September 1, 1978
Marauders' 6th Year
"Pads, wake up!" James Potter yelled at his best friend Sirius Black for the fourth time that morning. "We're gonna miss the train!"
"James! Sirius!" called Anna, James' little sister, through the door. "Breakfast is ready!"
At this, Sirius shot straight up in bed. "BREAKFAST?" he asked as he began to bustle around the room, scrambling to get ready. James nearly fell off the bed laughing.
"Padfoot, is food the only thing you think about?"
"Shut up Prongs. It's not my fault your mom is such a damn good cook." Soon Sirius was ready, and the two best friends made their way downstairs.
"CEREAL?!" exclaimed Sirius. Anna smiled innocently.
"We don't have time for a real breakfast; we've gotta catch the train." Anna shrugged. She was perfectly content eating only cereal for breakfast, but she also knew the boys tended to eat a lot more for every meal, especially breakfast.
"You lied to us," James accused.
"Did not," reasoned Anna, "I only said that breakfast was ready." When her brother and best friend continued to glare at her, she added, "Besides, how else were we going to get Siri up?"
James laughed, while Sirius came over and playfully messed up Anna's hair. "I am not that hard to wake up," he defended himself.
"Padfoot, you sleep like a rock," James stated, pouring himself a bowl of cereal, and laughing with Anna. Sirius tried to glare, but soon gave up and joined his friends laughing.
Anna sighed happily. She was glad to be getting along so well with Sirius. He was one of her best friends, but the end of the previous school year had been hard on their relationship.
FLASHBACK
Late May 1978
Marauders' 5th Year
Anna and Sirius sat together on a coach in the Gryffindor common room. James, Remus, and Peter were all serving detention for a prank they had pulled, which Sirius had missed because he, ironically, had been serving a detention of his own. The common room was full with other Gryffindors, but to Sirius, Anna was the only one that mattered. Anna was leaning against Sirius, with his arm around her, and cramming for the end of term exams. Sirius should have been studying for his O.W.L.s, but instead he stared absently at the glowing fire.
"Anna," Sirius whispered into her hair after nearly a half hour of them not speaking. "I love you."
"I love you too Sirius," Anna said, sounding slightly confused, and catching the attention of many of the rooms other occupants. Sirius didn't notice. He turned her face so she was looking into his eyes.
"No," he eventually spoke again. "I mean I love you." Anna's eyes went big, and she briefly looked away.
"I'm sorry Sirius," she said, turning back to him, "but I don't feel the same way." They held each others' gaze for a moment longer, and suddenly, Anna left her comfortable spot on the coach, running up to her dormitory, leaving a rather hurt Sirius, and many shocked onlookers behind.
"I love you Sirius" said Ashley, a dorm mate of Anna's. She moved to the coach to take Anna's spot next to Sirius, but he pushed her away, and headed up the boys staircase to his own dormitory.
When the other Marauders returned from detention, it was to find the curtains of Sirius' bed drawn shut, and their friend fast asleep.
Early June 1978
Marauders' 5th Year
Two weeks had gone by since Sirius had confessed his love for Anna, and the two hadn't spoken at all. Sirius had, after much convincing, explained to his friends what was upsetting him the morning after his conversation with Anna, and, though James was slightly annoyed that Sirius had fallen in love with his sister of all people, he could tell his friend really did care for her, and all three of the Marauders were very supportive of their devastated friend.
Finally, on the last night before the summer, Anna noticed Sirius wasn't at the end of term party being held in the Gryffindor common room. Sirius had been avoiding Anna for the past couple weeks, so she took advantage of the opportunity, by ditching the party and going up to the boys' dorm to talk to Sirius. Opening the door, she spotted him lying on his bed, throwing a ball into the air and catching it as it came back down. He looked over when she entered, but didn't say anything.
"Hey," Anna said cautiously, sitting on the edge of the bed next to Sirius'. He sat up and faced her.
"Hey."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt—"
"I know." Neither spoke for a moment.
"You know, I used to like you," Anna confessed, finally breaking the silence between them. "Until third year. Well, my third year. Your 4th."
"What changed?" Sirius asked after another moment of silence.
"You did. Or maybe I just started to notice…"
"What do you mean?"
Anna hesitated. "I mean, I started noticing how you treated the other girls you dated; snogging with one and then breaking up with her a week later for someone else. I realized I could never like someone who did that, because I couldn't trust you not to do the same to me."
"I woud never hurt you Anna."
"Maybe not intentionally, Sirius, but I'd like to believe you aren't purposely hurting those other girls either." The two stared at one another for several long moments. Anna's eyes were wet. She knew what she was doing was right; that she couldn't be with Sirius, but it hurt to say no after wanting him for so long. Not to mention that the past two weeks of one of her best friends not speaking to her had nearly killed her. Sirius had to blink several times to push back the tears. Sirius Black does not cry! But fuck, he'd ruined his chance with the only girl he'd ever thought of as more than just sex, well, aside from Taylor and Lily Evans. He knew what Anna said was true, but hearing it from her was like having a knife stabbed into his heart. He never had really thought about how his actions made the girls he dated feel, until he saw Anna crying.
Finally, he couldn't stand to watch her anymore. He lay back down and began playing with his hacky sack again.
Anna watched him for a minute, then, "Are we OK?" Sirius nodded. "Wanna come down to the party with me?"
He shook his head. "Have fun though." Anna stayed for a minute longer, before returning to the Gryffindor common room, feeling only slightly better than she had prior to her conversation with Sirius.
Early July, 1978
Summer between Marauders' 5th and 6th years
Anna had not seen, nor heard from Sirius in the month since school had gotten out. In fact, a word hadn't been exchanged between the two since the night of their conversation in Sirius' dorm. He and James however, had been corresponding frequently, and from what Anna had managed to get out of James, Sirius was not doing well.
She sat at her desk one stormy night in July, trying to write a letter, but what could she write? What do you say to your best friend, who thinks he's in love with you, and who you haven't spoken to in a month?
The doorbell rang, but Anna didn't bother to get up; she heard James running to answer it. She glanced at her clock. 10:56, it read. Who'd be ringing the doorbell at this time of night?
James opened the door to find his best friend, Sirius Black, drenched from head to toe, sporting what looked like a broken nose, breathing heavily and grinning like a maniac.
"Padfoot," James said once he got over the shock. "What happened to you? Did you run here?"
"Course not mate, its way too far," Sirius said. "I took the Knight Bus."
"James," Mrs. Potter called, coming towards the boys from the living room. "Who's at the—Oh my God! Sirius! James, go get him some dry clothes of yours. He must be freezing! Anna! Anna! Get down here and help me!"
Anna didn't pass James or Sirius on her way down to the kitchen to help her mother, so when she got there, she still had no idea what had happened. Mrs. Potter was over the stove, making hot soup.
"Anna," she said, not looking up. "Can you get some butter beer from the basement and then make up the bed in the guest room, please dear?" Anna did as she was told, and when finished, she came back to the kitchen to see her mother, James, and Sirius sitting around the table, a steamy bowl of soup before Sirius. He had been cleaned up a bit, but still looked awful when Anna saw him.
"Charles it at work, but I'm sure he'll agree with me when I say that you are more than welcome to stay with us as long as you need," Mrs. Potter was saying, when Anna entered.
"Sirius!" Anna exclaimed. "What happened?"
"My dad was angry today, and he kind of took it out on me," Sirius answered, then, as an afterthought, as though he didn't dare believe it himself, he added, "so I ran away."
Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Anna came to Sirius' room. She was crying again as she knocked on his door, entered, and sat at the edge of his bed.
"Why didn't you write me?" she asked after several long moments.
Sirius hesitated. "Why didn't you write me?"
"I didn't know what to say! Oh Sirius, I thought you hated me!"
"Hated you? I could never hate you. Aside from the Marauders, you're my best friend."
"But you couldn't write to me? Confide in me? Let me help you through this?"
"I didn't want to make you worried. It really hasn't been that bad."
"You ran away Sirius, and your dad beat the shit out of you. Don't tell me it's not bad."
"Alright, it's been bad, but this is the first time he's actually hit me, and it's gonna be OK now. I'm sorry I didn't write you." Anna chocked back a sob.
"Just remember I'm here for you, ok? Even after… even after last year."
"I know." Sirius hugged her. "I love you. Now go back to bed." Anna turned to give him a kiss on the cheek, before leaving his room. Leaning against the closed door, she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I love you too," she whispered.
A/N So there it is. Hopefully this will work out where I can get the readers all the information they want/need, without going over the younger years, because those just aren't as interesting. Please read and review! This story is Sirius/OC and also Remus/OC, so expect that in future chapters!! There is very little James/Lily, as this is only 6th year, but I plan on having a sequel which is seventh year to James/Lily's deaths, and a final sequel of what happens with these characters during the trios' years. Please review! It really does motivate me to write more! And if you review my story, I'll be sure to check out some of your stories and review for you too. Thanks!