This chapter takes place during the chapter in GOF entitled Padfoot Returns. The various plotlines will start wrapping up over the next few chapters, hopefully to your satisfaction.

14. Legacy's Children

Sirius paced the ground outside his cave, frequently stopping to glance down at his watch. Today was the day he was to meet Harry by the turnstile at the edge of Hogsmeade and he did not want to be late. Truthfully, he was anxious about seeing Harry again. He wanted to get to know the boy who was his godson, but he also knew that sometimes friendship – relationships – were easier to maintain from afar. He didn't truly know Harry and Harry did not know him. Instead he found himself projecting on to Harry characteristics that had belonged to Harry's father, James.

Sirius also wondered how much of the past he should reveal to Harry. In the weeks that he had been in Hogsmeade, Sirius had been scavenging old newspapers and the names and faces that filled the yellowing pages brought back painful memories to the equally yellowed pages of his mind. Mad Eye Moody's broken features recalled for him the last few days of the Order when fear and despair had nearly overtaken them. Igor Karkarov reminded him of the many individuals who mistakenly chose to follow the Dark Lord, only to later regret that decision. And Barty Crouch recalled the aftermath of James and Lily's deaths when Sirius was sent to Azkaban without a trial. It was so hard to explain how things had been back then and did Harry need to know that they weren't always heroic? Everyone, it seemed afterward, had lost something because of the war.

Even Sirius' mother, powerful and respected for so many years, felt the casualty of war. Quickly after Voldemort's fall she was removed from her position on the Wizengamot. Barty Crouch even recommended that she also be sentenced to Azkaban, but the Wizengamot spared her that indignity. Perhaps they pitied her, a fallen relic of a bygone era, or perhaps they knew the worse punishment would be for her to live with all she had lost. Her husband, her youngest son, even her brothers had died by then. The sprawling family of which she had once been so proud was shattered and practice of the Dark Arts had finally been made illegal. Sirius tried not to think about what it must have been like for her because he didn't want his heart to soften, allowing him to finally forgive her.

While many of his friends felt that Sirius had dealt a crushing blow to his family by leaving them and joining the Order, it was really Andromeda who first challenged their beliefs and won. While she had always been a headstrong girl with a callous attitude towards the faith of their family, no one ever imagined that she would stray from them at such a young age. It was at age seventeen when she let them all know in no uncertain terms that they would not be a part of her future.

"This is an important spring for you," Walburga Black excitedly told her niece. It was the Feast of the Vernal Equinox and Andromeda and Narcissa had been called home from school that year to spend the holiday with the family. Usually the Blacks invited many families to share the holiday feast with them, but this year the family kept the celebration small. Later that spring the Blacks were hosting the annual fertility ritual at their estate in Cornwall and plans for that celebration were being made during the Equinox holiday. Andromeda was to play an important role in that ritual and her mother and aunt were excited and ready to prepare her.

"I'm not doing it," Andromeda said firmly, putting down her fork and crossing her arms across her chest. She held her head high and her grey eyes blazed.

Aunt Druella laughed nervously and smiled at her daughter. "Don't be silly, Darling. Every girl is nervous, but there is nothing to worry about. The ritual is as ancient as time." She gestured to Walburga and Bellatrix. "We've all been through it and none of us has any regrets."

"It's actually quite pleasant," Walburga smiled mischievously. Like the rest of them, she was dressed in the light green robes, traditional for the spring festival. Her hair was pulled loosely back from her face, allowing a few soft curls to rest upon her cheeks. Her make up gave her face a youthful, rosy tone and her lipstick was a cheerful pink. "I look back upon my time fondly. That year every time I saw a flower grow or passed by a field of grain, I knew that I was the one who helped the Gods make it possible. It was an honor to give my virginity to the Goddess."

Andromeda snorted, "I can't give to Her what's already gone." She flipped her hair and resumed eating. While Andromeda's face was now placid, Sirius saw the adults exchange urgent, meaningful glances. While he didn't know exactly what was going on, he knew Andromeda had said something very troubling.

"What did you say?" Cygnus Black raised his voice and glared at his daughter.

Andromeda did not look at her father, but defiantly straight ahead. She reached for her wine glass and brought it to her lips. "You heard me," she told him in a low, but firm voice.

"Who was it?" He shouted at her, rising from his chair as he did so.

"Cygnus, please," his wife pleaded with him, but Cygnus ignored her.

"Who was it, Andromeda?" He shouted again. "Tell me his name and I'll…"

But before he could let them know what he was planning to do, Narcissa let out an audible gasp. All heads turned to her as she stared at her sister with knowledge in her eyes. Andromeda stared back with a determined expression that said, "Don't you dare say anything." Cissy's eyes shifted towards Bellatrix and back again to Andromeda. "It's her you need to worry about," was their silent message.

Sirius looked at Bellatrix. She looked amused at what had transpired at the dining room table and a sadistic smile played upon her thin lips. Andromeda turned to Bellatrix, challenging her to speak, but Bellatrix turned away, leaving her sister to wonder what her next move would be.

It felt to Sirius as if they all were waiting for an electrical storm to occur. The room was strangely charged and their eyes shown as if they feared being struck by lightning.

"Orion," Walburga Black said calmly and suddenly to her husband. "Would you take Bella, Cissy and the boys to the kitchen? I'll follow you in just a minute. Tell Kreacher to move our plates there until Cygnus and Druella have resolved this… situation."

Orion Black nodded and stood up from his chair. He motioned to his nieces and sons to follow him. As Sirius prepared to exit the room he glanced back at the four individuals remaining. Walburga pushed her plate away and rested her wrists on the table. As always she acted as the family arbitrator. She was comfortable being in charge. She reached over to Druella, who sat next to her and squeezed her hand, reassuring her. Cygnus still looked as angry as the man whose daughter had betrayed him, unsure of what to do next. And Andromeda looked down at her plate, steeling herself against what would certainly be the harsh consequences of her decision to abandon her family's dictates.

"Will everything be alright, Dad? Regulus asked in a high, nervous voice once they had left the room. He was only nine years old and uncomfortable with interpersonal struggles. Unlike Sirius, who often got in trouble with his parents for various acts of mischief, Regulus preferred not angering his parents.

"I'm sure it will be," Orion Black assured him, placing his hand on his son's shoulder. "But it is very serious when one puts his or her needs before those of the gods. Your cousin will need to make amends to her parents as well as to the Gods."

"Will they forgive her?" Regulus asked.

Bellatrix laughed, "Mercy is a Christian virtue. We do not forgive those who transgress against us. The only way that Mother and Father will accept Andromeda again is if begs them and takes an oath that she will follow their ways from now on."

"But Andromeda is an itelligent young woman," Orion told them in a voice of authority. "I'm sure she will do the right thing."

But Andromeda continued to disappoint her family. In addition to forgoing the Beltane fertility ritual, she also refused to continue her religious education, as was the tradition in their family once one had finished at Hogwarts. As was required of their faith, she was not forgiven for this decision, but her parents were molified when she agreed to study at Beaubatons. Finally, her marriage to a Muggle-born wizard took her away from their family forever.

At first Sirius and Andromeda exchanged letters following her exile from the family. She had always been his favorite cousin and he admired her even more for her daring act. He wrote to her when he left the family and she sent back a letter congratulating him on his decision. Over time, however, their letters tapered off. She became busy with her husband and new baby and they had fewer and fewer things in common.

Quite by accident, Sirius saw Andromeda once again after her marriage. That day he and James were shopping in Diagon Alley for dress robes for James' wedding.

"Why do I need dress robes?" Sirius complained to James. "I'm not the one getting married."

James laughed, "You need them so that I don't look silly by being the only one dressed up like a penguin. That's the job of the best man, you know. "

"I wish I had known before I agreed to the job," Sirius teased. "I thought I only had to hold the rings and make a toast."

"No, you have to look like an arse, too. Unfortunately, nothing can make you look bad, Padfoot. You'll look as dashing as ever in dress robes, while this mop of hair is certain to keep me from looking like the handsome groom that Lily deserves," James said, running his fingers through his messy, brown hair.

Sirius laughed and pointed to a shop they were passing, "Madam Huella's Magical Beauty Supplies," he read. "Maybe she has something to make your mop lie flat." His head was turned towards the shop window and he didn't see James reach out and touch the arm of a passing shopper.

"Oh, hello," James said in a surprised tone that caused Sirius to turn around and look into the face of his cousin, Andromeda.

Andromeda looked from James to Sirius, uncertain at first but then recognition dawned in her eyes. "Sirius!" she said, hugging him. She pulled back and they stared at each other, uncertain what to say.

"How are you?" Sirius began. "It's great to see you. You look fantastic!" Long gone were the straightened panels of brown hair she had worn in her rebellious youth. Her hair was shorter and framed her face with curls. She no longer wore sharp "hippy-style" make up and her skin looked natural and luminous.

"And you're all grown up!" She said taking in his whole figure.

"It's been awhile, I guess. Your daughter must be big now." As much as he liked seeing her, Sirius struggled for what to say. Inside he felt the gnawing emptiness of the family he lost. The longer he looked at her, noting her resemblance to her sisters and his mother, the more uncomfortable he became. He realized that she must have felt the same as she ended the conversation quickly with the excuse that Nymphadora had to be picked up from school.

"Did you two make a plan to get together?" James asked as they continued on their way to the formalwear shop. Sirius shook his head.

"Why not?" James questioned him.

Sirius didn't answer at first but he felt James eyes upon him, curious as to why Sirius was not more cheerful after seeing his once-favorite cousin. "It's too hard," he whispered. James nodded, but Sirius wondered if he truly understood.

At the end of the day Sirius stood at the turnstile, this time regretfully watching Harry, Ron, and Hermione walk away. He felt happy and relaxed now and wondered why he had been so anxious about this meeting. He spoke to the three teenagers honestly about what it was like during the war and they not only listened, but understood as well. In a way, it was a relief to share with someone what it had been like in Azkaban. With Remus, he wanted to start fresh, not dwell upon a past when they both had made mistakes. No one liked talking about the past, it seemed. Ron had told him that Arthur Weasley would not discuss it with them, claiming it was too difficult to understand. But by ignoring the past, they seemed more certain than ever to repeat it.

Once Harry was out of sight, Sirius began following him, wandering in the trees just to the side of the road. He wanted to make sure Harry did not encounter any trouble as he made his way though the village, but at the same time, he didn't want Harry to worry about him. Harry always seemed more worried about Sirius returning to Azkaban than he was about the dangers he himself was facing. As he meandered along as the dog he glanced at the many Hogwarts students who were sadly making their way back to school as evening fell. Harry would be safe now, Sirius realized.

He turned around and was making his way back to the cave when he caught sight of the boy. Sirius stopped dead in his tracks to watch him pass. The confident swagger was exactly the same as he remembered. The voice that laughed and boasted to his companions rang of good breeding and pure-blood arrogance. Sirius had heard that voice so many times when he was a student and he ached with happiness to hear it again. His heart pounded as he walked closer, hoping to get a better view. The boy did not notice the big black dog that circled him, looking up into his face. Regulus had greatly resembled Sirius with grey eyes, dark hair, and typical Black features. Although this boy walked and spoke like Regulus , he was so pale that, for a moment Sirius wondered if he could be Regulus' ghost. He looked harder at the boy's face, trying to decide if this was indeed an apparition, and his distinctive features brought back another name from Sirius' past. The boy was a mirror image of his father, the former Slytherin prefect. And then Sirius realized he was looking at Draco Malfoy, the son of Cissy Black.

Thanks for your reviews! It's great to know that people are reading this story.