"Tell me, please, who took the flame

When seasons pass, and all's the same as yesterday?

It's growing cold, it's getting dull, it's growing old…"

He sat sprawled in a chair, watching the flames dance in the fireplace as the wood hissed and popped. The girls were gone, back at Hogwarts. The house was empty…the house was silent…the house was cold. William had been alright the day he dropped the girls off at Platform 9 ¾. He'd been alright the following day, because he was able to keep himself busy. The next day, it had been more difficult keeping the loneliness at bay. Now, on the fifth day out, the loneliness had broken through his last defenses, and the depression came flooding in with it.

He kept glancing above the fireplace. The bottle of Firewhiskey sitting atop the mantle seemed to be calling his name. Calling for him to drink away the loneliness. Lose himself in drunken oblivion, if even for just one night. He shook his head and tore his gaze from the bottle. He knew that it wouldn't be just one night. It would go on and on until he sunk once again into that hell of depression he'd existed in for so long after Mary died. He couldn't go back there…wouldn't go back. His daughters needed him. He'd be damned if he put them through that again.

He sighed and leaned back in the chair. Closing his eyes, his mind drifted for a while until it settled on the trip to Diagon alley a couple weeks ago. It had been nice, he admitted, getting out and about once again. Well, at least that's how the day had started.

(flashback)

Astoria, eager as ever for anything shopping related, had dragged Daphne and Andromeda by the hands out of the Leaky Cauldron and onto the street behind it. "Here we are! I've got my list with me. Daph, did you bring the one I made for you? We need to hurry, or we'll run out of time!"

Daphne laughed at her sister's antics. "Yes, Tori, I have the list you made." Removing a piece of parchment from the pocket of her robes, she frowned as she perused it, not having looked at it much when Astoria had first given it to her the night before. "Bit much, isn't it? I mean, three different sets of quills, four new robes, another wand, a new cauldron, and six book bags." Daphne paused as her eyes widened and she held the parchment closer to her face. "SIX book bags? Six? Why on earth do I need that many book bags?"

Astoria rolled her eyes. "One for each class, silly! That way you can keep everything for all your subjects in its own bag."

Andromeda smiled as Daphne just shook her head. Behind them, William gave another unintelligible mutter.

Andromeda decided to take pity on the man. "Astoria, why don't you and I go get the things on your list, whilst your father helps Daphne with hers? We can meet back here for dinner."

After a minor fit of protesting by Astoria, everyone agreed on the plan. Astoria dragged Andromeda off down the street chattering excitedly, while Daphne and William followed at a much slower pace. "I promise I won't get six book bags, father," Daphne reassured the man, who sighed in relief. Daphne looked sideways at him and smirked. "But I think I would like the four new robes."

William shot her a fearful glance. "What on earth would you need that many robes for?"

Still smirking, Daphne raised her nose a little. "A pureblood heiress should always look her best. One never knows when one will be called upon to render her proper societal etiquette. And different situations demand different outfits." Her smirk increased. "Besides, I'm dating a boy now. I need to always look my best."

William frowned. "Yes, about that. When do I get to meet this elusive boy I keep hearing about yet have never seen? In fact, I don't even know what his name is!" His frown deepened. "It isn't that Malfoy kid, is it? So help me, daughter…if that's who the mystery boy is, I may just disown you!"

Daphne glared at him and stopped walking. "Father! Are you trying to make me sick?! I wouldn't stoop as low as to be associated with him!"

William smiled and nodded his head, satisfied with his daughter's answer. "Excellent. I never doubted it for a moment." Daphne gave him one more glare and the pair resumed walking. "Is he a pureblood?"

Daphne sniffed. "Of course."

William smiled and nodded again before turning serious. "You know, daughter, I just want you to be happy. I wouldn't mind if you brought a half-blood home to meet me. He'd be as welcome as a pureblood would."

Daphne smiled, feeling warm inside. "I know, father." She was glad that her father wasn't like other families such as the Blacks and Malfoys who looked with hatred on anyone who wasn't pureblood.

"Is he from a…decent family?" William continued to probe. He would never admit it, but ever since Astoria had told him that her sister was dating, and Daphne had confirmed it, he was keen to know who the boy was.

Daphne smiled. She knew her what her father meant by "decent family": someone from one the neutral or "light" sides. Her father was definitely neutral, but she knew he couldn't stand the majority of the "dark" families. She decided to keep him guessing.

"One of the Sacred Twenty-Eight," she told him, smirk still in place.

This revelation did little to assuage William's concerns. At least half of the so-called "Sacred Twenty-Eight" were from darker families. But then, he held firm to the believe that he had raised his daughters well enough to make good choices when it came to life…including boys. He shuddered. He knew they were both getting to that age when males would start taking interest in them, but thinking of his daughters growing up, with boys chasing after them and trying to win their affections, didn't sit well with him. Though he knew it was inevitable.

Because of what had happened to him and the woman he loved as a teenager, he had decided before even becoming a father that he would not use his children as collateral by binding them into loveless marriages for financial gain or political clout. No, William Greengrass would not sell his children the way Cygnus Black had done sowith two of his daughters and disowned the third because she refused to follow her father's orders and had married for love. Even after all the time that had passed, even with the man himself now dead,the level of hatred William felt towards the Black patriarch was not diminished a bit.

He sighed and looked at Daphne. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

She flashed him a grin and shook her head. "Nope. If you want to find out, you'll have to come and see us off to school next week." He had only taken her to 9 ¾ twice: once for her first year, and again when it was Astoria's first year. The other three times they had just gone with Tracey and her parents. Daphne's father detested crowds.

William sighed again. "Very well. You win. I will accompany you both to the train. I was going to anyway, since Richard won't be able to escort Tracy and her mother, and asked me to escort them."

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur for William…a never ending blur. Shopping with Daphne was not as bad as shopping with Astoria, but it was bad enough. Finally they were done. Daphne and her father were standing across the street from the Leaky Cauldron waiting for Astoria and Andromeda to arrive. William was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than a nice meal in his stomach and then a glass of brandy at home before dropping into bed.

He was also pleased that he had made it through the day with very little from anyone he knew. Only a couple of times, and only for a brief moment, had he run into anyone trying to curry his favor. And he was relieved to be escaping Diagon Alley with relative ease.

Alas, it was not to be.

"Ah, Lord Greengrass, Heiress, Daphne, what a surprise! I'm glad we ran into the both of you!" A loud, silky voice called from behind them. William ground his teeth together and growled under his breath. Daphne's face immediately became a cold, hard, arrogant mask as both she and her father turned to face the owner of the voice.

Lucius Malfoy was approaching them, along with his wife Narcissa and their son Draco. William's eye rested on Narcissa for a lingering moment. The universe is conspiring against me today, he thought, parading the remaining Black sisters through my life in rapid succession. And while Narcissa didn't resemble her oldest sister as much as Andromeda did, the resemblance was still there.

"Lucius," William ground out between clenched teeth, forcing a smile onto his face that looked more like a pained grimace. "There is no need to be so formal. This isn't an official function, after all. It's just the middle of Diagon Alley." Which, William knew, was exactly why Lucius had chosen to be so loud and haughty. The Malfoys were notorious for their bragging.

"Narcissa, Draco, a pleasure. You both look well." William greeted the other two. Being a pureblood, the niceties of tradition would have to be upheld…especially in public.

Narcissa inclined her head. "William."

Draco bowed stiffly. "Lord Greengrass." Then sneered at Daphne but bowed again. "Greengrass."

Daphne returned his sneer with one of her own, and inclined her head. "Malfoy."

The curt exchange between the teenagers went unnoticed by Lucius. However, both Narcissa and William did notice it, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before both looked away.

"Indeed," Lucius continued, in the same loud tone of voice. "It has been a long time since I've seen you in official meetings of the Wizengamot. How have you been, my friend? We've been concerned for you due to your absences at the last few meetings."

William couldn't help but bark out a laugh at Lucius use of the word 'friend'. The two men could barely tolerate each other. Lucius had hopes that he cold wrangle a marriage contract with William for Draco to marry Daphne. An event that would never happen. It would give Lucius a much sought after leverage amongst the neutral block. The neutrals might be the smallest of the three groups, but they typically held the power when votes were close, with both sides trying to curry their favor.

Also, William knew that Lucius comment was a veiled reference to the months following Mary's death. It was common knowledge that William had been close to nonfunctional during his time of mourning. Lucius was too arrogant to realize that his attempts at flattery and creating family alliances were offset by his superiority complex. And William had never bothered to point this out to the man.

"Well, I thank you for your concern, Lucius, but I am quite fine. Simply busy spending time with my daughters before they head off to school once more."

"Ahh, yes, soon the young will be safely back in school," Lucius said with a strange smirk on his face that unsettled William somewhat.

As fate would have it, the conversation ended there. An excited Astoria had arrived with Andromeda in tow. The look on Lucius face changed to an expression of complete and utter disdain, bordering on hatred as he caught site of Andromeda.

Andromeda and Narcissa held each other's gaze, and it looked as though the women might speak. But Lucius ended any hope for that as he said in an icy tone of voice, "Ah, the filthy blood traitor has arrived. You bring shame to the noble house of Black!"

Andromeda tore her eyes from Narcissa and glanced at Lucius a moment before lowering her eyes to the pavement.

This incensed William. He took a step closer to Lucius. "I think it would be prudent for you to leave now, Lucius, before I forget we are in public and do something that both of us would regret." William's voice was colder even than Lucius' voice had been, which caused Lucius to gulp. With a quick bow, he and his family turned and walked away at a fast pace.

William had his glare fixed on Lucius retreating figure so he missed the wistful sigh that escaped Astoria, and the look of longing she gave at Draco's retreating back.

Once they had moved away, Narcissa glanced back over her shoulder. William had his hands balled into fists. Daphne was glaring as well. Andromeda was holding Astoria's hand and still looking at the ground. From this distance, Narcissa couldn't help but notice how much Andromeda looked like their older sister. And her heart broke a little at the thought that if her father hadn't been so selfish and stupid and allowed his oldest daughter to chose the path she wanted, it most likely would have been Bella standing there with William and his girls.

Still glaring after the Malfoys, William sighed. "You know something Andi?"

Andromeda glanced up at him. "What, William?"

"It's times like this that I wish your father was still alive."

Andromeda's eyes widened in surprise. "What on earth for?"

"So I could kill him," William said through still clenched teeth. "Then I'd resurrect him, so I could kill him again. And then you know what I'd do?"

"What?" Andromeda whispered, still staring at him.

"I'd resurrect him again, so I could kill him one more time. One time each for what the bastard did to the three of you."

Andromeda put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. Her thought from that morning had just been confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt. After all these years, William was still in love with Bella, though she also suspected that he didn't know it himself.

The day's mood ruined, the Greengrasses and Andromeda turned and entered the pub.

(end flashback)

The temptation to drink the entire bottle of firewhiskey roared back into William's thoughts, much stronger this time, and his eyes turned towards the mantle once again. 'What's the harm?' he thought to himself. Standing up he approached the mantle.

The fire flared up and a face appeared in the flames. "Hey there, loser! What are you up to this fine Autumn evening?"

Despite the memories he'd just been replaying in his head, William couldn't help but smile at his friend. "Not much, Richard. What about you?"

"Eh, just doing some reading, listening to the wireless." His voice turned serious. "How you holding up, now that the girls are back to school?"

William shrugged. "Same as I do every September when they leave."

Richard shook his head. "Firewhiskey? Not good, Will."

William frowned. "No, I suppose not. But it is what it is, you know?"

"You need to get out more, my friend. It's not good for you to be cooped up in that huge house all by yourself, alone with your memories. Mary wouldn't want you to rot away like this, with only the ghosts of the past for company."

If anyone else had said that to him, William would have been mad. But he and Richard Davis had grown up together. And Richard was the only one who William let talk this way. Besides, he knew his friend was right.

"Speaking of which," Richard continued, "That's actually why I was calling. Elizabeth wanted me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow evening; if you're free, that is." The last words were spoken with a smirk.

William pondered a moment. It would be nice to get out of the house. "Ok, that sounds nice, actually. On one condition: this had better not be another one of Elisabeth's attempts to set me up with someone."

A sheepish look crossed Richard's face. Well, I…can't guarantee that, Will."

William frowned. "I mean it, Richard. If I get there and see one simpering witch in your living room, I will turn right around and head back into the fireplace!"

"OK, ok! I'll tell Elisabeth no 'friends' over. Just the three of us." He sighed. "You know she means well, right? We just want to see you happy, Will. And your girls do, too."

It was William's turn to sigh. "I know she does, Richard. And I appreciate the gesture. Truly I do. It's just that…I lost the only two women I ever loved. One's dead, and the other might as well be dead. I just don't have it in me to try for a third."

Richard nodded. "I understand. Just know that you're not alone in this, Will. We're all here for you."

"Thank you, my friend. See you tomorrow."

"You bet. Seven o'clock?"

William nodded. "Sounds good. Give my love to Elisabeth."

"Will do." Richard's face disappeared and the flames died back down.

William sighed, putting his hand against the mantle and bowing his head. When he looked up, his eyes fell on the bottle of Firewhiskey. After a short internal debate, he grabbed the bottle. "One glass won't hurt," he muttered.

One glass turned into two, and then into three. William still sat watching the flames of the fireplace. He wasn't quite drunk but knew that he would be soon if he kept drinking. Just after Ten, Lizzy entered the room. "Master, there is a Mr. Black here who wishes to speak with you."

William frowned. "Mr. Black? I don't know any Mr. Blacks."

"Sure you do!" A voice called from outside the room. "Have you already forgotten your cousin? I admit that 12 years in Azkaban is a long time, but I thought I'd made more of an impression on you than that!"

William groaned, but smiled as Sirius Black strode into the room. He was looking decidedly healthier than he had in the pictures posted everywhere after his escape a couple years ago.

William stood and shook the man's hand before sitting back down and gesturing to the couch. "It's good to see you, Sirius. I wondered when you might make an appearance here."

"Well, I had to lie low for a long time. Still do, in fact. But I can't stay cooped up in the old family houses all alone forever. It's good to get out." He shrugged his coat off and sat down on the couch opposite William. "And since my dear Greengrass cousin's house is so neutral, I reckoned I'd be safe here for a little while."

"Ahh, firewhiskey! Do you mind?" Sirius asked, indicating the bottle. William waved him towards it and Sirius poured himself a substantial amount.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want," William replied. "Nothing can get through the wards here. They were made with ancient magiks. Very old." While he and Sirius had never been close, they'd had respect for one another throughout their life. Sirius reminded William of Andromeda. He'd had the guts to break away from the family and build his own life, on his terms. Which made it absolutely ludicrous that he would do something like betray his dearest friends.

"I never did think you did it, you know," William mumbled.

Sirius turned to him and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not? Everyone else did. You never thought the Black blood got the better of me at some point?"

William shook his head. "Nope. Not you. I didn't spend a lot of time with you guys at school and all, being in separate houses. And houses that hated each other, I might add."

"And you were too busy dating our dear cousin for a lot of years as well," Sirius pointed out. He was startled for a moment as he saw a flash of pain shoot through William's eyes at the mention of Bellatrix. 'Does he still love her?' Sirius wondered. 'Impossible! Not after the things she's done!' But he made a smooth subject change.

"So why are you so convinced of my innocence, then?"

William shrugged. Like I said, I didn't spend a lot of time with you at school, but I saw how close you and James Potter were. A lot like Richard and I. There is nothing on this earth that could ever get me to betray Richard. And I know that's how you felt about James. Simple as that."

Sirius took a swig of the whiskey and regarded William silently a moment over the top of the glass. "So who do you think did it, then? Remus?"

William shook his head. "No, Lupin doesn't have the eyes of a killer. Not like you, Sirius." William shrugged. "Or me, if it comes to it."

Sirius snorted. "Must be the Black in us, I reckon."

"Must be."

They fell into silence then, each lost in his own thoughts. William's eyes began to grow heavy, and he stood with a yawn. "I need to go to bed before I pass out right here on the floor." He glanced over at Sirius. "Lizzy will make sure a room is ready for you. There's plenty of food, but I should warn you that Lizzy is very…protective of her kitchen. So please be courteous to her."

Sirius laughed. "A pureblood who treats his elves with respect. I guess I was out of circulation longer than I thought!"

William smiled and shook his head, too tired to argue. "Good night, Sirius. We can catch up more tomorrow."

Sirius waved as William, still yawning, headed upstairs to his room. He fell into bed, not even bothering to change out of his clothes. It would be nice having Sirius around for a while. At least it wouldn't be so lonely…

A/N: And there, you have it. A few seeds and hints for later events were planted here, in case anyone missed them. Hope whoever reads this enjoys.

And oh yeah, just FYI: I ain't J. K. Rowling. Just saying, though I doubt anyone thought I was.