Okay, here's the first chapter. Now, in case you don't know, this is the sequel to my story The Sins of the Father and picks up a few months down the road from that story. If you've not yet read The Sins of the Father then I suggest you do so now before moving on with this story, for though it's understandable without doing so a lot of things will seem off.
Now, while it still follows Kitch, Elianna, and Tabitha following the Black Sun Rebellions, it will also begin incorporating many other characters, including Harry, Ron, Hermione, at some points Sirius Black, and a few new Original Characters. The list of main characters can be found directly below here.
This chapter picks up directly at the end of the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This story and its sequels will directly follow the books for the most part, making some changes, big and small, to accomodate my OCs and plot-twists.
Also, the title comes from a book in the Star Wars Universe, taking place just before and leading directly into Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
And, as always, Harry Potter does not belong to me in any shape, form, or fashion, nor does Star Wars. Now, on with the show.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Kitch Grant (male Human, Underage Wizard)
Elianna Kasumi (female Human, Underage Witch)
Tabitha Harding (female Human, Underage Witch)
Daemon Black (male Human, Underage Wizard)
Duran Detreo (male Human, Warlock-in-Training)
Harry Potter (male Human, Underage Wizard)
Hermione Granger (female Human, Underage Witch)
Ronald Weasley (male Human, Underage Wizard)
Sirius Black (male Human, Escaped Prisoner of Azkaban)
Luna Lovegood (female Human, Underage Witch)
Lor Grant (female Human, Hogwarts Professor, Healing Arts of Magic)
Brawley Monaghan (male Human, new owner of Quality Quidditch Supplies)
Jessica Grant (female Human, Ministry of Magic Employee, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office)
Zannah Grant (female Human, MoM Employee, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures)
Raven Grant (female Human, Magical Bounty Hunter)
Izumi Tatsu (female Human, former Black Suns lieutenant, Dread Lady of Sithis)
Saul Brooks (male Human, Underage Wizard, Dread Apprentice of Sithis)
Skipper (male House-Elf, Grant Family Servent)
Razor (male House-Elf, McGonagall Family Servent)
Matthias Grant (male Human, ex-Dread Lord, former leader/founder of the Black Suns, Prisoner of Lusankya)
Kyp Brinkley (male Unknown, Shii-Chi Mage and Weapons Master)
Sithis (male entity, Greater Demon of Darkness)
Chapter One: The Prisoner of Azkaban
{Location: Savannah Hill Manor, northern England}
[Sunday, July 3, 1994 A.D.]
(1600 hours; 4:00 P.M.)
As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station the next morning, Hermione gave Harry and Ron some surprising news.
"I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies."
"But you passed your exam with three hundred and twenty percent!" Said Ron.
"I know," Sighed Hermione. "But I can't stand another year like this one. That Time-Turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal schedule again."
"I still can't believe you didn't tell us about it." Said Ron grumpily. "We're supposed to be your friends."
"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone." Said Hermione severely. She looked around at Harry, who was watching Hogwarts disappear from view behind a mountain. Two whole months before he'd see it again…
"Oh, cheer up, Harry!" Said Hermione sadly.
"I'm okay." Said Harry quickly. "Just thinking about the holidays."
"Yeah, I've been thinking about them too." Said Ron. "Harry, you've got to come and stay with us. I'll fix it up with Mum and Dad, then I'll call you. I know how to use a fellytone now-"
"A telephone, Ron," Said Hermione. "Honestly, you should take Muggle Studies next year…"
Ron ignored her.
"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! How about it, Harry? Come and stay, and we'll go see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work."
This proposal had the effect of cheering Harry up a great deal.
"Yeah…I bet the Dursleys'd be pleased to let me come…especially after what I did to Aunt Marge…"
Feeling considerably more cheerful, Harry joined Ron and Hermione in several games of Exploding Snap, and when the witch with the tea cart arrived, he bought himself a very large lunch, though nothing with chocolate in it.
But it was late in the afternoon before the thing that made him truly happy turned up…
"Harry," Said Hermione suddenly, peering over his shoulder. "What's that thing outside your window?"
Harry turned to look outside. Something very small and gray was bobbing in and out of sight beyond the glass. He stood up for a better look and saw that it was a tiny owl, carrying a letter that was much too big for it. The owl was so small, in fact, that it kept tumbling over in the air, buffeted this way and that in the train's slipstream. Harry quickly pulled down the window, stretched out his arm, and caught it. It felt like a very fluffy Snitch. He brought it carefully inside. The owl dropped its letter onto Harry's seat and began zooming around their compartment, apparently very pleased with itself for accomplishing its task. Hedwig clicked her beak with a sort of dignified disapproval. Crookshanks sat up in his seat, following the owl with his great yellow eyes. Ron, noticing this, snatched the owl safely out of harm's way.
Harry picked up the letter. It was addressed to him. He ripped open the letter, and shouted, "It's from Sirius!"
"What?" Said Ron and Hermione excitedly. "Read it aloud!"
Dear Harry,
I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post.
Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job.
I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted.
There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt-"
"Ha!" Said Hermione triumphantly. "See! I told you it was from him!"
"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?" Said Ron. "Ouch!" The tiny owl, now hooting happily in his hand, had nibbled one of his fingers in what it seemed to think was an affectionate way.
Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from my own Gringotts vault. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather.
I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you.
I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable.
If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me.
I'll write again soon.
Sirius
Harry looked eagerly inside the envelope. There was another piece of parchment in there. He read it through quickly and felt suddenly as warm and contented as though he'd swallowed a bottle of butterbeer in one gulp.
I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends.
"That'll be good enough for Dumbledore!" said Harry happily. He looked back at Sirius's letter.
"Hang on, there's a P.S…."
I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat.
Ron's eyes widened. The minute owl was still hooting excitedly.
"Keep him?" He said uncertainly. He looked closely at the owl for a moment; then, to Harry's and Hermione's great surprise, he held him out for Crookshanks to sniff.
"What do'you reckon?" Ron asked the cat. "Definitely an owl?"
Crookshanks purred.
"That's good enough for me." Said Ron happily. "He's mine."
"Hang on, Harry, look!" Hermione exclaimed, again looking out at the window past his shoulders.
"Blimey, Harry, there's another one!" Ron added, pointing out at the large shape that could be nothing more than a massive Horned Owl flapping powerfully towards the window to their compartment. Harry again stood open, opening the window just in time for the newest owl to soar through and drop the letter it was holding into the seat Harry had again vacated. Not stopping, the owl turned around and soared back out the window.
Closing the window behind him, Harry walked over and retrieved the second letter, ripping open the envelope as he noticed, rather absently, that it was also addressed to him. After reading only the first paragraph, Harry plopped back down in his seat, feeling so happy now that he half-expected he might explode. "It's from Lor!"
"What?" Hermione and Ron again asked excitedly. "Come on then, read it aloud!"
Dear Harry,
I half-hope this letter finds its way into your hands before you reach King's Cross, as I'm not fully certain whether or not Petunia and Vernon allow you to receive owl post. Of course, if they do not and I don't hear from you by the end of the first week of July then I'll make sure that situation is remedied.
I want to apologize for disappearing from Hogwarts as I did following our last lesson, but my son was captured (and presumed killed) by the Black Sun Syndicate back in the States and I had to go take care of my own family. No worries, though; in case you've not heard, the Black Suns are finished and my family is okay and we've safely completed our move back to Britain.
I also want to again apologize for waiting for thirteen years to finally face you as I should have done many years ago. When we first met, I told you that you looked precisely like your father, only with your mother's eyes. However, I feel you should know that your eyes are not the only thing you inherited from Lily: my best friend also passed to you her kind heart and her outstanding courage. You are far more like your parents than you can possibly imagine, and in time you will come to see just how much, and remember, no matter what happens in the future, the ones we love never truly leave us. They live still, calling home the depths of your heart, where they reside, even and perhaps especially when you need them the most.
I expect I'll see you within a week or two: I do plan on coming by and taking you away from your aunt and uncle, even if it is only for a day. I spoke with Dumbledore about perhaps you coming to live with me and my bunch, but the Headmaster seems to remain firm about his insistence that he has excellent reasons for your continuing residence with Petunia and that wart-of-a-husband of hers. Honestly, if your grandparents were still alive…I'd almost feel sorry for that woman.
Regardless, I must be going now, as I still have a mountain of work in front of me before this place is truly livable: honestly, let's see you leave a house alone with a half-mad house-elf for a couple of decades and see how long it takes you to clean it up. As I would bet that house-elf that you're even now reading my words aloud to Ron and Hermione, give them both my best and remind them to try and stay out of trouble this summer.
Oh, and before I forget, I'm enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts much more enjoyable. If ever you need me, any time day or night, you need only to send word: your owl will find me here at Savannah Hill manor.
I'll write again fairly soon, so don't you dare worry: I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.
Lor
Again Harry looked eagerly inside the envelope. There was another piece of parchment in there. He read it through quickly and suddenly found himself unable to stop laughing.
I, Lor Grant, Harry Potter's godmother, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade village on weekends.
"That's a shame." Ron said with a shrug of your shoulder. "Wonder what reasons Dumbledore has for you staying with your aunt and uncle…always did suspect he was off his rocker."
"Oh no." Harry gasped suddenly, a horrible sensation suddenly sneaking up into the pit of his stomach, deflating some of his happiness.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
"Sirius. She still thinks Sirius is guilty of betraying my parents and killing Pettigrew."
"But Sirius's letter said he and Buckbeak are already in hiding, right?" Hermione asked. "What are the chances of her finding him anytime soon?"
Harry read and reread the letters from Sirius and Lor all the way back into King's Cross Station. They was still clutched tightly in his hand as he, Ron, and Hermione, stepped back through the barrier of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Harry spotted Uncle Vernon at once. He was standing a good distance from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, eyeing them suspiciously, and when Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry in greeting, his worst suspicions about them seemed confirmed.
"I'll call about the World Cup!" Ron yelled after Harry as Harry bid him and Hermione good-bye, then wheeled the trolley bearing his trunk and Hedwig's cage toward Uncle Vernon, who greeted him in his usual fashion.
"What's that?" He snarled, staring at the envelopes Harry was still clutching in his hand. "If they're more forms for me to sign, you've got another-"
"They're not." Said Harry cheerfully. "They're letters from my godparents."
"Godparents?" Sputtered Uncle Vernon. "You haven't got godparents!"
"Yes, I have." Said Harry brightly. "They were my mum and dad's best friends. He's a convicted murderer, but he's broken out of wizard prison and he's on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me, though…keep up with my news…check if I'm happy…you know. She's just moved from America and she says she's going to come by one day soon and take me out for a day, and she also wants to check if I'm happy…if I don't write her regular she'll assume something's happened…"
And, grinning broadly at the look of horror on Uncle Vernon's face, Harry sat off toward the station exit, Hedwig rattling along in front of him, for what looked like a much better summer than the last.
{Location: Savannah Hill, northern England}
[Sunday, July 3, 1994 A.D.]
(1600; 4:00 P.M.)
Dressed in a black t-shirt and knee-length shorts, Lor Grant stood patiently in the small clearing located in the dense woods behind her home. She was close enough to the massive estate to walk but far enough away that no one would see or hear what was about to happen, whatever that event might be.
Earlier that morning she had received an owl from her old school friend, Remus Lupin, days before, asking if he could meet her at her home but also at a location that was relatively secluded. This struck Lor as odd, and while part of her felt suspicious, she had decided to agree to his request: she trusted her werewolf friend with her life, and whatever it might be she knew the man had a good reason for wanting to meet her alone. She'd given him directions on how to reach her without being seen, and she'd made sure to choose a time when the estate was at its emptiest.
She heard the sound of footsteps approaching and clearing her mind she turned and moved forward, meeting her friend as he entered the clearing as well, and without speaking Lor wrapped her old friend up in a tight embrace, happy to see him once again. She knew immediately, however, that something was different...something was wrong.
"Spill." She demanded as she disengaged the embrace. "What's wrong?"
"I resigned." Lupin answered simply. "Me teaching at Hogwarts is too much of a risk."
"You're harmless as long as you keep up with your-"
"That's exactly the point," He interrupted. "I forgot to take my potion during the week preceding the last full moon."
"Oh no." Lor groaned, knowing too well what her friend was like when he'd fully transformed. "Did you at least make it to the Shrieking Shack?"
Lupin nodded his head and Lor exhaled a breath she'd not realized she'd taken. "Along with Harry, Ron, and Hermione."
Lor's blood turned cold. "You didn't-"
"They're fine." He assured her. "There's something else I need to tell you Lor, but first, you must promise me to listen with an open mind; we don't need you jumping to the wrong conclusions."
"About what?"
"Sirius." Lupin answered simply.
Now Lor felt as though she was on the verge of passing out. She swayed but quickly caught herself, forcing herself to remain calm and aware. "What's happened?" Lor asked. "He didn't get to Harry did he?"
Lupin nodded his head, and not passing out was quickly becoming a war Lor was losing.
"It's not like you think though, Lor. We were wrong, we were wrong about everything we thought we knew about what happened thirteen years ago."
"What do you mean, Remus?"
"Sirius." He explained. "He never betrayed Lily and James to Voldemort, he was innocent."
"Innocent?" Lor asked, not believing the words coming out of her friend's mouth. "Remus, I'm sorry, but the Ministry of Magic had several witnesses who saw him blast that street apart; they confirmed his murder of those twelve muggles and little Peter. That blast was so powerful that all they ever found of him was-"
"A finger." A new voice said, and even though she'd not heard that voice in over twelve years she'd never forget it, nor would she ever forget that voice's owner. Lor twirled around, jerking her wand from her shorts pocket, and with the skills that had allowed her to defeat her ex-husband all those years ago she took dead aim at the head of convicted murderer Sirius Black. His hair was a dark, filthy mass that hung down to his elbows, and his deep, dark sockets were so grim that had it not been for his eyes he'd have passed for a corpse. His skin was waxy, tightly stretched over his skeleton, his face looking more like a mere skull than anything, and his yellowed teeth were so bright she could see each tooth perfectly...Azkaban, she reflected, had taken its toll.
"YOU!" She roared, forcing herself not to cast her curse just yet. "BETRAYING JAMES AND LILY WASN'T ENOUGH, WAS IT-"
"Lor-" Remus began, but Lor snapped her head in his direction as her blood began to boil white hot.
"And you!" She added. "I thought you were better than this, Remus. I trusted you-"
"Sirius is innocent." Lupin quickly countered, moving to place himself between his two friends. "We've always thought Sirius turned Lily and James over to Voldemort and that Peter went to track him down and Sirius killed him, but that's not how it really happened-"
"I see." Lor interrupted, not knowing why she hadn't seen it before. "He's put you under the Imperius-"
"No one's been cursed!" Sirius corrected, sounding as though he was beginning to lose his patience. "Peter Pettigrew is still alive."
'That's ridiculous." Lor scoffed, unable to believe the lengths her former friend was going to in order to gain his freedom.
"It's the truth." Lupin confirmed. "James and Sirius changed the plan at the last minute. Instead of using Sirius as their Secret-Keeper James and Lily used Peter, a bluff they felt would fool Voldemort and spare them. Peter, however, was the spy all along; during the year leading up to the attack on Harry he'd been passing information to Voldemort from inside the Order of the Phoenix the entire time, and we never even suspected him!"
"They found his finger-"
"The bloody coward cut it off himself and then transformed into a rat to escape." Sirius finished. Lor, however, shook her head.
"I don't believe you, Sirius Black." She growled. "You betrayed your friends for a bit of glory; you're more of a coward than Severus Snape could ever dream of being."
Her words, she knew, had cut him deep, just as she'd meant them to. Sirius had once been among her best friends, the best of her friends after Lily Evans. His betrayal had left Lily and James dead, Harry orphaned, and Lor more alone than ever in the world; it was time, she decided, for him to pay for his crimes.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" She shouted, but Sirius was already on the move, easily dodging her curse.
"Expelliarmus!" He countered, but Lor's Shielding Charm quickly protected her from losing her wand.
She gave her wand another swish and another jet of green light escaped it, and while Sirius Black again escaped her Killing Curse it was only a narrow escape; realizing she had an advantage Lor moved to press her attack. Another jet of green light flew from her wand, but Sirius, while a walking skeleton, had obviously retained his cunning, cleaver personality. The escaped prisoner of Azkaban aimed his wand at a log, and with a flick of his wrist the log was sailing through the air, intercepting the Killing Curse before it could reach him.
"Expelliarmus!" He again shouted, and again Lor blocked the attack. Now, though, she could feel confusion beginning to cloud her mind. Sirius was still obviously very powerful; what little power he did lose in Azkaban was quickly coming back. Why, then, when he'd killed twelve muggles, a wizard, and betrayed his best friend's family over to the Dark Lord Voldemort, was he only fighting to Disarm her? Why was he not trying to kill her?
"Lor," Sirius said, as though he was picking up on her confusion. "Please give me a chance to explain what really happened."
"I know what happened." She responded. "You betrayed Lily and James-"
"No!" Lupin corrected. "Peter was their Secret-Keeper; he's the one who told Voldemort he could find James and Lily in Godric's Hollow."
"Once I realized what had happened I tracked Peter down, but before I could curse the coward he screamed at me and accused me of betraying them, blasted the street apart, cut off his finger, transformed into a rat, and made his escape."
"Then why did you try to force your way into the school?" Lor challenged, her wand still ready to attack once more. "Why did you try to force entry into Gryffindor Tower? The last I checked, those were not the actions of innocent men."
"Peter's been living as a rat for the past twelve years, the pet of Ronald Weasley."
"Come again?" Lor asked, dumbfounded.
"Ron's pet rat," Lupin explained. "Scabbers; that was really Peter in his animagus form."
"How did you know he was there, then?" Lor asked, still refusing to believe this story. Sirius, in response, reached into his tattered robes and pulled out a newspaper clipping, tossing it to Lor, who deftly caught it and unfolded it.
Almost immediately she recognized Ron, the best friend of her godson and the one person who'd already mastered the Flamore Flame.
"Look on the boy's shoulder." Lupin ordered, and doing as her friend suggested she looked down at the paper, noticing an old rat lying on Ron's shoulder...
"My God." She gasped. "He is missing a toe."
Lor could not believe it. Sirius was proclaiming to be innocent, and while he had no real proof of his innocence what he was telling her was beginning to make more and more sense.
'No.' Lor reprimanded herself. 'There are still too many questions that need answering.'
"How did you do it, then?" She asked, looking over once more at her one-time friend. "How, when no one else has ever done so, did you escape Azkaban? And how did you come to have a copy of the Daily Prophet?"
"Last year," Sirius began. "Fudge came to Azkaban for a routine inspection of the prison; he gave me his copy of the Prophet. That's when I noticed Peter, and the caption said the boy would be returning to Hogwarts."
"You transformed." Lor caught on. "The dementors can't see, so it was easy enough to escape as a great dog rather than a man."
Sirius nodded his head. "I knew I was innocent, that Peter was still alive. It wasn't a happy thought, so the dementors couldn't suck it out of me, but it kept me sane, allowed my powers to remain intact."
"We never discovered the spy among the members of the Order." Lor continued, putting the puzzle together a piece at a time. "It could have been anybody, so, to protect James, Lily, and Harry, when you switched Secret-Keepers you told no one else, not Remus, not Dumbledore, not even me, because the risk was too high of the truth leaking out to Voldemort."
Lor nearly fell to her knees. She had believed, as had everyone else, that Sirius was guilty of the crimes he'd been charged with, but now, twelve years later, she was being told differently, and while there was still no real proof everything did make sense.
"Does Harry know all of this?" She asked, trying to buy herself some time while she decided on just what she believed. Sirius and Lupin both nodded their heads.
"I can't-I can't believe this." Lor said slowly. "But it makes too much sense." She continued, lowering her wand. "We'll go back to my house; my son has a Pensive; we'll see just how true your words are."
Sirius nodded his head, but Lor again raised her wand, and this time Sirius had no warning as to her actions.
"Expelliarmus." She said lazily, and immediately his wand was flying through the air, and again Lor easily reached up and caught it.
"If I see that you're telling the truth, I'll give you your wand back." She explained. "However, if you're lying to me, in any way, Sirius, I will kill you, and I won't think twice about doing it. Are we agreed?"
Sirius Black nodded his head.
"Follow this path and it'll lead you straight to my back door." Lor explained, motioning for Sirius and Lupin to walk ahead of her so that she could keep an eye on them.
She was glade, now, that the mansion was empty. Kitch, Elianna, Tabitha, Raven, and Duran had gone down to the paddock to play some quidditch while the rest of the Kasumi family had decided to go spend some family time at a muggle theater in the neighboring muggle village. Jessica and Zannah were at work and Brawley and Bethesda were also hard at work, making the preliminary arrangements to relocate their businesses from America to England.
"I am curious," Lupin said a moment later. "As to why you never told the Ministry that Sirius is an unregistered animagus. If memory serves, you're the one who helped them pull it off."
Lor did not know how to respond. The fact was, she had considered doing just that. Dozens of times during the past year she had seriously considered writing to the Ministry of Magic and telling them that Sirius Black could change into a great, shaggy black dog. It would, after all, have likely helped them capture him well before now.
Another fact, one she dared not tell the two Marauders walking in front of her, was that she knew exactly why she'd not done so. Deep down she had always hoped, had always fantasized, that Sirius had somehow been framed for these crimes, that he'd never really turned Lily and James over to Lord Voldemort. She'd always dreamed of the day when some kind of evidence popped up proving Sirius's innocence. When she'd first heard of his escape she'd hoped he'd discovered some lead to that evidence, and because of that fantasy she'd risked so many lives, among them her godson's, by not going to the Ministry of Magic.
"I'm not proud of it." She said slowly. "I wanted to; there were countless times I almost did. But, if I had told the Ministry of Magic that Sirius Black was an unregistered animagus then I would face some punishment as well as an accomplice. I know that by not telling the Ministry I risked several lives, among them Harry's, and I've been eaten alive by guilt, but I was not willing to do time in Azkaban, not when my own family needs me."
It was, she reflected, partially true. It was skimming that line between a downright lie and a stretch of the truth, but she knew it would suffice for now. Besides, she told herself, she'd not yet been fully convinced that Sirius Black was indeed innocent.
The rest of the short walk was spent in silence, a silence broken only when the estate's mansion finally came into view for the first time.
"It looks as beautiful as ever." Sirius complimented as they walked up the back steps; Lor only nodded her head. She spoke only to give them directions to her son's room, and once there the trio gathered around the massive Pensive.
"Memory, now. Prove to me Peter Pettigrew is still really alive."
Sirius nodded his head as Lor put her wand to his head, and moments later a silver, liquidy substance began to wrap around the glowing tip of her wand, and once the strand of memory was free she turned and dipped it into the Pensive, and in unison the trio ducked their heads into the liquid.
Lor immediately recognized her surroundings; she was in the Shrieking Shack...
"Ron-are you okay?" Harry asked as he and Hermione burst through the door.
"Where's the dog?" Hermione added.
"Not a dog." Ron moaned. His teeth were gritted with pain. "Harry, it's a trap-"
"What-"
"He's the dog...he's an animagus..."
Ron was standing over Harry's shoulder. Harry wheeled around; with a snap, Sirius, standing darkly in the shadows, closed the door behind them.
A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were now bared in a grin.
"Expelliarmus." Sirius croaked, pointing a wand at Harry and Hermione.
Their wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Sirius easily caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Harry.
"I thought you'd come and help your friend," He said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful...it will make everything easier..."
Visibly angered at the mention of his father, Harry Potter started forward, but there was a sudden movement on either side of him as two pairs of hands grabbed him and held him back.
"No, Harry!" Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper. Ron, however, spoke to Sirius.
"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too." He said fiercely, though the effort of standing upright was draining him still more color, and he swayed slightly as he spoke. Something seemed to flicker in Sirius's shadowed eyes.
"Lie down," He said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that leg even more."
"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"
"There'll be only one murder here tonight." Sirius said, and his grin widened.
"Why's that?" Harry spat, trying to fight his way free of Ron and Hermione. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those muggles to get at Pettigrew...what's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"
"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet."
"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry roared, and finally he broke free of Hermione and Ron and lunged forward. Perhaps it was the shock of Harry doing something so stupid, but Black didn't raise his wand in time-one of Harry's hands fastened over his wasted wrist, forcing the wand tips away; the knuckles of Harry's other hand collided with the side of Black's head and they fell, backwards, into the wall-
Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling; there was a blinding flash as the wands in Sirius's hand sent a jet of sparks into the air that missed Harry's face by inches. Sirius's trapped arm was twisting madly in an effort to get free, but his godson clung on, his free hand punching every part of Sirius it could find. Sirius's free hand, however, had found Harry's throat.
"No," He hissed. "I've waited too long-"
As Sirius spoke his fingers tightened around Harry's throat, the boy's glasses now askew on his face.
Out of nowhere Hermione came charging forward, her foot catching Sirius in the ribs, forcing him to let go of Harry in a fit of pain as Ron threw his wounded self onto Sirius's wand hand...
With a faint clatter Harry's wand rolled away, and the wand's owner fought free of the tangle of bodies and threw himself towards his wand, but-
"Argh!"
A giant ginger cat had entered the fray; both sets of front claws had sunk themselves deep into Harry's army; Harry threw him off, but the giant pig with fur now darted towards Harry's fallen wand...
"NO YOU DON'T!" Roared Harry, and he aimed a kick at the animal that made it leap aside, spitting; Harry snatched up his wand and turned.
"Get out of the way!" He shouted at Ron and Hermione.
They didn't need telling twice. Hermione, gasping for breath, her lip bleeding, scrambled aside, snatching up the two remaining wands. Ron, in turn, crawled to the four-poster bed and collapsed onto it, panting, his white face now tinged with green, both hands clutching his broken leg.
Sirius Black, on the other hand, was sprawled at the bottom of the wall. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly as he watched Harry draw slowly nearer, his wand pointed directly at the convict's heart.
"Going to kill me, Harry?" He whispered.
Harry Potter stopped right above the fallen wizard, his wand still aimed at Sirius's chest as the boy looked down at Black. A livid bruise was rising around Sirius's left eye, and his nose was bleeding.
"You killed my parents." Harry said, and while his voice shook his wand hand remained perfectly steady. Sirius stared up at him out of those sunken eyes.
"I don't deny it," He said very quietly. "But if you knew the whole story-"
"The whole story?" Harry repeated. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."
"You've got to listen to me." Sirius said, a note of urgency popping up in his voice. "You'll regret it if you don't...you don't understand-"
"I understand a lot better than you think." Harry countered, his voice shaking more than ever. "You never heard her, did you? My mum...trying to stop Voldemort killing me...and you did that...you did it..."
Before either of them could say another word a blur of ginger streaked past Harry; that massive feline leapt onto Sirius's chest and settled himself there, right over the man's hear. Sirius blinked and looked down at the cat.
"Get off." He murmured, trying to push the animal off him. That cat, however, sank his claws into Sirius's robes and would not shift. He turned his ugly, squashed face to Harry and looked up at him with those great yellow eyes. To Harry's right, Hermione gave a sad, dry sob.
Harry raised his wand, and it seemed if Harry was about to cross that line. The seconds, however, lengthened, and still Harry stood there, as if frozen, his wand poised, Sirius staring straight at him, that massive cat still on his chest. Near the bed Ron's breathing had gone ragged, and Hermione was as silent as a corpse.
And then came a new sound...muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor...someone was moving downstairs...
"WE'RE UP HERE!" Hermione screamed suddenly. "WE'RE UP HERE-SIRIUS BLACK-QUICK!"
Sirius made a startled movement that nearly dislodged the ginger-furred cat, and even from here Lor could see the boy's grip on his wand tighten.
The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as Remus Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready. His eyes flickered over Ron, lying on the floor, over Hermione, cowering next to the door, to Harry, standing there with his wand covering Sirius, and then to Sirius himself, crumpled and bleeding at Harry's feet.
"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted, and again Harry's wand flew out of his hand, as did the two Hermione was holding. Lupin caught them all like a Seeker catching a Golden Snitch, and then he moved into the room, staring at Sirius, who still had the giant cat lying protectively across his chest. Finally, his voice very tense, Lupin spoke.
"Where is he, Sirius?"
Harry looked quickly at Lupin, not understanding, and then he turned to look back at Sirius again.
Sirius's face was quite expressionless. For a few second, he didn't move at all. Then, very slowly, he raised his empty hand and pointed straight at Ron. Harry, clearly mystified, glanced around at his friend, who looked just as bewildered.
"But then...," Lupin muttered, staring at Black so intently that it seemed he was trying to read the other man's mind. "...why hasn't he show himself before now. Unless-" Lupin's eyes suddenly widened, as though he was seeing something beyond his former friend, something none of the rest could see. "-unless he was the one...unless you switched...without telling me?"
Very slowly, his sunken gaze never leaving Lupin's face, Sirius Black nodded.
"Professor," Harry interrupted loudly. "What's going on-?"
Harry did not finish his sentence, his voice going mute as Lupin lowered his wand, gazing fixedly at Sirius. Remus walked to Sirius's side, seized his hand, pulled him to his feet so that the cat fell to the floor, and embraced him like a brother.
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed. Lupin let go of Sirius and turned to her. The young witch had raised herself off of the floor and was pointing at Lupin, wild-eyed. "You-you-"
"Hermione-"
"-you and him!"
"Hermione, calm down-"
"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shrieked. "I've been covering up for you-"
"Hermione, listen to me, please." Lupin shouted. "I can explain-"
"I trusted you," Harry shouted at Lupin, his voice wavering out of control. "And all this time you've been his friend!"
"You're wrong." Said Lupin. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now-let me explain..."
"NO!" Hermione screamed. "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too-he's a werewolf!"
There was a ripping silence. Everyone's eyes were on Lupin, who looked remarkably calm, though rather pale.
"Not at all up to your usual standards, Hermione." He said. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead..." An odd shiver passed over his face. "But I won't deny that I am a werewolf."
Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Lupin made toward him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped.
"Get away from me, werwolf!"
Lupin stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione and said, "How long have you known?"
"Ages." Hermione whispered. "Since I did Professor Snape's essay..."
"He'll be delighted." Said Lupin coolly. "He assigned that essay hoping someone would realize what my symptoms meant...did you check the lunar chart and realize I was always ill at the full moon? Or did you realize that the boggart changed into the moon when it saw me?"
"Both." Hermione said quietly. Lupin forced a laugh.
"You're the cleverest witch of your age I've ever met, Hermione."
"I'm not." Hermione whispered. "If I'd been a bit cleverer, I'd have told everyone what you are!"
"But they already know," Said Lupin. "At least, the staff do."
"Dumbledore hired you when he knew you were a werewolf?" Ron gasped. "Is he mad?"
"Some of the staff thought so," Said Lupin. "He had to work very hard to convince certain teachers that I'm trustworthy-"
"AND HE WAS WRONG!" Harry yelled. "YOU'VE BEEN HELPING HIM ALL THE TIME!" He was pointing at Sirius, who suddenly crossed to the four-poster bed and sunk onto it, his face hidden in one shaking hand. The giant cat leapt up beside him and stepped onto his lap, purring. Ron edged away from both of them, dragging his leg.
"I have not been helping Sirius." Lupin said. "If you'll give me a chance, I'll explain. Look-"
He separated the three students' wands and tossed each back to its rightful owner.
"There," Lupin said, quickly stowing his own wand. "You're armed, we're not. Now will you listen?"
Lor watched the scene unfold, silent as she stood next to Sirius and Lupin, who were also quiet as they watched themselves in the scene unfolding before them.
The trio listened quietly as Lupin explained to Harry, Ron, and Hermione that he'd seen Peter and Sirius on the Marauder's Map, and that he was one of the map's writers, Moony. They continued to listen as Sirius explained what had led him to realize that Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, was in fact the supposedly-dead wizard, Peter Pettigrew, and on they listened as Lupin began explaining about how the Whomping Willow and Shrieking Shack had been designed to protect the school's population from him during his transformations and how James, Sirius, and Peter had become unregistered animagi to help their afflicted friend.
She watched in horror as Severus Snape barged in, prepared to hand a man who was possibly innocent over to the dementors for a fate worse than death, and in relief she watched as her godson, Hermione, and Ron turned their wands on Snape, knocking him out with their combined attacks.
And then it happened. Her head suddenly felt light as a feather and her knees began to buckle; only through sheer will did Lor force herself to remain standing as she watched Sirius and Lupin force the rat, Scabbers, to resume his original identity as Peter Pettigrew. Lor continued to watch the scene unfold, her heart beginning to rise as she realized what this memory implied...
"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," Sirius said, shaking furiously. "Do you deny it?"
Pettigrew burst into tears. It was horrible to watch, like an oversized, balding baby, cowering on the floor.
"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord...you have no idea...he has weapons you can't imagine...I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me-"
"DON'T LIE!" Sirius bellowed. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"
"He-he was taking over everywhere!" Peter gasped. "Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?"
"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" Sirius asked with a terrible fury in his face. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"
"You don't understand." whined Pettigrew. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" Roared Sirius. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"
Sirius and Lupin stood, shoulder-to-shoulder, wands raised.
"You should have realized," Said Lupin quietly. "If Voldemort didn't kill you, we would. Good-bye, Peter."
Unable to believe what she'd witnessed, Lor pulled her face from the Pensive, and, turning to face Sirius, she nodded, a single tear falling down her cheek as she offered him his wand. She knew memories could be faked, but the process to do so was strenuous, and it took a small chunk of time...she knew Sirius was now as innocent as Lupin was.
"I hope," She began slowly, choosing her words carefully. "That in time you can both forgive me for not trusting you."
"It's okay," Sirius said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "We already have."
"What happened to Peter? Did you two kill him?"
Lupin shook his head as the trio exited Kitch's room. "Harry refused to let us."
"He what?" Lor asked, not sure if she'd heard him right.
"He decided Peter could take my place in Azkaban." Sirius explained. "But Moony forgot his potion, and after we got back above ground the full moon came out."
"I transformed, Sirius stopped me from hurting Harry and the others, but Peter transformed and escaped once more; God only knows where he's at now."
"In other words only eight people alive know the truth; the three of us, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Peter, and Voldemort."
"Nine." Lupin corrected. "Dumbledore knows the truth."
"And speaking of Dumbledore," Lor said, stopping dead in her tracks, for there, in her kitchen, standing calmly with a smile on his face, was Albus Dumbledore.
"Professor, sir," Lor hastily stammered. "I didn't hear you call; I'm surprised Skipper or Razor-"
"I asked your House-Elf not to disturb you." Dumbledore said kindly. "I half expected you needed to learn the truth about...certain events."
"Is there any way we can prove Sirius is innocent?" Lor asked. "Surely, between Harry, Ron, Hermione, Remus, myself, and Sirius's memory-"
"Memories can be forged." Dumbledore responded gently. "And the voice of an American necromancer, a werewolf, and three underage sorcerers will do very little to sway the Ministry of Magic. For now, Sirius, I am afraid you must remain in hiding."
Lor knew her friend well enough to know that the very last thing he wanted was to run and hide while Peter Pettigrew was still at large, but as he nodded his head she also understood that he knew that this was his best option.
"Lor, I do not wish to intrude upon your hospitality for too long, so I think it best if I get straight to the point. Would you be inclined to take up a post at Hogwarts next term?"
"Sir?" Lor asked, blinking rapidly in surprise. "You want me to replace Remus as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"
Dumbledore, however, shook his head.
"The Ministry of Magic is working to bring back the Triwizard Tournament next term, a legendary, dangerous event. I wish to begin offering the students of Hogwarts classes in healing magic…something, I fear, we are lacking a great deal in when it comes to the magical education of our students."
"Of course." Lor said immediately, not hesitating. "It would be my honor, sir."
"And Remus, I understand your reason for resigning." Dumbledore said kindly, looking down at Lupin over his half-moon spectacles. "However, I want you to know there will always be a place for you at Hogwarts; all you must do is ask."
"Thank you, sir, but I don't wish to endanger the students any more than I already have."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Professor," Lor added on a sudden inspiration. "My son, Kitch, he has…well…a…umm…sensitive matter he's trying to bring before the International-"
"Ah, yes." Dumbledore interrupted kindly. "The matter of freeing his father from the confines of Lusankya Prison. I must admit I am most curious as to his motivations behind such a move. When the Confederation meets in the coming month I will ensure that it is given all due consideration."
"Thank you, sir, I appreciate that."
"Of course, my dear Lor. I apologize for talking and running, but I must be going. I shall see you, Professor Grant, on the first of September."
Lor nodded, and once Dumbledore was gone she sighed and turned to her two friends.
"Come on Sirius, let's grab some dinner; I'm starving and I'm sure you are too; we'll get you cleaned up before you continue onto your next hiding place; we all have a lot to catch up on."
As the afternoon sun began its descent towards the western horizon, Kitch Grant was sitting in front of a goal hoop fifty feet above the air, mounted on his black and blue Nimbus 2001 so stiffly that he seemed to be a statue made of stone.
A lot had happened over the past few months. As he had declared early that morning, three months ago, he'd began the long trek towards freeing his father, formerly the Dread Lord Imperious, from the American fortress prison of Lusankya, where he'd been imprisoned since the very day Kitch himself had been born, imprisoned for creating an organization called the Black Suns, an organization that had nearly taken over the United States before the defeat of the Dread Lord at the hands of his wife, Kitch's mother, Lor Grant. That same group, however, had returned only three months before, killing all but six of the hundreds of occupants of the Gulf Academy of Magical Education, Kitch and his friends, Elianna, Tabitha, and Duran among them.
Also as predicted, the U.S. Ministry of Magic, which had become increasingly hostile since Kitch's open declaration that they had openly lied and misled the American magical community about the true events surrounding the end of what was being called the Black Sun Rebellion, was fighting his attempts to get his father freed from the prison he now called home. They'd refused to even listen to his plea, to give him a proper hearing and forum in which to present his case, and they'd also stopped all of his visits and communications with his redeemed father, citing that they believed he may now be a security risk.
He'd then tried to take his case to each of the three American seats of the International Confederation of Wizards, and one-by-one each had turned him down, claiming that not only would they not bother the highest authority of wizards with such a one-sided waste of time but that, as Kitch now lived in Britain, he had no right to bring his request before them.
On that note he'd then begun trying to push it through the British Seats of the ICW, and while they were much more receptive, per say, they were still forcing him to proceed through the proper channels at a painstakingly slow rate…the way it looked now, by the time his case made it through to the International Confederation of Wizards he'd be grown with a family of his own…
So deep into his thoughts, Kitch was, that he only noticed the coming Quaffle as it streaked by his head, nearly grazing him as it entered the goal hoop he was supposed to be guarding.
"COME ON GRANT!" Duran bellowed in anger. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TRYING TO KEEP THE QUAFFLE OUT OF THE GOAL! DAMN BOY!"
"Kitch?" Elianna asked softly, her and her new Firebolt, the present both Brawley and Bethesda had gotten her for her birthday three months ago, appearing quite suddenly out of midair. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah." He answered absently, not bothering to meet his dirty-blonde-haired girlfriend's deep sapphire eyes, which were hidden behind new, rectangular pink-rimmed glasses. "I'm just…thinking again."
"Now see, Kitch, I told you about doing that." Duran explained, approaching the pair on his own broomstick, his pale skin seeming to shine in the afternoon sun. "I've told you, thinking isn't your strong suit…it hurts you way too much to do you any good."
"I'm afraid Jessica might be right: my attempts to free dad from Lusankya Prison may be just the dreams of a foolish child."
"Ain't no 'might be' about it." Duran snorted. "Once a bastard always a bastard, Kitch. No matter what happens, a leopard can't change its spots."
"Duran has a point." Dark-Skinned Tabitha Harding added as she joined her friends, her black hair hanging down her back in tight braids and dreadlocks. "But, still, you can't haul up the white flag simply because of a bunch of political wimps who want to remind you of your place. There are three types of people in this world, Kitch: those who kiss ass to get ahead, those who do nothing and either stay where they are and go backwards, and those who bust nuts and bash in skulls to claw ahead."
"Nicely put, Tabitha." Raven Grant, the youngest of his older sisters said, the final person to join the group. Her jet black hair, which hung in loose threads down her shoulders, was a stark contrast to the brown hair her brother and other two sisters sported. "Now, decide which of the groups you claim and let's get back to playing some kriffin' Qudditch: I didn't postpone my next bounty just to gush out some emotional garbage like some kind of pansy."
"You know," Shouted out a new voice Kitch had never before heard. "Playing the position of Keeper usually requires you to catch the Quaffle before it goes through the goal post.
Looking down towards the ground, the young wizard saw another young male who appeared to be his age, standing inside of the empty paddock-turned-pitch as he looked up at the huddled group.
"Well," Raven sighed. "We'll pick this game up later; I have a bounty to collect on. Duran, you up for an adventure?"
"Sure, why not? Can't ever have enough gold."
As his sister and Duran shot off back towards the manor they all now called home, Kitch turned his broom into a lazy dive, descending down towards their uninvited spectator. Wearing black pants and a black shirt with shorter-than-average sleeves, the boy, Kitch noted quickly, appeared to be built along an ancient Greek-like scale, especially his face, though his skin was just a touch too pale to be fully Greek. His body made him appear lithe and athletic, and what skin Kitch could see looked to be pretty well toned. His hair looked ruffled, just a couple of shades away from being black…making it, in some spots, appear gray, and his eyes, a bright, glacial blue color, looked keen, studious, and slightly predatory. As he approached ever closer to the teen, he could make out a bright scar on the boy's lip, so white and transparent that it at first appeared to be only a speck of food left over from a previous meal.
"And you are?" Kitch asked as he touched down, quickly dismounting his broom and approaching the young teen.
"Daemon Black." He answered, not offering his hand towards Kitch or either of the two girls who now flanked him.
"You live in the house down the way, don't you?" Elianna asked, receiving a nod from the boy.
"Kitch Grant, you may be an adolescent hero, but you're a lousy Quidditch Keeper."
"How do you know my name?" Kitch asked, unable to help the suspicion creeping into his voice.
"The Global Inquisitor." He explained. "My aunt's a subscriber. I recognize all three of you; you survived that massacre last spring on that American school. Yup, I reckon you seem powerful enough, but still, mate, you make one lousy Keeper."
"So you've mentioned." Tabitha muttered, unable to help herself.
"You play?" Kitch asked.
"Sure do: I'm Keeper for my school team."
"Hogwarts, right?"
"Only magical school in all of Britain." The boy answered back. "I've seen you two before." He added, looking from Tabitha to Elianna. "You were in the cemetery during Professor Grant's lesson back in March."
"Cemetery?" Kitch asked, turning to face Elianna. "What cemetery?"
"The day you were captured, your mom was filling in for the professor of Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts class." Elianna explained. "She brought a class to the cemetery in those woods there to show them, and Tabs and me, what necromancy looks like."
"Gee, the one day mom decides to show off her necromancy I get captured." Kitch sighed. "So then, Daemon, why are you here?"
"My aunt told me we had new neighbors and I decided to come check you out."
"Come check us out?" Tabitha repeated, her eyebrows raised.
"I wanted to confirm if you'd be magical or muggle, allies or foes, assets or threats. A smart wizard knows who lives around him."
"Not a bad bit of advice." Kitch conceded. "Let me know when you reach your decision, will ya?"
"You won't attack or harm me as long as you have no reason to." Daemon answered back with a shrug of his shoulders. "You, Kitch Grant, and Elianna Kasumi, you both believe the best of people you first meet, and you both believe you're a good judge of character. You, on the other hand," He moved on, turning to look at Tabitha. "Don't trust anyone until they give you reason to. You naturally believe the worst in people, alienating yourself from most of your peers."
"Not bad." Kitch approved. "But how do you know this, exactly?"
"Easy." Daemon answered. "Neither you nor your girlfriend appear in anyway inclined to curse me. Tabitha Harding, on the other hands, looks like she wants nothing more than to hex me for being here. In addition, according to past issues of the Global Inquisitor, you believe the Dread Lord Imperious has been redeemed, telling me that you believe redemption's always possible, no matter how far you fall."
"It is possible." Kitch answered back, recalling his own flirts with the Dark Side. "All one must want is to be redeemed, to make up for what he or she's done in the past."
"Perhaps." Daemon allowed. "I, however, believe that once you go evil there's no going back, not truly. Some taints, some stains, never wear off. Take the woods, for example, those that border the far side of your property. Those woods are tainted; it's so powerful I can taste it."
"What are you talking about?" Kitch asked, eyeing the boy suspiciously.
"Almost a hundred years ago a warlock went dark, and these woods were his home. He kidnapped young children, both magical and muggle, and did the most hideous things we can think of to them. He raped them, molested them, experimented on them with the darkest of magic…some eve say he ate some of them. Those woods still carry the taint he created, even though it's been nearly a hundred years since the Ministry stopped his reign of terror by killing him. Perhaps he never did leave those woods…"
"Yeah, and I'm the Minister of Magic too-"
"He may have a point." Elianna interrupted. "In the short time we were in there, I too felt something dark and powerful, something very much real."
"So did I." Tabitha added.
"You ever explore those woods?" Kitch asked. Daemon, in turn, laughed.
"Alone? Merlin's Beard no! Those woods are a place you don't want to be caught alone, day or night. Weird things happen to people who go into those woods…people still come up missing, even today."
"Okay, then, let's go explore those woods." Kitch suggested it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Are you barking?" Daemon asked, looking at Kitch like an adult might a child who'd just asked an obviously stupid question. "This late in the afternoon?"
"Tomorrow, then." He corrected. We'll meet at the edge of the woods at dawn and spend all day exploring them.
"Okay." Daemon agreed, clearly relieved they were waiting until tomorrow. "Make sure you pack up accordingly: it'll be disadvantageous for us to have to keep coming back for this or that."
"Any suggestions on what we should bring?"
"Yeah." Daemon said. "Use your brains; that's what they're there for, after all." And without speaking another word, Daemon Black turned and walked away, not looking back once, Kitch and his two friends watching until the boy's figure had disappeared from view.
"That was one weird boy." Tabitha muttered once he was gone from view.
"I don't know: he kind of reminded me of Pax." Elianna said, referring to the friend they'd lost during the massacre on GAME Island, a friend whom, Kitch had learned, was, in truth, his long-lost half-brother.
"What?" Tabitha asked, spinning on Elianna. "How?"
"He accurately described us simply by observing us, something Pax was able to do, and he sounded just as smart and superstitious too, just like Pax was. And did you see his eyes?"
"They kind of reminded me a predator." Kitch confessed as he and his friends began walking back towards Savannah Hill manor. "Cunning, ruthless, studious, analytical, and hungry."
Kitch turned his thoughts inwards, allowing his mind to continue recalling the meeting with Daemon Black. There had been something, Kitch would admit only to himself, something deep inside of the boy's eyes, something that had given Kitch an impression that he wasn't to be fully trusted, that he had perhaps, in fact, maneuvered Kitch into suggesting a day-long exploration of those woods…
"You're home early." A woman's voice greeted as Daemon entered the small, cozy cottage that he'd called home all his life. "Where'd you go?"
"Met our new neighbors."
"Oh?" The woman asked, her voice coming from the direction of the kitchen. "What'd you think?"
"The boy, Kitch Grant, is powerful enough; once he's fully grown he may be a terrifying enemy or an advantageous ally. His girlfriend, Elianna Kasumi, may be a mudblood-"
"Watch your tone, young man." The woman warned.
"But she's powerful too, as is their other friend, Tabitha Harding. They're powerful, yeah, but they're also typical heroes-in-the-making, with all the weakness that come with it. His mother, Professor Grant, on the other hand, may be too powerful to handle-"
"For the last time, Daemon, stop it!" His aunt barked as he entered the kitchen. Tall and thick, she'd likely been beautiful at one time, but now her extra weight had reduced her to more of a cute girl-down-the road type of witch. Her hair, the exact same color as Daemon's own, fell freely past her shoulders, her gray eyes watching the meal on which she was now working.
"Stop what?" He asked innocently, feigning innocence.
"Collecting information for that demented cousin of ours!" She explained, sounding exasperated. "She's in Azkaban, now, and she'll stay in there until the day she dies, so give it up. You-Know-Who's been gone for thirteen years, likely dead, and the sooner you realize that the better off we'll both be."
"I dunno." Daemon answered. "Perhaps the Dark Lord was onto something with his plans for a new world order."
And ignoring his aunt's outraged reply, he made his way through the house to his bedroom, and upon entering that room he pressed against one of his walls, forcing the wall to swing around, admitting him into a hidden room beyond his room.
This room would have fit into any muggle spy novel. Newspaper clippings and photos, both wizarding and muggle, lined the walls, and, looking into the newspaper face of Kitch Grant, Daemon got hard to work piecing together the truth about who his new neighbors really were, smiling as he imagined the day he might get to hand this information over.
She smiled as she reread the small roll of parchment, pleased with the work she'd accomplished in three short months.
"You're sure this is him?" She asked the man sitting across the table, who in turn nodded his head.
"Positive." The man answered. "Though she'll never remember so, she told me everything about her short-lived affair with him."
She snorted. "Consorting with a muggle by whom he then has a child by. Such a disgrace to the purity of magical blood everywhere. Where does he live when he's out of school?"
"A small town in southern England." He answered. "He lives with his muggle mother."
"Indeed."
"Shall I go with you, my lady?"
"Not at all." She said, raising her wand. "Obliviate."
And as the man's eyes slid out of focus and his head slumped to the table, she stood up, silently walking out of the small home as she pulled the cowl of her cloak up over her head.
For three months now she had searched, stopping not once in her hunt for answers, never surrendering her goal of mastering the Dark Side. And, though she still had so very much to learn, she had a basic idea of what her plans now were, and the first thing she needed, as she constantly reminded herself, was an apprentice, a protégé who would not only learn from her but help her learn the darkest of all secrets, including the path to true immortality and invincibility.
Beneath the hood of her cloak, Izumi Tatsu smiled.
And so there you have it, the end of Chapter One. So, what'd you guys think?
Yes, I know it seems to be getting off to a slow start, but this chapter was really just to get us eased into the coming story, because believe me, it's going to be a doozy of a story, yes, very much indeed.
Now, the Demon mentioned in the Dramatis Personae at the beginning, Sithis...that's a name I took from the Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and as such belongs to Bethesda Game Studios, not me. I will be taking the storyline involving Sithis in a direction similiar to what we see in Oblivion, but I will also be adding in some key elements from the Sith of the Star Wars Universe, in particular Darth Bane's Rule of Two, which states that there should only ever be two Sith Lords at a time: a master to embody power, and a student to crave it. When the student felt he/she had learned all the master had to teach, they rose up and killed the master, and then they found an apprentice of their own and the cycle continues. If the student failed they weren't worth the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith and so the master found a new apprentice and again the cycle continued.
As such, Star Wars belongs not to me but to George Lucas.
Now, I'd like to sooth any readers who are now afraid that I may be going too far into left field on this one. I will be keeping this very much in tune with the Harry Potter books. There will be no lightsabers, and though I do plan on introducing a few known Force abilities later on, they will be re-worked simply as advanced forms of magic, both wandless and wand-used. Again, this will not be a cross-over between Harry Potter and Oblivion or Harry Potter and Star Wars, so relax. It's merely me playing in the alternate world J.K. Rowling first created all those years ago and simply adding a few other ideas I thought might fit in nicely. After all, as much as I love the Harry Potter series, I believe she still left out a lot of information and various arts in the magical realm, information and arts I plan on expanding on some during this storyline while sticking to her original storyline and information.
I don't really know why I decided to go with Sirius visiting Lor following his flight from Hogwarts, but, given the information I gave on them during The Sins of the Father I thought it might be warranted.
In addition, as there is very little information that I can find on the structure and operation of the International Confederation of Wizards, I will be winging it as I go, using a mixture of what I know about official settings of that sort, the United Nations, and the Ministry of Magic to make it work for this storyline.
So, what, exactly, do you think Daemon Black is up to? What do you believe he's going to end up doing? Any idea to the cousin he has in Azkaban? Anyone got any thoughts as to his parentage? Hmm...I suppose only time can tell, huh?
And what is Izumi Tatsu up to? Who is she looking for in southern England? Perhaps...hmm...nah, better not spoil it.
Well, until next time...
