Author's Note: Well the Prologue seemed to get a reasonably positive response, and I also have my very first patron over on P-A-T re on. So big woot there! I didn't hear back from you lot very much in the reviews. Though that could be a glitch I suppose? Hard to say with FF being the way it is. Either way here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Later the Next Day

Wizengamot Chamber

Ministry of Magic

London, United Kingdom

It was official Sirius Black decided, he hated Bartemius Crouch. The man had never been very likeable to begin with, being a dour and rather biting man by nature, he had been very hard to work for in his time as an Auror. But the way the current director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement now seemed… rather disappointed upon finding out Sirius was not guilty of betraying the Potters sealed it for him.

It was quite frankly absurd and insulting that Sirius had been forced to endure a full court trial in front of the Wizengamot at all. The whole episode had been a sham from start to finish.

Sirius would not have been surprised in the least to have found himself in Azkaban without a proper hearing considering how readily Dumbledore, leader of the Order, had thrown him right under the Knight Bus. Citing so called suspicious behaviour on his part and how he'd been the Potter's secret keeper when Dumbledore had cast the spell in the first place.

The only things that had saved him from that miserable fate he believed, were Amelia's rather impassioned testimony on his behalf and the fact the Wizengamot were at a loss as to how to find Lily and Harry Potter.

Of course that only mattered because they were convinced he must have taken them or some such nonsense. It had taken multiple character references, veritaserum and a magical oath to convince those gathered that he was not actually guilty of what they accused him. Even then it had taken a bit to subject him to a proper hearing instead of this…inquisition.

Sirius rubbed at his wrists irritably as the guards released his arms from the chair in the centre of the Wizengamot chamber. He glared darkly at Dumbledore and Crouch before turning to regard the Minister who quailed slightly at the look she was receiving.

Dumbledore actually had the audacity to appear surprised and regretful upon hearing of his innocence after having done everything he could to besmirch his character in front of the entirety of Wizarding Britain's ruling elite.

Finally Chief Warlock Ogden apparently noticed that the chamber had devolved into a form of mild chaos and decided to exert some control over the situation, firing off a flare spell to garner the crowds attention.

Of course the old fool had to go and put his foot in it right away, standing as soon as order was restored and he'd obtained permission to speak. "I move to see that Harry Potter be found and remanded into Ministry custody so that he might be placed—"

Sirius was on his feet immediately, glaring furiously at the man before he'd even finished. "I challenge that motion!"

Dumbledore appeared confused to see the young man before him openly disputing him. "You do not desire Harry found my boy?"

If looks could kill, then flaming Dumbledore bits would have been raining down upon the Wizengamot's pointy hats at that point. "Of course I want him found you ridiculous tit!" Sirius spat, his voice dripping with scorn, earning him a wounded expression from Dumbledore before the elder wizard schooled his features.

"My challenge is two fold however. First of all we do not in fact know that Lily Potter is actually dead. Her body was not found at the scene I'll remind all those present. And second of all, even if she were in fact dead, Harry should be placed in the care of those specified in the Potter will!" Sirius shouted.

Dumbledore affected a grandfatherly mien, "I'm afraid that is not possible my boy—"

"I am not your boy Dumbledore!" Sirius fired back, earning some mutters from the crowd.

"Regardless, the will has been sealed." Dumbledore said patiently smiling benignly at the man below.

"Why? And on whose authority?" Sirius demanded.

"Why my own as a member of this august body and that of the Minister of Magic of course…" Dumbledore began before another voice cut him off.

This one came from the midst of the Wizengamot, a slow measured tone. "And by what right do you interfere in the affairs of an ancient and noble house Dumbledore?" The voice asked drawing all eyes to its source.

Sirius blinked in surprise recognizing both the voice and the man speaking. There standing among the rows of seated witches and wizards was his grandfather, Arcturus Black. A man he had not spoken with, let alone shared a civil word with in nearly a decade.

"The affairs of such houses, particularly those concerning the last wills and testaments of deceased, have traditionally been protected by law against Ministry interference. Unless you wish to contest the rights of such houses of course…" Arcturus suggested blandly.

Another stood among the crowd on the opposite side of the chamber. Augusta Longbottom current proxy of House Longbottom. "I second that. You have no right to interfere Dumbledore, in fact your attempt to do so is blatantly illegal!"

Sirius broke off his staring at his grandfather to regard the rest of the room. Noting that the Minister at least seemed to have realized the of magnitude her mistake and had paled considerably as more and more people in the crowd nodded. There was an explosive sigh from one of the Judge's seats and Barty Crouch stood again, grimacing in distaste. "That is…correct Dumbledore, Minister. Despite your positions, current Ministry law states that you have no authority upon which to order that will sealed. I'm afraid the DMLE shall be forced to declare the sealing overturned."

Dumbledore for his part looked shocked at having his motion so directly vetoed.

Sirius was nodding agreement with the statements of those who had spoken in support of his challenge, "And thus I believe my challenge stands! Even should Lily Potter be dead, the boy should be turned over to the care of whomever the will indicates should raise him!"

Amelia stood from the front row. "I second the challenge. Unless the Ministry has legal basis to oppose the suitability of whomever is nominated as caregiver, Harry should go to whomever the will dictates." She said firmly, this time in her capacity as current head of house Bones.

There was an affirmative grumble from the crowd and Arcturus spoke once again. "What is your game Dumbledore?" He murmured calmly, his voice carrying around the chamber despite his gentle tone. "Today you have tried to see an innocent man charged for crimes he did not commit, interfered in the affairs of an Ancient and Noble house and attempted to wrest away control of a child to whom you have no confirmed legal right. I assume I am not the only one present…confused by your actions here today. Perhaps you could explain?"

Dumbledore appeared to have been caught flatfooted by the subtly implied accusations in the other man's words. "I am merely concerned for the boy's safety." He rushed to assure those present.

Arcturus nodded thoughtfully in a way that suggested he was more acknowledging the words than conceding to their accuracy. His face calm and his tone measured when he spoke again. "But it is not your place to see to such matters Dumbledore. Proposed appointment to Chief Warlock aside. It is that of his parents, and perhaps his godparents or selected guardians. Do you not have enough responsibilities to be getting on with?"

Something in the man's tone conveyed the message loud and clear to all those listening, but the man pressed on clarifying just in case any present had missed it. "You have enough to be seeing to I believe without…meddling in the affairs of others Dumbledore…or should I call you Headmaster? Perhaps Supreme Mugwump?"

None could fail to understand the implicit accusation in those words and a murmur raced around the hall. "You seem to be accumulating quite the array of titles there."

The old patriarch had quite deftly and without outright accusing the man himself, implied that Dumbledore was gathering power to himself whilst undermining the traditional rights and powers of the families who governed the country. It cast a great deal of suspicious scrutiny on Dumbledore's intentions and motivations. Particularly with the more conservative crowd in the Wizengamot.

Dumbledore knew that he was cornered and quiet visibly unbent his wounded pride to call an orderly retreat. "Um—indeed, I withdraw that portion of my motion and simply move that the Ministry allocate funds to aid in the search for Harry and Lily Potter."

Again Augusta was on her feet, though this time her posture and tone were less confrontational. "I second that motion."

Dumbledore surveyed the hall, studiously avoiding making eye contact with either Arcturus or Sirius. Chief Warlock Ogden eyed this all from his stand across the room. "Very well, if there are no challengers to Mister Dumbledore's proposal…Why don't we put it to vote? Those in favour?"

A clear majority raised their wands and illuminated the tips thus negating the need to count up those opposed. Sirius nevertheless made note in his head of those who failed to raise their wands, adding them mentally to his so called 'shit' list. He noted with continued surprise that his Grandfather was in fact among those who raised his wand in support. That was the second time the old man had backed him and his that night.

There was a crack from The Chief Warlock's gavel, "Very good, the motion carries. Funds shall be allocated to aid the DMLE in their search for the Potters. If there are no further matters I move that we adjourn for the day."

This met with general agreement and he declared the emergency session ended. Sirius rose from his chair once more and stretched, only to nearly be bowled over by Remus and Amelia as they rushed to the centre of the room. He clapped Remus on the shoulder briefly before sweeping Amelia up in his arms and kissing her firmly.

He just enjoyed knowing he was free for a moment before stepping back and regarding his long time friend. "I'm sorry Moony. I'm sorry everyone distanced themselves recently. We were wrong to doubt."

Remus merely smiled a touch wanly inclining his chin slightly in acknowledgement. "I understand, I was undercover and in deep with the packs. You had every right to be concerned, especially seeing as you had signs there might be a traitor running about."

Sirius smiled his thanks before clapping his friend on the shoulder again.

They only had a moment to enjoy the feeling of relieved camaraderie before a quietly cleared throat drew their attention and Sirius turned to find Arcturus standing a respectful distance away patiently waiting for their attention.

Arcturus Black, he had not seen the man in…many years. His paternal grandfather, Arcturus was current patriarch and head of the Black family. He and Sirius were actually remarkably similar in appearance, though his Grandfather obviously appeared a great deal older. Leaning now on a simple black cane he hadn't needed the last time Sirius had seen him in person.

Arcturus' steel grey eyes, so like his own peered at him stoically, clearly waiting for an acknowledgement of some kind. "Grandfather." Sirius greeted a touch stiffly.

He had been expecting the old man to frown, perhaps even to dispute his right to refer to him like that given his rather meteoric falling out with the rest of the family. Instead a small smile quirked the man's lips for but a moment, before he inclined his head at him slightly. "Sirius, it has been some time."

Sirius had to fight the urge to scoff or snap at the man bitterly, of course it had been a long time! However he controlled himself, Arcturus was going out of his way to be polite and considering the support he'd offered a couple minute previous he owed him a little civility in return at the very least. Sirius might have scoffed at protocol and tradition, but he still valued courtesy and gratitude. "Not since I was fifteen I believe."

He was referring to the Christmas party at the family home the last time he had visited the cursed place. He'd fought with his parents the remainder of the Christmas break and had never returned thereafter, instead going to live with the Potters instead.

"Indeed, I remember." Arcturus agreed stoically, and for a brief moment Sirius could have sworn he saw a bit of sorrow and regret in his eyes. Arcturus drew himself up and sighed a bit. "I know you are busy Sirius, I merely wish to request an official meeting with you sometime in the near future. I have matters I'd appreciate the chance to discuss with you."

Now it was Sirius' turn to sigh, though his was more exasperated than that of his forbearer. "Grandfather, at the moment I am somewhat busy. I have a traitor to catch and family to find…"

Arcturus didn't even dispute his desire to call Lily and Harry family merely nodding. "I believe you might find that those are actually among the matters I wish to discuss with you."

This was getting a little surreal for Sirius. His Grandfather was not as he remembered him, much of the old fire had left the man. Weariness and sorrow had stooped his shoulders in recent years it seemed. He was not confrontational in the least despite Sirius' lack of protocol.

Sirius considered then reluctantly conceded, "If you can arrange it, I will meet you tonight at Gringotts around five o'clock."

Arcturus nodded patiently. "It will be arranged. I may invite a couple other members of the family along…" He raised a hand to stall any objections. "Not your mother Sirius, and not Bellatrix, I'm not stupid you know?"

Sirius had indeed assumed the worst for a moment there and looked down feeling a bit chagrined. "Very well…I'll uh, see you then shall I?"

A small smile quirked his grandfather's lips again. "Yes I suppose so. Good luck in your hunt Sirius, I look forward to seeing you tonight."

The old man bowed slightly at the waist before turning to leave. Sirius waited until he was certain the man was outside of hearing range before turning to his companions. "That was…weird?" He muttered.

Amelia smirked shaking her head before placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "We will find Harry and Lily, Sirius." She promised him.

He nodded, mentally hauling himself out of the confusion his meeting with his Grandfather had caused inside him. "I don't even know where we'll start. Not to mention having to try and find the Rat. Merlin, if I ever get my hands on the little—"

Amelia cut him off sharply, giving him a warning look. "Sirius, leave Peter to the rest of the DMLE. We're all aware he's an Animagus now, and you getting yourself thrown in Azkaban because you killed him without a trial doesn't help anyone."

The anger faded at the pointed rebuke and he nodded, suddenly feeling bone tired. Remus decided to weigh in in the silence which followed. "I'll help you search Padfoot, however you need."

"Thanks Moony," Sirius murmured before turning to Amelia.

Amy smiled a touch wanly. "Come on you two, I'll show you where we're working on the search, I'll talk to my boss about getting you two involved…" She encouraged leading him away by the hand. None of them noticed or sensed the pair of light blue eyes which watched them go speculatively.

This meeting with his fellow Aurors was somewhat more warm and friendly than the one he'd experienced the previous time he'd been led through the DMLE. Apparently word had spread through the ranks already that he'd been found innocent. Sirius paused only briefly to speak with a couple of those he knew before being led further back into one of the conference rooms which had been set aside for them.

The space set aside for the search effort was already bustling with activity, a pair of Aurors already setting up maps and charts on boards around the room, a cork board already stood against the far wall with pictures of every piece of evidence already gathered from the scene pinned to it. The table in the centre of the room was piled high with files and bags with the physical evidence within.

He noted with some satisfaction that the map on the wall already had quite a few locations marked as having been searched and cleared.

"Sirius, don't know if you've met these two before. This is Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt and trainee Hestia Jones." Amelia introduced smoothly first indicating a tall black man with a shaven head, before pointing to a young eager looking brunette girl he vaguely recalled from his time at Hogwarts. "Shack's one of our best new trackers coming up from the enforcement squad and Hestia's looking good for landing a spot in forensics. They've both been assigned to the task force in an ongoing basis."

Sirius murmured a pair of greetings to the two Aurors and stepped further into the room indicating the clutter around them. "What have we got so far?"

Amelia sighed, sagging a little. "Not much yet unfortunately."

At his look she plowed onward. "We've conducted searches of every apothecary and healer we know of just in case they were taken to them for healing. Nothing so far. We'll check back periodically. We've already had three general searches of every wizarding hamlet and town in Great Britain and the Irish have kindly done the same on their turf." She reported running a hand back through her red hair.

Shacklebolt took over for a moment. "We checked every Ministry controlled magical sensor in the country for Missus Potter's magical signature. She's registered with them considering she's an Unspeakable." He explained in a deep but nevertheless calm voice.

"No luck I take it?" Sirius asked.

The man grimaced, "None, she's not showing up on any of them."

"What about in the records for the sensors? She may not be showing now but…" Apparently no more need be said as both of the newbies perked up and pounced on the box of files containing that information.

Hestia was the one who found their first hit in amongst all the data. "We detect her briefly in country as late as one A.M last night…She was moving rapidly south from Godric's hollow." She murmured reading the readouts over. "We keep reading her until she passes outside the boundary of the sensor's range…"

"Dammit," Amelia growled. "That likely means they've left England, we've been looking in the wrong place." She frowned before clicking her hand, "Is there any way to fool the sensors?"

Shacklebolt shrugged. "You can hide behind wards which block such things, but no, I don't know of any means by which to otherwise confuse them. I'll ask the Unspeakables though. See if they have anything like that. Actually…why don't I ask if they have any long range trackers on Lily. She was one of theirs after all so it's possible I suppose."

Amelia nodded her thanks to Shack as he made a note in his pad before turning to Sirius. "What about your Godfather oath?" She asked.

Sirius sighed at that, he'd tried that first chance he'd gotten. "I get a general sense of 'that direction' from it," He explains waving vaguely. "But unless I'm closer it's fuzzy."

"Anything else?" Amelia asked. "Anything at all?"

Hestia grimaced. "Only one piece of evidence of note on scene." She said indicating three bags on the table, causing the others to gather around and peer at them. "Needles?" Sirius asked skeptically.

"Yes, almost certainly muggle in origin, they're all very finely machined, and show the telltales of being mass produced. The contents of the syringes however…"

At the curious looks she was getting she explained. "Whatever was in the first syringe was some kind of pain killer, fairly mild. Same with this one except stronger." She said indicating the second, "Apparently the specialist examining them accidentally got a drop of the strong stuff on his finger and couldn't feel a thing for an hour."

"Powerful medicine then?" Amelia asked, not really being well read on pain killers in specific. Hestia nodded emphatically.

"It's this last one which is interesting though, confused the heck out of our specialists." The girl explained, "The mixture is unlike anything they've seen. It's a concoction of unfamiliar chemicals and biological components. Not so quick working as a general healing potion, but it functions similarly over a longer period of time. The word they were throwing around was 'panacea', but what's more interesting, is that according to them, it shouldn't exist."

The other four looked at Hestia who blushed realizing they wanted an explanation. "According to our specialists, their contacts in muggle law enforcement and in the pharmaceuticals industry have never heard of something like this." She said waving to the vial in question. "If someone out there had made a substance as versatile as that, it'd be the equivalent of the holy grail to a medical company. No one is selling anything like it. No one. And according to the muggle contact they took a sample to, they don't think medical science could actually synthesize it right now."

Sirius pondered that for a bit, but still found himself at a dead end, and said so. Hestia had to nod in agreement. "Until we know more, or find a connecting lead, yeah."

Remus shifted uncomfortably bringing a hand up to rub nervously at his neck. "Uh—I might be able to help on that. Can I uh—smell it?" He asked weakly.

At the questioning looks Sirius explained. "Remus is a registered Werewolf, he might smell something that'll give us a lead."

Somewhat gratifyingly neither Auror appeared perturbed by that declaration and the syringe was carefully extracted and carefully handed over to Remus to smell. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath turning the object over and over in his hand.

"Hmmm." Was his first response upon opening his eyes.

Sirius wanted to strangle his friend a little in that moment, if he'd found something he wanted to know it. "What?"

"Well, I smell a couple things on it actually. The chemicals and biological stuff of course. But some other things as well. The syringe isn't glass or plastic, neither is the vial. They don't carry scent the same way as it does. Maybe look into getting the material analyzed?" he suggested, and Hestia made a note. It was a slim lead but it was better than nothing.

"Secondly, it's got Lily's blood on it, if I were to hazard a guess I'd say she was the one injected." Remus smiled sympathetically at his friend who was looking worried at that revelation. "Finally however I can tell you this, whoever it was who first handled that syringe wasn't human."

This garnered a number of interested looks. "I have no idea what they were, but they smelled like no human I've ever met. Sorta an odd mixture of sweat, dust and…heat, which I know is an odd notion. I'd say they're almost certainly female, and I can tell you that were I to smell it again I'd recognize it."

He raised a hand to stall them. "One other thing…whoever she is, she's powerful. I'd don't know if you've heard this before but witches and wizards give of a slight ozone smell. It's the magic. The more powerful, the stronger the smell. Considering just how long the smell is lingering on something she touched only briefly, I'd bet my money on her being extremely powerful."

They considered all that had been said thus far, Sirius was the one to put it into words. "So what have we got so far then? Lily was last detected moving south. A muggle miracle pharmaceutical, which shouldn't even exist, administered by a powerful non-human…anything else?"

"Well…I suppose there's always whatever killed Malfoy?" Hestia offered tentatively, perhaps picking up on Sirius' irritability, "And whatever it was that blew up the yard."

He nodded shortly in agreement. It was a start after all. "I saw Malfoy myself, he looked like he'd been impaled." He noted his lips set in a grim line.

The aspiring forensic specialist nodded agreement, "He was, something was shoved through his chest, once he was already down, and into the ground below him. Whatever it was, it cauterized the wound and burned a meter deep hole through the pavement and dirt below him just as easily…."

Remus whistled appreciatively. Anyone who worked with combat spells knew how well such things dispersed energy. "Ouch."

"Right through his heart too. It killed him instantly." Hestia added more stoically.

Sirius tried to think of what could cause that kind of damage and came up empty. "And the yard?"

Amelia picked up the thread here, she'd been the one investigating that portion of events earlier that morning. "Our people don't know what to make of it honestly. There's no recognized curse signature." She noted sounding apologetic. "The specialist I had look at it said it was like whoever it was, was throwing raw mana around, the damage patterns resembled that of lightning strikes or someone exposed to muggle electricity."

They stared at her a bit skeptically at that and she shrugged. "It's like whoever it was, they were shooting raw magical lightning around. We think they were aiming for Pettigrew though as the path it follows around the yard apparently has animagus signature running all throughout it."

Sirius growled lowly in his throat at mention of the traitor. "Shame they missed then," He grumbled before straightening and running a tired hand down his face. "Okay…so, non-human utilizing muggle medicine, who burns a hole through Lucius somehow and blows up half a yard with lightning, treats Lily somehow before taking her away somewhere?" he looked to those around him with more than a little exasperation. "Just who the blazes are we dealing with?"

Later that Day

Diagon Alley,

London, United Kingdom

Gringotts Wizarding Bank. A deceptive name actually, as the bank itself was almost entirely owned and operated by Goblins. A species of exceedingly grumpy, short, pointy eared humanoids who would likely perforate you repeatedly with something sharp had you the temerity to mistake them for a wizard.

Gringotts bank itself was in all honesty quite similar to high end banks everywhere in the known world. Large marble edifices, shining naval brass and crystal chandeliers. It even shared the strange hushed quiet which often suffused such places. As though the money would somehow be offended if someone laughed or spoke at anything louder than a murmur.

This atmosphere of enforced solemnity was likely partially due to the fact one was always under the watchful eye of security personnel and Goblin warriors within the bank. Stony faced guards in greyish blue uniforms who were rumoured to have had their senses of humour magically extracted…

Goblin warriors were not to be trifled with either of course. They wore full suits of enchanted steel and silver armour which protected them from all but the worst spells a Wizard could muster against them.

Oddly enough it was not the intimidating facade of the bank, the brooding security guards, or even the surly goblins staffing the desks that had Sirius uncomfortably quiet and wary as he walked through the main floor of the bank towards the persons waiting patiently for him in the guest seating area.

It was the people themselves which had the man uncharacteristically quiet. His Grandfather, Arcturus had always had a way of unnerving him, and even though the man's manner was more subdued than the last time he had seen him that at least had not changed. He always felt like a naughty child in his presence though the man rarely said anything directly condemning.

The woman standing next to the elderly wizard however brought Sirius up short. Narcissa Malfoy, was standing there in a black mourning dress bouncing slightly on her feet rocking a small child in her arms. He wasn't certain how to feel about her presence.

Until recently Narcissa had been the wife and presumably confidant of one Lucius Abraxas Malfoy. A man of some means, a lot of bigotry and a Death Eater in the service of the Dark Lord. However she was also now a widow. Not to mention the fact that she was also his cousin.

Arcturus nodded stoically to him as he slowed to a halt a polite distance away from the pair. "Sirius,"

"Grandfather," He turned and nodded deferentially to Narcissa. "Cousin."

The woman merely nodded politely in return returning her attention to her child for the moment and Arcturus smiled thinly. He likely knew that indifferent politeness was the best he could expect from these two right now. "I've booked us a conference room for our little meeting, if you'll follow me?"

Sirius waved for Narcissa to follow Arcturus ahead of him and fell quietly into step behind them as he was led through the bank to a small conference room.

If the presence of Narcissa had surprised him, the inhabitants of the small but finely appointed conference room surprised him more. Sitting at the table were his other cousin, Narcissa's sister Andromeda, and her husband Ted Tonks.

The presence of either was surprising as Andromeda had been disowned from the family at her parents' insistence after daring to marry Ted who happened to be a muggleborn. He didn't know if Andromeda had ever communicated with any members of the Black family save himself since that time. Judging by the cold look she spared her younger sister it was likely some time indeed since she'd spoken with her sibling.

Still the tense atmosphere didn't last long as Andromeda spotted him and smiled broadly pushing to her feet. "Sirius, so good to see you. I was very happy to hear those fools at the Ministry saw the light." She said embracing him after hurrying around the table.

"Andy, good to see you again too. Believe me I'm happy about that too." He greeted before turning to her husband who had joined them at a more sedate pace. "Ted, how are you holding up old chap?"

The other man smiled slightly, "Well enough, hell of a job keeping up with Andy and Nymphadora though," He joked.

"I'll bet," Sirius teased before stepping aside so they could formally greet the other two adults in the room.

"Uncle Arcturus." Andromeda said formally, before flicking her eyes briefly to her sister. "Narcissa."

"Sister," Narcissa murmured.

Arcturus dipped his chin at the chilly atmosphere between the sisters. "Andromeda. If we could all be seated we could perhaps get down to why I've called you here today."

They grudgingly acceded to his request, Sirius taking a seat on one side of the table with Andromeda and Ted while Arcturus and Narcissa sat opposite them. The old wizard considered them a time from behind inscrutable grey eyes before nodding slowly. "I suppose you are wondering why we are here in the first place given what you know of previous family politics?" He asked rhetorically. "Simply put it is because as patriarch I have come to believe that this family needs a new direction."

He took in their surprised and dubious looks, though Sirius noted Narcissa appeared unaffected by the declaration. "To be quite frank, the support some of our…relatives, afforded the Dark Lord has resulted in the family line being decimated. Therefore I feel it necessary that I speak with those family members I trust…"

"I hate to break it to you Arcturus but both Andromeda and myself were cast out. I may still bear the last name but we're not considered part of the family anymore." Sirius pointed out, for the moment glossing over his surprise at his precursors assertion of trust.

The man considered him. "You are only partially correct in that Sirius, Andromeda was indeed cast out against my reservations by Druella and Cygnus. However you were not officially cast from the family despite your mother's wishes and her insane belief that burning someone from the tapestry at Grimmauld made it fact."

He steepled his fingers. "Orion was…not a nice man, I will be the first to agree, however in this case he shared my concerns about casting one of his sons from the family based on your association with those Walburga and yes even he did not approve of. I thus could refrain from making it official where I could not with Andromeda. You are as much a Black as I Sirius."

Sirius sat back in his chair mildly shocked by that revelation. He'd always been of the impression that he was cast out at the unanimous demand of his parents and grandfather. He had not realized that this had not been the case.

"And your part here Narcissa?" Andromeda asked formally. "I find it hard to believe you share Arcturus' reservations."

Her younger sister frowned clearly swallowing a retort before speaking in a civil tone. "Lucius is dead sister, killed in the battle at the Potter house last night. I was not so stalwart a supporter of the Dark Lord's cause as Lucius boasted. I remained with my husband first at my parents wishes and then because it afforded myself and my child insulation against the madman's attacks." She murmured solemnly.

"With Lucius dead and the Dark Lord gone as well I am on my own, solely responsible for my child's future wellbeing. Family first, that was our unofficial motto I believe yes? That was not possible so long as I was shackled to Lucius' side, but now it is. I would see myself restored to house Black. And I have to say upon discussing the matter with Arcturus I share his worries about the family's future." She said firmly, frowning.

"You and Sirius were driven away or cast out, Bellatrix is mad as a hatter now and Regulus was killed. Almost all of the older generation are gone now too. The family is dying."

Sirius considered the two on the opposite side of the table, rolling his fingers on the tabletop in thought. "Anyone can say the words, and claim what they wish about past actions and motivations. And I will not deny that I wish to believe the both of you, but how can we be sure of your sincerity?"

He waved idly to Arcturus. "You never voiced particular support for Voldemort it is true, but many of our family did, seemingly unopposed. And Narcissa, you were the wife of a Death Eater, the sister of another. How do I know you do not share their cause?"

Arcturus raised a brow at him but Narcissa waved down any protest which might have arisen. Before silently pulling up both her sleeves. "If you wish you can check for glamours. I am not marked. Otherwise there is little I can do to persuade you that I am sincere. Words are all I have to give. I ask only that you listen to us and judge us according to what we profess to believe."

Arcturus nodded his thanks to the young woman beside him. "As for proof of my sincerity I can let my actions speak for me." He asserted firmly. "As of one hour ago. I recognize you Sirius Orion Black as heir of House Black."

He let that sink in watching the way his grandson blink somewhat dumbly at him before nodding and pressing on. "I also cast Pollux, Cygnus and Walburga from the family whilst reinstating Cedrella and Andromeda. I will step down as head of house as soon as you indicate your preparedness to take headship yourself."

The stunned silence which followed those declarations lasted quite a while until Arcturus finally sighed breaking it. "Sirius. I could have outright stopped your parents actions against you, however my hands were somewhat tied, as your parents they ultimately held authority over you. Had you petitioned me for intercession, explaining your position on matters I could have formally done more to mitigate your parent's actions."

He stood and began pacing along his side of the table. "The family is all but dead, and I lay the blame for that solely at the feet of myself and those who decided to bend their knee to that monster. Though I had to keep it to myself until now, I want you to know this Sirius, I am and always will be, very proud that you and Andromeda alone both stood against You-Know-Who and his ilk while the rest bowed and scraped."

Sirius nodded, swallowing thickly as he tried to wrap his mind around what was happening here tonight. In the end he decided to press on to what he'd originally come here to do, to find out if his Grandfather would support him in finding Lily and Harry. "You mentioned you might help me…in finding Lily and her son."

Arcturus likely saw through his calm demeanour and knew that he was redirecting whilst giving himself time to process. "Now that you are formally my heir and the others are cast out? Yes, you have our undivided support. Though you should have had that based on Harry's status as your godson and as Dorea's grandson alone."

Sirius looked to Andromeda who gave him an uncertain smile before turning back to look his grandfather in the eye. "Look, I need time to get my head around this alright? I'm not turning down my place as your heir I just need time to come to terms with what all this means."

This got nods of understanding from those across from him. "I'll need time to have everything set in motion anyways. So if that is satisfactory for both of you at the moment, I suggest we call this meeting to an end."

The general consensus for that seemed to be that nothing more could be achieved that night, everyone needed time to mull over the new state of affairs before anything important could be done. They were all preparing to leave when Arcturus spoke to Sirius directly once more. "Sirius, if you have a moment I'd like to ask you something?"

Sirius shared a wary look with Andromeda before the woman passed out the door with her husband. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

"I saw you were rather close with Amelia Bones when we met earlier today, I am merely curious as to the nature of your relationship with her." Arcturus asked pleasantly.

Part of Sirius coiled tensely at the question, sure that some form of protest would come at his answer, but he spoke honestly when he did eventually speak, "I'm considering asking her to marry me."

Arcturus once more surprised him by smiling unreservedly for the first time that day, "That is excellent Sirius, I am happy for you. She is a fine woman, one of the few I consider truly honourable among the Wizengamot. It doesn't hurt she's from a good line either. Tell her I wish her well when next you see her would you?"

All in all Sirius left the bank feeling very confused that evening. Nothing had gone as expected where his grandfather was concerned that day.

Sirius Black's Flat

London United Kingdom

Sirius, Amelia and Remus sat around the table in his dining room as the candles and lamps flickered dimly as the night wore on. Amelia bouncing little Susan on her knee absently as they all sat and pondered the day's events.

Sirius for his part stared at his glass of wine morosely whilst swirling it about, the red liquid stirring hypnotically as he watched.

They had gathered, as much to celebrate his freedom as to feed themselves and discuss what to do next. "We'll find them Sirius." Amelia assured him bringing the latest silence to an end. "We have enough to make a start on things."

He nodded absently before glancing up at her to smile wanly. He loved her, she always knew how to get through to him when no one else could. "I know, and I'm sorry for my mood." He murmured, setting down the glass. "I just can't shake the feeling I should have been there, to help them, to buy them time to escape…" He raised a hand to stop the objection forming on the lips of his friends. "I know, if I had been there I almost certainly would be dead, but…seeing James there, dead I—" He trailed off. There were no words, describing how it had felt to find one of the only true family he'd ever known up to that point dead. Murdered. He hadn't cried like that since Charlus and Dorea had passed.

He was drawn out of that once again when he noticed the way little Susan was peering at him with the sort of good natured, mildly concussed look children often had at that age. It was enough to provoke a small smile from him.

"I'm sorry Padfoot. I know how you feel, really I do. I wish I had been there too."

Amelia sighed leaning back in her chair. "I—I don't know what I would do if I had lost you too Sirius…" She admitted thickly. "Edgar, his wife and children, Susan's parents, the rest of the family? Marlene and her family…James?" She trailed off after that last one and he reached out to gently clasp her hand on the table.

He nodded soberly, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. "I know, and believe me, I'm glad I'm not dead. I'm glad I'm here with you, really I am." He murmured.

"But you wish James were here too." Amelia said simply nodding understanding.

"Yeah."

Silence fell again, but it didn't last so long this time. "I've been promoted to Auror Captain," Amelia noted, causing them to look up. "I'll be running the search for Lily and Harry." She explained, "It's Moody though who's been charged with finding Pettigrew, and you know he's one of the best."

Sirius nodded, and took a sip of his wine. Mad Eye really was one of the best, he'd do a good job hunting for Peter. Still the whole affair left even the wine tasting bitter in his mouth.

"I—had a thought, though you might not like it…" Amelia hedged tentatively.

He smirked slightly and shot her an amused look, "Shoot."

"We need someone out there in the field, out running around the planet looking for them." She said plainly, "If you take a leave of absence and take Remus with you…Well you two would have the best chances of finding a lead."

Sirius snorted, "You know there's no chance Barty would approve that."

Her wry smile told him quite clearly she'd already thought of that. "Then resign, and I'll hire you two as expert consultants for this case. We both know finding them is more important to you than that job ever was. And it's not like you're hurting for cash right now."

He nodded thoughtfully stroking thoughtfully at his chin, he'd joined the Aurors for precisely three reasons, first had been because James had, second had admittedly been to drive his parents a little more insane. The final reason was sit beside him smiling slightly.

It had just been a crush back then, what he'd felt for Amelia, but knowing she was going in to be an Auror had certainly helped him make his decision.

"Maybe I should do that…" He mused before looking to his friend. "You up for it Moony?"

The look he got from the man in question was scornful. "You even have to ask?"

"We'll make sure to have plenty of supplies for wolfsbane set aside," Sirius decided.

Remus shook his head. "I can't ask you to—"

Sirius waved that off irritably, "Oh shut it Moony, you're the only brother I have left. And besides it'll help you while we're searching." He said effectively cutting any concerns off at the knees.

Seeing no arguments were forthcoming he took that opportunity to ask another question which had been rattling around his head. "Any word on how the ones Arcturus booted out are reacting to all this?"

Amelia smiled a touch predatorily, "Word is both Pollux and Cygnus are spitting mad, but neither can do anything about it. And without the Black family money and reputation backing them up they're both all but toothless."

He smirked in amusement at the thought of those two being filled with impotent rage. "And my mother?"

She shook her head. "No news yet. We don't even know if she's been informed."

"Oh, she knows. Even if nobody's spoken to her yet, Grimmauld Place wouldn't tolerate her presence if she's been cast out." Sirius noted thinking of the vicious spirit which seemed to inhabit the house.

"I'll look into it." Amelia promised.

He sighed tiredly sinking down into his chair a little, thinking a while before raising his cup. "How about a pact then?"

"What?" Remus asked skeptically.

Sirius snorted in amusement at their curious expressions. "Oh nothing official, just an agreement between the three of us. We won't rest until they're found."

Amelia smiled sadly catching his meaning. "I'm all for it."

"I'm in, but you know that already." Remus agreed.

Sirius smirked and drained the last of the wine. "It's a pact then."

Remus pushed to his feet as he set down the now empty glass. "I'm going to head out I think. Full moon is tomorrow and I'll need all the sleep I can get." He said moving towards the door. "I'll be in touch as soon as I can."

"Thanks Moony, you want me to come over and keep you company?" His friend asked.

The werewolf shook his head. "No, you've got enough on your plate right now, just focus on finding Lily and the cub okay?"

"You got it." Sirius promised.

Remus paused briefly to peck Amelia on the cheek before leaving. The remaining two adults sat in silence for a time while Susan settled into a doze in Amelia's lap. Eventually the tykes aunt spoke up. "You mind if I stay here tonight?" She asked. "I could use a break from the owls."

Her boyfriend nodded, "It's not a problem, you can settle Susan in the nursery." He pointed out, thinking of the room he'd built so Harry or her would have a place to rest whenever their parents visited.

"Thanks," She murmured getting up and bringing Susan up to her shoulder. "Help me settle her down for the night?"

"Sure thing," Sirius agreed, waving his wand to set the dishes on their way back to the kitchen.

It was a couple hours later, that Sirius and Amelia found themselves, together in bed, her, naked, lying on his chest as she dozed. Him staring up at the ceiling just enjoying the feeling of her in his arms and thinking about the many matters on his mind.

She seemed to sense he was troubled once more, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. "We'll find them Sirius, I swear it." She murmured.

"Thanks Amy," He said punctuating the statement with a kiss on her forehead, grateful for her gentle reassurance.

It wasn't long after that she drift off to sleep. Sirius remained awake a bit longer, only surrendering to unconsciousness after voicing his own promise. "We're coming Lils, you and pup will be safe."

Author's Note: Well, another chapter done. I hope to hear what you people think. BTW the P-A-T re on link is on my profile if any are interested. You can vote on what I'll attempt to focus on writing if you're signed up etc etc. There, I've 'pimped' that thing enough to you I think, won't bother you further on that. OH! one last thing, I forgot last time... T-Knight, Mordreek and Delphinous all helped out on this stuff. So Many thanks to them.