In the days that followed, Grace had shut down and completely withdrew from everyone. The most anyone was able to get out of her, was when she sat down after the Christmas Frog Choir performance, and everyone told her how good it was. All she did was say: "Thanks," and that was it. She didn't speak to anyone anymore after that.

The only person that was able to get anything out of her was Hagrid, who had let her help him take care of the creatures in the reserve. Most of which they wouldn't be learning about until next year, but she listened carefully and did as Hagrid had told her. Nifflers and Bowtruckles were her favorite.

If she wasn't with Hagrid, or holed up in her bed with the curtains drawn, she was outside reading at her tree.

"Grace," She turned saw Remus sit down beside her at the end of the Gryffindor table. "Please talk to me-"

"What's there to talk about?" she asked, turning away from him and back to her breakfast. "You lied to me-"

"I didn't lie-"

"You refused to tell me the truth. It's the same as lying."

"Your mother didn't-"

"I don't give adamnabout what my Mum wants!" She snapped, slamming her hands on the wooden table as she stood up. She glared at Remus, not caring that the very few people who remained at the castle, all had their attention on them. "What about whatIwant?"

"Grace-"

"I wanted thetruth."

"And you have it now," Remus whispered gently.

"No thanks to you," Grace shook her head as she walked away from the table. As much as Grace wanted to believe him, there was a nagging part of her that didn't.


On Christmas morning, Grace woke up to find a pile of presents at the end of her bed. She crawled over and started going through them. There was a neatly wrapped pink gift from Hermione; it was a copy of Jane Eyre, a muggle book they had talked about. Another neatly brown wrapped box from her aunt and uncle was a new knitted jumper: light pink with a dark grey 'G' in the middle. There was a box from Neville: a book on tasseomancy. A box from Ron, full of chocolate frogs, and other sweets from Honeydukes. There was one from her mother, and when she opened it she was surprised to see a camera and some film.

Then there was a box from Remus. He didn't often buy her presents, not that she cared if he did. In the box was, of course, some chocolate, but it also had a copy ofThe Hobbit. It wasn't a new copy, but it didn't look as old and worn as some of the other books he had gotten her from a second-hand shop. This copy looks old, but well taken care of. She recognized it from his shelf... this was his copy. She took the note from the inside cover and unfolded it.

There aren't many things I've been able to keep from my youth, as most of them bring back painful, bittersweet memories. However, I've never been one to get rid of books, especially if I loved said books. This was one of the first gifts your father had ever given me, and it was one of the few things that I haven't been able to part with... until now.

I want you to have this little piece of your father.

Grace blinked back the tears and folded the parchment and placed it back in the book. She didn't see anything from Harry. Not that it surprised her... she didn't blame him if he didn't want to be friends with her anymore. She stood up and started cleaning up her mess, when an envelope fell to the floor at her feet. She frowned and picked it up. The front only had: 'Grace'in elegant script. She opened it, and before she could even read the letter, her eyes caught the bottom of the page that read: 'Your father'. She quickly folded it and put it back in the envelope.

She should toss it in the fire. Rip it to shreds, throw it away... but she couldn't. She physically couldn't bring herself to get rid of something from him, somethingofhim. He wrote her this letter, this was him in the closest way she could have him. She shouldn't want it... not after what she's learned, but she couldn't help it. She stuffed the letter into the hoodie pocket, and she went to change quickly before Hermione woke up. Grabbing a blanket and the copy ofThe Hobbit, Grace made her way outside.

It was cold, freezing actually, however Grace didn't seem to mind once she reached her favorite tree by the Black Lake. It was a rather large, wide tree, her favorite place to sit was facing the lake. The way the tree roots laid, and curved made it the most comfortable place to relax. It was a popular tree, a lot of students tend to hang around the tree, it was also a popular snogging spot. Not where she sat thankfully, but on the side of the tree that faced the Forbidden Forest. She traced some of the initials that were carved into the tree, she always noticed them and sometimes would sit and imagine who they were and make up stories on where they were now. Some she imagined were happily married now, some she imagined had gone separate ways - those were the ones that the initials weren't carved very deep. She frowned when she spotted two sets of initials further up on the tree. She stood on her tiptoes to get a better look, and her breath caught in her throat.

Grace ran her fingers over the jagged lines of a carved 'H.P.', and she paused, hovering her fingers over , so lightly, and so slowly, Grace started tracing theSwith her index finger. Taking in every dip, curve, ridge of the bark, as she traced the letter, and did the same with theB.H. . in a heart. She traced theS. , and again, and she committed how it felt to her memory. She knew her mother wouldn't have carved it, her mum wasn't one for sappy displays of affection; but Gracewas, it was one of the things her mother had said she got from her father. Her father carved these initials on this tree... on the same side she sits in. She wondered if her parents sat in the same spot when they were together, or if this was a spot that her father enjoyed being in. She caught the sight of another set of initials not far away, and a little higher.J. . carved in the middle of a heart. She wondered if that was Harry's parent's initials.

Grace traced theS. .

Bark!

Grace jumped and turned to see Snuffles looking up at her with his head tilted to the side and his tail wagging. Snuffles looked up, and she realized he was looking at where her hand was and the carved letters, then he looked back at her. Snuffles whined softly and moved closer to her, bumping against her gently. She blinked, not realizing she was crying; she wiped her cheeks and smiled down at the dog. "Hi Snuffles," She whispered with a small smile. He made a soft sound, looking up at the trunk where her hand still rested, then back at her. Grace turned to look at the initials one more time before moving to sit down below them, right in her favorite spot.

Snuffles started licking her cheeks, making her smile and she started petting him. Taking her blanket she wrapped it around both of them and leaned against the tree. "Happy Christmas, Snuffles," she said softly. Snuffles barked and bumped her chin with his nose. She smiled at him, and her smile must not have seen genuine because Snuffles whined softly and pawed her arm, she knew this was his way of asking if she was okay. Grace just shook her head, and closed her eyes again to try and stop the tears.

"Sirius Black is my father," she said aloud to the dog. Snuffles sat straighter and looked at her. "I-I think I've always known, ever since I saw his picture inThe Daily Prophet. I just hoped that my Mum or Remus would tell me when I asked, you know?" she sighed as she scratched behind his ears. "I don't know how I should feel about it. I know I'm angry at Mum and Remus for not telling me. I'm sad for Harry, because apparently Sirius Black is the reason his parents are gone," Snuffles whined softly and leaned into her. "I have the biggest question of my life answered, but all it did was sprout so many more questions... questions that I don't think I'll ever have the answers to unless..." she paused, letting out a deep sigh, "unless I find him. Sirius Black I mean."

"Like... I want to know why, that's my biggest question, really..." she started again. "Why, why did he do it? Follow Voldemort, that is," Snuffles growled softly, but she continued on. "Why did he betray Harry's parents?" Snuffles growled softly again, and she scratched behind his ears, thinking that was why, because she had stopped and he wanted her to continue. "Why did he leave...me?" she whispered, feeling the tears begin again. "Remus said that my dad loved me very much... but if he loved me, if hereallyloved me then...why did he leave me and Mum that night? Why didn't he just stay?" Snuffles whined softly and licked the tears from her cheeks again.

"Also, why does he want Harry so badly?" She started again. "Why did he try to break into the Gryffindor Common room while everyone was at the feast? And... and why did he try to help me?" Snuffles whined softly and his ears twitched as he looked at her with his big grey eyes that Grace thought looked sad. "I wonder... if he wasn't caught... would he have come back to Mum and me?" she asked, as if Snuffles would be able to answer her. Snuffles licked her cheek and she smiled sadly. "There are so many what if's and why's in my head, and I'll never have the answers to them, and I think that's part of why my heart hurts," Snuffles whined again and pawed her chest. "The other reason is... I feel guilty for wanting to know my dad, to know everything about him, because... because Harry's parents are gone because of him... that's what the Minister said at least," Snuffles growled quietly, and she continued petting him.

"And - and knowing that, and wanting to know my dad... I can't be around Harry anymore..." she whispered sadly. "Malfoy was right... he said if he were in Harry's position, he wouldn't want to associate with me either..." Snuffles growled and but she continued. "I'm sure Harry hates me now... and it hurts," Grace closed her eyes as the tears started to fall again. "It hurts because he's one of my best friends and...and..." she sniffled, clutching her hand over her heart, trying to take a deep breath. This was the first time in two weeks that she had finally let herself cry about her feelings. Inside, she had to put on a face for everyone; she didn't want anyone to know why she was crying and being nosey, and Hermione was the nosiest of all. But it wasn't just that... this was the first time she was finally letting herself admit to the feelings she's been pushing down. "And...and I like him," she confessed. Snuffles pulled back a little and looked at her with his head tilted to the side. "I-I think I have for a while, but... but now, he hates me, and ithurts!" Grace cried.

Snuffles whined and leaned against her, as he couldn't do anything else for the girl.

"I-I did get something..." she started to say once she had calmed down, and she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "From my dad," Snuffles ears twitched again as he looked at her. "It was a letter... I only opened it to see who it was from, I haven't read it yet..." she continued. "I don't know if I can..." Snuffles barked and pawed her chest again. "Should I read it?" she asked, and Snuffles barked again. Grace nodded as she pulled the envelope from her hoodie pocket and took it out carefully before unfolding the parchment. She looked at Snuffles, who simply looked at her and rested his paw on her arm, and she nodded to herself before turning to the letter.

My dearest Grace,

You may or may not know who I am when you read this. If you do, then I don't know what people have told you about me, or if you believe them, but I want you to know that there is more to the story than the world believes. People, like life, are not always black and white, within us is both light and dark, and we are all capable of things we never realize. Only two people know the truth of what happened the night Voldemort disappeared: Peter Pettigrew and myself. Neither of us were given a chance. For twelve years, I have lived with many regrets, regrets that replay over and over in my mind.

My biggest regret, however, was acting too impulsively that night, for it has resulted in me being unable to watch you grow up. Because of my actions, I not only lost twelve years of my life, but I lost twelve years ofyourlife. I lost the chance to watch you grow up. I lost the chance to be your father. I lost the chance to be with you; that is my biggest regret. When your mother filed for divorce, what was left of my heart broke, and I couldn't sign them because that meant I would lose you too. You may not know this, but I would only agree to let your mother go if I could have just one picture of you. I wanted her to bring me one picture of you and so I could say goodbye to both of you. It didn't end up as I had planned, but perhaps that was the point. I had messed up, I didn't deserve to say goodbye to your mother. It was only fitting that Remus was the one who dropped the photo off.

I know that he has kept his final promise to me because I see it in your face, in your eyes, in your smile. I can hear it in your voice, in the way you laugh... I am forever thankful to have had him for a friend in my youth, and so grateful that he promised me one last thing even though I know inside he was hurting and it went against his better judgment. He kept the promise, not for me, but for you.

No matter what you hear or what you may think, I love you. In that dark, empty, hopeless place...you, Gracia Venus Black, were my only light. You were my morning star. You still are.

Happy Christmas, my love.

Love,

Your father.

p.s. if you don't know who I am: I'm Sirius Black.

Grace blinked, folding the parchment, and holding it close to her chest, letting the tears fall. She didn't fight the sob that forced its way up through her throat. She sat there, clenching the parchment tightly to her chest and wept. Snuffles whined again and licked her tears away. Grace put the parchment back into her hoodie pocket, and wrapped her arms around Snuffles, then cried into his fur.

"He loves me," she cried. "He would've come back...he would've stayed," she cried. "He does love me."

Her father did love her, and it made everything hurt so much more.