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Dear Aspen,
I know you weren't real. I know I was going mad, and you weren't real. But it felt real.
Sirius Black
THE NEXT DAY... SIRIUS BLACK
"You want to do what?" James exclaimed. We were sitting in our dorm after lessons and I had just told them my plan. I sat on my bed, and Aspen was next to me, leaning against the bedpost with her arms crossed. She even smelled like herself. It was strange. Nobody else could see her or hear her. But I could. "Sirius, I know you miss her. We all do. But this is mad." James said. "No, it's not." I said plainly. "Let me get this straight. You want to play detective and find out who killed Aspen." Remus said. I nodded. "And then what?" he asked. I glanced up at Aspen. "Don't look at me. It was your plan." she said. "I know but you said-" I started. "Who the hell are you talking to?" Peter said. I looked at him sharply. They were looking at me like I was mad. Maybe I was. "Don't you guys want justice? Doesn't Aspen deserve justice?" I said. "You know we do." James said. "Her life is over. So why does her killer just go unaffected?" I asked. "He's got a point." Peter mumbled. James and Remus looked at eachother. "Up to you, Prongs. I think he's lost his mind so maybe you should do the thinking." Remus said. I looked at James with pleading eyes. "Fine. But we keep this between us." James said. "Don't tell Lily." Aspen said. I looked at her. "Why?" I asked. "You guys get her in enough trouble. I don't want her involved in this." she said. "She could help." I said. "No. I said no." she said. "Fine." I grumbled. "Sirius, are you doing ok?" James said, looking at me with concern. I shrugged. "I'm fine." I said. They exchanged worried looks. "I am." I said. "They probably think you've gone mad." she said with a smirk. "Well, who's fault is that?" I said, smirking back at her. "Sirius-" Remus said. I looked at him and he forced a smile. "Who are you talking to?" he asked. "Nobody. I was just thinking." I said. "Ok. Where do we start?" James asked. "We trace her steps from that day." I said. I glanced up at her and she shrugged. "I can't help you." she said. "Thanks a lot." I grumbled. "Well, we know she had lessons with us." Peter said. "Then after that, you screamed at her in the library." Remus said. My face fell. "Remus-" James started. I looked at her. "I didn't mean it." I said. She smiled. "I know." she said. "Where did she go in between that and seeing us in the common room?" Peter asked. "That's what we have to find out." James said. We all nodded and made a plan.
By the end of the day, we had a plan. We had a list of students who she might have hung out with and places she might have gone. We had to check each one and hopefully produce some results. "Alright, this weekend, we'll go to each spot and ask around to see if she was there that day." James said. "Once we find out where she was, we can figure out exactly who was there. One of those people might be her killer." Remus said. I looked at Aspen and she was smiling. "What?" I asked. "I'm proud of them." she said. "Me too." I said with a smile.
3 DAYS LATER... JAMES POTTER
"He's lost his mind." Remus exclaimed. "No, he hasn't. He's grieving." I said. "James, he's gone mad. Admit it." Peter said. "He loved her. More than any of us. Admit that." I snapped. Remus rolled his eyes at me. "He thinks she is here. He talks to her like she's in the room. And I genuinely think he's seeing things. I think he sees Aspen." Remus said. "So what if he does?! Would that be the worst thing?" I asked. Remus stared at me. "Is that a joke?" he asked. "No. If he can see her and talk to her then that's a good thing. He doesn't have to be sad." I said. Remus sighed. "Prongs, none of us want him to be sad. But he can't just pretend she's alive for the rest of his life, babbling to a figment of his imagination." Remus said. I buried my face in my hands and exhaled heavily. "I know." I mumbled. "Look, he wants justice for Aspen. And we'll find her killer. But if this doesn't stop after that, we're telling McGonagall and she can get him a mind healer." Remus said. I looked at him quickly, opening my mouth to speak. But he cut me off. "It's the right thing, James. You know it is." he said. I nodded. "Fine. We find her killer and give him a chance to move on." I said. They nodded.
