-1Ch. 4
She woke up with Remus's howls as he turned back into human. "You alright?" she asked him quietly, when he had turned back into human Remus, naked, bleeding and panting from the change back from one physiology to another.
"Yeah," he said, looking at her with bewildered eyes, "the wolf felt like he knew that Padfoot was back, he was excited."
"I saw," Julia smiled quietly, throwing a torn blanket at him, "I don't need to see you naked Remmy," she smiled, standing up and going to stand next to him, grabbing his elbow, helping walk.
"Can you believe this is happening?" he asked quietly, when they were halfway to the slowly awakening castle, "the whole deal with Sirius and Peter?"
"It's incredible," she sighed, wrapping her arm tighter around Remus' waist so that he was supporting her walk as well. She laid her head on his shoulder, "never in a million years…"
"Yeah," he said with a bitter laugh, "and to think, if the kids hadn't snuck out tonight, and if you and I hadn't gotten to the shack…Sirius could've been Kissed at some point."
"Yeah," she said with a shudder.
"By the way, how did you get here? What are you doing here?" Remus asked, as though the question had just struck him.
"I was coming up from Hagrid's Hut to speak to Dumbledore when I saw Lacy going down into the tunnel in the willow," she answered, "I knew nothing good could come of it so I followed."
"And what happened to the Hippogriff?" Remus asked.
"I managed to stop the execution on time, I had Emelia Bones backing me up so we overrode the decision for execution on the terms that the Hipporiff will never be used for lessons again," she told him, "goddamned Malfoy. He'd threatened every governor on the education board into voting for the execution."
They were both lost in their thoughts as they made their way up to the Hospital wing, where they were told everyone was being held, all having been thrashed by the Willow or thrown against a wall.
Julia ran a hand through her hair as she and Remus climbed up the stairs. She'd never been this confused in her entire life. She didn't know what was going to happen next. What would happen to Sirius, to Peter, to her and her precious daughter and godson? How would things work now?
Hating that she didn't know the answers, she pushed open the hospital wing door with a push that was unnecessary but effective. Fudge and Dumbledore were standing there with Shackelbolt, looking like the latter was a referee in a boxing ring with the two older men. Sirius was standing next to a window, his back to the room as he looked down into the ground, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Harry was sitting on one bed next to Lacy, both with bandaids and bandages on various parts of their bodies. The two were quietly talking with Ron, who was lying down with his leg bandaged and Hermoine was sitting next to him.
"Head Auror!" Fudge said with too much enthusiasm in his voice, being the first to spot her and Remus going into the wing. Madame Pomfrey came and immediately began attending to Remus, helping him into a bed, puling the curtain to shield her working on him from their view.
She wished Pomfrey could whisk away like that too when every eye in the room turned in her direction, "Minister," she said politely nodding to him, "I hope you all have been informed of the recent events?" she asked, walking to the group of Ministry high-fliers.
"We have indeed, Julia," Dumbledore nodded.
Shackelbolt looked at her with a cocked eyebrow, "who would've thought?"
She sighed, not caring whether the question had been rhetorical or not, choosing not to answer it either way. "Pettigrew is in custody?"
"He's being guarded by two of our Aurors," her second told her.
"And they know about the rat thing?"
"Told them to stun any rodent they see," he said with a smile.
She laughed at that, turning her attention to Fudge, who was steadily turning a tomato red in front of her eyes, "Assuming you have questioned both Black and Pettigrew with veritasirum you have cleared Black of all charges?"
Fudge turned a nervous gaze to Sirius, who was still by the window but his attention was on them now, "Black will be compensated by the ministry for all the wrongdoings."
Her temper instantly flared, "you throw an innocent man in jail for 12 years under the watchful eyes of the Dementors, without questioning him or giving a trail, and you are simply going to 'compensate for wrongdoings'?"
"What else can we do Head Auror?" Fudge asked, his voice becoming high pitched, "I realize that with you and Black's history, you expect him to be given certain special treatments, but compensation is all we can give."
"Minister, after the world gets their Prophet today, I'm hoping they call for your resignation!" she said with a laugh, "how dare you bring my ties with Black into this when you know very well that it has never hindered my performance as an Head Auror!"
From the bed, Lacy watched her mother go head to head with the Minister of Magic, who was trying to put justice to her father's senseless arrest by bringing in the fact that he was an illegal Animagus, but Julia shot down the idea by pointing out that the time for illegal Animagis was only 1 year in Azkaban.
She knew her father was standing only a feet away from her, and though Ron and Hermoine were quite comfortable with him around, she and Harry were nervous now. Both had, in one night, gotten a part of their family back and they didn't know what to do. She realized, of course, that Harry was more shocked and had every right to be in that state. Lacy had only gotten back the father she was never really effected by, but Harry stood to gaining back a huge part of his parents's family and had an opportunity of being a part of a family again. He had gotten back, in mere hours, his godparents and god-sister.
Lacy stiffened somewhat when the beds weight shifted and she saw that he had come to sit behind her and Harry, who were sitting tailor style on the bed. She still couldn't believe the shock and horror that had crossed her estranged father's wasted face when Pomfrey had told Lacy that her spinal cord had been jolted badly during the night. And Lacy, being extremely perceptive, knew that her father had realized that her spines injuries were a result of the disarming spell they'd used against each other at the same time. And even though Pomfrey had assured Lacy that there was no permanent damage, Sirius had been terrified and apologizing profusely.
She still didn't know how to feel about having her father back. She wanted to hate him with all her body and soul for what he'd put her mother and uncle through, for the unintentional hand he'd in the murder of the Potters, but the little fatherly gestures he showed to her made her heart thump. And just looking out of him from the corner of her eye and the knowledge that her father was sitting next to her, alive, whole and innocent of the heinous crimes he'd been accused of, made that massive missing piece in her soul slowly start to refill.
Looking into his gaunt face, so different from the handsome, smiling one she was used to seeing in pictures, Lacy could pick herself out from his features: the bone structure, gray eyes, broad smile and the carbon-copy lips…And those common traits plus the hair she'd inherited from Julia, she could see the intertwining of two sets of genes…
"She's as aggressive as Moody," the object of her thoughts commented in his hoarse voice that had once, no doubt, been deep and rough as gravel.
"Lots of people say that," Lacy heard herself answer.
"Who's Moody?" Harry asked Lacy.
"He's mom's predecessor as Head Auror," she informed Harry, watching as Shackelbolt began whispering something in her mother's ear, which caught Julia's interest quickly and a smile Lacy had learned to be cautious of appeared on her mother's lips. It was the smile that suggested something was going to jump out at Lacy when she opened her closet or the shower curtains that day. "He also trained mom, and is completely mental," Lacy laughed, "the first time I met him, I must've been about 4 or 5, and he started telling me to not put my wand in the back pocket of my jeans when I grew up because it would blow my butt off and started yelling at me about constant vigilance."
"You've met Mad-Eye Moody?" Ron asked, and his eyes bugged when she nodded, "wicked! I've always wanted to see him in person.
"Mad-Eye?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.
But before Lacy could explain to him what the nickname was for, Fudge yelled in outrage, "How dare you Monroe!"
"Amelia Bones and Alastor Moody appointed me Head Auror with your consent, and you have told me time and again how much you admired my administration of justice all around. You allowing Crouch to not give Black a fair trial and chance is obstruction of justice minister," Julia answered with a calm, professional voice that made her perfect for her job title, "and according to decree 234 the Wizengamot passed in 1878, your turning a blind eye when a prisoner was never questioned or given a fair trial, you are held in contempt."
"This is outrageous!" he yelled.
"She is within her right, Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly.
"Now, what kind of Head Auror would I be if I let a criminal go free?" Julia asked with a grin, turning to Shacklebolt, who seemed to have been struck by lightning, and said, "please, escort Mr. Fudge to holding cells of the DMLE and inform Madame Bones."
"Yes ma'am," he said quietly, then, as if he couldn't believe what he was about to do, turned to Fudge and said, "you are under arrest. Anything you say will and can be used against you during trial. With or without consent, you will be given Veritasirum and charged accordingly."
Fudge was still sputtering about the outrageousness of the situation as Kingsley escorted, rather, dragged him out of the hospital wing to Apparation point only the Aurors knew on Hogwarts ground. "Ms. Monroe, you're my hero," Ron said, in an awed voice.
She turned and grinned at him as Dumbledore added, "as you are mine Julia," he gave a little bow, "not even I have managed to make Cornelius Fudge speechless."
"My pleasure sir," Julia smiled, "the bastard deserves it. He had it coming for 12 years," she said, her gaze catching Sirius's, "the second he appointed Crouch into the DMLE, he knew this day would come."
"Thanks Jules," Sirius said quietly.
She mustered a smile for him, "he is partially to blame for all this mess. Just think, if he had done something when Crouch threw you into Azkaban…"
"We'd still be a family," Sirius finished in a hoarse whisper.
"Yeah," she gulped, then turned to Dumbledore.
"God Julia," Sirius began, rising immediately to his feet.
"Don't," she said sharply, turning to Dumbledore and asking, "what happens now?"
"Whatever you wish," he said with a smile, "but in my opinion, until the world gets used to the idea of Sirius Black being innocent, I think it a good idea for him to remain with you and Lacy until the world is settled."
She gulped and stared at him with a cocked eyebrow, "seriously?" she asked blankly.
"Yes," Dumbledore said, turning to Sirius and Lacy, "will these terms be acceptable to you?"
Lacy just nodded and Sirius gulped, not meeting Julia's eyes, "I could stay with Remus too, until I get my feet firmly planted on the ground," Sirius suggested quietly.
"I'd be glad to Sirius," Remus said from the other side of the ward, "but I can barely support myself mate."
Julia cursed viciously, and thanked God only Dumbledore had heard, and he only chuckled at hearing her fowl language, "alright, that's fine," she said through her teeth, not missing the few seconds of outrage that crossed her daughter's features.
"Sir," Sirius said quietly, "what about Harry?"
Harry sat up straighter at the mention of his name, looking behind him at Sirius with a curious expression. "What about him Sirius?"
"You explained to me that Jules didn't get custody of him because of the blood protection or whatever you wanna call it. But with both Jules and I…I think we can handle protecting Harry Potter," he said with a tiny smile.
Harry's breath caught at the thought of moving in with his godparents and Julia didn't have it in her to start showing them the holes in the plan. So Dumbledore did it for her, "but Sirius, if your arrangement with Julia was permanent, I would allow you to take Harry in a heartbeat. But your arrangement is, most likely, temporary."
Seeing the crushed looks on both godfather and godson, Julia decided to step up to the plate, "what about Harry coming with us for the summer, he doesn't even have to go back to Petunia and Vernon's. When the arrangement, as you call it, is over or whatever, then can we look more deeply into Harry coming to live with one of us? Well, Sirius more likely, but you get the idea."
Dumbledore thought for a moment and Julia tried to help his decision making by pointing out the fact that she had set powerful wards around the house, wards Dumbledore himself had helped secure. "I think your idea will work fine Julia," he said at last and there were exclamations from everyone in the room except Julia, who only smiled. Then the Headmaster turned his attention to Harry, "I will write your current guardians and inform of your new living arrangement, however temporary. At the end of term, you will be able to go to Ms. Monroe's house for the summer."
Harry turned his emerald green eyes to her, "are you sure I won't be any trouble?"
"Oh Harry," she scolded, "how could you think you'd be any kind of trouble?"
He smiled slightly, rubbing the back of his neck in an sheepish gesture he'd inherited from his father, "we have a wicked open area where we can fly," Lacy grinned, turning her eyes to Julia she asked, "and maybe the twins and Ron could come by and fly with us?"
"Of course! We'll have entire Quiddich games," Julia said with a grin that she meant, with a grin she knew she hadn't smiled for 12 years.
The weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders, and she could breath, sigh with relief at last.