Sirius stretched as he slowly sat up, the stone floor of the cave having not offered any real comfort but the knowledge he was no longer in Azkaban helped him sleep more than anything. It had been four months since his escape and he hadn't been caught but he had nowhere to go either. The small village nearby would feed his Animagus scraps which was his sole means of survival at the time. His stomach growled at the thought of food so he grumbled back, "Alright Alright, I'm going."
He exited the cave but immediately froze. There were two women waiting for him outside the cave entrance. One was visibly younger, and far more peppy and cheerful than the other. They didn't seem like a threat but he had seen his cousin blow a Muggle's head off for the fun of it while laughing so he certainly didn't trust the smiling one.
"You're Sirius Black," the older woman commented. The younger one merely smiled at him openly. He felt his hand twitch for his wand, forgetting it was still confiscated.
"What do you want?" he hissed at them as he looked around. They were in the middle of the woods. There was no way they found him if they were Muggles which meant they were likely witches, if not something more sinister.
"My name is Professor Fenella Dumbledore. This is my sister, Ceridwen Dumbledore," the older one informed him. He was visibly shocked for a moment but then recognition flashed through his eyes.
"The secret Dumbledore that came to Hogwarts my seventh year, I remember you," he murmured. She was nothing like the stone-faced eleven year old with messy hair that he vaguely recalled. Now, she was elegantly polished but with a soft smile on her face. Her green eyes looked frighteningly familiar but he couldn't quite place it. The younger girl had wild curls like her sister but in a platinum blonde with friendly blue eyes and a carefree expression on her face. "And you were that baby that Molly was caring for during the war."
"That's me," Ceridwen chirped cheerfully. Fenella shook her head before reaching into her sleeve but Sirius had relaxed enough now that he knew who they were so he watched patiently as she removed a wand from her sleeve.
"It's not your wand per se but it's a wand and I figured you need one right about now," she told him as she passed the wand to him.
"Thank you, Fenella," he told her in awe as he nearly cried from holding a wand for the first time in over a decade. Without warning, he flicked the wand and caused the fern near by to become a bundle of daisies. Fenella raised her eyebrow at his magical display while Ceridwen clapped. He picked up the flowers and handed them to the older sister. She raised both her eyebrows this time but hesitantly accepted the gift. "It's not much but it's from magic and that's something I've greatly missed. Thank you for giving it back to me."
Fenella smelled the fresh flowers as she commented, "Then you really need to practice your wandless magic. We can help with that back at the castle."
"The castle?" he asked her in shock. "I can't go there! I'd be arrested within a heartbeat."
"Aren't you an illegal Animagus?" Ceridwen asked him with her head cocked to the side curiously. "Grandfather said you were, anyways."
"Well… I mean, yeah," he said slowly as he began to understand. "You two get away with a lot, don't you?"
"You have no idea," Ceridwen replied cheerfully. "And please stop calling us by our names in your head. It's just Fen and Ceri."
"In my…" Sirius felt his brain spinning. The past ten minutes had been information overload. "You're a Legilimens?"
"By birth," she nodded. "But seriously. Just Fen and Ceri, please. Now let's get going."
Fenell— no, Fen reached her free hand out to Sirius and asked, "Probably better to do Side Apparation for now."
"I would agree with that," he said with a small smile. She returned it as he took her hand. Her hand felt small and smooth in his larger, calloused one, and he immediately felt self-conscious. It had been so long since he had been around a gorgeous woman and he looked like hell.
"You'll look great after a shower and some new clothes," Ceri told him. "You have excellent bone structure."
Sirius was unable to contain his laugh at her comments as Fen merely shook her head with a smile on her face. The older sister looked to the other two and asked, "Are we ready?"
"Aye aye, Captain," Ceri answered mockingly before Disapparating. Fen rolled her eyes before looking to their guest. He was still holding her hand tightly but he was surprised she didn't seem to be affected by his appearance the way he felt she should be. He nodded his consent to her and without further warning, she turned on the spot. Immediately it felt like he was being sucked through a straw that was two sizes too small for him until he felt like he was going to lose consciousness. Finally, at the last second, his feet hit solid ground and he immediately fell to his knees. He sucked in cool air and then exhaled. He looked up to see two hands offered to him. Each sister had a hand held out to him to help him to his feet and he accepted graciously. They pulled him to his feet and he offered them a small smile.
"Okay now, it's puppy time," Ceri told him cheerfully with a clap of her hands. He took a deep breath and looked around for a second with his human eyes. It had been so long since he'd laid eyes on the castle. It was as stunning as it had been thirteen years ago but he felt himself become overwhelmed with emotion and his eyes became misty. When he goes back inside that building, James won't be there. A small, smooth hand grasped his and squeezed before another hand took his free hand. He looked at both sisters in shock.
"You know, our Grandfather always told us you were innocent," Fen told him with a smile. "And I believe, sooner than you might think, the rest of the world will know it too."
"Thank you, both of you," he told them but he nearly choked on the suppressed tears. The women shared a look before both hugging him tightly. He was shocked for a moment at the feeling of human touch before he hugged them back just as tight. When they finally all released each other, he offered them a large grin before he began to shrink. They watched in fascination as he quickly became a large, shaggy black dog.
"Okay now follow us and no barking, we're not sure we're supposed to have a dog, much less you," Ceri told him. He made a noise that sounded oddly like he was trying to laugh which made Fen roll her eyes.
"Come on, you two," she told them as she touched the barrier and opened a way for them to pass through the wards. The Dementors were everywhere but the sisters were at the ready with their wands. A few times, one got too close to them but a quick Patronus solved the issue. Sirius was surprised to see Fen never cast one, leaving it to Ceri each time despite being older and seemingly more magically aware than her sister. As they continued on, he became aware of a ring with Slytherin's insignia on it on Fen's left hand. Perhaps that's what her partner was? At the thought, Ceri laughed loudly before clapping her hand over her own mouth.
"Fen? With a partner? Not bloody likely," Ceri managed to get out with a chuckle. "She's the Slytherin. That's why she has that ring."
"Will you shut up?" Fen snapped with red cheeks. She seemed to take the comment about a partner seriously. Sirius was curious as to why but was unable to ask. He added in that this wasn't an invitation for Ceri to speak aloud for him which the girl seemed ready to do. She smiled back him sheepishly and shrugged.
"Sorry, bad habits," she whispered. Fen shot her another dirty look as they finally reached the front entrance. They entered in and thankfully, most teachers weren't awake yet. The train was arriving that night so there were no students to look out for thankfully. Hurriedly, they raced towards the fifth floor and down the nearly abandoned corridor. The only real classes left on that floor were the music and art classes which were to the north whereas the south side of the floor was pretty much all cobwebs and suits of armor and a portrait hiding the entrance to the sisters' personal quarters. Fen approached the portrait and said, "There are no safe paths."
"So travel wisely," the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw responded in kind as she eyed the dog. "Give us a moment."
"Of course," Fen replied as the portrait swung open and the three of them entered the living room. Fen turned to Sirius and said, "You're safe here. Our grandfather doesn't even have the password."
Without further ado, he shifted back into his human form and let out a deep sigh. "Gods, I've missed this place. Are these your rooms?"
"Yes, but you'll need one too so…" Without speaking further, Ceri grabbed her sister's hand and Sirius watched with wide eyes as together they moved their wands in a series of complicated movements until a new door popped into existence, painted ruby red with gold accents. He noticed that the other three doors were emerald green, sapphire blue, and plain black respectively.
"You two just made an entirely new room without a spell," he said in awe. The sisters shrugged as Fen said, "Yes but it required a great deal of strength so we had to use wands. Pity."
"Who the bloody hell are you two?" he asked them, completely baffled.
"Fen and Ceri Dumbledore, we already told you," Ceri responded with a "duh" expression on her face. Before he could respond, he became acutely aware of movement to his left. There, hanging in a row, were four paintings and in each one, a figure entered and sat down in their respective chairs. Sirius watched with wide eyes once more until finally, the man in the portrait with the green background hissed, "If I wasn't in this painting, I'd strangle you two. What in earth do you think you're doing with him?"
"If you weren't in that portrait, you'd-." Ceri began with a sassy remark but she was cut off by another voice.
"What your Grandfather means to ask is what is going on?" Rowena asked them in a calm voice but her face was devoid of her normal smile. She was just as unhappy with them as Salazar.
"I told you guys years ago something wasn't right about the whole case!" Ceri exclaimed. The whole group looked at her in shock but she was too frustrated to care. "No one tried truth serums or legillimens because it was never about being right, it was about having someone alive to blame."
"And how do you intend to keep this hidden from the Headmaster?" Helga asked not unkindly but with a firm look on her face for the first time since Fen had tried Dark magic.
"It's just a handful of weeks, it'll play out fine I'm sure," Fen stated with a shrug. "The House Elves know how to avoid questions and will do as we ask because they love us and no one else will see him because he'll either be a dog or in here."
"Ron's rat is what I'm aiming for," Ceri told them all, her face distant as Fen tapped into their mental connection to see her playing through past mind readings she had done. "No rat should be thinking "he's coming to get me" which is all I heard from the bloody thing all summer, or perhaps I'm wrong. But as we know for certain, thanks to Grandfather, that all four of them were illegal Animagi then it's very possible that Pettigrew turned into a rat to escape and left Sirius out to dry."
"That's… yeah. That's exactly how that worked, actually," Sirius murmured with wide eyes. "You are unreal."
"She is descended from four of the strongest Magical bloodlines," Salazar snapped coolly. "She ought to be nothing short of "unreal" or I'd be concerned."
"Wait so-," Sirius began but Fen simply raised her hand to stop him then beckoned for him to follow her.
"It's easier to show you," Fen told him with a smile. She led him to the plain black door and opened it up. Inside was an impressive looking workspace with two desks facing the wall on the far side and lopsided bookshelves lining the wall to the left. Remmenants of chalk drawings on the smooth stone floor caught his eye, as well as the various ingredients in jars and crates along the wall the door was on, but ultimately his eyes were led to the wall to the right. It was a large family tree tapestry, much like the one at Grimauld Place but this one was far nicer and less destroyed. The portraits were more detailed and less disturbing as well. At the very top, sure enough, was all four founders. Fen stopped in front of the tapestry and said, "Well, here it is. Our family lineage."
"The le Fays and the Pendragons? The Gaunt family? Merlin, you two came from everything," he remarked with wide eyes. He found Fen's face and followed the line up to their parents. "I remember Elaine le Fay getting married. First le Fay ever to do so, caused quite some noise according to my mother. But who is that, your father? You think we would've heard about a descendant of Slytherin still walking around."
"We can't find much on him either, not past the fifties," Fen told him with a tone to her voice that made him look over at her. She looked back at him and he saw mild irritation. "Our grandparents, all of them, know more than they'll tell us. We're not quite sure what they're trying to hide."
"I can never get a good read off the Headmaster and the other four are portraits so it doesn't quite work," Ceri said from where she was leaning against the doorframe. "But that's no concern right now. What is, is that you get a shower and fresh clothes, and maybe a haircut. Look a little less escapee and a little more civilized wizard."
"You pull no punches, do you?" he commented with a smirk but she was right. She shrugged with a smile before leading him to his room. His room. He hadn't been able to say that in years. They left him in peace to settle in and he finally began to relax for the first time in nearly twenty years.
That night, as they sat in the Great Hall awaiting the arrival of the students, Fen leaned over to her Grandfather and murmured, "What would you say if I said I got an emotional support dog?"
"I'd say you were hiding something but dogs are quite precious. Is it trained?" he asked her calmly but there was a light to his eyes. Fen nodded.
"Yeah, he's a little older so he's pretty house trained. And he's got all his shots so he's good to go," she assured him falsely but all she continued to think about was Sirius's dog form and how cute he looked so that's all her Grandfather saw. He seemed to be placated and he nodded once.
"Be sure it doesn't become a distraction and I would so love to meet it one of these days," he told her with a small smile as the doors flew open and the older students appeared. Every year, Fen loved to see the new children. She often kept a hard exterior around them until she weeded through the more defiant and unteachable ones but she adored her older children. There were days she wanted to remind them that Gryffindor and Slytherin had been best friends in life and that her ancestors would disapprove of how petty and stuck-up the House had become in their death but she didn't want to out herself as a descendant.
She was intrigued to see Professor Flitwick approaching with the stool and Sorting Hat floating alongside him, instead of the usual Minerva. One glance out into the sea of faces told her all she needed to know: Harry Potter was missing from the feast yet again. In fact, the only member of their Trio she could see was Ron. She was slightly unsettled but she set it aside as her Grandfather stood and cleared his throat.
"Let us all give Professor Flitwick our attention as our new students are Sorted. To our new students, we wish you all the luck in whatever House you are Sorted to. But first, lets give the Sorting Hat our attention as it performs its yearly song!" Professor Dumbledore announced cheerfully before taking a seat. She tuned out the raspy voiced hat and instead thought back to the dog in her quarters, wondering if he was okay. It wasn't until she heard a very particular line that she paid attention.
There are no safe paths along the way
So tread your path carefully
And if you doubt where you've gone
Know your House was chosen all along
But recall, at the end of the day
It is you that makes your way
Fen felt unsettled. Had the portraits been talking to the Hat again? The Sorting Hat had some manner of clairvoyance in her own mind, as he often adds in tidbits relating to the coming year. She glanced to her sister, who seemed equally unsettled by the song but everyone else clapped accordingly when it finally reached its end. Once it was through, Professor Flitwick stepped up and began sorting the nearly sixty new students. The first child to go to their new House was a Jason Abhrams for Hufflepuff. She watched as the numbers slowly dwindled and Slytherin ended up with the most new students, ending with seventeen. It was as Professor Flitwick was walking away that the doors opened and Harry appeared with Hermione and Minerva. The two students took their seats as Minerva joined them at the high table before Grandfather stood to begin his speech.
"Welcome!" he began cheerfully, the light catching on his glasses from where she was sitting. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast. As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."
Fen felt stricken down to her bones. So that's why Harry had been late. They must've attacked him. The look on her Grandfather's face told her all she needed to know. She had known the dementors were present due to Sirius but wasn't aware they would be boarding the train with students aboard.
"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," he continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises—or even Invisibility Cloaks."
Fen looked to the trio of Gryffindors who often snuck around the castle with the cloak, having caught them a handful of times. They seemed shocked that Dumbledore would call them out but Fen prayed they needed the warning. She kept her eyes on them for the remainder of his warning until he reached happier topics.
"On a happier note, I'm pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year," he told them with a bright smile. "First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Fen was shocked to find that the professor was a handsome man, not too much older than herself. In fact, he looked about the same age as Sirius, if either of them was more put together. It was hard to gauge his exact age due to the number of scars across his skin and worn lines in his face. She clapped like the rest of the teachers and offered the professor a bright smile, something he returned but his ears turned slightly red around the edges.
"As to our second appointment," her Grandfather stated as the clapping died down. "I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures Professor, retired at the end of last year to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."
The roaring applause took over every other noise in the hall and Hagrid turned red from the positive attention. Fen herself grinned wildly as she clapped, making a mental note to hug him later. The applause continued for a good minute before it died down and her grandfather made the food appear. Fen herself picked a couple good pieces of roast chicken and some mashed potatoes before leaning to the Professor next to her, Aurora, and asking for the gravy. Her favorite co-teacher smiled at her and nodded before levitating the gravy bowl down to her friend. Professor Sinistra had been the one to train her and take her on for a year so she could get her co-teaching experience. The two women bonded over having been Slytherins but not in line with the pure blood theology they liked to follow.
"Did I hear you got a dog?" Aurora asked her quietly as they finished adding food to their plates and turned towards each other to talk. Fen rolled her eyes at her her friend's eavesdropping but nodded.
"Yeah, a cat wasn't going to cut it. I think you'll like him, he's pretty well-behaved," Fen assured her. Aurora snorted and shook her head, being more of a cat person herself, as she took a bite of her corn.
"Yes we'll see about that," Aurora told her after she chewed and swallowed her food. After she swallowed, she cleared her throat and gave her friend a look that usually meant that Aurora was on to something. "I see you noticed our new DADA Professor."
"Oh lay off, Aurora," she muttered as she felt her cheeks turn red. Aurora chuckled but left her alone while they ate. When the feast was over and her grandfather sent them all off to bed, she rose with the other teachers and hugged her friend before steeling herself and going to greet the new professor. She approached him as Minerva and Flitwick were walking away from him.
"Professor Lupin," she said to get his attention. His eyes widened slightly as he took notice of her but then his face relaxed and he smiled at her.
"Just Remus, please," he asked of her. She nodded in understanding as he asked, "And you are?"
"Fenella Dumbledore, but just Fen please," she told him with a smile as his eyes widened again.
"I remember you starting my final year! You're a professor now?" he asked her curiously as he gestured toward the door. She walked alongside him as they filed out of the Great Hall. She felt Aurora's eyes on her but she forced herself to not pay attention to her.
"Yes, I teach Wizarding Studies," she told him with a bright smile. "Giving muggleborns and half-bloods a foot up in our world."
"So you cover magical law and all that too I'm assuming?" he asked her curiously. She nodded as she noticed them coming closer to where Ceri was waiting for her. "That's really quite something. When did they add it as a course?"
"About eight years ago, when I began teaching," she told him honestly. "I created the course."
"That's…" He was unable to find the word he wanted for a moment before he finally just shook his head and laughed. "I should expect nothing else from a Dumbledore."
"I'm afraid I must walk with my sister now but it was lovely to meet you, Remus." She dipped her head to him and he smiled at her as they came to a stop alongside Ceri.
"It was my pleasure, really. And you must be Ceri," he added as he turned to Fen's sister. Ceri grinned wildly and offered her hand.
"I heard about the train incident! You're probably the only competent Defense teacher we've had since I've been here," she told him excitedly. His ears turned red again as he shook her hand.
"Well I thank you for that. We'll be covering the Patronus charm in class this semester so be ready," he told her with a smile.
"Oh no worries, Professor. I already know it," she assured him easily. He looked between the two sisters before shaking his head.
"Remarkable. The entire family is talented beyond belief," he muttered with a well-meaning smile. The sisters laughed as they said their goodbyes and made their way to their portrait.
"Well, you are certainly popular with older men lately," Ceri remarked playfully. Fen shoved her lightly with her shoulder and huffed.
"One is an escapee and the other is literally my coworker. You just hush," she warned her little sister. Ceri grinned but shrugged.
They returned to their quarters to find Sirius already asleep directly in front of the fireplace so Fen levitated him to his bed before dimming the fire slightly and heading to bed, completely ready for the following day's classes.