Not Alone (A Sirius Black Love Story).

Anything you recognise is JK Rowling's.

...

I realised long ago that no matter how badly your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief, your pain or your sorrow. Nor will it slow down through the joys you experience. The world carries on turning, ignoring your cries and your laughter, ignoring your pleas and your prayers. The world will never answer them; but that's just my opinion.

One opinion will never matter against millions of others. Two opinions will never be heard before the billion others. It goes on. No matter how hard you fight to be heard, you never will be.

My name is Courtney Templeton, I was a witch and a Gryffindor. I was also about to start my sixth year at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry in the year of 1976.

"Courtney!" My mother's voice drifted up the stairs.

"Yes?" I called back.

"The Potters' will be here in a minute."

"Coming." The Potters'. Our families were close and I had known James since birth. Our dad's used to joke about how we would grow up and get married. I, however, never saw James that way. We were more like siblings. We only hung out in the Summer, though as I really didn't like his friends and how he acted around them. I also had Lily, who couldn't stand the sight of James. I had tried to convince her he wasn't that bad but it didn't really work:

"Not that bad? Oh please, he's an arrogant toerag who only thinks about himself and his precious friends." She had said. Lily had then gone on to insult all four boys in turn only laying off Remus a tiny bit. I decided to give up on convincing her and just tolerate her hatred for him.

I quickly ragged a brush through my untamed mane of brown hair. I never really gave that much thought to how I looked but I knew James would greet me with endless teasing if I was a total mess when he saw me. 

"Ok, the Potters are bringing one of James's school friends with them so I want you to play nice alright?" My mum told me after I had bounded down the stairs and stumbled into the kitchen. I groaned at the news. "Courtney..." My mum said, in a warning tone.

"Fine." I told her, knowing full well the chances of me playing nice if aggravated were slim.

"Courtney, promise you'll keep that temper of yours under control."

"I promise I'll try." I replied, my lips twitching at the corners. My mum smiled too, knowing that she wasn't going to get anything else from me. I strolled into the empty living room, the smile still on my face. "When's Dad home?"

"Whenever he walks through the door." My mum called back to me absent-mindedly.

My dad was a wizard, my mum was a muggle. I walked past the mantelpiece, looking at each photo. There were various ones of all four of us: me, my parents and my brother. The biggest one was of me and my brother on the cliffside, by the sea. My hair was blowing onto the side of my face and my brother kept looking at the camera and laughing. I laughed too. Me and my brother were close. He was a soldier at the time and he went to war straight after graduating Hogwarts. He wasn't interested in any wizarding professions so, instead, he went to war. Him being eighteen and full of life, I missed him. 

My thoughts about my brother were interupted by the doorbell ringing.

"I'll get it." My mother called, I heard the door open and my mum greet the Potters.

"Where's Court?" James asked.

"In there." My mum answered. 

I turned to see James standing in the doorway. He didn't look much different to the last time I saw him; his black hair pointing in all directions, his glasses askew, a grin plastered across his face. We looked at each other for a moment before he crossed the room in a single stride and engulfed me in a hug.