Tearing You Asunder
Chapter Four
Sirius squinted beneath the bright sunlight and found himself exactly where he had hoped he would land. Before him stood a seemingly unkempt home with a wooden porch situated upon an overrun yard; it was inconspicuous in an equally rundown neighborhood. At least, that's how it was meant to appear to those who did not know what they were really looking at.
This was a magical neighborhood that used simple Muggle techniques to disguise itself.
Sighing deeply in relief now that he was one step closer to safety, Sirius wiped the sweat off his brow. Only then did he notice the sleeve of his brother's robes still clenched in his hand.
An empty sleeve.
Looking down in disbelief at the pile of robes at his feet, what he saw was impossible. Lying unconscious on the ground was a dark-haired toddler and there was blood everywhere.
The recognizable hiss of constricted wind nearby alerted Sirius to the danger of their present situation; the Death Eaters were coming. Snatching the child off the ground, he leapt towards the partially collapsed porch and jammed his wand into the keyhole, whispering the safety incantation that would allow him through the wards. The door swung open without delay and Sirius hurried inside, the subtle rustle of the charm relocking behind him.
But before he could even calm his racing heart, a thunderous female voice filled his ears.
"SIRIUS BLACK, WHERE WERE YOU? WE HAVE ALL BEEN LOOKIN' LIKE MAD! JAMES HAS-" Sirius spun around to come face-to-face with an infuriated brunette. A smug grin appeared on his tired face, "Aw, Emmie, I had no idea you felt so passionately." Her features twisted into a scowl, and she was just about to tell Sirius exactly how she felt, when they both heard a soft cry.
Huffing, Sirius pulled back his cloak as Emmeline stepped closer. Large, pain-filled, black eyes stared back at her. Confused, she looked towards Sirius, "Who...?"
"Severus here has gotten himself into a bit of trouble." Shifting his hold on the bundle, Sirius' eyes darkened, "As usual," he added as the boy started to cry.
"Quiet!" Sirius snapped.
"Severus? But this can't be. Everyone's lookin' for him, they all want him found. Dead or alive." Emmeline reached forward and pulled the child into her arms, shielding his uncovered body from the cold with her own cloak. Couldn't be much over a year. "No one can know what's happened, that you've both resurfaced. It wouldn't end well…" She trailed off, running a gentle finger over the many cuts that adorned the small form. Severus' cries had reduced to faint whining, almost as if to himself. "What's happened to him?"
"Not sure, really. Some of his friends showed up, there was a fight. He was hit by two spells, that's the last thing I saw before Apparating away. I have no idea what's happened."
"And the cuts?"
"Well, those are from his own spell. Backfired. Serves him right, creating something so dark." Unconcealed disgust seeped from the older Black.
Emmeline frowned, but ignored his tone, deciding to focus on the de-aged child in her arms. Transfiguring a throw from her sofa into a large shirt, she slipped it over Severus' head. He'll get sick if he's subjected to this cold much longer. She then made her way into the kitchen towards the cupboard that held her stock of potions. Selecting a vial filled with a murky blue liquid, she carefully set Severus down on her kitchen counter. "Just a small amount, dear, enough to take away your cuts and pain," the older witch said softly.
Sirius leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching the scene before him. His lip curled at the way she spoke to his brother. The murderer, the Death Eater, the one who has caused all of this.
"All right, Sirius, I think he's good now," said Emmeline with, a now quiet, Severus back in her arms. The toddler's eyelids were beginning to droop.
"Great," he said dismissively. "Listen, Em, I think it's best if you find somewhere else to stay tonight. It's only a matter of time before Voldemort finds this place. Thanks to us," Sirius took his sleeping brother back into his arms and wrapped him in his robe. "Could we use your floo?"
Emmeline nodded, "Sure. You know, if you're lookin' for somewhere to stay, I've got a place over in Millburn, inherited it from my great-aunt not too long ago. It's no problem for me; the Order's set each of us up with a sort of 'safe house', now that things have gotten so much worse," she grimaced, toying with the hem of her sleeve.
"Em, you're a lifesaver," Sirius beamed, leaning forward to peck her on the cheek. "If there's any way I can repay you, don't hesitate."
Gazing down at the fast asleep child, she smiled to herself, "Just watch out for your brother."
The ground beneath their feet suddenly shook and the two rushed to the front windows. Everything was on fire; the entire neighborhood that had been so unassuming not but ten minutes ago was now ablaze. Sirius gaped in horror, watching each home, that hopefully held no occupants, collapse in on itself. He could have sworn he heard Bellatrix's laugh.
"We need to go," Sirius said, whirling around towards the fireplace.
"Right, okay. I need to run and grab a few things, but I'll be right behind you, promise. After all, you're bloody awful at protection spells, so someone has to do it," She winked. "Powder is just there on the mantle, behind the photograph, and your destination is 'Élise Roux Estate.'"
"You must hurry! If you're not there in two minutes, I'm coming back-"
"You most certainly will not! I can take care of myself, but if something should happen to you, then who will take care of Severus? Anyways, they'll have a time tryin' to get in! Albus himself erected these wards." She stated with a hint of pride in her words, looking around her home, possibly for the last time. "Now go, you're wasting time!"
Hesitantly, Sirius grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the empty fireplace. Stepping into the emerald flames and clutching the boy tightly to himself, he spoke clearly, "Élise Roux Estate." Sirius had one last look at Emmeline, racing up the stairs, her floral red cloak flowing behind her. A feeling of dread filled him, just before she disappeared from view and the dizziness of floo travel took over. Trying to ignore his anxiety, he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed to anyone out there listening that everything would be all right.
Quick as lightning, he was thrust from the fireplace, righting himself just in time to avoid falling flat on his face.
Lying the sleeping boy down on the chair in front of him, Sirius took a look at his surroundings. The room was large and in very similar style to the Black home at Grimmauld Place. The walls were a rich green- Slytherin Sirius winced- covered in very old and dusty family portraits. The fireplace he had been spat out of was very grand, much more expensive than anything his own family could've owned. But the odd thing that caught his eye wasn't rich or grand. The furniture was new and very simple. The patterns and fabrics you could easily find in any cheap shop around London. It was clear Emmeline had begun redecorating.
A smile slid onto his face, only to be wiped off seconds later by nerves as he glimpsed the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Had it been two seconds or two minutes? It certainly felt like the latter. Sitting himself down on one of Emmeline's armchairs, Sirius restarted the countdown and watched the second hand closely.
Those were the longest one hundred and twenty seconds of his young life.
But nothing happened. The room was still as quiet as it had been when he'd arrived. There wasn't anybody falling out of the fireplace or any head poking out of green flames. There was just nothing.
Turning his attention back to the clock, Sirius watched the small hand fly around the face four more times before reality hit him. There wasn't going to be anyone coming out of that fireplace.
Jaw tightening, he stood up and walked to the fireplace. A small jar of floo powder taunted him from its place on the floor. A hundred what if's filled his mind as he quickly tried to come up with a plan, but just like the empty fireplace, there was nothing. Anger tunneled his vision and hatred surged through his veins while grey eyes sought only one thing. Retribution.
Severus.
The elder Black kicked out at the jar of powder. It shattered and spilled over the wooden floor when it hit the corner of the fireplace, but that wasn't enough. No. His entire life had been turned upside down just short of a month ago and nearly every day since someone else he knew died, and what for? This fraud of a man, who had hidden himself within a child's body?
Sirius already had many theories as to how Severus had transformed himself into a child again, every new theory darker than the last but each adding more fuel to the already raging fire within.
Moving closer to the chair, he scowled at the figure still sleeping deeply, despite everything. The toddler's messy black hair covered his round face from any onlookers, his small fingers clenching and unclenching the fabric of his shirt. He appeared blissfully ignorant to what was happening around him. Sirius crouched down in front of his brother, willing himself to not murder the little beast and be done with it.
All of a sudden Severus shot upright out of sleep, eyes wild with fright, pale lips quivering. When those black eyes landed on him, the face before him transformed. Fear fled the innocent eyes, replaced with a flicker of amusement while lips turned upwards in a smirk. Sirius could no longer contain himself and he lashed out, backhanding his brother.
And just like that, the apparition vanished.
Tears streamed down the child's face as he howled, fingers covering the tender cheek.
Sirius gaped at his own hands, hands that would dare touch a child, and fled. He did not know where he was going, he just ran as far as his legs would take him. And when those legs began to tremble he tripped and collapsed to the ground. Shaky hands covered his face and then swept back through his unwashed hair. His gray eyes stared blankly at his shoes while he tried to suppress the many emotions coursing through him.
He had become his father.
As a child, before going to Hogwarts, Sirius had prayed nightly that he would never become his father; a cruel megalomaniac who frequently dealt with his children in any way he saw fit. Sirius had felt the slap of his father's hand more than once and had felt his leather belt even more. But when he was placed in Gryffindor he was so sure that someone had answered his prayers. That he was one step further from turning into his father.
The cries from downstairs, from the toddler who had just been unjustly slapped, told him otherwise.
Slamming his fist into the hard floor beneath him, Sirius squeezed his eyes shut. Tucking his knees under his chin as he leaned against the wall, he felt a burning along the bridge of his nose. And when he opened his eyes tears fell to the floor.
A/N: I do not own the character Emmeline that is strictly Rowling's (although I do own her great-aunt) but I've always wanted to read a story with Emmeline Vance in it, apologies for killing her off so quickly!
