Author's Note: I write in a very planned manner, setting my stories out ahead of time and generally sticking to the progression of chapters and ideas I've written out. That being said, late one night while I was trying to sleep these two characters stomped into my head and told me they were going to be in the story. Yeah. So, they're in the story. Thank so much for reading and reviewing, MNF

Chapter 27:

Never Let Me Down Again

May 4, 1986

Slavic Royal Court

Vienna Austria

"Explain to me again how Narcissa and I are married into the Slavic court? Sirius asked Kitty, the couple were dressing for their visit today. Kitty's second cousin, once removed, confirmed Narcissa and her son Draco were still there today. Sirius was hopeful he could provide his cousin and childhood playmate and her son with lasting protection.

"Quick and dirty explanation, Emperor Franz-Joseph of Austria had only one magical child, Arch-Duchess Johanna. She was hidden away from the public because of her magical abilities. She married Phineas Black, the one who supported Muggle rights. Although they were incredibly rich, they had no children of their own, which the Black family had no problems in claiming his wealth upon his death. You and Narcissa are his Great-Great-niece and nephew. You don't share any blood with anyone in the court. Still, you're recognized as being descendants by the marriage of Emperor Franz-Joseph I, King of Austria, King of Hungary, Croatia and Bohemia, and the first Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I, on the other hand, am a direct descendant of the Emperor, so I'm a princess. Make sense?" Kitty looked over to where he was putting on his formal robes and laughed at his bemused face.

"If we don't share any blood, why is Cissy given sanctuary here?" he asked.

"Because they don't want those families doing whatever it is they're doing in Yugoslavia any more than we in the British Ministry do. To turn their backs on her, especially with her son in tow, it would bring the full force of the other Magical Courts down on them, not to mention facing possible retaliation for rejected them by the British Ministry for Magic; and pissing me off. Although, if I were her, I would have gone to the Russian Magical Court, since your Great-Great-Grandmother was Princess Tatiana, the illegitimate daughter of Czar Alexander II. She married Ophiuchus Black, the father of the first Sirius and Phineas Nigellus. Of course, she was thrown out of the Russian Magical court and disowned because she married a Frenchman. The pair fled to England since a Russian wife was an issue in France for Ophiuchus."

"So, we are related?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, but barely. It's far more disconcerting to think about the relationship your mum and dad had. They were second cousins; we don't share more than one thirty-second of similar genetic material," Kitty shook her head. If Orion and Walburga had given birth to Bellatrix, it would explain her madness.

"I try not to think about my parents at all, let alone their sex life," Sirius said, physically shaking at the turn the conversation took. "I'm dressed, I'm going to go dress Harry. You sure we should take him with us?"

"I'm positive," Kitty answered. "I need to introduce him since I've adopted him. He is now a prince. Those who are left from the Greek and Swedish courts need to meet him. He may need to rely on that title someday."

"Doubtful," Sirius said as he left the room. "They're just old, bitchy women in the court." He wasn't lying. Kitty loathed the court, but she would pay her dues and genuflect properly, just like her title demanded.

Kitty wondered how long these magical courts would continue since so few European countries had actual, functioning monarchies anyway. Sure, Britain had a queen, but she was a figurehead more than anything. Kitty thought about what it must have been like when the court had real power, and people who had the titles Kitty did could make real change.

This was how Sirius found her ten minutes later, deep in thought, robes on but not closed in the back, hair only half up. Remus had warned him that she might become forgetful. It was a common problem with magical pregnancies. He had been reading books on the subject since Sirius seemed oblivious. Like everything else in his life, Sirius planned to go on instinct. Remus learned that soon-to-be-mothers would stop halfway through a task and get lost on some magical thought process. The other problem they had was unexpected discharges of magic, like burping flames or having sonic flatulence. Remus and Sirius had a friendly wager on what it might be with Kitty and the little one she was growing.

"Hey, Lady Katie, you almost ready?" he said softly, and it was enough to knock his wife out of her stupor.

"Oh, er, sorry," she said, her hand waving the wand to finish her hair. "I was thinking about magical courts."

"Anything in particular?" he said with a smirk.

"The usefulness of them. I'm ready if you can zip me up. I know I'm only four months pregnant, and I'm only showing a little bit, but can you tell in this dress?" she asked, the words tumbling out of her.

"Kitty, you look beautiful. When you're at home, wearing jeans and a tee-shirt, I can tell; in that gown, no way." Kitty nodded, and they left the family villa. Sirius held onto Harry, and Kitty took Remus with her. Although he could have stayed behind, he was fascinated by the idea of the court. He was being introduced as Harry's tutor, which was an important position for a young prince. He realized he would need to walk behind Sirius, Kitty, and Harry, but it was worth seeing how the court worked.

When they reached the entrance to the Great Hall of the Wizarding palace, Zauberstab Gardens, the guards asked for their name and her rank.

"I am Ekaterina Aurelia Lovisa Fawley-Black, Princess of the Magical nations of Greece, Sweden, and the former Austro-Hungarian Magical empire, Lady Kent heir to the Duchy of Cumberland. I am here with my husband, Earl Sirius Orion Fawley-Black of Bedford; our son, Prince Harry Potter Fawley-Black, Prince of Magical Greece, Sweden, and the former Austro-Hungarian Magical empire and heir to the Earldom of Somerset and his tutor, Remus John Lupin. We are here to pay a call to my great-great-aunt, the Dowager Princess Consort." Just marrying Kitty did not make Sirius a prince. However, Harry was given the title as he was recognized as the blood-sworn son of a princess. Any future children Kitty and Sirius would have would also carry the title, even if they never knew they did. Kitty was sure that in another twenty-five years, these Magical Courts would stop existing like most of the Muggle counterparts.

After their announced introduction, the quartet began to move through the room toward the Dowager's throne. Few in the room did not need to bow to Kitty, for she was a direct descendant of several deposed monarchs and carried her title without question. Technically, the Dowager Consort should have bowed to her, but there wasn't much you could make the nearly one-hundred-year-old woman do if she didn't want to. When they reached the throne, Kitty dropped into an incredibly low bow, the boy and men following suit. The Dowager Princess bid them rise.

"Auntie Anna," Kitty said warmly.

"My dear Ekaterina," the dowager said. "Come and give your old auntie a kiss, and then you may tell me about your handsome escorts." She might have been the wife of the late Prince of the former Austro-Hungarian Magical Empire, but she was born in Ireland and still spoke perfect English, even if it was tinged with her Irish brough. Kitty climbed the three steps to the top of the dais and kissed both her auntie's cheeks. She was glad she'd warned Harry about the peculiar odor the woman had – something like the mix of lemon, peppermint, and eucalyptus. Kitty thought it might be a way to keep her throat lubricated, since drinking anything while on the throne was forbidden. Stepping away from her aunt, Sirius offered his hand for balance as she walked down the steps backward.

"I have come to inform you about my wedding. This is my husband, Earl Sirius Orion Fawley-Black of Bedford." Sirius bowed again.

"I remember him," Anna said. "He made many of the court blush when he flirted with them." It was said with a conspiratorial grin.

"You look ravishing in that shade of yellow, your highness," Sirius said with a devilish grin.

"You never fail to disappoint," she said with a blush and a small smile. "I would thank you for keeping your flirting to a minimum while you are with us, please. I prefer to keep the men of the court from feeling the need to duel you."

"As you wish," he said with a tip of his head. Kitty rolled her eyes at the way everyone fell to the charms of her husband. Kitty chose to go ahead with her introductions, allowing Sirius to look for his cousin.

"This is our son, Harry Fawley-Black. He will one day be the Earl of Somerset." Kitty said. Harry bowed in a fair mimic of his dad.

"You will refer to him as Prince Harry," Anna directed. "How did he come to be in your care?"

"His mother and father were murdered by Voldemort," Kitty said calmly. The dowager princess blanched at the name. "Sirius and I were his godparents and legal guardians. We adopted him when we were married."

"Young man, what do you think of court?" Anna asked Harry, and he thoughtfully considered his answer.

"This room is nice, and the music is soft and pretty. I think the clothes are hard to move in. There aren't any other children, but otherwise, it's good," he answered. Kitty was concerned he hadn't been proper enough in his answer, but to her surprise, Anna laughed.

"Prince Harry, no one tells me the truth; they just say what they think I want to hear. I appreciate your honesty." Kitty and Sirius smiled with pride at their boy.

"This is my Uncle Remus, he's my teacher, and he's brilliant."

"Well, then, come sit here, and you can tell me all about what your brilliant teacher has taught you. Princess Kitty, Lord Sirius, your son will be safe with me. His tutor may stay here, should the young prince need something I cannot readily produce. I will have a chair brought for him."

"Thank you, Auntie Anna," Kitty said with a dip of her head. Harry climbed the stairs and was directed to sit in the padded chair next to her. His legs dangled, but he looked adorable in his velvet robes and tie. His shoes were even clean for a change.

"I suspect you did not arrive simply to tell me of your marriage and adoption. Lord Black. If you seek the Lady Malfoy, you will find her and her son in the west wing, first floor, third door on the left," Anna said gently. "I believe you can give her more assistance than I."

"You put her in the King's chambers?" Kitty said, surprised.

"When you see her, you will understand why I chose to pamper her. Her young son needed much care, as well. Be gentle with them, they are in terrible shape." Anna looked grave while she spoke, and Kitty kissed her son's cheek quickly and reminded him to be good; then, she and Sirius tipped their heads to her aunt and went to speak with Narcissa and Draco.

Sirius was glad he had Kitty with him, or he'd never have found his way around the maze of floors, wings, dead-ends, and staircases, which allowed a person to only go up some and down others. When he asked Kitty about it, she laughed.

"That's part of the fun of being in these old magical castles," she said. "It made playtime a delight when mother and I would visit. Part of the confusion, though, is created by dying enchantments. Unlike, say your house in Bedford, this place was built in stages. They didn't always match up with what was already here. Thankfully, when Fawley House was added to, they matched plans and created entranceways from existing doors and windows. Even maps of this castle are wrong. If it were mine, I'd rip all the extensions off, take down the enchantments and start over logically.

"Is that why your castle in Scotland remains uninhabited?"

"Yes," Kitty said emphatically. "When I have time and energy, I will fix it so one of our children can live in it. Or maybe, we will want somewhere closer to Hogwarts when the children are there. If Harry is like you and James, we might need to be there just for the convalescent reasons. I don't even know how many nights you two were in the hospital wing."

"Roughly four-hundred-eighty days," Sirius answered immediately.

Kitty quickly did some sums in her head. "That's like a third of the time you were in school. You spent a third of your nights at Hogwarts in the hospital wing? No wonder you, James, and Remus had beds with your names on them. Dear Merlin help us if Harry has even half your…rashness in him."

When they reached the door and knocked, they were surprised to find a kindly house-elf open the door. Sirius asked if he could speak with Narcissa, and a faint, strained voice from within bade them enter. Draco was sleeping in the large, canopied bed. His hair was nearly as pale as the satin pillowcase beneath him. His face was severely bruised, and his left arm was in a stasis charm, the magical equivalent to a Muggle cast, used when bones had been broken by physical methods rather than magical means. Kitty closed her eyes and said a silent prayer to the god and goddess, wondering how much worse he must have been when they arrived a few days ago.

Narcissa was sitting on the bed on the opposite side. She had on loose pajama pants and a button-up top, which was only buttoned over her breasts. Her one hand was soothingly running her fingers through her son's hair. When she looked up, she smiled an unexpected and semi-toothless grin at her cousin. She had her left leg in a stasis charm, her abdomen was tightly bound, although there was a fine line of blood seeping through the bindings. Her face as in as bad of condition as her sons.

"I never thought I would be so relieved to see anyone as I am at seeing you, Siri," Narcissa spoke before she broke down crying. He was immediately at her side, having already removed his jacket and tossed it into a chair. He went to her and wrapped his arm across her shoulders as she leaned into his midsection. Kitty sat on the bed near her and took Narcissa's hand between hers.

"What happened?" Kitty asked when the other woman's tears had slowed. As Sirius had called her when they were children, Cissy checked to ensure her son was still sleeping and then began her tale.

"I was hoping if I came here, you'd find out," she started. "I had nowhere else to go, and we were too weak to make it back to England. Apparating to the gates of the castle nearly killed me; I Splinched myself." She indicated the bleeding place on her abdomen.

"When you arrived, my family notified me," Kitty lied. "There aren't many Brits who come to court. You've gained an ally in my great-great-auntie, the dowager. Please, tell us what happened to you and Draco. We are here to help, I promise."

"You're still an Auror, right?" Narcissa asked, and Kitty nodded. "Are you back to work at the Ministry?" she queried her cousin.

"No, I've done my time." There was venom in Sirius' voice.

"Right. I know you won't believe me, but I doubted you could have betrayed your friends, especially when the Daily Prophet said you were a Death Eater. I unfortunately, knew all of them. You know they have homes in that Magical resort town, the one in Yugoslavia?"

"We do," Kitty confirmed.

"Good. After the raid on the Avery house, what remained of the potions ingredients was brought to our house, but the people went to the Mulcibers. The Dark Lord isn't dead," she said in hopes for a shocked look on the other pair's faces.

"We know," Sirius said.

"You're better informed than Abraxas, and his friends think you are," she said offhandedly. Sirius was beginning to feel anxious, wishing she'd just get on with her story. Kitty shot him a look to tell him to relax. He pulled up the chair he'd thrown his jacket on and sat down next to his cousin and wife. Kitty knew it took time for victims to get their stories out.

"A little over a week ago, the Dark Lord attempted a spell. He's trying to regain his strength because he's … I don't know what he is, other than pale and shriveled and frightening to look at. They created this potion, it used things I've never heard of before, and he forced Nott to drink it, but old Cantankerous was just too old, and he couldn't manage the transformation." Narcissa stopped and looked at Draco again. "He dropped dead only minutes after drinking it." Narcissa shuddered at the memory.

"Then they made little Theo drink it," she said, beginning to cry again. "The Dark Lord's soul had nearly transferred into the little boy completely, but then something happened, and his body rejected the Dark Lord. Theo was blown apart." Cissy was crying harder again, and Sirius stood to hold her again.

"My goddess, he was the same age as our Harry," Kitty whimpered, her face stained with tears.

"And my Draco," Cissy finally said. "That's why we ran. Abraxas offered my son as the next possibility. They needed to brew the potion again, making some adjustments to it. It gave me time to save him. Most of these injuries were made by Abraxas when he found me removing gold and other important documents from the safe in the house."

"Where was your husband?" Sirius bit.

"He said he agreed with his father, and I couldn't…I didn't believe he would let his son be killed, but Lucius was willing to sacrifice Draco to the Dark Lord. Our son. Our only child. Siri, I couldn't let him. I had to save my boy…" she trailed off into sobs.

"You're safe now," Sirius promised as he held her. "You are under the protection of the House of Fawley-Black. When you and Draco are strong enough, we will take you home and bind you to Grimmauld Place. Mother died, which means the houses, the gold, and the titles are mine. Neither of you will want for anything. I will get you the finest healers, and when Draco is ready, he can join Harry and his friends in their tutoring sessions."

"I'm not sure I want to be alone in that house. I don't know that…it won't be like when we were little," she said softly.

"Then, don't be. My house has more rooms than I could possibly fill. We can create you and Draco your own apartment, and I have two house-elves who will gladly welcome your elf…" Kitty said, waiting for a name.

"Dobby, Princess Ekaterina. Elves know all about how kind you are to Cheery and Rumple," Dobby said before returning his gaze on Draco.

"You are welcome to our home, Dobby," Kitty said with a warm smile. "As are you and Draco, Narcissa. However, I will warn you, if you intend to do me harm, the wards on my house will make the wounds you're suffering with now feel like scratches."

"I swear to you both we truly ran for our lives."

"I promise, Cissy, you are safe with me."