A/N: Here's another chapter for you:) The big reunion between Alex and Sirius :D R&R - it's like having Lupin give you Chocolate... ;)

Disclaimer: Nope. Still not JKR. Sorry.

Remus and I visibly winced at the same time as an awkward silence fell over everyone at the table, including Tonks who stiffened in surprise beside me, all bewildered eyes turned to the one person who had said that.

Sirius Black.

He was sitting at the end of the table next to a tall, bald headed black man, his fists clenched in front of his as an ugly scowl grew on his handsome face while he looked at his friend beside me, carefully keeping his eyes away from my form. He was wearing some basic black robes, a far cry from the ones I had seen in the papers that he wore in Azkaban, and his hair seemed to be cut shorter than when I had last seen him-which, I reminded myself, had to be 15 years ago-his cold brown eyes that had been so full of warmth and humor before were flashing dangerously at Remus as he waited for an explanation to his question.

"Sirius, why don't we go into another room." Remus said quietly, looking at his friend tiredly as he gestured out the door, silently asking him to not argue with him.
Sirius glanced at me, seeming like he had almost dared himself to-which was so typical Sirius, I had to fight back a mixture of crying and laughter-then he looked away quickly, like looking at me would turn him to stone, nodded and stood up, saying gruffly, "Fine." no doubt trying to hide his blur of emotions like I was.

I held my breath as he passed me, my heart momentarily stopping as he brushed against my arm, sparks flying up and down my skin as my my eyes fixed themselves on his face, sudden and intense memories flooding my mind as he looked at me, our eyes meeting momentarily, but still feeling like several sunlit days, chocolate brown meeting electric blue again after such a long time.

I looked away quickly as I realized what was happening, and averted my eyes down to the ground, reminding my pounding heart of what Sirius had done, how I couldn't do this to myself again. As I was doing this, I was starting to feel the awkward silence more and more by the minute, so I followed Remus closely out the door and down the dark hall into an old, dusty dining room that appeared to have been unused for several decades.

We stood there silently, myself standing between the two friends awkwardly as they stared each other down, both waiting impatiantly for the other to say something.

"Why is she here?" Sirius finally said, breaking the silence, his gaze carefully trained on Remus as he asked this, his body stiff and unnatural in that depressing room.

Remus glanced at me, almost assuming I would answer him. But when he saw how impassive I was being during this, ah, reunion, he sighed and answered simply, "She's joining the Order Sirius." sounding stern, like the professor he had been not too long ago, his eyes narrowed as he silently dared Sirius to blow up, like we were both assuming he would.

I chanced a glance at Sirius' face as his jaw locked in frustration at this too simple anser, and his gaze becoming steely as he said slowly, "How does she know about it?" he seemed to be fighting back his anger and confusion as he said this, avoiding my name.

"We met in the street behind my flat." I said softly, speaking for the first time, keeping my eyes down at the ground, looking at the stains and dirt that gathered there, "He told me about the order, and I wanted to join." I murmured, swallowing as I felt the weight of his gaze on me, "I wanted to know if you betrayed James and Lily." I said, more loudly than before as I looked up into those familiar brown eyes, my heart melting again at the sight of them, despite the nightmares they had caused me.

"Lexi." He said hoarsely, running a shaky hand through his hair, "You know I could never do that."

Lexi. I couldn't describe how many memories that name alone brought back. The name that only he had ever called me. The name that sent shivers down my spine as it left his lips.

"I don't know what to believe anymore Sirius." I whispered, his name sounding strange and foreign coming out of my mouth, "I just need someone to explain it to me." I looked at him, my eyes drinking in his appearance and everything about him that I had missed so desperately.

"I'll need Remus' help for some of it." He murmured, his eyes searching my face, "The details have gotten a little, ah, hazy." He said with a crooked smile that made my heart pound.

Remus. Right. He was still here. I turned my eyes to him sheepishly, "Well Remus-what happened?" I asked quietly, folding my arms across my chest, "And I want no details spared." I said sternly, looking between the two Marauders.

They shared a grin-one that made me laugh at how much they looked like teenagers again-and Sirius started.

"I was the secret keeper for James and Lily." He said, leaning back against the table easily, looking at me in wonder almost, "That much you do know."

I nodded, "Yes. That much I know." I murmured, looking back at him, my stomach tying itself in knots at his gaze.

He sighed, "Lex, I may as well have betrayed them to Voldemort, that much I admit to. But I didn't do it. Cause I was no longer their secret keeper."

My brown furrowed in confusion as I looked at Remus for conformation, "Then who?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Peter Pettigrew." Remus said darkly, pursing his lips together in distaste, "Became Lily and James' secret keeper."

"You see, I thought I was being clever by doing this." Sirius said, sounding tired and much older than he really was, "Fool the death eaters, have them come after me while Peter was being the keeper the entire time. Who would think that Peter would do it? He was always over looked as the boy who followed James, Remus and I around. I thought it was foolproof." He said heavily, "But, I was wrong."

I gaped at them, "But Peter-" I started, blinking rapidly.

"Wait til' we're finished Alex." Remus said in amusement, chuckling slightly, "You see, two years ago, I was teaching at Hogwarts, in the 'jinxed' defense against the dark arts position. Imagine my surprise when I confiscated the marauders map from none other than Harry Potter himself."

I sucked in a breath, my eyes wide, "Little baby Harry." I whispered, "Oh what does he look like?"

"Just like James." Sirius said with a faraway look in his eyes, and a smile on his face, "And Lily's green eyes."

I sighed, "Wow. He had the map...how exactly-?" I started again, but was once again cut off.

"Weasley twins." Remus said with a snort, "Not surprising really."

"Who-?"

"You'll find out soon enough Lexi." Sirius said with a chuckle, his eyes twinkling at me, "Let Remus finish his part of the story."

I rolled my eyes at him and sighed, "Fine. Go on Remus."

He laughed, but listened to me, "I was looking at the map when I saw one name in particular on it, one name I thought to be dead and long gone...Peter. Peter Pettigrew." He said softly, "I thought I was crazy. Or the map was-but the map can't-"

"The map never lies." I whispered with wide eyes, "It never can."

"Exactly." Sirius said in excitement now that it was back to his side of the story, "Lexi, he's alive. I could still be proven innocent-"

"Wait." I said, cutting him off, "How did he live? All they could find of Peter was-"

"His finger." Remus said, "He cut it off when he saw Sirius-"

"And transfigured into a scummy little rat and ran down into the sewers to live with his own kind." Sirius spat, sounding disgusted, "And I went to Azkaban because of him."

I was silent, stunned by this sudden stream of information. Finding out that Sirius was innocent, and the Peter Pettigrew was alive, and had betrayed James and Lily-not Sirius my heart seemed to want to sing-was a lot for a girl to take in during one night. But the lawyer side of me (My Dad is, after all, a muggle.) was starting to kick in, and I realized the wonderful, blissful truth.

It all fit.

Finally, after all these years, I had a reason to believe Sirius was innocent-I had a way to not cry myself to sleep, and a way to let him back into my life, into my dreams and not my nightmares. I had reason to hope again. Reason to love again.

"I believe it." I whispered in amazement, looking between them-my old lover and my old friend, laughing is disbelief, "It makes sense."

Remus laughed in relief, "I knew you would Alex." He said, smiling broadly, "You're too smart not to."

But I could hardly hear him, for I only had eyes on the man I had been unable to see for fifteen long, lonely years.

Sirius stood there apprehensively, looking almost as handsome as I could ever remember him looking when we were younger, his eyes focused on me intently, and his lips opened slightly at the question I could already hear him ask me.

"You didn't do it Sirius." I murmured, looking at him with a small smile, "Thank Merlin-you didn't do it."

His face softened, and he said back, "I cannot tell you how long I have waited for you to say that." He took a step forward, his eyes never leaving mine as the room seemed to get fuzzier around the edges, leaving nothing else in the world but me and him-the way it was meant to be...

"I hate to break up this ah, touching reunion, but the meeting is starting." Said the drawling voice of the one person I could go my whole life without ever seeing again.

"Snape." Sirius sneered, rolling his eyes at me in a way that made me stifle my giggles, "How pleasant of you to drop by." He drawled back, mocking Snape's tone.

"Just go to the meeting Black." Snape snapped, his dark eyes flashing, "Lupin, White, you too." He said with a scathing tone, sweeping out of the room in a flash.

Sirius and I snickered as we left the room behind him, laughing aloud as a tired Remus muttered from behind us, "Why do I have a feeling this is going to be just like school all over again...?"