Happy Friday!

Chapter 99

Jasmine felt her heart stutter at the mention of an attack on the Weasley family. They had done so much for her in so many different lives. Sirius swayed for a moment and Jasmine looped her arm around his shoulders as he staggered. He had sluggishly bleeding wounds along the side of his face and neck and a deep gash on his left arm. His robes were singed and his face had dried soot and blood caked along his jaw and cheekbones.

She immediately took Sirius to the medical wing. It was slow going since he wasn't in the best condition to walk. Jasmine didn't want to cast any spells on him in case he had been hit with a dark magic. Theo would be able to deal with that.

Sirius didn't fight her as she man handled him through the door, which was never a good sign. Sirius thrived off of being a pain in the ass. As much as she would love to get all of the details of the attack Sirius seemed dazed and far too compliant. It was probably just shock, but she needed to be sure. Jasmine didn't need him passing out from untreated curse damage. It wouldn't be the first time that had happened and it probably wouldn't be the last.

War was war, after all.

Narcissa was awake and speaking quietly with Lucius when they entered the room, Draco was snoozing against his shoulder. They must have arrived through her guest floo down the hall. Thank Merlin, Cissy was alert and without a hair out of place. She looked like a queen resting in her medical wing cot. Lucius on the other hand was frazzled. His hair was more disheveled than Jasmine had ever seen it. It was wild and loose and had looked like he had run his hand though it a few too many times. He had tears in his eyes as Narcissa gripped his free hand tightly.

"Dobby and Tippy kept me safe until Jasmine and Bella arrived, love. Nothing bit me and the baby is safe."

Jasmine allowed them some privacy and looked away.

Severus was in the far corner of the wing, reading various potion vial labels and muttering to himself as Theo pointed to something on his clipboard. Severus' outfit was haphazardly put together since it was the middle of the night. His hair was pulled up in a messy horsetail at the base of his neck, his robes were free of wrinkles, but the clothes barely matched.

Sirius groaned as she pushed him onto his post mission bed for a thorough medical examination. All the Marauders had their beds in this wing right next to each other. More often than not they were all used at the same time.

Jasmine had set up the room with two dozen hospital style beds and enough storage to make a clinic jealous. Theo had all sorts of magical medical equipment set up at the rear end of the room and Severus had a small potions lab in the side room. Though, unlike the usual hospital, the sheets were of higher quality, the floor was a dark wood, and the ceilings weren't stark white, but a warm yellow in tone. Jasmine had spent too many nights in hospital wings and didn't care for the white-on-white aesthetic.

Theo walked over to Sirius and tapped him on the head with his wand before he started to flick and swish it in a very practiced and precise motion.

"Can you go one fight without getting injured? Jasmine, grab a minor healing potion. I'm going to be expelling some dark magic." Theo asked, well it was more of a demand. When Theo was in healer mode, there were no questions, just tasks he expected to be fulfilled.

Theo had his wand pointed at Sirius' face. "If you bite me, Sirius, I will not be healing you again. Do you understand?"

It had only happened once, but Theo was never going to let Sirius live that down. Jasmine rolled her eyes as she made her way towards the back of the room and towards Severus who was furiously scribbling notes on a spare piece of parchment. She opened the potions cabinet with a flick of the wrist and pulled the proper potion out. She supposed a summoning charm could have worked, but she could never remember the exact shade of red the minor healing potions were.

When Jasmine got back, Sirius hadn't bitten Theo, though she thought she heard him growling. His color was starting to come back to his cheeks and Theo had a dark ball of energy contained inside a crystal sphere next to him.

Sirius was glaring that the ball as if it had personally offended him. He was not a fan of magical pain…his mother had certainly beat that into him. Theo slipped the contained dark magic into his robe pocket. "Try not to get hit next time."

She held back a laugh as Sirius crossed his arms and pouted. "You poor thing, is the healer picking on you?" She teased as she uncorked the potion. Jasmine handed the potion to Sirius, who curled his lips in disgust at the smell, but took the vial and drank it like a shot of fire whiskey. He shuddered as the potion slid down his throat.

"That was awful," he muttered as he tried not to gag.

There was a quiet sigh from Narcissa's side of the room from Draco. It seemed that he was only person relaxed enough to rest. Abraxas was still unconscious, but his color was returning. There were four new potions vials next to his bed. Severus was moving towards Narcissa's bed with two additional potions in hand.

Sirius pushed himself up on the bed, and gave Jasmine a small nod of his head. Jasmine cleared her throat, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "Sirius, you mentioned that there was another attack tonight. Can you tell us what happened at the Weasley's?" Jasmine asked as some cuts on his face stitched themselves back together and his breathing started to even out.

He took a deep breath. "The entire Hogwarts attack was a set up. It seems that Tom decided to get creative and attack two families tonight. He targeted the Weasley Family and the Malfoy Family. Though, I hadn't heard about the attack at Malfoy Manor until I finished cleaning up the remaining Death Eaters at the Weasley residence. I wish we could have prepared something better for them. Their house had some basic protections, but the Death Eaters got past them. They hadn't been reported as major targets. No one should have known that we were using the house as a temporary base of operations. There is definitely a leak in the Order. This proves it."

Jasmine gritted her teeth and resisted strangling her husband. "You're telling me no one looked into the leak, even after I mentioned it months ago? Is the Order full of morons? You know what, don't answer that. What happened to the Weasleys? Were the captured? Killed? You never said what happened. Tom sent werewolves after Abraxas and Narcissa. I don't know if he counted on me going to save them or not, but I took care of Greyback."

Sirius ran a shaking hand through his hair. "I was told that the leak investigation was under control with Alastor and Kingsley spearheading it. I suppose that they thought they knew who it was and they were wrong. As for casualties…" Sirius took a deep shuddering breath, "Four of the Weasley's were killed, Molly, little Ginny, Ron and Percy. Arthur was tortured and is unconscious at St. Mungo's. We don't know how much mental faculty he will have upon waking."

"And it seems like the scales have balanced. Fate reclaimed what she lost from the original timeline." Theo grumbled to Jasmine, who wanted to punch something. If that was a factor for their deaths Jasmine was going to have some choice words with Fate.

"Where were the other boys? They weren't kidnapped, were they?" Narcissa asked, her hand resting on her abdomen. Bill was currently at school, but where were the other children? Hopefully they hadn't seen anything too graphic. Regardless, they were all going to need to see mind healers after this.

Sirius shook his head, sweat soaked hair swinging in front of his face. "Thank Merlin they weren't home. Charlie and the twins were with Gideon and Fabian. Bill is going to need to be out of Hogwarts for a few weeks if his father's condition doesn't get better. The kid is eleven. He has no idea what he's going to do, yet he might be in charge of an entire house."

Jasmine sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Where are the boys going to be staying? Gideon and Fabian are hit wizards. Their jobs barely allow them time at home. It's going to be a messy custody battle for them if something is wrong with Arthur."

Sirius grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck a bit nervously. Jasmine's eyes narrowed. "About that…I might have told Gideon and Fabian to bring the kids here. They have to go out on assignment tomorrow morning after checking on Arthur."

"Isn't that something you should have asked your wife about first, Black?" Severus snipped from the other side of the room. He had finally moved away from the potion bottles and was silently chatting with Theo, who was checking Abraxas' vitals.

Sirius looked ready to launch himself at Severus. It had been a long night for all of them so far and it seemed it was only going to get worse. Jasmine was going to stop this before it got out of hand. "As much as I would have liked to have been notified about the kids first, I don't see a problem with them staying the night. Since I am Bill's magical sponsor, I might have some kind of guardianship over him…"

Bella let out a dry cackle, it was the first time in nearly half an hour that she decided to talk. Jasmine had assumed she had fallen asleep with her eyes open. She seemed the type to do that. "You are in charge of that kid's entire family if his father kicks it. Sponsorships in ancient times were ways to take in wards to elevate your family's status without stealing a magical line. It's an old rule and not one many people are aware of, since no one uses it that way any longer, but Black Family members need to know all about ancient contracts. Regardless, today sponsorship is used for educational purposes, but the same rules still apply. You have to help his family until he's of age to do so himself. If he is expected to be the head of his family, you are that by proxy."

Jasmine hadn't known about that. She had read the contract, but with that little bit of history more of the nuisances in the contract made more sense. She could feel a tension headache forming at the base of her skull. They were going to need to set up a few new rooms. Merlin, she was going to need to explain all of this to Bill.

Sirius jerked up in bed with a gasp. "Bloody hell, Jazz, we just acquired four children. We are now in charge of four kids and none of them are our blood. Do you know how mad my aunt is going to be? And, to top it off, they're from a light family."

As Sirius spiraled into an abyss of anxiety over his aunt. Jasmine summoned parchment and a pen and began to write a letter to Andromeda. There was no point in going anywhere tonight. The boys would be arriving any minute.

"Lipsy and Dot, come here!"

Two house elves popped into the room, their watery eyes wide and ready to take her request. "Please set up three rooms, one for an eleven-year-old, one for an eight-year-old and another for two three-year-old boys. I expect the appropriate charms for young children prepared throughout the rooms. The boys should be here shortly."

The elves bowed and with a sharp crack disapparated. Hopefully, the elves would be done freshening up the rooms before the children arrived.

"Come on, let's take this conversation to the sitting room. We're are expecting Gideon and Fabian soon. Is Sirius safe to move?"

Theo made a shooing motion and she took that as her cue to grab Sirius and get out before he changed his mind. Sirius pushed himself up and slowly stood, testing to see if he could hold himself up. When he didn't immediately faint, he took a few small steps forward before attempting longer strides.

Lucius took a seat situated in between Abraxas and Cissy's beds as they left the room while Bella was firmly planted next to her sister.

Severus followed them out, his eyes lingering on his Slytherin friends before shutting the door to the infirmary firmly behind him.

"Jasmine, can I have a word?" Severus asked, completely ignoring Sirius' precense. Sirius let out a sigh as Jasmine motioned for him to go on ahead. If Severus needed to share something he more than likely didn't want Sirius listening in on the conversation. The Marauders and Severus might have a truce going, but that didn't mean that they got along all that well. Leaving Severus and Sirius in a room alone together usually ended up with one of them hexing the other.

"I'll let you know when the Prewitt brothers arrive," he muttered, as he continued towards the main sitting room, leaving Jasmine and Severus alone in the hallway. The house was eerily quiet, the paintings were minding their own business and sleeping and the torches were dimmed due to the time of day.

"Is there something you need Sev?"

He ran a hand through his hair, wincing as his fingers got caught in a knot. His gaze locked with hers before answering. "Are you sure you're ready to take on four children? You're good with your godson and I've seen you with Draco, but so many on your own…I don't want Black forcing you into something you aren't ready for."

Ah, Severus always did know when she was a little bit out of her element or feeling a bit off about a situation. It didn't happen often, but when he was there to witness it, he would point it out.

"It's my duty as Bill's sponsor to take care of him and his family, if Bella is to be believed. I can't just abandon the children. It would be horrifically cruel. I'm honestly more worried about Sirius than myself. He spoils Harry, but he's never actually watched a child for more than a few hours at a time without handing them back to their parents."

"And you've done something different?"

Jasmine snorted, even though she felt like shuddering at the memories that surfaced. "Yes, I helped take care of quite a few children when I was forced to participate in the dueling rings. The older children were expected to take care of, train and raise the younger children so the patrons didn't have to. By the time I was freed, I was in charge of nearly half a dozen kids. I'd like to think I did a half decent job."

Severus winced at her sharp tone, but didn't back down. "But, are you ready now? Is this being forced on you? Are you going to feel like you did when you were a child? Is this going to be healthy for you?"

"Sev, we're at war. Nothing is comfortable, but I think taking a few children in is the least awful thing that could happen to someone. The circumstances aren't great, but I don't want them to get split up if I can help it. The Weasley family isn't wealthy. Those boys might be split between different family members. They have magical twin boys. They can't be separated for long periods of time. I sure as hell don't want the ministry making decisions about their wellbeing, which you and I both know they will if this goes to court."

Her friend let out a sigh and pinched his nose. Jasmine figured he was counting back from ten. "I suppose it wouldn't be in their best interest to let the ministry make decisions for them…honestly, the ministry shouldn't be allowed to make any choices, ever. Corrupt, the lot of them."

He wasn't wrong.

She lightly clapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you for worrying about me."

He shrugged, his pale cheeks darkening as he blushed. "Someone needs to. You've been so adamant about not having children…I wasn't sure if you would be comfortable even watching a group of children for a long stretch of time."

Jasmine had been vocal about that at quite a few meetings with her inner circle of friends and family. She wanted to wait till the war was over to even think about having children. The thought of being pregnant right now scared her. She had to fight and that would put her unborn child in more danger than she could bare. Raising a child during a war sounded almost as hard, but she could keep them safe behind wards.

"I won't let them be taken by Death Eaters, Sev. You and I both know the second they are given to another family, they'll be spirited away by Tom and his minions. They're sweet kids. I've met them all before. They adore Sirius…it will be a challenge, but we'll make it work," she replied with a wry smile.

Cassiopeia had been complaining about the lack of children running around her manor a few months prior. She supposed that this was fate's way of handling that. Jasmine was going to need to have a long talk with Fate. She was forcing her scales to balance and Jasmine hated when she did that.

Her annoyance must have shown on her face because Severus was backing away a little bit. "I didn't mean to imply that you would leave them to a fate worse than death…"

Jasmine waved away his apology. "I didn't think you did. I just feel like greater magics are at play here and it's starting to annoy me."

Severus leaned against the wall. His Lordship ring glinting in the low light. His Grandfather had passed the title down to him last year. "You feel it too then? Here I thought I was the only one. But, then again, we're the only two of our friends that are running our family houses. Our magic is more interconnected with Deities," Severus murmured, his dark eyes scanning the hallway as if daring one of them to come out of the woodwork. Honestly, Jasmine wouldn't put it past Death to do that.

Jasmine eyed her own ring, resting on her right hand. She could feel the power rolling off of it. Death's magic was infused into it, along with generations worth of Peverell magics. "That's true. I look forward to fighting against the Deities that would see us fail, Severus."

He nodded and turned his attention back to the infirmary. "I should really go back in and help the Malfoys. Thank you for saving them. Lucius will remember to do that eventually, but right now he's more concerned with his family."

Jasmine felt a smile tug at her lips. "I'm glad that his first priority is making sure his wife, unborn child and father are safe after a brutal attack against their home. Go spend time with your friends, Sev. I'll be in the main sitting room with Sirius."

She was glad that Lucius and Severus retained their friendship in this life. Severus needed to be around Slytherins that weren't evil, but still had connections. The Malfoys fit that criteria, as well as Theodore Nott and Reggie, but Lucius had been a close friend during his Hogwarts days.

She shook her head and watched as Severus turned, robes billowing behind him dramatically as he made his way back to the infirmary.

Though, it seemed, some things never change, no matter the life she lived.

Jasmine quickly made her way towards the sitting room. The fire was going and Sirius was pacing back and forth in front of it. The four seats in front of fire remained unoccupied. There was a cup of steaming tea on the center table in Jasmine's favorite cup. She hoped that it was a strong because it was going to be hard to stay awake for too much longer. "Sirius, sit down. You're going to wear a hole in the floor."

She patted the spot next to her on the couch and he plopped down next to her with a sigh. "We're going to have toddlers running around, Jazz."

"I feel like we're always skipping steps. First, we get together and date before the marriage contract, then we scandalously lived together for two weeks renovating this place before getting married, and now we're raising toddlers before actually having a baby. Your aunt may actually die of shock."

Sirius grinned and Jasmine smacked him. "Would it be so bad if she kicked it? Bella is ready to take over…"

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "If Bella takes over than your father will expect you take over for him. Are you ready to take over the Black Family?"

Before Sirius had the chance to answer the fire changed from red to green. It seemed their guests had arrived.

Well, I've had a lot of readers mention that it seemed like the war wasn't serious enough. I also had readers think I wasn't going to start killing off characters. Welp, the Weasley family massacre moment has been planned for over a year and a half. This is only the start of the fighting.

We've still got another dozen or so chapters before this ends. The endgame is nigh!

We also have accidental child acquisition to add to Jasmine and Sirius' list of strange things to happen to them. So, now we're going to have the Weasley boys in the next chapter and the fall out from the battles.

ANYWAY, in other news...I GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL! AHHHHH! This is not a drill! I have till July to finish this story. XD (I am on track to do that)

Thank you all so much for reviewing, favoriting and following! Over the last few years you all have been pushing me write, hone my craft, and gain the confidence to even apply to the program!

I will update again on March 5th or 6th. I have to get more stitches on the 5th so I might not be up for it. =)

See you soon,
~Animerocker