36-

Ring, ring

Melora Jones rolled her eyes and closed the newspaper she had just opened.

"You can't be serious!" she exclaimed, pushing her seat back and heading for the front door, "What else could you possibly have forgotten Emma?"

Although Melora and her daughter Emily "Emma" Jones could pass for sisters, with the same dirty blonde hair, round face and button noses, some days Melora had doubts she had taken the right baby home from St. Mungo's.

Whereas Melora was cautious, Emma was quick tempered, always acting first and thinking second. She was loud and daring, unafraid of speaking out against anything she deemed wrong. Although she was a clever girl, she was terribly forgetful and Melora had a theory she would lose her head if it wasn't on her shoulders.

In short, although she looked just like her mother, her personality came straight from her father. A fact which Melora tried her best to ignore.

Today the fifteen year old was supposed to be leaving for a week trip to Spain with her close friend Layla, but she had already come back twice for things she had forgotten (first time, her bathing suit, second time, her hairbrush and summer homework, although the former may have been on purpose).

Melora had already felt uneasy about sending her daughter on the trip with the news she had received last week, and every time Emma came back, it felt like the universe was trying to tell Melora something.

But despite her doubts, Melora knew Spain was a good idea. Although Dumbledore had assured her she and Emily would be safe, Melora was sure the farther away from England Emma was, the better she would feel.

"What did you forget this time?" Melora said as she swung open the door. But instead of the fifteen year old witch Melora had expected to see, there was nothing.

For a second she was confused. Had some kid from the neighborhood been playing a prank? Then, Melora felt a nudge on her leg and she jumped back.

On her doorstep sat a very familiar large black dog. He had been better groomed and plumper last time Melora had saw him, but there could be no mistaking it.

She scrambled for her wand as the dog entered her house. Just as Melora found her wand the door shut and when she spun around, in place of the dog was a person. Just as equally filthy and skinny as the dog, Sirius Black advanced on her with a manic gleam in his eye.

"Don't do anything you might regret Mel," he rasped.

"Stay back," she warned, wand at the ready, "You stay right there."

Sirius said nothing, his eyes glued to her chest. For a moment, Melora felt like she was 17 again, smacking her boyfriend upside the head when he ogled her breasts. But the moment was broken when Sirius said, "You kept it."

Melora's hand flew up to the necklace that always hung around her neck. She usually kept it tucked away under her robes but in her panic to get her wand it had come loose. She ran her finger over the cold metal ring as she often did when she was nervous.

"I don't-I couldn't," she had no excuse. Despite her every instinct telling her to throw the engagement ring into the sea, she'd never been able to get rid of it.

Sirius smiled, a look that seemed misplaced on his gaunt face.

"Get out of my house," she insisted, dropping her hand from her ring, "Before I call the Aurors."

"Melora, I didn't-"

"Don't say it!" she shrieked, "Don't you dare say it."

He fell silent for a moment then rushed the words out. "I didn't do it."

Tears leaked out of the corner of Melora's eye and she wiped them away angrily. "Yes, you did."

"It wasn't-"

"Stop it!" she shrieked again, her wand shooting a bright red light at Sirius, leaving him paralyzed. Melora dropped her wand and wiped at her eyes again. "I have built a good life for me and my daughter," she told him, "One that you are not about to ruin.

"They say you're making for Hogwarts," she continued, "For Harry. I wish," she paused, "Managed to make sure no one knew she was your daughter, but I couldn't do a thing for him."

Sirius's fingers twitched. Melora glanced at them and shook her head. "She isn't here. And if you are going to Hogwarts and you come within ten feet of her or Harry, you won't have to worry about the dementors, because I'll kill you myself, Sirius Black."

Sirius smirked, her charm slowly lifting. She was still the same Melora he remembered. Older, but still the same spitfire.

"It's not them," he managed to say, arms, torso and legs still locked in place, "You believe me. You know I'm innocent. I can see it in your eyes."

Melora's fingers gravitated towards her necklace. "What were you trying to tell me that night?" she asked.

"Doesn't matter," he replied, "You'll know soon enough."

"No! Enough with the cryptic answers, Sirius!" she stomped her foot, "Ever since the day Dumbledore came to this house to tell me Lily and James were dead and you were to blame I have wanted to believe it wasn't true. Please, just tell me, if you're innocent, how did it happen? Who betrayed them?"

Sirius looked away, flexing his hands, "I can't tell you, not yet. Not until I prove it."

Just then, the charm wore off completely, but before Sirius could do anything, Melora flicked her wand and he went flying backwards through the door, landing on his hind legs in the front yard in his dog form again.

He gave Melora one last look before running away. She watched him, fiddling with her ring, waiting until she could no longer see his shaggy black tail before shutting the door firmly behind her.

She sat down at the table again, exhausted despite it being only noon. A list of all the people she should contact about what had just happened ran through her head though she doubted she would tell any of them.

The doorbell rang again and Melora's head snapped up. Had he come back? Or was it the aurors with her arrest warrant?

A fist rapped on the door. "Mum? It's me!"

Melora stood up quickly and ran to the door, throwing open the door and embracing her daughter tightly.

Emma squirmed. "Mum, I've barely been gone ten minutes."

"I just missed you is all," Melora said, releasing her reluctantly.

"I forgot my scarf," Emma explained, skirting around her mother and running up the stairs, two at a time.

"Isn't it a little warm in Spain for a scarf?" Melora called up, despite knowing the answer. Emma just ignored her. Her mother's disdain for the old Gryffindor scarf was a frequently argued point in their home. Particularly after Emma had been sorted into the house her first year at Hogwarts.

"You've got a new one," Melora recalled yelling that Christmas, "Do you really need to keep that old filthy one as well?"

"It's all I've got of his," Emma had shouted back, "You can ignore him all you want, but you can't erase him, Mum. He's half of me!"

Melora tried to put the unpleasant memory out of her thoughts and focus on the girl running down the steps two at a time.

"You're going to kill yourself like that."

Emma just laughed. "See you soon, Mum," she said, giving Melora a quick hug before dashing out the door. Melora followed her to the entrance, watching the car speed away, just as she had Sirius only moments before.

It began with the end of two relationships, and Melora had always wished she could say it ended with the beginning of a relationship. But it just ended. Messy and silent, with only one good thing to come out of it.

A young girl with messy blonde hair and bright gray eyes and her father's worn Gryffindor scarf she had gotten for her third birthday tied around her neck.

And that, Melora decided, was a good enough ending for her.

A/N- And so it ends! Thank you to everyone who has read this from the beginning or just picked it up yesterday. I have no idea why this crazy non-canon story was not only the one I managed to finish, but also managed to make novel-length, but I'm extremely proud of it either way.

But now onto more important matters. I'm sure some of you have about a thousand questions about what happens next. Does Emma ever find out about Sirius? Does Harry ever find about Emma? So as a special treat below, I am going to give you a quick outline of the sequel I AM NOT WRITING.

Our non-existent sequel, probably titled A Sirius Problem or something equally ridiculous, begins in Prisoner of Azkaban. Emily "Emma" Jones, a fifth-year Gryffindor, was always curious about her father but never really talked about the subject with her mother. But the new Defense professor Remus Lupin definitely knows something and Emma is determined to find out what it is. Eventually she finds out her father is none other than Sirius Black.

She meets Sirius that summer when he stays at their house for a brief week. Emma is furious the information was kept from her, but as the summer goes on, eventually grows to understand her mother's choice. She continues to owl her father throughout her sixth year at Hogwarts, trying to keep an eye out for Harry Potter at her father's request. Hardly an easy task considering he's in the Triwizard Tournament.

When Voldemort comes back from the grave, Melora reluctantly joins the re-formed Order. Although they don't stay Grimmauld Place, they visit frequently. Sirius tells Emma more about his past and eventually, when Harry comes, introduces the two. Harry's pissed the information was kept from him, but gets over it eventually. Emma joins the DA during her 7th year while Melora and Sirius strike up a brief fling. Unfortunately, he still dies in the Ministry.

Sirius's estate is split 50/50 between Emma and Harry, both of whom are deeply upset and reluctant to deal with his death. Emma throws herself into her new job in Magical Law (her goal being to ensure no one goes to Azkaban without a fair trial again). Melora gets more involved in the Order and getting Remus and Tonks together. Both women keep in contact with Harry.

When Dumbledore dies and Voldemort takes control of the Ministry, Melora convinces Emma to leave her job because the fact that she can't prove her father was a pureblood wizard and Melora's mixed background puts her at risk. Emma agrees, but much to her mother's dismay just starts fighting for the barely-there Order. They both fight in the Battle of Hogwarts and both somehow survive. Emma goes back into Magical Law, eventually working with and becoming good friends with Hermione along with the rest of the Trio. She marries and has kids and lives a very happy life. Melora travels the world, trying to live the rest of her life to the fullest for all of her friends that died fighting Voldemort.

And that's pretty much it. Of course a full version would probably have a love interest or something, but considering I AM NOT WRITING THIS I think I did a pretty good summary.

Thank you again to everyone who has read and reviewed. You are all amazing and I really, really, really hope you enjoyed Nothing Sirius.