Dawn of the Apocalypse

by Rosewater13

Emily Potter was used to lying to her fiancé Regulus Black. He could never know the truth. She was used to lying to everyone and hated the irony that the only people she could trust were the same people she spent her time in school avoiding, including one Sirius Black. SiriusxOCxRegulus Sequel to Crossing the Line

27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

November 8, 1992

Emily felt so exhausted by the day's events she went to bed early, or tried to. For some reason she wasn't able to fall asleep and spent hours tossing and turning.

Guilt filled her remembering how her resolve broke and she kissed Sirius back. Followed by memories of how he touched her. Kissed her. Nothing he did felt rushed. If anything he was holding himself back. And kissing him felt so different than she expected. Everything he did felt different compared to-

Emily turned over roughly, pulling her blankets closer, reeling in her thoughts. They didn't have time for this. They had Harry to worry about. If Voldemort was behind the attacks then none of them were safe out there. One wrong move and they'd end up like James and Lily.

There was a creak of the floorboards outside her bedroom door and she jumped, instantly reaching for her wand. Then she stopped and reasoned with herself it was Sirius. Her panic slowly subsided and she waited. His footsteps were so light she had to listen closely to follow the sound. He walked down the hall and the stairs. After another minute or two of waiting she didn't hear him return.

Her internal debate was short and she was suddenly out of bed, putting on a night robe over her nightgown, and going downstairs, drawn towards the glow of the firelight emitting from the lounge.

She stopped in the doorway. Sirius was sitting on the sofa facing the fireplace with Lady Feathertop at his side, her head and paws perched on his leg, and Ruby curled up asleep on the rug in front of the fire.

Now that she was there, Emily didn't know what to say, or why she came down in the first place.

"Another nightmare?" he asked, but didn't look at her.

"No," she said, watching Feathertop turn over and curl into Sirius's side. "I couldn't fall asleep."

He chuckled at a joke she wasn't in on and said knowingly, "What 'cha overthinking now?"

She bristled at his tone. "You and how childish you are."

"You know, I'd have be less upset earlier if you answered me instead of rushing off to fawn over Remus-"

"I wasn't fawning over him," she said, her face and chest becoming warmer, and stepped into the room. "I've been helping him all these years for you. And now he's... my friend. And in my opinion, you should be more concerned about what's going on between us than with him."

He looked interested, surveying her closely. "Yeah? And what's going on between us?"

Her heart skipped a beat and she pulled her robe tighter around herself, suddenly self conscious. "Nothing if you keep acting like a jealous boyfriend."

He smirked. "So I should start acting like a regular boyfriend then?"

Emily pursed her lips, giving the questions more thought than necessary, and snapped, "I don't - that's not what I - Look, I came down here to answer you. I'm worried and I don't want to do anything that will mess things up with Harry."

His head tilted in confusion. "Wanna elaborate there for me?"

She wrung her hands, putting her thoughts together carefully. "Sirius, we're not people who get to do whatever we want wherever we want. If we're caught being... involved, we'll be featured in every newspaper and gossip magazine known to the wizarding world. Merlin forbid they find out we're living together. An Auror and a former prisoner of Azkaban - the story practically writes itself - and they'll dig up old news on Regulus. I'll have no choice but to reveal everything to Harry sooner than I want in order to correct the speculations and lies - or worse the truth. But there are people out there that want to hurt us and we need to be careful about every step we take. For Harry's safety, and our own. I've worked hard to make sure no one knows where I am outside of work or how to get here. And I want to keep it that way. Not go out." She paused and anxiously waited for his reaction.

He seemed to be thinking over what she said thoughtfully, his face somber.

"You know," he said slowly, running a hand over his chin. "I always told James I was headline material, but he never believed me. I'm so glad you can see my cover story potential. He'd be quite impressed I think."

Annoyance wiped away her worry and she glared. "Are my concerns a joke to you?"

Sirius stood, much to Feathertop's displeasure, and said firmly, "Of course not. In my opinion, those are all things we can handle together. Besides, what other people think or write about us doesn't matter-"

"Don't be naïve," she scoffed. "I can't help Harry if I'm busy fighting the press. And I have a career and carefully built reputation to think about."

He gave her an irritated look. "Yes, alright - It doesn't matter to me, but I'm willing to keep things private if it means so much to you. All I want is to spend time with you, not show you off."

The tension in her shoulders eased a bit in response to his words, though there was still an uneasiness inside of her - an unshakeable uncertainty. "Right, that's... a relief, but don't you think you'll be happier if you were with... if you started fresh instead?"

"No," he said stubbornly, "I'm not trying to start again, I'm happy to pick back up where we left off. For so long I've... I've wanted this to happen. Period. End of story. And I see the chance now to do that now, if you'll let me."

How can he be so sure about me? Something deep inside her coiled and turned in fear and distrust. How can I believe him?

"I'm not... I've been alone such a long time, and even before that I - I -" Emily faltered and rubbed her throat, her heart pounding so hard she needed to catch her breath. "I still don't know how to let go of things or be happy. And it may take a long time for me to be comfortable with even the idea of this. I might not be able to give you everything you want or do everything you want as fast as you want."

"I'm not that hard to please, promise," he said, his tone light, like he was trying not to scare her, and stepped closer to gently take her hand. "I don't want to change you or push you to do anything you don't want to. We'll take things as slow as you need. And tell Harry when you're ready too. We'll face all of that together."

She stared at him, her body humming in response to the contact and his promises. Warmth radiated off him in waves and she felt an undeniable desire to be closer, to be swept away by him like earlier that day at the beach. The sensation grew stronger the longer she held his gaze.

Then a dark voice crept into her mind. You'll end up hurting him. Or worse. He'll end up like-

"What if things don't work out?" she asked, pushing the voice aside. "What if I-"

"We won't know what's going to happen until we try," he said and lifted her hand to kiss her palm. Her fingertips brushed his face and he looked at her with such an intensity that butterflies erupted in her stomach and sparks fired off in her chest. "And trust me when I say, even if it's the biggest mistake of my life, I don't care. I want you, Emily."

The way he said her name made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. For the first time in a long time she didn't want to argue with him. She felt hopeful, but the feeling scared her. She wanted to trust him, and that scared her even more. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and her stomach squeezed in discomfort as her thoughts began spinning too fast.

"Hey, don't go getting lost in there now," Sirius said, reaching out to brush her hair behind her ear. A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine as his hand lingered on her cheek. "I'll do whatever I can to make this work. If it's too confusing with me staying here, I'll go-"

"No!" she said, suddenly breathless, putting a hand on his chest as if to stop him, and she held his gaze like a lifeline. Her next words came out like she was pushing a large boulder off her chest, "Don't go. We can figure this out with you here."

He smiled like he won something. "Brilliant! So-"

"But!" she said loudly, her thoughts finally catching up and rearranging to make sense. "We have to keep this between us. No public appearances. No talking about this with anyone, not even Remus. I can't handle any additional pressure right now. It needs to be-" she paused, feeling the weight of irony as she said, "-simple. If you can agree to those terms then I can maybe relax and not think about everyone else while we... explore this. Can you manage that much?"

He nodded enthusiastically, nearly bumping her forehead.

"Simple is my specialty, as you know," he said and winked, his face taking on a childish excitement that made him look ten years younger.

"Then it's settled," she said, sighing in relief that the conversation was over, and exhaustion hit her so hard she yawned. It was then she remembered it was the middle of the night and they both needed rest. She turned, tugging on his hand, and led him into the hallway. "Now come to bed with me."

"Emily, you naughty girl, I thought-"

"To sleep," she said, rolling her eyes, but her lips twitched in amusement.

"What if I'm not tired?" he said playfully.

She stopped at the staircase, suddenly nervous, and took a step up to look down at him and said, "I don't want to be alone. Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

His face softened and he smiled. "Of course, whatever you need."

Feeling pleasantly warm, and surprisingly safe, Emily leaned in and kissed Sirius - short and sweet - before leading him upstairs.

---

May 30, 1993

Autumn froze into winter, which melted into spring, and for a little while Emily lived in a world of her own choosing with Sirius. Focused, for once, on her own happiness.

Until the real world and its dangers came crashing back down in the form of two owls arriving in the middle of the night.

Emily and Sirius awoke at the sound of tapping on the glass of her bedroom window.

In a very quick sequence, they let the owls in, read the letters, exchanged panicked looks, dressed in a flash, and apparated together to the front gates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There they were met by Professor McGonagall.

Emily pulled away from Sirius, her face was as white as chalk, and opened her mouth to speak.

"No time to waste," McGonagall said and motioned them forward, "follow me. Everyone else is waiting in my office."

But Emily didn't wait for her. With a destination in mind she took off running, Sirius hot on her heels, and the older witch was left to try and keep up as they sprinted into the castle and through the dark corridors.

Emily burst into McGonagall's office first, followed by Sirius, and - after a few beats - Professor McGonagall. Her eyes swept the room wildly. Molly Weasley was crying in a chair in front of the fireplace, with Arthur Weasley beside her, and Dumbledore by the mantlepiece. They all looked up in a mix of emotions.

"Where is Harry?!" Emily exclaimed. "What's happened?"

"Emily, Sirius, thank you for arriving on such short notice, and exactly at the same time," Dumbledore said, a curious glint entering his eyes. Professor McGonagall, still catching her breath, went to his side to face them all. Her face had more color now, but somehow she looked more distressed.

Then Dumbledore became grave and said, "I wish you could be here under less dire circumstances. At around sunset, Harry, his friend Ron Weasley, along with Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, followed Ginny Weasley into the Chamber of Secrets in an effort to save her, but they have not yet returned."

Mrs. Weasley let out a sob of anguish that rattled Emily to the bone.

"What do we do?" she asked.

"There's nothing we can do but wait and hope."

Emily stiffened. Sirius stepped closer to her, but she moved away, all too aware of the eyes on them, and began to pace. Sirius leaned against the desk and went from watching her, to the Weasleys huddled together, to the fire. She felt a pang, but ignored the feeling, along with anyone else's gaze.

The longer time trickled by, the darker her thoughts became.

The Chamber is a legendary place of death and destruction. Voldemort bragged he was the only one who could control the monster that lived under the castle and come out of that place alive. They could all be dead. If this really is the Heir of Slytherin, then it's Voldemort. He could be torturing Harry right now. He could return. He could already be back. Harry could already be dead. All this time Harry was in danger and what was I doing? Playing house? Why didn't I see there was more going on than what he said in his letters? Why didn't I do more? Now he could be dead. This could be the beginning of the end.

There was a knock and everyone but Dumbledore jumped when the office door opened.

For a moment there was silence as Harry, the two Weasley children, and Gilderoy Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in mud and coated in something that made them all glisten in the firelight.

Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, whooshed over them and across the room in a blaze of red and gold, landing gracefully on the headmaster's shoulder.

Mrs. Weasley screamed, "Ginny!"

But Emily moved first, crossing the room in a flash and frantically searching Harry for injuries. She saw a large rip on his sleeve, and blood on his arm, but there was no wound. When she pulled back her hands were stained with blood and something black. Then she saw what he was holding. The Sorting Hat in one hand and in the other a magnificent longsword with a golden handle encrusted with rubies.

Sirius put a hand on Harry's shoulder, looking over him in concern, his face pale, and spoke quickly, with a combination of concern and excitement.

"Are you hurt? You're covered in blood. Bloody hell, is that a sword?"

"I'm fine," Harry said, sounding breathless, and looked between her and Sirius in disbelief. Then he smiled, glancing at his friends being swept up by their mother. "We're all fine."

Emily embraced him with no regard to the filth or putrid smell that covered him. "Thank Merlin," she whispered, tears prickling the corner of her eyes. Sirius put a hand on her shoulder and her chest swelled, overwhelmed with relief and joy.

When Emily moved back Mrs. Weasley was next to pull Harry into her arms.

"You saved her!" she cried, "You saved her! How did you do it?"

"I think we'd all like to know that," Professor McGonagall said weakly.

Harry hesitated, then walked over to the desk and put down the Sorting Hat, the sword, and a black book with a large hole burned through the middle - the cover and pages stained in ink.

Then he told them his story. There were things he failed to mention in his letters to her and Sirius. Like how he was hearing voices in the castle walls; how his friend figured out a basilisk was the monster in the chamber, but got herself petrified; how Harry and Ron met a giant spider, Aragog, in the Forbidden Forest to learn about what happened fifty years ago when the last student died. The list of unbelievable events went on and on.

When he paused for breath McGonagall asked what they were all wondering, how they escaped alive.

Harry hesitated again and glanced at the Weasley girl, Ginny, who was leaning against her mother. Silent tears streamed down her face, her eyes wide and fearful. Harry panicked and his eyes pleaded for help, whipping from the Weasleys, to Emily and Sirius, finally to Dumbledore. She watched the headmaster expectantly as well.

"What interests me most," Dumbledore said gently, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania."

Mr. Weasley's eyes widened. "W-what's that? You-Know-Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not... Ginny hasn't been... has she?" Disbelief and horror crossed his face, and he looked at his daughter as if he didn't know who or what he was looking at.

Unwillingly, Emily thought of a similar look her father gave her the first time she returned home a Slytherin. The memory triggered something dark coiled deep inside her that she pushed back down roughly.

"It was this diary," Harry said quickly, picking the book up and handing it to Dumbledore, who looked over it eagerly. Emily's own hands twitched with the desire to examine the diary herself when Harry said, "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen..."

"Brilliant," Dumbledore said softly, his eyes flickering to Emily and Sirius, then he turned to the Weasley family, who listened, flabbergasted, as he explained 'Riddle' was none other than Lord Voldemort. And then they became horrorstruck when they discovered their daughter had been writing to him all year. Their reaction upset the girl more as she sobbed and tried to explain, but to no avail.

Dumbledore eased their fears and ordered Ginny to the hospital wing. He opened the door for them as encouragement to leave and Mrs. and Mr. Weasley led Ginny out.

Emily watched the girl until they were out of sight. There seemed to be no negative impacts to Ginny's magic after being so close to the horcrux all year. Her soul returned after Tom Riddle's diary was destroyed.

Then Dumbledore made a suggestion to McGonagall to organize a late night feast for the entire school, which she left to do, but not before sending a stern look to Harry and Ron.

Sirius leaned closer to Emily and broke her from her thoughts, whispering, "I don't miss that look."

Emily checked that no one was looking before giving him an amused smile. Being in the castle together again after so long left her with a range of feelings she pushed aside to pay attention to Dumbledore, who was awarding Harry and Ron Special Awards for Services to the School and two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor.

Sirius swelled with pride, but she had mixed feelings about the sudden advantage given to Gryffindor to win the cup. Then she shook her head, feeling ridiculous for still harboring old house rivalries.

Harry's friend was assigned the task of taking the obliviated Lockhart - who was roaming the room absentmindedly with a bewildered look plastered on his face - to the infirmary.

As they left Emily took a moment to give Harry another once over to verify he was alright. He seemed to be bursting with adrenaline after the night's events. Even after hearing his tale, she decided she needed to see more.

"Harry," she said, drawing his attention, searching his eyes intently, "are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, um, Aunt Emily," he said, smiling awkwardly, his green eyes wide open like a book.

That's when she looked into his mind, sweeping through the swirling memories of Harry's night. Having no defenses to fight against, she easily got in, seeing and hearing everything until she found what she needed. How he interacted with the diary and looked into Riddle's memories. How he opened the chamber. What happened to Ginny after writing in the diary. How Tom Riddle's soul absorbed Ginny's magic and soul. What Tom Riddle looked like. She collected as many of his memories as she could, replaying them in her mind until they were her own.

"Emily," Dumbledore said, drawing her attention from Harry, and looked down his crooked nose at her. His eyes shined knowingly in the firelight, his tone serious. "I need you to retrieve what you've been holding onto. Bring it here right away."

Her heart almost stopped at the request. They stared off and she saw the curiosity in his eyes, stronger and more dangerous than her own, and heard his voice in her head.

Fascinating... So he made another horcrux. And he doesn't know it's been destroyed... We have the chance at an advantage.

"Best we move quickly, Emily," he continued, a pleasant smile spreading, "I assume you're prepared to finish this?"

She nodded, suddenly eager to leave. Her heart was pounding so hard she had to fight to keep her voice steady and breathing under control. "Of course, professor, I'll go right away."

"Bring Sirius with you," he said, his eyes shining brighter. "The two of you work well together."

Emily nodded stiffly, her neck becoming warmer, and purposefully didn't look at Sirius as she turned to Harry.

"Harry," she said, a farewell in her tone. "Don't be afraid to reach out if you need anything, alright? We'll write soon about setting up a visit over the summer."

Harry looked overwhelmed at the offer, but then he hesitated, like he wanted to ask something, and a pained expression flashed across his face.

Emily waited, but he didn't say anything more. She was tempted to leave things there, but Sirius seemed to notice Harry's expression as well.

"Alright there, Harry?" Sirius asked, "Something you want to tell us?"

He hesitated, looking at them all for a few seconds, then said, "I wanted you to know... I wanted to ask... Well, Riddle said I'm like him. Strange likeness, he said..."

Emily felt a cold chill travel down her spine.

"Did he now?" Dumbledore said.

"Rubbish," Sirius said heatedly.

"What do you think, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes glued on him.

"I don't think I'm like him!" Harry burst, looking confused and terrified. "I mean, I'm - I'm in Gryffindor, I'm..." he went silent for a moment, then said quietly. "The Sorting Hat told me I'd - I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while... because I can speak Parseltongue..."

He sounded so disgusted Emily's heart skipped painfully. The feeling in her chest only got worse as Dumbledore looked at Harry in a calculated manner. Like he was a puzzle, not a person, one that he needed to solve at all costs, and she felt a protectiveness rise in her.

"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," Dumbledore said calmly, "because Lord Voldemort - who is the last remaining descendent of Salazar Slytherin - can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure..."

"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, his disgust magnifying.

"It certainly seems so."

"So I should be in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me, and it -"

"Put you in Gryffindor," Dumbledore cut in and explained that Harry had everything that made him a Slytherin didn't matter in the end because the Sorting Hat placed him in Gryffindor. Then, finishing in his professor fashion, he said, "You know why that was. Think."

Emily's eyebrows furrowed, inadvertently reverting back to her student self as Harry pondered Dumbledore's words. She valued her determination and resourcefulness most, and embraced her ambitious nature. All because that's what the hat saw in her. There was an ancient magic woven in by the Founders themselves meant to look into a person's soul and see what made them who they are. What traits would help them most to thrive. The hat was responding to the will of the Founders. Beyond their control.

Harry spoke carefully, looking unsure. "It only put me in Gryffindor... because I asked not to go in Slytherin..."

Emily's mouth twisted. That can't be right...

"Exactly," said Dumbledore, smiling widely, and Emily blinked, bewildered. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this."

Dumbledore grabbed the sword and handed it over to Harry, who slowly turned it over. In the firelight a name was illuminated.

Godric Gryffindor.

Emily's heart sank.

"See Harry!" Sirius said proudly, clapping him on the shoulder, grinning widely. "You're nothing like that rotten old snake."

Harry smiled back, looking pleased and grateful, and like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Emily suddenly felt very small and out of place, the floor beneath her feet somehow not as solid, her thoughts spinning.

If I could have chosen a house then I would have been a Gryffindor... like father wanted. But maybe that's not what I wanted. Perhaps Harry is more like the rest of the family. He was born with whatever I'm lacking. How would he react if he knew I chose Slytherin?

"I need to go," she said loudly, unable to stop the pain bubbling in her chest, and left without another word.

Before she knew it she was running. She got halfway down the corridor before Sirius called out, but she pretended not to hear him.

Too many irrational feelings were whipping through her, derailing her at the worst possible time.

Don't get so emotional about this. Harry doesn't know you're a Slytherin. And if he did... I'm not like the other Slytherins. I'll show him I'm different.

The end of Regulus's task was right in front of her - a victory after years of waiting to strike. She could finally be done.

Sirius caught up to her on the moving staircase down and put a hand on her arm. "Emily-"

"Let's not discuss anything here," she said shortly, waiting impatiently for the stairs to stop, holding the railing tightly, and glanced around, "there's too many prying ears." There were noises of indignation from some of the nearby portraits that would have amused her if she wasn't so on edge.

Thankfully Sirius didn't push the matter and stayed silent until they reached the front gate.

"Where are we going?" he asked, his tone ominous, like he knew something bad was coming.

Briefly, she thought about not bringing him with, telling him to go home, but decided that would only upset him and lead to more headaches for her down the road. He made it clear time and time again he wanted to help her. And she didn't want to stop him anymore.

Turning to him, Emily kept her face straight, and said, "Grimmauld Place."

Sirius's face fell.