Author's Note: Please make sure you have read chapter 20 before proceeding with this chapter. Thanks, MNF

Chapter 21:

Corrupt

"What happened?" Remus yelled, setting Harry down on the ground. The little boy was staring at Kitty, standing like a pillar.

"I don't know, I proposed, and then she just," Sirius answered. "Katie, come on, Katie. Honey, you need to wake up." He looked up at his friend, "Get him out of here. I'm taking her to St. Mungo's." Sirius picked her up, and then they were gone. Remus looked around quickly, glad to see no one was near them, and then he picked up Harry and Disapparated to the doors to the Manor House.

"Stupid magical doorway," he hissed before rushing into the house and then Apparating to the first floor, setting Harry down in the sitting room. He knelt, and took in the cold, almost frozen look on Harry's face. Concerned the little boy was going into shock, he summoned Kitty's potions box, hoping a small dose of Draught of Peace would do the trick and bring Harry back to a healthy state of mind. He held the little cup out for Harry, and he drank it down.

"My servants are everywhere," Harry said in a deep, halting tone. He then swayed and fell forward into Remus. The man laid the little boy down carefully, listening for his heartbeat and then his breathing, thankful they were both there in a steady form.

"Harry, Harry, please wake up," Remus said, gently stroking his face. Harry screwed up his face a bit before his eyes opened.

"How did we get home?" Harry immediately asked. "What happened to Auntie Kitty? Where is she? Where is Uncle Sirius?" He'd sat up quickly while questioning his uncle and tilted a bit. Remus put a reassuring hand on his back.

"Uncle Sirius took Auntie Kitty to see a doctor," Remus explained.

"Doctor Binoche?"

"No, I don't think he took her to Doctor Binoche," Remus said, knowing Sirius wouldn't have gone all the way to France. "Probably somebody here in England."

"Okay. What's wrong?" Harry asked, then began to cry, and Remus pulled the boy onto his lap and held him tightly, rocking back and forth like Kitty did when he had a nightmare. He hummed a bit, but he couldn't sing like she did.

"I wish I knew," he confessed. Remus called for Cherry. "Kitty collapsed, and Sirius has taken her to St. Mungo's. Would you see if there's any information on her yet?"

"I will, but first, Rumple," Cheery said with concern. Her house-elf husband appeared and quickly surveyed the scene. "Lady Fawley has taken ill and is at St. Mungo's." Rumple snapped his fingers, and the shutters to the windows closed with a snap as they latched. Doors on the ground floor had an additional, unseen lock engage and a green light filtered from ceiling to floor around them. With the spell complete, Cheery disappeared with a crack.

"The house is secured," he said to Remus. "Only those who are keyed into the spells will be allowed in. I will stay with you and Master Harry, Master Remus."

"When this protocol is enacted, who can come in?" Remus asked.

"Just you, Master Harry, Master Sirius, Lady Fawley, the Duke and Duchess, and Lady Bones." Remus raised his wand and cast his Patronus Charm and sent it to Amelia. She would be needed at St. Mungo's, as it was she who returned the ring to Sirius. Remus picked up a now much calmer Harry and carried him to his bedroom. Together they picked out a story, and Remus settled on the floor, Harry on his bed, to await news.

Thankfully, it was a quiet night at the A & E department at St. Mungo's. Sirius' appearance with the unconscious Kitty in his arms and his yell for help brought medi-witches and Healers running toward him. While some transferred Kitty onto a gurney and began taking her vitals, others questioned Sirius about what happened.

"Get that large ring off her finger and take it to the laboratory to check for spells, curses, and potions," a portly healer yelled after Sirius explained the sequence of events leading up to Kitty's collapse. Sirius followed Kitty's gurney as far as allowed, but he was kept outside by an orderly once she was in a bay. He was directed to sit in a chair just to the left. Suddenly Cheery was at his side.

"Master Remus told me what happened," the little elf told Sirius. "I will be by my Mistresses side and send reports to Rumple so the others may know. If you need me, just call for me." Then Cheery faded and blended in with the walls, although Sirius knew she was there so he could see her outline. She slipped into the room unnoticed. He was surprised when Amelia came in and walked straight toward him.

"Amelia, what are you doing here?" Sirius asked as he stood to greet her. Reinforcements were coming from everywhere it seemed.

"Remus sent me a Patronus telling me Kitty was here, and he thought it might be because of the ring. Tell me everything that happened," she commanded even as her dictation quill was out of her bag and hovering over a small notebook.

Sirius recounted the evening, the ice cream, and their speaking with Emily and Walter before proposing and her dropping to the ground.

"You don't think it was the Muggles, do you?" Amelia asked, harkening back to the days when Death Eaters would Imperius Charm or use Polyjuice to get close to Aurors and then kill them.

"I don't think so," Sirius said honestly. "If they'd been Imperiused, we would have seen it in the eyes. As to Polyjuice, Walter talked about Kitty's father, things in the village only a long-time resident would know."

"Essentially rules out Polyjuice," Amelia agreed. "The physical appearance changes, but you need to know the life of the person you're impersonating to carry on a conversation about anything of substance. So, it sounds like it was the ring. If the laboratory here doesn't decipher how it was tampered with soon, I'll send it to my people."

Sirius nodded, then asked, "How did it come to be in your possession? I had the ring on me when I was arrested, but it wasn't with my things when Kitty rescued me from Azkaban."

"I've been doing an overhaul of the various MLE departments. Cornelius Fudge is no longer the head of the Hit Wizards, I promoted Elisabetta Abernathy. Fudge is now coordinating the MLE Patrol. I also moved a few people I know I can trust in key positions within the Auror department. Kingsley is now the Deputy Head Auror for National Investigations, and I was planning to promote Kitty to Deputy Head for International Investigations. It will keep her in the UK for the most part and allow her to liaise with those on missions, their handlers, and the analysts. Whatever is going on in Yugoslavia has me worried."

"Wow. Fudge must not be happy about being demoted," Sirius said.

"He oversaw the group that brought you in, and he didn't question why you didn't have the Dark Mark or any other corroborating evidence that you were a Death Eater. Regardless of what Albus said, an investigation should have taken place, and it didn't. Your release and subsequent trial were an embarrassment to the Ministry, but it was also a costly one. He's paying for that now. But back to the ring," she said while waving a hand to wipe clean the imaginary slate she'd been writing on.

"We were cleaning out desks, shuffling people about, and had a box for found items. My assistant was sorting through them this morning. She recognized the evidence bag and was going to return it to the locker, but when she saw your name on it, she chose to give it to me. I just happened to be sending Kitty more evidence, so I enclosed it. I did transfer it from the evidence bag to the envelope you received it in. I had a feeling it was intended for Kitty. Was it a family heirloom? Could your family have cursed it?"

"It is a family heirloom, but not from the Blacks. It's a ring Fee Potter had left for me in her will. James gave it to me when I said I was going to propose to Kitty. It was clean when I was given it," Sirius explained. "Monty had given it to her on their first anniversary."

"Well, then, it would appear we have quite a mystery on our hands. I'm calling Kingsley in on this and putting a guard on her. What about her home? Should I send guards there?" Amelia asked.

"I don't think you'll need to. Katie, in this case, Lady Fawley has bonded with her home, bloodline, and ancestors," Sirius explained. "Her house-elves will enact the spell when Remus tells him she's been brought here. Remus and Harry should be safe." Amelia nodded and then flicked her wand and awaited her Aurors. Sirius sat back down and tried to clear some nasty cobwebs from his head.

Bonding oneself to your family seat, bloodline and ancestors was something witches and wizards from old noble families did. It was especially crucial for someone like Kitty to be head of her family. She was young and gifted her ascendancy, rather than obtaining it through her father's death. Anyone who claimed to be in the Fawley bloodline would always defer to her decisions, lest they were ejected from their family. Even her parents would need to follow her instructions on magical matters while they were on English soil, as they had forfeited their rights when they gave Kitty her home and all it entailed. The only reason she was not yet the duchess was due to Muggle laws rather than Magical ones.

The process of binding one to their home meant that in times of distress, like being hospitalized, the house would protect all those living it. It also told that those bonded to Kitty, Fawley family members, would be advised to be careful, or put up their own defenses. Sirius knew why families had begun the process – something to do with keeping those in the same bloodline from turning on each other – but he couldn't recall the rest.

Sirius would soon need to do the same, as he had every intention of claiming his right as the head of the House of Black. There was a bit more about what claiming your house and titles entailed, but he hadn't paid attention to his father as a boy, and then he was thrown out of his home and family.

"The practice began in 1078, not too long after the Norman invasion. Witches and wizards were being driven into hiding by fear and intolerance. While William the Conqueror, had borne the magical living among the non-magical, the rivalry for the throne upon William's death made Wizarding safety a concern. Hogwarts had already been established, and students trained there were wiser than their Muggle counterparts. Generally, Muggles were only educated if they joined religious orders, and then it was only the men. Wizards and worse, witches, being smarter and with the additional skill of magic, made their neighbors envious." Sirius heard Monty Potter's history lessons in his head as he sat in the hard chair, head tipped against the wall, waiting for news on his Lady Katie.

"Gone were the days when most people could do a little magic. Gone too were the days when we were revered for how we could resolve illnesses and other issues. The days would become darker, Muggles would become more suspicious, and the Wizarding world would hide further away…

"Lord Black," a noticeably young-looking medi-witch came out from the bay Kitty was in, "you're allowed in now. She's stable, and her vitals are strong; we just don't know what has happened yet. We have sedated her quite heavily, as she appeared to be in great pain." She had a Scottish lilt that made everything she said sound hopeful.

Sirius stood, noticing the two Aurors now standing across from Kitty's bay. He looked down the hall and saw another one near the A & E entrance. Amelia was taking this one very seriously. He saw a slightly softer looking chair and sat down. He couldn't bring himself to imagine losing Kitty again after just finding her. This time it would kill him. He took her hand in his, realizing just how slender her fingers were. Her skin was free of markings, too, save the tiny scar on her third finger from falling from a tree when they were six. It wasn't fixed because she didn't want Fee scolding the boys for daring her to climb it. Instead, she put on a Muggle plaster to stop the bleeding. Sirius was surprised the Potters had them in their house, but then again, they weren't anti-Muggle like his family.

He flipped her hand over and noticed how smooth it was compared to his; no callouses or scars. His skin was a story of backfired spells and pranks, Quidditch accidents, dueling with Death Eaters, and Azkaban's horrors. He thought their hands were an apt metaphor for the two of them; she unblemished and soft; he rough and damaged.

"Lord Black," the heavy-set Healer came in, and he realized everyone had been addressing him as such. Was it common knowledge his mother had passed, and he was the family head? "Healer Medicusbonum," he said, offering his hand. Sirius shook it. "Please sit down and let me explain exactly what we know."

After the men were seated, the Healer began. "It is the ring which poisoned her. When it was put on her finger, a spell was triggered, her skin was pierced for a poison to enter her bloodstream. We've started her on a general poison reversal protocol while we await the poison's exact nature. I see the Aurors are guarding her, which is standard whenever one of their own is attacked. We haven't seen much of them since You-Know-Who died." Sirius nodded at the euphemism, wanting to correct him but chose not to. Dumbledore had said Voldemort wasn't dead, just gone. While they might be on the outs with the old man, he knew more about the Dark Wizard than anyone alive.

"So, what happens now?"

"We wait. When Lady Fawley arrived, she was in respiratory distress, but we've been able to reverse that. We should have an answer soon. If you need anything, just poke your head out. Aileas is assigned to Lady Fawley and will be able to help you." Sirius hadn't realized the medi-witch, Aileas, had returned to the room and was sitting on a stool by her potions trolley.

"Thank you," Sirius said, shaking the healer's hand. Sirius returned to his chair, sighed, and closed his eyes. It was half-past two, and his body was exhausted while his mind was racing. He knew there was something else Monty had explained about the Head of House bonding, but he just couldn't pull it out of the recesses. It was the first time he felt a need to have James here with him. He missed James at least twenty times a day, especially surrounding Harry's growing up. This was different, he needed James, his ability to recall facts, and as the only person who had been in the Head of House lessons with his father. Prongs had been the one to get Padfoot to admit he didn't love Marlene, but instead Kitty. James would have been able to reassure him.

James was gone. Sirius was alone. Katie was in deep sedation.

At some point in the night, Sirius must have fallen asleep because he awoke with a start when there was movement around him. Opening his eyes, Healer Medicusbonum and another healer were tilting Kitty's head back and pouring a potion down her throat. When Katie began to stir, a second potion was given. He, and the medical professionals, held their breath until she opened her eyes. She sought him out and smiled weakly.

"What happened?"

"You were poisoned," Healer Medicusbonum said. "Your engagement ring was cursed to kill you."

"How?" She was frail, and even getting the single word out was a struggle.

"We don't know, my Katie, but Kingsley and Amelia are on it," Sirius explained after he'd gently kissed her forehead. "What was it?" he asked the healer.

"A powerful solution of Conium Maculatum," the healer said. "Poison Hemlock in plain terms. Been used for a millennium. Highly restricted because it causes the taker to feel like they're burning from the inside out, respirations become irregular and eventually cease. It's a rather ugly way to die."

"Why would someone use that?" Sirius asked.

"Not detectable by magical scans," Kitty whispered. She looked to Sirius, and he saw the fear and fury in her eyes.