Severus Snape was sitting silently in front of the fire in his living room.
He was watching, and yet not watching the flames.
His mind was preoccupied with things he had been thinking about ever since the revelation in the hospital wing a few days ago.
Potter.
Salvazsahar.
So different, and yet the same.
And Severus for all his hatred of his rival James Potter wasn't sure if he could think about the boy… no, man… his rival's son had become, the same.
The boy - Lily's boy - was so different, in a way different that Severus had tried to never see, compared to his father. And yet, at the same time he was so similar - and still so different - compared to Lily as well.
Lily's boy.
Lily's child all grown up and Severus' Head of House.
"Maybe," Severus mused for the first time in his life. "It shouldn't have been with Lily."
Not, when Lily and he were related.
It was a heart-breaking thought - and a healing thought as well.
Lily and he were related.
They had always had a connection, a connection they hadn't known about and yet, still had existed.
It was soothing.
Heart-wrenching and grief-introducing but so soothing as well - because as much as Severus hated Potter Senior, being related to Lily even if it was just by her being the mother of his Head of House, meant that Potter Senior hadn't actually been able to take her from Severus in the end.
Lily - gone and lost in time - was still part of Severus' life as the mother of the man who had decided to take Severus in without conditions, without prejudice.
What a soothing thought.
Severus closed his eyes, then sighed and looked down to the book in his lap.
The book contained his tries to keep Sal Potter alive.
Sadly enough, until now, 'tries' was the only thing it contained. Not one of the ideas Severus had had were actually able to cure Potter right now.
"And there's no lead in how to save him," Severus thought bitterly. "No lead on how to return him to health."
And that was the crux of the matter.
Severus and Poppy had checked up on Potter's health every time the boy had gone to the hospital wing to check up on the Hufflepuff - and to their concern, Potter's health was derogating further and further. Not in a way that would kill him within weeks - but badly enough that he would be dead in a few month the latest…
Of course, Severus couldn't accept that.
There was personal pride, professional pride and the fact that the boy, as much as Severus had once hated him, was still family…
"Yet," Severus thought darkly. "Even as the youngest potion's master in the last two centuries, I can't find a way to cure him."
Unlike Potter who had been able to heal the Hufflepuff girl without a second thought…
That last thought brought Severus to another matter entirely.
"Umbridge," Severus thought darkly.
There was something going down with Umbridge - if not yet, it would be soon.
Oh, all in all, there hadn't been a lot of signs about that since the girl's accident, but somehow the atmosphere in the whole castle had changed. It nearly felt as if the castle itself had turned against Umbridge.
"And maybe it has," Severus thought darkly, thinking about Potter. "Maybe, it has…"
And maybe, Severus actually didn't want to know what would happen to Umbridge when the storm would finally break loose. After all, knowing that it wouldn't be good at all, should be enough even for someone as curious as Severus Snape…
"The Dark Lord would have actually ended up being impressed if it wasn't his archenemy who's planning the whole thing," Severus thought to himself. At least, that's what he guessed according to the feeling he got from the castle.
Whatever would happen - Severus was sure that one Umbridge wouldn't come out on top in the end.
"There's only the question how much Potter… Sal… is planning to use her mismanagement for his own gains before he destroys her at least politically entirely," Severus added mentally.
Because Potter was a Slytherin - and he would always try to use circumstances like that to his full abilities…
And if Severus had a say in it, it would be Potter who earned the fruits of his labour and not Severus as his heir - even if that meant for Severus to search night and day for a cure to Potter's ailment…
With that thought, Severus turned back to his note book.
Maybe he could stop Potter's death if he…
Grimmauld Place at the same time was nearly empty.
The Order was gone - they all had things to do, day jobs, family, missions, other places to live at.
Even Remus Lupin, who had no job and no good place to live had found another place to be for that day.
The only one who hadn't, had hidden himself away in one of the bigger rooms in the manor and was about to systematically destroy it - not because he actually tried to destroy it, something that might have been a possibility considering how much he had loved the previous owner of that house, but because the destruction was simply a welcome side-effect for the things he was doing.
Sirius Black was concentrating.
His eyes were closed, his wand in his hand and his clothing was old and worn in case it would be singed if something went wrong - which it had before like the room was showing.
In the middle of the room, black sparks were dancing.
Sirius took a deep breath.
It had been one and a half weeks since he had gone to Gringotts and even now, he was still nervous and a bit… unsure about his new role as the Lord of House Black.
If Sirius was truthful, then he would say that he had never expected, never wanted to take up the lordship of House Black.
In his youth, he had heard about the House Black and all its glory from his mother who preached pureblooded belief and her happiness about the fact that she had been the one to blast Sirius' squib relative Marius from the family tree.
Sirius had hated her proud words about the abandonment of an innocent man - never knowing that said man had never been banned from the Black family officially and lived and fought with them instead until the day he died.
In Sirius' eyes, his family had been dark and corrupted like his mother had been.
His father, on the other hand, never made a true and lasting impression on Sirius. The man had never gone against his wife, never said anything to give Sirius a better impression of his family; instead, his father had been a weak willed wizard, not worthy to follow in Sirius eyes.
Sirius couldn't believe that all those years he had been looking for someone worthy in his own family, he just would have had to take a closer look to the two men he ignored as a child - his mind already made up about his grandfathers long before Sirius actually thought for himself.
His grandfathers.
Two men who had kept their distance to Sirius parents.
Both preoccupied with the war and politics and their failing health and therefore unable to actually take a closer look at their two grandchildren who should have been raised by the true Black-ideals that they themselves had taught their children…
And Sirius, for all his hatred and distance from the family, had forgiven his grandparents for their absence - and wasn't that an odd thought considering that he had been against his family including his grandparents for the better part of his life?
Still - Sirius was a free man now; a free man and the Lord Black.
A Lord Black who understood for the first time what it meant to be the Lord of House Black.
So now, one and a half weeks later - just a day before Hogwarts would let out for Christmas - Sirius was finally, finally willing to step up to his legacy.
A legacy, he had ignored since he had broken with his family shortly before his sixteenth birthday…
Again, Sirius took a deep breath, then he raised his wand and for the first time in nearly twenty years, his wand performed a spell he had labled dark as a teenager.
A black small flame danced out of his wand, joinging other black flames in the air. Each flame was a small rune, hidden in its black burning core.
Again, Sirius took a deep breath, centering himself, and again, he repreated the process.
But this time around, unlike the last times, the moment his black and tiny flame joined the others, the whole structure made of black flames flashed a golden-black flash for a second. Then, the ward Sirius had build beforehand crumbled under the assault of the ward-breaker Sirius had established.
Again, Sirius took a slow, deep and centering breath.
Sweat poored down his forehead and soaked his clothing.
And yet, he had done it.
For the first time, he had followed his ancestors, breaking a ward he had created just beforehand.
"I need someone to help me if I ever go up against wards I don't know," Sirius uttered to himself, watching the place where his ward had once been. "I need a ward holder - someone to help me center…"
That thought, oddly enough turned to something Sirius had never considered before now - a thought so odd that he stopped in his tracks for a second after thinking it just to feel stunned about himself.
"I wish, Regulus would be still alive," he had thought. "I'd needed him for this."
How odd a thought considering what he normally thought about his little brother!
And yet… so utterly and desperately true…
"I wish, Regulus was still alive and at my side…"
A sad thought and yet one that let Sirius think about the letter of the Longbottoms, his alliance with the House Longbottom - an alliance established by his Heir and yet not by Harry…
Regulus?
"Lord Black," the Dowager Longbottom had greeted him the day he met to discuss an alliance he had no idea how it had been established. "I see you got my letter."
"I did, Dowager," Sirius replied. "Yet, I cannot understand how we can have an alliance if the only Heir I know about is Harry who is far too young to leave Hogwarts to establish an alliance with your House."
"It wasn't Potter," replied the Dowager immediately. "But the alliance proposed to us was real enough."
Sirius was sure that the Dowager was keeping something from him, yet, considering that the House Longbottom had nothing to do with Sirius' own House's troubles, she had no obligation to actually tell Sirius who had been the one to establish the alliance.
The fact that an alliance had been established was already clear without finding out the source. Sirius had felt the connection built by the alliance the moment he had met the Dowager for the first time.
"I am quite aware about that fact, Dowager," Sirius agreed.
The Dowager inclined her head at that, obviously soothed by Sirius ready acceptance of the situation.
"Well, Lord Black," she said slowly. "You are here. Will we break this alliance before it's truly established or will you accept like I accepted it?"
Sirius hesitated for a second, in his mind, he saw the letter of the House of Longbottom again.
" To the venerable Lord Black," it read.
" The House Longbottom hereby writes to you to formalize the alliance your heir proposed to us just a few weeks ago. House Longottom wishes to reaffirm and officiate this alliance before the first Wizengamot meeting of the new year in January. At this time, House Longbottom will return into the Wizengamot under a new Lord and wishes to ensure old alliances and officiate those that have been proposed to ensure the new Lord's success.
Sincerely,
The House of Longbottom."
Was he willing to alliance himself with the House of Longbottom?
The House was light, the House was on the right side and not allied with Dumbledore - was Sirius willing to come into its fold? Alliance himself with it and its allies?
"What are your conditions to establish this alliance?" Sirius finally asked.
The Longbottom Dowager looked at him piercingly.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," she said coolly.
Sirius immediately understood.
"She has already lost her place in the Black Family," he replied, looking into her eyes squarely. "It will be officially within the next three weeks."
That long it would take to ensure that the paperwork of Bellatrix's exclusion and the break of the alliance between Lestrange and Black would be through all the channels.
"Good," the Dowager replied. "Then there's no other demand from the House Longbottom to the House Black to establish this alliance."
Sirius inclined his head.
"The House Black has no objections to an alliance with House Longbottom as well," he finally decided.
Augusta Longbottom smirked at that, clearly quite happy with Sirius' answer.
"So hear my oath, Lord Black," she said, before continuing with her oath of alliance.
"House Longbottom offers alliance to House Black - to follow where they go, to protect if they need protection, to support if they need support, to fight side by side until our Houses crease to exist or this alliance fails. So I, Augusta Elisabeth Longbottom, Regent of Longbottom, swear."
A green mist rose from the Longbottom-Dowager's body to show the flowing crest of Longbottom over her head.
Sirius couldn't help but stare at the mist surrounding the Dowager's body. He had never seen an alliance oath in effect.
For a second, he was silent; then he took a deep breath and spoke the words he had never thought he would ever speak in his life.
"House Black offers alliance to House Longbottom - to follow where they go, to protect if they need protection, to support if they need support, to fight side by side until our Houses crease to exist or this alliance fails. So I, Sirius Orion Black, Lord of Black, swear."
The moment he said that, the crest of Longbottom was pierced through by the Black crest and in a firework-like shower of silver and blue magic the magic settled - the alliance finally was completed.
That had been one and a half weeks ago - now, Sirius was back in Grimmauld Place, for the first time using the magic he had been taught by his relatives since he had been thirteen and refused to learn more…
But now, Sirius had to admit, that he had to actually know.
He was the Lord of Black - he should know the magic of his House…
With that thought, he took another deep breath before he started again - this time building the ward.
The runes he drew in the air were glowing golden. It wasn't easy to build a ward - even after learning Ancient runes in Hogwarts and ward schemes thanks to his family grimoirs. He was out of practice thanks to his time refusing to learn more about the ward and ward breaker schemes of the Black family, yet, he was determined to learn what his grandfather and great-grandfather had been able to do to perfection.
When the ward was established, Sirius centered himself again, using Occlumency to calm his breathing and his thoughts and establishing a connection to his magic.
The creature that was once part of his family line rose to the surface, filling Sirius with the phantom of its power.
Again, Sirius raised his wand and drew the first rune to break the ward. A black clad, tiny flame rose from his wand and stopped at the outerside of the ward scheme.
After that, Sirius centered himself again - an action he wouldn't have to do if he had a ward holder.
Like that, slowly but surely he drew up the ward breaker before activating it with the last rune clad in black flames.
The moment, the ward he had drawn up beforehand broke, soft clapping could be heard from the entrance door to the attic Sirius had used to practice.
Sirius stopped, startled.
His eyes snapped to the door and for a second he feard to see Dumbledore or one of the Order in the doorway, but it wasn't the case.
Instead, he saw something he had never expected to see ever again.
The man leaning on the doorway was tall, dark haired and wearing clothes that spoke of his raising as the heir secundus of one of the most powerful families in the wizarding world.
Silence.
Sirius didn't know how long he stared, but he knew for a fact that he couldn't… simply couldn't speak - even if he wanted to.
In the doorway stood the man he had been thinking about just minutes ago; the man he had missed; the man he had wanted to have back and on his side since he had taken over the family.
"Reggy," the name was only whispered, and Sirius couldn't help but fear that the illusion in the doorway would vanish if he would speak it aloud.
For a moment, the other man looked Sirius over; then he pushed himself off the doorway and stepped forwards towards Sirius.
"Sirius," the illusion said, his voice darker and older than Sirius had ever heard.
It was that thought that startled Sirius.
A darker voice.
An older voice.
Reggy, his baby brother, the illusion, was older than Sirius had ever known him…
"Reggy," Sirius couldn't help but repeat the name like a drowning person their last pleading for help. He stepped forward, hesitatingly and his deepest wish suddenly bubbling up his throat with every beat of his heart.
One step.
Another.
And another.
And suddenly, he was standing in front of the fata morgana he had never believed to see ever again - especially not at the age the illusion was right now…
His brother was older - looking far more like Sirius than Sirius could have ever believed - and his eyes were mared by darkness Sirius had never wanted to see in his brother's eyes.
"Reggy," Sirius repeated again, his eyes not leaving his brother's face.
The younger man looked at him, his eyes dark but warm in a way Sirius had never thought to see them looking at him.
"Sirius," his brother repeated - and then Sirius had thrown his arms around Reg's neck, pressing his face into the shoulder of the brother who wasn't an illusion - who was real, and warm and there…
"Reggy," Sirius whispered, and for a second, he wanted to apologies for not being there, for not pulling his brother out of Voldemort's circle - and then he remembered who and what his brother actually was and he pushed his brother away and reached for his wand instead.
Reggy just smiled sadly at him.
"I've not been part of the dork lord's people since before the last war ended," he told Sirius, suddenly sounding old and tired.
Sirius stopped reaching for his wand, but his eyes narrowed in suspicion anyway.
"You weren't?" He asked harshly.
"Not for a long time," Reggy assured him. "Not since I found something different - something better."
That startled Sirius. He hadn't expected an answer like that. Not even in his dreams his brother had ever moved on from Voldemort - and even if he had, Sirius still couldn't see his brother on Dumbledore's side in any way or form.
But then, his brother had said he had found something different… something better .
He had never said that he had decided to go with Dumbledore's side in this war. He had only told Sirius that he wasn't on Voldemort's side anymore.
And oddly enough, that was more than enough for Sirius… or maybe not that oddly, considering that this was his brother…
Still, that didn't mean that Sirius didn't want to know more…
"Then what?" he asked his little brother - and obviously, that was enough. Even after twenty years, his brother seemed able to read Sirius just fine. Sirius wasn't sure if he would have been able to read his brother as well as Reggy after all this time…
Reggy on the other hand seemed to see that as normal and just sighed.
"I'm… not actually sure what to tell you, Sirius," he said slowly, as if Sirius' asking was something he had already expected - and yet, still unsure how to actually explain…
"How about the truth," Sirius suggested, his voice now that he had remembered his brother's original alliance a lot cooler than before.
His baby brother looked at him for a second, clearly contemplating if Sirius was willing to actually listen and Sirius couldn't help but feel like being stabbed in the heart at the thought that the distrust in his brother's eyes was actually warranted. Just weeks before, Sirius couldn't say that he would have actually listened to his brother's pleas after all - not, before Sirius had finally decided to grow up and actually follow the foot-steps of his family.
Yet, Sirius couldn't object to the fact that his brother obviously had changed.
Dork lord - if that didn't say anything!
For a second, his brother stayed silent; then he sighed.
"I betrayed the dork lord when I found out I couldn't follow him anymore," Reggy replied. "I nearly lost my life doing so and I'm still working on his final destruction."
Oddly enough, Sirius believed him… or maybe not as oddly, considering that Reg's eyes spoke of his truthfulness.
"Why… why didn't you come back?" Sirius asked instead of accusing his brother of lying.
"Where to?" Reggy countered, his eyebrow raising. "Mother? She wouldn't have accepted me after me rejecting the dork lord. You? You wouldn't have listened to me if I'd tried to talk to you."
There was grief in his brother's eyes at that, and yet, it was the ache in Sirius' own heart that ensured that he stepped back up to his brother to hug him again.
His brother was right.
Sirius wouldn't have listened.
At least, back then, Sirius had been an idiot child - and even later on, Sirius hadn't been any better…
It was a heartbreaking thought, and he hugged Reggy a bit tighter just by the thought of it.
Reg let him, and even started to return the hug after a second or two.
"So… you're back now - back on my side, back on the right side?" Sirius asked, swallowing harshly, believing but still having to hear it anyway.
His brother sighed and buried his head in Sirius shoulder.
"I'm not on your side, Sirius," he sighed. "I'm on Sal's side. I will always follow Sal."
That stopped Sirius in his tracks.
It was the second time his brother had spoken that name.
A name, that was an unknown to Sirius…
"Sal?" He repeated the unknown name with a frown.
"The one who saved my life," Reggy answered. "If he hadn't been, I'd be dead right now."
Sirius swallowed harshly.
Obviously, it was that 'Sal' he had to be thankful for the life of his brother…
"And he's -"
" - against the dork lord but not on Dumbledore's side," Reggy countered.
For a second, Sirius thought that over.
Surprisingly - or maybe not considering his family history - the thought of not working for Dumbledore didn't bother Sirius at all.
"I'm allied with the Longbottoms," he finally said slowly.
"I hoped you would be," Reggy countered. "I was the one who -"
" - you were the one who organized the alliance," Sirius understood immediately.
It was the only thing that made sense.
The Dowager's silence.
The unknown Heir.
And the fact that Reggy was still alive and working against Voldemort…
"I was," Reggy agreed. "You agreed to it?"
"I did," Sirius assured him. "I read great-grandfather's journal. I know now about our family - and I won't follow Dumbledore after grandfather swore that no Black would ever work with him ever again."
His brother smiled at that.
"So… Sal for you as well?" He asked, hope and mischief in his eyes.
Sirius hesitated.
Months earlier, he would have simply agreed, not even trying to think about the consequences - but now, after starting to try and follow his grandfather's and great-grandfather's example, he actually tried to think through to the consequences.
"I'm sorry, Reggy," he finally said. "I can't say 'yes' as long as I don't know who he is. I go with the Longbottoms, I go with Harry - but I can't promise to follow someone I have never met just because you like him."
He was surprised when his brother smiled.
"That's more than alright with me, Sirius," Reggy replied, before stepping back, out of the hug.
"So… you're back on my side?" Sirius asked hopeful - for the first time in his life actually actively hoping for someone of his family on his own side.
His brother smiled hesitatingly at that.
"Something akin to that, at least," Reggy agreed softly.
"'Akin to that' might be good enough for that at the moment," Sirius said with a smile.
His brother returned the smile and then stepped backwards again.
Sirius watched his brother stepping backwards and opening the door - clearly intent on leaving.
"Reggy!" He called after his brother.
His brother stopped, his eyes meeting Sirius' with the same warmth Sirius had seen at the beginning of that surprising meeting.
"I'll come back, Sirius," his brother promised. "Not today, but I come back."
"But -"
Reggy smiled.
"I need to go," he said softly. "I've got a date with Sal tonight. Another step to destroy the dork lord."
Sirius stepped forward at that.
"May I -"
" - help?" His brother finished for him. "Not today, I'm sorry."
That stopped Sirius short.
Something must have been seen on his face, because his brother smiled softly at him.
"I'm sorry, Sirius," his brother said. "Not this time around. If you want to help, you can do something different - but not this, sadly not this."
For a moment, Sirius looked at his brother silently.
Then he inclined his head.
"Alright," he gave in. "Not this time around - but tell me if you need me to do something, will you?"
Sirius didn't have a lot of hope about that.
His brother had been without him for about twenty years. There was no way that Reggy would turn to Sirius now, after Sirius hadn't been there for him ever before…
And like he thought - for a moment Reggy hesistated.
Sirius already forced himself to resign to being on the outside, looking in because there was no way his brother trusted him, when from on moment to the other something changed in Reggy's demeanour.
Suddenly, Reggy smirked.
"I might have something you can do, brother," he said.
Sirius perked up surprised at that.
"What do you want me to do?" He wasn't about to promise anything - but at least listening to his brother was something he definitely could do…
His brother's smirk broadened.
"You might even like it, brother," Reggy said. "After all - it will be Marauder like…"
And while Sirius' perked up even further, his brother returned to lean forward and whisper the details in his ears.
Marauder like - definitively…
"Potter!"
Harry stopped on his way to the hospital wing to turn around and look at the approaching Mad-Eye Moody. It had been three days since the incident with the young Hufflepuff girl and Harry had been on his way to do his daily check-up.
"Lord Moody," Harry returned the greeting and inclined his head at the old auror.
The man looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"How did you know, Potter?" Moody asked, not even thinking about censoring himself.
He was surprised, when the boy stopped and then twisted his fingers a bit before flicking a rune away from him.
The next second, they were surrounded by a golden glow before the glow faded and nothing looked out of the ordinary again.
"What was that, Potter?" Moody growled.
The boy raised his eyebrow.
"A runic ward to ensure that we won't be overheard," he replied coolly. "Considering that I have no interest in airing some things in the middle of the hallways of Hogwarts, I saw it as prudent to do so."
Moody stared at the boy coolly.
"Secrets, Potter?" he asked him icily.
Potter looked at him in amusement.
"I think you know the answer to that, Moody," he countered. "Our last… discussion… ensured that you know, after all…"
" I give you the same data I gave Severus Snape. Albus Dumbledore knew Grindelwald since he was seventeen and knew what that mad man planned - yet the first time he acted was when he was sixty. I don't blame him for not fighting. I blame him for keeping his silence. Albus Dumbledore also 'knew' about Tom Riddle when that boy was still in school - yet he simply watched again. Do you see a pattern? Think about it."
Yes, Moody remembered Potter's accusations. He remembered Potter's hatred for Dumbledore.
"And yet, I have still no idea how you knew about Sal Sanctuary," Moody said coolly.
Potter grimaced at that name.
"Sanctuary," he sighed. "Do you all have to add that name to 'Sal'?"
Moody raised an eyebrow at that.
"That's what he was called," he pointed out to Potter.
Potter sighed and closed his eyes.
"I know," he grumbled. "I know !"
"You know a lot about that time, don't you, Potter?" Moody countered with narrowed eyes. "And it doesn't seem to be things that you should actually be able to know…"
Potter looked at him in amusement.
"Like the fact that it was my grandfather fighting side by side with Sirius Black?" He asked, still clearly amused. "Or like how your father actually died?"
Moody's eyes widened at that.
"How?" He asked surprised. "Nobody could tell me how he actually died! Nobody -"
"There were people who could have been able to tell you," Potter replied. "Sadly, the most of those who could, are already dead."
Moody closed his eyes at that, feeling a bit bitter about the whole thing.
"Mad Marius, Charlus Potter, Arcturus Black, Newt Scarmander, Garrick Ollivander and Sal Sanctuary," he listed resigned. "Nearly all of them are dead."
"Garrick wouldn't know," Potter objected. "The same for Scamander."
"And the rest is dead," Moody countered tiredly. "In other words, the death of my father will for always be a mystery…"
For a moment, silence reigned.
Then Potter, having looked away just a second before, returned Moody's searching gaze.
"Tell me, Lord Moody," he asked, searching Moody's gaze. "Tell me, what role do you think your father took in this whole war against Grindelwald?"
Moody frowned.
"He was a good fighter," he said, not sure what the boy wanted from him. "He worked with Garrick Ollivander most of the time…"
He stopped and watched Potter's emotionless face.
"I'm not sure what you want me to say, Potter," he added in the end.
The boy looked at him with earnest eyes.
"I want you to tell me the importance of your father in the war in the eyes of everybody else outside of the Resistance," he answered.
Moody frowned.
"He was part of the Resistance - doesn't that make him important by default?" he finally asked the boy with a frown.
"Yes," Potter replied. "He was part of the Resistance - but does that truly make him important?"
Moody opened his mouth to tell Potter that 'of course it made him important', just to close his mouth with a snap.
"What," he finally asked slowly. "… are you babbling about, Potter?"
The answer was a serious gaze from the boy in front of him.
"Allaric," he said, using Moody's father's first name for the first time - startling Moody by his causual use of the name. "wasn't important."
Moody growled at that.
"How can you -?!"
"I can say that because it's the truth," Potter replied. "Or do you truly think that your father was in any way or form important for anybody else but those who knew him? In the eyes of the world, Allaric Moody was nobody - just a footnote in history. His death wasn't recorded, because in the eyes of the world, his death didn't matter and will never matter. He was a soldier, one of many, not important except that he was part of the crowd - making his death only important in the fact that it added to the casualities of war."
"My father rescued Arcturus Black's life!" Moody objected heatedly. "The Black's are one of the most important families here in Britain - especially for the dark side!"
" I'm sorry, he died protecting me while I was trying to get my cousin to safety," the tired voice of a dirty and grim man in rags echoed through Moody's mind - a voice he remembered from when he was ten. It had been the worst day in his life back then - and yet, it had shown him exactly what a man his father had been. "We had planed ahead… but there were complications and…"
His father had died for the Heir of Black.
His father had sacrified himself for the Heir of Black!
"He rescued him," Potter agreed, his eyes dark with memories he shouldn't have. "And yet, he died unknown to all but a few in the midst of the final battle - while everybody else was occupied by fighting against one enemy or the other."
"Nobody can actually tell me how he died," Moody shook his head. "And yet, I know from my memory, he died defending Arcturus Black. One should mean that he would have been remembered for that."
"He was just one wizard in a war," Potter replied with a shrug. "Nobody special. Nobody important."
"But he's -"
"Not important for history," Potter interrupted Moody darkly. "I know, that's hard to accept, but for history, your father's just a number. His death won't be remembered - like the death of thousands of other soldiers will never be remembered."
For a moment, Moody wanted to object, but in the end, he closed his eyes instead.
It was hard - but he couldn't object Potter's assessment.
His father had basically been a soldier - and like most of the soldiers, his name wouldn't be remembered by history except by those who had been close to him…
And yet…
"Yet, as unimportant as my father has been for history," Moody concluded. "You still know about him. You still know how he died."
The answer was a serious gaze from the Potter heir.
"I do," he answered calmly. "But then, I ensured that I at least know how those who fought died. It was the least I could do - the least to honour them even in death…"
Moody watched Potter closely after that admission.
"Why do you feel the need to honour those who fought and died in the war against Grindelwald?" He countered, not quite sure what Potter was getting at.
The boy looked at Moody, his eyes oddly hooded and old.
"That's the question, isn't it, Lord Moody?" Potter replied and then shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to answer that. There's too much… there has happened too much to give a simple answer. It is you, who will have to find that answer yourself - like it's you who has to decide how you will continue to live from now on. Are you continuing on your path, following the man who got your father killed, or are you going your own way?"
With that, Potter swept by him, clearly intending to leave Moody with that question.
"Potter - wait!" cried Moody, stopping the lad before the boy could reach the outer part of the runic ward. "What do you mean, Dumbledore got my father killed?!"
The boy turned, his eyes icy and oddly sad, almost grieving.
"Tell me, Lord Moody," he asked instead of answering. "How else would you call it, if it was one of Dumbledore's men who killed Allaric after Dumbledore and his men attacked both, Grindelwald and his men as well as the Resistance, because they thought it right to add to a fight they hadn't been part of before?"
That stopped Moody in his tracks.
He paled.
"Albus' men did -"
" - kill Allaric, yes," Potter replied, nearly inaudible. "I'm sorry."
And as much as Potter seemed to hate the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Moody knew that that at least had to be the truth. Potter's eyes told him as much.
It wasn't what Moody had wanted to hear, but as odd as it sounded, it was what Moody needed to hear - the truth.
"So my father died protecting the Heir of Black from Albus' men," Moody concluded, sounding suddenly tired.
"And he won't be remembered for his deed except by us," Potter replied with a sigh. "But that's the fate of those small human heroes in the midst of a war far bigger than they will ever be."
And wasn't that a sad thought?
Before Moody could reply anything to that, Potter turned his back on him and flicked his wrist again, breaking the runic ward before leaving - leaving Moody behind.
Moody on the other hand, closed his eyes, unable to comprehend, unable to actually understand what he had been told. It would take time to sink in, to accept what he had learned, what he had heard about Albus Dumbledore and his men.
Allaric Moody was dead - dead because of the people Albus Dumbledore brought into a war he had declined fighting until the very end. Alastor Moody's father could have still been alive if Albus Dumbledore would have stayed as inactive has he had been before…
And Moody, standing in the shadows of one of the hallways of Hogwarts knew that he shouldn't blame Albus Dumbledore. The man had meant well… but then, the road to hell was paved with good intentions - and maybe, just maybe, Albus Dumbledore had been heeding to hell for a longer time than Moody had ever suspected…
While Moody was still talking to Potter, somewhere else near them, another meeting took place.
"Poppy," Severus greeted, stepping into the office of the hospital wing.
"Severus," she answered the greeting, looking him over concerned. "You don't look too good."
Severus supposed that Poppy was actually understating his looks.
He knew that he didn't look too good on his best days - even he had to admit that he wasn't the prettiest thing that walked around - but for Poppy to comment on it meant that he looked worse than even his worst days.
"I'm fine, Poppy," he replied, trying to assure the woman of his health.
The nurse scoffed.
"I'm quite sure you're anything but fine, Severus," she commented, looking at him seriously. "You look like you haven't slept since the day…"
"… the day we saw Potter heal here in the hospital wing?" Severus finished her sentence when she trailed off.
The nurse looked at him, her eyes grave.
"Yes," she agreed.
Severus sighed.
"I guess that's because I didn't - at least not truly," he replied truthfully, after contemplating his answer.
Understanding filled Poppy Pomphrey's eyes.
"It's hard, isn't it?" She asked with a sigh. "He's still so young and yet -"
"He's not young," Severus interrupted the nurse. He might have no idea what else Potter was, but from Potter's demeanour and the change he had finally relized had happened to Potter's character there was no way that the boy - or the man looking like a boy - was still 'young'. "He might look like it, Poppy, but he isn't."
The nurse looked at him with a frown at that and Severus had actually no idea how to explain his thoughts about the mystery that was Potter.
"He's not," he insisted instead. "He said it himself: He lived his life already. Just because he looks as if he hasn't doesn't mean that that's actually the truth."
The answer was another sigh from the nurse.
"I know what he said," she agreed. "And yet, I can't wrap my head around it - like you can't wrap your head around it as well."
"I actually can -"
"You desperately search for a way to heal him," Poppy analysed him sharply, speaking up mid-word. "You try to save his life -"
"Because he won't!" Severus interrupted her harshly. "He won't! He's not concerned about his own health! He's not about to search a way to survive - so if I don't do it, there would be no one else to do it!"
Poppy stayed silent at that for a moment.
Severus closed his eyes.
He knew that he hated Potter.
Had once hated Potter.
But he also knew that it had been his Head of House had been the first to take Severus like he was - no trying to change him, taking all of him, with all his sorid history…
And Severus?
Severus couldn't forget that this boy was willing to overlook their own shared history to give Severus a new home again.
To hear that the one who had accepted him was about to die - it might have taken quite a bit of internal debate, but in the end, Severus was willing to overlook their past interactions and his own misplaced hatred for the boy as long as he was accepted into a family like he had never been before…
Something of those thoughts must have shown on his face, because Poppy had a sudden understanding look on her face.
"It's hard, isn't it?" She asked. "I'm not sure what has changed between you and Mr Potter - but it's obvious that after your last interaction something has changed."
Severus said nothing at that, but obviously, that was enough.
"No," Poppy said, crooking her head and reading Severus in a way that not even Albus Dumbledore was able to. "Before that. Something changed even before that for whatever reason."
For a second, Severus continued to be silent, then he sighed.
"Potter remembers," he confessed.
When Poppy raised an eyebrow at that, he forced himself to elaborate.
"Lily," he wasn't able to say more, but it seemed that that was enough for Poppy anyway.
"Ah," she said, before narrowing her eyes. "Just from his time as a child - or more?"
That thought actually startled Severus.
He had never considered that Potter had actually lived in the time of the first war with Voldemort until now. Even knowing that Potter had been thrown back in time, he had never considered what that meant for Potter and his family.
"I… don't actually know," he said startled. "I never considered…"
He stopped speaking, but someone else spoke up in his place.
"You never considered what, Severus?"
Hearing that voice, both, Severus and Poppy turned towards the entrance of the hospital wing.
In the doorway stood Salvazsahar Serendu Harryjames Potter.
"Sal," Poppy greeted him.
The man trapped in a boy's body, just looked at Severus questionly, not acknowledging the greeting of the medi-witch.
"Considered what, Severus?" He repeated.
The potion's professor sighed.
"I never considered that you might have gotten to know your parents when you lived in the past," he replied a bit unwillingly.
Potter crooked his head at him at that.
"I'm not surprised that you didn't consider it," Potter replied shrugging. "It's hard to grasp time-travel - especially if you haven't lived it. There's also the fact that you lived that time as well and never got to know me."
"But you got to know your parents, didn't you, Mr… I mean, Sal?" Poppy asked him knowingly.
Potter just looked at her in amusement.
"I mostly got to know my grandparents," he replied smiling amused at himself. "Not that I knew that my godson would turn out to be my grandfather one day when I agreed to be his godfather."
Poppy nearly choked at that.
"Wasn't Fleamont's father's best friend the godfather of his best friend? I think I remember something that my predecessor once told me about the boy… I forgot his name, anyway, he was Henry Potter's best friend and the reason why Hogwarts is still standing after the Dark Lord of that time tried to take over here."
Potter just looked at her in amusement and with a bit of sadness in his eyes.
"All true," he agreed. "And the boy's name was Salvatio Malfoire."
There was a bit of bitterness in his eyes at that.
"It's what my adopted parents named me," then he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. It's all in the past now and has no influence on the present anymore."
Severus narrowed his eyes.
"Our past always influences our present," he replied coolly. "I think that especially you should know that considering your… condition, Potter."
The boy just smiled.
"You're right, Severus," he agreed. "Yet, you should never try to keep the past alive. If I had… I think I wouldn't be here anymore…"
He trailed off, his eyes far away and suddenly empty in a way, Severus had never seen Potter's eyes ever before, clearly remembering something that had happened a long, long time ago - something that nearly destroyed Potter back then.
"No," Potter corrected himself finally. "I know I wouldn't be here anymore… and maybe, knowing all this, I should stop my current path…"
Then he smiled, bitter and a bit tiredly.
"Sadly enough I can't," he said, his old eyes looking at his son's descendant and his many-times successor as the healer of Hogwarts. "Maybe, I'm a foul - but even I can't stop being human and having my own faults of character…"
He shook his head as if trying to forget something and then sighed.
"Maybe, telling you two a bit about my doings in the last war might help at least Severus to see the grand schemes of things a bit better…" Again, Potter shook his head. "Or maybe it will just distract me while you two poke and prod me after I've taken a look at our young patient."
He gestured towards the Hufflepuff girl's bed, hidden behind silenced curtains.
"You could also tell us what you plan to do with Umbridge," Severus added, watching Potter closely when he said that.
To his surprise, Potter actually didn't even try to deny it.
"Not yet anything," he replied. "I still need her to do something for me. The moment she's done with it… well, let's say there might be a bit more trouble for the Ministry in the future."
Then Potter smiled.
"But then, I'm just a poor, deranged fifteen-year-old," he added, grinning. "There's no way I could do anything - is there?"
Severus didn't buy those words even for a moment.
"What exactly do you want her to do for you?" He asked with narrowed eyes.
Potter just smirked.
"Something my new proxy in the Wizengamot kick-started already," he replied. "Don't worry, my heir. You will see."
With that, he ignored any further questions and stepped up to take a look at his patient.
Severus and Poppy exchanged a glance with each other behind Potter's back.
Obviously, there would be more chaos in the future than they had both anticipated.
Severus wasn't too sure if he should be afraid or looking forward to it.
Sadly, it would take some more time until he would be able to decide…
Meanwhile, Albus Dumbledore had trouble of his own - trouble, he hadn't forseen when he left his bed this morning, trouble he hadn't even thought about yesterday or the week before. If he was truthful with himself, he hadn't even accounted for trouble like that at all… at least not in the formal way he was facing it right now…
"Albus Dumbledore! You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged, then sent to Azkaban to await trial! "
Albus Dumbledore had been through a lot of trouble in his life - but never… never through so much trouble like the one he was in now.
And at fault for his trouble?
Sadly, Albus Dumbledore could only blame one person.
Oliver Twist.
Oliver Twist and his damn article in the Quibbler, the Daily Prophet and the Witches Weekly - in other words: Absolutely everybody in the British Wizarding World had stumbled over that article in one way or other.
And sadly, the article was anything but helping Albus Dumbledore's reputation…
Of course, considering that there was currently an angry minister and his aurors in Albus' office as well as a smug looking Dolores Umbridge ready to take over Albus' place as Headmaster that last statement might have been a bit of an understatement.
Nevertheless, Albus Dumbledore wasn't ready to give up and in to the ministry.
" Ah," he said gently. "yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag."
And maybe, calling his predictment a snag might be an understatement as well - on the other hand, Albus knew that for all his fighting with his deputy in the last month, she was still the best to look out for the children and Harry while he was gone - and go he must, considering that the minister wouldn't let him stay as long as he believed the lies Oliver Twist had told in his article… especially not with the formal document the minster had brought with him.
When did the Wizengamot decide to force Albus Dumbledore out of Hogwarts? Being send to Azkaban might be all alone Fudge's decision, but the fact that Albus had lost his job had been a decision done by the Wizengamot as well…
Albus' lowered his gaze to the copy of the document the minster had thrown at him when he had entered Albus' office, looking smug and assured in his position.
Normally, Albus would have blamed the Death Eaters' and Voldemort manipulating the whole thing to their wanted outcome - but this time around, he had actually no idea what to think of it, because, right at the top was one name that Albus Dumbledore, for all his suspicions, hadn't expected to see on a formal document like that.
Potter.
The Potter Proxy had spoken for Albus Dumbledore's removement of Hogwarts.
"Impossible," Albus wanted to say. "I might never have voted openly with the Potter votes, but I have been the proxy of that family for years already!"
And yet, the document in his hands stated that he actually wasn't - stated that someone else was and had always been…
Because, while voting by letter could be done by someone actually not accepted by the ritual stone of the chamber the Wizengamot used to meet - going there in person and voting could always only done by the official proxy.
"It shouldn't be possible," a tiny voice in Albus' head told him. "Sirius Black should have been the proxy - and after him nobody because there's nobody trusted by the family who's closely enough related to them to take over proxy without Harry appointing them…"
And yet, somebody had taken over proxy within the last months - because before, Albus knew for a fact that he had still officially, and maybe, considering the now known proxy, a bit illegally had held the Potter Proxy…
And Albus couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't Oliver Twist's fault as well, that the true Potter Proxy had decided to take up his place after more than a decade of not doing so…
Damn Oliver Twist and his lies!
Well, not everything had been lies, Albus had to admit to himself with a frown - but definitely the second part of the article!
' Yes, I answer to the Headmasters and the Founders' - as if Albus had ever asked the portaits to tell him about the secrets of their families!
But even Albus had to admit that while the implication that he had used the power of Hogwarts to keep in power outside of the school was absolutely wrong, it definitely was a possibility Albus would have been able to explore if he wanted to…
Yes, Albus wasn't restricted by the oath of the Founders - yet, he had never ever acted unethical in any way or form!
And yet, Fudge had taken the article and decided to use it to his avantage and bann Albus from Hogwarts - as well as take him into custody in the ministry on the base of espionage on ancient families…
" Snag?" said Fudge, his voice still vibrating with joy. "I see no snag, Dumbledore!"
That brought Albus out of his musing.
Right, he couldn't contemplate what or who had lead to that scene today right now. He had to stay focused - especially if he didn't want to end up in Azkaban like Fudge implied…
"This mess might ensure that I lose Harry fully," the thought hit him from one moment to the other.
Harry was already fighting Voldemort, was already influenced by the connection between him and the dark lord and if Albus wasn't there to steer Harry clear of the path Voldemort wanted him to take, if Albus wasn't there to monitor Harry… Albus couldn't help but think that chances were high that Harry would lose the fight against the darkness in his scar.
Albus needed to stay!
Albus needed to monitor, to control the boy's actions until the threat of Voldemort in Harry's head was dealt with!
He couldn't trust Minerva to do right with the boy! While he had no trouble to give over the children and their safety to his Deputy, Harry and his troubles would be too much for her - especially because she didn't understand the delicate nature of Harry's situation.
She would be far too invested, far too concerned about Harry to let him be and live like he should be until he reached his fate.
No, Harry…
But then, there was still Severus. The man might not have the best relationship with the boy, but at least Albus would be able to trust him to watch over the boy until Albus could ensure his return to Hogwarts - because returning he would, there was no way that he would be forced to stay away by the ministry for too long. As long as he held the wards of Hogwarts, he would always be its true Headmaster, and Albus doubted that the castle would take away his control of the wards after he spend his whole life to ensure Hogwarts' safety.
His gaze swept to his phoenix on his perch in the corner.
Fawkes - as long as the phoenix accepted him as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, that was what he was… something that Albus was sure wouldn't change for the time being… no matter what happened today, nor what would happen tomorrow…
Albus banned those thoughts from his mind.
Now wasn't the time.
The consequences of this fall-out would have to be thought over later as well - as much as Albus Dumbledore liked to brood about the loss of a lot of his plans right now, other things were more important…
" I see no snag, Dumbledore!"
" Well," said Dumbledore apologetically, showing his soft and understanding side . "I'm afraid I do."
" Oh really?"
Albus knew that Fudge wouldn't see the snag that Albus saw - because unlike Albus, Fudge had no idea that Albus was still and would ever be, as long as Hogwarts' didn't revoke him itself, the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
And Fawkes would stand by Albus' side for all the time he was.
Because Fawkes was the phoenix of Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. The phoenix had come to him the day Albus had taken up his post as Headmaster and Albus knew of phoenixes and their legends. A bond like that with a phoenix was ever only broken by death… or betrayal. And Albus would never betray his phoenix…
" Well - it's just that you seem to be laboring under the delusion that I am going to - what is the phrase? - come quietly. I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course - but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing."
And with that, he reached out towards Fawkes and his phoenix took the cue and flamed him away - leaving a stunned looking Minister and his lackeys in his wake.
"At least," Albus contemplated. "Now I have time to look into the whole Oliver Twist thing and into Tom's horcuxes…"
He would use his time sensibly - at least after he contacted Severus to ensure that the man would keep an eye onto young Harry Potter and the connection the boy obviously had and was influenced by Voldemort.
The moment he landed in Grimmauld Place, he stumbled.
For a second, he felt oddly dizzy and like something was… missing, then he shook his head and the feeling vanished as if it had never existed at all.
Albus sighed.
He had a lot to do.
But first, Severus…
It was then, that Sirius stepped into the kitchen in which Albus had landed in.
Sirius Black, oddly enough, was wearing formal robes, his expression grave and oddly sever.
The moment he spotted Albus in his kitchen, his slumped and casusal looking figure, rightened itself until he looked more like a lord than the Sirius Black Albus knew.
"Sir," he greeted Albus Dumbledore coolly.
Dumbledore frowned.
"Sirius," he said, not sure how to take the change in the man he hadn't seen for nearly half a year. Albus had actually expected that being locked into Gimmauld Place might have negative consequences for Sirius' psyche - but he had never thought that Sirius might change into….
Albus had no idea how to put it.
But he couldn't help that the coolness in Sirius' eyes and demeanour was something he hadn't expected to ever see in the wild boy he had known since he was a boy…
"Is there any reason why you are here in my home, Sir?" Sirius asked him, still as cool and foreign as he had been before.
"I remember you opened your house to the Order, Sirius," Albus reminded the other man.
For a moment, Sirius' eyes flashed and some kind of… unwillingness showed in his face, then every emotion vanished from the other man's face.
"I did, Sir," he replied. "But I recall that you weren't one of those who come by regularly."
"Circumstances change," Albus answered with a sigh. "I need to contact Severus. He has to keep an eye on Harry as long as I'm unable to return to Hogwarts."
Sirius raised a surprised eyebrow at that.
"You are unable to return to Hogwarts, Sir?" He asked with a frown.
"There was a… minor disagreement with the Minster," Albus replied with a sigh. "Obviously, the Minster somehow managed to ensure the Wizengamot's cooperation because they were envolved with my forced resignation as a Headmaster."
When Sirius frowned even more, Albus waved it off.
"I'm quite sure that I will soon return to my post," Albus said. "The minister will soon understand that I am needed at Hogwarts - no matter the article of Oliver Twist or not."
"Ah!" Sirius said slowly. "The article in the Quibbler… I heard about that."
Albus sighed.
"Not the best one of the boy," he agreed, naming Twist a child. "Especially considering that those accusations aren't true at all. I would have never spied on any families and their secrets!"
To his surprise, Sirius just looked at him with cool contemplation.
"But you could have been able to do so, couldn't you?" Sirius countered.
And suddenly, Albus Dumbledore knew who Sirius actually reminded him off.
The cool demeanour.
The iciness towards Dumbledore.
This was a typical Black demeanour.
Phineas Nigellus Black had been like that.
Arturus Black had been like that.
And Sirius Phineas Black had been like that as well…
But why had someone who had broken ties with his family suddenly taken of characteristics of some of his old family members?!
Somewhere else in the country, in a manor, one Dark Lord was currently preoccupied with his ceiling.
If the Dark Lord had to admit to things, then he would have admitted, that the ceiling of the ball room in his manor had currently taken precedence to every other plan he was about to hatch.
Next to the Dark Lord, Bellatrix Lestrange née Black, soon-to-be No-name, stood, also looking at the ceiling.
"Are you sure, agreeing to this alliance was the best thing to do, my Lord?" She finally asked hesitatingly.
"Crucio!" Voldemort answered, ignoring her screams.
Maybe, it was the wrong reaction to something he didn't want to hear, but being a Dark Lord, Voldemort actually didn't care.
Someone had to suffer - and Bellatrix had volunteered.
Nevertheless, Voldemort's gaze didn't wander from his ceiling.
Maybe, he guessed, agreeing to an alliance wasn't the best idea he ever had - but Anastasius Sanguini brought a connection to the vampires that Voldemort was hesitating to lose because of one unruly vampire.
"Are you saying you don't like it?" Said vampire asked in that moment. "I thought that at least my dear nephew would appreciate my sense for colours."
Voldemort just fired another Crucio towards the vampire, not even expecting it to hit anymore.
The vampire just cackled and ducked.
Meanwhile the Dark Lord just continued to stare at his ceiling.
It was black.
Absolutely black.
The colour wouldn't be too bad, even if a bit depressing and not something Nott, the Lord of the Manor would appreciate… the Dark Marks with the little, pink snakes, spitting hearts coming out of the skulls on the other hand…
"Sanguini…" Voldemort finally managed to get out and Sanguini cackled before spinning around, fleeing.
"I thought I would ensure that my dear nephew feels homey when he comes!" He called out over his shoulder while running. "And I thought you might appreciate it, too!"
And while Voldemort was busy hurling curses at his vampire ally, he never noticed that from all the Death Eaters' freed from Azkaban, three had gone missing without a trace…