Chapter 16

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Olivia's POV

Anna came home the next day. As soon as she entered the house, James fell onto his knees and grabbed her legs, begging for forgiveness. Sirius was watching amusedly in the background.

"I'm sorry Annie! I'm sorry. Please forgive me!"

"Cut the drama James, there's going to be enough of that in a few days."

She then sat us all down, (including Sirius) and told us what she had learned. Which was basically that we were filthy rich and Lex was after mom's money and he was nearly engaged to another woman who was in town and coming to the wedding the day after tomorrow.

There was a silence, then Sirius let out a low whistle. "Bugger."

"We have a plan. As soon as mom reaches the alter, Marie is going to come in and object."

Sirius smirked. "Dramatic enough?"

"Shut it." Anna glared. "Apparently, if there's a big enough crowd, Lex won't dare lie."

"We must owe him boatloads of money," James mumbled.

"I'll pay for it." Sirius said quickly.

We all stared at him like he'd grown another head.

He rolled his eyes. "Just because I was in prison doesn't mean I'm broke. My parents had a lot of money. The stupid gits forgot to write about their bank accounts in the will. After they died, it was all automatically given to me." He grimaced. "Not that I want their cash. I can take care of myself."

"Because you've been doing such a spanking job these past few years," James teased.

Sirius rolled his eyes and elbowed James in the side. "Thanks. Nice to see you support your old man."

There was another pause and then I said, "I guess this means your leaving after the wedding."

James frowned. "You're leaving?"

"My godson, he needs me." Sirius shook his head. "He has no one. I know you three will be safe. You'll have your mom."

"I'm going with you," James and I said at the same time.

"No," Sirius said firmly. "You'll stay with your mother. What could I possibly offer you?"

"A dad," I said quietly.

"A friend," James mumbled.

Anna just sat there, clearly shocked at how close we'd become. "I thought you were guilty?"

Sirius grimaced again. "It was a set up. I would never, I couldn't," he sighed. "James Potter was my best mate in the entire world. He was my brother. And his wife Lily," he shook his head, dark hair flying in all directions. "She was your godmother. I couldn't ever have hurt either one of them."

I watched Anna's eyes carefully. I could tell she believed him and that she might actually want to go to London too, because being fatherless had been just as hard on her as it had been on James and I.

"Anna?" My mother was home. Several white garment bags were folded in her hands. She dumped them on the nearest chair and pulled Anna into a tight hug. "I missed you Annie."

"I know, I missed you too," Anna said.

I smiled, because for once I felt like things were right, and maybe we could all actually get the happy ending we all deserved.

Isabella's POV

The next few days passed in a blur of last minute decisions and quick menu changes. As sad as I was to be marrying a man that was all wrong for me, I knew I would be glad when this was all over.

Olivia, James, Anna, and Sirius grew very secretive. I would constantly find the four of them with their heads bent together whispering. I prayed that I was just imagining it all and it had nothing to do with separating Lex and I. I knew it was probably a fruitless prayer.

I woke up on the morning of the wedding, in a cold sweat. It was four in the morning and I knew that no matter how hard I tried, I would never get back to sleep. I got out of bed and stretched, my stomach knotting unpleasantly. I was surprised to find Sirius already up. He was sitting in the living room searching through an old photo album.

"Hey," I took a seat next to him on the couch.

"Remember that?" He pointed to a picture of us and Lily and James. All four of us were dripping wet climbing out the lake at Hogwarts. McGonagal could be seen in the background shaking her head disapprovingly.

I laughed. "You pushed me in and I grabbed Lily's arm, who in turn grabbed James, who then grabbed you. Sometimes you can be so thick headed." I turned to look at him and my stomach squirmed when I found him already looking at me.

"I know." He pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "How did I ever let you go? That was the most thick headed thing I've ever done."

"Sirius-"

"No, listen to me Ellie. I was lying in bed last night, trying to imagine what it'll be like when you're finally married to another man, and I just can't see it. Because I still love you. I always will, until I die Ellie. You'll always be the only one for me."

"Please don't do this Sirius."

"Tell me you feel nothing for me anymore. Tell me there's nothing there. I'll leave. I'll leave tonight. I'll leave and never see you again. Tell me, you don't love me anymore."

I tried, really hard. I tried to tell him that he needed to leave. I tried to tell him that I didn't love him and that there was nothing there. But I couldn't. Tears fell from my eyes. He brushed them away with his fingertips. "I have to think of what's best for our children."

He didn't comment on my use of the word 'our'.

"They need someone who can provide a life for them. They need stability, not love."

"Why not both?"

"Sirius, I can't have both! I love you, but Lex can provide us with everything we need to survive."

"Say it again."

"What?"

"Tell me how you really feel."

"I love you."

He pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. "I've waited so long to hear you say that."

"Sirius, I, we can't. I'm marrying another man at noon. In six hours I'm marrying another man."

He tilted my chin towards him and captured my lips. There was that familiar swooping sensation in the pit of my stomach. The one that never appeared when Lex kissed me.

"That's still six hours away. Let me just hold you. Please, I just need to hold you before I loose you."

I nodded and curled up into his embrace. Occasionally he would catch my lips with his, but for the most part, we just sat there, wishing it would end this way.

Due to Sirius, I was late to my hair appointment. For some reason however, this really didn't matter to me. I was also late to the church where I was dressing. Sirius had somehow convinced me that he should tag along. With James's help, he had turned into a man about twice his age with a large white mustache and thick glasses that kept sliding down his nose. For the day, he was simply Great Uncle Robby.

"Ready?" Anna asked me at noon. I had been staring into the mirror for the past fifteen minutes. The woman who married Sirius and the woman who was marrying Lex were two completely different people. The dress I wore today was expensive and made of French silk. It was strapless and fell to the floor in a long train. Intricate beading covered the waist and top half. My hair was tied up in a twist and the veil had been secured in my hair using a million and two bobby pins.

The woman in the mirror nodded. Then we left. Anna and Olivia in the lead.

I had decided that I wanted to walk myself down the aisle. I waited for Wagner's march to start and then began floating towards Lex. He looked dashing in his suit. But not near as dashing as Sirius had. I pushed that from my mind and focused on my future husband. I had just reached the alter when the doors behind me burst open.

I turned around and in stormed the most beautiful young woman I've ever seen. Her brown hair was tied up much like mine was and she was dressed in a short green dress that matched her eyes perfectly. Her skin was flawless and she walked with the air of someone who was wealthy and had a purpose. It didn't look good.

"I object to this wedding!" She said, her red lips falling into a pout.

"And who are you?" Lex asked coldly.

"Don't play dumb Lex. It's not becoming."

There was a murmur from the crowd.

"I really have no clue who you are."

"You should. We spent the last week sharing a bed."

I looked at Lex, a frown on my face.

"You don't believe her, do you love? I was in France last week."

"With me," was the woman's reply. "You promised me we'd be married."

Another murmur from the crowd. "Lex," I asked.

"Tell her the truth. Why you're marrying her. Tell her Lex."

Lex's eyes shifted around nervously. I then realized he was looking for a way out.

"Well?" The woman asked.

"Yes, please tell us why you're marring her." Olivia said from next to me.

"It really is a fascinating tale, isn't it." Anna said with a smile.

"Enthralling," James added.

Another pause and then I said, "Lex?"

He glared at me, then at the beautiful woman. "You had to be impatient didn't you? I told you to wait. I told you if all went well that when we walked away we'd be richer than God himself is. I asked nothing of you but for your support. This is how you repay me?"

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Your rich," James said.

I rolled my eyes. "Funny."

"No. You're the heir of Gryffindor. No one's claimed the inheritance yet. Rightfully it belongs to you," Olivia said.

"What?" I breahted.

"Half of it, technically." Lex snapped. "The rest stays in the account. You add your money back to it, then it's given to your children. So on so forth. All of it could've been mine! If only you", he pointed to the woman, "had stayed away!"

"You lied to me!" I yelled. "You bastard! You lied to me!"

"You lied to me! You were still married when we met. To Sirius Black of all people! You've been housing him haven't you? You've been protecting the mass murderer Sirius Black! Rather a bastard than a whore!"

It was at this point my 'Uncle Robby' stood up from the back and marched forward towards the altar. I knew he was probably about to do something stupid. I wasn't disappointed.

Sirius stood there, still looking very much like an old man. He pulled back a fist and punched Lex square in the nose. "Don't you ever call my wife a whore!"

"Yea, go dad!" James cheered.

"Your lucky I don't kill you on the spot!"

Lex glared. "How dare you! I'll have all of you arrested for this!"

Sirius snarled.

Lex actually took a small step backwards.

"If I ever hear of you bothering my family again, I'll make Azkaban look tame." Sirius then took my arm and led me back down the aisle, the kids running along behind us. Even after twelve years, I had to admit he still knew how to make an exit.

Once outside the church, Sirius grabbed Anna, Olivia, and James by their arms and we disapperated. We landed in the apartment in a large pile of arms and legs.

"The wards are down. That means Lex has called the MLEF and they're on their way." Sirius said.

I nodded. "Kids go pack. Be quick." I then hurried to my own room, Sirius right behind me.

"I'm sorry Ellie. I shouldn't have punched him. I just lost my temper and I mean-"

I spun around and kissed him on the lips. "We'll be fine. I've been missing England anyway. The kids can enroll in Hogwarts for next year and we'll find a house in the country. It's time I stepped up as Harry's godmother anyway."

Sirius looked completely dumbstruck as I began to pack. He began tossing me clothes from my drawers as I cleared out the closet. "I thought you'd be furious."

"Why?" I asked. "Why be mad when this is exactly what I wanted."

"You wanted to be on the run?" He asked, a smile playing around on his lips.

"I don't care where I am, as long as I'm with you, even if it means being on the run." It was then that I found the divorce papers in the bottom of my dirty clothes hamper. How they got there, I wasn't sure. I tore them up, then continued packing.

We were able to escape the apartment just before the MLEF showed up. I could see them in the window from outside, searching and tearing apart anything that was left. We didn't wait around to see what would happen next. We all decided the safest way to get to England was by Muggle transportation. It was all three of the children's first time on a plane. James got sick three or four times.

It turned out that all that Lex had said about me being the heir of Gryffindor was true. There was a vault in Gringotts with my name on it. The goblins were very skeptical to let me into my account at first, but once I was able to prove who I was, they were more than helpful.

We eventually found a house out in the country where James, Olivia, and Anna could practice their quidditch. It was a modest sized white house where Sirius and I could stargaze from our balcony every night. And although we were on the run, I knew everything was going to be fine because this was our happy ending.

Authors Note: First of all, a big thanks to those who followed this story from the begining. Also to those who reviewed faithfully even when I didn't update. I realize that the grammar in these last two chapters isn't very good, and the ending isn't as dramatic as some like it, but I wanted to give Sirius a break. I may or may not write a sequel I don't know. I was thinking about doing a prologue though, simply because I love the marauders, minus Peter. Anyway, I love everyone and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.