Till Forever Falls Apart

The attic smelled of dust and time, filled with old trunks, forgotten books, and relics of a past that refused to be buried. Marcus ran a hand over a battered box, tilting his head as he peered inside. Stacks of photographs, some moving, some still, were piled inside, pieces of a time never forgotten.

Sirius let out a low whistle, brushing a layer of dust off an old frame. "Merlin, I haven't been up here in years."

Marcus reached in, pulling out a moving picture. The sepia-toned image showed three children—two boys and a girl. The girl stood between them, her arms slung around their shoulders, grinning with the kind of pure, unburdened joy that war would later steal from them. Sirius was smirking as he tickled the younger boy, who squirmed and laughed, pushing him away.

"Who's this?" Marcus asked, holding up the photograph.

Sirius took one glance and chuckled, shaking his head. "Bloody hell, I forgot about this one." He took the picture, his thumb running over the edges. "That's us—the Black siblings. Me, Aurora, and Regulus. Meda took it the day we left for Hogwarts. Look at Reg, all innocent. Who'd have thought he'd grow up to outsmart all of us?"

Remus leaned over, peering at the photograph with a soft smile. "And Aurora... she looks so happy."

"She was," Sirius murmured, his voice quieter now. "For a while."

Marcus watched the image, mesmerized by the way Aurora's eyes lit up, so full of life. He turned to Sirius. "What was she like? The first time they all met?"

Sirius exhaled a laugh. "You want to know about the first time she met James? Oh, that's a story."

Remus smiled, shaking his head. "It was on the train, wasn't it?"

Sirius grinned. "Oh, yes. And it was memorable."

***

Hogwarts Express,
First Year,
Autumn, 1971

The Hogwarts Express was filled with chatter and excitement, the kind that only came from first-years experiencing the first step of their magical education. Eleven-year-old James Potter pushed open the door of a compartment, his face alight with curiosity and mischief.

"Oi, this one's empty!" he called over his shoulder. Behind him, a lanky boy with tired eyes and a mop of brown hair peered in hesitantly.

"I suppose we could sit here," Remus Lupin muttered, dragging his trunk inside.

A blond-haired boy with round cheeks stumbled in after them. "Blimey, James, you didn't have to run ahead!"

"Oh, come on, Peter. We've got prime seating now," James said, plopping himself down. He pulled out his wand, immediately trying to make a chocolate frog hop back into its box.

The door slid open again, and this time, two figures stood in the doorway. One was a dark-haired boy with wide, silver eyes full of mischief. The other was a girl—his twin, identical in some ways but wildly different in presence.

She surveyed the group with her gray eyes, arms crossed. "Is this compartment full?"

James, without hesitation, grinned. "Only with our big personalities. But we could squeeze you in."

Sirius pushed past his sister to enter the compartment. "Brilliant. Thought I'd have to sit with that pompous Malfoy the whole ride."

Aurora rolled her eyes and nudged him hard with her elbow. "You act like you're not just as pompous half the time."

Sirius gasped in mock offense. "Excuse me? I am a delight. A menace, sure, but pompous? That's just cruel, Rory."

Aurora smirked. "Call me Rory again, and I'll tell Mother about the time you mixed Kreacher's tea with soap."

Sirius scoffed. "Please, like she doesn't already suspect me of everything." He turned to the others. "I am Sirius Black and this, dear friends, is my charming twin sister, Aurora Black. She's got a sharp tongue, a terrifying glare, and somehow still manages to be Mother's favorite."

Aurora gave a mock bow. "Charmed, I'm sure."

Remus, his warm smile and twinkling eyes radiating friendliness, and Peter, his slightly timid demeanor revealing a hint of shyness, stepped forward to introduce themselves first, making space for the Black Twins to sit with them.

James puffed out his chest. "James Potter, professional troublemaker, Quidditch star-in-the-making, and future most beloved student at Hogwarts."

Aurora stared at him for a long moment before deadpanning, "I highly doubt that."

Peter snorted, Remus coughed to hide a laugh, and Sirius grinned widely. "Oh, I like him already, Rory."

James clutched his chest dramatically. "Wounded. And here I thought we'd be best friends."

Aurora smirked, sliding into the seat beside her brother. "We just met, and I already have a feeling you're going to be insufferable."

"And yet," James shot back, "I have a feeling you'll grow to adore me."

Aurora rolled her eyes, but there was the smallest hint of a smile at the corner of her lips. "Keep dreaming, Potter."

James grinned wider. "Every night, Black. Every night."

The train let out a loud whistle, signaling their journey ahead. And with it, the first seeds of something extraordinary had been planted.

***

Present Day

"He was right, you know," Sirius mused, still looking at the photograph. "She did grow to adore him. More than any of us ever realized."

Marcus leaned back against an old trunk, staring at the image of three laughing children, untouched by the war and tragedy that lay ahead. "She was brilliant, wasn't she?"

Remus smiled. "Brilliant doesn't even begin to cover it."

Sirius exhaled, placing the photo back in the box. "Come on, let's head back with these before James starts telling the kids some ridiculous story about how he single-handedly defeated a hippogriff at eleven."

Marcus chuckled but couldn't shake the lingering thought as they made their way downstairs with the boxes.

Aurora had been brilliant. But the world had never been fair to brilliance like hers.