Matchmakers - Sirius Black

Chapter 25

"I promise you'll be safe here, Jellybean."

The eighteen month year old girl looks up at her father flashing the toothless smile she always gives when she sees him, "I'll be back for you tomorrow, we love you."

Annabelle walks over placing a hand on Sirius' back as she leans down to kiss her daughter's cheek, "Mummy loves you, Alexandra."

Sirius offers the best smile he can and tickles his daughter causing her to let out a load of childish giggles, "Dada loves you."

The pair look at each other with wide eyes as their daughter's hair turns from its usual black like her father's, to a blonde that matches her mother's, then to red like Lily's and finally a grey like the colour of her blanket before settling back to its dark colour.

"W-What?"

"Bye-bye, Dada."

"The Metamorphmagus genes must run in the black family."

The pair chuckle and watch as the baby giggles as her hair changes back to blonde again, "You're amazing, Jellybean."

"Mummy and daddy loves you," Annabelle says wrapping the blanket around the girl, "We'll be back, Aunt Lily and Uncle James will watch over you for us."

Sirius moves the black hair from the baby's face smiling softly as he kisses her cheek and blows raspberries into the chubby baby's cheek.

"She'll be fine, we'll watch her." Lily says as she walks in and smiles at the couple who leave reluctantly.

~~~~~

The mission went wrong in so many ways.

What was supposed to be a simple rescue mission turned out to be an ambush. The second the pair arrived Death Eaters swarmed them.

Mad-Eye Moody and Kingsley arrived not long after them and took on one half while the young couple took on the other.

Panting heavily Sirius glances around for his wife, "Crucio!"

The scream echoes through the forest. Eyes wide and heart pounding he follows the noise casting spells at every Death Eater he comes across not missing one shot as one thing swims through his head. Belle.

It takes him ten minutes to find her, ten agonizing minutes to find the source of the screams, and when he finally does, her body falls limp to the ground, her legs twitch and her breathing is uneven and shallow.

The rage bubbles inside of him as he yells the killing curse, not caring about the life he just took he kneels beside Annabelle.

"B-Belle? Hey, shh, come on."

He gently lifts her into his lap, "Expecto Patronum!" The dog leaps from his wand and runs to find the other aurors.

"P...P-Paddy?"

He smiles down at her ignoring the sting of tears as he moves the hair from her face. Red paints her lips as a trickle of blood falls from her mouth, "Stay with me, okay? Stay with me."

She shakes her head, not able to speak as she feels her life draining away, Sirius grabs his wand and furiously muttering counter curses and spells under his breath.

She lifts her hand weakly pushing his wand away, "A-Alex."

"She's safe, she's okay, juts stay with me, please don't leave me-"

Again, she shakes her head, "S-Save her...Paddy. P-Protect her."

"We'll do it together, okay, we'll protect her together, just hang on-"

He stares down at her with sad eyes, "Y-You're...you're s-staring."

"I can't help it," He sniffles, "You're just s-so beautiful."

"Sirius," She says softly gaining his attention, "I-I love...love y-you."

He smiles at her, his eyes fixated on hers instead of the forest around them, "I love you too, now hang on, okay, just hang- Belle? B-Belle?"

He shakes her gently but her hand falls limp at her side and her blue eyes stare upwards at the canopy of trees around them, but the smile remains on her bloodied lips. "Belle?"

"Black? Is that you?" Kingsley calls as he and Mad-Eye approach.

Sirius turns around thankful to see his friends, "Please, you have to, you have to do something. Help her! Please, help her!"

Kingsley's eyes close briefly and he shakes his head as he kneels beside them, "She's gone, let her rest."

He gently closes her eyes and pushes the hair from her face before attempting to lift her away from Sirius whose grip only tightens, "No, l-let me carry her. Let me."