HOLY CRAP CHAPTER 50 WHOA WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!

Also, I've created playlists for Sirius/Riley, Marauders and Remus (link to my 8tracks account at the bottom of my profile). I'm rather proud of them too. It only takes a second to start listening and the gesture is siriusly appreciated.

"Long is the road that leads me home

And longer still when I walk alone

Bitter is the thought of all that time

Spent searching for something I'll never find

Take this burden away from me

And bury it before it buries me."

–The Oh Hellos 'Cold Is the Night'

Chapter Fifty:

I sighed, sitting stiffly with crossed legs in front of my chest, riffling again through the mess of clothing I kept at Hogwarts before slamming the lid shut in frustration.

"Are you okay?" a soft voice asked and I shrugged.

"I don't own anything black," I muttered, going to open my chest again, as if something new could've appeared there.

Lily pursed her lips, "I may have something… I don't know if it's fit you though…"

"Anything fits me if I want it to,"

She eyed me cautiously, kneeling down to her chest and shuffling through the neatly stacked piles before pulling out a modest black knee-length dress and cardigan. I couldn't help it – I made a face.

"Dresses," I spoke venomously and the girl rolled her eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with dresses, Riley," she rolled her eyes, handing it to me, "Now change because I don't have anything else – now I'm late for class, but I'll see you tonight, yeah?"

Then with soft feet she skipped away with bouncing red ringlets, books in arm and skirt swishing in her wake, as graceful as a doe.

I let out a sound half way between a sigh and a groan, laying it on my bed I stripped off feeling the chill of the cold Spring morning. Slipping it on, the dress felt a bit loose on my scrawny shape and lacking chest, but not enough to need a morphing. It felt wrong to go to a funeral looking like somebody else, but I remained realistic – his family knew who I was, that I was a muggleborn and a half-breed, so I doubt they'd take kindly to my appearance at the funeral.

My hair darkened in my solemn reflection, straitening and receding back into my skull in the way that always made me shudder. With the tips of my finger I traced the cracks from where I smashed the very same mirror, all those months age. Funny how things have changed.

I felt puzzled as to what shoes to wear – or rather, conflicted about it as I only owned the one pair. I'd only met Alphard a handful of times, but I always remember his uncommon kindness. The man had been old, but there was always a light in his eyes and a joke to be told. I remember he would always laugh "I wish I had shoes like that – but old men can't were strawberry shoes. I believe it'd be thought as improper. But a strawberry bowtie, that I could pull off!"

Taking in a deep breath, I pulled them on – old and battered as they were – and left my dorm. The halls echoed with my footsteps, the prevailing vast emptiness of the high ceilinged corridor sinking into my skin as I approached where Remus, James and Sirius stood.

James and Remus looked to me with solemn expression, but Sirius just seemed to gaze at me blankly, as if the very life had been sucked from him. The past week has been like this, James and I attempting to get him to open up, while he just monotonously repeated, "I'm fine," as if he was trying to convince himself rather than us of the delusion.

He just looked empty, as empty as the ancient halls we stood within.

"Riley I don't want you to come," he voice was even and clear, yet still I wondered if I'd misheard.

"W-what?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"You're muggleborn… and my family are Death Eaters. Do you not see the problem with that?" he explained further, and I cringed slightly remembering his cousin Bellatrix.

I frowned, "Sirius, he is… was a disowned bloodtraitor – why would any of them attend his funeral?"

Somewhere in the rational part of my mind, I knew I shouldn't fight this. If Sirius didn't want me there, I should accept that and stay behind… but I knew Alphard also, and I wanted to pay my respects in the same way Remus and James did.

"The reading of the will is directly after – and they're most definitely interested in that," his tone was bitter.

Pursing my lips, I supressed my usual urge to fight for those dead eyes that bored back into me, "If that's what you want… I won't go. But I still want to see you off – how're you getting there anyway?" I asked and in that moment Dumbledore appeared, wearing a darker robe than I'd ever seen on him.

"I do doubt that with my presence anything could go… awry," he spoke in a soft tone.

Remus looked puzzled, "You're attending, sir?"

The old man's eyes looked sad, "Of course, Alphard was an old friend – and in terms of Miss O'Conner's attendance, her name in on the list of people for the will reading,"

Sirius seemed to tense up and I slipped my hand into his, "It will okay," I whispered and he nodded ever so slightly.

"How're we getting there, sir?" James asked curiously.

His eyes sparked, "We will disapparate, of course – you did take the course this year, yes?"

The four of us nodded, but Remus seemed confused still, "I thought we couldn't do that on Hogwarts grounds,"

"Well, being headmaster does have its perks," he smile and with a nod dissolved into thin air with a pop, the rest of us following suit.

The moment we arrived I suddenly felt extremely anxious, even though I knew the eyes weren't on me. Silence swept over those that had gathered as Dumbledore took a seat, the four of us sitting close to him.

Sirius clenched his fists as he saw his family, taking up the first few rows as if they truly cared for his uncle. Taking his hand in mine, he avoided my eyes, blankly staring at the coffin sitting at the front of the room. It was a simple wooden coffin, nothing extravagant, looking quite dull compared to the lavished church.

"He wanted to be cremated. No ceremony." Sirius muttered and I felt my insides burn just looking at his so-called family. It was a hard enough time for Sirius, but did they really need to make it worse? Disregard a kind old man's last wishes such selfish reasons? I couldn't even fathom how a person could be so disrespectful.

I'd never attended church regularly as a child; my mother had always been a strict Irish catholic while my father grew up in a Jewish family and since they never really agreed on what to raise their children as, my sisters and I were left to our own spiritual devices.

The service started with hushed whispers and the cool drone of a priest in wizarding robes beginning the introductory speech that I shamelessly half listened to. I'd never known much about Christianity or any of its sub-religions that were essentially the same but with different name; my religious education did stray any further than the Sundays I'd spend with my Oma before she died – her reading paragraphs from the Hebrew Bible to herself while I read Tokien.

I sat through the droning reading of Psalm's and answered 'Amen' after the prayers, until the priest asked if anybody would like to say a few words.

The silence of the room was shattering, I looked to Sirius but he was in no condition to speak. The Black's shuffled uncomfortably, some checking watches as they awaited for the ceremony to end.

"I'll will," spoke a strangely familiar voice.

The figure clad in dirty muggle clothing hobbled and slowly felt his way from the very back row to the front podium and I stifled a gasp.

His glassy eyes stared straight ahead, blind to the horrified expressions of the people in the first few rows, "I'm Gregory. I know Alphard. We went to school together. Now we're old so we look different. I gotta ask him a question though so if anybody has seen him tell me because I couldn't find him earlier. It concerns ravens and writing desks and a matter of strange businesses."

Then the blind man felt his way down the aisle again.

Sirius looked livid and I tightly griped his arm, whispering, "Don't. I know that old guy. He didn't mean it – he's just confused."

Sirius gave me a puzzled look but nodded eyes calming but body remaining tense.

The priest looked startled as he regained the podium, giving a throaty cough and beginning the last prayer. When it came time for the casket to be carried down, I was slightly surprised to see the priest pull his wand out from his robe and levitate the coven slowly down the aisle.

The whole ceremony previous to this point had been so very… muggle. Magic had barely been used at all. They read the same Bible that millions of muggles did all around the world. It was still difficult to forget I was surrounded by Death Eaters and other manic purebloods, but I couldn't help but think of my Oma taking me to the synagogue as a child – this church held the same feel. The deep feeling inside where it didn't matter if you believed or not, the spirituality of the place seemed to quieten your voice with a mix of respect and sadness.

And then of course, there was the Black family.

"Wouldn't hurt for him to hurry it up," a vulture-like women sitting in front of me whispered rudely to the lady next to her who chuckled under her breathe.

Clenching my fists, I concentrated on watching the casket disappear out the back doors.

When I noticed people from the back rows beginning to peel away to follow the levitating casket, the four of us quietly left the church following Dumbledore to the small community graveyard outside.

It was a chilly Spring morning, the trees that seemed to droop a little lower over the old graves protectively and the flowers beds were bursting with colour of the blooming flowers. The irony felt uncomfortable inside me as we gathered around the grave and I knelt down to pick a bushel of daisies from the ground. It earned a few strange looks and majority of people conjured wreathes of white roses. Sirius sort out my hand, he was trembling slightly unable to look as the casket disappeared into the ground.

"C'mon," I spoke gently and quietly and we stepped forward, together we threw the flowers into the grave and his lip quivered, still not allowing himself to choke out a cry in the stark silence of the crowd.

Many of his family had remained in the foyer of the church, waiting impatiently for the will reading. It made me feel better, that only people who cared surrounded him the end. Friends of his who I'd never seen before but still had silent tears streaming down their cheeks. I hoped they hated the Blacks and much as I did.

It was a while before we returned to the foyer of the church. Dumbledore went to speak with what looked like old friends, a glimmer of a tear in his eyes. Attempting to stand away from his family, Sirius, James, Remus and I remained near the corner – and it was working relatively well – until a terrifying voice sounded and I felt my entire body freeze in shock.

"Oh, if it isn't little Sirius," she laughed.

"Bella," Sirius hissed and I don't believe I'd ever seen Sirius's eyes so filled with absolute rage as they were in that moment, "I didn't see you in the ceremony," he attempted to keep his voice steady.

She smirked, eyes dark and gleaming with madness as she peered out from behind her wild frizzes of hair, "Oh, I just arrived," she giggled but it sounded wrong, "I'm just interested in who will receive his inheritance,"

"He had no money,"

"You're daft if you believe that – I'm taking about his collection. All those rare artefacts… couldn't bare parting with them even 'till the end. Alphard had always been an old fool," she sneered, knowing exactly what she was doing to Sirius who was seconds away from transforming and ripping her limb from limb.

I on the other hand felt as if time had stopped – that voice, so cool and chillingly sweet – I couldn't move.

Then her eyes snapped to me, and inside I saw unwavering insanity. In a second her arm shot out and clasped my face, sharp nails digging into my skin, "Such a nice scar that is," she hissed, so close to my face and I felt a wand discreetly press like the tip of a knife into my sternum, cutting short my breathe, "Half-breed scum,"

James managed to hold Sirius from attacking his cousin, but as Remus's eyes flared he in turn clasped my arm with an iron grip, stabbing his want into Bellatrix's ribs, "Don't. You. Dare."

"Another mutt," she hissed and Remus looked livid.

Then a calm voice spoke, "I do believe we are moving onto the will reading," and Dumbledore approached.

Bellatrix shoved me away with a sneer, "It was nice to meet my dear little cousin's friends, but I will be off now,"

"I should advise you all that it is rude to start fights in a church, even with a Death Eater," our Headmaster spoke then he turned to me, "Miss O'Conner, are you quite all right?"

I shook slightly and my voice wavered, "I-I think I may go splash some water on my face,"

"I'll go with you," was Sirius's first words but I shook my head.

"You go to the reading, I'll be right there. Most of it has probably been left to you anyway,"

James shook his head, "No way are you going alone…"

Remus, who had yet to let go of my arm, spoke first, "I'll stay with her – we'll be right back,"

Sirius sent me an apologetic look, as if his family were somehow his fault before James tugged his away following closely behind Dumbledore.

I barely noticed Remus leading me to the bathroom – all I could feel was the thumping of my heart in my chest. My skin was like livewire, every touch stinging and making me recoil. And in my mind all I could hear was that terrible laugh and in this living nightmare her eyes were wide with insanity, burning me from the inside out.

"It's okay, Riley, you will be okay," I heard somewhere off in the distance, a whisper trying to call my mind home.

My knuckled turned white as I griped the edges of the sink, breathes heaving growing in pace as panic feel like a blank sheet over my mind. I was drowning and burning and lost until strong arms wrapped themselves around me, holding me tight and keeping my limp body from collapsing like a weight to the tile floor.

"In the end you will be okay – we will all be okay," Remus repeated, whispering it like a mantra in my ear.

As my mind came back to my body, I looked up at my friend and smiled, "Thank you,"

"I get panic attacks too," he mumbled.

"I'm a mess," I sighed and I felt him hug me tighter.

"You're beautiful," he smiled ever so slightly, "And if you loved me in the way I wished you did I'd probably kiss you right now,"

Then he let his arms fall away from me, "I'm happy for you and Sirius, I really truly am. You're both my friends and I wouldn't be half the person I am today without you, I just…"

"I understand," I whispered, kissing him on the cheek, "You're an uncommonly kind person Remus,"

He shrugged, "Let's get back to the will reading," he spoke, offering his arm to link mine with.

I accepted with a mischievous smile, "Such a gentleman – unlike my boyfriend. He's a real dog."

Moony chuckled as we left, quietly sneaking in through the back to sit beside Padfoot and Prong.

"Are you alright?" Sirius asked quietly.

"No, but I will be," I shrugged, entwining his hand in mine, "How has it been?"

James smirked, "They read out the names of people who would be receiving… and asked all those who weren't named to leave. So basically majority of the Black family – it was brilliant!"

"So we're all in his will?" I questioned.

James shrugged, "Who knows."

We turned back to the front to continue listening.

"I'd like my owls to go to my dear friend Albus Dumbledore, who I know will give them some sort of home at Hogwarts," the woman up the front read in monotone, "And for his to also take my personal library of books,"

"Now as for the remainder of my possessions – including any funds I have – to go to my nephew Sirius Black who I trust will share half with his cousin Andromeda Black – or Tonks now I guess – because they are truly the only hope this family has of regaining a little bit of dignity, and for him to also wish her all the best with the baby as I don't believe I will live to meet the little tyke."

I felt Sirius seize up beside me in shock as most of the room turned to look at him.

However, the women continued to read, "To the three kids who Sirius used to drag to my home every now and then, James Potter I would like to leave you the signed cards I have from that team you worship. I never cared much for quidditch but I think you'd appreciate that. To Remus Lupin, my collection of muggle mystery books because I know you were always fascinated by them. And then finally to Riley O'Conner, my favourite strawberry-patterned bowtie to match your strawberry-patterned shoes."

I smiled slightly, looking at my friends sitting beside me as the women continued reading out the last remaining pieces of the will.

"Told you so," I nudged Sirius who's eyes were glassy. He smiled at me but it was blatantly forced.

People filtered out of the small room until it was only the two of us that remained and I kissed him on the forehead, wrapped my arms around his neck letting him nuzzle into my neck, "I love you," I murmured into his hair.

And without even an instant of hesitation he replied, "I love you too,"

Meeting Dumbledore, James and Remus in the foyer the headmaster broke the heavy silence, "You are all ready?"

The four of us nodded, but I had a different idea in mind, "Hold onto me,"

His sent me a puzzled look, but otherwise nodded and as they others disapparated back to Hogwarts, we ended up in a dingy little backstreet in London.

Question: would people rather I created the sequel in a separate story on fanfiction (as in 'Infinitively Average'), or just keep it in this one and label them as Part 1 and 2 of 'Exceptionally Ordinary'? I just think it would be easier to keep it all in the one story with the two parts acting as their sixth and seventh year… either way, tell me your preference in reviews.