Harry Potter 1. Aftermath

**Sacrifices**

by Santos Black

Disclaimer: Everything HP related is owned by the great and amazing J.K Rowling and by Warner Bros……

Rating: Pg-13…for swearing mostly

Thanks to: Trish and everyone at Enchanted Happenings, who are the authors of the plot my story

Notes: This follows up to the end of the Order of the Phoenix, with some minor changes, so it's starts at the end of the book itself

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

"No!" Harry screamed as he saw his godfather start to fall, after being hit by Belatrix curse. Harry realized he was to far from him to try and go to help him, and in his frenetic state never saw the curse that was coming his way. The last thing Harry saw, before everything went black, was Sirius about to fall into the weird veil.

Harry felt his head start aching the moment he tried to open his eyes, now that he thought of it, his whole body ached. He felt like retching his breakfast at the memories the battle he had been on came onto mind. The sight of Sirius falling stuck on his head as he tried once more to open his eyes, this time succeeding in his task.

The sight that face him wasn't the one he expected, he was in the Hogwarts infirmary?. For once he had thought he wasn't going to live to see it once more and now he was lying on there?. His blurry vision didn't let him recognize the people that were buzzing around the wing, but he knew the place well enough to know where he was.

He reached for his glasses, and found them in his bedside table and immediately put them on.

Everything became clearer at his action, people were moving around quickly. Madam Pompfrey moved from bedside to bedside, tending to many different people. Harry was able to recognize Ron's red hair and Hermione's bushy mass of hair from his place on his bed.

Relief washed over him until he remembered the sensation of seeing Sirius fall. His eyes started to water and he had to hold back a sob. He looked from side to side, trying to see if anyone was around who could tell him what happen, if there was anyone who could tell him the fatal news he wished he didn't had to hear.

As he looked at the door, the visibly tired frame of Remus Lupin entered the Hospital Wing. Immediately and without waiting for anyone to acknowledge the rather tired look of Remus, Harry called him on.

"Remus!" He yelled to get his attention, startling almost everyone since everybody thought him unconscious. Remus gave madam Pompfrey a small polite smile and made his way to Harry's beside.

"Good evening Harry, How are you feeling? Nasty hit you got" he said smiling down at one of his best friends' son.

"Cut the crap Remus, what happened to Sirius?" Harry asked a deep frown on his face. He was waiting for the worse; he didn't want anyone trying to soften the painful truth.

"Sirius? What do you mean?" Remus asked, clearly shocked at his question. He put a hand over his mouth as he yawned "He's alright Harry, he's sleeping right now" He then scratched the back of his head "He was at your side, but sleep got the best of him" he explained his friend's actions.

Remus then put a hand on Harry's shoulder, as he saw that he looked like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders "Why Harry?"

"I saw him fall" Harry whispered, looking down feeling stupid. "I thought he was dead"

"Bloody Hell if you think you would get rid of me!" A sudden yell from the door way made almost everyone jump. A grinning Sirius got a rather nasty glare from madam Pompfrey and a huge grin in return from Harry.

Remus just shook his head and let out a sigh "Ohh Padfoot you'll never change, do you?" he asked with mock desperation to his friend as he approached them.

"You know I won't, moony" He patted Harry's back "How you're you feeling mate? Good to see you awake and talking" He said at his godson. He then made a hand gesture to Harry to move and hoped onto his bed besides him, putting his legs up (boots and all) over the white sheets leaving a rather nasty patch of mud in them.

Harry just laughed at his godfather's childish behavior "I feel good Sirius, better now that I see everyone's alright" Harry said honestly, everyone seemed alright, a little bruised but alive. He let out a sigh and then shook his head, chuckling to himself.

"Oi Remus! I think I hadn't seen so many people in the hospital wing since the incident with Chino and Malfoy in our first year, remember?" Sirius asked Remus, a weird tinkle in his eyes at the memory.

"How could I forget padfoot? How could I?" Remus said a smile on his face as he chuckled. That got the attention of Harry, and as it seemed of every other DA member on the Wing.

"Come on mates! Now you will have to tell us!" Ron said to Remus and Sirius as he approached Harry's bed. His bandaged arms and rather nasty looking bruise on his face not stopping him from smiling at the thought of something to do with Malfoy and a hospital.

Hermione was about scowl at Ron for asking things that he wasn't suppose to be asking when the look on Sirius face stopped her. He looked like he was waiting for that question to be asked. Hermione rolled her eyes while muttering 'guys' a small smile on her face.

"You want to know too and you know it" Ginny's voice was heard from her side, making everyone laugh at the look of indignation on Hermione's face.

Sirius rubbed his hands with a evil smirk on his face, thing that made Neville who had just recently been told about the innocent status of Sirius, gulp. "It was on our first year at Hogwarts, there we were, five innocent and beautiful students…"

Remus laughed out at that "Innocent? Not even Chino was innocent" then he stopped thinking "And for the beautiful part I would only put her in that space….unless you think I'm beautiful?"

A mischief twinkle they had never seen on Remus was out on the open. They were amazed at the fact that they had never seen Remus Lupin joke as that.

"Come on Moony" Sirius rolled his eyes "If there was anyone beautiful apart from her, was me"

Remus laughed and rolled his eyes, making a hand gesture so he would continue. "Where was I?" Sirius asked looking at Harry and the rest of the guys who had moved to sit in the beds around the one where he was sitting.

"In the part where there were five students, neither of them innocent and only one beautiful" The voice of Luna from beside Harry startled Sirius who hadn't seen her there. Remus who had sat on the bed next to them, his feet dangling of it smiled at the blond Ravenclaw.

"Ermm yes…" he looked warily to the blond girl before returning to his story "So there we were, the ones who would become in the future the legendary marauders and the always little Chino…"

* * *


	2. October 1971

**Sacrifices**

by Santos Black

Disclaimer: Everything HP related is owned by the great and amazing J.K Rowling and by Warner Bros……

Rating: Pg-13…for swearing mostly

Thanks to: Trish and everyone at Enchanted Happenings, who are the authors of the plot my story

Notes: This follows up to the end of the Order of the Phoenix, with some minor changes, so it's starts at the end of the book itself

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

_October 1971, Hogwarts_

"Come on Sirius, you can't be serious!" A small girl yelled at another boy as she friendly pushed him, laughter filling the corridors of Hogwarts as the small group of eleven year olds made their way trough it.

"But Chino, I'm Serious!" The boy said, putting an arm around the smaller girl shoulder as she smacked him across the chest, making him wince. The wince made the other three boy burst out laughing. The girl's shoulder's just shook with laugher as she apologized to the black haired boy.

"Bad joke Sirius, really bad" said another black haired boy that went by the name of James, as they continue moving towards the exit of the corridor.

James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and Maria Owen were on their first year on Hogwarts school of Wizards and Wizardry. They had met during the train ride towards Hogwarts, on their first day. Maria and Sirius had bumped into each other, her little knowledge on the pureblood families and his willing to be taken as more than his last name made him help, starting a conversation between the two. Then while they looked for an empty compartment they met James, a smart boy that started talking with them about quidditch, both Maria and Sirius passion. The three had hit it off since then.

"Hey Remmy, again. why do we hang with them?" The girl asked Remus Lupin, the sand haired boy that was walking at her side.

"Cause they are a pest and continue to follow us around?" Remus answered Maria with a huge smile on his face. Maria and Remus had become best friends quickly, if you can have a best friend in a group were you considered every one of them your best friends.

"Good point, I had forgotten about that" She said before she poke Sirius on the ribs as he had started to tickle her on the neck with the hand that was on the side of it.

Maria was the only girl in the small group of boys, not that she minded much. She was rather small, with long curly brow hair which she wore always on a pony tail. She had hazel eyes and a great smile. But of course, if your friends are boys you are ought to be one of the gang. She wore her school skirt longer than anyone, cause she hate to show her legs /even lower than her knees) and her shirt was usually out of it. So she was as loud and as daring as any of the boys, not afraid of anyone or anything.

Maria continued laughing at her friends as they continued to banter between them, Sirius arm still over her shoulders. It was strange, she knew, that boys accepted her so easily. She blamed it on her way of acting, which wasn't girly as everyone else's, after all her best friends had always been boys.

"Come on Remmy, I can't believe he said that!" Maria said to Remus as he continued to tell them about what he had heard in his way to the great hall. "He's not such a bad guy!" She said at their friends faces "What? he's nice to me" she said trying to defend the poor boy they were trashing.

Sirius stopped and turned Maria to look at them, putting his hands on her small shoulders. He hunched a little so he was looking into her eyes "Chino, Snape isn't more than a greasy git, he isn't nice to anyone" He said to her as if talking to a little kid.

"Ohhh sod off Siri, just because he doesn't like you it doesn't make him a git" she said shaking his hands of her shoulders. She started walking again "Ok, let's just drop the subject, can we?" she asked, turning on her back to look at the boys "Petey is with me, right?" she turned to look at the smaller blond boy that was onto James side.

"Ermm, umm… yeah?" the boy, Peter, said not sure of his own answer. He turned to look at the boys and gulped down "Ermm no?" he said, shrugging and turning to look at another place.

"You can't get him to side with you just because he's afraid of you!" James told the girl as she glared at them. He had a smirk on his face as he looked at her.

"Hey, no fair, you are more than me!" She said crossing her arms over her chest and mock pouting. Even if she wasn't entirely girly, she did tried to brake them with her pout and her puppy dog eyes.

The boys just sighed, and shook their heads "Let's better drop the subject, please?" Remus asked as he walked to Maria's side "Please Chino?" he asked, knowing that he first had to convince the less stubborn of his friends.

She gave them one last glared and sighed "Ok Remmy" she said sticking her tongue out at Sirius and James.

The just laughed at her and the whole group made it's way to the courtyard "Freedom! Finally!" Sirius yelled, stretching his arms out as they step on the grass, earning a giggle fit from Maria.

"Sirius my friend, you really are a dog" James said tackling his friend to the ground before he burst out laughing. Remus, Peter and Maria (a.k.a Chino) sat on the steps oh the staircase and watch their friends go around tackling each other.

Maria let out a sigh that didn't went un-noticed by Remus (Peter was too occupied looking with dreamy fan eyes at Sirius and James). Remus put an arm around Maria's shoulders "You ok Chino?" he asked in his sweet and caring way that only Remus could pull off with Maria.

"Oh, yeah" she said as if it was nothing. "I was just thinking" she said after that, turning to give Remus a huge smile and standing up, pulling at his hand "Come on Remmy, let's show them what a real tackle is" she said still pulling Remus at were James and Sirius were. Remus just shook his head and stood up anyway, earning a giggle from Maria.

The two young boys were giving them their back, having stopped tackling each other and were looking at something. Both Maria and Remus crept out behind them and at Remus sign both went and tackle one of the boys down.

Remus tackle James, earning a punch from him once they had stopped spinning. Maria tackle Sirius, he was rather surprised and unlike James, he didn't punched her. Instead Sirius started tickling her, that for Maria it was way worse than punching.

"No Siri! stop" she yelled at him trying to push him away from her. Remus and James stopped fighting when they heard Maria's yell, looked at each other and went to help Sirius in the hard task of tickling their small friend.

After a while, the four laid on the green grass panting of tiredness. Maria let out a final chuckle before she let out a huge sigh. "Oh Chino, you're again with the whole sighing thing?" Sirius asked, with the non existent tact he posses.

Maria just rolled her eyes and sit, Indian style, next to her friends. She looked around and made a signal to Peter to join them. "Merlin guys, Petey is to shy" she said frowning as the small boy joined them.

"Hey Petey, why didn't ya joined us?" She asked, truly concern. "He doesn't like fighting, he says he's too small for it" James answered instead of Peter. Maria gave him one last look before shrugging.

"Hey James, when are we having flying class again?" Sirius asked his friend, earning a grunt from Maria. "Chino, is not our fault that you can't stay on a broom even if your life depend on it" he said giving the girl a smile.

Maria rolled her eyes and throw him some grass she had cut. "Is not my fault, the brooms have a evil plan to conquer the universe, which start with making me fall down and brake my arm" she said with a serious face on, before she broke out laughing.

They were still laughing when the group of seventh year found them. Around seven boys were making their way to the courtyard. The leader of the small group, a young, handsome blond boy turned to look at the first years as they went down the stairs from hogwarts. An evil smile on his face as he strolled to the small group, his lackeys following him.

"Oh, what do we have here" a cold, bored like voice said, making the five kids turn to look at him.

"Malfoy" Sirius practically growled. James put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from doing anything.

"Ohh the traitor" Malfoy then crouched down to eye level with them. "Don't you smell as if something was rotting in here?" Malfoy asked in the same bored, cold tone. He said that while looking at Maria and Remus (whose parents were muggleborns).

Maria looked at him with no fear in her hazel eyes, giving a side way glance at Remus. For some eleventh year olds they were brave, almost no one went against Malfoy.

Malfoy just laughed at Maria's look, making his lackey laugh too. "Aww the small girl feels brave?" he said, mocking Maria which earned him a growl from both Remus and Sirius.

Malfoy stood up again to his full height and turned his back to the group of children. "Let's go guys, there is too much filth in here, you know people with mudblood in their veins" he said before he turned on his back and started walking away. As he walked he made sure some mud was lifted by his shoes which went to cover both Remus and Maria.

Remus and James took one of Sirius arms each by instinct, knowing that the careless boy would do something stupid. But neither of them expected what happened next.

"The only mud you will be smelling here will be the one I stuck up on your nose" the girlish voice of Maria made Malfoy stop in his track and before he had the chance to turn around he had been tackled to the ground by a rather small, but strong body.

Remus, Sirius, James and Peter together with the other seventh years stood there in shock as they saw the small girl attack the older seventh year. It was just a blink of an eye before they took matters into their hands. When the boys saw the seventh years start to make way towards their friend, they stood up and ran to them with the intention of tackling them down too.

Meanwhile small Maria was throwing punches at a confused Malfoy. She had managed to get him down and full of mud, and they were rolling, or more like Maria punching Malfoy while he had his back on the ground. She was throwing punches at him left and right, a couple of them actually connecting with Malfoy's flesh causing some damage. It wasn't long before Malfoy reacted to the situation and started trying to take her off of him. It was harder than he first thought, for some reason the small girl knew how to hit and was stronger than she looked. It wasn't until she connected a punch onto his eyebrow that he got sick of it and he actually punched back. He was too pissed off to care that she was younger or even a girl. After a few punches he was able to throw her off him, smirking when he heard the sound of a bone breaking when she landed.

The sound echoed around the boys that were fighting, making them stop. The four marauders were bloodied and bruised. James' glasses were broken, Sirius had a gash across his arm, Remus' lip was bleeding and Peter was clutching his stomach. That didn't meant that the other boys went unscarred they had managed to get him not as bloodied as them but at least it was visible that they had fought.

Sirius and Remus were the first to react. They went to Maria's side immediately. She was starting to get up when she felt Remus hand pulling her up and Sirius arm steadying her. She gave them a small smile before turning, with the two boys to glare at Malfoy and his gang.

"Who has the mud now Malfoy?" James voice rang from where he had made his way besides his friends. "As I see the only mud in here is the one in you" he said in a smart-ass voice that years later would make his wife-to-be almost hate him.

The words made the small group of friends grin, even if they were bruised and battered.

Malfoy didn't reacted well at James' words. Blood still pouring from his open eyebrow, his pale skin already turning purple and blue from were Maria had landed her punches. He took put his wand and pointed at the small group of kids, his companions making the same move as him.

Sirius stepped in front of Maria, trying to protect her if Malfoy casted anything against them. The only reason he didn't went against Malfoy on his own right now was Maria's small hand that was clutching the back of his robe like there was no tomorrow.

Maria closed her eyes, waiting for the hit; James moved to the front, by Sirius; Remus hold onto

Maria harder; Peter cowered behind the small girl. All of them were waiting for the hit of a lot of different hexes when a voice rang in the courtside.

"Mr. Malfoy, what do you think you're doing?" They had never heard a voice that ranged so sweet on their ears, to the small group of friends that voice was their new hero, or heroin?.

Professor Minerva Mc.Gonagall made her way down the steps that lead to the courtside, a small red head following closely behind.

"Ermm we were showing them a spell to cure open cuts" he said, lying trough his teeth.

"Who do you think I am Mr. Malfoy?" Mc.Gonagall asked, not waiting a answer.

The group of boys looked between themselves, some muttering to each others 'isn't she our teacher?'. The reaction of the boys made Maria let out a small giggle, which earned an almost smile of the stern teacher.

"I'm not dumb, Mr. Malfoy" she said clearly not amused by what was happening. "I thought that all of you would be more mature than to get into a fight with a bunch of first years" she said, before they protested she turned to the future marauders.

"And don't think you are free of guilt either, I know what happened" she said, her face showing that she wasn't about to believe anything that got out of either's group mouths.

"This will be heard by the headmaster" she said, making both groups glare at her. "no and don't think I won't reduce points for this too" which earned a groan from both groups. "There are ought to be taken 25 house points for each member of the house that got into the fight"

The gryffindors couldn't help but smile a little, the slytherins were more than them. They would have at least 50 points less than them.

"And of course, there will be an extra 50 points taken off thanks to Mrs. Owen behavior" the last part earned a small cry of disagreement by the small Chino.

"But professor he started.." she wasn't able to finish her sentence, since Mc.Gonagall had made a hand gesture at her which made her stop. "If you continue Mrs. Owen there will be more from that came from"

Those words made her shut up, unshed tears in her eyes. She had been working so hard to get accepted by people here, and now everyone would hate her. She knew how important it was to the rest of the house the points. She felt a hand on her left shoulder, and her other hand being squeeze. She looked up to look at the face of a smiling Sirius, she turned and looked at sympathetic Remus and let out a sigh. At least she will have her friends with her.

"You too Mr. Malfoy" Mc.Gonagall said to the young man "It's a shame, fist fighting with a younger student, which is also a girl" she said shaking her head in a disapproval gesture. "I thought you had been taught better than that" she said.

Malfoy face went as she had said anything, he didn't care about that small brat or anything he had been taught.

Mc.Gonagall let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose. And made a hand gesture to dismiss them.

"Go to the Hospital Wing" she said to the group of older boys. "And stay there until you're the head of your house talks to you" she said before turning around to the gryffindors.

They saw as Malfoy and his goons shoot them one last glare and went into the castle. They turned to look at a now focused on them Mc.Gonagall and gulped.

"I expected more of you boy, and you Mrs. Owen" she gave a pointed look at Chino "You are a girl, I expected them to get into fist fight but you" she let out a sigh and shook her head.

Chino dropped her head in shame. She felt bad about disappointing Mc.Gonagall, and her house.

"sorry" she said barely a whisper.

"Sorry isn't enough Mrs. Owen" she continued, her stern voice hurting the small group of friends deeply. "If it hasn't been for Mrs. Evans, they would have hex you"

It wasn't until then that they remembered the read head girl that had came with Mc.Gonagall.

"She was the one that came and told me what was happening, everything" she said giving the look again at Maria "Now go on to the hospital wing, I'll be there later to give you the details of your detention" she told them before she turned on her heel and storm into the castle, to prevent some other student fight.

When she left, the group let out an audible sigh of relief.

"You see the look on Malfoy's face when Chino tackle him?" James asked Sirus, as he looked at his now broken glasses.

"It was priceless, we should do that again just to see that expression once more" he said starting to laugh. He then turned to Maria and Remus, that were starting to walk into the castle

"Remus, remember me to say yes the next time Chino ask me for something" he said joking with his friends. The group of five started making it's way to the castle, intended to go to the hospital wing. Chino was clutching her arm to her chest, she was in pain.

Sirius put an arm around her shoulders, while Remus did the same but from the other side. She felt safe and protected between them and she, still in pain, started to joke with them.

"Of course you should Siri, I'm a killing machine" she said winking at him, before bursting out laughing along with them. She winced a bit and tried to calm down "Ok, definitely not good to laugh now" she said, making both Remus and Sirius laugh again.

"What do you think you're doing?" a sixth voice broke the group attention and made them turn. There she was, Lily Evans scolding at them in all her glory.

"Making our way to the hospital wing?" James said in a 'duh' voice.

"You think this is funny?" she asked, her voice angry as she made her way towards James. She was now standing in front of him. She poke him in the chest "You just lost 150 points and you are joking about it?" she asked, her voice raising at each word.

"Calm down Evans, is not the end of the world" Sirius said from his position next to Maria.

"Shut up Black, you probably did it just so they can win" she said, throwing a glare at Sirius. Maria's touch on his side was the only reason he didn't yelled back at Lily.

"Evans, lighten up" the small injured girl said to her fellow dorm mate "What is done is done, we can't change it" she said with a shrug of her shoulder. She never expected Lily's wrath change from James to her.

"I thought better of you Maria" Maria cringed at the name and muttered 'it's chino'. "I thought you knew what was important" she then approached the smaller girl. "I told you, nothing good could come out of you hanging with them" she said obviously talking about the boys "You are starting to act like one of them" she told those last words to her, glared at James and turned around and left.

When she was out of reach Maria burst out laughing, which earned her a weird look by the boys. "What? it's funny" at their still confused looks she added "I already acted like this before you" she said waiting for a reaction, she still got none. "Forget it" she said, shaking her head in defeat.

They continue their way to the Hospital wing until Sirius spoke again "Was it me or did she yelled specially at James?" he asked, clearly amused by the fact.

"Shut up Black" was all James said, which made both Remus and Maria giggle.

"Lily and James sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…" Maria started to sing quietly from her place between Sirius and Remus, making the boys laugh harder and James blush even more.

"You see guys, this wasn't completely a waste" Sirius said a long time after. They were on the Hospital Wing, lying on some of the beds. They had been admitted after the Slytherins had tried to hex them once more upon their arrival there, professor thought they would be safer.

"What are you talking about Sirius?" Peter said from the bed at the farther end.

"See, today we showed Malfoy we didn't feared him, we found out that we should never mess with Chino and we saw the Potter charm in action" he said, a huge smirk on his face before he was knocked out of his bed by a pillow that James had throw at him.

"Shut up Sirius" he said before he burst out laughing along with his friends.

* * *

_Present day_

Remus and Sirius were laughing along with the group of kids, or not so much of kids now.

"See, I have this" Sirius showed them a scar that was on his left arm "They thought the best lection they would give us was to let us heal the muggle way, after all they may just give you a detention if you're dueling, but fist fight is totally another matter." he was still chuckling when he finished talking.

"Of course that kinda backfire to Mc.Gonagall" said Remus after a little while.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, puzzled. "I do think it was the best decision, after all it would make you think twice before fighting again" she said giving a pointed look at Harry and Ron who just smile sheepishly.

"They had to put a cast on Chino's wrist, since it was broken" Remus said calmly. Sirius at that broke out laughing "And then she tried to make her do the same as everyone in detention…not a pretty sight" he said the mischief in his eyes giving everyone the idea of what had happened.

"But if I remember correct it was also bad for you, wasn't it Padfoot?" Remus trying to hold the smile that was trying to show on his face.

Sirius' hand unconsciously went to the back of his head, which only made Remus laugh. "yeah well.." he said before grinning.

"Our Padfoot here" Remus pointed at Sirius "Was the kind of boy that showed a girl he liked them, or at least with Chino, making fun or fighting with her" he stopped and frowned "I knew James had gotten it out of somewhere" he said most to himself than to the others.

"Anyway, padfoot liked Chino" Sirius just grunted "And he bug her to no end, we were friends but he teased her more than anyone" another grunt from Sirius "And Chino just used her cast to whack him over the head when he was acting like a git" Sirius made a face and rubbed the back of his head "Which was like five times a day"

Everyone burst out laughing, even Hermione who couldn't hold it any longer. Harry was happy he had learnt something new about his parents even if it had been that Lily had ratted them out when they fought.

"What happened with my mother?" Harry asked, pushing his glasses a bit up "When did she started to get along with you?" he asked crossing his arms over his chest.

"Actually she warmed up to Chino first, she hated us until her sixth year, I think" Remus said giving a small smile to Harry "Chino and her became best friends over the years, after all the poor Chino had to get friends when we were on our git phase" he said chuckling at the memory.

"Git phase?" Ron asked, frowning.

* * *

Thanks to whoever that plays Sidney Halo at Enchanted Happiness, he was the only person that review!…sorry…hey please, please review…this is my second try for a fic, it's the longest chapter of anything I have ever wrote and I want to know your opinion! please…

note: sorry is there are grammar/spelling mistakes, English is not my first language.


	3. December 1976

**Sacrifices**

Disclaimer: Everything HP related is owned by the great and amazing J.K Rowling and by Warner Bros……

Rating: Pg-13…for swearing mostly

Thanks to: Trish and everyone at Enchanted Happenings, who are the authors of the plot my story

Notes: This follows up to the end of the Order of the Phoenix, with some minor changes, so it's starts at the end of the book itself

Also, this is un-betaed (is that a verb)….sorry for any mistakes, maybe I'll have it done later…but now it isn't

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_Present day_

Sirius got up from his bed in the middle of the night, grabbed a robe and walked out of his room making his way to the castle's kitchen. After the fight in the Department of mysteries three days ago he had been pardoned. The aurors had interrogated the Death Eaters with Veritasium and under Dumbledore's orders the ones that were part of the order had asked about the Pettigrew case, which made everyone see that Sirius was truly innocent so after Fudge resigned the first action that the new Minister had done was grant Sirius his pardon.

That made everyone happy. Remus and Harry especially since well it meant two things, Harry could live with him since then and Remus had his best friend back. They had partied for almost all day and even a part of the night. But something kept bothering Sirius; in the back of his head the memory of Maria kept bugging him.

He sighed as he tickled the pear of the painting, entering the kitchen as the door opened. The elf's immediately recognized him; at least the elder ones did, and welcome him with a lot of noise. He patted some in the head and retreat to a corner to eat everything they brought to him. It hadn't passed five minutes when the painting opened again and Remus walked in. He immediately spotted Sirius and walked up to him, sitting in front of him.

"What's worrying you padfoot?" Remus asked him, accepting with a small smile the cup of hot chocolate an elf brought him immediately. Sirius sighed and put his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands looking down.

"I miss her moony" he told Remus, softly. Slowly he looked up and Remus was able to see the pain and anguish in his face "I can't stop thinking about her, I tried I really did but since we told them that story she had been on my mind" he took a sip of his coffee "I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't think of anything else but about her"

The pain in his friend's eyes made Remus' heart brake. Sirius looked heart broken, completely broken. He suddenly stood up "Come on Pad, we're going".

Sirius only raised his eyebrows. "Where moony?" he asked, still not moving.

"You can't stop thinking about her, so I'm taking you to see her" he said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "Padfoot?" Remus asked when Sirius didn't answer.

"You know where she is?" he whispered, shocked. He looked serious, for once in his life there was no mischief spark on his eyes.

Remus lowered his head, a little ashamed. If he has known how much Sirius did miss her he might have told him before. "Yes Sirius, I know where she is" he said, looking up only to meet Sirius pain filled eyes.

"Damn it Remus!" he said raising his voice "You knew where she was all along and you never told me?" Sirius said, rather angry. Truth he hadn't asked about her, but he thought no one had an idea of where she was, because if she was around she would have been part of the fight, of the order, of Harry's life.

"Is complex situation Sirius" Remus said calmly "I'm taking you there, calm down and make your own conclusions when we get there"

"Now? Even if is the middle of the night?" Sirius asked, already on his feet. The things they had been eating already forgotten.

"Just go change and meet me in the Hogsmade road in ten minutes" Remus said as he exited the kitchen. Sirius stood there, shocked before he remembered where he was going, who he was about to see and ran up to his room to change.

* * *

_Decemeber 1976_

"Come on prongs, you are not leaving me here alone!" Sirius Black whined to his best friend, James Potter while he was doing his bag. Christmas time has come and the only marauder that was going to stay in the castle was the one and only Sirius Black.

It had been six years now since the four friends had met each other. Together they had pranked and spent their school time in a peaceful and entertained environment. Each year, the Potters invited Sirius to spend the school brakes with them, but this year was different. The Potters were leaving for a trip to middle Asia and Sirius was to stay in Hogwarts.

"I'm going to be alone" he said as he sat on his bed, doing everything to prevent himself from pouting as the other three boys finished making their bags.

"I believe Chino is going to stay" Remus said, a twinkle in his eyes as he said that. They immediately saw Sirius brighten up a little and he stopped pouting.

Against his will Sirius had started crushing in the only girl in the whole school that didn't found him attractive. He started crushing on his only girl friend, on the only girl he truly trusted and a girl that practically had grown up with them.

Sirius rolled his eyes and stood up as his friends burst out laughing. The four boys left the common room, three carrying their travel bags with them. Sirius, even though less sad, was still not sure about being left at Hogwarts alone.

"Are you sure she's staying?" he asked out of nowhere, making James and Remus laugh as Peter just looked from one to the other. Remus nodded "Yes, I'm sure…if you remember I happen to be her beast boyfriend" he said smirking at Sirius as the other boy glared at him.

"You are her best friend who is a boy" Sirius corrected Remus, jealousy in his voice "You are not her boyfriend" he told him "right?"

That only made James laugh harder "Come on Padfoot, you actually think Rem would steal the only girl we know has you eating out of her hand even if she doesn't know it?" he said throwing an arm around his friends shoulders.

They were laughing and teasing Sirius as they arrived to the great hall, where Sirius and everyone who was staying was saying their last goodbyes. Just as James was about to say another comment regarding Maria, Sirius elbowed him. Not sooner he had done that, a small person with curly brown hair practically tackled Remus in a hug.

"I'm going to miss you so much Remmy!" Maria Owen told her best male friend as she hugged him. James snickered when he saw the look on Sirius eyes as Remus put his arms around Maria. "I'm going to miss you too Chino" he said as she pulled back. "You have to write to me, ok?" Remus just nodded. Sirius glared even harder when she stood on her tip toes and made him lean so she could give him a kiss in the cheek "Take Care Remmy"

Then she turned to James, who just opened his arms for her. She did the same thing to him, making him promise to write to Lily, and to actually write something nice. James just rolled his eyes and kissed her forehead. Then she turned to Peter, hugging him quickly and wishing him a happy Christmas.

"Awww chino, I don't deserve a hug" Sirius told her as she stood beside him in the small circle they formed. She rolled her eyes and slap him in the stomach "You are not leaving, so...no". Sirius pouted, which only made her laugh.

"Maria" a girl's voice called her from behind, making her turn and leave them. She went over a group of girls, which included a red headed girl who was one of her best friend.

"Way to be subtle padfoot" Remus said as he patted him in the back, Sirius didn't answer but kept on looking at the small girl.

"I think we lost him" James' voice had a hint of amusement. "Why he doesn't ask her out is beyond me"

At that moment, the whistle from the train was heard and everyone took their bags. Final goodbyes were said and three out of four marauders, as well as all of the Gryffindor girls left for Christmas vacations.

Sirius walked up to where Maria was waving at her friends, standing besides her. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and worked up the courage to throw his arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry Chino, We'll have enough fun between the two of us" He said as he saw his friends get smaller as they walked.

"I'm actually looking forward to it Siri" she told him, smiling but still looking at where their friends were going. Sirius face broke into a huge grin as he hugged her to him. Maria blushed a little as she put an arm around his waist and let herself be hugged to his side.

* * *


	4. January 1978

**Sacrifices**

Disclaimer: Everything HP related is owned by the great and amazing J.K Rowling and by Warner Bros……

Rating: Pg-13…for swearing mostly

Thanks to: Kris for encouraging me to write thanks a lot girl!

Notes: This follows up to the end of the Order of the Phoenix, with some minor changes, so it's starts at the end of the book itself

Also, this is un-betaed (is that a verb?)….sorry for any mistakes, maybe I'll have it done later…but now it isn't

Another thing...I made some changes at the first chapter, nothing that will do anything to change the story just to make a little better the first chapter...after that...enjoy!.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_Present day_

Sirius was checking his clock for the tenth time in less than a minute when he saw Remus make his way towards him. Before Sirius had the chance to talk Remus gesture him to not to, as he passed him and continued walking towards Hogsmade.

"Where are we going Remus?" Sirius asked after walking besides him about five minutes.

"We're going to see her" Remus answered softly, the hot summer air ruffling his almost gray hair.

Miraculously Sirius was quiet as they continued to walk towards the apparition point. As the arrived, Remus walked a few steps away from Sirius and started talking giving him his back.

"You are not going to like what you'll see Sirius" he said quietly "Is not what you are expecting, and the most probable thing is that you won't understand it but you have to stay calm and collected" At that he turned around to see his best friend "With the change at the ministry we might have a chance to get her back, but we'll have to pass a lot of things before she's with us once again."

"Remus, you're scaring me" Sirius told his friend "Where is she?"

"Let's apparate to Saint Mungo's" Before Sirius had a chance to answer, Remus dissaparated.

Cursing, Sirius followed him. Just as he arrived he saw Remus' back making his way into the hospital, not even asking at the witch where to. He followed quickly, earning a glare from said witch. As he caught up with Remus he noticed that his friend's eyes looked haunted scared.

They finally arrived, since Remus had gone into a door. He followed and was greeted with a sight it would take some time to get use to. There were several beds lined up, witches and wizards on them, some asleep others awake.

"We are at the guard number 49" he said softly "The Longbottoms are over there" he pointed at two beds at the back of the room. He nodded to the witch that was sitting at the door, who gave him a sad smile in return.

He led Sirius to the second bed on the row on their left; the only divisions between the beds were curtains. Remus then went and sat at the chair next to the head of the bed, putting his hand on the pillow.

Sirius got closer more slowly. There she stood, Maria Owen, his little Chino. Her eyes were open but unfocused, she was wearing Quidditch pajamas that were two sizes too big for her, her hair was long and messy, and she was thinner than he had ever seen her.

Remus slowly played with a strand of her hair as he focused on her. Sirius slowly made his way to her other side and took her small hand onto his, running his thumb over it. "What happened?" He whispered softly at Remus.

"After everything happened" he said not mentioning exactly what "She started fighting for you, to make them give you a fair trial because she claimed that she knew things that could get you out"

Sirius swallowed at that "When they denied her that, she started telling them about something that only she and I knew, and they didn't believed her" Sirius looked at Remus at that "I tried to tell them that she was telling the truth but they didn't count me for anything" A tear slipped down Remus cheek.

He turned to look at Sirius "After that, they put her in here" Remus hand moved from her hair to her cheek "They claimed she was insane, so they put a spell on her making her like this"

Sirius took her hand and brought it up to his face, putting it in his cheek "They give her potions daily so she stay in this state, she's usually asleep but the times she's awake she doesn't even respond"

Sirius kissed her hand before letting it back onto her side, slowly he moved his hand to put it besides her head caressing her cheek with his thumb "I'm back Chino" he told her softly "And I'm going to get you back too". He lent down and kissed her forehead before standing and walking out of the guard.

"I'll see you later Chino" Remus told her, repeating Sirius actions of kissing her in the forehead "He's really back" he whispered to her. He stared at her, waiting to see if her Sirius brought any kind of reaction but it didn't, she just stood there gazing at the sealing with the lost gaze.

Remus sighed and ran a hand trough his hair before joining his friend outside. Before he had a chance to call out for him he was brutally shoved onto the wall by the front of his shirt. His head smacked back on the wall making him a little dizzy. "What did you know that made her be in this situation!" Sirius asked him, his voice low, dangerous.

"Something she shouldn't had, something only I was suppose to know"

* * *

_January 1978_

"Remmy" Maria poked Remus in the side, trying to get his attention "Remmy" she glared at him "Remus John Lupin!" she finally said, her voice full of annoyance.

That made Remus wake up from his day dream and smile at his friend, thing that made her roll her eyes. "Yes Chino?" he asked smiling.

She shook her head, smiling a little "I asked you if you could help me study later…you know I hate DADA"

He was about to answer her when he noticed that her attention was elsewhere. "Oi! Remus" the voice of the person that had took Chino's attention was heard "My Dear lovely Chino" Sirius black said as he flopped down next to the small girl, that while blushing a little smacked him across the chest with a cushion.

"Hey!" Sirius said answering with a cushion of his own. Remus slowly stood up as his friends kept on smacking each other and left the common room. It was so obvious that they both liked each other, and he knew that Maria already knew about Sirius liking her but she didn't was the type of girl that would tell a guy that she liked them.

Wandering around the castle he ended up in the room of requirement, which in this case was full of pillows and blankets. He took one and lay down on the floor that was rather comfortable and drifted off to sleep.

_Flashes passed before his eyes, moments he was sure he hadn't lived together with memories of events that had happened. The flashes went from events as important as the moment when he was bitten to his first day at Hogwarts together with unimportant memories as his first kiss or the last time he had fought with his friends._

_Everything passed quickly until there were no memories on them, events that had never happened started to go trough his eyes, his dreams. He saw as Maria and Sirius kiss in front of everyone, as Lily finally said yes to James, as He graduated from Hogwarts. He saw them fighting in the Order, he saw them getting hurt, crying over things. Events as well as years started to pass before his eyes, he saw James and Lily's wedding, Maria giving birth to Sirius son. Everything was quick, but as those moments started passing everything started going slower. He saw Sirius and James talking about going into hiding and him being his only confidant, he saw Lily, James and a little boy enter a house, he saw a Peter talking with a shadow, he saw a green light before the dead bodies of James and Lily appeared before him and at last he saw Sirius cornering Peter in a muggle street before seeing Sirius being taken to Azkaban while Maria cried out his name._

Remus woke up drenched in cold sweat, breathing hard. He ran a hand trough his already graying hair as he tried to calm his breath. "What was that?" he whispered to himself as he slowly stood up.

He was still shaking as a chair appeared for him to sit on; as he tried to process the amount of information he had been given. Had he dreamt all those things? He shook his head; it was too crazy to think that those were things that would happen in the future…right?

He shook his head again as he stood up and walked to the door. It had probably been the huge amount of chocolate he had eaten during the day, too much sugar was bad for his system.

Also it was crazy, Maria and Sirius finally together? James and Lily dying? He chuckled as he kept walking towards the Gryffindor common room. He just needed to see his friends so he could think of other things. He smiled at a pretty fourth year as he let her go in before him. He was looking down as he heard her gasp, thing that made him look up.

He stopped dead on his tracks as he saw the sight in front of him. He had barely entered the common room when he saw them, there they stood, Chino and Sirius, making out in the couch in the exact same pose and place he had dreamt them. Without even paying attention to James who was calling him over to join him in making fun of them later he turned and ran, it couldn't be, what he dreamt was not suppose to be true.

* * *

I'm amazed….my story has more than 30 hits! I can't believe it…I know that doesn't mean anything cause well I have only three reviews so far but at least it means that someone is reading it (even if they stop after the first chapter)…thanks a lot to everyone who is reading this…. 


	5. January 1978'

**Sacrifices**

Disclaimer: Everything HP related is owned by the great and amazing J.K Rowling and by Warner Bros……

Rating: Pg-13…for swearing mostly

Thanks to: Kris for being my beta!

Notes: This follows up to the end of the Order of the Phoenix, with some minor changes, so it's starts at the end of the book itself

This is the first chapter that has actually been checked by my beta….

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 5**_

* * *

_

_Present day _

Sirius let go of Remus robes as he finished his story. He walked backwards until his back hit the wall, and slowly slipped down until he was sitting on the floor with his back resting on the hard concrete.

Remus' eyes never left his friend, feeling week because of the amount of emotion's running through him, he copied Sirius' actions. He went down until he was sitting with the back on the wall. They were sitting in front of the other in the white corridor, Sirius eyes cast down while Remus kept looking at him. Neither talking but both wanting to say many things.

After what it seemed like an eternity Sirius looked up, only to meet Remus gaze. Gray onto hazel, unshed tears were visible in Sirius' while Remus' was full of regrets. "You knew?" Sirius deep voice resounded in the empty hallway. Remus only nodded in acceptance.

"Than why didn't you say anything?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding a little accusatory.

"I was afraid..." Remus gulped down tears before continuing "At first I thought it was a dream, but when I saw you two I knew it wasn't"

Sirius was the first to break the eye contact, his gaze moved from Remus to a window that showed the dark moonless night of London. Remus also stopped looking at his friend, preferring to look at his worn out, calloused hands than at his best friend.

"I didn't know what to do" Sirius still didn't looked at him "I tried to go to many people, but they never had time for me." Sirius couldn't do anything but nod, he knew that everyone had been busy that last year specially Dumbledore with the war, he had rarely been seen at Hogwarts.

Sirius turned his gaze back to Remus, waiting for him to continue "I fell into depression, but I was able to hide it well" he then let out a mirthless laugh "The only one that always could see when I was acting was her, not even you who was supposed to be my best friend"

Sirius opened his mouth as to say something but closed it immediately. He didn't know what he could say now more than fifteen years later.

"She confronted me one day" Remus said softly "She said she was sick of seeing her best friend depressed" He sad smiled at that "She said that even with you around trying to get her attention she knew when I needed her"

Sirius half smiled at that turning his gaze towards the ceiling trying to hide the tears that were trying to escape.

_

* * *

January 1978_

A few weeks had passed from his dream. At first he had spent every moment he had been able in the library. He had read everything about dreams he had been able to get his hands on.

That had been until a week ago, a week ago he had finally accepted what it had been. After he had accepted that it had been a prophetic dream, Remus Lupin had became a sad boy.

He had tried to forget it, but he hadn't been able to. Everything that he could think off was the dead faces of James and Lily, Sirius crazy laughter, Peter's finger and Chino's heartbreaking face as Sirius was being taken away.

As the days passed he became more and more depressed. He was barely able to stop the tears from falling every time he saw them.

He had made a good job of hiding it though, it was their last months of peace, and he didn't want to spoil them for anyone. He had tried to go to someone but no one was able to make time for him, and he was also scared, no one would believe him. Remus was scared of being sent to St. Mungo's because someone thought he was crazy because of what he had said.

It was one of those moments when he wasn't able to stand being in their presence while he was in the Room of Requirement when she confronted him. He had been lying on a couch, in front of the fireplace when she walked in.

He had immediately put up his face, but she knew him better. She slowly walked up to the couch, he started to get up but she stopped making him move a little so she could sit and making him put his head on her lap afterward.

"Why are you so sad, Remmy?" she asked him softly, running her finger through his grayish-brown hair.

"I'm not sad" he replied almost instantly, closing his eyes as if to not let her see how much he was lying.

"If there is someone that knows you, it's me" her voice was still comforting, soft.

He sighed and shook his head, refusing to answer. "Come on Remmy, you know you can trust me" Her small hands were caressing his face now.

It was the combination of being burdened, of being depressed, of finally being comforted that broke him. He turned and buried his face on her stomach, sobbing.

Maria was rather shocked when he started to sob; she had never seen Remus cry. A few tears fell from her own eyes as she heard him cry, hugging him closer to her. It was a good half hour before he stopped and slowly sits up.

As he sat there next to her she took his hand in her, squeezing it as if to show him support. He didn't answer back nor did he say anything, he just sat there gazing into the fire.  
"I'm here Remmy" she said softly, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I know" he whispered, sniffling a little before starting to speak again. "I had a prophetic dream" He heard her gasp and squeezed her hand softly "And before you ask, I'm sure of what I saw and of what it is" He ran his free hand through his hair "I saw everyone, James, Lily, Peter, Sirius, you, me…everyone"

Maria turned her gaze from the fire to him the moment he said he knew the future. It was obvious that something bad was going to happen. "Come on Remmy, what can it be so bad to have you like this?" she asked softly as her free hand put some of his hair back to where it was supposed to be.

"What if I tell you I'm all alone?" He asked her turning around to see her. Her heart gave a painful beat as she saw his eyes, usually so full of laughter full with grief and sadness.

"Remmy" she put a hand on his cheek, preventing from him breaking eye contact "You'll never be alone, not if I can help it"

Remus chuckled, a little mad "That's the thing, you can't prevent it!" he said standing up, raising his voice but still not letting go of Maria's hand.

"Remus, if you saw it means that we can do something to prevent it" she said trying hard not to raise her voice just as he had. It wouldn't help if both got mad at each other.

"James and Lily are going to die" He said suddenly, his eyes on the floor. Maria swallowed and moved to try to catch his eyes. "Sirius is to blame, Peter is murdered and you are taken away" A few tears made they way down his cheeks again

"Remmy" Maria's voice made him look up. She was standing in front of him, looking at him with her big hazel eyes. He just pulled her to him, burying his head on her hair. "Tell me everything Remmy" she pleaded to him, and he nodded.

Remus started explaining into detail every scene he saw, he told her every detail, every single thing. It seemed like they were engraved into his brain, he was able to see every single thing happening and all its details.

In the in between they had moved to sit again, side to side, not losing contact. "Merlin, Remmy" Maria said tangling a hand in her small curls "We have to do something"

Remus didn't answer; he just dropped his shoulders looking defeated. "You can't just do nothing!" Maria said trying to make him react she pushed his shoulder.

"I don't know what to do" His voice defeated reached Maria's ears.

"We have to tell them!" she stood up and pointed at the door, raising her voice a little. "We have to prevent this!"

"You want to tell them that Sirius is going to kill Peter? That they all are going to die?" He was getting mad too.

"Maybe not that, but then what?" she asked, her usual soft eyes flashing suddenly with anger. "I won't let him go there; I won't let him because I know he is not capable of doing that!"

Remus' anger lessened, she was suffering now as much as he was. He knew she loved them just as he did; maybe she loved Sirius more than anyone could.

"There has to be someway" she muttered to herself as she started pacing in front of him "Maybe I can make him go to America with me after we finish school?"

"You know he won't do it, he has his eyes set on working for the Order and he's as stubborn as a mule" Remus said sighing as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back onto the couch.

"Maybe…" He stopped suddenly realizing what he was about to ask her. Maria stopped pacing to look at him.

"What?" Remus was unable to meet her eyes as he answered "Maybe if we prevent at least one part of the events, we can change everything"

Remus looked up at her, sadly "Maybe if we prevent yours and Sirius' events we can prevent everything else".

Maria paled and slowly went to sit down besides Remus. She had to admit, it was a good idea. But to give up her chance of being happy? The chance she and Sirius had?

Remus was looking at her as she processed the new information. He saw her change from the angry girl who wanted to save her friends to a sad woman who knew she was giving up her opportunity to be happy.

She turned to meet his eyes, hers full of tears "I'll do it" her voice chocked up with tears. Remus just nodded and hugged her as she cried.

* * *


	6. February 1978

**Sacrifices**

Disclaimer: Everything HP related is owned by the great and amazing J.K Rowling and by Warner Bros……

Rating: Pg-13…for swearing mostly

Thanks to: Kris for being my beta!

Notes: This follows up to the end of the Order of the Phoenix, with some minor changes, so it's starts at the end of the book itself

**

* * *

**

Chapter 6

_

* * *

Present day_

A lone tear escaped Sirius eyes as Remus finished telling him the story. He felt both sad and angry, he felt like shaking Remus yelling at him 'what were you thinking!' for giving her that idea.

Remus looked at Sirius for his reaction "I had to comfort her that night…she was heart broken" he said the last part in a whisper "She really loved you, you know?"

Sirius gave a painful sigh rubbing his face with both hands as if wanting to disappear the tears with that. "I know" he whispered back, a look of longing on his face.

They sat there for another couple of hours, as both lost themselves on thoughts of the past. It wasn't until the first rays of sunshine started to enter trough the small window that they slowly stood up.

Silently both men walked away from where one of the most important people of their lives laid, but both silently swearing they would come back.

It wasn't until dinner time when Sirius re appeared. He walked slowly towards the high table, not even stopping when Harry yelled out his name. He sat next to Remus and started eating his meal, not even trying to engage the other marauder into conversation.

"What to you think is wrong with Sirius?" the worried voice of Hermione made Ron, who hadn't realized Sirius had entered look up.

"Why do you think something's wrong?" Ron asked; his mouth full. Hermione cringed a little before pushing a napkin towards him.

"I don't know" Harry whispered answering Hermione's question, his green eyes not leaving the defeated form of his godfather "He seemed in such a good mood yesterday"

What they didn't had an idea of was that they had visited one of the last part of their past, one of the last part of the lives they lived before Voldemort destroyed it.

After he finished his dinner Sirius stood up and left, as quietly as he had entered. He had been tempted to eat in his room, but he knew that if he didn't appear at least once Harry and his friends would look for him.

As he passed where Hermione, Harry and Ron were sitting, he gave them a small smile that didn't exactly reach his eyes. "Hey" he murmured stopping behind Ron.

"Hey Sirius" Hermione's cheerful voice made him cringe a little, How can someone be that cheerful when Chino was lying in a bed unable to move?.

Both Harry and Hermione noticed the cringe, but didn't say anything. "Care to join us?" Ron asked him turning in his place to look at him, with a smile and a turkey leg on his hand.

"No, thank you" Sirius answered shaking his head slowly "I'll see you tomorrow…Good night" he said as he turned and walked away from them.

"Definitely something's wrong…" It was Ron this time the one who stated the obvious.

"And look at Lupin" Hermione pointed at the professor, who wasn't exactly looking any better than Sirius.

"We need to talk to them…tonight" Harry said leaning a little into the table so only they would be able to hear "I say midnight in the common room…"

Both Hermione and Ron nodded, before returning back to eat. They would find out what happened to them, they were sure of that.

_

* * *

February 1978_

It had been two days since Remus breakdown and his consequential confession. Both he and Maria seemed more close than usually since they were never seen without each other. Maria didn't leave Remus side because she might not be able to do what she had to do and he didn't leave her because she was the only strength he had.

But that wasn't something Sirius understood, to him his best friend was spending way too much time with the girl that he knew soon would be his girlfriend. He felt jealousy as he had never felt it before, he was jealous because if for some reason Maria lost Remus there was a desperate look on her eyes that told him that she needed to find him, he was jealous because the constant physical contact between each other that might never be more than a squeeze in the shoulder or a touch of the hand but held more promises than what he had been able to transmit to her in the last two days.

He was about to shout out at his friend to stop touching his girl when he saw them pass a look and a small nod from Maria. Slowly she stood up, gulped and looked at him. "Sirius…We need to talk…"

As she looked at him with her big sad eyes that made him want to hold her in his arms and never let go. He stood up and sighed, knowing from the way she had been acting what she was about to do. He followed her when she started to move, walking behind her as she stepped out of the portrait and started walking trough the corridor.

Sirius saw her sigh a couple of times, before she stopped so she could walk besides him. Neither said anything as they continued, though Sirius was a little surprised when she took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers.

He wanted to pull away; to yell at her for an explanation but this had been the most contact they have had in the past couple of days and he didn't wanted to ruin it. They walked in silence, hand in hand until they reached a place that seemed good enough for her. It was a corridor in one of the lower floors were most of the classrooms were, but being Saturday it wasn't a place were many students would walk by.

She stopped, but didn't look at him. He looked down at her and saw her mesmerized by their hands,

"Chino…" he whispered her name, not knowing what else to say.

She sighed again and with her free hand wiped a tear that had escaped her eyes. "There are many things I need to tell you…" she sniffled, but still kept her gaze on their hands.

"Are you braking up with me?" Sirius whispered to her, not finding the courage to say the words louder.

She closed her eyes, more tears running down her cheeks now, and slowly nodded. Sirius tried to take his hand away from hers but she had a strong grip on it.

"You have to understand…I have to!" She cried out, looking up at him. Her eyes full of tears and sadness. Sirius, finally able to snatch his hand away, took a couple of steps back as if trying to protect himself of her words.

"Is this because of Remus? Are you in love with him?" He asked her, anger in his words.

"What?" she looked taken back "¿Estás pendejo? o ¿qué?" she continued in spanish, her heritage and way of living coming out at the worst moments. "¡Claro que no¡Sólo quiero estar contigo!"

Sirius looked confused; he hadn't understood a word of what she had said. "Eres la única persona con la que quiero estar, solo contigo" she slowly took a step towards him and took his hand.

Sirius snatched it away "Don't touch me" he practically growled at her, not exactly interested on what she had said, the only thing coming into his mind was the fact that she had broken up with him. "If you want to be with Remus, go ahead!"

Maria shook her head as if not understanding "I don't want to be with him!" she yelled at him, both looking flushed now "I just told you that!"

"You know what? I don't care…do as you want!" He spat at her before turning and starting to walk away.

"Sirius!" she cried out to him "Please stop!". He didn't did it immediately but eventually he did stop.

She took a deep breath before continuing "I'm leaving" she gulped down the tears that were trying to come out "After graduation, I'm going back"

"And why do you think I care?" he answered, his back still to her. If she had been seeing him, she would have seen that he was holding back his tears as much as she was.

"That's the reason" she said softly "There is no one else"

He shook his head and turned to look at her "You are telling me, that you are braking up with me months before graduation just because you are leaving?"

She nodded "I have a job offer, I'm not coming back" this just angered Sirius more.

Sirius laughed a humorless laugh. "Go, since work is so damn important to you…"

"I have to go back…you don't understand" she begged to him, taking a few steps closer "I have to..."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to…"

"After dad died…they need me Siri" She was in front of him by then. Slowly she reached out to touch him, stopping just centimeters from touching his cheek.

With a last look, Sirius turned and walked away. Maria stood there, looking at his back as he walked away from her. Complete despair filled her as soon as he was out of reach; she fell on her knees and started sobbing. Yes it was true that she was going back, that she had a job offer and that her mother and siblings needed her…but if she did had the opportunity, she would have stayed.

_

* * *

Present day_

Harry and Ron ran down the stairs that led to the common room from the boys dorms as silently as they were able to making Hermione shake her head in disapproval as she saw them arrive.

"You ready?" Harry whispered to her, receiving a nod for an answer. Ron gave them a tired look as Harry threw the cloack over them barely covering the fifteen years old. The climbed out of the fat lady's portrait and started walking towards the DADA classroom where they knew they would find Sirius in his chambers.

* * *

Translations:

'¿Estas pendejo? o ¿Què?' Are you stupid or what?

'¡Claro que no¡Sólo quiero estar contigo!' Of course not, I just want to be with you.

'Eres la única persona con la que quiero estar, solo contigo' you are the only one I want to be with, only with you.


	7. March 1978

**Sacrifices**

Disclaimer: Everything HP related is owned by the great and amazing J.K Rowling and by Warner Bros……

Rating: Pg-13…for swearing mostly

Thanks to: Kris for being my beta! (though this hasn't been beta-ed yet….It's late and she's not on but I wanted to put this up today…..hope you enjoy even if it has bad grammar or some words written wrong)

Notes: This follows up to the end of the Order of the Phoenix, with some minor changes, so it's starts at the end of the book itself

**

* * *

**

Chapter 7

* * *

_Present day_

Sirius was sitting on the couch, in the small common room his and Remus chambers had, looking into the fire when he heard a knock on the door. Looking around to see if Remus was there to answer he slowly stood up since his friend had been in his rooms since he had returned from dinner, neither being able to stand the presence of the other at that moment.

Dragging his feet he made his way to the door, he opened to meet thin air. "Sirius let us in" He heard Harry's voice, hesitated a little before moving to let them get in.

Not caring about where they were, he shut the door and returned to his previous position, resting his head on his hand as he looked into the fire.

Harry slowly approached his godfather, sitting besides him in the couch. Sirius didn't make any movement as to acknowledge his presence besides him; he just sighed and closed his eyes.

Hermione and Ron, standing behind the couch, just looked as his best friend tried to approach his godfather. Hermione had her arm warped around Ron's, resting her head against it. Ron was quiet and calmed for once, knowing that the state of depression Sirius was showing was much worse that what they had originally thought.

"Sirius…" Harry said, his voice breaking the silence of the room, reaching a hand towards Sirius. As he touched him, Sirius jumped a little finally turning to look at Harry.

"What's wrong Harry?" He asked gulping; hoping that he didn't realized the state he was.

"That's why I should ask you" the green eyed boy answered his godfather, thing that made him cringed.

"Many things, Harry" he told him, giving him a sad smile. He turned to look at Remus' closed door, sighing before standing up and walking towards it. He stood in front of it a couple of minutes, before he gave a couple of knocks and turned around.

It wasn't until then that Hermione and Ron were able to see his face. His eyes were red and blood shoot, as if he had been crying and the hair that they had seen turn with his mood, from long when he was depressed to well cut and kept in the later days, was a mess.

Sirius closed his eyes as he heard Remus' door open. "They want to know what's wrong" he said before he walked up to the fireplace, leaning with his back to all of them on the side of it.

Remus nodded and walked out of his room, he gave the kids a small smile as sad as the one Sirius had given Harry and walked up to them. "There are many things you need to know before this Harry" he said sitting down in the couch, motioning to Hermione and Ron to take a sit too.

"Like what, professor?" Harry asked, moving to sit with Hermione and Ron on the other couch for support.

Remus looked at them and chuckled "You remind me so much of us…" he turned to look at Sirius, who was still giving them his back. "Sure, we were more than you are, but we were the same"

He ran a hand through his hair before continuing "We always looked for the other when we needed support…I guess that's a trait of friendship"

Hermione gave him a small smile, taking Harry's hand and squeezing it.

Remus sighed before he talked again "Come on Padfoot" he said to Sirius, not looking at him "Come, join us…Harry need to know your side of the story too"

Sirius just shook his head, and it wasn't until then that they realized that he was trembling. Remus stood up and went to his side, putting an arm over his shoulders to guide him to the couch.

"I'm alright" he said as he sat, his hands still visibly shaking. They didn't say anything, just waited for them to continue.

Remus started telling them the tale of how he had seen everything before hand; of how he had seen the way his friends were going to end, of how miserable his life was going to be.

By the end of the story Hermione was in tears, burying her face in Ron's shoulder. Ron was visibly shaken, tears visible in his eyes as he tried to comfort Hermione. Harry wasn't sad, he wasn't depressed…he was raving mad.

"You knew they were going to die!" he yelled at Remus, making Sirius who was still shaking a little jump. Remus just closed his eyes and nodded.

"And you didn't do anything! You just left them to die knowing you could do something to prevent it" his hands were moving as he yelled at his parents friends.

"We did Harry" Remus looked at Harry, keeping his cool since nothing good could come of both yelling. "We did what we thought was right"

"Well, obviously it wasn't!"

"Enough!" Sirius surprised both Harry and Remus by standing up and raising his voice "It's enough Harry"

Harry laughed cynically "enough what? He knew they would die…"

Sirius nodded and took a few steps towards his godson "He tried to prevent it" he whispered as he got closer.

"Much did it help" Harry whispered, his eyes filling his tears. It wasn't until Sirius was in front of him that Harry flung himself to him and started sobbing.

They all stood there as Sirius and Harry embraced, as the young man weep for the unfortunate try to save his parents.

"We did try, she tried, we loved them Harry" Remus said from where he was sitting.

Harry took a step back and wiped his tears; he gave Sirius a small smile and took a big breath. He took a few more tentative steps back until he knew he was back on the couch and sat down. Hermione put her arms around him and hugged him fiercely; he returned the hug as fiercely. Ron gave him a pat on the back as they departed, both of them sharing a smile.

"I'm sorry" Harry said after a moment of silence. Remus shook his head, not saying anything but both knowing that they were going to be alright. Sirius sighed and ran a hand trough his hair, as he walked up to a window to look outside, now they just needed her back for everything to be alright.

_

* * *

March 1978_

It had been a month since Maria's talk to Sirius. Even though they hadn't been officially dating they had both felt like old exes. Slowly but as everyone foresaw Maria stopped hanging so much with the marauders, her only contact with them were the time they had to spent together at classes or the occasional time when Lily begged her to go with her when she hanged out with them.

Even she had cut out Remus from her life, they barely talked with each other and when they did it was only to comfort the other. Both had felt that the weight of their secret fell solely on their shoulders and sometimes it was too much to bear.

Sirius had gotten back to his routine quickly. He was usually seen with a different girl every three or four days, thing that he hadn't done since before his sixth year when he had realized that his feelings for Maria were bigger than he had ever thought.

That was another reason why Maria had stopped hanging out with them. She knew that if she wanted she could still be around them, after all Sirius and her hadn't been together when she 'broke up' with him, but seeing him with a different girl every half a week was too much for her.

Sometimes she just wanted to yell at him 'I'm doing this for you' when she saw him looking at to see if she was looking before he made his new 'girlfriend' kiss him.

Around two weeks after they had gone on separate ways she had almost broken down in front of James. He had glared at her, and after a whole day of depressing things she was about to burst. She had turned around and ran up to her dorm, not caring that Lily was there when she jumped into her bed and started sobbing into her pillow. The red head had sat besides her and without saying anything had started running her fingers trough her small curls until she had fallen into restless sleep.

Both girls had continued to be friends though, thing that made Maria forever thankful to the sweet muggleborn witch.

It was one of those days, when they had finished classes and because of her lack of friends to hang out with she had gone to the library to study for her Newts when she saw him. He was sitting alone in a table in the library; she chuckled to herself and made her way to his table. They had been on talking terms once, why not again?

"Hey Severus" she said as she stood besides the table shifting from foot to foot.

Severus Snape, the marauders enemy, looked up to see Maria Owen in front of him. He frowned and was about to tell her to go back to her dog when he saw her face. She was nervous, biting her lip and shifting from foot to foot as she waited for him to acknowledge her.

"Hello" he said closing his book, and pulling at the sleeve of his robe. He waited for her to continue, if they marauders wanted to prank him starting with a conversation with her it would be a lot more hard than just this.

"I was wondering if I could sit here?" she asked him, her hazel eyes hopeful.

Snape wanted to send her off to somewhere else, but for the same reason he hadn't been able to do it when both had been on their first year he slowly nodded before opening his book and burying his nose on it again.

He heard as she moved the chair and sat. Her books making adding to those that were already on the table. And he couldn't help but smile when he saw from the corner of his eye as she bit the back of her quill as she looked at the essay she had taken out of her bag.

"Hey Sev…Do you remember what where the ingredients for the potion we did in January?" Maria's voice made him look up. She was frowning over her essay, looking a bit defeated before she turned to look at him. He hated her eyes, which always made him give into what she asked even though she was friends with the people he hated the most.

Maria didn't blinked nor flinched as most did when he reached and took her essay, instead she pulled back the chair that was in between them and slid to it, reaching back to put her bag on the chair where she was sitting before.

"You are wrong here" he said pointing at one of the first paragraphs "It's not peppermint, its cinnamon" She just nodded as he pointed out her mistake.

After muttering a couple of more things and telling her what the ingredients were she returned to work and started mending her mistakes. Snape watched her from the corner of his eyes as she wrote furiously the last part of her work. As she said 'aha' and put the last point of it he couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Why are you only nice to me?" he turned to look at her, only to find her leaning on her hand and putting all of her attention to him. He shook his head "Just because" he muttered as he made as if to put his books away.

"You have always been nice to me, eve if I'm a Gryffindor" she was putting her books on her bag too "Everyone things I'm crazy and tell me you have something up your sleeve but I have no reason to suspect you"

She hadn't realized that he had paled a little and his right hand had gone to his left forearm as she said the part about 'up his sleeve'. He shook his head as he saw that she clearly didn't knew what he was part of and was just being her usual self.

"So…" she was waiting for his answer. He stood up and flung his bag over his shoulder before sighing and turning to look at her.

"I don't know, I guess cause you were the first person I met in here and you have never been mean to me" he said running a hand trough his black greasy hair.

His answer made her smile "You were the first person I met too…" she said smiling at him. She giggled "Remember how scared we looked at flourish and blotts when my dad told us that the book with fangs was suppose to be our text book?"

He chuckled at the memory "I was actually sorry that we were sorted into different houses" he told her looking over his shoulder as if waiting for one of his house mates to jump out and curse him for saying that.

"Me too" she shook her head, a smile still on her face "I looked everywhere for you, the first day on the train" she told him at his frown "When I didn't found you I started talking with Sirius, and then to James" as she remembered that day her eyes clouded and she visible saddened.

Snape was usually not the kind of person that cared for another person's feelings but this small girl had always been his 'almost friend' and even if they were only in friendly terms sometimes during the school year she was one of the best people he knew.

"You alright?" he asked her softly, she nodded and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. He sighed before putting a hand on her small shoulder "Really?" he asked this time really wanting to know.

She shook her head and looked up "No, not really…but I'll be" she gave him a small smile "So tell me Sev…what are you doing after we leave?" she asked him changing the subject.

He let her, understanding that she didn't wanted to talk with him about what was wrong with her. "I don't know yet" he said answering the most honest way he could, he knew what he was going to do, he was going to be at the complete service of the Dark Lord and follow his instructions in everything he asked. But he couldn't tell her that, he didn't want her to know and not because it was suppose to be a secret. "...You?"

"I'm going to be the coach of a Quidditch team back home" she told him "After dad died, mom's asking me to come back…" she cleared her throat "And well I don't have anyone here and there I have my brothers and my nephews"

"Congratulations" he was really glad she was going to leave Britain, after all he knew that just like him she was a half blood and that sooner or later the Dark Lord would want to kill her.

She smiled at him "My brother knows one of the starts of the team, and he got me an interview last December and they hired me to be the coach of the second team" a proud smile on her face.

"Felicidades!" he told her the one of the few words that he knew in spanish making her smile even more. He then looked at the clock and saw the hour. "I'm sorry but we have to go if we want to be in before curfew"

She nodded, came closer to him, stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks Sev, for everything" and with a last smile she turned and walked into one of the corridors of the library leaving a confused Severus Snape behind.

Why had he been ashamed of what he was going to do after he finished school? Why had he been glad that she was leaving England when what he was doing was right?

_

* * *

Present day._

Remus and Sirius walked up to where the gargoyle where the stairs that led to the headmaster's office were, both took a deep breath before Remus said the password and they climbed up.

"Come on in" Dumbledore's voice rang before either of them could touch the door, making Sirius chuckle as he entered.

"Remus, Sirius" he said opening his arms in a welcoming manner "Sit, sit please" he gestured to the chairs that were in front of his desk. "Lemon drop?" he asked them as both sat down in front of them. Remus declined politely while Sirius took a couple and threw them into his mouth.

"Headmaster…" Remus started but stopped to take a deep breath "We came here to ask for a favor"

Sirius nodded "I know you have done more than enough, by making it possible for me to be here" he smile at Dumbledore who was sitting behind his desk looking at them through his half moon glasses. "But Remus here just explained a situation to me" he turned to look at his friend, begging him with his look to continue.

"We want to ask if you could help us retrieve Maria Owen from Saint Mungo's" the usual reserved Remus Lupin spoke with a lot of security on his voice.

Sirius nodded and kept his eyes locked on Dumbledore who seemed to be thinking about it. A couple of minutes passed where both men looked at each other more than once, not being able to wait for the old wizard to answer them.

"Both of you have to understand" Dumbledore's usual laughing eyes were gone and he looked deadly serious "That it's going to be hard, especially because Mrs. Owen has been under the effect of a potion for a long time.

He cleared his throat "She'll need much help, to both overcome this and what happened" he gave Sirius a softer look "she'll need both of you to help her trough this, to make her see that she did as much as she could on the situation she had been"

Sirius looked surprised; it seemed like Dumbledore already knew about what really had happened. He stole a glance at Remus and found him nodding as if anything had happened.

"Don't looked surprised Sirius" he returned his attention to the old man "Remus told me about that a couple of years ago, sometimes secrets are better shared than kept inside"

Sirius just nodded. "We understand that she'll need us…that's why we want to request another thing" Remus cleared his throat "We want to bring her to Grimmauld place but we also want Harry to come live with Sirius, would that be alright headmaster?"

Sirius held his breath as he waited for the answer. And he had to suppress the jump in the air he wanted to do when the headmaster nodded.

Happy smiles finally appear on their faces as they said goodbye to the headmaster. But it wasn't until both were on the corridor when they talked.

"She's coming back" Remus told Sirius, still not being able to grasp the fact that Dumbledore practically told them that she was going to come back to them.

"I'm getting her back" Sirius whispered to himself as he grinned. Sure she was going to need their help, and she had lost fifteen years of her life…but still he was going to get her back.

**

* * *

Author's notes:**

**Some things before you leave:**

** Thanks to everyone who had read this, especially to KillerRubberDuckiersR-J,tribewar and Wolf goddess of the night for reviewing.**

**This is pre HBP so Snape is still good he's a good Order member**

**Felicidades means Congratulations…remembered how me and my friends sometimes say words we know in other languages when you know someone speaks it, even if you only know that word. **


	8. June 1978

**Sacrifices**

Disclaimer: Everything HP related is owned by the great and amazing J.K Rowling and by Warner Bros……

Rating: Pg-13…for swearing mostly

Thanks to: Kris for being my beta! (though this hasn't been beta-ed yet….It's late and she's not on but I wanted to put this up today…..hope you enjoy even if it has bad grammar or some words written wrong)

Notes: GUYS! Sorry it has been this long, but I just started med-school and it's crazy, I write in the time I have (when I get too sick of studying and I need a time to thing of something else)…..but well hope you like it.

* * *

**Chapter 8

* * *

**

_Present Day_

Harry watched as his godfather paced around the dusty old living room in Grimuald place. His green eyes followed his form as he went three steps to the right then three to the left, once and again.

He had to smile at that, he had never imagined that he was finally going to be able to leave the Dursley's for good, that he was going to be able to live with his godfather and another of his father's best friends. Sure the first days' after Remus confession had been hard, their relationship straining a little, but with the help of Ron and Hermione he had been able to understand the complex situation a little bit more.

Now he had his own room on Sirius house that even though they were going to be living there for now on still was as creepy and dusty as the first time he arrived.

"Stop it padfoot!" Remus voice made Harry jump and Sirius stop "just because you tired yourself does not mean they are arriving sooner"

True to his word, Dumbledore had moved his influences and had gotten Sirius both of his wishes, Harry's custody and Chino released from Saint Mungos'. Sirius just nodded, sighed and rested his back against the wall with his eyes fixed on the door.

Harry sighed took off his glasses and cleaned them. They had been waiting for the last hour and he was bored, sure this was something important for his godfather and for Remus but that still didn't made it any less boring. He had to admit that he was curious to meet someone who was truly friends with his mother, not just people who were around her because of his father.

The door opened suddenly, making the three of them jump in surprise. Slowly a stretcher floated in, escorted by Dumbledore and Mad eye moody. From where Harry was able to watch, a fragile looking person lay there. Immediately Sirius went to her side, taking an equal small fragile hand in one of his.

Remus gave Harry a sad smile, standing next him as the two of them saw Sirius walking besides the stretcher as Dumbledore moved it to the room in the ground floor where they were going to have her stay.

_

* * *

June 1978_

Chino sighed as she wrote the last letter of the last word of the last question of her last Newt. That was it, she had finished her schooling. She looked up from her exam to glance around the room at her classmates.

She winked at Lily who was sitting a couple of rows ahead and had turned to look at her, after all it seemed that both of them studying together for this exam had paid off they had finished with a lot of time to spare. Lily just rolled her eyes as she turned to look at the front.

Chino shook her head and continued to look around the room. Two rows to her left, three rows behind her sat Remus writing quickly on his parchment. Peter was sitting at the front with Severus three rows behind him. James sat on the far back on the same row she was and to her bad luck; Sirius was sitting on the row next to her.

She sighed as she looked at him, tomorrow at this time she would be on her way to her home out of their lives. She turned quickly as she saw him look up, praying that he hadn't caught her staring.

She was going to miss them, all of them, but specially him. She saw from the corner of her eye as he turned to look at her and had to suppress the urge to turn and see him eye to eye. If there was something she missed of him over everything was the look on his gray eyes as he saw her, the way he used to follow her trough the room with his intense gray eyes.

As he returned to his exam she turned to stare at him again even if she knew he was going to found out. There was no reason why she couldn't at least try to memorize his face, why she couldn't at least try to imprint his every movement on her mind.

Meanwhile Sirius was trying everything in him not to snap at Maria as she kept staring at him. He could feel her hazel eyes fixed on him since a few minutes ago, keeping him from being able to concentrate on his exam not that it mattered to him a lot since he had finished it a long time ago but had kept his eyes on it to prevent doing the exact same thing she was doing at the time. His Chino, his Maria was leaving tomorrow to never come back, she was living his life for good, and she was leaving him behind.

Maria was taken back when Sirius looked up suddenly, looking at her. She should have known better than to have stared at him so intensely it was obvious he was going to notice.

"Mr. Black, Mrs. Owen!" McGonagall's voice made them both break eye contact to look at her. She was standing in the space between their rows with a strange look on her eyes.

Maria quickly looked down ashamed while Sirius stared at the professor who had interrupted the closest contact he have had with his girl in the last five months. McGonagall just shook her head and took both of their exams, much to the surprise of both of them and as Maria looked up motioned for them to leave turning on her heels and walking to the front of the great hall.

Sirius nodded and stood up, taking his bag on his left hand and Maria's on his right. Maria just followed him not sure of what to do or how to react. Sirius opened the great hall door for her and closed it after he walked through it never seeing the worry faces of their friends as they saw the walk out of there together.

Maria gulped and warped her arms around herself as they stood outside the great hall, nervous beyond reason. Sirius hanged both bags on his shoulders and stood directly in front of her. She was close enough to feel his breath move her loose curls, she was close enough to know that he heard her sigh deeply at the feeling.

Slowly he reached a hand out to touch her, first he touch her shoulder moving it slowly to her neck and then to her chin. As he put his hand on her chin she slowly moved one of her own to touch his hand interlacing her fingers with his.

He then made her look up only to be taken back at the amount of feelings he saw on her green, because of the amount of tears, eyes. "Merlin, Chino" he said softly bending lower to kiss her forehead first. She closed her eyes both enjoying the feeling and hating it at the same time.

Sirius continued to kiss her. First her forehead, then her cheeks, the corner of her mouth, her nose. She wasn't able to do anything but hang onto his hand for dear life. "Open them" he told her, his voice soft pleading her. She opened her eyes only to see his gray eyes gaze onto hers with a huge amount of feelings in them. It was then when she felt his mouth against her as he kissed her for the first time in months.

She wanted to cry, she wanted to run, but more than anything she wanted to stay that way forever. As he leaned back he started walking, tugging at her hand. She couldn't do anything but mover along with him, letting him led her to anywhere he wanted to.

It wasn't until he opened a door a while later than she realized where he had taken her. The romantic atmosphere, the warm fireplace, the bed on the middle of the room making her realized where he had taken her. Sirius turned to look at her from the inside of the room of requirement as she stopped. He gave her a sad smiled and tugged at her hand making her move inside in his arms reach, he closed the door with his free hand before warping it around her bringing her as close to him as he could.

"I love you" she heard herself whispering as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him deeply, knowing that she was about to cross a line of no return.

"I love you too" was his whispered reply as he helped her remove his cloack and moved her towards the bed at the same time.

* * *

"Nothing has changed you know" Maria whispered to him as she lay with her head on his chest, snuggled to him. Sirius just kissed the top of her head in reply, making her sigh. It wasn't until the hand that was tracing patterns on his chest stopped and something cold and wet splashed on his chest that he noticed she was crying.

He just hugged her to him comforting her "I know" he whispered just as she had, a lone tear falling down his cheek.

She hugged him closer, both taking comfort in knowing that the other one felt just as they did, knowing that both her as sad as the other one. "That doesn't mean I don't love you" she said when she finally calmed down "I have to do this" it was then when she looked up "If I could I would stay with you until the last day of my life"

Sirius gave her a sad smile and brought her up to kiss her deeply, moving them so he was on top of her "You are the woman of my dreams from now on I won't dream anymore because every moment without you will be a nightmare"

His words only made her cry again, but his time he kissed her tears away "Don't cry" he told her "Let's make our last moment happy, no more tears"

Maria jus kissed him deepening the kiss as much as she could, loosing herself in him once again.

* * *

Sirius shot Maria a look from across the room as she stood away from Lily and the marauders as they waited for the graduation to start. He wanted to hold her in his arms just like he had done a few hours ago when they were still lost in their secret little world but both had have the silent agreement of keeping it as a secret, keeping their small amount of happiness by themselves.

So that was why she was all the way across the room as the graduation was about to start. He had to put everything in him as he saw Snape walk up to talk to her, had to remind himself that even if they had have last night their relationship was still the same, she still wasn't his.

"Would it be alright with you Sirius?" it wasn't until he heard his name that he turned to look at his friends, his face must have showed that he wasn't paying attention because James repeated the question "would it be alright with you if we ask Chino to join us? After all she was part of us during our time here…"

Sirius nodded and watched as Lily beamed and practically ran to her best friend's side. James sniggered as he saw his girlfriend politely tell Snape off, who much to everyone dismay hugged and kissed Chino on the cheek as a goodbye, before Lily dragged her back to the group.

"Hey" Maria said quietly looking at the ground, unable to look at any of them. A chorus of 'hey' answered her making her look up with a small smile on her face. She looked eyes with Remus a silent message passing between them, a final agreement.

Sirius smiled at her as she looked at him, a cross between happiness and sorrow on it. She answered with a one of her own before her attention was sought by the rest of the people there.

"So…Chino when are you leaving?" James whose girlfriend apparently had not told him the news asked.

"Just after we finish here" the voice who had minutes ago told him that he was her everything answered "My mom, my brother and my nephews are coming here and after that we go to muggle London to take a plane because I start in three days"

Everyone nodded, saddened by the fact that she was indeed leaving. "I'm going to miss you" She said, her words opened for interpretation since she was practically only looking at Sirius as she said that. Everyone just smiled and nodded a few 'me too' also being said.

Sooner than they had thought the great hall was filled with people, they had to sit trough a rather short speech made by Dumbledore before they were able to throw their hats onto the air as former Hogwarts students.

The group scattered as their family went to congratulate them. Lily's parents hugged her as they looked at her diploma, James' parents had their arms around their son, Peter was being congratulated by his mother as Remus mom showed him a picture of the way his room looked after his father and her made a few arrangements.

Sirius had moved to the back of the room, to rest his back to the wall as he waited this to end so he could leave. As he expected no one came to see him, not that he would have wanted his parents too. He looked with a little jelousy at James as he introduced his parents to Lily's, how much he wished he could have that.

He saw as Remus' parents went to talk with Peter mother, both boys looking flushed as their mother probably talked about how great they were. But then his eyes drifted to where he truly wanted to be.

Maria was surrounded by her mother, her brother and her nephews. He knew them, after all he had visited her a few summers ago. Her mother was a bit taller than her and shared the same hazel eyes that she had; they didn't looked a lot alike because he knew she had looked more like her dad. Her brother was her complete opposite, he was a good eight feet taller than her and only shared they way they moved because physically they were nothing alike.

He laughed out loud as he saw her bent down and pull her two year old nephew up, as she hugged her older nephew to her side, two other midgets were running around them chanting things in Spanish he would guess had to do with her being graduated. As if she felt his eyes on her she turned to him, smiling at him she started walking towards him her nephew still in her arms.

"Siri!" two year and a half Marcos yelled at the boy as he was close enough to be heard. Sirius just smiled and ruffled the kid's hair. Maria rolled her eyes and put him down, telling him to get back to his father while she talked with Sirius.

"He's a lot bigger than the last time I saw him" Sirius commented as he watched the boy go, shaking his head as he remembered he had met him just after he had been born.

Maria just walked up to him and put her arms around him. Sirius closed his eyes hugging her back. "I'm going to miss you so much"

"I know" he answered putting his hands on her shoulders so he could rest his forehead against hers, bending down because she was so small. "I love you" he said kissing her softly.

"I know" she answered him this time as she kissed him. They hugged again knowing that it was their goodbye, as they departed she took the front of his robes making him bend down to kiss him deeply.

Sirius gave her a sad smile as he took a step back from her "Shall we?" he asked as he nodded towards where the rest of the guys were standing, not having noticed the goodbye between them.

Maria nodded and walked up to them besides Sirius, walking to say her last goodbye. As she moved besides Sirius she was tempted to stop him right there and tell him everything that was going on, the real reason…but if there was just a slim chance of her saving him she would be willing to risk it, after all if he died he would take her with him since he was her everything.

_

* * *

Present Day_

Harry was finally able to approach his mother best friend bed side a couple of hours after she had arrived. Everything had been chaotic a few hours after she arrived, all the new arranges to be made, last minute problems.

Harry walked slowly into the room, avoiding the creaking board he knew would wake the barely sleeping Sirius. He smiled a little as he saw his godfather curled on Maria's side, touching her but not holding her too close.

Harry shook his head and walked up to her, gazing down at her peaceful face. It was just a matter of time, Dumbledore had said, for her to wake up. But he had seen it in his eyes that he didn't exactly believed that, he knew he had said it more because of the hopeful Sirius than because he truly believed it.

"You should look at the book in the nightstand"

Harry jumped a little when Sirius' voice brought him out of his thoughts; he hadn't noticed that the older man was now looking at him from his position at the bed. Harry nodded and moved to take the black journal like book that was over a glass with some weird looking substance.

He took the book on his hands and sat on the chair besides the nightstand, running his hands over its plain cover.

"It was Chino's diary" Sirius told him running a hand trough Maria's once again short curly hair, he had cut it since he knew she would freak when she wake up since she hated her hair long.

Harry frowned and nodded, not entirely sure why he was to have it.

"It's from her last year at Hogwarts, they gave it to me since she had been carrying in her bag the day they took her in" Sirius made a head motioning towards a corner with a lot of scattered things. "It has a lot of things of your mother in it, open it"

Harry nodded as he opened it, gasping at the first thing he saw. In the first page of the book, where it was suppose to only be a clean page was a picture of his mom with who he assumed was Maria sitting on the Hogwarts castle steps with huge smiles on their faces and blushing slightly. All over the page where things written down in two different handwrites making him smile as he read them over.

"They were best friends; Lily was there for her when we weren't, when I wasn't"

Harry chuckled as he spotted two hearts in a corner that had been tried to write off more than once. Once said Lilly and J.P inside it with stupid little smiling faces around making goggle eyes at each other while the other one was obviously written by another person (it was a lot more neat and understandable) and said Chino and Sirius B, you know you want him.

"You'll see…" Sirius voice made him look up once again "Once she wakes up, she'll tell you all about your mom" his attention was again on her "Harry is here, luv, he wants to hear about his mommy"


	9. July 1978

Disclaimer: Everything HP related is owned by the great and amazing J.K Rowling and by Warner Bros……

Rating: Pg-13…for swearing mostly

_

* * *

__nd__ 1978_

_Dear Lilly:_

_ How is life after school? I miss you a lot, especially since how you have been my rock these past few months. Life is good, as good as it can get. I'm adjusting to living here again, after all this years. Memories of my dad get me sometimes, I guess being away almost all the time prevented me from mourning properly (which I feel like I'm doing now), but I guess that also come from the fact that I miss all of you like crazy._

_ So how's James been? Is he on his best behavior? I need you to write to me! I need to be kept posted on everything, just because I'm away and going to be for a long tome it doesn't mean I don't care about your lives….._

_ Work's been great, the players have been treating me good and well we have been working for over a week now. Most of then are kids, but that doesn't make them less good… I believe we have a good chance on winning the junior league this year, seem like following James around trying to make him do the drills I design helped a little, thanks to him I know how to handle stubborn people (James in case you are reading this, first stop this is Lilly's letter and second yes you ARE stubborn)._

_ I have to go now, I still have to write many letters and we leave to our first game in two hours…. Wish me success_

_ Love_

_ Chino._

_ July 2__nd__ 1978_

_Remmy!_

_ How is my favorite werewolf doing? How is your new job coming! Come on write to me Rem, I need to know about my best friend! I hate that you barely talked to me this past few months….._

_ I'm settled and ready to go all the way over here. I miss you and the guys a lot, but I'm dealing. I have been re connecting with my siblings and with my old friends…. I didn't remember missing them as much as I have now discovered I have. And of course I have been spoiling my nephews as much as I can._

_ Keep me posted on our thing, ok?_

_Love_

_Chino_

_ July 2__nd__ 1978_

_ Dear knight in shinning armor:_

_ How are you my love? I miss you like crazy, reason why I haven't been writing to you. I'm afraid I will end everything to hell and ran back to you any day, but I know I can't, I know I have responsibilities and there are million things that keeps us apart. Just thinking about them makes me sad, and I don't want to be sad while I think of you._

_ So tell me…. How have you been? What have you decided to do?_

_ I must tell you, even though I hate being apart from you I realize now this is what I had to do. I needed my family more than I realized, we need each other more that I gave us credit. Now I see why I had spent this past summers in Europe, just visiting a couple of weeks and always with one of you with me. Everywhere I turn I see him Siri, everywhere. And it pains me so much just to think that while I was away he was here suffering. I talked to my mom the other day, and she told me that he didn't wanted me to come home, he wanted me to enjoy Hogwarts as much as he did when he was my age…. I see him everywhere and it hurts._

_ Sorry I just cried all over you, well you get what I'm trying to say…. But I must go now; I have work to do…. Just remember, even though we are apart, I still love you with all my heart._

_Always yours_

_Chino._

_ Ps. __I'm sorry….I saw this and I couldn't help myself… I bought one for myself too; I named yours 'snuffles'…. _

* * *

It had been a couple of weeks since Harry had been taken to live in the number 12 of Grimmauld place, and what at first seemed like a great thing where he would be able to spend time with his godfather; had ended up being time spent in either his room or in the kitchen bored out of his mind as he saw people come and go.

Sirius had practically disappeared the moment Maria had arrived, and had only left her side to eat when Remus was around to keep her company. She still hadn't woken up and Harry was starting to worry for his godfather's state of mind.

"Is he going to be alright?" Harry asked Remus as he walked into the kitchen, having spent a couple of minutes in Sirius room, where Maria had been staying, talking with Harry's godfather.

"You have to understand him Harry" he said sitting in front of the younger man, pinching the bridge of his nose "Sirius is a rather passionate person, someone that loves and hates with everything he is", at Harry's look he continued "She's his whole world, she has always been"

Harry nodded looking down at the table, looking as he scratched something off the worn out table. "He always tended to forget about the world when he was focusing on her"

"Was my father like that?" Harry asked, still not looking up from his hands. "Oh Harry, he may have been worse" Remus laughed at that "The biggest difference was time, your dad was able to fully express the love he had for your mother while Chino and Sirius weren't"

Harry was about to open his mouth to ask another question when the loud screaming from Mrs. Black interrupted him, making both Remus and him jump out and exit the kitchen.

"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks yelled over Mrs. Black voice as she tried to close the curtains around her. Harry laughed before he was cut off by an over excited Hermione hugging him. He laughed as he hugged her back only to push her away when he saw the smiling faces of most of the Weasley's that were standing a few steps behind her.

After all the greetings, Mrs. Weasley made them move to the kitchen, having already sent their luggage upstairs to what have been their rooms the last summer. The whole table filled with read heads and other Order's members as dinner was served. Harry couldn't help but snicker together with Ginny as they saw Tonks blush slightly as Remus brushed her arms as he reached for something. Things were about to improve with the Weasley's there; at least he wouldn't be bored anymore.

* * *

Remus had to smile as he walked into Sirius' room the next morning; he was spread on his back without a shirt on sleeping as if he didn't have a care on the world. Meanwhile Chino was curled onto him with her head over his chest with one hand over his stomach while the other one was interlaced with Sirius'. He didn't wanted to know how his friend had gotten to put them in that position, since he better than anyone knew how still their smaller friend still slept.

"Wake up padfoot" he said as he moved around the room. Harry had put him to think the night before with his questions, he knew his friend was not taking the whole thing well and he was not going to loose one friend as he waited for another one to recover. He moved over to the long and heavy curtains that prevented light from filtering into the room opening them wide. If he had been turning he would have seen Maria squeezing her eyes to try preventing the light from disturbing hr slumber.

"Go away Moony" Sirius gruff voice answer as put his free hand over his eyes, trying to go back to sleep. "No Sirius, you are waking up and getting out of this room right now"

"I'm not leaving her Remus" Sirius said, more awake this time. The hand that had gone to his face now slowly going trough Maria's curls, as if to calming her down after Remus had distraught her with his words.

"Padfoot" Remus moved closer to Sirius not paying attention to Maria "You need to get out of here, we are worried about you, Harry is worried about you", he said knowing that if something would make him rethink his decision was his godson.

Remus saw as he closed his eyes once more as if he was in pain, before nodding slowly. He then frowned before opening his eyes once more without moving a muscle. Remus' eyebrows rose at his weird behavior but he didn't say anything as he watched him looked down at his chest. There, over his stomach, slowly and lazily, Maria's hand moved in a circular pattern as if soothing him. Remus eyes went to her face, yelping a little as he met her hazel eyes looking back at him, a small smile on her face.


	10. August 1978

**Sacrifices**

**by Santos Black**

**Disclaimer: Everything HP related is owned by the great and amazing J.K Rowling and by Warner Bros……**

* * *

_**Present day**_

Remus was at lost of words as he gazed into Chino's hazel eyes as she lay on Sirius arms. She had a smile that clearly said that she had been up for some while, how much still a question Remus didn't felt it was important. She was awake!

The moment was broken as Sirius warped her even more in his arms, hugging her like there was no tomorrow. The hug, as Remus could see, was both ways as Chino clung onto Sirius as much as he did her.

"It was time already" Remus heard himself say "You had us all worried". Her only answer was to leave Sirius arms to launch herself onto his. Remus hugged her almost as desperately as Sirius had, burring his face in the mass of brown curls that was her hair. She pressed her face onto his chest as her arms went around his waist, her tears leaving a mark on his until then dry shirt.

Sirius had, by that time, sat on the bed looking as they hugged. A small smile on his face, knowing that they both were special to each other in different way from how his relationship with her was. Feeling a bit left out after some time, he took her wrist and pulled her to him, hugging her to him as he positioned her in between his legs, almost sitting on his lap while she still looked at Remus.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Sirius asked as he put his chin on her shoulder, asking what had been in the back of Remus mind since he had seen her look at them so **silently **from Sirius's arms. She just shrugged, before pointing at her throat as she opened her mouth as if to speak.

Remus frowned as Sirius tried to look at what she had done since he had her against his chest. "You can't speak?" Remus said, getting his answer as she nodded and looked down, fidgeting with her hands, nervous. Sirius took her hands in his and brought them to his lips, kissing them, giving her an encouraging smile as she looked at him.

"Are you sure?" Remus asked, kneeling in front of her as to be at her height. His answer was in the form of a glare as she looked away from Sirius. He nodded before running a hand through his hair.

Sirius, meanwhile, had put his arms around her waist before moving her so she was sitting in the bed besides him. He gave her another smile before standing up and going to the old desk that was sitting in the corner of the room. He looked through the drawers before closing them with as slam as he didn't found what he was looking for. He went to Chino's side and kissed the side of her head before moving to the door and leaving the room.

Remus had followed all his movements and gave chino an amused gaze as he saw Sirius leave her room, at her raised eyebrow his only answer was, "I had never seen him so silent for that long before" which in turn made both smile as they thought of how loud Sirius had always been.

"I don't know what he's up to" Remus said before Chino could try to ask him, as he went to sit by her side. "Does anything hurt?" he finally asked not knowing what to do. She just shook her head in denial and gave him a sad smile.

Sirius then re entered the room, a huge smile on his face as he carried a bunch of parchment and a muggle pen, thing that he had obviously had stolen from Hermione. He sat at her other side and gave both items at Chino "You do remember how to write….right?"

Chino smiled, took both items and wrote _yes, dumbass. _Both Remus and Sirius laughed at that, the answer had been so her that their joy couldn't suppress itself. They laughed long and hard, both clutching their stomachs and Chino could swear she had seen a tear in Sirius' eye at some point.

_I woke up a couple of hours before you came in _she wrote once both men had calmed down. "You just woke up? Just like that? " Sirius asked, she just nodded. _At first I didn't knew where I was, I freaked out a little but then I recognized Siri, and I knew I was somewhere safe. _Sirius smiled at that and hugged her to him.

"You recognized him?" At Sirius look Remus continued "You have to face it padfoot, it had been fifteen years, in where you haven't been exactly the same both mentally and physically".

_15 years!!!!!! _She hitting the paper brought their attention back to the paper. "Yes, fifteen years".

She just closed her eyes and seemed to breathe deeper, as if to prevent from hyperventilating. Finally she started to write again after a while, with a shaky hand this time. _Rem, I recognized him not because of how he looks. He still smells the same, and he has the scar he got the day at the beach. When I woke up, the first thing I saw was that he was an older man, with long hair and a beard. He looked familiar but he felt like Siri. _

"Chino…I" Sirius tried to speak but was unable to. She just looked up at him and gave him a sad smile before returning to the paper and writing as fast as she could. _I actually didn't realize it was you until he said your name that was why I had pretended to be asleep as you entered the room. I heard noises, I closed my eyes, I opened them a little to peak but I didn't recognize you so….._

Remus just nodded and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. The three of them stood there, in silence, just basking in each other's company for the time being. She was back, and that was all that matters, they now had all the time they wanted to say everything they left unsaid_._

* * *

_**August 1978**_

* * *

_Dear Chino:_

_We were thrilled to hear from you, I'm sorry I didn't write before but I had been a little bit busy. I just started my training in Saint Mungo, and I must say it is all they say and more. I have to read tons of book chapters before each lesson, the teachers push us really hard and the older students are a pain in the butt… but after all that everything is all I wanted from it and I'm really happy for that._

_James and I are still going strong (stop laughing and singing the I told you so song I hate so much), he was rather annoyed that you didn't wrote him a letter of his own, especially since Remus told us he had received a letter from you the other day (You wrote Sirius too…didn't you?), also he said to tell you that he is not stubborn, just that he never let you bully him into doing what you wanted…. His words not mine…_

_I miss you like crazy, especially since without you here they think they have the upper hand all the time… also Sirius keeps moping around, and he's no fun anymore (not that I would never accept that to him)_

_I love you and hope to hear from u soon_

_Lilly_

_Dear Chino:_

_I'm sorry I haven't written to you as much as I would have liked. Things had been hectic around; work is alright I guess it's hard getting a good paying job in my condition. I'm currently living with padfoot, he bought himself a house so he made me move in so I could save some of my money._

_Our thing is going alright, at least I think so, no more dreams and also some things haven't happened as we thought it would…. So let's hope for the better._

_I have to go, have to make Sirius breakfast since he burns everything he touches…._

_Take care_

_Remus J. Lupin_

_Maria:_

_Sorry I didn't write sooner, very busy. Thanks for the present._

_SB_

* * *

Present day

Madam Pompfrey's stare was making Chino uncomfortable, as the older woman looked at her as if she was something weird. Remus had called Dumbledore who had brought Madam Pompfrey with him.

The healer had made the three men step out as she gave the small woman a complete check up, to what she had tried to protest, since she didn't want to leave either Sirius or Remus side. Sirius had given her a smile and a kiss to the back of the hand he had been holding as Remus winked as they both walked outside.

As she threw yet another nasty glare at the woman, she finally stopped staring and went to open the up to the moment closed door. Silently the three men walked back into the room. Sirius immediately went to sit beside her on the bed, putting an arm around her shoulders drawing her near.

"Now that that is out of the picture" Dumbledore said, clapping his hands as if it was something funny to which Chino sent a glare to her old headmaster "Dear, your voice will come back just give it time"

Chino looked down and nodded, Remus who had sat himself on her other side took one of her hands that where twisting on her lap and gave her a squeeze "But why she can't talk?" Sirius asked, to the headmaster.

"She hadn't used her voice in so long, her voice chords are damaged, with time they are suppose to get better" Madam Pompfrey answered annoyed that she was practically being ignored.

"My dear, before anything I'm really glad you are back among us of that I assure you," Chino gave the old man a small smile. "My dear, a lot has happened since that fateful night so many years ago," the twink on his eyes was not present, just deep sadness "I think I'm going to let Remus and Sirius put you up to date."

With those words, and a bow of his head he left the room taking the mediwitch along.

"What do you want to know first?" Sirius asked her, tugging at a strand of her hair to get her attention.

Maria started writing fast before putting the parchment where both men could see it. What they saw written on it making both of them paralyze… _Where is my son? Where is my Sammy?_


End file.
