The Ultimate Betrayal

Dedicated to one of my best friends, Rainbow Dust.

Melanie McKinnon had always lived her life in her twin sister's shadow. When Mel made Ravenclaw, Marlene made Gryffindor. When Mel got an O in DADA, Marlene got an O in DADA, Charms, and Potions. When Mel made Chaser in her seventh year, Marlene made captain. When Mel got four owls, Marlene got five. When Mel made Prefect, Marlene made Head Girl. It seemed that no matter what she did, Mel couldn't beat her sister. Until that night…

Melanie and Marlene had joined the Order of the Phoenix in hope that they could help in the defeat of Voldemort. Well, that's why Melanie did it. Marlene did it so that she could spend time with her boyfriend of eight months, Sirius Black. To Melanie, it was the ultimate betrayal. Marlene had known that her twin was hopelessly in love with him, and, yet, she still went after him. To say that it hurt was an understatement. She was crushed. And, for that very reason, was why that night hurt more.

Mel was just lounging around the Order's HQ when the fireplace had lit up. Sirius' head had appeared and it had never looked so…broken. Tears were flowing down his face, his hair was a mess, and his eyes were vacant.

"Sirius? What's wrong?" Mel asked, kneeling in front of the fireplace. "Is everything okay?"

"It's M-Marlene," he choked out.

"What happened to her?" she asked, her body turning numb.

"She's dead," he whispered, his voice cracking.

"No," she gasped. She shook her head over and over, mumbling 'no'. She couldn't believe it. Her twin was dead. "I won't believe it, I won't. You can't make me believe it!" She yelled, her voice becoming more frantic and rising in volume with each word.

"Mel! Calm down, Mel!" Mel felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her waist, and she cried into Sirius' chest. She kept shaking her head over and over again, quietly repeating the same words over and over again: she's gone.

It took Sirius months to get over Marlene's death, but it took Melanie years. Her sister had died at the age of 18, two weeks after Sirius had proposed to her. The news of her sister's engagement to the man she loved had infuriated her so much that she was glad that her sister was dead. Immediately after the thought had registered, she was overcome with guilt. Nobody deserved death at such a young age. She had barely started her life and it had been cruelly taken away from her.

Sirius had been there for Mel every second to help her heal. There were times when he had to hold Mel to stop her crying, and then there were times when he just had to sit near her and talk to her. To Sirius, this felt like the ultimate betrayal to Marlene, for he found himself slowly falling for her sister. Mel, no matter how upset she was, never let her grief interfere with the Order. She would take on missions with Sirius and the others, and during those times, he saw the Melanie he remembered from Hogwarts. She always had this glint in her eyes when she was doing magic, it reminded him of the spunky Ravenclaw in the year below his.

"Something's wrong," Mel whispered, looking at Sirius as she paced in front of the fireplace at headquarters.

"You're right," Sirius said, his eyes never leaving the fire. "If they were going to be late, they would've floo called us."

"We should go over there. We're going over there," she said, grabbing a fistful of floo powder out of the jar on the mantle.

"I'm going over there," Sirius said, pulling Mel away from the fireplace. "You're staying right here."

"No I'm not!" Mel yelled, pushing Sirius away from her and stepping into the fireplace. "Potter Manor!"

The flames engulfed Mel before Sirius could stop her. Cursing, he grabbed some flew powder and attempted to follow her, but the flames wouldn't move. They refused to do anything. Mel had locked the floo when she had arrived at the manor. Yelling in frustration, Sirius ran outside and hopped on his bike.

Hopefully, nothing was wrong.

Nothing had ever worked in Mel's favor. Nothing. So, when she arrived at the Potter's, she wasn't shocked that she had arrived too late, but she was shocked to find that James and Lily were dead. She was sobbing so hard that she had trouble standing. Her wand, which she clutched tightly in her hand, was shaking violently. Her knees buckled, causing her to fall to the floor with a loud thud.

"Ma!"

Mel's head whipped up at the sound of the Potter's son, Harry. His small hand was reaching out towards his mother who lay dead in front of his crib.

"Ma!" he yelled again.

"Shh. Harry, everything's going to be fine," she whispered, picking him up.

"Ma?" he asked, looking down at his mother. Mel brushed his hair back and gasped. There, on his forehead, was a small lightening bolt shaped scar.

"James! No, James!" she heard someone yell downstairs. It was Sirius. "Mel? Are you up there?" His voice was so broken, so hurt. It was like Marlene all over again, only, this time, it was much much worse.

Mel ran down the steps with Harry in her arms. Sirius was lying over James' lifeless body, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. She dropped down on her knees next to him, hesitantly putting a hand on his back.

"Sirius?" she asked quietly. He didn't answer.

"Pafoo?" Harry asked, peeking over Mel's shoulder. Sirius' head whipped up, and he looked at Harry with a mixture of shock, grief, and elation.

"Harry?" he whispered. "Harry!"

"I found him upstairs," Mel said quietly. "Lily's dead," Mel choked out.

"No," Sirius cried, holding Harry tightly against his chest. "No! NO!"

"Sirius, Sirius!" Mel yelled, trying to calm him down.

"That bastard! That traitor! How could he? HOW COULD HE!"

Mel flinched away from him; she had never heard his voice sound so frightening. Harry, who had his little ears mere inches away from Sirius, started crying as the volume of his godfather's voice hurt his eardrums.

"Sirius! Stop! It's too late. They're dead. There's nothing we can do," Mel said, taking Harry from him. She rocked the orphaned boy in her arms, cooing as she tried to calm him down.

"You're wrong," Sirius whispered, his dark eyes flashing as he gripped his wand in his hand. "Mel, listen to me. We changed the plans."

"What?"

"Peter and I, we switched. Peter was the secret keeper, not me."

"Sirius, what are you talking about?" Mel asked. "What secret keeper? Wha—"

Mel's words were cut off as Sirius' lips crashed down on hers. It was a fierce kiss, the type of kiss that conveyed too many emotions to sort out. Pain, grief, hurt, sadness, and love. She barely had time to kiss back before he pulled away. Wiping away a stray tear from her cheek, he gave her a watery smile.

"I love you, Melanie McKinnon," he whispered.

"I love you too, Sirius Black," Mel told him, "but why does this feel like 'goodbye'?"

"Because it is."

"'Ello! Is anybody in 'ere?" said a loud gruff voice.

"Hagrid," they said together.

"Sirius? Melanie? What 're yer two doing in 'ere? Merlin! James? What 'appened ter James?" he asked, his black beetle eyes widening and his voice taking on a hint of hysteria.

"Voldemort," Mel choked out.

"Hagrid, take my bike and get Mel and Harry to safety," Sirius said.

"What are you talking about?" Mel asked, shocked. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes you are. You're going to take my godson and make sure that he's safe. Understand? And you're going to make sure that you aren't in any form of danger." Sirius wasn't asking her, he was telling her. Sighing, he kissed her lips one more time. "Stay safe, love," he whispered, before apparating on the spot.

Whoever said that it's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all is a liar, Mel thought. She had changed her mind. This was the ultimate betrayal.

THE DAILY PROPHET

Sirius Black in cahoots with You-Know-Who!

WITCH WEEKLY

Sirius Black—Hogwarts' heartthrob AND Voldemort's right hand man!

THE MAGICAL INQUIRER

You-Know-Who's gone—His right hand man facing life in Azkaban

It was all everybody had talked about. Not only was Voldemort gone, but his partner in crime was in captivity. Mel, along with Remus Lupin, Sirius' best mate, were in devastation. After Sirius had apparated away, he had killed a few muggles and Peter Pettigrew, another of his best mates. Now, twelve years later, there were different headlines.

THE DAILY PROPHET

Sirius Black has ESCAPED Azkaban

WITCH WEEKLY

Black is loose!

THE MAGICAL INQUIRER

WANTED—Sirius Black: dead or alive

Mel was shocked to say the least. How could someone escape Azkaban? It was impossible. Wasn't it? Apparently not, seeing as Sirius managed to do it, she thought. That thought brought a sense of pride into her heart. She quickly smothered it. How could she still love him? He had murdered so many people. For all she knew, he could've been the one to murder Marlene. Marlene…the thought of her sister made her blood run cold.

Mel shook off the feelings that would soon emerge, and plastered a large (and very fake) smile onto her face as she looked at a new customer. She had gotten a job close to Hogwarts. She worked as a clerk at Witch's Secret, a lingerie store in Hogsmeade. It didn't pay much, but it allowed her to keep an eye on Harry, Sirius' godson.

No, he's James and Lily's son. You have to stop thinking of Sirius, Mel corrected herself. Shaking her head slightly, she turned towards the door as it opened. She expected to see a customer, or, at least, a human. Instead, she saw a large black dog. It was staring at her with dark familiar eyes. Sirius's eyes, she thought, before quickly scolding herself. She had to stop thinking about him.

"Hey there, boy. You lost?" she asked, walking towards the puppy. The dog didn't move, it just kept staring at her. Mel reached out her hand and pet his dirty fur. "Yuck. You need a bath," she said, her nose scrunching up.

Mel looked up at the clock and smiled. Her shift ended two minutes ago. Turning back to the dog, she grinned. "You wanna come home with me? I'll get you all cleaned up," she cooed. The dog barked happily and trotted towards the door. It looked back at her, as if waiting. "I'm coming. Just let me get my coat," she laughed.

When Mel and the dog arrived at her home, a small one bedroom cottage on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, the first thing she did was conjure a large basin. She looked at the dog, raising an eyebrow. The dog jumped into his new 'bathtub', and looked at her earnestly.

"Time to get you clean," Mel muttered, summoning a bottle of muggle conditioner. "Aguamenti," she said, a jet of water shooting out of the tip of her wand. She spent the rest of the evening cleaning, feeding, and playing with the dog. It wasn't until the dog settled in next to her on her bed that she realized something. "I don't know your name," she whispered, looking at the black dog in the dark. She could barely see him. "Do you have one?" The dog whined, nodding slightly. "Have I heard the name before?" Again, the dog nodded. "What is it?"

The dog grinned wolfishly, his tail wagging. Before her eyes, the dog started to change. In the place of the black dog, was none other than Sirius Black. Mel tried to scream, but his hand covered her mouth before any noise could come out. "Shh, Mel. Be quiet," he whispered. "Merlin, I've missed you. Now, listen to me. I was framed. I wasn't working with Voldemort. That was Peter."

"Peter's dead," Mel snarled, finally pushing Sirius' hand off of her. "You killed him."

"Trust me, Mel, I wish I had killed him. He faked his own death."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because you love me," he said.

If it had come from anybody else, Mel would've hexed them until they bled. But, when Sirius said it, he said it with such sincerity and adoration that she couldn't help but believe it. "Okay. I'll give you that one," she whispered, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"I wish we could talk longer, but the dementors will come here if we continue to speak," he said.

"I know," I whispered, kissing his lips gently. "Will you explain everything to me later?"

"Yes, later."

"Why does it sound like good bye again?" she asked.

"Because it is," he sighed, pulling her in for a kiss. "I promise it won't be as long. Please remember that I love you, and, that the next time we see each other, I won't ever leave you. You have my word on that." Sirius turned back into a dog, and, with one last look a Mel, he disappeared. She felt her heart break all over again.

"Mel!"

"Sirius! Look out!" Mel watched in horror as Sirius fell through the veil. He was gone. He had promised her he would never leave her, and he was gone. There, in the middle of a battle, Mel fell to floor and cried her heart out.

**Twelve years later**

The war had long been over, and life was calmer. Mel had never been as happy as she was when she was with Sirius, but, a few months after his death, she received a blessing. Mel had given birth to twins, Sirius' twins. They were both boys, and she had named the eldest Remus Sirius Black, and the youngest Regulus James Black. Today had been their first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry.

Dear mum, Remus got sorted into Gryffindor! Just like dad did. Isn't that great? You should've seen him. I have never seen him so happy. Guess what house I got sorted into. Yupp, Ravenclaw. Just like you! Hogwarts is just as amazing as you said it was.

I love and miss you so much,

Regulus Black

Tears brimmed Mel's eyes at the enthusiasm in the letter. Her heart swelled with pride that Regulus was a Ravenclaw. She had known, long before they received their Hogwarts letters, that he would be sorted into her old house. While Remus preferred to go exploring in the forest every chance he could, Regulus would curl up in what used to be Mel's room and read the day away. He was the perfect little Ravenclaw, just as much as Remus was the perfect Gryffindor.

Sighing, Mel walked around her house. She had already put all of her stuff back into the only bedroom in the cottage. It wold get lonely now that her boys were gone, but she could live with it. It would've seemed much more lonely if she had accepted Harry's offer in moving into Sirius' house. The last happy memories of being with Sirius were in that house, but she couldn't bring herself to stay there for long. It was the only place that she could remember anything that wasn't clouded with utter depair during the second wizarding war, and, yet, it was the place that Sirius hated most.

Melanie would visit on occasion. She would sometimes take her sons there so that they could see where their father had grown up. They hated that place. They hated it much more than she did, but, she told herself, that was only because they never experienced it the way she did.

What she wouldn't give to see the look on their faces if she were to tell them that they were conceived in that house. It would be priceless. She could picture it now. Wide gray eyes, mouth open, jaws dropped, and their blond hair flat on their foreheads. Then, at the same time, they would start spluttering and blushing like crazy.

The thought brought a smile to her face as she stared at a picture of Sirius. It was a picture that had been taken the night he proposed to her. It was exactly a week before his death. Their wedding was meant to be after the war. After Voldemort had fallen. It never happened, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that he had proposed to her. That he wanted to settle down and be with her until death. Hopefully, when her time came, and they were reunited, he would still want her, love her.

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