up. He was shocked he had just called Sirius Black, the Sirius Black the notorious mass murderer, his d-d-dad. Even in his thoughts he felt some degree of satisfaction to here this. He shook his head and looked back to his mum. She had just entered the pit. Also known as Remus' bedroom, he followed her in.

"Remus!" she hissed "Remus! Get up!" she raised her voice and octave.

"Five more minutes mum." Remus groaned and rolled over. Samantha crossed her arms and said

"Remus I need to get Sirius to St Mungos."

"Why?" Remus asked poking the top of his head over the covers.

"I think he's fainted from lack of oxygen to the brain." Samantha replied.

"You need a brain for that." Remus answered and Samantha and Evan both sniggered but Samantha coughed to cover hers. She then marched over to Remus's bed and shook him then shrieked

"REMUS JOHN LUPIN! GET YOURSELF OUT OF THIS BED! I'M A HORMONAL AND PREGNANT WOMAN SO GET UP AND GET SIRIUS TO ST MUNGOS NOW!"

"Alright...You're pregnant!" Remus said uncovering his ears but then he jumped out of bed and Evan and Samantha both shielded their eyes, as unfortunately for them Remus had no clothes on. Evan noticed that Remus looked blurred and out of focus, probably because Samantha was trying to forget this part.

"The sky is blue and you are naked! Now that we've pointed out the obvious please for the love of all that is good in this world put some clothes on!" Samantha said as she all but sprinted out of the room.

The scene changed again and Evan was standing in a park. He glanced around in confusion and spied his mother and his father in muggle clothing sitting on a park bench a few metres from where he was standing. He couldn't hear the conversation they were having so he moved closer

"...don't understand. Why not you?" Samantha asked.

"You-Know-Who would suspect me. It's for the best." Sirius replied.

"I'm scared for them Sirius." Samantha said crossing her arms over her chest. "This couldn't be happening to them...to Harry."

"But it is." Sirius's frown deepened.

"What about Little Muffin when he or she comes into the world?" Samantha placed a hand on her abdomen where only the faintest trace of a bump was. Evan frowned at the name his unborn self had been dubbed, Little Muffin? Who on earth came up with that?

"We'll be ok." Sirius said but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself as well as Samantha "You, Little Muffin and me will all be fine."

"How could you possibly know that?" Samantha exclaimed "James, Lily and Harry could all die tomorrow for all we know! You-Know-Who could be at their house now! Death Eaters could come for us now Sirius! We'll never be safe with this war going on around us!" Sirius placed his hands on Samantha's shoulders. Samantha looked up from her lap and stared at Sirius.

"Listen to me Samantha." He said "We can't think like that. If we do then it's as good as giving in and I know you Samantha Clearwater! You never give up! Your one of the strongest people I know!"

"But Sirius-" Samantha began.

"No buts." Sirius said "I'm not going to let you give up Sam. Because if you give up then there's no hope for any of us."

"Sirius...this is a war and I don't want our child to have to grow up surrounded by danger."

There was a long moment of complete silence and then Sirius looked at Samantha.

"Marry me."

"Wait...you...What?"

"Marry me Samantha Clearwater." Sirius shifted from the bench so he was down on one knee in front of Samantha.

"Sirius! You don't just jump to these decisions! Yes we might be killed, yes this child might have to grow up without one of us but you can't just jump this on me! It's because I'm pregnant isn't it? That's the only reason you even thought of this!" Samantha exclaimed.

"That's not true." Sirius replied earnestly.

"Prove it!"

Sirius reached into his coat pocket and Evan leaned forward wondering what he was retrieving. Sirius pulled out a small velvet box and a small slip of paper.

"I bought this last year...I just didn't know when to ask." Sirius said handing both the box and the paper to Samantha "The receipt proves that."

Samantha stared at both for a long while before finally looking up at Sirius.

"I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions...it's just I don't know what to think." She said.

"Just say "yes"" Sirius said with a smile.

"Yes I'll marry you Sirius Orion Black." Samantha said with a glowing smile.

The scene changed again and Evan was catapulted into a dimly lit room. He heard wails and sobs coming from behind him and spun to see his heavily pregnant mother lying on a bed sobbing her heart out. An elderly woman with a mournful expression, sat on the edge of the bed with a hand on Samantha's back.

"T-They c-can't be! J-J-James and L-Lily aren't d-d-dead!" Samantha sobbed into the blankets.

The woman said nothing for a long moment then sighed

"I'm afraid they are Samantha." She said rubbing soothing circles onto Samantha's back.

"T-T-They can't be! They j-just can't!"

"Samantha-"

"W-Where's Sirius?" Samantha asked sitting up and turning to look at the woman. She didn't answer for a long time

"He has been arrested...he's a Death Eater. He betrayed Lily and James to You-Know-Who."

"What?" Samantha asked in disbelief while wiping her tears away "What did you say?"

"Sirius is a Death Eater." The woman replied slowly.

"No! He isn't! Sirius isn't a Death Eater! He couldn't have possibly betrayed Lily and James!"

The woman looked at Samantha with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't betray them! He is innocent! He couldn't have betrayed them because he wasn't their secret keeper!" Samantha said.

"But the Daily Prophet said that he was the Potter's secret keeper."

"The Daily Prophet is wrong!"

"Then who-?"

"Peter Pettigrew! They changed secret keeper because Sirius was too obvious. Pettigrew betrayed James and Lily! He is the one to blame!" Samantha fumed.

"Pettigrew is dead." The woman said softly. "Murdered along with twelve muggles...by Sirius."

"No! Sirius would never do that! He wouldn't kill innocent people!" Samantha argued.

"Samantha...we have other things to worry about now." The woman said taking Samantha's hands in her own. Her eyes darted down to Samantha's baby bump and then back up to her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Samantha is the child Sirius's?" The woman asked. Samantha gave a jerky nod

"Yes, it's his...why?"

"Samantha, if someone discovers that this Sirius Black's child...you will be hunted down without mercy. Sirius Black is a hated criminal now...his child would be in great danger and so would you." She said, worry etched into her face.

"I don't understand..."

"You have to marry someone else! Pass this child off as someone else's or you both will be in great danger."

"Mum!" Samantha exclaimed pulling her hands out of her mother's grasp. Evan's eyes widened as he looked at his grandmother, he had never met her. "I can't! I love Sirius! He proposed to me! I can't turn around and marry someone else!"

"You must! Think of your child Samantha!"

"Please mum!" Samantha was starting to tear up again "I can't!"

"Please." Samantha's mother placed a hand on her daughter's "Not for me, for your child."

Samantha placed a hand on her swollen stomach and rubbed it for a while.

"Who? Who would I marry?" she asked.

"You remember Alden Downes?"

"Yes, he was my friend."

"Marry him." Samantha's mother insisted "No one will be any the wiser."

Samantha frowned at her hands and Evan was sucked up out of the memories and landed on the tiled floor of the Skilling's kitchen.

WHOOO! Finally finished! This is the longest one-shot I have ever written! It took me MONTHS to finish this! I blame exams, the school trip to Italy and my parents who banned me from my laptop.

This story was co-written with the awesome Emo Alice without whom this story wouldn't have been brought to FanFiction. Please give her all your love and visit her profile.