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Sirius Black : Serena's husband, A Riddled Universe

Sirius Black : Harry's godfather, Original Universe

Harry had entered his godfather's room. Sirius was resting on the bed and his eyes were closed. Seeing his godfather alive and well, Harry let out a sigh of relief. Hearing this, Sirius opened his eyes. Seeing Harry, his eyes widened. There was a mixture of shock, disbelief and unadulterated happiness written all over his face.

A huge smile brightened Harry's face as he moved closer to stand near the bed. He was tempted to hug the man but didn't want to hurt him. So, he reached for Sirius' hand and giving it a tight and reassuring squeeze said, "Hey Padfoot!"

Chapter 35

"Ha-Harry," said Sirius disbelieving. Harry nodded at the confirmation as he sat on the chair next to the bed. Sirius leant forward and placed his hand on Harry's face as if to reassure himself that Harry was real and not a figment of his imagination. The broad smile which accompanied this confirmation was radiant. Harry had never seen Sirius so happy before. For the hundredth time, Harry cursed Azkaban and Pettigrew. Suddenly, Sirius' eyes grew wide before they turned grave. Harry was surprised by the sudden mood change and realized that he had to thread very carefully as his godfather's condition was volatile.

"Sirius, are you alright?" asked Harry.

"Yes, yes, I am fine," said a distracted Sirius who was looking at the ground instead of at his godson.

Harry's concern grew. He had hoped that Padfoot wasn't suffering from the mental trauma that the Unspeakables had inflicted upon him. In fact, he would have to enlighten Sirius as to the real situation prevailing in this alternate universe. He knew from experience that Sirius had an unyielding temperament with fixed beliefs and outlooks. This would pose a severe problem.

"You are not my Harry, are you?" asked Sirius as he refused to look at him.

Harry laughed as he realized the root of the problem.

"I am your godson, Snuffles. I helped you escape the dementors on Buckbeak in my third year," said Harry, "I fell through the Veil too and luckily landed here."

The change in Sirius' expression was sudden. From the brooding and sulking patient, he was transformed into a beaming and happy man.

"Merlin, you have grown Harry, I would never have guessed that this skinny scarecrow was my godson," exclaimed Sirius excitedly and Harry grinned. "You still look like James, but your eyes….."

"Are like my mother's. You have told me that before," said Harry.

"I was going to say that your eyes are older and definitely more haunted. You aren't the boy I left behind," said Sirius.

"I was eighteen when I crossed the Veil. A couple of years have passed since the Battle at the Ministry," said Harry.

"What happened after that? All I remember was dueling my dear cousin Bella," said Sirius with a frown, "I can't believe I lost to her. Please tell me the bi..I mean…witch is dead."

"She is. Mrs. Weasley defeated her at the Battle of Hogwarts. It was a spectacular duel," said Harry.

"Molly Weasley defeated her? Molly? Oh Merlin, I lost to Bella and Molly defeated her? I do not think my ego will ever recover from this," said Sirius, "Though I am relieved Bella is dead, but why did it have to be Molly?"

"Sirius," said Harry in warning. He knew that Sirius and Mrs. Weasley didn't get along but he wasn't going to let him abuse her.

"What else did I miss? Please tell me Voldemort is gone too," said Sirius anxiously.

"He is dead, Sirius. The War is over," said Harry.

"Dead?" asked Sirius. He looked as if he was trying to wrap his head around this strange concept. For him, it seemed too unbelievable and good to be true.

"Dead and gone! All that remains of the Dark Lord are his ashes which the Ministry scattered at the Hangleton cemetery," said Harry.

"Thank Merlin! I have been pleading with Dumbledore to kill Voldemort but the old man has always refused. Finally, Albus came to his senses," said Sirius.

Harry rubbed his face wearily. This conversation was not going in the direction he had envisioned it would go. In Sirius' world, the Slytherins and Snape were evil and Dumbledore was all powerful. Harry knew from experience that one could not be judged by appearances alone. But, how was he supposed to convey everything that happened to Sirius without overwhelming him?

"Were you there when Voldemort died? I would give anything to see the bastard fall!" said Sirius gleefully rubbing his hands in anticipation.

"I was there. I…." said Harry, but he was interrupted by Sirius.

"It must have been the duel of the century and old Moldevart's fell flat on his Slytherin face! His Death Eaters must have scurried away like rats….(Sirius' face darkened)… What about Wormtail?" asked Sirius. "Please tell me he drank rat poison."

"Voldemort was inadvertently responsible for his death. Pettigrew experienced a moment of uncertainty and his hand which was a gift from Voldemort turned against him," said Harry who didn't want to reveal his involvement in the incident.

"The rat got what was coming to him. Poor Remus! He must think he is the only Marauder alive," said Sirius.

This was going to be hard, thought Harry. How could he tell his godfather that his only remaining friend was also dead?

"Remus married Tonks and had a son. They made me godfather," said Harry.

Sirius gave a loud cheer, "Moony and Dora? I never saw that coming. I can't wait to go back! Moony and I are finally family. You know Dora is my niece. Wait a minute that makes me Moony's uncle! I've got a grandnephew too."

Harry took in Sirius' joyful expression. He would have to burst the bubble but he would let Sirius have some happiness before doing that. Padfoot had so little to be joyful for that he didn't want to deprive him of it. After all, ignorance is bliss.

"The last two years have been tumultuous. War has claimed a lot of lives and there have been many events and occurrences which you need to understand. Regardless of them, the events and circumstances of this world is very different from the world we know of. There are many differences. You cannot assume that because you know the person in your world, he will be the same here. That is not the case," said Harry.

"Of course, I know that. I am not stupid," said Sirius, "That is why I thought you were the Harry of this world when you entered the room. The war is still raging on here."

"That is not true," said Harry, "In fact, there is no war."

"But Dorcas….," said Sirius before frowning. He did find Dorcas' behaviour suspicious and while he had escaped from her, he had not considered that she may have lied about the war.

"The woman I attacked?" asked Sirius worriedly.

"You attacked an innocent pregnant lady and her child, Sirius. You are very lucky that Serena's family has not demanded your blood. Dorcas was using YOU! She lied and manipulated you so that she could get you to do her bidding," said Harry forcefully. In the time he had spent with Serena researching the earlier poisoning cases, he had grown fond of her and her family. He had to make sure that Sirius didn't do anything rash again. Not only for Serena's sake but for Sirius' sake too. Riddle may excuse the first attack, but he would have Sirius' head on a platter if he tried anything again.

"I knew something was wrong. She couldn't possibly be Voldemort's daughter. In fact coming to think about it, she reminded me of….," trailed off Sirius quietly with a frown.

"Who does she remind you of?" asked Harry.

"No one of importance," said Sirius abruptly though his face told a different story.

"She is definitely important. I have never seen you so evasive," said Harry.

"Fine!" said Sirius raising his hands in defeat, "When I was in Hogwarts, there was a girl from Ravenclaw in my year. Her name was Serena Wainwright."

Wainwright? Riddle's late fiancée was Melanie Wainwright! So Serena existed in my world too, thought Harry.

"What happened to her?" asked Harry.

"Some Death Eaters kidnapped and killed her as well as her mother. She was only sixteen when she died," said Sirius quietly.

So, Melanie had lived longer in my world than in this one. How strange! Riddle would be devastated that his counterpart's minions had killed the Serena of my world, thought Harry.

"Moony liked her. We used to tease him about her. But he never had the courage to ask her out," said Sirius.

"The lady you attacked is Serena Wainwright's counterpart. She is a good person," said Harry. He wanted to tell Sirius that his counterpart was happily married to her but he knew he had to be patient. He also had to explain to Sirius that Healer Riddle and Voldemort were two different people.

"Damn!" exclaimed Sirius, "I can't wait to duel Dorcas. How dare she make me attack an innocent person! I am not some scumbag Death Eater."

"She is already dead. You missed your chance," said Harry.

"I wanted to kill Bella, but Molly did it for me. Then Dumbledore executed Voldemort, Pettigrew got his dues and Dorcas has also met her end. What on earth am I supposed to do?" grumbled Sirius.

"Sirius, Dumbledore didn't kill Voldemort," said Harry.

"What? I was so sure it would be him. Who was it then? Moody? Kingsley? Please do not tell me it was Arthur! I won't believe you," said Sirius.

"It wasn't Mr. Weasley. Minister Shacklebolt and Auror Moody didn't kill him," said Harry. He felt strangely uncomfortable to tell Sirius. While the inhabitants of this alternate universe had quizzed him on his involvement in the war, he didn't feel shy in revealing his role. Whereas Sirius was from his world and knew exactly how horrifying Voldemort really was.

"It was me," said Harry as he took a long breath, "I defeated Voldemort."

Sirius stilled and then let out a hearty laugh.

"Dear Merlin, you are just as hilarious as your father. Just like James," said Sirius as he shook his head fondly.

Harry wanted to bang his head on the wall. He had anticipated many different reactions from Sirius, but this one caught him by surprise. Did Sirius know about the prophesy? He had to tell him everything. Starting with the end of his fifth year to Voldemort's death by the Elder Wand. Harry leaned back in his chair. He took a deep breath and began to narrate his tale. This was going to take a long time!

This was taking too much time, thought Riddle angrily as he sifted through the paperwork at Somerset Clinic.

While he trusted Severus and Remus' judgment, he couldn't believe Melanie would develop a poison. It was not in her nature. So while he told himself that the reason for his visit to the Clinic was purely professional, he knew that he actually wanted to find evidence to prove Melanie's innocence. He had read Remus' thoughts and was irritated that Lupin had believed that Melanie was still alive and responsible for the poisonings.

Riddle knew the truth. Someone had taken Melanie's work and legacy and was corrupting it. He would find this person and make his life a living hell!

He interviewed the staff at the clinic especially the ones who worked alongside Melanie. They all had pleasant things to say about her and their thoughts offered no contradictions. Riddle prided himself on his ability to detect lies and knew that the staff at the Clinic was not concealing anything from him.

Riddle frowned. This whole visit seemed like a dead end but his instincts had told him that he would find his answers here. His instincts had never led him wrong before.

Well there is a first time for everything, thought Riddle as he moved towards the Floo Place. Ever since Harry came through the Veil, his life seemed to move from one disaster to the next.

Riddle turned when he heard someone running in his direction calling out, "Healer Riddle, sir!" and sighed. It was probably Mr. Hopkins who followed him around like a shadow since his arrival. He was trying his hardest to impress Riddle. Even my house elf Shelby carries herself with more dignity than Hopkins, thought Riddle.

"What now, Hopkins?" asked Riddle curtly. His whole visit was a waste and he refused to spend more time unproductively.

"I found something….," panted Hopkins holding his side with one hand. He was clutching a folder in his other hand.

Riddle took the folder from Hopkins and perused the contents. He might as well humour him. What did he have to lose?

Inside the folder were many old official documents pertaining to the Clinic which did not interest Riddle. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. Losing his temper now would be unproductive and Hopkins was trying to be helpful, though he had selfish intentions.

He was about to return the folder to Hopkins when an old photograph caught his eye. He closed the folder and placed the photograph on top of it while examining it carefully.

"This is a very old photograph of the staff which used to work here," said Hopkins.

"I can see that," said Riddle as he observed a smiling and happy Melanie who was standing primly in the second row in her blue robes. He touched her face and then chided himself for showing sentimentality. Sentimentality was for fools and for children and he was neither.

"You can keep it, if you want," said Hopkins who gave him a knowing smile.

Riddle rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to curse the man. He opened the folder to return the photograph to its original place when he saw Her.

He shoved the folder in Hopkin's hands and lifted the photograph to observe another lady in green robes who was standing next to Melanie.

"Sir, I do not understand," said a confused Hopkins.

'I forgot about her. She would have had access to the information too as well as the resources. If I remember correctly, she was also talented but because of her condition, she was unable to reach her potential,' thought Riddle, 'but why would she want to create deadly poisons? What motive did she have? The fact that she disappeared from the public eye after Melanie…'

Riddle froze. A shiver ran down his spine. He knew who the poison maker was. But locating her would be a nasty game of cat and mouse.

"So you had a piece of his soul in you," said an anxious Sirius, "But, it's gone now, right?"

"I am no longer a Horcrux," said Harry.

"How could Dumbledore keep all of this from me? I am your godfather. He should have told me," muttered Sirius, "and Snape…."

"Snape is a hero. He was always on our side," said Harry.

"He could have faked his memories. I wouldn't put it past the greasy git," grumbled Sirius.

"I know you and Snape have never gotten along," said Harry to which Sirius snorted, "But what he did was heroic and he should be respected for it."

"I didn't think I would see the day when James' son wanted to honour Snivellous," said Sirius sadly.

"Neither did I. But he deserves it," said Harry.

"You are a brave lad. Dating a girl with six elder brothers is definitely injurious to health," said Sirius changing the topic.

Harry blushed. "Ginny is worth the risk."

"I am not surprised. What is it with Potter men and their obsession with redheaded women?" asked Sirius to which Harry laughed.

"It's good to hear you laugh," said Sirius fondly.

"It is even better to see you alive. I have spent the past few years wallowing in guilt and pain over your death and now that you are here and alive, I don't know what to say," said Harry. "You have no idea how much your death haunted me and how much I prayed for a second chance and now here we are and I am so confused."

"As am I. But we have each other now. We will pull through this together," said Sirius. "Once we cross the Veil, we will have Moony too…."

Sirius saw the look on Harry's face.

"He didn't make it, did he?" asked Sirius in a voice different from his own. Harry nodded unable to meet his godfather's eyes.

Harry heard a sharp intake of breath from Sirius before the room went silent. He looked at Sirius and sighed. He had taken the news badly.

"I am sorry," said Harry as he closed his eyes. He could still see Remus and Tonks' corpses sprawled on the floor of the Great Hall. "When I was telling you about the Battle at Hogwarts, I couldn't tell you about Remus. Both he and Tonks died and were buried at Hogwarts. Their child Teddy lives with his grandmother."

Sirius was silent for a while and Harry was filled with guilt. He shouldn't have burdened him with so much information so soon. He hoped it didn't interfere with his recovery.

"People," croaked Sirius before he cleared his throat, "People die everybody. Moo..Remus couldn't have lived forever. At least, he went out in a blaze of glory. We just have to pick up the pieces and mo..move on."

The haunted look in Sirius' eyes and the shivering in his hands were proof that Sirius was in a fragile state right now. He shouldn't have told him about Remus. Harry berated himself again. He didn't tell Sirius about Riddle and his family or about the events in this dimension. Now he couldn't because Sirius wouldn't be able to handle any more surprises today. He would tell him when he was calmer and more able to comprehend the situation.

"You need your rest Sirius," said Harry with a sigh.

"Don't leave," said Sirius frantically as he tightly grasped Harry's hand.

"I am not going anywhere. Please rest. You have had a very tiring day," said Harry pleadingly.

"You are right. Today has been ….something," said Sirius as he closed his eyes.

Harry stared at the gaunt face of his godfather. Sirius needed some happiness in his life, he deserved it.

Barty Crouch Jr. calmly walked down the crowded corridors of St. Mungos. The Polyjuice Potion which he always kept with him, worked like a charm and he could remain disguised even when he was in Riddle's realm. Riddle, the name itself was repulsive to him. That man and his family ruined his and Dorcas' well laid plans. Not to mention that imbecile Regulus who betrayed them to their enemies.

Barty Jr.'s father's political career was ruined and all of Barty's political contacts and power had gone up in smoke when Dorcas' plot was unearthed. He was now crowned Unspeakable No. 1 with every Auror in the country hell-bent on capturing him. He would have fled the country. But his anger kept him from fleeing. Why should he run away when he can make them pay for ruining him?

Barty Jr. hated two things – traitors and leaving a job incomplete. He would show Regulus what exactly happens to those who defect. He would then attend to the other brother, the dimension traveler, and finish what Dorcas had started. He saved the best for last, the Riddle family. Barty Jr. rubbed his hands in anticipation. He would hunt them down, each and every one of them. They messed with the wrong wizard!

To Be Continued…

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