Maybe it wasn't the best idea. In fact, Sirius was sure that it was a bad idea but that wasn't going to stop him. If things went badly, then that was fine. He was fine. He was alive and breathing and better off then he had been. He knew that he had a whole life in front of him but he still found himself looking into the past.

And this is where his past brought him, to the streets that he had haunted the summer before. He almost felt like a ghost as he traced his footsteps and walked into the place that once resembled something of a home.

The cafe hadn't changed in the least. The table that he had always sat at looked the same. And just for a moment, Sirius had the idea that no time had passed, that nothing had changed, that at any moment, Evelyn would walk out and bring him a coffee. He sat at the familiar table and his heart thumped. The restaurant wasn't crowded, only a handful of people.

"What can I get for you tonight?" Said a cheerful voice, a familiar voice.

Sirius looked for the face to match the voice but it took him a moment to find it. It was hidden behind hair, long hair. Sirius had recently cut his own short and it was as if the two switched. But behind the hair was a face. An older, paler, and thinner face. She had the same look Remus had sometimes, worn-down and tired. Her eyes looked different, not the horrible blank stare that he had last seen, but they had lost that sparkle, that spark of mischievous life. They were sad eyes. It was as if Evelyn was trying to overcome this sadness by smiling a wide smile that showed nearly all her teeth but it never reached her eyes. It wasn't Evelyn's smile. The smile faltered:

"Sir?" She asked uncertainly.

"Er, coffee," Sirius said finally.

"Is that all?"

"I need as much as I can get" Sirius said, hoping that perhaps something from the first time they talked would stir her memory. For the second time her smile faltered and her eyes darted wildly for a moment and Sirius recognized it as fear.

"Coffee," He said quickly. "Long Night." He added lamely losing confidence in his plan as Evelyn nodded slightly and no longer looked at him. She walked away to get the coffee pot and Sirius watched her go and muttered: "Long year" under his breathe.

Evelyn returned to pour his coffee and still wouldn't look at him. Sirius stared at the black liquid slowly filling the cup and when it ceased, he softly said:

"Thank you,"

Evelyn finally looked at him and the fake smile was gone. She stared at him for a moment and then she smiled again, only this time there was a trace of Evelyn there.

"You're welcome. Let me know if you need anything else."

Sirius thought there was a lot that he needed from her but that she couldn't give it to him. He drank his coffee slowly, cherishing every moment even if it was nowhere near what he wanted. The group at another table got up and left with a flurry of laughs. Evelyn was walking back towards him.

"How are you doing?" Her smile was less robotic but it still wasn't her.

"About as good as I can expect to be doing."

"Is there anything else you want?"

"No, I suppose I'll be okay with this for now."

Evelyn laughed nervously. "Er, It's just we're closing actually."

"Oh. I thought this place was open all night." Sirius said surprised.

"Yeah it used to be but not anymore."

"Why not?"

"I dunno," Evelyn said looking truly perplexed. "I suppose things just change,"

"They certainly do." Sirius said as he swallowed his last sip.

"I'm sorry" Evelyn burst out suddenly. "But I think I recognize you from somewhere."

Sirius felt his heart hammer violently against his chest. He was almost sure it had made his shirt flutter.

"You do?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Do you know Elizabeth Addison?"

Sirius' heart gave another violent jerk but this one was quite different. It was disappointment.

"No, sorry" He said unable to look at her.

"Oh. I'm sorry to bother you then," Sh began to walk away but stopped. "Are you sure?" She said suddenly again. "It's just I have this picture from my friend Beth's birthday party and you look so much like the person in the picture. Although your hair is shorter now. I mean you, your hair is shorter then whoever is in the picture, who is not you apparently. I'm sorry." She said again, feeling embarrassed about her rambling.

"You don't have to apologize," Sirius said kindly. "So you have a picture and it looks like me?" He asked trying to figure out what she was saying.

"Yeah. A picture somebody and me and it's from Beth's party but I don't really remember Beth's party because I was bit drunk so-"

"Beth's party! I know Beth!" Sirius said excitedly, looking at her intently to see if she showed any sign of remembering.

"So it is you! Oh that's such a relief. I've always wondered who the boy in the photograph is. "

"And what exactly are we doing in the photograph?" Sirius asked a bit nervously, he didn't remember much of that night either.

Evelyn had the confused look that Sirius was getting used to seeing on her face. "Um, smiling."

His question had made Evelyn uncomfortable because she herself was often concerned with what was going on in the photograph. She often took it out to stare at it, to decipher the emotions shown on their faces or who the boy was. And now she apparently knew.

"I'm sorry I don't remember your name," Evelyn giggled nervously again. Sirius knew it wasn't like her to giggle so much but he hardly cared. She remembered him. Maybe just a little. Although it hurt him to hear her not know his name, he was still thrilled.

"Sirius," He said quickly.

"Yes, I'm serious. I know it's horrid to not remember someone's name but-"

"No," Sirius laughed. "My name is Sirius."

"Oh." Evelyn said surprised and again that same confused look. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure I know my name," He smiled.

"Of course," She laughed. "It's just I thought I'd remember someone named Sirius."

"That's all I could hope for," Sirius said in a hopeful, sad voice.

"So how have you been?" She asked sweetly. "It's been a year I guess, hasn't it?"

"Not one of my better years," Sirius said honestly.

"No, not one of mine either," Evelyn said and all traces of a smile, fake or real, disappeared from her face.

"Yeah?" Sirius said softly. "Why is that?"

"Um," Evelyn looked slightly fearful again and when the door to the restaurant opened she jumped. When she looked at the boy who entered, she blushed and said:

"Oh! Hello, you're early."

"No, you're five minutes late," The boy answered.

Evelyn looked at her watch and then at Sirius. "Right you are! Sorry," She said to the boy.

When Evelyn turned back towards Sirius, he saw a glimpse of the Evelyn that he knew. She smiled at him. A real genuine Evelyn smile and she said:

"Well, It was good to see you Sirius."

"Yeah, it was good to see you too." Sirius stared at Evelyn so intensely that Evelyn felt herself blush. She had seen that look. It was the same look from the photograph.

Evelyn turned away abruptly, unable to look at him and walked towards the other boy. He wrapped his arm around her as soon as she got near and glared at Sirius before leaning down to kiss Evelyn.

Sirius clenched his jaw but refused to avert his gaze. After the kiss, the boy began to lead Evelyn towards the door but she turned her head to look at Sirius again.

"Have a good life, Eve." Sirius said softly.

Evelyn stopped and turned to suddenly that she nearly lost her balance.

"What did you say?" She asked fiercely and for a moment, she was all Evelyn, the real Evelyn.

"I said have a good life," Sirius said carefully.

"Oh," It was as if she had put on an invisible mask and she was suddenly new Evelyn again. "I thought you said something else."

"He did," Said the other boy as he tightened his grip around Evelyn's shoulders.

"I called you Eve," Sirius said, looking at Evelyn and only Evelyn.

The confused look was once more on her face.

"Why though? No one calls me that,"

"I do," Sirius said with a smile.

"But I hardly know you," Evelyn whispered, undone by the way her stomach had flipped when the strange boy had smiled at her.

"I think you should leave her alone," Evelyn's boyfriend said.

"It's fine," She said to him, not wanting to cause any trouble.

"It's not fine. You're trembling. He's obviously scaring you."

Evelyn hadn't even noticed that she was trembling but when she looked at her hand, she saw her fingers shaking. Sirius bit his lip to hold himself back as soon as the other boy had mentioned Evelyn being fearful of him. He wondered if some part of her did remember him, the part of her that was scared.

"I'm not frightened, " Evelyn lied. Evelyn wasn't sure what she was feeling. "We should go."

Evelyn looked at Sirius for one last time and her stomach flipped yet again.

"Goodbye Sirius"

"Goodbye Evelyn" He said so softly, that she could hardly tell if he said it all.

And for the second time, he watched her go and did not stop her. At least this time he knew she would be okay. As okay as this second-rate, shell of the Evelyn he knew could be. And just like he had thought as his evening had begun: This had been a bad idea.

Author's Note: When I first starting writing this story and planning it out, this was my last chapter. A sort of epilogue. But I knew even then that I wouldn't be able to let go yet so keep reading. And thank you as always for reading thus far :)