The Promise

by keeperoliver

Many promises were made before and after the Marauders time in Hogwarts. One of them could change what happens in the future. Part Two brings the group to school. Joanne still rules.

20. Chapter 20

The Promise Part 2 Chapter 20 Keeperoliver

A/N: By now, all of you should have heard that Mrs. Rowling admitted it was a mistake for her to pair Ron with Hermione. Something we all felt was true has has been accepted by the Queen. What next, Ginny should never have been in the story? Well, she practically wasn't, was she. Or maybe she could have used Dobby a little better than she did. Or Luna should have been heard from earlier in the story. Or Sirius could have lasted at least to the seventh novel.

There is so much more that could have or should have been told differently. That is why the authors of dot net are here. To tell you the story they wish happened. None of us are saying she was wrong, as it was her story to tell, but, to say that there were other ways to take the story rather than the way she took it.

Well, that is my stand on the matter. If anyone wishes to share their thoughts on the matter with me, I will listen and add my two cents worth. As always, Ollie the Keeper.

TP-}

The question everyone wanted answered was how the girls survived the killing curse. Not one or two of them, but all of them. No had survived it prior to the final battle. Albus had to sit in front of all the parents and explain what happened. It was not something he looked forward to, as the answer could get him killed as well.

Seated before him were the executioners, if what he tells them is sorely taken, and he saw no other way for it to be taken. He took a deep breath and began, "I suppose you are all here for the same reason. I wish there was another way to say this, but there isn't. Yes, I knew this was going to happen. It had to. When the girls added a piece of their souls to the Diary, they replaced the piece of soul that Tom left there. Two souls cannot share the same vessel, unless the vessel was living. You see, a living being has the ability to absorb a second soul, but if the second one is stronger than the original, then the second soul will take control of the original. In a sense, the first soul becomes a hostage to the invading soul.

Since they replaced the piece of soul in the Diary, it had to take refuge somewhere, so it was once again split and a piece went to each of the girls. Once this happened, it became imperative that the girls face Tom and that Tom would try to kill them. I told the girls prior to the battle that no matter what happened, they must not fight back when Tom attacked them. It was the only way for the pieces of soul they held to be destroyed." He waited for the explosion he was sure was coming. Nothing but silence.

Then Molly stood up. "So, you are telling us that you sent the girls out there to face the bastard, knowing he was trying to kill them. Hoping he tried to kill them. And now you stand there waiting for us to explode on you for your heartlessness. Well, guess what Professor, EXTENDOR PROBASCUS!"

Albus' head fell to the table, as he could not hold it up due to the weight of his, now larger than his head, nose. It was the size of a watermelon. Each breath he took sounded like a wind tunnel. If he breathed any harder, he might suck up the paper work sitting in front of him. It was like a vacuum cleaner. Each breath he took extended his chest 25% further than normal. Minerva feared it may cause further damage, but Poppy held her in place, "If he regulates his breathing, he will be fine. Besides, he deserves it, doesn't he?"

Albus didn't know what was going on around him as he was too busy trying to slow the intake of air. It was like drowning only staying dry. He was surprised he could not reverse the spell or end it. He would never underestimate Molly, or any other witch again. However, he expected something to come from his confession. And by rights, he deserved what he got, or even more. Using the girls the way he did was inconceivable.

TP-}

Sirius knew he was going to die in the battle. He was actually hoping he would. He felt out of place back with his friends, as they were all pairing up and having kids. He could never love like that again, not after losing Marlene and his son. That bastard, Peter, should feel lucky he was not going where he was going, or he would be living a hell of an afterlife. He then wondered if Peter was dead or if he was still in Azkaban. He may never know.

He opened his eyes when he no longer felt he was moving. What he saw was not what he expected. Well, he didn't really know what to expect, but this was not something he had in mind. He was in a court of some kind and was facing a bench that had twelve figures sitting behind it.

"Sirius Orion Black, you are here to face judgment. It will be the decision of this court that will determine your final destination. If you are found honorable, you will advance, if not, you will be sent down. Do you understand what I just said?"

"Yes sir. I either go to Heaven or Hell. However I hope I am given a chance to speak on my own behalf."

"This is not a court, Mr. Black. It is a Tribunal. However, you will be given the opportunity to speak at some point in time during your judgment. Now, if you are ready, we shall begin. Your records indicate that you often went against your parents wishes. Is this correct sir?"

Sirius was going to explain why he did, but he thought better of it. "It is true sir."

"Would you care to tell us why?"

"Yes sir I would. I am sure you know of blood status, which is a form of segregation. My parents believed that pure blood families should rule over other mixed blood families. I was totally against this."

"I see. And yet, you felt that while in school, you were better than other students. Can you explain this?"

"I never felt better than the other students, I felt different from them. However, it was because everyone was so somber, and my friends and I tried our best to bring merriment to them in the form of pranks. We did not want things to go too serious, if you would forgive my pun."

"What pun is that? We did not hear anything funny."

"It was my play on words sir. Sirius is my name and I often use it to make light of a situation when someone says things are too serious. I would return with 'There is never too much of me'."

"And people thought this was funny? The living have a strange sense of humor. But that is not of our concern. So you never felt better than your fellow students. There was an incident where you almost caused a person his life. How do explain this?"

"Ugh! You saw that huh. Well, Snivellus had been bad mouthing my friend Remus, and I took offense to it. I didn't think Remus would hurt Snivellus even if he was in his wolf form. He never harmed James, Peter or I. Of course we were never with him in our human forms while he was transformed. We were always in our Animagus forms. When James found out what I had done, he stopped Snivellus from entering the structure Remus was in. James never let me forget this though. He was quite upset with me. And now that I think back about it, I am in total agreement with him. What I had done was totally out of line. I have regretted ever doing that, especially after we became friends. I still call him Snivellus though, and that gets under his skin."

It went on and on for Sirius. Every questionable moment in his life was brought up. Even though they said it wasn't a trial, it sure felt that way to him. Then they stopped their questioning and asked, "Do you have anything to say on your behalf, as you put it, Mr. Black?"

"Yes sir, I do. I admit my life was not a perfect one, but I am sure that everyone that enters this chamber was not free of guilt. That would include all of you who are hear sitting in judgment."

"We are not facing placement here, you are. But we will grant you that what you said is true. No one is free of guilt. However, there are not many who have pushed the limit of what is acceptable as you have. We have brought up many instances where we would consider your actions as borderline. While this may question your integrity, it does not question your loyalties. We are sorry for what happened to the woman you were going to ask marry you, and the loss of your unborn son. What you did to Lily Potter and Alice Longbottom has been the deciding factor for this tribunal."

"But I did not do it to them, I did it for them."

"Thank you for correcting my statement. It was what we were looking for. You did it for them so that they may live as well as their children. For that reason, and other minor instances where you were looking to protect others, we have decided that you shall go forward. Good journey, Mr. Black."

The tears forming in his eyes said it all for Sirius. He was going to a better place.

TP-}

The so called journey was a walk to the door that was pointed out to him. He looked through to the other side, but saw nothing. It was all a white nothing. He looked back to the table, but it was empty. The council had left him alone. He took a deep breath and walked through the door. Everything changed after that.

He was standing at the end of a village where people were walking the pavement with no concern for traffic. Of course he saw no traffic except for the people, so he figured there were no vehicles to worry about. He walked the pavement himself, looking for anyone he recognized.

He had no perception of time where he was at. There were no clocks or calendars. All the residents wore short sleeve shirts and blouses with no sign of watches. He could have been walking for hours or days and he wouldn't know.

One thing he did know was there was no one met that he knew before. The longer he walked, the more he thought about the people he left behind. James, Lily, Alice, Frank, Severus, Remus, Tonks and the Paladins. The more he thought, the worse he got, until finally he had to sit down due to the remorse that had set in. He realized for the first time that he would never see them again. He remembered what Dumbledore always said. "I look forward to starting my next great journey." If he only knew it was not so great. It was lonely, even with all the people here. He finally lowered his head to his hands and covered his eyes as he began to cry.

He stayed this way for a while, when someone walked up to him and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you get over this feeling of being lost?"

"Yes, tell me how I can talk to my friends and let them know how miserable it is here."

"I hardly think you have been here long enough to cast judgment. You remind me of a man I once knew. He always jumped to conclusions as well. I often wondered why I loved him so much. My friends and I called him Pads."

His head shot up as soon as the name was mentioned. "MARLENE!"

"How do you know my name? Have we met before. Wait, you do look familiar. Older, but familiar. OH MY GOD, PADS. IS IT REALLY YOU?"

Sirius jumped up and pulled her in for a hug. He never wanted to let her go. "OH how I have missed you my love. If it wasn't for that slime we called Peter, we would be married now and watching our son grow."

Marlene straightened out her dress when he put her down finally. "That would be kind of hard to do Sirius, considering we never had a son."

"That's what I mean. That slime killed you before you gave birth to our son."

"Sirius, your child came with me and I can promise you it was not a boy. As a matter of fact here she comes now. Jasmine, over here sweetheart." Sirius watched as a twelve year old girl joined Marlene, while looking at Sirius. "Jasmine I would like you to meet Sirius Black, your father."

"I thought you were having a boy. The council said you had a boy. Didn't you tell me you were having a boy?"

"I told you I was with child Sirius. I never mentioned the sex. I never learned it was a girl, until we made the journey together with mum, dad and Patrick."

Jasmine took the conversation as her dad was disappointed he had a daughter. A tear formed in her eye. "I'm sorry I'm not what you wanted. I didn't have any say in the matter. I'll meet you back home mum, where I am wanted."

Before she could take a step, Sirius grabbed her and pulled her into a hug that made any hug that Molly gave look like it was casual. He danced around with her, showering her with kisses. "If I may call you Jasmine, please forgive me my idiocy. You mother will tell you I am great for it. However, just to set the story straight, I could never love a son any more than I could you. I could love no one any more than I love you. As a matter of fact, you look like the twin of a girl I left behind, and if you are like her, then I couldn't have asked for a better child. Tell me, do you like to read?"

Jasmine looked into his eyes to see if he was telling the truth. There were no lies showing. "I love to read. Why?"

"Are you smart?"

"Why, will you throw me back if I'm not?"

"Oh Marlene, she is my girl. She has the same wit I have. Now, are you smart. Jasmine?"

"OK, yes I am smart. I am tops in my class. Does that satisfy you?"

"You would make Hermione proud. You make me proud. Lily would love to meet you and Violet would too. Ginny, Amy and especially Lulu. You would love Lulu. Her real name is Luna, but I never call her that. She is so sweet and innocent." he would have gone on but, Marlene stopped him.

"Pads, you're rambling. We don't know any of the last names you mentioned. How is Lily though, since you brought her up. And James, Frank, Alice, Remus and young Harry?"

From this point on, Sirius would never say anything bad about where he was at. He couldn't as now everything was perfect. More than ever he wished he could tell James and Lily about it. He did feel as if they were told about it, somehow, and if they were, he knew who it was that said it. No one was more attuned to life and the afterlife than Luna. His little Lulu.

TP-}

As he thought, Luna was sitting with Harry, who was still grieving the loss of his godfather. Ginny, Lily, Hermione and Violet had tried as well, but they could not get through to him.

It was here that Luna felt a connection with the afterlife, namely Sirius, She heard the conversation with Sirius, Marlene and Jasmine. "Harry, I know you are not going to believe me, but, I just learned that Sirius is fine, and is with his family. No, Harry, not his mum and dad. Marlene and their child. Oh and Harry, you are going to be shocked at this, as will you Lily and James, Marlene did not have a son. She had a daughter. They named her Jasmine. Sirius knew somehow I would find this out and told me to tell all of you, he is where he needs to be, but for you not to forget him. He will never forget us. He still calls me Lulu. Isn't he something special."

Harry looked into Luna's eyes for any sign of false words and saw she spoke the truth. Somehow she had been in contact with Sirius. Only she could have accomplished this. He smiled at her and thanked her for special gift.

Then he looked up when he heard a laugh from the group standing around him. James, Remus and Severus were laughing at something and he asked what was so funny.

James answered for them, "Harry, all during school, Sirius built a reputation as being a womanizer. He was with more girls than we all care to remember. That is until he got tangled up with Marlene. She made it her personal vendetta to get him to stop his dating frenzy. Boy, did he ever. If she even caught him looking at anyone else besides Lily, Alice, Selena or Dorcus, she would set his arse on fire. Literally. Now, he has to do the job of protecting his daughter from wizards just like he was. Oh, the irony of it all." and all three of them set off laughing again. This time joined by Lily and Alice.

TP-}

No one would ever forget Sirius, but over time they all got over the loss. The school year ended soon after the final battle, and now the Paladins looked forward to some rest and relaxation the summer would bring. For two weeks the paladins did nothing but laze around. Now that it was over, they began to think of what they could do. However, the next week was soon taken care of as Harry was notified of his being needed in the reading of Sirius will. He, Violet, Luna, Amy, Ginny, Hermione, The Weasleys, Draco, Remus, Tonks, James and Lily were all in it.

For seven days they all sat around wondering what it was that he left them. No one knew what he was keeping in his vault. He never wanted for anything, but he never spent large amounts on anything. Tonks had a fair idea of what to expect, but she refused to speak about it. "You will all know when the will is read. I don't know for sure what he has, but I think you will all be pleased with what he left you."

When the day of the reading arrived, they all went as a group to Gringotts where the will would be read. It had always been the duty of Gringotts to handle financial matters of it's clients.

A goblin named Ironjaw was the Black Family funds manager. He sat at the head of the table and the rest took a seat where he pointed for them to sit. For some reason, he had Luna sit to his right, and Harry to his left.

After the preliminary opening he got down to the reason they were all there. "The first names on the list are Draco Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy. You sir have been left the sum of 100,000 Galleons which you will receive on your seventeenth birthday. Mrs. Malfoy, You will receive 1,000,000 Galleons and the opportunity to change your last name to Black if you so wish."

Narcissa had a tear in her eye as she replied, "I do sir. Draco may feel differently about it though."

Before Draco could speak, Ironjaw broke in, "I am sorry about this, but it is impossible for Young Mr. Malfoy to change his last name. The law states that a blood line could not be ended in such a manner."

Draco stopped his mum from any more talk, "Mother, I was going to pass on taking the Black name for that same reason, but since it is impossible to refuse being a Malfoy, than I say make the best of it."

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy. Now, the next name on the list is Nymphadora Tonks. To you he left you 1,000,000 Galleons as well as your mother, Andromeda, and since you married, he leaves to each child you have 100,000 Galleons."

Tonks just nodded her head in acceptance.

"Next in line is Remus Lupin. To you he left 1,000,000 Galleons and the property known as Black Manor. He also adds you need to do some remodeling on the old joint. But he wishes that you take care of his house elf known as Kreacher."

"To the Weasley family he leaves 1,000,000 Galleons and a special 100,000 Galleons to Fred and George Weasley so that they can make their dream come true. To Ron and Ginevra Weasley he leaves the some of 100,000 Galleons to each. Not to be touched until they reach their 17th birthday. The same goes for Fred and George."

"Next in line is Amelia Longbottom. To you Amy he leaves the sum of 100,000 and a share of the property known as 'The Three broomsticks' which was owned by Mr. Black and Miss Rosemerta."

"Next is Hermione Granger. To you I leave 100,000 Galleons and the Black Library. However, before you take possession of it, I think you should have either Albus or Bill look at it for anything dark. I can't have you reading about Oswald the Merciless. It would give you nightmares. Either that or keep you up night laughing,like it did me."

"Next is James and Lily Potter. In his letter he wrote that you were the hardest to share with. He knew you were well off, possibly better off than himself. So finances was out of the question. So, he came up with an idea that may be of help to you both, who I will miss most deeply. I have a portrait of myself in my vault. If you would, I would like it hung in your sitting room so that I may speak with all my friends. I just never wanted to leave you two, or Remus, and this was the only way I could guarantee it." at this point, Ironjaw reached down and pulled up the portrait of Sirius. He handed it to James, where he held it so that they all could see it.

"Next is Violet Potter. Again, money is not a proper sharing. Instead, I give you Chest # two that Ironjaw is holding. I hope you like it sweetheart. I have had it all checked and it was found clean. Enjoy."

"To Harry Potter, I leave the one thing that means the most to me. The Black family ring. With it, you will take on the Black name, thus ensuring my family name lives on. No Harry, this does not mean you give up your last name. You will always be a Potter. What it means is you are now known as Harry James Black Potter. Any male child you have will also carry the name. It also means you are now a Lord and your oldest son will carry the title when you pass it on. Just remember he has to be thirteen to hold the title."

"The letter now reads as follows: Finally I come to the last person on my list. Luna Selena Lovegood. The most precious gift mankind was ever given. It's true my pet. Lulu, you were the brightest spot in my heart. I'm sorry Lily, but it's true. You were the only person I knew that could light a room just by entering it, Lulu. Yes, I leave you 1,000,000 Galleons, but to add to that, it is within my power due to my title while I lived, that you become Lady Luna Selena Black Lovegood. What this means is that if you were to marry say, (Ahem) George, he would take on the Black name as well, and his heirs would as well. Any female born to you would then take on the title of Lady. Sorry George, if it is not you to marry this amazing young lady. I would also like to add, WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU! She is the most amazing young lady you know and you could not do better than to marry her. Molly talk some sense into him if you please. Arthur, help her with this. Lulu, I will miss you very much and I hope all goes well with you in the future. Who ever you marry will never know how much he got. George you better wake up if you know what's good for you. Don't let her slip away from you."

Ironjaw then continued, "That ends the Last Will and Testament of Sirius Orion Black. If there any questions, I will be glad to answer them if I am able. If not, then you are all excused. If any wish to visit their vaults there are escorts prepared to take you to them. Please have a good day."

George sat there wondering what just happened. How was it he was singled out like that in a will he wasn't even aware was in effect or existed. Now he has everyone that was at the table looking at him as if he was going to ask a question. Or make a statement. "Would someone please tell me what is going on? Fred, is this a prank that you and Pads cooked up prior to his demise? If it is, well, it was a good one, and now you can tell everyone the joke was on me. Please tell them the joke was on me."

"Sorry George, I knew nothing about this. I'm as shocked as you. However, Sirius does bring up a good point. The way you dance around Luna whenever she is near is kind of creepy. You treat her like a plague, but talk about her all the time when we are alone. You about drive me bonkers with this game you play."

"What are you talking about? I never ignore Luna when she is around. Do I Luna?"

Luna smiled when asked, "Well you don't say much. Usually something like 'Hey' or 'Whats up' then you walk off somewhere. So, I wouldn't say you ignore me. Not completely."

"See, I told you so. And I don't talk about her all the time when she is not around and we are alone."

Fred pulled out a spiral notebook and opened it up, "April first 1988. Fred do you think Luna notices me at all? April second 1988. Fred do you think if I talk to Luna she will talk back. You know, like casual talk, say about the weather? April third 1988. Fred, did you see that cute dress Luna was wearing today? Wasn't it sweet? Do you want to hear more?"

"Stuff it Fred, I was young and impetuous then."

"OK then June third 1995. Fred do you believe what the girls did. They were spectacular, but Luna had to be the best. I mean it was her that led Harry to see where the girls would have trouble with killing the chickens. And it was her that finally killed Vomitmark. I think it was her anyway. But either way she helped."

"Say, how long have you been keeping that thing anyway?"

"Since you wouldn't shut up about Luna. If I started from the beginning, it would be as long as the one I have for Ronniekins. Now, there is a novel. Sultry, steamy and full of..."

"Fred, if you and George don't shut up now, you will be cleaning out the chicken coup every day all summer."

"OK mum."

"Right you are mum."

"Shut it. I know where you two were going, so I will put an end to it now."

Luna had been listening to the whole thing, the smile never leaving her face. It was the longest conversation she ever heard about her and it was a positive one, not about her fascinations. Maybe things will start looking better for her. She always fancied George and wished he felt the same about her. He was always so skittish around her. Like she had cooties or something. Now she felt it was just nerves. Yes, things may get better.

TP-}

The fall of He Who Must Not Be Named brought many changes to the magical world. It felt free for the first time in over twenty years. People walked around without a care in the world.

There were some who felt differently though. Yes, the Paladins still missed Sirius. He was the one who always brought laughter wherever he went. Now he was bringing it to those on a greater plain. They all wished him the best with his new family, and they hoped was looking down on them occasionally to see how they were doing and to know how much they missed him.

They didn't have to worry though, as he was doing just that. Him, Marlene and Jasmine. They watched as Remus and Tonks Married and had children. Fred and Hermione doing the same. George and Luna finally getting together and bringing more craziness to the world. Draco and Violet providing Severus all kinds of problems as they made him the Godfather of their three children. Ron and Amy were the first to marry, right after they left Hogwarts. They had six children.

Then there was Harry and Ginny. They were the last to marry. This was due to Ginny fulfilling he dream of playing professional Quidditch. She played for five years before she gave in to Harry's many proposals. It was like she was torturing him for some reason. But once they did, it didn't take long for them to catch up with the rest, except for Ron and Amy. They had three children of there own.

Yes, Sirius, Marlene and Jasmine saw all this and knew everything was well down below. They could enjoy their own time together, as it was meant to be.