Albus stared into the penetrating gaze of the young boy, his hand clasped around a fistful of floo powder, and a lifetime of words upon his lips. He seemed to steel himself and turn away, facing back to the headmaster with a look of anger and shame upon his face- Albus felt the world fall through his grasp. Leader of the light and an eleven year old boy was able to make him feel as though a ball of ice had slid down his throat into his stomach. He watched the boy shout, and twist away in a twirl of blinding green light, before being brought back to attention by the mutterings of the paintings of his predecessors. Fawkes sung gently in the corner, sensing his companion's unease, and bringing Albus back to the present moment.
He sat back in his chair and steeped his fingers, pressing them underneath his chin as he thought. Certainly the situation with Black had been resolved, it had been obvious- James had informed the Order of their choice of Secret Keeper. And the lad's family history of dark magic left little to be questioned when the verdict was decided; his mother even spoke happily to the Prophet about her son becoming the man she always hoped he would be, untainted by the likes of the Potters. Yes it was quite clear when they found Sirius on that street, cackling for the world to see, that he had caused this mess. The manic look in his eyes was that of a man that knew he had lost it all.
But what if he lost all that he loved? He knew the Potters had been killed, but he knew Harry was still alive, as he spoke words with Rubeus before he set upon his journey to find Peter. Surely a man who had set out to do Tom's work would have killed the boy, or taken him to his master, rather than ensuring he was safely transported on that cold Autumn night. The more Albus pondered the more it did not make sense. He flicked his hand, adept at the ancient and often forgotten art of wandless magic, a trait most useful in combat, summoning his Pensieve towards him. He made a mental note to add the theory to the DADA curriculum for the NEWT students of the upcoming year- his ongoing attempts to revolutionise the Defence agenda at the school had been long thwarted by Lucius Malfoy- perhaps now the Boy Who Lived was returning to Hogwarts the governors would understand the need to increase the depth of the student's knowledge in reminder of the war.
He placed his hand against the rune carved into the bowl, his hand pressing sharply into Purisaz- the rune of knowledge, where he stored all his memories as a teacher of Transfiguration and Headmaster during his career.
"Sirius Black" He said deeply into the empty room.
Images rose above the shimmering surface and spun, students of his past flashed before his eyes before they were discarded back into the liquid. A small pile of flickering moments stored themselves to one side, until only those that involved Sirius remained- which, Albus had to admit, was decidedly more than most of the students he had taught. The antics of the young Marauders had caused four certain young men to grace his office marginally more than their peers, his first era of a headmaster tested by their unquenchable thirst for mischief. And, although he would never admit it to their eagle eyed head of year, it absolutely thrilled him. He started from the beginning, choosing a memory Sirius' first ever visit to his office, the very first week of his first term.
A small chime sounded, indicating that somebody was climbing the stairs to his office. He glanced at the small glass orb floating by his desk and spied Professor Slughorn accompanying a young boy with long black hair, and red trimmed robes into his office. A small rap echoed from the oak door.
"Enter".
Horace pushed the door and placed a gentle arm on the young lad, coaxing him into the office. The boy would not make eye contact with the Headmaster, instead opting to stare fixedly at the floor. Albus turned to the potions master with a questioning look.
"Sorry to bother you Albus. I had just finished teaching the fifth years when I saw a group of Slytherins bothering the young Black boy here. I sent the offenders to Minerva, could still hear her hissing halfway down the corridor."
He chuckled darkly, remembering the feline hiss she emitted when she found out one of her new 'Lions' had been subjected to bullying already, not even three hours into the first term. A surprisingly neutral head of Slytherin house, he showed little to no favouritism to the green robed students- although it was clear he honoured their abundance of cunningness and ambition, their numbers at the famous Slug Club gatherings were slowly rising.
"Thought the boy might need to see someone other than me, I'll leave him in your capable hands Albus."
He turned his plump figure, adourned by robes of the highest quality, trimmed with Unicorn hair, and exited the room, not before squeezing the shoulder of the young boy comfortingly. He turned to face Albus before he left, giving him a meaningful glance. Albus read the meaning well- he needs help Albus.
"Young Mr Black, take a seat." He spoke softly to the shaking boy, who finally glanced up. His dark eyes shone with guilty tears that it was apparent he was reluctant to shed. Albus often found that in the young of the purebloods they found it a great weakness to express emotions that made us only human; often taught that opening yourself up to anybody made you a target.
As the young boy took a seat Albus remembered how shocked he was, along with the rest of the school and staff, about the fate of the child's sorting the night before. Fully expecting him to follow his family's legacy into the house of snakes, he had to look in surprise when the hat finally shouted Gryffindor. The young lad himself also looked quite frightened until further into the sorting when the young James Potter had followed his footsteps and sat down excitedly next to him.
"Now if you could tell me what happened today?" He probed, not wanting to upset the child further.
"Bella wasn't happy with me. Said I should be in Slytherin like the other respectable members of the Black family." His voice scorned over the word 'respectable', his eyes rolling in his head.
"And you do not agree with your cousins suggestions I presume?"
"I'm not the same as them, I never have been. Dear old mum isn't happy though, sent Kreacher with a howler this morning in front of the whole school. Although I expected worse really, poor Uncle Alphard got a face full of poxies when he got sorted into Hufflepuff."
"What makes you say you're not the same as them?"
The young boy looked up to him, the growing bruise around his eye slowly darkening, and the burns from powerful curses ripped holes into his otherwise impeccable robes. His eyes held none of the darkness that rose from that of other members of the Black household that Albus had to call into this room, his body language spoke of a Soul that needed help to resist the darkness that was trying to overcome his inert light. Perhaps the friend he would make in his house would help him to become the person he wanted to be.
"Because how can I judge somebody based on who they were born to, when I know you damn well can't change who your family are?"
The image fizzled and died, the remaining images spun in place until Albus reached further forward in time to a barely teenage Sirius, just starting to grow into his sturdy adult frame, his voice much stronger than the child that he had just seen. This time he was not alone.
A mortified looking James Potter and Sirius Black were being escorted to the office with the small form of an indignant looking Professor Flitwick. He dropped them off to the gargoyle with a handwritten note, before rushing back towards the Charms Classroom, muttering under his breath. They rose the stairs in comradeship, wishing that they didn't have to enter the office of the ever-knowing headmaster in this state, quickly elaborating stories in quiet mutters before they reached the top of the stairs. They gulped as the door clicked open without being pushed, and entered the room, meeting the amused gaze of the Professor.
"Mr Potter. Mr Black. I imagine there's a good reason behind your current appearance. I would love to hear it. Lemon drop?"
The boys reached eagerly for the sweets that their favourite teacher offered them every time they entered, unless of course they overstepped the line, they knew they were in trouble when he did not offer them the aforementioned bowl. Of course they had quite the trouble grasping the sweets. Sirius' paw could not quite grasp the shape in his grip, bashing his head on the giant antler protruding from James' skull, as he used his remaining good hand to access the sweets. Though he had more difficulty reaching the sofa using one human leg and one of a stag, hobbling comically.
"Well you see Headmaster, Sirius and I here were just having a friendly duel. Trying out our new transfiguration skills, we got slightly carried away, and a lot of the Charms classroom may have ended up floating out of reach of Professor Flitwick when he found us."
James sucked on the sweet, making sure not to look the headmaster quite directly into the probing eyes, instead turning to face his best friend, discreetly nudging him with his hoof, making the taller boy almost choke.
"Yes, yes dear Minnie was quite impressed at the human transfiguration but what could we say, after all we are her favourite students. She was enthralled at the sheer detail of my tail." He demonstrated by wagging the tail between his legs vigorously. The all black limb poked out of the young student's robes and looked highly absurd behind the human form, apart from of course the shorter canine limbs he now sported for arms.
Albus chuckled slightly as he waved his wand, the boys limbs returning to their original form, and Sirius' wagging tail slowly receded back into the backside of the young man who squinted slightly at the odd sensation.
"Was Mr Lupin involved in this spontaneous duel by any chance? I imagine his charms skills must be on par with mine with the altercations he must be required to fix by now"
James and Sirius chanced a swift glance at one another, both understanding that Remus most definitely did not know what they were up to. Their friend would murder them as they slept- which made the whole thing just so much more exciting.
"Ole Remmy was down in the common room with Pete helping him with his Potions essay. Can't say he's ever seen us in quite an state before, we really exceeded ourselves didn't we Sirius?"
"I must agree James. You certainly looked spiffing with those antlers. Lils wouldn't be able to resist your charms with those beauties."
Albus chuckled quietly at the slight colouration the young Potter's cheeks turned at the mention of his crush. Oh young love, it had been years since he felt that fire in his chest. He knew the boys were not telling the full truth, but the incident seemed decidedly minor in the grand scheme of destruction the two could cause when unsupervised together.
"I most certainly agree that the additions befell you both boys. Now I suppose you have better things to do than keep an old man company, back to your common rooms with you."
The boys laughed gleefully, and rose in tandem, and made their way down the stairs that were becoming just a tad too familiar.
"Bye Professor!"
As the door creaked shut behind them they raised their fists together in a secret handshake they had concocted in their first year, impish smiles lighting their features, the thrill of getting away with something filling them up. Of course, they had been working all year on their animagous transformations they simply couldn't get caught yet, not when they had made so much progress today. The thrill of their first successful transformation had been thwarted by the chime of their supposedly secret hideaway being opened by the small charms teacher.
"Good work Prongs" The new nickname still sounding foreign on his tongue.
"Got nothing on you Padfoot, come on lets go see what Moony is up to." The nicknames had become something of a secret language between the two who did not want Remus to figure out what they were doing when they pretended to head to the Quidditch pitch for some extra training most nights. Peter joined them occasionally, and was making poor progress on the process of a whole. Remus would still be so happy to find out when they were all successful.
Flicking even further into time, and Albus was becoming increasingly confused. He had not visited these memories since the night Sirius was caught, and on that occasion they only increased his anger at the man and his betrayal, rather than making him question his decisions.
The blood stained robes of four young boys, and the frightened face of one, as they sat in his office after the wizarding world had taken a turn for the worse. The death eaters had infiltrated the last Hogsmeade weekend of the school year, but despite their best efforts the actions of the older years had changed bloodshed into one of the most heroic acts of students this generation had ever seen. The baggy robes of a particular skinny young man masked the scarred face of a boy that had experienced pain unknown to anyone his age. His hands were cut and bleeding, covered in makeshift bandages hastily conjured by the Longbottom student during the heat of the battle, grasped strongly around a glinting hilt.
Rumours had surrounded the sword, and its existence, but like much of the founder's treasures it remained merely a myth of history. Yet Remus Lupin sat in his office holding onto the sword of Gryffindor, shining in the weak summer evening, the drying blood of its victims slowly turning brown. Lupin did not hold the face of a warrior, instead seemed to be facing the aftermath of the battle, the adrenaline leaving his body and leaving behind the realisation that today he had taken his first lives. Admittedly, Albus knew this time was coming, as the war was raging with a growing intensity around the sanctuary of the school. Yet he hoped his students would not have to face a battle of sorts until they were fully prepared in their magical education. He would never be the same after this day. Albus recalled how long it took him to come to terms with the first people he killed. Even James Potter and Sirius Black looked forlorn, but held their heads strongly.
"Professor, it was honestly all down to Remus we made it out alive. The third years would never have made it out alive, they showed up out of nowhere. One second we were drinking butterbeer and the next they had us surrounded." He glanced nervously towards Sirius. "Bellatrix Black was their leader it seems, Sir."
Sirius had taken a steeling glaze, his eyes fixated at the flickering fireplace as he heard the name of his cousin, his head hung in shame. Despite spending the first five years of his time at Hogwarts distancing himself as much as possible from the stigma of his name, he still felt ashamed to be associated with the actions of the members within.
"Yeah!" Peter piped up eagerly, having spent the entire battle quivering underneath an upturned table, rather than helping the younger years. "Remus was awesome! Your phoenix appeared out of nowhere and flew straight over to him, Remus reached in and pulled out the sword. The death eaters were too shocked by it to even react when he swung and just chopped them all into little piec-"
"Stop." Remus' voice echoed around the room, holding power in its tones. "There's nothing awesome about killing anyone Pete, I took away their lives." His voice laced with the disgust he often reserved for talking about his 'furry little problem'.
Silence filled the room, James and Sirius looked almost too concerned about their friend's mental state to rebuke him and to tell him that this was war, and this was what eventually had to happen. Sometimes death was needed in order to make the world a better place, even if it broke the souls of those that had to pull the trigger. War changed everyone and everything. They looked to their headmaster for advice.
"Sometimes, Mr Lupin, the best of us most make the hardest decisions in order to do the right thing. I know it is hard to stomach, and it will take you time to understand your actions, but what you did was an act of immense bravery. Without your actions Hogwarts would have lost many bright young minds today. Without your actions, we would be laying to rest a whole host of children, who looked to you for help. You will one day understand that we must sometimes do the unthinkable in order to help the Greater Good- as much as it pains us to do so. I can see from your reaction that you regret your actions which show your soul is whole, pure. To feel remorse for the action of killing shows us we are human- fully human." He emphasised the term human, understanding that the boy still held great hardship coming to terms with his condition- however he had seen a remarkable improvement since the boy's third year for reasons he felt unable to share.
The young man looked up to him in thanks, his words comforting the moral battle that was currently being fought within his soul. Sirius Black raised an arm and placed it over his friend, providing comfort. James then spoke up.
"Sirius was amazing too Sir, without his shields the whole pub would have fallen down around us. He even vanished Bellatrix's lips when she wouldn't stop taunting him about his family!"
Sirius looked down in embarrassment, evidently proud of his actions but also ashamed that a member of his own family lead the attack. He had really shone that day, he know knew that he wanted to be an auror- the faster this war was over the quicker he could live his days in peace.
"I think it's safe to say that the actions of all three of you contributed to the safety of the younger years before the teachers could make an appearance. You will all receive 100 points apiece for Gryffindor. And Remus, a Special Award for Services to the School."
James and Sirius looked delighted, but Remus seemed torn. He did not know how to react for being rewarded for killing, but the monster within him reared its ugly head, satisfied with the blood that he shed today. Albus glanced discreetly at the other boy in the room, Peter Pettigrew, who's actions today in no way mirrored the bravery of his housemates who represented the house known for its Valour. Despite being secluded from the honours he seemed pleased to be in the presence of these powerful figures who could protect him, his eyes filled with awe at the actions of his friends, not acknowledging his own absence in today's stunts. But as Sirius turned to James and began to shake his hand in their own secret routine, Albus noticed a small glint of jealousy flash in the weedy boy's eyes.
He was intending to stop there, when a final image flagged hovering above the pensieve. One that he found most intriguing and certainly thought provoking, the night Sirius Black came into his office after the near deaths of both Severus Snape, and the unintentional involvement of James Potter.
His form sagged on the sofa, Albus had never seen Sirius Black in this way, not since the beaten body of his eleven year old self entered his office on that very first morning. He was shaking, his hands uncontrollable on his lap and his eyes sprouting tears that he had held behind closed doors ever since his first trip to the office.
"I swear Professor I never intended for anyone to get hurt, I was just joking around when Sni- Severus heard me mention the whomping willow. I didn't even think about what would happen."
"And yet so much could have happened. You know best the reason behind the whomping willow's appearance on the school grounds, to protect your supposed best friend. However this is not the action I would have expected of a best friend."
The words seemed to hit Sirius hard, he curled up even further, his hands gripping the hair on his head even more tightly. The hurt look Remus gave him when he found out what had happened that morning when they saw him cut him deeper than anything he had ever experienced- even being casted off the Black family tree didn't affect him this much. He couldn't believe how far his actions had taken him, he truly wished he could go back in time and take it all back. He didn't want for anyone to get hurt.
"I understand yourself and Severus are not on the best terms, there is rivalry between every year group in the school, particularly Gryffindor and Slytherin. However this time it has been taken too far. You do understand that Severus would have been killed if it weren't for the actions of Mr Potter?"
"Yes Sir. I completely understand. But I never intended for that to happen, I didn't realise the enormity of my words until this morning. I never wanted anyone to get hurt, including Snape!." His eyes were manic, darkening around the edges and darting feverishly around the room. It was clear that this was not the character of somebody who had set out to injure another, but Albus had to ensure that he would never repeat this mistake.
" I understand that your intentions were never for somebody to be hurt or killed. But the nature of your friend's condition has been made public, and if Severus chooses to share that information that is entirely out of my hands. You do understand that your actions have compromised everything that Mr Lupin and I have set up to protect him?"
Sirius hung his head in shame. He had not only endangered James' and Snape's lives but now Moony's secret was let out, everything they had worked so hard to protect had been for naught.
"I understand, Sir."
"Good. But for your actions, 50 points will be taken from Gryffindor. And you will spend the next month in detention with Mr Filch."
"Yes Sir." Sirius replied, his voice weak with shame.
"It is to my understanding that Mr Potter has not yet been released from the infirmary. I will-"
"WHAT?" Sirius interrupted, rising to his feet, his eyes glazed with concern. "Prongs is hurt? What happened to him? Is he going to be okay?" Sirius had begun to close the distance between himself and Dumbledore, his magic shaking the desk slightly, showing his emotional distress as learning his friend had been injured.
"James will be fine. He miraculously only suffered some cuts and bruises, but is oddly complaining about a pain above his head where it does not extend to. Madame Pomfrey is reluctant to release him, however I have heard news of three escape attempts already this morning." He chuckled slightly, knowing all too well the complaints of students who had been kept in the Hospital Wing far longer than they wished under the watchful eyes of the patron.
"I need to see him Sir, I need to make sure he's okay to explain-" He stopped, unable to voice the words he was trying to form.
"I realise you understand the enormity of your actions Mr Black. Remember in the future, acting in spite of another may lead you into much more dire circumstances. Be glad you had Mr Potter around to stop this situation getting any worse than it already did."
"Believe me Sir, I'll never stop being grateful to James and all that he's done for me. I couldn't live without him."
The image faded, sucked back into the pool of thoughts in the concave dish, and muted. The office was silent. Albus sighed. The last memory fazed him- he saw the concern and regret in the boy's face when he realised that James might have been hurt. A man that feared that much for his friend could not have suddenly have, four years later, betrayed him to the man he fought against with the Order? He began to question the belief he had held onto for the last ten years, the reason young Harry was placed with the Dursleys and the reason the Wizarding World slept soundly at night- the man that betrayed the Potters was safely locked away. But what if he was wrong? All they found that day was a finger, and perhaps even the police of their world jumped to conclusions in haste of the emotions of that fateful day- wanting everything involved with Voldemort's reign to be conquered on sight- so the world could finally celebrate. Of course in hindsight it seemed almost comical to assume that the only reasoning behind the disappearance of most of his body, the only logical conclusion was that Sirius had evaporated the rest of it in rage. Maybe Harry was right, maybe he didn't give him a chance. Even during his time in the holding cells at the Ministry he brushed away his insistence of his innocence.
He had seen the insistence in the young man's eyes that he was not going to fall into the footsteps of his family name- and he had proved himself time and time again that he was fighting in the name of the light. Perhaps, he was wrong.
He picked up a quill and dipped it thoughtfully into the ink, penning a quick note. He would have to construct a well thought out team, bringing together only those he trusted in his entirety for this task. He could not risk this, they needed to do this properly and secretly, so the rest of the wizarding world did not find out. He raised his wand and duplicated the note into six identical letters.
"Fawkes, I need to you take this letter to the following individuals; Remus Lupin, Amelia Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minerva McGonagall, Arthur Weasley and Alistair Moody."
The phoenix held out his leg patiently, waiting for his companion to secure the notes, and vanished in a flaming ball, trilling a soft song as he went.
The summoned team slowly gathered in his office, sipping at the offered tea from the Hogwart's house elves and growing more and more confused as to why they had been brought together. Finally when Amelia Bones made up seven, stepping elegantly from the fireplace donned in official Ministry robes and looking slightly disgruntled at the disruption to her meticulously planned day, the team looked questionably towards their leader.
"What is the meaning of this Albus? I was just about to meet the muggle Prime Minister to discuss the dragon infestation and I've had to postpone." She ranted, using her wand to vanish the ash from her robes.
"Yes Albus, I was wondering the same, I was just about to take the kids to Diagon Alley to fetch their Hogwarts bits, Molly isn't best pleased at all with the call, nor are the kids for that matter." Arthur quipped.
Albus placed his wand in his holster, and pulled out a detailed parchment he had been working on, dates and figures scrawled over the surface. He looked grim.
"It has come to my attention that a man we have previously imprisoned appears to be innocent, my source provides adamant knowledge of an individual that can help us free him, if we are to find him."
"And who might this individual be, Albus?" Moody grunted, his glass eye swinging in its socket. "Well I'll be."
The oak doors crashed open, an infuriated young boy entered the room, taking into account everyone who was present before nodding slightly in the direction of the Headmaster, approving of his choices. The team looked confused, who was this child who had much such an appearance into a secret meeting?
"That would be me, Harry Potter, pleased to be of service." His replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, and my dad."
James Potter slowly entered the room, head still spinning at all the new sensations and sounds he was now able to process, his mind still finding trouble connecting the faces he saw with the names he remembered. There was no mistaking the long greying beard of Dumbledore, connected to a gawping open mouth, conveying his shock.
"Hey now Albus, shut that mouth, it's very unbecoming of you." He joked, looking around the room, until his eyes settled onto his old friend, who had paled to a sickening shade of grey.
"Woah Moony, you look like you've seen a ghost." He said, concerned.
Remus blinked, barely absorbing the sound of his best friend's voice that had been barely able to conjure more than a handful of words these last ten years, before they slammed shut, and his body fell limply to the floor. Harry's quick reactions stopped him from slamming his head to the ground. James laughed at this friend's predicament.
"Well, at least I still know how to make an entrance."