Harry Potter and The Beauty of Magic Chapter 5 (The End of The First Wizarding War) (Patreon)

Today is my birthday, so I made an early update for all of my stories, I hope you enjoy it.

Bellatrix

The snow swirled and danced around Diagon Alley. Christmas was just around the corner, and witches and wizards everywhere were eager to enjoy it, feeling it was more of a reason to celebrate than ever before. They could be seen running from store to store carrying large parcels and presents while several owls flitted in and out of the Owl Postal Outlet bearing loads greater in size than themselves...

Five figures cloaked in black marched purposefully across the square; the man in the lead had a pale, pointed face and his blonde hair barely hid his reddening ears. They were the only ones that seemed to feel the cold and were not running around happily celebrating, but no one was paying them any attention. Everyone was far too happy that He Who Must Not Be Named had been destroyed - killed - whatever happened to him on Halloween, no one even cared. The important thing was that he was gone, and they all had that Potter boy to thank.

The group of five walked past all the brightly lit stores and straight down the long narrow road that led to Knockturn Alley without so much as glancing at one another. They wanted to look as inconspicuous as possible, and there they would not look out of place - it was a surreal contrast. Where Diagon Alley had red bows and shiny gold balls in the windows; many of the windows down here were covered in slimy moss green curtains drawn shut; silvery minuscule writings on the doors saying the stores will be closed until further notice. While up there people were happy and celebrating; down here most were mourning.

The blonde walked over to a particularly ratty building - more of a shack or an old Muggle outhouse, and tapped his wand against three boards twice; the others finally looking puzzled to one another. The boards were so old and the wind was blowing so hard it was amazing that they didn't snap off and blow away. Instead, the shack's door creaked open and the pale man walked through, and the others followed quickly - eager to take off their heavy and soaking wet cloaks.

Once inside they could see they were in an elegant foyer of what seemed to be a hotel; a sign was hovering over the large mahogany reception desk that read "The Highborn Inn". An aging, balding man greeted them and took the pale man's cloak.

"Mr. Malfoy, so good to see you. I have your usual room reserved and waiting if you would follow me." They silently followed him through a long corridor sparsely lit by floating candles which seemed to follow and hover over them until they reached a door numbered six; which swung open as they approached.

"You will not be disturbed here."

"Thank you Cadmus, there will be one more to join us, send him this way." Lucius seemed to attempt a smile that appeared more of a grimace, and handed the man a small bag which chinked with the sound of gold coins.

The man politely nodded and retreated out the door, leaving the others to quickly run around the room putting hexes and Impurturbable Charms on the windows, doors, and empty portraits that were hanging on the wall. They were finally able to go to the end of the room where a large conference table was situated by the fire.

They took their seats and waited until finally the witch couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Lucius! It has been too long! I refuse to believe that He had been defeated by a child not much younger than yours!"

"Calm down Bellatrix, it is nothing but a mere delay, I am certain we will be able to restore him to power. There is word..."

"Word?! I don't care about words! I want our master back!" Bellatrix shrieked. The two younger men looked anxiously at each other.

"Bella, listen to what Lucius has to say, will you?" The young man said gently. He was handsome, yet around his amber eyes were lines of worry and his light brown hair was matted from the wet snow.

"Rab - she just wants to see justice, we ALL do. I say we go and find that Potter boy and kill him ourselves."

This man appeared to be an older version of Rabastan, and had placed his hand affectionately on Bellatrix's shoulder.

"Who are we waiting on Lucius? I've had enough of the drama and the waiting - I want to do something!" The pale young man with the straw-coloured hair almost whined. "It's been one week - I agree with Rodulphus, let's kill him!"

"The four of you are so lacking in subtlety," Lucius said silkily, "that I am amazed that none of you have landed yourselves in Azkaban yet. The boy is under surveillance and protections, I have already looked into the matter. Killing him will not bring the Dark Lord back, we need another angle, and this man needs his anonymity in order to remain trusted by Dumbledore."

"If Dumbledore trusts him how the fuck could we?!" Bellatrix snarled.

"Bellatrix I see why you are so thin, I wouldn't want to eat with that mouth either," Lucius sneered. "Dumbledore is a trusting fool. Look at Pettigrew..."

"THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Bellatrix jumped up in her chair and pounded her tiny fist so hard on the table that the two younger men jumped. "It's HIS fault! HE gave Master that wrong information!"

"Ah, you see, now that is the angle my source is getting at. You do know why he went after the Potters, don't you?"

Bellatrix rolled her heavy-lidded eyes. "An overheard prophesy, right."

"There is a small chance that Potter was not the intended. The overheard bit of the Prophesy was that the one with the power to destroy the Dark Lord would be born to those who thrice defied him, at the end of July that year."

"What are you saying Lucius?" Rodolphus leaned forward in anticipation, the others had gone very quiet and were listening intently.

"I am saying, that word in the Ministry is that Potter lived possibly because his mother protected him..."

"Our marks disappeared, Lucius!" Barty said in an exasperated voice. "He's gone! Potter had to have finished him!"

"Indeed? Look closely," Lucius rolled up his own sleeve as the others began to do the same, and they could all see the faint, graying lines of their tattoos. "I believe he is still out there, hurt but nonetheless, still alive. He will return, and we will destroy this child who has done this."

A smile was slowly spreading across Bellatrix's face as she traced her finger over the Dark Mark.

"Lucius is right, I can feel his presence still - he's not dead. We've all done too much to prevent it!"

A quiet knock on the door made the five jump. Lucius went off and returned with a man who was wearing a heavy cloak and mask - he likely would have drawn attention to himself anywhere but in Knockturn Alley.

"My apologies," the man said quietly, taking a seat at the head of the table, next to Lucius. "It was more difficult to get away that I had anticipated."

"Who is the other boy?"

"Who's your source?!"

"How can you have Dumbledore's trust?!"

"SILENCE!" Lucius hissed. "You will treat my friend with respect, and as for his loyalties - the Dark Lord had insisted he get in good with Dumbledore before he had fallen!"

"I want proof that he is one of us!" Bella snapped.

"Very well, in answer to your questions, my sources will not be shared as I have very little trust there as it is, but the Potters are not the only ones who defied Him on three occasions. There are also the Longbottom's, and they had a son born just twelve hours before Potter, the day before in fact- and..." He pulled his sleeve up to reveal a long, thin, pale arm that bore the light traces of the Dark Mark, just as theirs. "My loyalties lie with the Dark Lord, I want him to regain his powers. You all know me quite well as one of you, however I cannot risk my name being dragged into this now that I have been doing his bidding and appearing to be reformed."

"And the fact that the Longbottom's are Aurors has escaped your mind?" Rabastan sneered. "I cannot believe you are wasting my time with this shit - what are we supposed to do?"

Bellatrix threw Rabastan a scathing look. "If it means bringing back the Dark Lord, I will go after anyone."

"Their defenses are weakened, they are no longer worried, and everyone is so excited for the coming holidays that a premeditated attack would be the very last thing they would expect. Now, they are very close with Dumbledore - I have seen them visiting his office on a few occasions with the boy."

"And if you're wrong and it doesn't bring Him back?" Bellatrix said quietly, but her eyes gleamed with a madness that told everyone she was already plotting the attack in her head.

"If he is wrong what is the big deal? We kill a couple of Aurors, it is a win-win situation." Lucius said impatiently. "We'll kill the boy - what's his name? Nerman?"

"Neville," The man replied coolly.

Barty Crouch just rolled his eyes. "Can we get on with the plan, then? My mother is expecting me for dinner tonight, and I don't want to disappoint her."

"And we don't need alibis thank you Lucius," Bellatrix said gloriously. "Whatever brings back our Master we will do perfectly, as He has taught us well enough - but you two go on with your throwing around gold and ass kissing of Muggle loving fools!"

Lucius exchanged looks of superiority with the masked man. If the other four were willing to be foolish then they would let them.

Frank

"One week today Hogwarts will be let out for Christmas holidays, and I cannot do it any sooner than that. I think Christmas Eve will be the least anticipated."

"Oh Frank! Help me!" Alice laughed and ran after Neville, who was running on very chubby and clumsy legs, laughing hysterically as he pulled tinsel off the Christmas tree.

"Alice, Alice... I keep telling you to put charms on the tree to keep him from doing that," Frank laughed and picked up Neville; who squealed with laughter.

"That ruins the fun and besides, your mum won't have anything to complain about tomorrow and what would Christmas be without that?"

"Oh ouch! Touche!" Frank beamed. "Yeah, I know she's overbearing and condescending - but that's what Mother-in-laws do, isn't it? Come on 'Ville! Let's go and poke our fingers in the Christmas pudding! Your mother worked for hours on the Marzipan layer..."

He tucked the boy under his arm and went into the kitchen just as his wife threw a bit of crumpled wrapping paper at his retreating head. He was always awed with her patience of his mother - he never had that. Mother had been so overbearing and protective that it was no wonder he had gone into such a dangerous line of work.

"Work that isn't so much in demand anymore though," he mused happily, sitting Neville in his high chair and handing him a sugar cookie. Just the other night he and Alice had talked of resigning from the Ministry and opening a nice little pub and restaurant in Hogsmeade, so that once Neville was old enough to go to school there, they would get to see him frequently. He had his misgivings still on the Death Eaters who remained at large and had honestly been mortified when Dumbledore had stood up for Snape - he and Alice had caught him red-handed!

"Dada!" Neville was pointing at the window. Frank looked up to see the snow was now coming down hard.

"Yes Neville, snow!" He smiled and pulled a bottle out of the icebox, thinking that after he had the tot in his crib he and Alice could enjoy a glass of wine together by the fire and he could give exchange gifts with her before Hurricane Mother arrived the next day and had them all on edge.

"DADA!" Neville said impatiently, now balling his little fists and rubbing his eyes. Frank could see that he was getting tired and wet a cloth to wipe away the crumbs from his round little face and his sticky little fingers.

"Getting tired 'Ville?" Frank smiled at his son adoringly as the little tyke yawned and stretched.

"DADA!" Neville was suddenly looking past his father with a look of fear Frank had never seen on the child's face, and he turned around to see a man with a black hood and mask standing in the kitchen with Bellatrix Lestrange; all with their wands out and poised at him.

"Expelliarmus!"

Frank watched in horror as his wand flew straight out of his hand and into the Hooded Man's, and turned even more shocked to see Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange, along with Barty Crouch Jr - pushing Alice into the kitchen at wand point.

"Ah, isn't this lovely?" Bellatrix said happily, looking around the kitchen and picking up cookies with false bemusement. "We decided to come by and wish you all a Merry Christmas!"

"Yes, especially young Newton here..." Barty sneered.

"That's Neville, Jr," the Hooded Man corrected happily. His voice sounded waspish and familiar to Frank, and he could see his cold black eyes boring into his from behind the mask.

"But he's gone! It's supposed to all be over..." Frank stammered, standing in front of Neville protectively as the young boy was now screaming hysterically.

"Someone shut that thing up?" Bella shouted angrily. "Silencio!"

Alice watched Neville's angry little mouth open in a silent scream; his round face red and tears streaming down his face.

"What do you want with him? What are you going to do?"

"Well, you'll never know, will you? See, we're going to kill you first." Barty Crouch said with a menacing grin.

"But first..." Bellatrix rounded on Alice with her wand raised. "You're going to tell us where the dark lord is!"

"What?! But we don't know!" Alice was terrified now, trying to reach into her pocket for the small handful of Floo powder she always carried around.

"YOU LIE! and we know it!" Bellatrix looked crazy with anger as she raised her wand at Alice.

CRUCIO!"

Frank made a move to rush to her as the other Lestrange's contributed their own Cruciatus curses against Alice at the same time. Bellatrix removed hers and walked over to Frank.

"Come on Mr. Longbottom... I'm sure you don't want to see your wife die... I'm sure this is not the last image you want your son to see... Where is the Dark Lord?"

The men paused their curses, leaving Alice gasping and sputtering on the floor.

"We don't know anything about Voldemort's whereabouts!"

"HOW DARE YOU BESMIRCH HIS NAME!" Bellatrix shrieked, cursing Alice again and hollering as she did it. "You say our Master's name again and Nigel there gets it!"

"Neville!" the hooded man hissed.

"Whatever!" Bellatrix was breathing hard, apparently exhausted from the efforts.

"We asked you WHERE he was! We want to know how to fucking bring him back!" Bellatrix snapped her fingers at the men who each raised their wands and hit Alice Longbottom with the curse again. Bellatrix looked like she was thriving off of the pain, enjoying it; reminding Frank ironically of the Dementors of Azkaban when they would steal someone's soul.

"If I knew anything I'd tell you just LEAVE MY WIFE AND SON ALONE!"

"Fine then, I guess we'll just take Newman and figure it all out ourselves, after we make you beg us to kill you."

Frank looked over at his wife; she was no longer writhing around in pain from the curse but was on her back with her eyes out of focus... twitching involuntarily. Her hand was outstretched and he could see small green grains of sand, and a trail of it that went from her to the fire. He only hoped that someone had gotten her message in time.

"BELLA!" Rabastan bawled angrily. "Just fucking kill them! Don't complicate it and draw it out!"

"No way! I want to have a bit of fun first! I hate Aurors!"

Frank took a quick glance again at the Hooded man to see he was advancing on Neville and made a move to attack him physically - but he heard Rodulphus Lestrange cry out "Crucio!" and was suddenly on the ground beside his wife, screaming as every bone in his body was burning madly. He was trying desperately to hold on, to fight it out so he could stop them from hurting his son; who was now squirming and screaming as the others tried to advance on him.

"Neville..."

The physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain of hearing his wife scream seeing his son cry in terror and not knowing what was to happen to him... the others were cursing him too... the room was swirling... Frank could see a white blinding light... everything blackened.

Lucius - Later

"'Ville!"

"Tea, Severus?"

"No, thank you," Severus said curtly, sitting in the darkened kitchen with a pale-faced Narcissa Malfoy. She didn't ask a lot of questions which was good, because he did not wish to answer any. They had failed. Hit Wizards had flooded the place and streamed in before they could finish of the job, blinding them all with Stunning Spells and they had just narrowly got away. Snape had managed to throw an Obliviating Charm at the boy before Apparating with Lucius to the Malfoy Manor. He had no idea where the others were, nor did he know how much Lucius's wife knew, as Lucius had disappeared again, saying that he had to 'take care of a few things quickly.

After two long hours of silence, Lucius finally appeared in the fire, coming through it and brushing the ashes off himself as his wife took his cloak from him quickly.

"Well?"

"They were taken to Saint Mungo's hospital," Lucius replied curtly, sitting himself down and taking a cup of tea in very shaky hands. "I told her to just fucking kill them! They wasted time - they deserve what they're getting."

"What?"

"The Longbottom's were tortured to insanity, but the Healers were able to get the other's names before I got to one of them with a bag of gold. As far as anyone knows, we weren't there."

"Didn't your being at Saint Mungo's look suspicious?" Severus asked casually, feeling relieved that his name wouldn't be dragged into it. Lying to Dumbledore took a lot of his energy at times.

"No, I was there to get a potion for Draco's flu," Lucius smirked and handed his wife a bottle, who in turn looked at him like he was an idiot.

"WE HAVE THE HOGWARTS POTIONS MASTER STAYING IN OUR HOME YOU IDIOT!"

She began pacing angrily in the kitchen, Severus could hear distant crying coming from upstairs. Though he knew it was only Draco wakened by his mother's scream, it gave him chills nonetheless. It was reminding him of another boy's screams as he looked into his eyes earlier, the young boy who if he ever remembered him, could get him into so much trouble.

"Ah, but Severus was in no state to make a potion for a young child, were you Severus?" Lucius smirked. "We were up so late drinking... really I should not have Apparated in that state... but my son, you know..."

Severus sneered back at him as Narcissa left the room to tend to Draco, and Lucius watched with narrowing eyes before turning to Severus again.

"Bellatrix and Rodulphus have already been arrested, I think before the end of the day the others will be too. They didn't see your face, you won't be named... the Dark Lord insisted once you were accepted by Dumbledore's Resistance that all ties with you and Death Eater activities are severed."

"Yes, but of course I had to try."

"Come on, it's Christmas morning, we should appear to be having a normal day when they come to tell us that my sister-in-law has been arrested."

Severus nodded and followed Lucius.

The headache that had burned in Narcissa's temples dissipated only when she went through the ritual of putting Draco to bed. His world was still simple and well-ordered -- he wasn't stressed about Bella hiding in Argentina, or the news of arrests and searches. He had been thrilled by the soap bubble animals she had conjured up in the bath and wanted to hear the exact same story they'd been reading to him for the past month, about a very forgetful Sphinx.

Narcissa wanted nothing else but to hold him in her lap and to inhale the clean citrusy smell of his hair. She lingered in the nursery doorway as long as she could, looking from the constellations on the ceiling to his tiny hands clutching the soft dragon, before tearing herself away and making the trek down two flights to the study.

"How's the lord of the manor?" Lucius's voice was hoarse from lack of sleep, eyes red-rimmed. He stubbed the cigarette out in the silver ashtray and immediately lit another one. Stress had created faint purple bruises under his eyes.

Narcissa waited until the smoke had cleared before pouring herself a glass of scotch from the decanter on his desk. "He's well. He learned to say 'more' and 'Dobby' today, so I suppose he's set for life," she said. "You need to sleep."

He sighed, sliding a sheaf of parchment across the desk towards her. "I will. Take a look. It's still not as good a margin as I'd want."

Narcissa curled up on the sofa and began paging through the annotated list of Wizengamot members. "You forgot Stebbins on here -- I can handle him, and same with Bradley. But yes, the margin is a little close." She looked up. "Are you sure this is the best way? It means you're admitting to at least some of it, and Severus --"

"Severus is now in Albus Dumbledore's pocket," Lucius sneered. "He won't have to testify at all, in exchange for licking boot polish for the rest of his life."

"You're just jealous you didn't think of that first," Narcissa smirked. "But," her face grew somber, "I just want to be certain that you're certain."

"A complete lie with this margin is more risky than telling the partial truth." He joined her on the sofa, staring absently at the crackling fireplace and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I know Carrow and Gibbon are going to name me if they're picked up. I can't risk that."

She closed her eyes. "We could always consider --"

"We're  not  leaving. Do you want to be stuck in some drafty little house in Buenos Aires or Cape Town forever because the guilty flee?"

Narcissa fiddled with her rings. Bellatrix had gone, but then, she was convinced that exile was only a matter of days, not a lifetime. "I would rather Draco grew up with his father in Merlin-knows-what country than without one in Wiltshire."

"He'll grow up with his father in Wiltshire," Lucius yawned. "I want to double-check some of the wards on the artifacts and then let's get a couple hours sleep before all hell breaks loose."

Later

"Did you really need a whole battalion?" Lucius's voice was mild, but a seasoned listener could detect the undercurrent of malice. The three aurors and two hitwizards in the foyer had the grace to look slightly discomfited. Narcissa, hovering at the bottom of the staircase, sniffed disapprovingly.

"Better safe than sorry in these times," Kingsley Shacklebolt said courteously. "Now, I'm sure you know your rights, Mr. Malfoy, but -- you're under arrest and you don't have to say anything, but it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Is that all clear?"

"Crystal," Lucius adjusted the silver clasp on his cloak and nodded towards the door. "Shall we? The sooner this little charade is over the better."

Kingsley was too professional to betray any confusion. "Of course. Er -- Mrs. Malfoy, Dawlish and Aubrey here are going to stay to search the Manor, but they'll do their best to keep out of your way."

"My son is still asleep, so I'd appreciate if you'd start in the dining room." Narcissa looked down her nose at the Aurors and pointed to the door on the far end of the room. "The elves can assist you with anything you require, but  please  be careful with the Sèvres."

They didn't find anything. She spent the afternoon sitting in the nursery, watching Draco toddle after Dobby. She wrote a letter to her sister, and then fed it to the fire.

Ministry of Magic

"Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, you have been brought here in front of the Council of Magical Law to answer charges relating to the activities of the Death Eaters." Bartemius Crouch Sr.'s eyes were nearly popping out of his head, and his hands as he gripped the podium were white-knuckled. "We have heard most of the evidence against you and will now begin with testimony in your defense. I see that you have several people lined up to speak for you?"

Lucius nodded somberly, leaning forward in the chair in the middle of the room. "I would like to start, Mr. Crouch, by saying that I believe that some of the charges you listed against me earlier may be true."

There was a collective gasp and the witches and wizards seated in the benches began to whisper. Crouch banged his gavel several times for order. In the front row of the benches, Narcissa had schooled her face to polite concern, though her heart was hammering.

"Is this a confession, Mr. Malfoy?"

"No -- at least, not one that makes me guilty," Lucius replied quickly. "Actus reus  without  mens rea, I think. My actions were performed solely under duress. For months, you see, I have been a victim of the Imperius Curse. You will shortly hear more from St. Mungo's Healers explaining the situation." There was a pause and more whispering before Lucius continued, head bowed slightly. "I deeply, deeply regret anything I may have done to cause anyone pain, and I am extremely eager to make amends in any way this court sees fit."

The first Healer stood up to give testimony.

"Scumbag," a voice growled from behind Narcissa. She gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to turn around.

"Alastor." Another voice, low and warning.

"Come on, Albus, how do  you  think Malfoy can so perfectly describe the symptoms of the Imperius Curse? How many fucking palms in this courtroom have touched a Malfoy galleon in the past week?"

"Perhaps your quibble is with our justice system, then, Alastor," said Dumbledore. Against her will, Narcissa strained to hear them, but could only make out "be careful."

"I don't give a rat's ass if she hears me, she's fucking complicit in --"

Feeling her cheeks burn, she focused back on the testimony.

In the center of the room, Lucius shifted in the wooden chair, pushing anxiety to the back of his mind as he watched Narcissa's attempts to control her expression. For a fleeting second, he wondered if leaving would have been so bad, really, but then it was already time to vote.

A man thwarted, Crouch's face was red with fury: "...we find the defendant not guilty."

At the bang of the gavel, Lucius lept up, and immediately remembered to attempt an expression of humble gratitude. But in the benches, Narcissa turned around to face Alastor Moody and Albus Dumbledore and gave them a glittering smile.

Night

"Cheers," Narcissa held up the champagne glass. "Better or worse than winning the Quidditch cup seventh year?"

"Oh, I don't know," he said, mock-thoughtfully, "All I really remember about the Quidditch cup was that someone told me afterwards that Narcissa Black was dazzled..."

"It was a sunny day, that's all," she said archly. "Well, you'll get your first good night's sleep in Merlin-knows how long, at least."

He leaned in and kissed her. "You were wonderful with all of this. Are  wonderful."

Narcissa's feet felt heavy on the stairs as she traced the familiar path to the master bedroom. Life in Azkaban  echoed in her head, and exhaustion and sadness wrapped around her like a blanket -- it was hard to breathe since reading the verdict. She paused outside the door, confused at the sound of gurgling laughter.

They were both lying on the bed, where Lucius was conjuring wispy clouds for Draco to play with. Watching them, Narcissa was tempted to leave until she could compose herself. But her chest tightened again, and she couldn't help it. She waited until Draco was fully absorbed with a cloud before she spoke, voice low and furious: "I found your contingency plans, Lucius."

"Please don't be upset."

"You left me  signed divorce papers  and you think I shouldn't be upset?"

He suddenly looked years older. "I know I should have said something. I just wanted you and Draco to have options if I ended up in Azkaban, and I knew you wouldn't agree if I told you in advance. I was going to get rid of them now that --"

"I would have burned them," Narcissa interrupted, angry at herself, angry at his fear.

"And you'd have been a fool," he said wearily. "It doesn't matter. It's all over. It's over now, isn't it, little man?" He tousled Draco's hair, which was already sticking up around the crown of his head like wispy blonde feathers.

Draco had grown bored of the clouds. "Story now, dada."

"Maybe tomorrow, darling. It's bedtime." Narcissa moved to pick him up and he rolled over towards Lucius. She made an exasperated noise as he tried to pull himself into a standing position and fell down into the pillows with a shriek of laughter.

"Oh, just let him sleep here with us tonight." Lucius tried not to smile.

"And you say I'm the indulgent one," Narcissa sniffed, sliding under the covers. But inside, she was grateful, as she knew Lucius was, to have their whole little universe in one place.

They both lay awake for a long time in silence, watching each other, watching Draco fall asleep, and letting the sound of his breathing drive the Dementors far from their minds and the Manor.

Sirius Black

Arriving back on the house was a challenge in itself, but hearing Andy ask a million questions was something else.

"Can't I just rest?" He almost shouted before sitting on his chair, feeling his back resting; he left a tired sight.

Andy soon brought him something to drink; Sirius drank the whole thing before feeling better. His hands felt numb, his foot aching.

"Will you tell us what happened now?" Andy asked again, Ted standing close to her, a hand on her shoulder. Sirius noticed their daughter wasn't here despite the mess happening downstairs.

"The Rat, Peter betrayed The Potters, I chased after him, wanting to be done with him, I cornered him in an alley, the Rat started crying and calling me a Traitor," Sirius spat the word with venom.

Andy hadn't known Sirius how James knew him, but even she knew Sirius was someone who liked to joke and see him like this; this new side of him was something new.

"He cast a spell, and an explosion happened, the blast got me; I tried to see where he went, but I couldn't find him. His Animagus is a Rat, so he probably went where all Rats go; after the explosion, I left immediately." Sirius finished with anger clear in his voice.

He had failed to deal with him; he was a danger to Harry and needed to be dealt with.

"Don't worry, Sirius, he won't get far," Andy tried to reassure him; Sirius just nodded his head before he stood up, despite his body screaming in pain.

"Stand Down, you're not Healed," Andy practically yelled at him, almost like scolding him, in a Way reminded Sirius of Professor McGonagall.

"I need to see Harry; right now, he doesn't recognise anyone in this house except me; when he wakes up, he needs to see a face he is familiar with," Sirius spoke, his voice telling them he wouldn't stay put.

"I can bring him downstairs," Ted suggested, but Sirius just walked upstairs. Reaching the room, he opened the door slowly, making sure not to make even the slightest bit of noise.

He saw Harry sleeping quietly in a crib; close to him was a girl who he knew was Nymphadora looking at him, almost like a big sister at her little brother.

Clearing his throat, she turned her head to see Sirius leaning against the door. His smile did not leave his face before he walked over to him.

"Lord Black, I was just," "Don't worry. I'm happy to know he has you looking after him, and no need for that 'Lord' Nonsense," He spoke warmly before kneeling and looking closely at his godson.

She smiled before standing up and leaving the room, leaving him alone with Harry.

Sirius kept looking at his chubby face, innocent and not knowing what was happening around him, what he had already done for the Magical World.

Harry stirred, his green eyes opened, looking up at him; Sirius immediately smiled for him, grabbing him on his hands. He couldn't believe how much his eyes reminded him of Lily.

"Good Morning Harry," Sirius spoke warmly, kissing his forehead.

Harry smiled before his eyes looked behind Sirius at the shut door; the godfather got confused, glancing behind, he couldn't see anyone.

He saw Harry's eyes looking at the window before they focused on another corner of the house, anywhere but him.

His little body was moving around and not getting comfortable, wanting to escape his hands. "Harry," Sirius whispered, growing concerned; the toddler kept looking at every corner of the room, almost searching for something.

"Mama," he whispered, slight fear in his voice; Sirius felt his heartbreak all over again. Swallowing a huge breath.

"Harry, look at me," Sirius whispered, trying to calm him down.

"MAMA, DADA," Harry cried, tears rolling down his cheek, Sirius hugging him close to him.

"I'm really sorry, Harry, I failed them, but I'm here. I Will Never Leave You," He promised, kissing the top of his head.