Thank you all for clicking on the title of this story to see what it's about I really hope you like it.

We all know by now that this is fanfiction and I don't own a single thing except the plot and characters not cannon to the original story so I'm not going to say it over and over again.

Betas for this chapter are: LittleDrummerGirl2010 and Literatifan4eva. You guys are great.

Also thanks to Prongs Smitch for looking over this even though you didn't find anything wrong.

Chapter 1: A Look Back

It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon at the start of summer vacation. Mandy glanced out the living room window behind the couch as the lightning cracked and saw the London sky light up. It was followed by a short rumble of thunder, and Mandy's youngest daughter burrowed further into her side. Though there was plenty of room on the couch the young girl had to be curled up right next to her mother. Mandy looked from her daughter to her son across the room, curled up in a large chair his nose buried in a book. "Mummy, tell us a story," eight-year-old Erin begged.

Mandy looked back at her daughter to see two big grey eyes peering up at her.

"Yeah," thirteen-year-old Devin agreed, setting aside his book and focusing his grey eyes on his mother.

"And just which story would you like to hear?" Mandy asked curiously. She loved telling her children stories, especially ones from her own past.

"Tell them about you and Dad," Meg said. At 29 years old she was Mandy's oldest daughter, and visiting as she was currently pregnant with her third child.

"Please, Mummy? I never get to hear the end of it," Erin pleaded, trying almost anything to get her mind off the storm outside.

"Alright. Let's see ..." Mandy trailed off thinking where to start as she stroked her youngest daughter's brown hair. "I know. I met your dad when I was nine years old. My dad's sister took me and your aunt Parker to a Pureblood Ball hosted by none other than the Blacks. I had just finished dancing with Rabastian Lestrange," Mandy started.

"You were dancing with a Death Eater?" Devin asked, outraged.

"We were kids. He wasn't a Death Eater yet. Can I continue?" Mandy asked, narrowing her eyes at her son. Devin shrunk back into this seat knowing that at times his mother had a quick temper. "I had gone to get myself some punch when this kid offers me a cup. I had seen him talking to Parker earlier so I thought he was an okay guy. When I reached for the cup he poured it over my head. I ran crying to my aunt but she only magicked me dry then practically told me to get lost. After that the kid started picking on me. I just wanted my mum so I found myself in a corner and sat down, crying. When I opened my eyes next I was on the couch curled up next to her at home. When I told her what had happened she got me into a bath, gave me hot cocoa, then put me to bed. Nearly two years later I found out who he was," Mandy explained.

"Who Mummy?" Erin asked.

"I bet it was a Death Eater," Devin said. It was at times like that in which Devin strongly reminded Mandy of his father. Not that it was hard to tell Devin was his father's son as he was his spitting image.

"Meg, who do you think it was?" Mandy asked to get her oldest daughter involved, even though the girl knew the story almost as well as her mother.

"Dad," Meg grinned.

"Yes, Pet?" Sirius asked, leaning against the door frame; his shaggy dark hair falling into his cool grey eyes making Mandy's heart melt all over again as she watched him. It was like he believed she was calling his name instead of answering her mother's question.

"Your children want to hear our story," Mandy told him.

"Again?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Erin never gets to hear the end of it," Mandy said plainly.

"Well this is going to be good," Sirius grinned. He walked across the carpeted floor over to Erin and Mandy's couch.

"Were you really mean to Mummy?" Erin asked as she looking up at him. Sirius scooped her up then sat back down with Erin in his lap. The young girl had inherited her father's grey eyes and his casual elegance but the rest of her was all her mother from her brown hair she shared with her sister to her devious smile.

"The first time I met her, yes. I was a bit of a spoiled brat back then," Sirius agreed.

"You still are," Mandy said.

"Only because you love me best that way."

"Guys, come on. Get on with the story," Meg warned. She knew if they didn't they'd start making out like kids in love.

"Right," Mandy nodded, "where was I?"

"Finding out who the guy was," Meg reminded her mother.

"Yes, I was 11 and had gotten on the train to school for the first time. That's also when I realized that my best friend was also a wizard."

"James Potter, right?" Devin asked.

Mandy nodded.

"How'd you not know James was a wizard?" Meg asked, slightly confused.

Mandy smiled. "I never showed signs of magic until I was about eight or nine. My mom always called them flukes. When I did get my Hogwarts letter Mum told me not to tell anyone. Said it would take a lot of explaining if it got out. James's parents told him that they didn't know if I was magical and they didn't want James to make me feel bad if I wasn't. I knew my family had magic, but it wasn't until I had gotten myself home after that ball that they expected it from me."

"Why wouldn't they expect it from you?" Devin asked. "Your parents were a witch and wizard."

"My adoptive parents were. However that never guarantees that you'll get a magical kid. You see my real parents, the ones that gave birth to me, the Dixons, are a muggle and a wizard. Plus Lynn was muggleborn. My birth father was a pureblood and my mother a muggle," Mandy explained.

"So because of her muggle genes they didn't expect magic from you?" Erin asked.

"Yes, but also because I didn't show signs of magic. When Devin was five he blew out every window in the house because I wouldn't let him have a cookie before dinner. Mike told me when Meg was two she cried so long she nearly flooded her nursery. And Erin? Well you were eight months maybe and we had left your toy downstairs and just as we tucked you into bed the toy came floating up the stairs and into the bedroom to land next to you in your crib. I never did anything like that as a child. Of course I had a happy childhood so there was nothing really to upset me or cause me to show magic."

"Your parents spoiled you," Meg said.

"A little," Mandy admitted. "Plus my parents were busy so when they weren't home the Potters were and when the Potters weren't, my parents were. I guess they never really talked about me and him and our Hogwarts letters." Mandy shrugged and Sirius shook his head.

"Sounds a little too convenient to me," Devin said, shaking his head.

"It's the honest truth. Now, back to the train. After I walked into his compartment James introduced me to his new friend Sirius Black—"

"Daddy!" Erin squealed.

"Yes, your dad. The very same boy who poured punch over my head was James Potter's new best friend. I couldn't talk him out of it," Mandy answered. Though Mandy had questioned him at length James was set on his new best friend.

"Was he happy about it?" Devin asked.

"Who? James? He loved having Sirius as a best friend. Sirius ... he ... well?" Mandy looked at Sirius.

"I was stunned that he was friends with her. When I realized how close they were I was worried I'd lose James because of it," Sirius said.

"That never happened. James and Sirius became inseparable," Mandy said.

"Speaking of inseparable, when did you meet Remus?" Devin asked.

"At the sorting. He sat down next to me and seemed rather sad, so I introduced myself," Mandy replied.

"You introduced yourself to a werewolf on purpose?" Devin asked, astounded.

"Devin Ian Black," Mandy and Sirius both snapped.

"I didn't know he was a werewolf at that point," Mandy added. "He just looked like a lonely boy. And don't take that tone with me young man, you always liked Remus."

"I'm sorry, Mum," Devin apologized, hanging his head.

"Thank you," Mandy answered.

"When did you find out Remus was a werewolf?" Meg asked, standing up. Sometimes sitting for a long time put too much strain on her back.

"I was in my second year," Mandy answered. "I noticed, like the boys did, that there were too many inconsistencies in Remus's stories about where he disappeared to every month. So I kept track. My brother's two favorite classes at school were Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts so I asked him about werewolves. When I figured out exactly what was going on I decided that I had to do something to help him. I realized the only way I could help Remus was by being an animal. There was only one way to become one. Animagus transformation. However, a twelve year old can't do such advanced transformations. It was difficult but after a while, at the end of my fourth year, I managed to teach myself how to do it. It took every book I could get my hands on. Of course having my father, Scott Hunter, from an old family helped as he had a book that described every step it took to become an Animagus. When I told Remus what I knew and what I had done he wouldn't talk to me for three weeks but eventually he allowed me to join him in the Shrieking Shack as long as I promised I would never breathe another word about it. Then, in the middle of fifth year I found out James, Sirius, and Peter managed their transformations as well."

"What kind of animal, Mummy?" Erin asked.

"A big brown bear," Mandy answered, shifting and getting more comfortable.

"Aren't those extinct in Britain?" Devin asked, looking interested in the story for the first time that day.

"They are just like the wolf, but we were always careful not to be seen," Mandy said. "It wouldn't have been good for a wolf to be seen running through the woods with a stag–that's a wolf's natural enemy–a dog, and big brown bear." Mandy watched as Meg paced and sighed, wishing she could make the pregnancy easier on her daughter but knowing, just like she had before, that the girl had to do things on her own. She was just like her mother in that way.

"When did they become the Marauders?" Erin asked.

"Well, Remus became friends with James and Sirius shortly after I met him and then Remus took Peter under his wing and then, with some gentle persuasion, the four became inseparable. After that first five and a half years our lives past pretty normally: homework, classes, pranks, detentions, and of course Quidditch," Mandy said.

"And the occasional date," Sirius added, grinning. It was well known to his family that Sirius had definitely been a flirt.

"For some more than others," Mandy acknowledged Sirius. "In our sixth year though that's when things really started to change. You see, your dad and I fought a lot. I was really upset about the punch prank and by the time we got to Hogwarts he had made it his personal mission to torment me," Mandy said.

"Not true," Sirius rebutted.

"That's what I thought," Mandy corrected.

"I wasn't all that mean to you during our sixth year," Sirius added.

"No, you weren't, eventually. Slowly over the course of our sixth year Sirius did show me that there was a softer side of him. I did like the glimpses I got to see but there was still seven years of bad blood between us. We went home that year for Christmas. That was the Christmas Mr. Potter died," Mandy swallowed and Sirius wrapped his free arm around her. She took a shaky breath then continued. "It was a bad Christmas. Our only saving grace was that he died three days after Christmas rather than before it."

"It's ok," Sirius whispered softly.

Mandy wiped away the lone tear running down her face and looked at Meg, who smiled gently at her mother and nodded. She wanted to cross to her mother and give her a hug but knew it wouldn't be appreciated in the moment. This part of the story always choked Mandy up, no matter how long it had been since the death.

"Papa Potter was an amazing man. He really loved you. You were like a daughter to him and wouldn't want you sad," Sirius said, trying to cheer his wife up.

"Mummy?" Erin asked taking her mother's hand.

"I'm sorry sweetie. Mr. Potter was a great man," Mandy smiled at her youngest daughter.

"And now he's back with his son and with his wife. I'm sure he's watching you, Mum, and I'm really sure he's proud of you," Devin said. It wasn't often that Devin was so insightful but in his rare moments it really cheered his mother up. Mandy smiled at her son then leaned her head against Sirius's shoulder.

"What happened next, Mummy?" Erin asked.

"Well, after Christmas the Potters hosted their annual New Year's Eve Party," Mandy started.

"Even with Mr. Potter's death?" Meg asked.

"Yes, even with it because James and his mother Delilah wanted some semblance of normalcy. It's what Marco would have wanted too. Anyway Lily came up with this plan: throw Sirius's treatment of girls back at him. He had hurt too many girls before and now it was time to get him to stop. I was hesitant to do it though. I wasn't sure that I could hurt him without losing my heart in the process. My mother, Cass Dixon, warned me that it would be difficult but possible," Mandy said.

"The old date and dump?" Meg asked, rubbing the small of her back.

"Yeah. I had to get him to fall for me and then dump him like he had done to all those other girls. However, that meant I had to get him to ask me out. That was the hard part," Mandy said.

"She had a hard time admitting that she wanted to be with me. I still thought she didn't want me so I backed off. I started working on letting her see the real me. The side of me that James and Parker saw," Sirius explained.

"Did it work?" Erin asked curiously.

"Slowly and over time I began to see him as something more than a pest," Mandy admitted. "However nothing I did seemed to get him off his lazy bum to ask me out."

"Not until she became untouchable," Sirius added, shaking his head.

"How?" Devin asked.

"By dating my ex-step-father," Meg smiled.

"Precisely," Mandy said. "When Mike asked me out I figured the plan could wait. I really loved being with him. Mike was a really great guy. He treated me right. We started dating right after Valentine's Day. He was so sweet, even if he was a Slytherin. We dated until early April. He told me I was in love with another guy and I should give the other guy a chance. The day we broke up was the day Sirius told Snape how to get into the tree."

"What tree?" Erin asked.

"The Whomping Willow," Mandy replied. "You see Snape was always curious about Lupin's disappearances as well. He didn't know enough to track them like we did but he was smart enough to know that Sirius would know and that he, Snape, could provoke Sirius into telling him. Sure enough all it took was Snape insinuating something about me being with Remus and Sirius snapped. James, Peter, and I were in the Common Room just about to leave when Sirius comes sprinting in and told us what he had done. At great risk to our own lives, after telling Sirius to repeat his story to Professor Dumbledore, James and I rushed down to the tree."

"That was probably the worst day of my life," Sirius interjected grumpily, "well second after the day Wormtail betrayed us."

"We'll get to that Sirius, in due time," Mandy reminded him. "Once at the tree, James tossed me his invisibility cloak and told me to hold off Remus while James convinced Snape to get out of there. By the time we reached Snape he was already at the shack. Moony came thundering down the stairs and James nearly had to stun Snape to get him out. I heard the words 'Go Now' which was the signal for me to transform so I did, locking my jaws tightly around Moony's throat. Eventually Moony calmed down and only Sirius was punished. Snape never found out I was down there that night."

"Is that why Snape hated Dad and Uncle James?" Devin asked.

"Yes, Snape thought James was in on the joke, same with Lupin, so he hated all three of them. Among other reasons. Thirteen days later, Lynn and Scott Hunter, my adoptive parents, were killed along with my dog Shawn and my mum's cat Emmy," Mandy paused when her voice grew shaky and Sirius kissed her temple.

"It's alright, my love," Sirius said.

"Uncle Jason was there too, right?" Devin asked to keep his mother going. The entire family knew Mandy didn't often talk about the night her parents were killed as it was much more painful than anything else Mandy had ever experienced. When Mandy had first started talking about it, Sirius had told his children to prod her along and not let her dwell on it.

"He was. He barely made it out. I was in a right state after that. My parents just died both at the same time, my boyfriend dumped me, and I was falling farther and farther behind in my classes. Nothing I did then really seemed to work. It was almost like my world was falling apart," Mandy said.

"Then Dad swooped in to save the day," Devin said proudly.

Mandy smiled at her son. "Sirius was almost the only one that could break through. James tried hard, but it was like Sirius knew what to say, what to do to make me heal and that's what he did," Mandy said. "Lily, on the other hand, knew I needed to get my mind off of my parents and everything so she suggested that we implement the plan again. If he wouldn't ask me out, I'd ask him," Mandy told her family.

"And in late April I did ask her out. She said yes. I was definitely surprised," Sirius said.

Erin could feel the rumble of her dad's laughter and smiled.

"Things were great. Sirius was sweet and generous and really caring. I knew that he had changed, and I could say with confidence that his bad boy act was mostly an act. He wasn't as arrogant and self-centered and chauvinistic as I thought he was. I mean, he was still cocky and he still knew how to please a woman, but he did have a softer side. Kinda like a family guard dog," Mandy went on.

"Or like a hippogriff or griffin?" Meg asked.

"Yes. Loyal to family but also dangerous. After all, he is a Black, and Hippogriffs don't change their feathers overnight," Mandy laughed.

Sirius grinned as well remember just how many times Mandy had thrown the line 'a Hippogriff can't change its feathers overnight' back at him. "Did you really just compare me to a hippogriff?" Sirius asked, staring at his daughter.

"Hush Daddy, I want to hear the story," Erin scolded, backhanding her father.

"Too many blo—" Mandy smacked his shoulder before he could swear in front of Erin. "Sorry, Love," Sirius apologized.

"Thank you. Anyway in early June after Sirius and I had been dating a while, James overheard me talking to Lily. She was pushing for the plan; said that he had been strung along long enough and it was time to dump him publicly. I couldn't do it. Just like Cass had warned me, I could not hurt him. I tried begging Lily; tried to tell her that I loved him but she just kept pushing. Two days later Sirius dumped me. I didn't know what to say or do but I was glad it wasn't that public. He dumped me in the Gryffindor Common Room shortly after curfew. It didn't matter though, everyone found out soon enough. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and I had to get out. I found Regulus on the front lawn studying for his O.W.L.s and when I told him everything he told me that as hard-headed as his brother was, Sirius would listen if I just explained it to him alone and in person."

Sirius squeezed Mandy's shoulder and grinned as his other hand slowly combed through Erin's hair. "She came to me and told me all about her and Lily's plan. I was beyond angry with her. She was an angel to me. She gave me everything and when James told me that it was all a plot by them to teach me a lesson I got angry. Two days later I calmed down. I had been so focused on the plan and I hadn't realized the rest of it. The fact that she wasn't going to dump me and that she said she loved me. Your mum ..." Sirius trailed off, shaking his head.

Mandy smiled and looked at him expectantly as Megan sat back down.

"Your mum doesn't love easily. She loves you kids because you're her kids but when it comes to guys none of us expected her to say "I love you" unless it was to James, and even then not at all in a romantic way. Since she had given me everything and she really did love me, I knew the fault fell on Lily. I couldn't really be mad at Mandy so we got back together. We were still working things out that summer but our relationship wasn't really fixed until maybe the start of our seventh year," Sirius finished.

"It was difficult that summer, trying to fix our relationship without letting anyone know that we were back together, but somehow we managed it," Mandy went on.

"Tell us about the train ride to school," Devin demanded.

"Okay. That's where we'll start," Mandy said, "but I will warn you now that my seventh year was a rocky one and I was often angry." The kids nodded and Mandy started her story.

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