A/N: This chapter is unbetaed so forgive any grammar mistakes.

Professor Trelawney carefully poured the tea into two cups, the bangles on her wrists chiming with her every movement. She arranged her shawl carefully over herself before taking a seat on the pouf.

"I thank you for your hospitality Sybill," Dumbledore said as he took his offered cup of tea.

"It is my pleasure, Headmaster. My inner eye has informed me of your visit," Trelawney said.

"Yes, yes, I am sure," Dumbledore said as he took a sip. "It is so rare that I get a moment to myself these days. Alas, I'm afraid that we are about to head into terrible times," he began.

"The dark lord. Yes, my inner eye informs me of these things," Trelawney said in a misty voice. "Terrible things will happen. I fear that Mr. Potter is in grave danger. I tell him so often but I'm afraid that he does not take my warnings into consideration," she said.

"I fear as much myself," Dumbledore agreed.

"I sense that you have come to seek my expertise. You want to know what lies ahead," Trelawney said.

"I must act accordingly when the time comes. But that is not why I am here, I'm afraid. It seems as though the minister may want to interfere with Hogwarts. I want to inform my staff that their positions might be challenged and to be prepared. We must all be vigilant," Dumbledore told her.

"The minister may regret his actions," Trelawny said.

"I concur, but that is neither here nor now," Dumbledore said as he watched her carefully.

Trelawny nodded as she set her teacup down. And it happened quite suddenly. Her body shook and she drew ragged breaths as her eyes glazed over. "They will rise again. As the new moon rises in the sixth month, the willingly slaughtered at the hands of the dark lord will return to the one who needs them. They will rise again and their power will be unmatched. They will rise with the power the dark lord cannot touch or conceive and the dark lord will falter at their hands," she said in a ragged voice before suddenly the trance was over.

Trelawny rubbed her throat. "I'm sorry, but did you say something?" she asked, unaware of what had just happened.

Dumbledore held a thoughtful expression. "Just that we must focus on what is happening now and not put too much focus on what the future will bring," he said.

"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the future," Trelawny warned mistily.

"Nor would I," Dumbledore said as he considered her prediction.

It had taken Sirius over a week to reach Remus' old family cottage. Unable to apparate or use any other means of magical transportation without being detected by the ministry, Sirius was forced to fly Buckbeak under the safety of night from Hogwarts and to Devon where Remus lived in seclusion. But once he had arrived, he patted Buckbeak's feathered neck. "Go find yourself something to eat, my friend," he told the beast before entering Remus' kitchen door.

"Moony? Are you alone?" he hissed, keeping himself in the shadows.

"Padfoot, I expected you a week ago!" Remus hissed as he came into the kitchen. "No, I'm not alone but it's safe for you to reveal yourself," he answered.

"Who's here?" Sirius demanded.

"Mad Eye, Mrs. Figg, Molly and Arthur Weasley, we were just discussing how Harry is doing," Remus informed him.

Concern clouded Sirius' expression. "How is he?" he asked worriedly. "When I left Hogwarts he begged me to stay."

"He's doing well, considering. Harry is a very resilient young wizard. I've known that for a while," Remus informed him.

"James would be so proud of him," Sirius noted sadly. "He and Lily should be here with him," he stated bitterly as he took a seat at the kitchen table. "Go finish your little meeting. I have no desire to hear anyone scream at the sight of me," he said.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Have something to eat while you're at it. You look like you've been living off of rats," he told him.

"They're not nearly that disgusting if you season them right," Sirius told him seriously.

Remus gawked at him. "Tell me you're joking," he said in alarm.

"I wish that I could," Sirius said solemnly.

"In that case, I implore you to eat me out of house and home," Remus stated.

"That means a lot, old friend," Sirius told him gratefully.

It was fifteen minutes later that Remus returned to the kitchen to the sight of food covering his table and Sirius devouring it all like a famished dog. "I didn't mean for you to eat me out of house and home literally," he said.

"They gone?" Sirius gruffed through a leg of lamb.

"Yes, they're gone. Now tell me everything that happened. I know Harry told you what happened in the graveyard so tell me," Remus told him.

Sirius set down the leg of lamb and looked his friend in the eye, all traces of humor gone from his face. "Alright," he said and proceeded to recount every detail of Harry's story and of the discover of Barty Crouch Jr impersonating Moody in order to manipulate things and that of Fudge's reaction to Voldemort's return. When he had finished, Remus stared at him thoughtfully.

Remus ran a hand through his hair, in much the same manner that James used to. When he realized what he was doing he dropped his hand to the table and looked away.

"Funny how he's been dead for thirteen years and he still has a way of rubbing his bad habits off on us," Sirius stated sadly.

"It goes to show just how important he was to us," Remus agreed both sadly and fondly. "James was the first true friend I ever had. He never abandoned me even when he found out about my..."

"Furry little problem as he dubbed it," Sirius finished and then chuckled. "He made it sound as though you had an evil pet rabbit," he finished.

"Oh I remember," Remus said, laughing.

The two friends fell into a comfortable silence until Sirius broke it. "If it weren't for James, I would be dead," he said quietly.

Remus looked at him sharply, sensing where this was going. "He never told me how you came to live with him," he stated.

"I asked him not to. I didn't want anyone to know," Sirius admitted.

"Sirius, what happened all those years ago?" Remus asked.

Sirius looked out through the window, a haunted look in his eyes as he was staring into the past. "Walburga tried to kill me. She used the reductor curse on my back when I turned away because I had dared to call Voldemort an abomination that would lead our world into destruction. She then proceeded to use the cruciatus curse and just before she was about to use the killing curse on me I managed to defend myself somehow and disarmed her. In that split second, I knew that I had to get out of there. So I apparated to James' sitting room, splinching myself terribly in the process. James saved my life that night. He was horrified by what had happened. It took me all summer to recover and I didn't even speak for weeks. I just laid in bed, staring into space. I've never been able to forget what she did to me that night, it's haunted me ever since. And the dementors, they forced me to relive it in vivid detail the entire time I was in Azkaban," he disclosed.

Remus was horrified by what his friend had just confided in him and didn't know what he could do to ease his friends mind.

However, an audible gasp broke the silent reverie and both men turned to the source, seeing for the first time that Andromeda, Sirius' cousin, had been standing there.

Andromeda took a tentative step toward her cousin and reached out a hand to him. "How could she? Sirius, my dear cousin," she cried.

Sirius remained rooted to his spot as he stared at her. It was, perhaps, the first time he had been in Andromeda's presence since he was seventeen and he had just finished his seventh year at Hogwarts. Andromeda had taken it upon herself to throw him a celebration dinner which comprised of his friends, the Potters, and surprising enough his uncle Alphard. Sirius had spent the majority of the day playing with a then four-year-old Nymphadora. Nymphadora would be twenty-two now and it was doubtful she would remember him. Sirius knew nothing of what his favorite cousin thought of him now, so he stared at her apprehensively, his eyes darting to the different points of entry into the house as though he expected aurors to show up or worse, the dementors.

"Andromeda, please tell him you're not going to turn him in or else he'll take off at any minute," Remus stated.

Andromeda blinked. "Why would I turn him in?" she asked Remus.

"Because I'm a wanted criminal," Sirius stated, finally speaking.

"You're innocent!" Andromeda cried.

Sirius was taken aback. "You believe I'm innocent?" he asked.

"Of course I do! I've never doubted you for a second," Andromeda said fiercely.

Wordlessly, Sirius bounded up and embraced her tightly. "Thank you!" he said with tremendous relief. "You have no idea what that means to me."

Andromeda returned the embrace. "I could never understand how anyone could think you were a death eater. You've held such a deep seeded hatred towards the dark arts. No one could ever figure out why you would get so irrational when the dark arts became involved in anything." she wiped away some tears and looked Sirius in the eye. "Now I know why and it grieves me so to think of how you've suffered," she told him.

"My suffering is little compared to what Harry has been through," Sirius told her and reclaimed his seat. "Dumbledore wants us to start recruiting what remains of the order and new members so that we can fight Voldemort. With the minister refusing to accept that Voldemort has returned, it's up to us to continue our part in the war," he said, getting down to business.

"We'll need a base," Remus stated.

"I've already offered Grimmauld place for that purpose. I've discussed it with Dumbledore before I left," Sirius said.

"Are you sure that you want to go back there," Andromeda asked, taking his hand supportingly.

"I have to do something useful," Sirius said. "Which reminds me. I'll have to makes sure it is ready for the order to move in."

"We can go with you," Remus offered.

"No," Sirius said. "This is something I need to do myself."

The House was a ghost of its former self. What was once a proud and noble house now lay dead and decayed. It was not as Sirius had left it so many years before and he knew that it had only come to this after old Walburga had died. Where was Kreacher? Did his mother finally hack his head off and stick it upon the wall too? Surely the elf's devotion to the Black family would have kept him from abandoning his post and leaving the house to rot; not while Sirius was alive, the elf wouldn't dare. But Sirius could care less about this house, it was just a means to achieve the goals of the Order. Once Voldemort was destroyed, Sirius would be more than happy to burn the entire place to the ground.

Sirius had flown Buckbeak into the square across the street from the house and, under the tattered cloak Remus had lent him, transfigured into a dog and trotted up to the front door, opening it with a paw, Buckbeak dutifully following. Once safely inside, Sirius transformed into his natural form and took a look around, inspecting every corner.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I'm home," very ominously. As he walked through the house, his own screams of torment and his mother's raging voice echoed in his mind as if that terrible night was just the night before.

It was not long after he had been sent to Azkaban that he learned that his mother had died alone in the family home. An official of the ministry had informed him thusly and Sirius had disturbed the man with his cool detachment upon the news. For him, the news had been a happy moment in a place of torment. He remembered that moment well when a portly wizard with a grey mustache and wearing a brown tweed suit approached his cell cautiously.

"Mr. Black?" the man quirred.

"What?" Sirius demanded from his position by the barred window.

"The ministry regrets to inform you of some very tragic news," the wizard said.

"Tragic is having your best friend and his wife murdered because of something you did and being sent here without a trial," Sirius stated bitterly. "What can be more tragic than that?" he demanded.

"Your mother was found dead yesterday in your family home," the man informed him.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Truly?" he inquired.

"I'm afraid so," the wizard said.

Sirius gave a bitter laugh. "At last the hag is dead!" he said laughingly. "Tell me," he said, approaching the bars that separated them. "How did she die? Was it terrible? Tell me she suffered." he asked eagerly.

The other wizard looked deeply disturbed. "Apparently she was attempting some dark ritual which had backfired," he said.

Sirius threw his head back and laughed maniacally. "Beautiful! Truly beautiful!" he laughed.

The ministry wizard look quite shocked. "Aren't you the least bit upset that your mother is dead?" he questioned.

"No, you see this is the most joyous news I've had since James died. I honestly thought I'd never laugh again," Sirius told him.

"But she was your mother!" the wizard cried, stricken.

A dark look overshadowed Sirius' face. "What kind of mother uses dark magic to torture her own son to death? If I hadn't escaped when I did, I would have died five years ago at her very hands," he said and then a look of pure torment haunted his eyes. "James brought me back to life when I ran to him for help. Now he's dead and I have nothing left in this world to live for," he said hollowly. Sinking to the floor as he held onto the bars. "He was more than my best friend, he was the only true family I had, the only one to have actually loved me. He was my brother." he said brokenly.

The ministry wizard looked upon Sirius with pity. "I am sorry for your loss," he said as he put his hat back on. Sirius didn't even notice when he had left, too lost in his own dark thoughts of despair to even care.

As Sirius entered the kitchen, he was finally able to picture his mother's death, the way that wizard had described it. On the table was dusty cauldron still filled with the rotten black goo that was once a viable option, a rusty dagger, three books and three scrolls of parchment, one book laying open. A picture of Regulus and what remains of an altar of some sort lay arranged in the center of the table. A chair was turned over from where she must had fallen dead. Sirius knelt to pick it up when he found it. The unyielding blackthorn wand, still encrusted with the diamond serpent. Sirius snacthed up the wand and broke off the serpent, tossing it aside, and pocketing the wand.

"Lets see, Mother, what were you trying to do that killed you," he said with a smile. "It was the best thing you ever did, dying, I mean," he muttered as he took a seat and shuffled through the parchment and books. However it were two phrases in the open book that caught his eye: Cast of Resurrection and Priori Incantatem.

"Should a witch or wizard die a violent and unnatural death such as with the killing curse, their souls become trapped within the caster's wand unless such an event as when the wand would connect with its brother and priori incantatem is induced, forcing the souls of the caster's victims to be released. In this event, there is a small window of time in which their souls can be reunited with their bodies and their deaths reversed.." Sirius read aloud. His eyes flicked toward Regulus' picture and he finally understood. Walburga must have been tormented by Regulus' death to such an extent that she died trying to get him back. At long last he had his answer, his mother did suffer.

Suddenly his solitude was broken by a loud crack and something falling over in the entrance hall which was followed by the most terrifying screaming. Sirius raced up the stairs to see what was happening to find Dumbledore standing there. Sirius held a brief glance at the portrait behind the curtains. The subject was an old woman in a black cap, screaming as she were being tortured. The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed. But as her rolling eyes settled upon him, she screamed in a raging fury. ""Yoooou! Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!" Sirius knew instantly that it was Walburga and grew disturbed by how horrifying she looked in her portrait, while in life, she had been a great beauty.

With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore closed the curtains covering her portrait with ease and turned to him.

"Lovely woman, my mum. Sure she had an evil black heart, but once you overlooked that, you just had to love her," Sirius stated sarcastically.

"It's good to see that you've regained your biting wit," Dumbledore said.

"The dementors took my happiness, but they couldn't take my sense of humor," Sirius quipped and then frowned at his mother's portrait. "Strange. She was a great beauty, yet her portrait perfectly reflects the monster within."

"There are many things that can affect the way in which one's portrait depicts one after they have died," Dumbledore stated.

"This house used to be a sight to be seen, now it's in decay. But it'll do as headquarters I suppose," Sirius said as he looked around and kicked at a dust ball. "Can't imagine where that house elf has gotten to though."

"Perhaps your house elf will show up. In the meantime, we have fortifications to build and a fidelius charm to enact. But first, tell me what has already been placed upon this place," Dumbledore said.

"Of course," Sirius complied and led Dumbledore through the house as they began their work to turn the decrepit old house into a stronghold.

They finally finished in the kitchen where Dumbledore took note of the table. "I was told that this is where she died. Apparently she was trying to raise my brother from the grave and it instead killed her," Sirius explained, showing Dumbledore the book.

Dumbledore stared at the book that was handed to him in silence as he considered the implications. Finally he looked Sirius in the eye. "You understand that such magic is impossible," he cautioned.

"If I believed it was possible, I would have done so thirteen years ago," Sirius told him firmly.

"We cannot use magic to alter the natural order, Sirius," Dumbledore told him gently. "To do so would have grave consequences. I strongly advise you to forget about what is in this book because it would do you no good to dwell on it," he warned.

"I have no interest to alter the natural order of things," Sirius informed the headmaster and took a seat. "My mother was obviously out of her mind being the only Black left besides me. It must have tormented her to know that I would inherit everything upon her death despite her efforts to disown me."

Dumbledore eyed him suspiciously, not saying a word.

Sirius held up a hand. "I solemnly swear, upon my honor, that I will not use magic to alter the natural order. You have my word as a marauder," he vowed.

"Do see that you don't," Dumbledore stated, setting the book down. "Now, I must take my leave. I have work that must be done," he said.

"I'll see you at the first order meeting," Sirius said, offering the headmaster a smile.

"That shall be at the end of the week," Dumbledore told him and took his leave.

When Sirius was sure that he was gone, he took his other hand out from under the table where he held it with his fingers crossed. Turning his head to the side he yelled, "Kreature!"

A loud crack was heard and the depricit house elf appeared bowing low. "Kreature is bound to serve his master even though his master is a filthy blood traitor who broke his mother's poor heart. Oh the shame my mistress endured..."

"Oh do shut up!" Sirius snapped. The elf clamped his mouth shut and shot Sirius a look of pure hatred. "Clean this mess up and then go find me something to eat," he ordered. Pointing his mother's ward at the discarded book, he muttered, "Accio," and caught the book when it flew into his hand. "And then you can tell me all about this spell my mother was trying to cast when she died," he finished as he leafed through it.

It was not long before Remus flooed in and stepped out of the kitchen fireplace, trunk in hand. "I see that you've made yourself comfortable," he noted upon seeing Sirius so casual.

"What do you make of this, Moony?" Sirius asked, handing the book over and pointing to to the passage that had sparked his interest.

Remus read the passage and took a seat. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at Sirius. "Please tell me that you are not giving this serious consideration," he said.

"What if it is possible?" Sirius asked, leaning forward.

"It's too risky, Sirius. We wouldn't have the first clue as to what we are doing," Remus told him.

Sirius looked him in the eye. "Are you telling me, that if we had the chance, that you wouldn't be willing to have James back?" he asked.

"I want our friend back just as much as you do, Sirius," Remus told him imploringly. "But to risk doing something like this and not being completely sure of what we are doing. It could end badly. Worse, we wouldn't be bringing our friend back, but a cross between our friend and inferi. As painful as it is that he is dead, to have him back and to have it gone wrong. I couldn't bear it," he finished.

Sirius nodded. "I suppose you're right," he said.

"Good. Then lets put this behind us and focus on what is here now," Remus stated.

"Glad that you agreed to move in here to keep me from going insane," Sirius stated sardonically.

"Well I'll do anything to keep a completely insane version of you from being unleashed upon the world," Remus stated.

"Cheers to that, Mate!" Sirius said, raising a half empty bottle of brandy.

Remus sighed. "Great, now I have to deal with you while you're drunk," he muttered.

"You can sleep in the room next to mine. Regulus is dead so he won't be needing it," Sirius said sportingly.

At that Kreacher threw himself upon the floor in a violent rage. "The halfbreed desecrating Master Regulus' room! Oh the shame! Oh the defilement. What would Mistress say? Disgrace. Filth! Oh what shame Master has brought upon the most Ancient House of Black!" he raged.

"Kreacher! That's enough of your vile! Go clean a room!" Sirius ordered.

Kreacher looked upon Sirius in pure loathing before he disappeared to do his bidding.

"Bloody elf," Sirius cursed and took another swig from the bottle.

"Getting yourself smashed isn't going to make being here any easier," Remus told him.

"Ha! Shows how much you know," Sirius said darkly.