Chapter 27

Her eyes opened to the warm light that surrounded her, flickering between different shades of light green. A light breeze swept through the trees above her, swaying the grass around her as well. The sun kissed her cheeks, helping her to breathe.

She felt no pain and no worries, as if she had finally found the peace she had been so desperately fighting for. It felt wonderful, better than anything she had ever experienced before. For once, she felt truly happy.

Slowly, she sat up, gazing at the world of grasses and trees around her. It was a beautiful world. A wondrous, peaceful world.

Her cheeks flushed when she realized she was naked, and she wished for some clothes, even though she doubted it would happen. Then, a white dress appeared beside her and she put it on. It fit her perfectly, everything was just perfect here.

She stood, gracefully walking through the grasses as her hands touched the rough bark of a tree. The soil was warm under her feet, just as the sun was on her skin.

This place was everything she could have ever wanted, but something felt wrong, out of place.

A distance away, a boy with brown hair and yellow eyes ran through the grass, chasing vivid-colored butterflies, and laughing loudly. The sound filled her heart with joy as she continued to watch him. Tears welled up in her eyes as she smiled at him. "My little Anthony," she breathed as he caught a blue butterfly in his little hands. Soon, he let it go and started his pursuit again.

"He's adorable, Sira. You should be proud of him," a familiar voice said to her gently, a voice she hadn't heard in ages. She turned her head, looking at the man that she loved more dearly than anyone else. She smiled at him, her eyes studying him.

He was in the prime of his life, young and handsome, but still the same man she had fallen in love with. He looked proud, and confident, and like he had never spent even a day of his life in Azkaban. In his grey eyes, there was love. She knew it was the love he felt for her.

A knot formed in her stomach, forcing her to look down at her feet.

He put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him, which caused her knot to tighten more. She loved him so much, but something was wrong with it. Maybe Fred and George were right…

"Sira," he asked, holding her closer to his body, "what's wrong?"

"Why do you love me?" Her eyes met his, hers turning sad. "I'm not worth your love. I'm tainted and impure. I hurt you, I scarred you, and- and no one should do that to you, especially not the person you love the most. I'm twisted, malicious, and cruel and you deserve to love someone better than me." She moved away from him a little bit. "I'm a whore, a murderer, and worst of all, I hurt the ones I love. I don't deserve your love." He held her closer, wrapping both arms around her as she put her head on his chest, closing her eyes with the pain of the truth.

"You need to realize, darling, that I am not a perfect man," he stated warmly as he rubbed her back. "I never was a perfect man. I can be arrogant and prideful-."

"You're not arrogant-."

"Sira, listen to me," he said firmly, causing her to look up into his grey eyes. "I am arrogant, and I have a bit of a temper at times. I realized that after I came here. I realized that I died because of my pride." She looked down, causing him to put his hand on her cheek as he gently raised her head, so she'd have to look at him. "When I dueled Bellatrix, I couldn't stop myself from fighting her. I despise her; I despise that vile being with her Pureblood ways and her dominating nature. I had to finish her then, for once, I had to defeat her." He shook his head slightly, sighing as his bright eyes dulled a bit. "But who knew that my pride and my desire for revenge would backfire on me? I should've known better than that. That day I acted like a fool, and my behavior brought death upon me. A fool is not perfect, Sira, and I can be quite a fool."

She studied his eyes, looking for any hint of uncertainty, but she found none. He believed what he said and somehow, she started to believe him too. "And you still can't see that I'm not good for you."

"What makes you think that?" he asked, tenderly rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "I have loved you since the day I met you and I know you feel the same." A little smile formed on his lips, warm, tender, everything she remembered it to be. "That's the wonderful thing about true love. No matter what, no matter if the one you love makes horrible mistakes, no matter if they hurt you, at the end of the day, you still love them and they still love you." The knot loosed a little bit, allowing her to relax a bit.

"I'm proud of you, Sira. I truly am. Not many people can go through what you have and come out of it fighting to be a better person. It's a difficult path to follow, but if anyone can take that path, it's you. You're strong even when you think you're weak, you have the will to do whatever you want in life, and you have the motivation to better yourself. Recently, your life has not been the best and you've felt like you've been at your weakest. Losing me, losing your confidence, and gaining a taste for the darker aspects of life have changed you. Yes, they did turn you into someone who, deep within your soul, you know you are not. The darkness has corrupted you, but with your will, I know you can overcome it. I believe in you, even if no one else does, even if you don't believe in yourself."

His eyes looked at the boy as he played, a smile forming on his face. "I'm sure he'll believe in you. His life depends on yours." She nodded, smiling at Sirius.

"I know," she said. "I want him to have a great life, a life better than mine. I want him to know that he's loved. I want him to know that, even though he wasn't expected, he means the world to me. I love him and he's not even here yet."

"He'll be a good person, I can see it."

"His middle name is going to be Sirius," she stated, her eyes growing warmer, "after you since you're such an influential person in my life." He laughed, warm and lighthearted, causing her to grin.

"Just an influential person?" he asked, still laughing a bit. "Not the love of my life or my true love? I would've been fine with lover as well but an influential person. That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

She blushed, giggling softly as she gave him a little shove. "Alright," she said with a grin, "lover." She wrapped her arms around his neck, moving closer to him. He smiled, leaning down closer to her as his lips met hers in a kiss. A shiver ran down her spine as she relaxed into the kiss. She missed him so much and she was glad that he still loved her after all the things she had done wrong since they had been together.

She missed being near him, she missed the warmth of his body close to hers, she missed the feel of his fingers running through her hair, she missed he made her heart flutter and she missed how he always made her feel better.

She missed everything about him.

His mouth pulled away from hers and she buried her face in the hollow of his neck as he held her close.

"I've missed you so much, Sirius," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck, "and I still love you. I want you to know that."

He chuckled softly, running his fingers through her hair. "I love you too."

"What is this place?" she asked, looking into his eyes. "It looks familiar." He smiled, looking up into the trees.

"That, I do not know," he replied, watching the breeze dance through the leaves, "but it's somewhere you know. Somewhere you value. When I passed through here, it looked different, nothing like this."

She looked at his face, then into the sky above, a question tugging at her heart. "Am I dead, Sirius?" His eyes looked into hers.

"I don't believe so, but that can always change. I believe you're somewhere between life and death, and that you are able to choose which one you desire. It's something that is rarely offered, mine wasn't anything like this. There was no choice. I could spend an eternity here, but there wouldn't be the chance to return to life. At one point, I had to move on, and I did."

"So if its death I choose, I could just go with you?" He nodded, looking into her eyes fondly. "But if I choose life?"

"Then just walk back the way you came," he stated, smiling affectionately.

Anthony was still laughing and merrily chasing butterflies, drawing her attention. A motherly smile spread across her lips as her heart fluttered.

She loved him so much and yet she barely knew him.

She looked at Sirius, and gave him a tight hug as her blue eyes closed. "Thank you for everything you've done for me and I'm going to miss you so much." She kissed his cheek. "I love you with all of my heart and I'd gladly go on with you, but my work isn't done and I need to finish what I've started. I need to go be a mother."

He kissed her forehead, grinning. "You'll be a wonderful mother to him," he whispered, his eyes scintillating with pride.

She moved away from him, heading back towards the way she had come. "Anthony, it's time to go," she called to her son, who ran to her. She picked him up and held him close, looking back at Sirius. He nodded and smiled before turning, starting his walk back to the place he had come from.

Her body was limp under his grip as he hauled her out of the water and onto dry ground. She took light breaths, barely breathing at all. Her skin was icy and place, almost grey in color. He feared that he was too late to help her, to revive her, and he couldn't help but think that he was going to lose her forever.

The gash in her leg still bled, but less and less came from it.

She was dying, and he knew it.

Quickly, he ripped a long strip of fabric off of his robes and tied it snugly above her wound, making a tourniquet. He watched her chest rise and fall, making sure she was still there. he drew in a long, ragged breath and closed his eyes. If it was anyone else, he wouldn't have thought twice about leaving them there to die but she was different.

He did care for her, something that no one would ever believe if he told them. He, the most savage werewolf in existence, caring about someone? To anyone else, it would seem impossible, but to him, it seemed probable. He had felt something towards her ever since she had joined his gang, even though they had met before.

The feeling wasn't like anything he had felt before.

It was a warmth, a warmth which no one else had made him feel. Even when she was angry with him or even afraid of him, he still felt it. He regretted how he treated her, forcing her into doing so many things he knew she didn't want to do and assaulting her with snide remarks. He had an image to keep, an image that involved caring about no one and having everyone fear him. He hadn't always been the savage beast he was right now. He was much different before he was bitten and afflicted with lycanthropy.

No, now is not the time, he told himself, shaking his head to rid it of the memories of himself as a human boy.

His hand wrapped around her wrist as he checked her faint pulse, which he was relieved to find. Carefully, he picked her body up, holding her close and resting her head on his shoulder. Her weak breathes softly hit his neck, telling him that she was still here, still alive.

She needed care though for he didn't believe she would last much longer in her current state. Thankfully, the fighting had broken for an hour, allowing him time to get her up to the castle. His head throbbed from being struck by a crystal ball earlier in the fight, which had knocked him out for a while. He put his pain aside, she was more important. He kissed her forehead gently, willing her to stay alive. In a few moments, he reached the castle and the entrance to the Great Hall. He took a deep breath and walked through the doorway.

The room was filled with people, who slowly stopped whatever they were doing to look at him. A few drew their wands, glaring at him. The dead lay in a row in the middle of the room, where many mourned the losses they sustained. The injured, though, were being treated on the raised platform in the front of the room. He knew where he needed to go.

Faces turned to watch him as he walked, carrying her to the front of the room. The gazes held hate and disgust, but also confusion and interest. It was almost like they couldn't believe what they saw.

He stepped up onto the platform and smoothly set her down in an open spot, kneeling beside her. He touched her cheek caringly as he closed his eyes.

"Sir," a young boy with red hair said, causing him to look at the boy, "you need to leave."

"I'm not harming anyone," he growled, "and I have her fiancé to bring to you to heal as well." The boy nodded and he stood, snarling a bit. The boy started taking her vitals and healing her wounds as he walked out of the Hall.

After a while, he brought Scabior onto the raised platform, setting him down beside Sira. The red-haired boy had healed the gash in her leg and the color was returning to her face, causing something within him to relax. "Do you have a piece of paper?" he asked the boy in a gruff voice.

The boy nodded and handed him a sheet of paper, which he quickly wrote a note on. He put his heart into it, whatever part of him that was still human, and once he was finished writing and he folded the paper up and put it in her hand, closing her fingers around it. He looked into her peaceful face one more time, before standing up and leaving the Hall.