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Chapter 14:
Garrett had been gone for two months since Emmett and Rosalie came to London requiring his help, and Sirius had been waiting frantically for his friend to make it back safely. He was scared because of that bloody mind reader Garrett had informed him about, Edward Cullen.
Sirius may have given him an amulet to protect his thoughts from Edward finding out about magic, and possibly Aro Volturi, but there was nothing stopping him from reading Emmett and Rosalie's thoughts, and Sirius knew that the Volturi would inevitably find out that there were two humans in the know about their existence.
Sirius was positive that they called Garrett over for help with the Volturi; Garrett told him once that the Volturi struck fear in the hearts of every vampire of their kind, and the only reason a vampire would need help or were in trouble was because of them.
It was inevitable though. Sirius knew that the time would come when the Volturi, especially Caius would come to learn the truth and when the doorbell rang and Sirius opened the door to Garrett's face, he grimaced, knowing that the time had finally come.
"Hey mate. Wish I had good news to tell you but –"
"But the Volturi probably know about Arianna and I," Sirius finished for him, and he could not help the tiny twinge of fear that struck him when Garrett glumly nodded in agreement.
Mutely, Sirius strode over to the fireplace and threw in a handful of floo powder, "Headmaster's office, Hogwarts," before kneeling down and sticking his head into the green flames.
Albus Dumbledore was replying to the countless of letters the bumbling Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge had been bombarding him with when he heard a familiar voice to his right, "Albus?" Albus turned and smiled jovially at Sirius, however, seeing the solemn look and the fear in Sirius' face made him rush over to the fireplace and kneel down to be in level with Sirius' head.
"What is it Sirius?" Albus asked calmly; he knew that a calm façade would do wonders.
"Garrett has finally returned. Can we come by?"
Albus nodded, "Yes, yes. I have no appointments currently. I'll send Poppy through so that she could take care of Arianna while we speak, hmm?" Sirius nodded in relief and disappeared from view.
Not even a few minutes later, Arianna was in the hospital wing with her Aunt Poppy, and Albus, Sirius and Garrett sat in an uncomfortable silence sipping on some tea, delaying the conversation that needed to take place.
Garrett cleared his throat and began, "Well, you wouldn't believe this. Apparently, vampires can procreate with humans," Garrett chuckled in wonder, not noticing the traded looks between Sirius and Albus as he continued, "The Cullens, well to be precise, Edward fell in love with a human girl. She got pregnant with his child, a half-vampire and half-human."
"Did the human girl survive?" Albus asked curiously; Maia had only survived because they had magic on their side, but the poor human girl had none.
Garrett grimaced, "Only just. Her heart stopped and it took a long time for Edward to restart it by pumping his venom directly into her heart. Bella is a vampire now."
"How was the Volturi involved in all this?" asked Sirius in trepidation. He would give up his life to save Arianna, but Caius and the Volturi in extension were a wild card, Sirius didn't know if the value of family meant anything to them. Even Maia McKinnon feared Caius Volturi's reaction and ran away to protect Lily.
"The Cullens have cousin vampires out there that feed the way they do. Vegetarians," he added in amusement before his face turned stern again, "The Denali Clan who lives in Alaska. Tanya, Kate and Irena are biological sisters, and they have two others in their Clan, Eleazar and Carmen. Irina found a mate in some vampire called Laurent. Long story short, he went back to Forks to kill Bella when she was human and the wolves killed him."
"I'm sorry, Garrett, wolves? What wolves are you speaking off?" Albus leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Garrett chuckled, "It's the damnest thing, Albus. They believe themselves to be werewolves from the Quileute Tribe, and their purpose is to protect their land and humans from us, the cold ones, they call us. However, due to my friendship with all of you, I recognized them to be nothing more than shapeshifters, since they can control their transformation and only turn into wolves. It's in their genes and they turn when many vampires are nearby."
"Moony would love that," Sirius mumbled, ignoring the sad feeling in the pit of his stomach when he thought of his friend; Remus was untraceable, even Albus couldn't find him and so he didn't know that Sirius was innocent and out of Azkaban.
"Curious indeed. It is quite fascinating to find out what resides in the muggle world. Proceed Garrett," Albus waved for him to continue.
Garrett perked up, remembering his story, "Yes, yes, right you are old man," he smirked, "As I was saying. Irena came over to visit the Cullens alone when she saw Jacob, one of the shapeshifters and Bella with Renesmee, the half-human, half-vampire. Furious that Jacob was there since his kind killed her mate and shocked at seeing Renesmee jump high into the air to catch snowflakes, she ran to the Volturi."
Here Garrett explained to Albus and Sirius all about the Immortal Child and how it was against the law to create one. The two wizards stared at Garrett in horror at the fact that someone would turn an innocent child into a vampire.
Garrett the explained how the Cullens gathered witnesses and finally, the Volturi arrived. He informed them of how adamant Caius was in killing the child, and it was only until Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen, two others from the Cullen family returned with another half-human, half-vampire, did the Volturi back down, realizing that hybrids weren't a threat after all and could blend in better with humans.
"So, Aro definitely read Edward's thoughts?" Sirius asked in defeat. Garrett nodded, and Sirius snarled, his famous Black temper beginning to show, "Can't that damn vampire control himself! Does he have to poke his head in everyone's thoughts?!"
Albus stood up abruptly, "Sirius, calm yourself! Edward cannot control his gift any more than we could control accidental magic before Hogwarts It is not Edward's fault." Once Sirius had calmed down, Albus sat down and interlocked his fingers together, "I knew this day would eventually come and so did Maia. We will survive this, Sirius," Albus told him kindly.
Garrett stared at the exchange in confusion; finally having had enough with being kept in the dark, he snarled, "Would any of you like to inform me what the big deal is here?" he snapped his head over to stare Sirius in the eyes, "You told me that you would explain once I have returned. Well, I am waiting."
Albus and Sirius traded another look and Albus nodded. His bright blue eyes connected with ruby red and he sucked in a deep breath before beginning the story of Maia McKinnon, "Twenty-seven years ago, a dear friend and student of mine, newly-graduated from Hogwarts went for a vacation in Italy. Precisely, Volterra. Her name was Maia McKinnon, and she was a Lady of a Noble and most Ancient House, just like Sirius and the Potters. There she met a man and she fell in love."
"Is there a point to all this? Did the Volturi kill her or something?" Garrett snapped impatiently.
Sirius grimaced, "Not exactly mate."
Albus shook his head sadly, "The man was actually a vampire, by the name of Caius Volturi." Garrett froze in his seat, his jaw hanging open. Albus continued, "They were blissfully together for nine months, when one day Maia went out for a stroll and overheard a disturbing argument between Caius and his two brothers. They found out about Maia and gave Caius an ultimatum."
"Kill her or turn her," Garrett whispered knowingly.
"Yes. From what Maia overheard, she was actually Caius' true mate and not his wife of over three thousand years –"
"Athenodora. That is impossible," gasped Garrett in shock, his eyes flickering from Albus to Sirius as though one of them would suddenly say they were joking.
"How do you think James, Lily and I instantly knew you were a vampire, mate?" Sirius asked rhetorically.
"She survived?" Garrett gaped in surprise; the Volturi would have sent for Demetri if she ran … they were wizards of course. Demetri wouldn't have been able to track her into the wizarding world.
Albus sighed, "Maia had no intention of running. However, upon returning from a medical appointment, she discovered that she was pregnant with Caius' child, and knowing their fear of the unknown and of exposure, she packed her bags and ran back to London for the safety of her child."
Garrett was flabbergasted. Albus and Sirius gave him a moment to gather his thoughts before Garrett finally blurted out, "So there was a hybrid child before Renesmee, and you obviously know the child?"
"Maia survived her pregnancy with the aid of magic. She only informed Poppy and myself of her predicament. However, when the child was born, we provided a potion to keep the vampire gene dormant. Donata Caterina McKinnon-Volturi was a witch and not a vampire due to the potion we had imbibed her with the second she was born," Albus informed a dumfounded Garrett.
"I have never heard you speak of her before, or of Maia. What happened to them?" Garrett prompted. His brain felt fried, almost like it was turning to mush with the overload of information. Sirius stayed quiet, knowing this was Albus' story to relay.
"Voldemort happened," Albus said sorrowfully, and Garrett saw red at the mention of the Dark Wizard that murdered his friends and tried to kill little Ari. "At the time, Voldemort was laying low; he was rising in power slowly and had a small base of followers, the Death Eaters, locating pureblooded wizards and witches to join his cause. Maia was leaving her ancestral home when they surrounded her, asking her to join. Maia vehemently refused of course, and they murdered her with the killing curse."
"The same curse that killed James and Lily?" Garrett snarled venomously.
"Yes," Sirius choked out in grief.
Albus felt grief in his very bones at the reminder of sweet Maia McKinnon, "She left instructions with Gringotts, and she was very well-prepared. Almost like she knew that death was upon her. A letter arrived from the Head Goblin Ragnok, and Maia had left two letters, one for me and one for Caius, knowing that I would meet him someday. In the letter addressed to me, Maia informed me to give Donata to a muggle family. She feared that if Donata was to live with a magical family, they could either discover her vampire genes that lay dormant or that they would die and she would be bounced from home to home."
"What about her family?" Garrett was confused; he knew there was a Marlene McKinnon. James, Lily and Sirius often spoke about her; Lily was in grief after Voldemort killed her and Sirius was in love with her.
Sirius shook his head, finally contributing to the story, "Maia kept her a secret from them. She was terrified of their reactions."
Garrett sat up straight; now he knew why they were fearful of the Volturi finding out about them. They wanted to keep Donata safe. "Where is Donata know?" Garrett asked, his eyes flickering to the both wizards, only to see grief heavily prominent in their features.
Once again, Sirius choked out in agony, "Dead."
Upon Garrett's confused stare, Albus spoke up, "I gave Donata to a wonderful muggle family who were desperate for another child. They only had a daughter when I gave her up. They changed her name, and she went to Hogwarts where she became one of our star pupils and married her soul mate; James Potter."
The truth was finally out; Garrett felt his blood turn cold and his hands trembled in anger and shock. Lily? Lily Potter was Caius' daughter. "No! Are you telling me that, that Lily, Lily is Caius' daughter, Lily is Donata Caterina McKinnon-Volturi?"
He only received two mute nods in return.
"That would make … that would make Arianna –"
"Caius' granddaughter," Sirius finished for him. Garrett felt way too much information overload. NOW he knew why they feared the Volturi's arrival, why they gave him the amulet … they feared Arianna's life more than the discovery of magic. Dear, sweet, innocent Arianna was Caius' granddaughter. Caius, the vampire that struck fear in every vampire's hearts even more so than Aro, Jane and Alec themselves.
Caius' change in demeanor made sense now. He had lost his mate, she had disappeared from his life, Demetri couldn't find her and he somehow must have found out that she was dead.
"Caius met with Maia's brother, Michael and his wife Estelle a year after her death. He knows that Maia is dead," Sirius informed him, knowing where the vampire's thoughts were at the moment.
"There is something else you must know Garrett," Albus suddenly spoke up, "Since Lily's vampire genes were dormant, Arianna has inherited active vampire genes from her grandfather."
"Well holy shit!"
That was all Garrett managed to say.
***Affari Nascosti***
The months went by peacefully at Privet Drive number four. Sirius, Garrett, Albus and Poppy were impatiently waiting the Volturi's visit, managing to keep their fears and their worries hidden from Arianna who was such an observant child.
Garrett had found his mate in Kate Denali and constantly kept in contact with her over the phone. Sirius pushed him to visit her or move in with her, but Garrett was adamant that he be present when the Volturi arrived. He didn't want to stay away from Arianna and he informed Sirius that he was an immortal being, a few years was nothing compared to an eternity and he could wait to be reunited with his mate.
A few days after Garrett found out the truth of Lily and Arianna's ancestry, Sirius paid a visit to the Potter and McKinnon vaults and retrieved a few painting of Charlus, Dorea, James, Lily and even Maia McKinnon and they were proudly hung all over the house.
It was a happy reunion in Privet Drive number four, now known as Marauder's Pad; James and Lily were ecstatic to see Sirius and Garrett again. The Potters were furious when they found out that Sirius spent nearly three years in Azkaban because of the traitorous rat, and their ire only increased when they informed them of how Arianna was treated by the Dursleys.
Lily cried tears of happiness when she finally met her birth mother Maia, who cried in turn at her daughter's early death by the hands of Voldemort. It was a common occurrence to find Lily and Maia within each other's portraits gossiping and blathering on and on about one thing or the other.
But the most touching reunion was when Arianna finally met her parents and grandparents and there were a lot of tears involved in the happy and joyful get-together.
It was June 31st when an alarm flared in both, Marauder's Pad and Albus Dumbledore's office.
It was time. The Volturi had arrived on the streets of Little Whinging.
There was a flurry of activity; Albus called Poppy and they immediately floo called over to Marauder's Pad. Poppy grabbed Arianna and took her up into her room in order to keep her away from the group of vampire's that were sure to arrive any minute. Charlus, Dorea, Maia, James and Lily walked out of their portraits and into a farther one where they could listen to everything take place and keep a distance from the vampire's excellent eyesight.
Arianna was a smart girl; she knew that something was amiss, something that had her family deeply troubled, and she made no fuss. She quietly stayed in her room and played with her dolls with Poppy.
Albus and Sirius placed a protection charm on the door leading to Arianna's room and waited silently for the Volturi. They didn't have to wait long as a few minutes later, there was an ominous knock on the front door, and Sirius strode over to invite them in.
There were nine figures on the other side; nine figures dressed in black cloaks.
The figure in the middle spoke up in a musical baritone voice, "You must be Mr. Black. May we come in? There are matters of importance we must discuss away from the, prying eyes of your neighbors."
Sirius opened the door wider and allowed them entry, flashing them a cheeky smirk he said, "You must be the Volturi. What took you so long?" he smirked, causing the nine vampires to still and nine pairs of ruby eyes to glare pointedly at his direction.
"Sirius! Don't provoke them you foolish man," Albus barked from his place in the dining room.
"Fine," Sirius grumbled. Sirius had a habit of joking around when he was worried, and he didn't want the vampires to know he was terrified. "This way," he led them into the dining room and took his place between Albus and Garrett who stood waiting for them.
Aro had an amused smile on his face when he noticed Garrett, "Ah, the nomad. I presume he is the reason you were expecting us, hmm?"
"Enough games Aro. We are not here for idle chitchat," Caius growled.
"Pardon my brother. Allow me to introduce ourselves," Aro smiled, although it did not reach his eyes, "I am Aro Volturi, and these are my brothers Caius and Marcus. My mate Sulpicia and Marcus' mate and Caius and my sister, Didyme." He then gestured his hand to the last four figures that surrounded the Volturi family protectively, "And these are members of our guard, Jane and Alec, they are twins; Demetri and Felix."
Albus came forward, shooting Sirius and Garrett a pointed look to keep their mouths shut, knowing the two pranksters would shoot their mouths and say something inappropriate. "I am Albus Dumbledore. This is Sirius Black and I assume you already know Garrett," he smiled jovially.
Caius glared at them in fury. He wanted to kill them and leave, but knowing Aro, he would delay their deaths due to his curiosity.
Albus beckoned them to sit and they all stared at each other in silence for a long moment. Unable to keep the silence going on even further, Caius barked out, "Enough with the pretenses Aro. The nomad has exposed us; you know what you must do!"
"Patience brother," Aro said in exasperation.
"Yes, you see. We may hit a little snag if you plan to kill us," Albus said, his smile never wavering causing the nine vampires to stare incredulously at him.
"Snag? Snag?! I see no snag. You are humans," Caius sneered, "You have no business knowing of our existence. The nomad has broken the law. You all must die, including the little girl," he snarled.
Sirius growled threateningly at him, but Albus quickly placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, his eyes warning him to stay silent. Garrett on the other hand leaned backward in his chair, looking amused and oddly relaxed.
"Killing us would do you no good, Caius Volturi," Albus spoke warningly.
Marcus intervened before Caius could begin yelling again, "And what do you mean by that statement?" Aro, Sulpicia and Didyme had an eyebrow raised. Caius was fuming and the guards were gaping at the entire scene.
Albus bobbed his head with a wide smile, "What I mean, is that if you kill us then the truth of Lady Maia McKinnon's death would die along with us, and you will never discover what actually happened to her."
Caius gasped a large intake of breath; the fury began to diminish from his face and his ruby red eyes widened at the old man. Aro and Marcus gaped in turn, while Sulpicia and Didyme clutched both of Caius' arms in support.
"What do you know of it?" Caius hissed, his anger returning at full-force. How dare he throw his Maia's death in his face as a bargaining chip. How dare he!
Sirius finally spoke up, all mirth was gone as he stared solemnly at Caius, "We know that a year after her death, you had a meeting with Michael and Estelle McKinnon," he then turned his face to stare at Demetri whose jaw hung open at his next words, "Isn't that right, Alessandro?"
"How did you know?" Demetri gasped out.
"We know plenty. Would you like to hear us out and gather the information you have been desperate of for twenty-seven years?" Albus asked calmly, his light blue eyes flickering to each vampire who all stared at the three Kings in acquiesce.
Aro knew that these three were their best bet. This was the closest they have ever been in finally gaining the answers they have been seeking for nearly three decades. He wondered how the nomad was involved in all this. Caius had to know the fate of his mate, and so he sighed and rubbed his temples in a human fashion.
"Very well. Tell us what you know," Aro sighed in defeat.
"Your vow," Sirius snarled, his grey eyes flashing adamantly. "We won't give you the answers you need only for you to turn around and kill us afterwards."
"Il mio amore," Sulpicia placed a dainty hand into Aro's large ones, "Make the vow. It matters not if two mortals know of our existence for the sake of your brother's peace of mind."
Aro swallowed and nodded quickly, "I swear you shall receive no harm by the hands of the Volturi."
Albus beamed and clapped his hands together once, "Excellent. Now how to begin; ah yes. You see, like you have your secrets, we have ours. You have an absolute law keeping your race a secret. We in turn, have a similar law."
"You are not humans?" Didyme asked in wonder, a skeptical brow rose in her beautiful childish face.
"Oh they are," Garrett smirked lazily.
"Yes, we are humans. Just different. We are, ah how to put this," Sirius mused scratching his temple. He took out his wand from his holster and flicked and swished as he said, "Wingardium Leviosa."
The nine vampires gasped loudly and jumped backwards in shock as the vase that sat before them levitated into the air.
"Impossibile," Aro stated with wide eyes.
"What are you?" Caius demanded.
"Sirius and I are wizards," Albus simply said. His eyes focused intently on Caius, "And your mate, Maia was a witch."
"Those are merely stories. In all my three thousand years on Earth I have never crossed paths with your kind," Aro said in disbelief.
"We have rules like you do. The Statue of Secrecy that is," Albus explained. "No muggles, non-magicals, can know of our world. If they find out then they shall be obliviated, erasing their memory of us completely from their minds."
Sirius spoke up next in amusement, "You are what we magicals define as muggle vampires."
"Muggle vampires?" Marcus asked curiously.
"Yes, you see in the Wizarding World, we have vampires of our own kind. However they differ greatly from your species of vampires. Their eyes remain its regular shade once they have turned, the color they were born with. They do not turn red or gold and they are not cold to the touch. Nor do they have marble skin. They die by fire without having to be ripped apart and they can eat food if they have a healthy diet of blood in their system," Albus explained jovially.
"They also burn in the sun and can be killed by a wooden stake to the heart," Garrett informed them in a conspiratorial manner. He was enjoying the dumbfounded looks on the nine deadly Volturi members.
"If what you say is true –"Aro began only to be cut off by Sirius, "Oh, it is true. There are many books on vampires. And we can keep showing you magic until you decide to believe us. So basically, we are even. We both know each other's secret. Both our races have been exposed to each other."
"I always felt deep inside that Maia was keeping something from me," Caius whispered to himself.
"Yes, and she knew you were as well. Though she never asked because she didn't want to seem a hypocrite," Albus said softly.
Caius stared at Albus shrewdly, "You seem to have been close with her, wizard. Tell me what happened to her."
Albus Dumbledore stood and began pacing as he gathered his thoughts, "After Maia fled from Volterra she sent me a letter requesting a meeting. She was hysterical and had nobody to go to, and could only ask me for help. She didn't leave you because she didn't love you, Caius Volturi. She left you to protect something, a precious secret she held from you."
"That she was a witch!" Caius snarled, glaring menacingly at the old man. "I loved her, I would dare not harm her!" he growled ignoring his brother's calming hold on him.
"No, no, no. She knew no harm would come to her per say. As you know, she overheard you and your brothers speaking in the streets of Volterra, and she knew that you would take any course of action to keep your existence a secret." Albus sighed sadly, "You see, the day after she had overheard your conversation, she discovered that she was pregnant," he stopped pacing to stare at Caius' dumbstruck look, "With your child."
Silence.
There was utter silence in the room as the nine vampires gaped at the old man in shock.
Caius recalled a memory from long ago when Estelle McKinnon informed them that Maia was practically glowing … glowing … she was pregnant.
"You mean to tell us, that Caius has a half-vampire, half-human child out there?" Aro said in wonder.
"Maia feared that your brothers would take drastic action, and so she fled, hiding your child from you, and coming to me for aid. A daughter, Mr. Volturi. She gave birth to a beautiful girl," Albus smiled, his eyes shining with the beginning of tears.
"I have a daughter," Caius whispered in shock. Aro, Marcus, Didyme and Sulpicia were equally shocked; they have a niece?
"Donata Caterina McKinnon-Volturi. That was the name Maia had christened her with," Albus added sadly, "Donata, gift of god and Caterina, pure."
"I see the conundrum," Aro finally spoke up, "A few months ago we discovered Renesmee Cullen, learning that she is not a threat to our kind."
"She didn't die during childbirth?" Caius knew from Michael McKinnon that she was murdered, but perhaps he didn't know the entire truth either.
"You are forgetting that we have magic Mr. Volturi," Albus reminded them. "Unlike Bella Cullen, we were able to heal her quickly after Donata cut her way out of the womb. We had a special and rare potion brewed that would keep her vampire gene dormant. Donata was only a witch. She would have to take a potion to activate her vampire gene."
"How did she die then?" Caius demanded his ruby red eyes filled with pain and sorrow.
Sirius and Garrett shifted uncomfortably and they waited for Albus to share the news of the pain in the ass Dark Lord.
Albus sat back down and stared at the nine baffled vampires, "You see, the Wizarding World had been in the midst of a war for fifteen years, from the years 1930 until 1945 by the Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald."
The vampires perked up at the name and Jane gasped, "We overheard the McKinnons and a woman called Dorea Potter mention him, but we could not find any information of him even existing."
"You saw Mrs. Potter?" Sirius gaped, his eyes tearing slightly.
Albus placed a comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder; he knew the painful loss of the elder Potters who were like Sirius' parents. "He terrorized Europe and the entire Wizarding Population, going as far as to enslave Muggles, until I managed to defeat him. He is currently imprisoned in Nurmengard in Bulgaria. We rejoiced and the Wizarding World was once again living in peace." Albus took a slight pause before continuing, "Thirty years ago, another Dark Lord was on the rise. He gathered followers called Death Eaters."
Sirius interrupted, "One thing you must know of our world, is that there are prejudiced wizards and witches. We are classified into Purebloods, Half-bloods, Muggleborns and squibs," the Volturi listened curiously as Sirius spoke, "I am a Pureblood, meaning I have a pure magical heritage, there are no muggles in my ancestry. Half-bloods are those that marry into muggles and Muggleborns. Muggleborns are witches and wizards born from a muggle family; no one knows how they have inherited magic. Squibs on the other hand, they are the opposite of Muggleborns; they are born to magical parents, yet they have no trace of magic within them."
"How astounding," Aro murmured. He was very interested in this Wizarding World and he couldn't help but wonder how many magicals he had crossed paths with in all his three thousand years.
"Now there are purebloods whom are prejudiced against those that have filthy blood, like my dear family," Sirius scoffed.
"Sirius, don't start," Albus sighed wearily; every time Sirius spoke of the Blacks he got angry. Albus continued were Sirius left off, "This rising Dark Lord formed a group of followers by the name of Death Eaters and he began searching for more, enough to make himself unstoppable and greatly feared. He believed that Half-bloods, Muggleborns and Muggles should be killed and enslaved, and he wanted to purify the Wizarding World of them."
Albus sucked in a breath before continuing in a sorrowful voice, "A colleague of mine and myself would take care of Donata when Maia went to visit her family, since she had kept her a secret from them. A year after Donata's birth, Maia was found leaving McKinnon Manor and was ambushed by Death Eaters asking her to join the Dark Lord." Albus sighed sadly, his eyes shining with grief, "She refused vehemently, and they killed her."
"Killed her? How? Who? Give me their names," Caius boomed his voice turning murderous.
Sirius spoke in a tone filled with disgust, "There are three powerful and sinister spells called the Unforgivable curses; if a witch or wizard uses any one of them, it would result in a lifetime in Azkaban prison. The Imperius Curse causes the victim to perform the unquestioned bidding of the caster. The Cruciatus Curse inflicts excruciating pain. It is a torture curse and let me tell you, it hurts like a bitch," Sirius said bitterly, and they all could tell that he had suffered under the curse at one point. Sirius choked slightly at the next words left his mouth, "The last curse, is the Killing Curse, and it causes instant and painless death. Two words and you're dead."
"The Killing Curse was cast on Maia, and she died instantly," Albus said sorrowfully, his eyes shining with grief.
The Volturi sat frozen in their seats and watched Caius' mournful face; he wouldn't break in front of everyone, but he would murder this Dark Lord and his followers that took his mate away from him.
"What happened to our niece?" Aro inquired.
Sirius and Garrett grimaced, an action that didn't go amiss by the Volturi and Caius snarled, "Where is my daughter?!"
Albus pinched the bridge of his nose, this part would be difficult to explain, "Maia left me a letter upon her death; in the letter, she stated that her daughter was to be brought up by Muggles for fear that her vampire gene would be discovered, and so that she could be raised by a loving family. They rechristened her with the name Lily Marie Evans, and eleven years later she received her Hogwarts letter," upon receiving confused and blank stares from the Volturi, Albus explained, "It is a wizarding school in Britain."
Sirius smiled fondly, "She was sorted into the house for the bold, brave, daring and chivalrous. The house of lions, like her mother was. My best friend James Potter and I were sorted into Gryffindor as well where we met Lily. James took one look at her and it was love at first sight. Six years later they began dating and once they graduated they got married at seventeen."
"WHAT!" Caius, Aro and Marcus yelled.
"That is too young," Caius growled.
"We were living through dark times Mr. Volturi. The Dark Lord fashioned the name Lord Voldemort, and he struck fear in the wizarding world's hearts to the point of them fearing his name. He slaughtered left and right," Albus pointedly informed them.
"That was how the McKinnons died," Demetri gasped; all of them recalling the article of their death.
Albus winced; knowing what he had to say next would cause uproar.
"Two years later, I was meeting a woman for the divination post and she made a prophecy; 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark the one as his equal, but the child will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…'"
"So a prophecy was foretold of a child defeating this Dark Lord?" Aro asked incredulously.
Albus sighed forlornly, "The prophecy clearly stated that the child would be born at the end of July to parents who have defied Voldemort three times. There were two couples that fit the description; Frank and Alice Longbottom best friends of James, Lily and Sirius. And … James and Lily Potter."
"NO!" Caius growled.
"Absolutely not, are you crazy?" Sulpicia demanded with fire in her eyes.
"It states that neither can live while the other survives. Absolutely not Mr. Dumbledore, no!" Aro refuted his eyes glaring at Albus.
Sirius snorted, "We all said the same thing. Unfortunately, there was a Death Eater eavesdropping nearby and only caught the first sentence. He told Voldemort," he said bitterly.
"Lily gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on July 31st, Arianna Salvatrice Potter," Albus smiled genuinely. "They made Alice Longbottom her godmother and Sirius here, her godfather."
"I have a granddaughter?" Caius whispered in awe; a daughter and a granddaughter were not expected. He never believed in his over three thousand years of living that it would be possible.
"James and Lily had to go into hiding a year later as Voldemort intended to kill Arianna or Neville Longbottom. Both families hid under the Fidelius charm; it is a magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul, a Secret Keeper, making them impossible to find, unless the Secret Keeper willingly gave away their location."
"I was chosen by James and Lily," Sirius cried, tears falling from his eyes making the Volturi feel a foreboding sensation, "But I thought I would be the obvious choice, and so we told everyone that I was the Secret Keeper, but in reality Peter Pettigrew, one of our best friends was," Sirius spat his name as though it was vermin.
"What no one knew was that Peter was a Death Eater, a spy for the Dark side," Albus said gravely, "On the night of Halloween, 1981, Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow where the Potters resided. James fought valiantly to give Lily time to hide Arianna, but Voldemort cast the Killing Curse on him. Lily had barricaded herself and Arianna in the nursery but he broke in –"
"Don't say it," Caius spoke hoarsely. The Volturi were all frozen in their positions unable to do anything but gape at Albus.
Albus ploughed on knowing that they needed to hear the truth, "Voldemort then cast the Killing Curse on Lily Potter. He then walked over to Arianna and cast the same curse that befell her parents."
"She's dead? He killed a one year old little girl?" Jane gasped; the witch twins looked deeply disturbed. Other than an immortal child, no vampire would ever dare kill a baby.
Albus shook his head, a small smile settling on his face, "No. A miracle happened, something that has never happened before. The curse rebounded, destroying Voldemort in the process, leaving Arianna with nothing but a scar on her forehead. She is famous in our world, where they all hail her the Girl-Who-Lived."
"A baby killed a powerful Dark Lord?" Aro asked skeptically, refusing to believe the oddity.
"Oh no, Voldemort is very much alive. Merely weakened at the moment," Albus refuted. "Lily's love for Arianna protected her. An old magic."
Sirius choked on his next words, "I found their dead bodies. James and Lily. Arianna was crying for her parents." Sirius sucked in a deep breath, "Since I was the known Secret Keeper, I was imprisoned in Azkaban for three years without a trial. The minute I was out, I took custody of Arianna."
"And where is the real traitor?" Caius growled; there were many to kill now, many would meet the Volturi's ire.
"The damn rat faked his death. He is somewhere in his rat form," Sirius spat bitterly.
"Demetri will find him. He will pay for his crimes," Aro said with conviction. "He is our best tracker and has never failed us before."
Albus, Sirius and Garrett looked gleefully at each other and Demetri smirked sinisterly at capturing the traitorous rat.
Albus took out an envelope from his pocket and gave it to Caius along with a long square package, "These were left to you from Maia. I have kept them with me for twenty-seven years."
Caius set them aside, deciding to open them in privacy.
A musical voice that resembled bells, a voice that was so familiar Caius hadn't heard it in twenty-seven years spoke out from behind him at that moment.
"Hello Amore."
The nine vampires turned abruptly and gasped, their eyes widening in disbelief.
Caius stared at a portrait of a woman with blood red hair curled in ringlets, pale white skin with sky-blue eyes in a heart-shaped face. Someone he never believed he would ever see again or hear her beautiful voice.
"Maia?" Caius gasped, his voice cracking slightly.
"I told you that we shall cross paths again," Maia McKinnon smiled from her portrait.
A/N: This was a long chapter; it was very exhausting to write.
Next chapter the Volturi will finally meet Arianna. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are eagerly anticipating the next one! :D
R&R.