October 9th, 1995
Coventry

"Damn," Amelia cursed under her breath nearly the second she stepped out of the portkey. "Fucking English weather."

She turned around, the light rain starting to cling to her thin glasses. Delia stepped out of the portkey just a few seconds later. She almost immediately pulled her hood further down over her head to keep her hair as dry as possible. Amelia waited for her, feeling a bit impatient. Silently, she found herself rather annoyed at the situation, but said nothing, walking with Delia towards the tree. They were not too deep into the forest, and it wasn't unthinkable that they were not alone. Amelia glanced to Delia and caught the tension she so clearly held. Under her robes, Amelia tightened her hand around her wand. The steady crunch and squish of leaves and mud around them left a feeling of discomfort to abound, especially with the forest being otherwise silent. Though she did not say it either, Delia felt it too. She pushed down the thought of her husband leaving for home so soon. The meetings throughout the day, she knew, had been absolutely draining and, better than anyone, Delia knew that Cornelius wanted to handle things swiftly, particularly with regards to the Order and the issues between it and MACUSA.

Nothing could be simple these days.

"Take a look," Amelia said, her voice low when they reached the tree. "The aurors will be here within the hour. Hopefully no muggles will have to be obliviated so that we can handle this."

Delia stared at her, then slowly approaching the tree. Sure enough, between the branches which appeared to have been manipulated and stunted over years of overgrowth, a body was stuffed, and rather brutally too. It almost looked like a mannequin. Delia immediately felt sick, pulling her cloak a bit tighter around herself. After a moment, regaining herself, she noticed the wand at the base of the tree and bent down to pick it up and examine it. Amelia sent her a dark look, but this quickly changed to one of immediate panic. Without warning, Amelia Bones drew her wand and pushed Delia Fudge out of the way, a hooded figure emerging from behind a few trees away and approaching them. The crack of someone apparating rung out, followed by another, and two more figures emerged from the trees, all wearing masks. For a moment, Delia was pissed, thinking Amelia paranoid over nothing. It was then she saw the figures. Her heart dropped. Ever so briefly, she assumed them to be merely cultists, perhaps a group of muggles looking for a crime of opportunity.

Seeing the Dark Mark be cast by one of the figures over the area changed that in an instant.

Barely thinking, Amelia pulled out her Ministry ID, demanding the figures cease stepping towards them as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They did not, and instead two of them charged towards the women, unleashing the killing curse. Amelia ducked out of the way of one blast and Delia rolled out of the other, wheezing while she pushed herself off the ground. The third figure disapparated without warning, leaving the two to handle Amelia and Delia. A duel began in full fury. The first figure moved on Amelia, aiming several curses at her. The second moved on Delia, and fear set in for her. Knowing better than duel with verbal magic, Delia cast several jinxes at the figure, a few of which knocked them back and briefly left them winded.

The first figure, still violently duelling Amelia, slashed into her cheek with one curse but was, in turn, petrified by another of hers. Angrily clutching her bleeding cheek and with her opponent incapacitaed, Amelia moved to help Delia but was not quick enough. The second figure unleashed a round of curses on the American auror, finally hitting her with the Cruciatus Curse. Delia screamed in pain, convulsing and falling to the ground, twitching and losing her hold on her wand. Amelia charged towards the figure to stop them, casting several hexes and curses herself, but missed by barely an inch. By the time she was close enough to grab them, they disapparated. The effect of the curse still coursing through her, Delia barely saw as Amelia ran towards her before her vision was completely dark, her entire body pained and her head shaking.

"God damn it!" Amelia picked up Delia's wand and dropped it into her bag with her own before grabbing her and disapparating with her. The aurors would have quite a mess when they arrived, that was certain.

October 10th, 1995
Hogwarts

There was a hiss all around his ears, his head spinning and the sound piercing through him. Harry could barely see but every part of his body was awake. There was electricity running violently through him, and it was making him tense from his stomach to his shoulders and neck. He could see two women in the distance, and they were walking through a forest. Out of nowhere, flashes of red jumped out from among the trees. There was cursing, snaps of magic, the sound of the forest drowned out among the yells. Briefly, he caught sight of the symbol spreading out in the sky. The Dark Mark. Voldemort's mark. A primal rage hit Harry in waves, but, before he could even feel anything, a piercing scream rang out among a harsh, red light. Then, there was nothing, nothing except for a woman cursing followed by a name. Delia. The -

"Harry?" Ron grabbed him suddenly, dragging him out of his dream. "You alright mate? You were -"

Harry almost knocked him over, all but jumping out of bed and running out of the dorm towards the common room. Ron followed after him, the noise waking several of their roommates. Just before he could run out of the common room, Harry was stopped by Hermione, who he hadn't even seen by the fire, working diligently on what looked to be no less than three different papers. He tried to speak but couldn't find coherent words. Worried, Ron and Hermione shared a look before running after Harry. It didn't take long for them to figure out where he was headed. The Headmaster's office. Yet, well before the trio could even make it past the third set of halls, they were stopped dead in their tracks. Professor McGonagall, looking equally frazzled and exhausted, dragged them into her office, beginning to lecture them for being out of bed after hours before she had even shut the door. Ron and Hermione tried to protest, both of them holding Harry steady by his shoulders. It was no use.

"What is going on?" McGonagall demanded, frowning at the three of them. "If none of you can give a proper explanation for this, I'm afraid detention -"

"Madame Fudge was attacked, in a forest," Harry blurted out. "There was the Dark Mark, I -"

"Potter," McGonagall turned rather white, looking sick to her stomach. "How could you possibly know about that when Professor Dumbeldore has yet to inform her children?"

Hermione, Ron, and Harry all stared at her in disbelief.

"Death Eaters?" Hermione breathed, utterly horrified.

"Is she dead?" Ron exclaimed.

"It was a dream," Harry quietly explained, meeting McGonagall's gaze. "Or a vision. I don't know. But Voldemort -"

"Come with me," She said briskly. "All three of you. Now. I believe we all will have to discuss this matter with Professor Dumbledore."

The door opened without warning. McGonagall resisted the urge to swear, though she found herself much more concerned than angry when Tonks stepped in. Closing the door behind herself, Tonks let out a sigh when she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione before shaking her head.

"What's going on here?"

"They know," McGonagall said shortly. "Has something happened?"

"Lily Potter should be here soon," Tonks replied, glancing to Harry. "She's the godmother of Edward Fudge, as I imagine you know."

Harry nodded. "Is…." He hesitated. "Is she dead?"

"No," Tonks confirmed. "That is not to say she is in a good state, however. She is currently at St. Mungos."

Ron sat down, looking ill. "Dad was in there once," He said quietly. "After being attacked by a cursed muggle artefact. That isn't a good sign."

"No, it's not," Tonks agreed, turning to McGonagall. "No doubt this is going to be in the Prophet come the morning. So. What are we going to do about this?"

October 10th, 1995
Number 12 Grimmauld Place

"Sirius? Are you alright?"

Remus lightly set his hand to his husband's back, seeing the way he was shaking. Sirius was breathing heavily, his entire body shaking, his hands worst of all. He had woken up from a nightmare, only to be nearly run over Lily as she left in a frenzy. The reminder of the twelve years of false imprisonment had come back to him in torrents. He tried to remind himself he was free. His name had been cleared just two years ago. It was recent, and it was a relief to think about. Lily, Harry, Eleanor, and Remus' discovery of the truth had saved him. That and the damn copy of the Prophet. Dryly, Sirius supposed that may have been the one and only time the Prophet had incited something good. He shook off the initial anger both Harry and Lily had expressed towards him. The loathing, the utter disbelief of the crime he had committed. It stuck with him, that Peter had convinced them all, despite being unmasked by Lily as a traitor, that he had been the one responsible for the explosion that killed him and thirteen muggles. It was a damn mess, and a disaster. He couldn't help but remember it now, with what he had heard from Amelia Bones of all people.

"Wait, Minister," Sirius had stood up in his cell in Azkaban. "Have you finished with that copy of the Prophet? It's been ages since I've gotten to read it."

Fudge had turned to him, stunned. "Well, I suppose -"

"I would appreciate it," Sirius had smiled when Fudge nervously set down the copy of the paper, sliding it towards him. "Thank you."

"You bastard!" Lily had yelled, her wand drawn on him. The memory came in so quickly, almost as if it were connected to the first though it had been months apart. "You didn't have to kill that many people just to get back at Peter! There was no -"

"Lily," Sirius had embraced his old friend almost as tightly as he had embraced his husband, for the first time in his own clothes as he stepped out of the courtroom. "They've cleared me of all charges," He had said, his voice breaking. This memory was the happiest of the three, a shining light in his jumbled thoughts. He had turned to Remus, letting him kiss him for the first time since his release. He was finally free. "Remus?"

"You may owe Delia Fudge a favour or two," Remus had told him, half jokingly. "She was the one who found some of the evidence to finally prove you were not responsible."

Sirius had laughed, smiling when he caught sight of the woman and her husband at the other end of the hall, speaking in hushed tones. He had started towards her, Remus holding his hand and both of their wands. Delia had turned on her heel, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

"I suppose I owe you a thanks," Sirius had smiled and Delia had sighed.

"You owe me a great deal more than that, but, for spending twelve years in Azkaban, I'll call it even," She had said with a faint smirk. "Go take care of yourself, all of you. I'm sure it's more than called for."

"Sirius?" Remus cut into his husband's thoughts again, holding him steady as he continued to shake. "If something's bothering you, please tell me. I -"

"It's too much like what happened in London," Sirius whispered. "With Peter. In November of '80."

Remus swallowed hard. "Sirius," He brushed his husband's hair away from his eyes. "You're innocent. You're free. You're never going to go back to that hell. I promise."

"It's not that," Sirius' voice broke and he was feeling dizzy. He closed his eyes and let Remus hold him steady. "It's what happened tonight. It's too similar. Peter had to have been there. He -"

"We'll see what happened soon," Remus told him, hoping to reassure him. "It's going to all be dealt with."

"Aurors arriving at the scene quickly hasn't been enough before," Sirius shakily replied. "It could be the same, it could -"

"Sirius," Remus held his husband's face in his hands. "Sirius, listen to me: it is going to be alright. Just give it a few hours so we know more. I can't have you go out there and get killed."

Sirius eventually nodded, tears finally escaping him when Remus kissed his forehead.

"What would I do without you…." He choked out.

"Don't worry," Remus quietly replied. "You will never have to worry about that again."