Disclaimer: Not mine.

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Sirius Black was, quite frankly, a simple man. Growing up as the Heir to a large and wealthy pure-blood family, having anything material that he wanted, living in lavish mansions and houses, these things were considered completely normal for him.

He'd hated every single minute of it.

When he had been a young child he'd just known that his family was wrong. Whenever they went to functions and saw others, he had seen genuine affection between members of other families, real emotion when they looked at each other, and he hadn't been able to help but wonder what was wrong with the House of Black.

They were cold, distant, and looked at each speculatively, calculating how useful the others were and how to use them. Pollux had seen his daughter Walburga as a way of wresting control from his cousin's line, Cygnus had seen his three daughters as mere pawns for political alliances, silently ashamed that he had only sired daughters, and Walburga herself had seen her sons – the Heirs – as proof that she was in control of the House of Black. Sirius had always known that his family was mad; after all, what sort of people married their own cousins? He himself had come close to being married off to Narcissa before he ran away like Andromeda. He had nothing against Narcissa personally, he had just been disgusted that his mother wanted him to marry a girl whose name was just a few branches over on the family tapestry.

He had always wanted a simple life; close friends, a loving family, a job that made him happy, a job that he chose for himself. He'd thought he had found it after graduating. James, Remus and Peter had been his family, his brothers, and Lily had fast become a sister that he loved to bicker with. He had signed up as an Auror, a career his parents would have deemed beneath them, and he'd been as happy as he thought he would ever be. His life had finally been a life of his choosing and there had been no way it could get better.

Then he had been partnered in training with Amelia Bones.

He'd been more or less blown away by her. She'd been a strong woman just like the Black women, but with a warmth his female relatives lacked. She'd had a sharp tongue, a dry sense of humour, and the warmest smile he had ever seen. He'd argued with her constantly but there had always been an undercurrent of humour. Their interactions had been characterised by reciprocated insults, playful in their nature, with a mutual understanding that they were only joking. A tension had existed between them for months before it snapped in the aftermath of an attack on Diagon Alley where they'd finally admitted what everyone else had already figured out, and immediately began dating.

The two had been consummately professional at work but in private they'd fit together so well it was bizarre. Banter and insults and playful teasing, the relationship went both ways and neither of them had ever felt bored. She'd gotten on well exceedingly well with the other Marauders and Lily, so well in fact that to Sirius her presence had never felt even the slightest bit forced.

Her relationship with Lily had been especially strong as the two women bonded over dating such idiots – as they'd reminded James and Sirius constantly. Lily had even said that if her and Alice hadn't been best friends for years Amelia would have definitely been Rose's godmother.

There had never been a moment that Sirius felt awkward about Amelia's transition into a focal point of his life; their relationship had felt so right that every moment together Sirius felt ecstatic over his happiness.

His worrying on the other hand had been a different case entirely.

Sirius was a man who was a prankster at heart, a man who flirted shamelessly with any woman he could find, and a man who seemed so at peace with himself that it had taken Amelia a while to realise that he had been afraid she would leave him at some point.

Amelia had long since come to the conclusion that, name aside, Sirius wasn't really a Black, but she hadn't quite realised the impact of growing up in such a politically-driven household. He had charmed her immediately and she'd put him to the test making sure that he had been genuine in his feelings for her. When they'd finally gotten together she'd been ecstatic that she had a partner that was so firm in his convictions that he would publicly oppose the House of Black.

When she had realised his confidence issues she immediately began her mission to prove him wrong. For Sirius, she'd felt that her actions would go further than her words in reassuring him. She'd introduced him to her parents and her siblings, telling them of her plans for the future and including Sirius in all of them in a manner that made it very clear that he was considered an integral part of said future. It would have taken a blind man not to realise how obviously she cared for him, and Sirius had honestly nearly cried when he'd figured out what she meant by her actions.

He wasn't used to such affection and devotion especially from someone he'd known for less than a year. Even with the Marauders it had taken a long time for him to fully trust that they wouldn't drop him once they got bored. Growing up as a Black he had been conditioned to think of familial relationships as cold and manipulative, and yet he had been with a woman determined to prove him wrong about everything.

Not a few years after school and he had been a qualified Auror with one of his best friends, had his own place to live, and was engaged to his girlfriend. What could possibly go wrong?

As it turned out, a lot. From Lily ending up pregnant, to the Potters going into hiding, to the rampant suspicion amongst their friends, Sirius had been breaking. Every day there had been more news about attacks and murders, and every time he'd been assigned a case he'd dreaded being the one that found someone he knew, dead before his very eyes. He might have projected an air of Gryffindor optimism, but he had honestly been waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And drop it did. Halloween of nineteen eighty-one, his entire life had come crashing down around him. His friends dead, Rose taken, and Peter, his friend – no, not friend, cowardly bastard, betrayed James and Lily, lied to us, enemy – had led his friends to their death.

Blacking out and waking up in prison had just been the icing on the cake of the shit-fest his life had become. He was in prison, his friends were dead, his baby goddaughter was fuck knows where, and Amy, his Amy, thought he was a traitor and murderer. You are a Black, you know. She won't be surprised, I bet she's suspected you were like this all along. You don't honestly think she loved you, do you? What can you offer her? A husband with enough issues to fill a Mind-Healer's pockets for life? A family of crazies who wouldn't hesitate to kill her? It can't be the money, it's not like you have too much of that either.

Over and over and over again. Thought swirling in his head. Whispers floating round and round. Every single depressing thought, looping in his mind, reminding him of all the reasons that Sirius Black was worthless. He might not have directly responsible for James and Lily's murders, but he didn't help them as he should have. And Rose, why didn't he just take Rose?

Azkaban was more than a prison in the physical sense, it was a mental prison. It searched inside a person looking for what would make them crumble, before trapping those very thoughts in an endless loop. It was a prison designed to make the inmates relive every single thing they had ever regretted inside their minds without escape.

Ten years of depression, and bone-deep cold, before his personal warmth had stalked into his hell with a controlled fury, then whisked him away to the Ministry and explained he was getting a trial, that Dumbledore had known he was innocent, that she knew he was innocent.

She knew. When they were alone her mask had broken and so had she. She'd looked as guilty as he felt about James and Lily, and she'd apologised over and over again. The woman had promised his freedom and said he would understand how soon enough, that she couldn't tell him lest it be overheard.

The days up to and during the trial were a blur, vague images of his freedom and Moony until being told that small – tiny, too small, why? – girl was Rose, Bambi, his goddaughter, and suddenly he was free, living with a house of talkative paintings, house-elves, Moony, and Rose.

Sirius honestly couldn't believe the last few months; he was free, he had a home, and he had a fiancée once more. And he had a daughter. He had a daughter. He'd cried at home after that hug with Rose as had Remus. They knew that they had failed her in many ways no matter what she said, and they felt truly blessed that such an amazing girl loved them enough to want to be their daughter. James and Lily's portraits were likewise enthusiastic that there were people around to care for and raise their daughter, even if she was mentally an adult. (They were also very determined to use Sirius and Remus to enact revenge on their daughter's behalf.)

His life was now back to what he wanted it to be: simple. It was simple in how he had the things he wanted and he was wanted in turn. He had friends and family, a job he enjoyed with his friend, and a child to raise. Even if time travel shenanigans were involved he was happy. His life was perhaps a little insane now even if it was simultaneously uncomplicated. He wouldn't take it for granted though; the people he had now more than made up for any absurdity.

He looked over at his fiancée who was shaking with laughter at whatever Augusta had said. The others weren't much better and he thought he saw Moony nearly fall off his seat. The empty bottles of wine on the table were a fairly big clue that the guests at Longbottom Hall weren't as sober as they thought they were.

Augusta had invited him, Remus, Amelia and the Tonks' for dinner and to vaguely discuss the goings on at Hogwarts and in general. The Tonks' and Augusta weren't privy to Rose's accidental trip through time, but they were aware of her childhood and Dumbledore's manipulation of the Potter will. The look on Andromeda's face had been enough proof that, while she might have been disinherited no-one ever really stops being a Black. Suffice it to say everyone was fairly pissed off at the Headmaster, but they put that aside while they enjoyed discussing the children at Hogwarts.

The Longbottom Regent was heartened to find that her grandson was coming out of his shell and maintaining a high average in his work, but was most excited about him making true friends. She knew that she had been too harsh on him – Amelia wasn't known for holding back with words – but she hoped that their relationship could improve as he gained in confidence. His excellent grades in Herbology and above-average scores in Charms made her truly regret how she'd raised him, but she was so proud that she shed a tear or two in the privacy of her study.

Likewise, Sirius and Remus were exchanging letters with Rose every few days and were elated and relieved that she was doing okay. They didn't care about her Sorting but they were worried that she would have trouble with her classmates due to her adult mentality. Sirius wanted his daughter to have fun but wouldn't give a fuck if she left because of boredom. He did think it was funny that she was being praised as a prodigy when he knew she'd barely done any work the first time around.

He was especially happy that Rose and Amelia had a good relationship. He couldn't imagine what he would have done if they hadn't, but the truth was they wrote to each other weekly and Amelia said that she couldn't wait to see Rose again which made him practically giddy.

He seemingly had a perfect life again but he wouldn't be complacent this time. He hated his family with a passion but he couldn't deny their efficiency at protecting what was theirs. He had already definitively made sure that Rose was his Heiress and that after her, her future children would inherit the Black family so no Malfoys would be gaining control of his assets. The properties had been re-warded and most vaults absorbed into one that only a few people had access to.

He wanted the Black family to stay in control of someone he trusted if he had no other children and Rose was literally the only option. Narcissa honestly wasn't that bad, but her stupid peacock of a husband was, and from what he knew of their son he was so spoiled that Sirius thought he'd squander the Black fortune in less than a year if he had control. Nymphadora might have been able to take over but she had already turned down the offer – vehemently and loudly.

He and Remus were slowly going through the properties and putting away the darker things that could be kept and only throwing things away if necessary. Rose was still vaguely furious that Molly Weasley had had the audacity to throw away the Black family heirlooms as if they were hers, and had asked her new dads if they would make sure the family legacy was kept if possible. Sirius agreed somewhat, and made sure that his things would stay in place with some well-placed wards.

Kreacher was always going to be an issue until Rose had sat down and explained the truth behind Regulus' disappearance to Sirius. His brother, his stupid baby brother, had decided to be a Gryffindor at the worst possible moment and sacrificed himself in a monumentally brave move against Voldemort. After he calmed down from crying he and Kreacher had come to an accord which became true devotion when Sirius had returned from a trip to Gringotts with a cleansed locket.

After bursting into tears and being given Regulus' prefect badge, Kreacher had done a one-eighty and started wearing a uniform with the Black crest on it with the badge pinned proudly to his chest. He'd even helped Sirius move Walburga's portrait to a room with the other portraits before beginning a crusade to clean every inch of Grimmauld Place before moving onto the next Black property with some other Black elves, including Winky. Sirius had taken her on after the Crouch trials as Barty Crouch Sr.'s mother had been Charis Black Crouch. As her masters were cousins to the Black family, Winky saw no problem working with the family and unknowingly just barely avoided a life of alcoholism.

Sirius Black's crusade against the bad history of the Black family was helped immensely by his position as Head of House, and aside from fixing the properties the first major decision he made as Lord Black not a few days before Halloween cemented his views irrevocably. He dissolved the marriage between one Rodolphus Lestrange and Bellatrix Black and cast Bellatrix out of the family for good.

Nobody knew it just yet, but Sirius had started his cousin and her family's quick journey to death, though it wouldn't be discovered for a week that Frank and Alice Longbottom's attackers had finally gotten what they deserved.

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Oh Gods. I am on my periods and in pain. So I will probably not update tomorrow. So, yeah. FUCK!!!!

2713 words.