𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍.
epilogue; alternative ending
". . . Promise me that you will not let fear stop you from living. "

  SEPTEMBER 1, 1991 was a chaotic day, to be frank. The Potter-Black household had never been in such disarray as today, because in their sort of luck Sirius and Madeline had managed to sleep in.

  Therefore, Iolanthe and Atlas had slept in.

  "Where's Ziggy?!"

  "I saw him under the table," Sirius told a frantic Iolanthe calmly, "He's fine, Little Star, do you need help packing?"

  "I'm okay—"

  "She thinks she needs to bring every piece of clothing she's ever owned!" Atlas yelled from his own room, making Sirius smile lightly.

  "That's a lie!"

  "I used to do the same thing," Sirius whispered to his daughter, pulling his legs under him as he sat on the ground of her bedroom, "Your mum would make fun of me for it."

  "I just want to be ready," Iolanthe said pitifully, clutching onto two cashmere sweaters, "For everything."

  "And you will be," He assured, "Come here, Little Star."

  Iolanthe scooted across her carpet, until she collapsed into her father. He held her gently, petting down her silky smooth black tresses.

  "Breakfast is ready!" Madeline's voice bounced around the walls of her childhood home, frantically sliding eggs onto four plates already half-filled with toast and fruit.

  Atlas cheered and bound down the steps.

  "I'm not hungry."

  "You're nervous, and that's normal," Sirius assured, resting his chin atop Iolanthe's head, "But you've got to eat. I promise you'll feel better with a little food in you— and. . . there might be a little surprise downstairs for you."

  Iolanthe perked up at this, meeting her father's sly smile with a giddy grin of her own. She was too smart for surprises, because as she flew down the stairs, Iolanthe already knew who was waiting for her.

  "Uncle Reggie!"

  "Laney!"

  Madeline hid her laughter as the girl collided with her uncle, her silk pajamas contrasting to his semi-formal attire. But this was about where their differences ended— at first glance, Iolanthe looked far more like Regulus Black's daughter than Sirius'.

  "You're here!"

  "I couldn't miss your first day!"

  "You'll be there anyway," Iolanthe giggled lightly.

  "How is that going, being Potions Master?" Madeline asked in passing, setting the table for five instead of four.

  "Ah, you know," Regulus sighed, obeying Iolanthe's request of sitting beside her, "The hard part is being head of Slytherin house. They're good kids, for the most part. But. . ."

  "A bit troubled, you could say?" Sirius nudged his brother, claiming his own seat, "Like someone I know?"

  "Shove off."

  "Reckon Laney'll be in your house?" Atlas questioned eagerly, scarfing down his breakfast.

  "Atlas, don't talk with food in your mouth," Madeline sighed tiredly, patting his curls in passing.

  "Sorry, Mum."

  "If I'm lucky, she will be. Already missing my favorite nephew."

  "Don't let Harry hear you say that," Sirius breathed out.

  "He's got a favorite uncle that isn't me, I think it's fair."

  "He did decide on Remus a while ago, didn't he?" Madeline smiled, sitting beside her husband, "Your ego isn't wounded, Doll?"

  "Not at all."

  It was perfectly clear it was. Just slightly.

  "Are you both packed?" Madeline questioned her children, "We've got to meet Harry, Uncle James, and Aunt Lily at the platform in half an hour."

  "I am!"

  "I'm not."

  "Because you're so picky!"

  "At least I won't realize halfway through October that I don't have any shirts," Iolanthe mumbled, making Atlas scoff offendedly. "Are you coming to the platform with us, Uncle Reggie?"

  "Of course," He smiled, "But we can only go if you're packed."

  Iolanthe quickly ingested her food before hopping back upstairs, presumably to do just as her uncle asked.

  "Merlin knows why you're the only one she listens to," Madeline sighed.

  "Because I'm her favorite uncle!"

  "Laney simply realizes the greatness of the Black family," Sirius laughed, clapping a hand on his brother's shoulder, "No offense, Love."

  "That's alright, At recognizes the true meaning of being a Potter," Madeline boasted, making her son smile through his eggs, "Atlas, we don't all need to see your food."

  "Sure you do!"

  Madeline sighed, shaking her head as he fumbled for a napkin when eggs spilled from his mouth.

  "I sort of hope Laney gets Gryffindor," He admitted, folding his napkin, "So we can be together, you know?"

  "I know," The woman smiled gently, "Your Uncle James was the same way— absolutely furious I was a Ravenclaw."

  "Really?"

  "Oh, pissed beyond reason," Sirius confirmed with a nod, "But your mum's brilliant, so it was the house she belonged in."

  "And houses don't change your family," Regulus said, slicing through an orange piece.

  Sirius smiled silently.

  "You don't think she'll forget about me?"

  "You're unforgettable, honey," Madeline smiled, affectionately ruffling his hair, "But, I do think James will be angry with all of us if we're late."

  "Aunt Lily's the one to be scared of," Atlas mumbled, shivering slightly.

  "I'm done!" Iolanthe announced, out of breath, "I had to give up my striped skirt for the plaid one, and the pink sweater for my green cardigan, but I'm happy with my choices."

  "Plaid over stripes is the only reasonable choice."

  James Potter spotted the Potter-Black pack before Lily Potter could. To be fair, the redhead was a bit preoccupied with her suddenly quite nervous son, who'd begun tugging at the flannel he'd chosen that morning.

  "Maddie!"

  "James!"

  Sirius could do nothing but smile as the siblings embraced tightly— they saw one another often. Holidays and days off, James loved visiting his child-hood home re-alive with the mess of children growing up, and Madeline was always welcome to the couples' second home in Godric's Hollow. But, still, the twins had grown up. They no longer bickered (for the most part) and weren't ashamed to show they missed one another.

  "Atlas!" James cheered once he let his sister go, quickly collecting his nephew in a huge hug, "Still causing trouble, I hope?"

  "Always," He grinned wildly.

  "Oh, dear."

  The group continued reunions, each adult hugging happily while their children became engulfed in chatter about Hogwarts. And, despite the happy atmosphere that intensified when Remus showed up five minutes past the agreed-upon meeting time, they found themselves acutely aware of the missing friend.

  Peter Pettigrew. It was a difficult topic for them all, diluted emotions about the man they believed to be a brother. He'd betrayed them. But what swirled confusion in with misery, was Peter showing up to Lily and James' and saving them. 

  His final acts weren't cowardice, they were the last stretch of bravery in him.

  Little Harry Potter was still adorned with a lightning-shaped scar, and neither James nor Lily escaped unscathed, but it was Peter who'd given his life. Who'd notified the Order and saved the family.

  It was Harry who'd defeated Voldemort, but it was Peter's love— for his friends and for his non-biological nephew— that had saved them all.

  "Alright, Laney," Remus sighed, clasping his hands together, "What house have you decided upon?"

  "Ravenclaw," She informed with a nod, "Just like my mum."

  "Hmm," He nodded with a thoughtful expression, "Is that your only reason?"

  Sirius cracked a smile, wrapping an arm around Madeline's shoulders as Remus encouraged Iolanthe's thoughts. He'd always done it, challenged her when she made a choice— of course, Iolanthe didn't know Sirius had come to him with worries that his daughter would be just as impulsive as he; terrified she'd run into danger as he'd done one fateful Halloween night, and Remus found himself teaching his goddaughter to think through her choices thoroughly. 

  "A big one," She admitted, "But I'd also like to learn— and I believe that's where I can learn most. Not to mention, mums says the common room's beautiful."

  "Well, I wish you the best of luck."

  "She doesn't need it, she's a shoe-in for the best house in all of Hogwarts."

  A gleeful scream escaped Madeline Potter as Bluebelle Declan smirked at Iolanthe. The woman quickly embraced the blonde, making Bluebelle's smirk turn into a laugh as they wobbled from side-to-side.

  Bluebelle, sadly, was someone Madeline saw less often. Not for lack of trying, either, but with Kai's spot on one of the most infamous quidditch teams, the Declans were a tough family to see.

  "It's not the best one," Atlas mumbled.

  "Yes, we have been trying to instill that," Remus sighed, resting his hands on Iolanthe's shoulders, "That every house has it's pros and cons."

  "Cons of all except Ravenclaw— they're not as good."

  "Blue," Madeline sighed, shaking her head, "I love the spirit, but. . ."

  Bluebelle switched her attention to Iolanthe, who, even with the reassurance of her uncle, shifted due to nerves.

  "Hey," The blonde whispered, leaning closer to Iolanthe's height, "Want to hear a secret about the houses?"

  Iolanthe nodded hesitantly.

  "You're all of 'em," She smiled, "You're smart, and you're brave, and you're ambitious, and you're kind. They just pick which one is most prominent. And the whole 'my house is the best house', that's stuff you'll hear from everyone."

  "So. . . who's the real best house?"

  "That is up to you entirely."

  Before Iolanthe could question Bluebelle any further, a bundle of pure excitement forged a way through the group and nearly tackled Atlas to the ground.

  Addison Declan was all her father all the time. It was hilarious, to see that such a strong personality like Bluebelle's could be washed away by quidditch and poor jokes, but this was the exact reason Addison had become such fast friends with Atlas.

  "Oh, no," Iolanthe muttered, making Regulus smile amusedly. "What?"

  "You act so much older than you are."

  "Dad says it's your influence."

  Regulus looked to Sirius, who shrugged sheepishly.

  A loud train whistle interrupted the largest group on the platform, jolting Iolanthe only slightly.

  "Alright, alright," James began, already frazzled, "Harry, son, my boy—"

  "Dad," Harry spoke quietly, "It's not your first day, you know?"

  James laughed, shaking his head, "This is why you are here, to help your mother keep my head on straight."

  "Alright, really this time, you guys have got to go," Madeline sighed, "Unless you want to miss your first train ride."

  "Which you don't," Addison smiled widely, "It's always the best."

  "You haven't even—"

  "Children," Sirius cleared his throat, "Train, luggage, now."

  Then, it was a flurry. At some point, two boys with bright red hair swept Atlas and Addison away, and James and Lily gently encouraged Harry onto his own journey, but Iolanthe Black-Potter hadn't moved.

  "Laney," Madeline said gently, "You have to get on the train."

  She twisted her lips to the side, looking back to the train briefly.

  "What if I am Slytherin?" Iolanthe asked lightly, "What if I'm like. . . like the rest of the Black family?"

  Regulus almost jumped out of his own skin at this idea, ready to fight it with fire, and Madeline wanted to hug her little girl tighter than she ever had, but Sirius Black gave them a silent look before kneeling to his daughter's eye-level.

  "Little Star," Sirius spoke gently, resting his hands on her arms, "Listen closely, alright?"

  She nodded.

  "Evil like the kind that's in the history of our family isn't the kind that just pops up. It's not genetic, it doesn't run in your blood. That's a special kind of bad, a kind of bad that requires teaching. Now, there isn't just. . . good and bad. I can't promise you'll be all good all the time, because I'm not. But if I'm sure of one thing, it's that you are nothing like my parents, or their parents, or their parents—"

  "Or the Malfoys."

  Sirius let out a noise of disgust at the name.

  "Or the Malfoys."

  "And even though you might get Slytherin, and there might be bad times, that can't stop you, alright? Don't let the. . . bastards. . . get you down, as they say. So, what I want you to do, Little Star, is step onto that train, and bother your cousin because he's just as scared as you are, and promise me that you will not let fear stop you from living."

  Iolanthe had this face of determination that made every adult surrounding her totally sure she could do anything she wanted to. With the genes of Madeline and Sirius, this was already a given.

  "I promise."

  Iolanthe hugged her father tightly. Their unruly curls briefly danced together, but Iolanthe was already detaching as her father pressed a quick kiss to the crown of her head, and then, she was off.

  Her hair swished behind her as she jogged to the train, letting out a deep breath before stepping on.

  "She didn't look back," Madeline let out in a heavy breath.

  "'Course she didn't," Regulus scoffed, "She's ready to take on the world now."

  "Hey, Reg?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Look after her, alright?" 

  "You think she'll be in Slytherin?"

  "She will," James agreed, joining the group with Lily tucked into his side, "She's the most ambitious eleven-year-old I've ever meet, mate."

  "I'll look after her. She's my niece."

  Sirius Black and Madeline Potter rode back to their home in peaceful silence. They held hands over the console of the muggle car they'd toted their kids in, and enjoyed the last breeze of the summer.

  "Hey, Doll?"

  Sirius gently looked up as Madeline joined him on their sofa. The house was still. So still, it almost felt like a dream.

  "Yes, my love?"

  "She'll be fine, you know that, right?"

  "Laney?"

  "Yeah."

  "I know. Atlas is doing great—"

  "But Laney's always been a bit more. . . you and Reggie than Atlas. And you're scared. That she'll find the wrong path and walk down it."

  Sirius contemplated the next words before he said them.

  "I know Laney will be fine. I worry too much because she's my little girl— I know, I know, females are capable and it's rude of me to say— but she is my baby. I'll always think the worst will happen to her, I'll always want to save her. But I know that she will be fine, because she has Atlas, and Harry, and Reg, and, even if she hasn't warmed up to her yet, Addy. And, mostly, I know she will be fine, because we are great parents. We are not my parents."

  "We're very far away from your parents, Doll."

  "Thank Merlin for that."

  And then Madeline shuffled down to rest against her husband, letting her own worry leave like a lazy leaf in the autumn breeze.

  Because their children were off to Hogwarts, and James and Lily were surely going to come over within the next hour because they'd never experienced any sort of silence in their home, and Remus was already on his way over with takeaway for five, and the house was still. And the world was quiet here.

( AUTHOR'S NOTE. )
idk ever since I published
Dead Girl Walking (the
sequel to this fic) I've been
wanting to write an alt-
ending where everyone is
alive and happy, so here's 
that! Thank you to the
first readers of this book,
to the re-readers, and the
new ones-- you guys are
insane and I still look through
all of your comments every 
day and how much it means
to me never seems to fade.
Thank you guys so, so, so
much. I love you!!