"We loved with a love that was more than love."-Edgar Allen Poe (Annabel Lee)

The day started out perfect. The sky was a beautiful blue--not a cloud darkened the sun or dampened the mood of the day. It seemed like such a normal morning that neither of the boys currently residing at Number 12 Grimmauld Place expected the twist the day would soon take. The peaceful silence was interrupted by a persistent scratching on the door; at first Remus pushed it off as a lost owl. However, the scratching soon became too much.

While grumbling about his reading being interrupted, he opened the door. He looked around and saw nothing out of place. He was just about to close the door when he heard a small meow. He looked down and saw a black cat. Its stance was very regal, and yet relaxed. It had an air about it that reminded him of memories long forgotten: ones of mischief, ones of companionship, ones of love.
Memories of his school years rose in his mind's eye, but he shook his head to clear them away.
He felt a pain in his heart as he remembered the one who had captured it so many years ago...when he was no older than Harry is now. He shook his head to clear the thoughts; it did no good to dwell on things one could not change. He was just about to shoo away the cat when it walked in as if it owned the place, and Remus was simply a trespasser. Remus chuckled softly, once again reminded of an old friend. He smiled and said, "Now where have you been, little missy? We've been looking for you all week."
The cat's eyes twinkled as if she was laughing, almost as if she thought that it was funny to have worried Remus. As he continued talking to the cat, Sirius walked into the kitchen.
"Moony, who are you talking-cat! You found her?!" Remus chuckled at the dramatic entrance of his friend.
"Yes, Sirius. I did." Sirius hid a smile, but didn't say another word. Though he wouldn't admit it, he had grown fond of the cat that had been with Remus for fourteen years.
A week later, both boys had gotten so used to the cat once again that even Sirius would pet it every once in awhile if he let his guard down. It was quite a sight to see big bad Sirius--who always insisted he was a dog person--pretending he didn't like the cat.
One fair and bright afternoon, they couldn't find her anywhere. Their first thought was to call "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," all over the house, but they never did find her.
As Remus was on his final pass of the hall, he was still calling to try and draw his unlikely friend out. He got to the end of the hallway and noticed that one door was partially open. Remus paused as he realized what room it was. This had been the girls' bedroom once upon a time. The memory always brought him to tears. He swallowed his fear as he pushed it open the rest of the way, his heart pounding in his chest the entire time. The hinges squealed from their misuse as the now open door fully exposed the room.
Remus allowed his eyes to roam the room, taking in every forgotten detail.
First, his eyes landed on the left side of the room. There was no doubt in his mind that this had been Jasmine's side. It was a mess; clothes were thrown everywhere, and trash from candy wrappers were all over the floor. He laughed slightly as he thought about how many fights Jasmine and James had gotten into because she was always creating a mess. He shook his head as he continued, laughing to himself as he realized that the middle portion was Lily's side. He could tell because it was military style neat. Not a thread on the bed was out of place. Every picture was straight, and it was very organized. He thought about how many times the others would beg her to make a mess just once. She never did. As his eyes roamed to the next portion of the room, he could feel his heart stop. The room was a cross between Lily's and Jasmine's. It was not perfectly neat, nor was it complete chaos. There was clearly a method to the madness, even if the owner of that particular side was the only one who understood it. He was upset to find that the details he once could recall so consistently were slipping from him. He could no longer recall the exact shade of Lily's hair or the precise shade of Jasmine's eyes or the perfect curve of Jessica's lips. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to remember the finer details of his favorite memories. Sure, they had pictures stored away for when Harry got a little older, but as he himself aged, perhaps he needed to look at them as well.
He saw the cat sitting on Jessica's bed, and he smiled.
"There you are," he said softly, relief filling his voice. He walked over and carefully sat on the bed before pulling the cat into his lap.
"I know," he whispered softly.
"I miss her too." He didn't know how long he sat there until the cat started demanding to be let down.
She walked down the stairs, a clear destination in mind. Remus found her in the kitchen, pawing at Sirius's foot.
Sirius looked up when she meowed.
"What do you want?" He asked the cat, annoyed. Her eyes twinkled with laughter as she walked to an open space in the room and transformed.
The cat steadily got taller, her sleek black fur transformed into long dark locks of black hair, and beautiful ringlets fell down to her shoulders. Her skin was the color of a porcelain doll with rosy cheeks to match. She looked as if she had barely aged a day in fourteen years. She had smile lines around her eyes and a few gray hairs, but to Sirius, she was still just as beautiful as the day he lost her.
He didn't stop to think before she was in his arms, his face buried in her hair as he took in the scent of coconuts and flowers and something so uniquely "Jasmine" that it made his heart swell with joy. Pulling her into a searing kiss, their lips molded together as their tongues danced. He pulled her closer, letting her feel all of his love and commitment that he had kept inside for way too long.
However, something that good and pure could never last. The joy he felt soon turned to rage as he realized what her being back meant: she had left him. This realization caused him to push her away.
His eyes burned with fire from the depths of Hell. She backed into the wall, tripping over her feet to get away from him. All he did was follow after her, pinning her against the wall. His anger blinded him to who he was actually yelling at. All he saw was red as he looked toward the girl he loved more than anything else. His happiness at her being back paled next to all the anger he had held in for so long.
"You've been alive? This whole goddamn time that I've suffered, and you've been alive? I rotted in that jail cell for twelve fucking years because I thought I had nothing left to lose. I lost everything the day that I lost you, and the first thing to go was my sanity. I laughed when I thought Peter was dead because-" His anger suddenly overtook his disbelief, and he couldn't help but start screaming at her.
"WHAT ELSE COULD I FUCKING DO?! I LOST EVERYTHING! I THOUGHT IT WAS ONE BIG FUCKING JOKE BECAUSE OF COURSE THE UNIVERSE WOULD MAKE ME SUFFER. But no. You're alive, and you left me just like everyone else in my pathetic life.You-you didn't think of the Hell you would be putting me through? I spent twelve years in Azkaban because I had nothing left to lose. I lost James, Lily, Remus, Harry, Peter, Jessica, and you. I lost everything. I didn't think you had a choice in leaving me. But now that I know you're alive? All of that pain is back. You leaving hurt me the most, but at least if you were dead, then you didn't leave me. Now you're back, and I'm supposed to be okay? Did you think that I would just be happy that you're back and forget that I have already grieved over you? To me, you've been dead for fourteen years, and I'm not sure it wouldn't be better if you actually were." His eyes fell down away from her face to hide the tears. She moved in to hug him, but he pulled away.
"Please, Jasmine, just don't." He walked up the stairs to his room, locking the door behind him.
Jasmine didn't turn around as she felt tears in her eyes before Remus spoke.
Remus sighed in frustration, "Why? Why did you do it? Did you think we would be okay without you? That we would barely notice that you were gone? That everyone was gone? He was devastated. I was devastated. We both needed you and you left. Not a word from you in fourteen years, and you were right under our noses. You should have come forward sooner. Maybe then you would have had a better reaction."
Jasmine just sighed, "I know Rem. I know I messed up. I know that what I did was selfish and wrong. I hear Jess's voice every day telling me that. I can never make this up to him."
He shrugged, "You will. He's just angry right now."
"I don't think that I can afford to get my hopes up," she sighed, looking up the stairs like she was desperate to follow
"Trust me. I know him. I've spent the last two years with him. He's missed you."
She tore her eyes away from the stairs and looked down. "I wouldn't blame him if he never forgave me."
"You know what? I wouldn't either. You don't deserve his forgiveness after what you did. What the Hell were you thinking?"
"I wasn't, Rem. I knew that I had to keep him safe and that Voldemort would come after me next, and pretending that I was dead was the best way to do that. You think you're the only one who lost someone that day? You lost your best friends; I lost the only family I had left.¨