Dark As Night

The day was bright and cheerful, the birds where singing and the sun was shinning. It was a perfect day for wizards and muggles alike. To bad that the happenings from the night before spoiled any positive effect the beautiful day would have inspired for those involved in the Order of the Phoenix. Today was an ill inspired day. For the Potter's have been killed, Lily and James, the only survivor from the family being their son, Harry. Harry survived Lord Voldemort's attack by some magical miracle that also destroyed Lord Voldemort. On this particular day a young witch was in tears and completely depressed. Lily and James where very good friends to her, and had kept her secret from the others. But that was not the only thing that had her crying. Sirius Black, her lover and, secretly, father of her one-year-old daughter, has been identified not only as the one to kill Peter Pettigrew, but also as the person to turn the whereabouts of Lily and James over to Lord Voldemort. He has been labeled a traitor and murderer, and is to be sent to Azkaban, the wizard prison.

"Katie, you have no idea how sorry I am for your great lose," said a tall old gentleman in the robes common to wizards. He had half-moon glasses and gray hair, beard and all. His face had the wrinkles one acquires with age and his eyes where softened by his worry for the young witches well being. "I know how much you loved all three of them, James, Lily and Sirius. There is no way I can even begin to imagine the pain you feel."

Katie raised her head so as to meet the man's eyes. She was a very beautiful woman that had stark white hair and startling crystal blue eyes. Her hair fell down past her waist and was extremely curly. Her skin was the pale, colorless tone that albino's tend to have, for that is what she was. She was thin and extremely fragile looking. She was dressed in a plain blue robe and soft-soled black boots. "I know you are Professor Dumbledore. I just wish things could have turned out differently." With a small shudder she began to cry again. "I... I.... was... going to... tell him about her," she sobbed out and bent over and buried her face into her raised knees.

"I know, child, I know." Professor Dumbledore kneeled down next Katie and placed a hand on her trembling shoulder. "If it would make you feel any better she may attend at Hogwarts when it comes time for her to be schooled."

At hearing his words she jumped back and stared at him with cold eyes. "Hogwarts?! What kind of life would my daughter have going to Hogwarts?! Her fellow students would constantly harass her, and not to mention young Harry will be in her same grade. For all that he might grow up to be a gentleman he will take out his anger of her father on her. I cannot allow that. She will be raised and taught in the States. At least there she will have a good chance at growing up happy and with people she can honestly call friends." With that said she stood up and turned her back to Dumbledore. "I do not want you or anyone else to contact me. I wish to live a somewhat semblance of a life without being constantly reminded of this nightmare."

"As you wish, Miss Katie Bella, as you wish." Dumbledore said to her retreating back.

~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~

(15 years later in the States)

It was another hot and muggy day and it got on Sorcha's nerves. She missed the fall and the winter. She missed the cold. She needed the cold to properly function. It was just how she was. Her mother is the one that instilled the love for the 'darker' months into her. At this particular moment Sorcha was lazing about in the solar of their comely country house and trying to cool down. Needless to say it was not working. Sorcha was a beautiful young girl of sixteen years. She had waist length black hair that was done in a loose perm. Her skin was pale all year round and never tanned, she didn't even have a freckle or a birthmark upon her body. Her unusual, startling crystal blue eyes, that where shot through with bright emerald green, where scanning the pages of one of her favorite book, 'The Mists of Avalon' by Marion Zimmer-Bradley, for a muggle the woman sure new how to write to capture a readers attention. She was dressed in a forest green peasant skirt and a dark green form fitting tank top. Her sandaled feet dangled off the edge of the wicker couch. Just as she got to the part when Morrgain was led into the cave she heard a knock at their front door.

"Agh! Seriously! Can't a girl read without interruption?" Sorcha ranted as she got up and walked to the front door. When she opened the door, it was to be confronted by a man in shabby wizadring robes. His light brown hair was shot through with gray and he looked as if he had never had a good meal. "May I help you?"

"Oh, yes please. I am here to see Katie Bella. Is she home by any chance?" he asked in highly accented English.

After looking at him skeptically for a second she nods and steps outside and closes the door. No sense in letting a stranger into their home when he can walk around the house to get to where mom was. She descended down the front stairs and walked around the corner of the house, leaving the man to follow. When they got to the garden she had to literally yell at the top of her lungs in order to get her mothers attention, being as she was listening to her headphones. Katie looked up and glanced at the visitor. After a few seconds of looking at him she finally recognized who he was.

"Remus?!" she cried as she jumped up off the ground and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Katie, it is good to see you again." Remus said while hugging her back. "It has been far too long."

Sorcha just stood there and looked completely bewildered. She had no idea who this man was or how her mother new him. 'Could he be my father? Or could he know who my father is?'

"Ma, who is he?" Sorcha asked as she ventured a step towards them.

"Oh, Sorcha dear, this is Remus Lupin. He is a very old friend of mine from when I was in England." Katie told her daughter as she broke away from Remus's embrace.

"Yes, well I would have visited sooner if you where not such an impossible woman to find." Remus said with laughter in his voice. "So, this is..." Remus began to say before Katie interrupted him.

"Let us go inside and talk over some ice tea." Katie said hurriedly. "Sorcha, why don't you go over and visit Dagda for a while."

"Yes, ma..." Sorcha said dejectively.

Sorcha turned away from them and changed into her animagus form, a wolf with sleek black fur, and loped away in the direction of her friends' home.

~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~

(Three hours later at the Bella house)

Sorcha and her friend, Dagda, arrived racing up the drive towards the house. Dagda was Sorcha's opposite. He had blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, and had been nearly bleached white from the sun. His skin never lost its tan, even in winter, if anything, during the summer months, his tan got darker. He was already six feet tall, and both Sorcha and her mother hoped he would grow no more. He was dressed in dark blue denim jeans, a white beater and white Nikes. Dagda reached the front door first and literally flew into the house and into the kitchen to get some water. As soon as he entered the kitchen he stopped dead, which caused Sorcha to run into him, being as she was right behind Dagda. What had stopped him was seeing Sorcha's mom crying and surrounded by witches and wizards he had never seen before. When Sorcha looked around her friend to see what had caused him to stop she froze. Not because of all of the unknown people standing around her mother, but because her mother was crying. 'Ma never cries...' As Sorcha walked around Dagda and towards her mother a man old enough to be her great-great grandfather looked over at her and smiled. He slowly extracted himself from the people and walked over to her and Dagda.

"Hello, my dear. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, Head Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am afraid that we have some bad news for you my dear." He said to Sorcha. "But I am afraid that your mother is the only one with the right to tell you." With that said he put his hand on her shoulder and ushered her to her mothers' side.

"Ma what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Sorcha asked as she put her arms around her mother's shaking shoulders.

"Oh, my dear. I should have told you long ago." Katie said as she looked at her daughter. "Your father was Sirius Black."

At those words her world stopped and went dark. 'No...no...NO! It can't be true! My father cannot be a traitor and a murderer! I can't be true!"