A/N: Thank you everyone for your response and help with the photo posting! I thought about it through the week, and finally decided that it would be easier for me to go the Instagram route in order to keep the chapters posted on FFN and AO3 identical. So with several champagne mules for courage (and my brother making fun of me loudly in the background), I settled in and created an account. I have the same username (elphabalives17) and the profile pic is a Ravenclaw embroidery hoop I made for a friend. I'll be posting both inspiration from throwback chapters as well as new ones PLUS my hand drawn family tree on an ongoing basis. If you have ever asked me about fanart, I am more than happy to display it on the Instagram and credit you if you send it my way!
Reminder: updates once a week between Mon and Weds, and I appreciate each of you and your feedback endlessly!
January 9, 1982
Black Manor, Somerset
"What is he doing here?!"
Not three seconds into the family council, and Cygnus was already causing a scene. Cassiopeia raised a single brow down the table at her nephew and tried to remember if Pip or Isla had won this particular bet.
"I'd say it's a pleasure to see you too, Uncle Cyg, but frankly some of the dementors were more pleasant company," Sirius said cheerfully, his less irritable uncle snickering into his tea beside him.
"Why you dreadful little- Aunt Cassiopeia! There is a murderer at this table and I will not-!"
"Father, have you not kept up with the paper lately?" Narcissa's calm voice cut cleanly through her father's bluster. "If you had, you'd be aware that Cousin Sirius is doubtfully guilty at best."
"I have been reading the papers, but even I must admit myself a bit surprised to see you here in the flesh boy. Aren't you meant to have been rendered into Alphard's custody?" Callidora demanded.
Sirius grinned. "I am in his custody."
"As in, in his custody while on house arrest."
"Well, we are in a house are we not?"
Callidora snorted, but the hint of a smirk played across her wide features (Callidora appreciated word play as much as any other Black).
"If that is settled then?" Cassiopeia called back the entire lot's attention, moving to stand behind her own chair and tapping her wand against her thigh until the murmuring quieted. "Now then- we've quite the full itinerary, and while I do appreciate your bickering from a scientific perspective, I'd rather not run out of biscuits before we get halfway through. As such, I've prepared a time table for you."
A quick swish of her wand vanished the drape over Cassiopeia's case board, and an asymmetrical pyramid of parchment appeared on the first side. Each parchment piece was an equally sized square with a brightly colored letter and a time limit scrawled across it in large block print.
"Right, I don't suppose that this meeting will require any less sobriety than the last?" Alphard eyed the steaming pots of tea lining the table before glancing around as if a brandy decanter might appear if he willed it hard enough. "That's a lot of letters you've put together up there."
"If we go more than three hours, we'll break out the wine- otherwise, I'm afraid you'll have to use a less liver-rotting coping mechanism nephew."
(On opposite sides of the table, Agnes and Ignatius smirked to themselves as they topped off their glasses with flasks from their own pockets- clearly, the only winners here had planned ahead.)
"Are we supposed to know what your bloody letters stand for, then?" Arcturus demanded.
"Of course not, cousin- that would spoil my personal delight in your own suspense." Or start a riot when you've all had too much time to consider each topic. "Never fear, I'll decode them for you one at a time. You all see the time notes under the letter, yes? Good. Thi is the duration of time I have allowed for the presenter to speak on their topic, though questions will be welcomed for as long as anyone requires. After all, the key to good education and pioneering research is asking questions, and I'd be amiss as a researcher if-,"
Marius coughed gently.
"Yes, yes. The first topic it is then."
Cassiopeia waved a hand at the board and the parchment titled 'A' flipped itself over to reveal, in aquamarine ink: Longbottom Family Update.
(If the pleased look on Callidora's face and the surprised expression on Harfang's own were anything to go by, then the pair had been at odds over whether or not they would have to actually ask for an update during the meeting.
At least one little success, then.)
"I must say, it's quite handy that you've all joined us today," Cassiopeia nodded to four Longbottoms' corner of the table, "as I believe Augusta will be more comfortable accepting your word than my own. Andromeda, Narcissa- the table is yours."
"Thank you, Aunt." The Black sisters stood in graceful unison and walked to the front of the table. "If you wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not, niece. Allow me to…," Cassiopeia paused to send the case board spinning with a flick of her wand, scooting her seat closer to Hermione's in order to have a better view of the presenters.
The case board stopped spinning, a new side presented to its audience. On it, a timeline had been constructed out of parchment scraps, photos, tiny vials of potions and memories, medical reports, and an auror statement; united by a long scrap of light blue ribbon and spelled to stay in place.
"On October 31st, the Dark Lord moved to attack the Potter family, whose fidelius had been betrayed. When news broke on November 1st, Frank and Alice Longbottom intentionally broke their own fidelius and returned to the home gifted to them by Frank's mother for their wedding." Narcissa pointed a genteel finger towards a photo of Toadstool Cottage, where Frank and Alice stood beaming on the front stoop in their wedding robes.
"As you all know, it was on November 7th that Bellatrix Lestrange, Bartemius Crouch Jr., Rodolphus Lestrange, and Rabastan Lestrange attacked and assaulted the Longbottom family while they were eating dinner. According to both this Auror report and this trial document, Bellatrix and Crouch attacked the wards while the Lestrange brothers cast anti-apparition curses and otherwise sealed off all possible magical points of exit. Left with limited options, Frank and Alice appear to have chosen to secure the safety of their only child rather than take the risk of being caught with a highly vulnerable infant in crossfire." Andromeda paused, looking down the table to where Callidora's eyes were glistening. "While Alice finished hiding their son, Frank attempted to single handedly battle the four intruders. Unfortunately, as far as we can tell based on the forensic timeline the Aurors reconstructed, both were overpowered and then put through over eight hours of continuous torture. It is unknown how much of this they were aware during, though it is known that their attackers were looking for information about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's whereabouts."
Moving her finger along the bright blue ribbon for emphasis, Narcissa tapped on a newspaper photo of a shell shocked Augusta Longbottom with young Neville in her arms, staring sightlessly out at the crowd of reporters with Toadstool Cottage and bright yellow caution tape in the background. "The Longbottoms were unconscious by the time that Augusta was called to them, but Aurors insisted they not be moved from the premises until it could be ascertained that there were no time-sensitive or motion-related curses placed on their persons. The team who did eventually handle the emergency floo evacuation made the dubious medical choice to transport them using levitation."
In a perfectly coordinated motion, Andromeda and Narcissa flicked their wands through the air and whispered a short incantation to bring delicate blue and green sparks whirling through the air. The green sparks, directed by Andromeda, quickly shaped themselves into the outline of a mediwizard, while the blue sparks turned to the outline of a regular wizard on the ground.
"There are two reasons I describe this evacuation choice as being dubious. The first is fairly straightforward- levitation is typically only meant to be used on conscious individuals who have been harmed or fallen ill due to a non-magical incident or substance. This code has several exceptions written in for emergencies, none of which applied to the Longbottoms at their time of transport. The second reason is of greater importance here: the use of additional magic on cursed patients prior to diagnosis can be highly detrimental to their care. For instance…."
The green mediwizard lifted a sparkly green wand, and slowly the blue wizard rose higher into the air- only to begin violently spasming and crash back to the floor.
"This is a pantomime of the result of levitating a patient who has been exposed to a Lung Lock curse. The patient asphyxiates and often expires within a matter of minutes due to the additional magic interfering with their body." Narcissa paused. "I have seen this myself, and while it is an extraordinary dark example, it is a poignant reminder that magic does as many terrible things as it does beautiful."
The table watched in shocked silence as the blue patient seemed to recuperate- or maybe reset itself was the better term- on the ground. A green table on wheels appeared beside the mediwizard.
"Due to the limited knowledge of the results of additional magic on cruciatus curse victims, the medical team onsite should have used a standard gurney for evacuation." The wheeled table was lowered, and the mediwizard's outline gently loaded the patient onto the top before slowly winking out of existence. "I would like to here note that Andromeda and I have advised Madam Longbottom to file an inquiry as to why improper procedure was followed."
Andromeda stepped forward once more. "Frank and Alice remained in the care of St. Mungo's until December 3rd, when Augusta agreed to accept Aunt Cassiopeia's offer of attempted treatment. At that time, the couple's Head Healer- Healer Whittington- agreed that the standard magical mind healing was not doing anything for either Frank or Alice and handed over the files of all procedures attempted under St. Mungos' direction. Aunt Cassiopeia subsequently created a treatment task force composed of myself, a memory specialist; Narcissa, who had a base education in healing; a French muggle mind-healer; and herself."
A light tap of her wand on the blue ribbon sent it gliding to the left, the discussed dates disappearing and the remaining timeline growing larger.
"The first real breakthrough we made was a week before Christmas, when a potion created by Aunt Cassiopeia allowed us to closely review their magical cores over the period of several days. At this time we realized that Frank and Alice's magical cores are not just blocked as St. Mungo's determined- instead, they're being drained. Constantly."
As Andromeda gestured to a potions vial on the timeline, Narcissa called a series of brilliant blue sparks that formed into a bowl with a pitcher over it. The pitcher poured a slow, consistent stream of sparks into the bowl, but an outlined hole in the bowl left the sparks escaping down to the carpet before it could ever begin to accumulate.
"What you see here is a visualization of what is happening in their cores. Even as their magic rejuvenates, it is being siphoned off and redirected. Additional research showed us that it is being redirected to their brains."
"Majority of you lack a thorough understanding of the cruciatus curse. So, as you may or may not know, the forbidden torture spell leaves no visible marks, and yet those afflicted by it report the most severe pain imaginable. When we combine this insight with traditional muggle medicine, we can surmise that the curse is actually directly attacking the nervous system- the highly complex part of our biological makeup that coordinates its actions and sensory information by transmitting signals to and from different parts of the body." Realizing the blank stares coming from every corner of the table, Narcissa sighed. "The nervous system essentially is your brain's way of communicating a response to environmental or physical factors to your body- it tells you that you are hot, or cold… or being tortured."
"Based on this collective of information, we hypothesized," (Cassiopeia beamed at the word choice), "that when the cruciatus curse was applied to their nervous systems for such an extended period of time, their magic attempted to buffer or negate the effects by essentially shutting off multiple passageways in the brain. It was essentially a fight-or-flight, high adrenaline response, except with magic. At first, it likely just numbed the pain. But when the torture continued, in addition to the stress and fear that both doubtlessly felt, their magic went into overdrive and additionally blocked their emotions, their thoughts…. Unfortunately, it worked too well- and from what we can tell, is still working."
The exceedingly detailed report of potions trials and treatments given by the sisters as they continued was as fascinating as it was disturbing- modern magical medicine had not delved so deeply into the mind, into what one's own magic would do to protect it. But Frank and Alice Longbottom had become the perfect example of the extreme lengths a witch or wizard's magic would go to survive.
The erratic behaviors and occasional violence they had displayed at St. Mungos had been easily treated once their treatment team realized the extent that the constant magical drain had on their physical selves- and, fortunately, dozens of potions existed to at least ease that constant drain. Potions, an extremely nutritious diet overseen by both a muggle dietician and the house elves, and daily fresh air were slowly giving them back at least a healthy pallor and normal sleep cycle. The muggle mind healer- described by Andromeda as a 'psychiatrist'- had additionally recommended muggle techniques and medications: physical therapy, music therapy, art therapy….. The daily activities ran on and on.
But it was Cassiopeia's latest potion, theorized over by the entire team and worked on tirelessly by the Black Materfamilias herself, that they hoped would bring about a more tangible result: this potion would, hopefully, completely repress their magic.
"Repress…. You'd make muggles of my godchild and his wife?" Callidora demanded when the presentation opened to questions, her eyes wide and horrified as she clutched her own wand in her hands.
"I promised to do what I could to bring back Frank and Alice from the state they've been left in, and Augusta has agreed that they'd be better off sane than magical."
"You'd make squibs of them!"
"And what's wrong with that?"
The table turned in surprise to Agnes, a fierce expression on her face as she topped off her tea with her flask before she turned grim eyes on each of them. "You heard me, each of you. What's wrong with being a squib? My father was a squib. My husband is a squib. And frankly, both men are worth twice what any of you are. A blood war? Did you learn nothing from the last war? Nothing from the hundreds of thousands of muggles who died for something equally asinine?"
Agnes took a deep breath and met Callidora's eyes directly. "You'd rather rob a child of his parents, a mother of her son, the world of two seemingly decent people, and them of their own faculties, than see either lose their magic? Something that billions of people live without every day?"
Callidora stared at her in shock.
(Across the table, Arcturus looked incredibly torn between snickering at his least favorite cousin being taken to task or being disgusted at the nerve of the muggle at his table. Melania, at least, had no such reservations.)
"I'm sure mother means that there should be another way- something more amenable to a total rehabilitation," Lysandra murmured, "There was no offense intended to you or yours."
Cassiopeia stood. "Any further questions?"
Harfang glanced from his wife to the case board and scowled. "Surely that isn't the end of this discussion, Madam Black!"
"The decision lies with your own Head of House, and Madam Longbottom has agreed with Agnes that it is better that Alice and Frank be given back their lives than their magic. Theoretically, with more time, maybe we could have a total solution- and frankly, I don't expect us to need to repress their magic forever." Cassiopeia was deathly serious now, the firm tone of her voice typically only heard during her Potions Seminars. "But the damage to their long term mental health- their ability to come back- if we do not at least end the pressure of the crushing magic wrapped around their minds now? I have done the math, I have written out the probability charts, and frankly, they are not good."
Callidora made a noise somewhere between a sob and a gasp.
"Augie gave her support?"
"She did. We will attempt the first round of the trial in the coming week, now that my final experiments are complete."
Edmund patted his mother's hand gently. "Mum, I know how much you adore Frank and Alice- and Frank is like a younger brother to us. Perhaps it would be good for us to sit with…. With Mrs. Granger, was it? To sit with Mrs. Granger, and learn more about life without magic. That way, we can help prepare Frank and Alice for their new world."
Agnes nodded firmly. "That can be arranged."
"Well then- again I ask, any final questions?" Cassiopeia glanced around the table to see a rather wide array of emotions but very little confusion. "Lovely, then we will-,"
"Missy Cassiopeia is forgetting that the little ones need a break."
Surprised, Cassiopeia glanced around the incredibly bored- and in Draco's case, sleeping- faces of the youngest of those gathered. "Did we have a plan for this?" she murmured to her house elf, who had appeared directly beside her with a quiet pop!
"Yes, Missy Cassiopeia."
"Good, good, that's what I thought- please execute on that, then. Quickly, if you please."
Pip tipped her eyes towards the ceiling behind her mistress' back in a gesture entirely too unrespectable for any other Black house elf. "Of course, Missy Cassiopeia."
Popping around the side of the table, the little elf snapped her fingers and sent first Hermione, then Draco, and finally Nymphadora floating into the air behind her in a line like some odd trio of mismatched ducklings.
"Dragon!" Hermione cooed. "Roar!"
("She's so bloodthirsty," Helen sighed.
Narcissa nodded encouragingly. "It's wonderful, dear- she fits right in."
Marius groaned.)
"Hey!" Nymphadora protested, "I'm old enough to stay!"
"But would the little shape shifting great-great-niece prefer to stay, or would she prefer to play hide and seek in the solarium?"
"Bye mum! Bye dad!"
"Narcissa- we aren't really letting that elf take our child, are we?"
"Of course we are, darling- I'd hate for him to feel left out."
Lucius sighed.
"If that would be all then?" Pip asked, eyes glued to her mistress as Cassiopeia reached for another biscuit (the elf was keeping count- so far, they were not at the point of needing kale cookies again, but vegetable soup for dinner was definitely going to be a must).
"That'll do for now, Pip." Cassiopeia, oblivious to the world with a shortbread in her hand, idly waved her wand towards the board. "Onto the next discussion, then."
The parchment marked B in blood red in flipped itself over- written in bright burgundy ink was Sirius Black.
"What would you like to discuss Auntie? Grades? Girls? Boys? Hobbies?" Sirius grinned cheerfully at his Materfamilias as he leaned his chair back onto two legs. "I've a mean tap dance routine memorized, if you'd prefer it."
"While I would positively enjoy Arcturus' reaction to a tap dance number on his table-,"
From Arcturus: "There will be no feet on my table!"
From Sirius: "Ah, a prop!"
"- I'm afraid we do have necessary time constraints. Please restrict yourself to an explanation of your relationships with the Potters, your work in the Order of Phoenix, and your resulting imprisonment."
"How do you know about the Order of Phoenix?"
"What the bloody hell are you talking about, woman?"
Ignatius and Cygnus glared at one another across the table as they spoke over one another.
"Sirius?"
"The Order of Phoenix was-,"
"Boy, do you really want to betray Albus Bloody Dumbledore?" Ignatius demanded, eyes flashing despite Lucretia's hand tap-tapping on his own.
Sirius frowned down the table at him, for once as solemn as his name implied. "Albus Dumbledore's freedom fighter organization suffered more casualties than the aurors and in the end, it was a baby who stopped Voldy. I don't think discussing the Order is out of bounds."
"Now seems like a particularly good time to remind everyone at this table, irregardless of where you fall in House Black's line, that your presence here tonight, be it willing or otherwise, binds you to secrecy unless I personally permit you otherwise." Cassiopeia paused thoughtfully. "I should also probably mention that if you try to break that oath, the family wards will zap you. And in the interest of honesty, I have no idea how to stop them or fix you up if they do, because frankly you all are so much trouble that I haven't had a spare moment to read the handbook."
"Cass," Marius murmured reproachfully.
"Yes, yes- I decided to bring them all together, I know. Ignatius, let me be perfectly candid with you. Albus Dumbledore may well be the greatest wizard of his generation, but he is a meddler, and he is a foolish one at that. You'll hear his name repeated at least a dozen more times this evening, and frankly, I have a feeling he will be called to trial by the family before we're through."
"Madam, how could you say such things?" Lysandra looked deeply troubled, her mouth a soft 'o' of surprise. "Albus Dumbledore is a hero."
"Maybe he was," Cassiopeia murmured, "But times do change. I won't ask your blind faith- only your open ears and silence as you are provided with the information that the family has gathered."
Harfang's large hand smacked roughly against the table, momentarily upsetting a pile of tea sandwiches at his side. "As if we can be sure what you say is the truth!"
"Well, it's funny you say that!"
Arcturus groaned. "Oh bloody hell."
"And in fact, I'm so excited you did!"
"Bloody Longbottoms," Cygnus growled. "You just had to go and say it."
Edmund looked puzzled. "Say what?"
"Pip!"
"She might not have got the blasted thing out if you hadn't opened your gob."
"May I at least use the loo first? It's a bit unnerving knowing that going too far past the toilet might kill you."
"What?!"
"Pip is bringing Missy Cassiopeia's friend's ward stone."
"Excellent, Pip- return to the children. Now then, who remembers what this is?"
Narcissa sighed heavily. "It appears to be yet another ward stone of Madam Calderon's creation, Aunt."
Cassiopeia beamed in her direction as she held a palm sized piece of carved obsidian in the air. "Precisely, you've caught it again my dear. It has the exact same enchantments as the last, as that one worked so perfectly. Would anyone like to share its effects with the group?"
Alternating blank and irritable stares centered in on the Black Materfamilias, but she ignored them. After an uncomfortably long silence, Lucretia sighed and raised her hand.
"Yes, darling?"
"Cousin Cassiopeia's ward stone ensures that no one will be able to move further than 5 yards away from her until I ends the enchantment placed upon it. If you try to leave without her permission, the ward's second purpose will go into effect and you will be killed."
"Cass!" Marius exclaimed, horrified, his uproar taken up by the other newcomers ar the table.
"What now, brother? I did ensure that if I stand in the doorway, anyone can safely reach at least two of the closest loos."
"And before you ask, apparently there's no use just killing her outright," Arcturus said, his tone rather glum for a man contemplating murder, "If you do, there will be no effect on the ward and we'll all remain stuck within five yards of the corpse until we die ourselves."
"Wonderful memory, cousin! And who remembers the third purpose?"
"The ward stone keeps us honest- and if Walburga was any indication, it will literally drag the truth out of your throat whether you'd like it to or not when you're directly asked a question. Fight it and it might actually kill you." Alphard glanced at his nephew warningly, an intense message in his stormy eyes. "That's the gist, right?"
"Wonderful recitation, all of you!"
"Cassiopeia, this is outrageous!"
"Why would you demand I come if these are the conditions?"
"Mother, is this really how your family-,"
Sirius' barking laughter silenced the table. "Well then, this should make it easy. Settle in everyone, and we can get on with what I think I will title: The Exciting, Marvelous, Suddenly Dreadful Tale of Sirius Black."