Remain
A/N: and so it begins...
Prologue -
Sirius listened intently to every sound around him. The early spring morning air was still crisp and shocked his throat and lungs as he breathed it in. He scanned where he knew Marls was hiding, invisibility charm keeping her out of sight. Regulus' note had been very specific that Sirius come alone, but Sirius wasn't a fool. The fact that Reg wanted to meet in a muggle park in London on a Saturday morning meant one of two things, either he and Marls were going to die here trying to protect roughly fifty muggles, or that maybe, just maybe, Reg had come to his senses. Sirius' sigh betrayed his suspicions. He was pretty sure he and Marls wouldn't see noon, but they'd go together and Merlin, he couldn't ask for anything more at this point.
Sirius heard steps behind him and spun to see Regulus walking toward him. He looked like hell. His face was ragged, looking ten years older than its owner, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look sallow and haunted.
"You came," Reg's surprise shown in his eyes and his voice reminded Sirius of when they were kids.
Sirius had to suppress the urge to cling on to that piece of his childhood, when they were young and on the same side, innocence. "And I'm at peace that you'll probably try to kill me too." Sirius' voice was dripping with the betrayal he felt when Reg had chosen them over him, chose to be a coward.
Reg's face looked pained, "I deserve your hatred, Merlin Sirius I'll never be able to fix us, but please, I know how to stop the Dark Lord and I need help and you're the only one of Dumbledore's men that won't kill me on sight."
Sirius couldn't get over how much Reg looked like the eight-year-old he once was, pleading with Sirius to help hide the broken vase so that he wouldn't get a lashing.
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
Reg's face looked helpless as he threw his wand at Sirius' feet. "If you have Veritaserum I'll be willing to take that as well."
Sirius was more than a little skeptical, but something about how Reg looked at him pulled Sirius back to being 10 and jumping in front of the spells his mother was firing off to protect his kid brother because it wasn't right to let him suffer for no damn reason too. Sirius shook his head, Merlin he was going to die.
"Alright," Sirius summoned the wand to him, "we'll talk. And you're going to be talking to myself and another."
Reg looked like he was going to protest but Sirius held up his hand. "I'll hand you back your wand and we can try and kill each other instead if you'd like."
Reg looked like he was considering it for a split second, but then slumped his shoulders in defeat and nodded. "You choose where we talk. I give you my word I won't do anything to hurt you or James."
"You're an idiot if you think I'd put James in this level of danger given the current state of things," Sirius growled. He gave Marls the signal, winking at her, or rather winking in the direction he knew she was hiding and started walking to a muggle pub nearby that Lily had shown him before the war, before this hell. They grabbed a table near the back, and then Marls walked in and joined them.
"McKinnon?" Reg asked.
She nodded but said nothing as she sat down, her wand tucked up her sleeve. Sirius was grateful to have her there; Marls didn't have all the emotional attachment bull shit to mix her up. Marlene would kill Reg without question if he did anything stupid.
"Alright, Reg," Sirius said quietly, "Explain yourself."
Reg leaned in close across the table, "What do you know about Horcruxes?"
It had been an absolute nightmare of six months. Not only were Sirius and Marlene helping Reg figure out the Horcruxes but they were also doing all the Order missions. Reg had been insistent that just the three of them know about and work on collecting and destroying them. And Sirius and Marlene complied as long as it was always the three of them. Reg was never alone with Sirius or Marls.
Reg slowly earned their trust. As soon as he found out Voldemort had a mole in the Order he told them. He didn't know who it was, but just knowing made all the difference. Sirius and Marlene never went anywhere alone if they could help it, and while it didn't save her parents or sister, it did save Marls.
Reg did ultimately help them find and capture the mole, partly because he convinced Sirius that he was the only one who should be James and Lily's secret keeper when Dumbledore decided that was necessary.
It had been about a week after Sirius became secret keeper when Peter had attacked him. Sirius had been going from an Order mission - which Peter had been on with him - to meet with Reg and Marls. They were so close to finishing off the idiot, and this meeting was to plan how to destroy what they already had. Sirius was walking down the sidewalk when he was almost hit by a bolt of red light. Instead, it flashed passed his head and Sirius spun to see Peter, his wand held high. Sirius didn't understand, but he didn't have a chance to think. Peter attacked him again and Sirius barely got his shield up in time. The fight continued as Sirius shouted at Peter to stop, to remember everything they'd been through, everything they believed in, but Peter kept pressing him.
Out of nowhere, Sirius saw a flash of light and Peter fell forward. Reg stepped out from behind one of the buildings.
"I think you have your mole."
Marlene apparated and hit the ground running. She looked at the scene before her and breathed in relief. "Sirius! Are you ok?" She threw herself at Sirius and clung to him.
"I'm alright," Sirius smiled at Regulus, his arms holding Marlene tightly, "Thanks to Reg. How did you know I was here? How did you contact Marlene?"
Reg picked up Peter's wand and handed it to Sirius as he responded. "I was walking up to our spot today and heard you yelling, so luck."
Sirius took the wand and slipped it into his pocket. "And?"
"He sent a Patronus, Sirius." Marls said, turning in his arms but keeping herself firmly within his embrace.
"I didn't know you could." Sirius smiled at Reg who looked down at his feet. Sirius thought he saw the smallest semblance of a smile on his lips. Maybe there was hope for them yet.
"We can talk later, you need to get this bloke taken care of." Then Reg looked a little closer, "Wasn't he one of your friends from school?" Sirius looked down at Peter lying unconscious on the pavement and nodded, "Was being the key word here."
"I'm sorry." Reg nodded and with a turn, he apparated away.
Sirius and Marlene did manage to help Reg and ultimately they'd destroyed all but the last Horcrux using a very well controlled Feind Fyre. Sure being a Death Eater had caused a lot of problems between Sirius and Reg, but Sirius had to admit that it did make killing Voldemort from the inside a lot easier. They were finally starting to feel like brothers again, Sirius actually looked forward to seeing Reg, had plans for all the things they would do once this damn war was over - and then everything ended.
There was only one Horcrux left, a snake that Voldemort always had with him. And Reg had become obsessed with how to kill it. Voldemort had apparently felt it when the five Horcruxes they found were consumed in the cursed flames and had taken to keeping the snake in some protective magic spell ball. Because of that protected ball, Reg ultimately did something Sirius considered profoundly stupid.
Sirius and Marlene had ended up in a small skirmish against Voldemort and his cronies, Reg included. Sirius saw the look in Reg' eyes as he raised a hand in farewell and before Sirius could stop him, Reg released a Feind Fyre that made a dragon look small. Then he enveloped the snake, Voldemort, and himself within it.
Sirius could have killed him!
Marlene held Sirius back, keeping him away from the flames as he screamed Regulus' name. After several excruciatingly long moments, the fire disappeared and left the blackened forms of two men and a snake.
A part of Sirius died that day. He swore over the blackened form that had once been his brother that everyone would know it was him, that he was the hero, that he saved them all.
The tide turned and the war was soon won. Harry Potter no longer needed the Fidelis Charm to protect him. He was not the Chosen One, he was simply a child born during a war, with a little sister on the way.
Chapter 1
Harry draped his arm over Ginny's shoulders as they sat on the train home. His sixth year was over, and while he was mad to have missed the last match of the season, especially being the team captain - hexing Malfoy into next week for insulting Uncle Reg apparently was something even Uncle Moony, er Professor Lupin, couldn't get him out of - but finally getting Ginny as his girlfriend was worth the sacrifice - along with Uncle Sirius' thank you gift of chocolates and Wheezes - and thankfully the last few weeks had flown by.
Ginny had just finished telling him a hilarious story when the compartment door opened and the couple saw Harry's younger sister, Grace, standing in the entry with a hand pressed firmly over her eyes.
"Ginny are you done accosting my brother?"
Ginny laughed, "I haven't even started, Grace."
Grace carefully peaked through her fingers before dropping her hand altogether and sliding into the seat across from them, the auburn tint to her dark brown hair shining through in the sunlight bathing their compartment. "I can't be too careful around you two, especially with the stories you tell in the dorm, Gin."
"Ooo, you talk about me do you?" Harry chuckled.
"Yeah about how inexperienced you are," Ginny smirked and Grace laughed as Harry gave her a bit of a pout.
"Anyway," Grace leaned back into her bench, "I wanted to ask a favor. See Aunt Marlene and I had a wager going about when you two would finally get together,"
"Was everyone gambling my love life?" Harry exclaimed.
Grace waved him off, "I think so, yeah, but that's not the point. I wagered that you'd kiss Ginny first, Harry, and Aunt Marls wagered Ginny would kiss you first. So be a doll and tell me I've won."
"I don't know, Grace," Harry chuckled, "what if Gin instigated that kiss in the common room and not me?"
"Harry, come on! Ginny, you'd fib for me, right? I get 10 Galleons if I'm right, and that'll give me enough to afford my half of the Firebolt!"
"Is that how you got yours?" Ginny asked Harry, ignoring Grace's attempt to look like a cute puppy dog.
Harry chuckled at his sister and nodded, "Uncle Sirius and Aunt Marls told me if I wanted the Firebolt, they'd pay for half of it. Mum was livid, but Dad calmed her down and I did more work than I ever thought I could but I earned my share. When Grace made the team this year, they gave her the same offer."
"I would have had the offer last year if Angelina hadn't already had a full team," Grace complained.
"Wait, how have you been making money at school?" Harry gave her a suspicious stare.
"I did a few kids homework," Grace shrugged, "You'd be surprised how many students are willing to pay for the chance to skive off without penalty. I even did a few assignments for Ron, but I charge extra for upperclassmen since I have to go learn the material as well."
Ginny burst out laughing, "Ok Grace, as far as I'm concerned, Harry kissed me. You can gloat to Marlene when you get off the train, but you have to give me a go on your broom when you get it, deal?"
Grace whooped and jumped in the air, "Of course! You two are the absolute best! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Ok, continue snogging or whatever, I've got to go tell Rachel!" And she went running out of the compartment, the door ricocheting closed behind her.
"So I kissed you that day, huh?" Harry brought his lips to just behind Ginny's ear as he whispered.
"As far as your family is concerned, yes. As long as you and I know the truth, I'm happy." Ginny leaned back into Harry as he kissed her neck.
"Well, I'll just have to make sure my family knows that I'm pretty good at instigating kissing you then, won't I?" He murmured as he kissed along her jawline.
Ginny smirked as she turned her head, kissing Harry's lips, "Looks like you need a bit more practice, Potter." She whispered.
Harry smirked as he deepened the kiss and pulled a small sigh from Ginny. This kind of practice he could do all day.
A/N: Things that do not happen in this AU that aren't blatantly obvious -
1) The Triwizard Cup
2) Umbridge
3) Snape. He is working at Hogwarts up until Harry's first year, but he's still an immature child and treats Harry poorly that year. Lily and James refuse to put up with it. James earns himself a spot with the school governors for how well he handles getting Snape pulled from his post. In this AU the Potters get Snape out of Hogwarts and away from children because I can't handle the amount of abuse in the books.
4) Slughorn comes back in Harry's second year, instead of his sixth, when the governors fire Snape. The chance to teach Lily Evan's and James Potter's kids was just too good to pass up.
5) Quirrell, Lockhart and The Chamber of Secrets - Remus has been the DADA professor since a few years after the war ended. The Chamber has not been opened a second time and especially not by Ginny. The Heir of Slytherin is dead, his Horcrux diary destroyed, and so no one will wake the basilisk again.
6) Harry is not a Parslemouth.
7) Alice and Frank raise Neville.
Ok, I think that's the important stuff. In case it wasn't obvious, Grace Potter is two years under Harry, and is also a Gryffindor - because I'm lazy. ;)
You'll still see the canon pairings. Tonks is here and there will actually be a wedding Harry gets to attend. Ron and Hermione are still Harry's best friends and will ultimately get together. Fred and George still run Weasley Wizard Wheezes they just finished their seventh year instead of giving Umbridge hell, Fred lives, Collin lives, the Lupins live, Cedric lives, etc etc etc. I think you get the picture. ;)
If there are things you'd like to see here, please let me know in a review or a PM! I'd love to include your ideas and the things you'd like to see!
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It was pointed out in a review that Nagini was Horcrux until after Harry was attacked. My bad guys, but I really like how I had Reg sacrifice himself to save everyone and end the war, so just throw it into that AU part of the story and have fun reading the fluff that follows. :)