CHAPTER 7: SECOND WILL. SECOND CHANCES

The public address of the Potter will ended with them stating that generations of Potters had been born to serve their community and they hoped that Lily and James had been thus at least in their deaths. By then the entire gathering was hushed except for suppressed sniffles even in the Visitors Gallery. After two silent minutes, Ragnok announced that all bequests would be handed over to concerned individuals in person only and to no other and they would be allowed one hour to gather their bearings before heading out to the front desk of inheritance department on the main level.

The next reading was to commence soon and this time the gallery would be closed and only those with bequests were allowed to remain. Dumbledore wanted to know who it was for and was curtly informed by a derisive, dismissive Goblin that it was the will for Sirius Orion Black III and Dumbledore wasn't invited.

Fuming over the rudeness of the Goblin pests, he picked his robe and dignity and swept off in a snit trying to catch McGonagall, Lupin or Snape and see what their letters from the Potters held.

But this wasn't a day for Dumbledore to get anything he wanted. He got something else altogether.

He cheerfully called out to his deputy, ignoring the moue of distaste on the mourners assembled. He expected and saw exactly what he expected to see. He barely completed the demand to see the letters addressed to them from the Potters before his world went black for a brief minute.

The next thing Dumbledore knew were stars thundering behind his eyes as Minerva McGonagall was being held back by Lupin and Snape. Dumbledore gaped at her, utterly stunned, as she screamed about Albus setting up her godson and his family to die over drunken ramblings of a foolish woman; Minerva McGonagall was turning nearly purple with anger, her fists bunched and red from the socking she had landed on his already crooked nose. She kept shouting - "Where is the child? You took away the child? You took away my family from me, you ignorant, mad old fool! Where is the Potters' child?"

Luckily, Aiden's geas on the Dursleys were in full strength and no one could focus on the fact that the Potters had a child who wasn't there for the will reading of his parents. Even Minerva McGonagall couldn't recall the child well enough to include his absence in her rant. All she could sense was that something was very wrong, and there was once a child she loved but she couldn't recall its face or name or gender. All she knew was something was terribly wrong and Dumbledore had been at the root of it. She had lost the last of her family and even her grief felt incomplete.

A crowd was swiftly gathering around them. Sniffing a brewing trouble, Amelia, Skeeter hot on her heels, quickly herded them to the floo to head to her office at the ministry to question the allegations. Amelia Bones could feel a fresh headache onslaught. Anytime she had to deal with Dumbledore was an exercise in patience, being sorely tested. She had been trying for two weeks to track down the child who had vanished from her office on the Halloween night.

And this was the first she was actually hearing a public statement about Dumbledore's involvement in something nefarious. She vaguely recalled that this was somehow connected to the case of the missing child. She hadn't even had the opportunity to record the child's presence in her office that night. The world had exploded into manic celebrations since Halloween and her department had been struggling to maintain order or a semblance of it, from the prying muggle eyes. No one seemed to be worried over a child that vanished from her office.

No one seemed to notice a lot of things that went on in their world, unless they were Rita Skeeter, plotting mischief and mayhem. Lord Black and the child in his arms watched in alarm as they watched the leaking of the missing Potter scion make headlines. There was no other outcome possible when Rita Skeeter, and her noxious quick-quote quills entered the fray. In a last ditch effort, the little child threw out his arms, as if he were throwing a tantrum. Not even Rita noticed her quick quill notes fade into non-existence. People's focus shifted from McGonagall and Dumbledore as the nearest door banged open and a woman stood there, a hand raised as if to knock.

Walburga Black had excellent timing, Arcturus thought to himself. She stood at the now wide open doors, looking like an overlarge vulture, dressed entirely in somber black layers upon layers of taffeta, drawing all eyes to her self. Any other time she would have enjoyed the attention and drama. But tday, she only grieved as she entered the chamber and approached Lord Black, scrutinizing Little Aiden intensely. Arcturus noted her scrutiny and quietly scribbled a quick note requesting Ragnok to handle the drama outside before turning his full attention to Walburga. Inwardly, it was relief in the distraction she had provided that settled the old man and the babe in his arms.

Ragnok would reign in Skeeter and ensure that she printed only the news they wanted known. Aiden's real identity and the unaccounted for heir of the deceased Potters would slip unnoticed until they were ready. For now he would focus on the act two of their plans of publicly establishing Aiden's identity as heir Black and Walburga's cooperation would go a long way in helping with that.

Act one had been the Potter's will reading.

And it had gone smoother than he'd expected. He gestured for her to take a seat and settled down silently himself, giving nothing away, even as his hands curved protectively around the silent Aiden sitting between him and the seat assigned to Cassie.

Lord Black and his heir remained in their seats while Walburga Black, the Longbottoms and Lupin had bustled about a bit, attempting to settle down. Cassiopeia Black entered the chamber, her silver tipped walking stick clicking the floors loudly as she completely ignored Walburga, edging her out and picking Aiden and deposited him in her own lap after settling down next to her brother Arcturus. Ragnok shuffled some parchment and then cleared his throat, indicating he was about to begin. He clarified that unlike the Potters, Sirius hadn't updated his will in past 3 years. The legalese jargon was mentioned and then bypassed entirely.

In his will, Sirius Black had stated that he was abdicating his claim to House of Black in favor of his Heir or the designated heir to the house Black, relinquishing all his own claims. He then settled all his rights to the Marauders enchanted items, ideas, books and relevant parchments to the heir or any child of his blood and magic. To his brother in all but blood, James Charlus Potter, he bequeathed his beloved enchanted motorbike and 10000 galleons. To Remus Lupin he bequeathed ten books from his personal library and 5000 galleons.

To his sister in law and brother from a much saner mother, Alice and Frank Longbottom, he left the rest of his personal library and his shares of Gambol and Japes. To his brother Regulus Arcturus Black, in sincere hopes that the little bugger was alive and simply hiding from their mother like old times, he left all his personal Journals from age of 9 till he had finished his Hit-wizard training, just in case, with the hope that they would help Reggie would find his way back home.

To his dear Aunt Cassie was gifted all his notes and observations to add to her famous books, in thanks for all the help and kindness she showed especially in recent times. All his remaining assets as well as his flat was to be the personal inheritance for the next Lord Black as his personal tribute to Lord Arcturus Black and made accessible to them at the age of 11 just in case there was a need to run away from home and nowhere to go to. For his mother Walburga, were she still alive, he had written a letter only to be shared in case he died before she did.

He requested his family that his body be cremated and his ashes interred in an urn he had selected for the purpose and stored in his vault. He had firmly stated that he did not wish his body buried under any circumstance. With a maniacal necromancer dark wizard terrorizing the country, the last thing he wanted for his body was to be turned into an inferius.

With that, Ragnok softly announced, concluded the business of legal will of Sirius Orion Black.

Attendees remained seated in silence, paying respect the lost hero of Halloween, a difficult and irreverent heir and son to the House Black, and a mad, mad friend. Walburga sat lost in an oddly unexpected, dry eyed grief, clutching his letter, almost afraid to open it and read. Baby Aiden watched her, nonplussed by her unanticipated paleness, shock and grief. She was only a physical likeness of the portrait; he couldn't really connect the shrew of the past timeline to this grieving mother. He wondered why was it that Sirius never knew that his mother had actually loved and grieved for him. This had been a surprising development.

One by one, other attendees came over to Lord Black, murmured quiet wishes and condolences and offered promises to drop by later and walked away. Reading of the Wills was heartbreaking business. Soon, only Arcturus, Cassie, Aiden and Walburga were left. Arcturus whispered to Cassie that it was best Cassie took Aiden home. He pressed Aiden's hands softly, reassuring him with a quiet look that he would be fine and join them soon.

But first Arcturus needed to address the issue of Walburga.

Even in her madness, she possessed a shrewd mind and a big influence among the Dark Families. He would escort Wallie to her London residence and join them soon enough at the Black Castle. He needed to take care of Wallie first, though. Wallie's pallor was beginning to worry him, he softly conveyed.

Walburga never said a word. She simply sat as she had, rigid, dry eyes wide and unseeing, as she struggled to process her grief. Arcturus continued to keep a gimlet eye on her as he organized everyone's access to their bequests.

She hadn't even blinked once when he gently nudged her towards the main levels and guided her out the bank to the apparition point. She didn't seem to notice when he apparated them both to the Foyer of Grimmauld Place either. Such deep grief couldn't and wouldn't be ignored.

To observe a mother's grief so heavy and pallid it seemed she had lost her soul was rather disconcerting and Arcturus had to snap her out it really fast. Much depended on her willingness to play along. Exactly how much should he reveal to her? Or should he use her grief to bring out the side of her that she had buried long ago?

Arcturus felt the weight of these decisions almost palpable in their heaviness. Far too much depended on some of these seemingly innocuous choices.