Arabella Black, The Daughter Of Padfoot (Redux)

Chapter 1

"The war is over. Voldemort is dead. Why are you risking everything we've built? Everything we've fought for?" Diana pleaded. "Peter is a rat, he'll get what's coming to him."

Sirius growled. "We were his friends - his brothers! He doesn't deserve to walk away after what he's done."

"But it's not your responsibility to dole out justice! You have a child. She's your responsibility now and I can't do this without you, I won't."

Sirius gathered his distraught wife in his arms and held her tightly as she sobbed against him. "My beautiful Furryclaw." He grinned as she softly laughed against him. "Nothing will take me away from you but I need to do this - for James and Lily."

Diana looked up into his steely blue eyes and sighed, "I can't talk you out of this, can I?"

He kissed her head before turning to their daughter, who was happily babbling in her high chair behind them.

"Da! Da!" Arabella squealed, her tiny hands grasping for Sirius. "Da! Da!"

With a toothy smile, Sirius lifted Arabella and tucked her against his side. "Will you be a good girl for mummy while I'm gone, Arabella?"

Arabella grabbed a handful of his hair and tugged passionately.

Sirius winced. "I know you like daddy's hair but we talked about this; only mummy can pull daddy's hair." He pried Arabella's fingers from his hair with a laugh.

Diana tried to glare at him but she couldn't help but melt at Arabella giggling along with Sirius. She would be devastated if she never heard their heartfelt laughter again.

"Sirius..."

With a final kiss to Arabella's rosy cheeks, Sirius handed her to Diana with a cheeky grin. "I solemnly swear, I'll be back before you know it."

With a swift flick of his wrist, Sirius Black was gone.

Diana clutched the rejection letter to her chest and swallowed a sob.

Sirius had confronted Peter, according to the Ministry Agents who knocked on her door the next morning. Her husband had leveled a street in muggle London with a curse so powerful it killed twelve muggles and Peter. They even had proof that Sirius betrayed the Potters but Diana knew the truth.

That lying, no good rat framed Sirius. He probably wasn't even dead, Peter was always slimy like that. She begged the Ministry to listen but they didn't believe her and Sirius was sentenced to life in Azkaban - case closed.

She kept trying to reopen the case but the letter pressed against her heart was just another reminder that Diana only succeeded in failing - failing James and Lily, failing Frank and Alice, failing Sirius, failing Arabella.

Arabella. Her beautiful baby girl was growing up so quickly without her daddy and if Diana was being honest, it just wasn't the same raising her without him. Of course, she wasn't raising Arabella alone. Remus Lupin was a little rough around the edges but he was nothing but a godson.

Sirius would've loved seeing his best friend wrapped around his daughters finger.

Diana stood, dropping the rejection letter in the rubbish bin before stepping into the lounge. Arabella was sitting on the shag carpet, watching the television with eyes too sad for such a small girl.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"When is daddy coming home?"

The innocent question never failed to break Diana's heart. She sat next to her daughter, gently running her hand through Arabella's wild curls. "I miss him too." She sighed, "Are you hungry?"