'Well,' smiled Bill. 'That was a little anticlimactic.'

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.

'Not that I'm complaining,' Bill spoke quickly, 'I just thought us Aurors may have a little bit more to do. Everything happened in private.'

'Thank Merlin you all didn't. I've seen too much Auror blood spilt these last few years,' Dumbledore replied ruefully.

Rita turned to look at Dumbledore, who studied her face. She looked back at him smiling. His face looked ten years younger than it had done earlier that day.

'Miss Skeeter,' he smiled, 'Let's go inside.'

They walked back towards Grimmauld place.

'I have asked a lot from you tonight. One final request. Could I ask for your memories of this evening? I have a Pensieve you see, and your recollections of this evening would be of enormous help to me in piecing together what exactly happened this evening.'

'Of course. I shall pop round to Hogwarts tomorrow evening. I have much to do tonight. That front page won't write itself, you know,' Rita responded as they walked inside the imposing front doors. Dumbledore smiled softly at her.

'Thank you, Rita.'

He had always known Rita had a good side. He knew about her more unpleasant personality traits. Her pushiness for a start. The unreliable narrative at the best of times. Those were clear to all. He also knew about her soft spot for Remus. He knew she knew about his affliction, and had never said a word about it. He suspected Remus knew this too. Remus had always been kind to her since they were young.

She wasn't paying any attention at this point, lost in her imagination, already practising her acceptance speech for her journalist of the year award inside her head. They walked back into the drawing-room.

Sirius was telling everyone within earshot that Pettigrew was a rat Animagus and for Merlin's sake, put him in a cage without bars otherwise the rat would get out of there. Bill had produced a glass cage from his bag. He enlarged it for him as they rolled in the traitorous turd. Not before Walburga had hit Peter with her cane a couple more times.

Iris had watched her do this, and, with wobbly legs stood, holding onto the table leg and with her short, stumpy leg, kicked Pettigrew in the head once more for good measure.

Sirius's first instinct was to smile proudly at both his mother and daughter. As Iris looked up at him, his face fell. Voldemort's Granddaughter. The smile fell as quickly as it had formed. Iris went to hug him, but he turned away from her, much to her confusion.

The healers had given Hayley a blood replenishing potion and checked her over briefly. She seemed a bit more aware as the two healers floated her onto a stretcher.

'It'll be alright love. We'll get you to the hospital,' said the woman in a comforting tone, 'I've seen a lot worse. You'll be right as rain in the morning. We'll fix you right up.'

Hayley could only gaze at her. Gareth, her father was there too. He was looking at her with so much remorse and guilt. 'Da…,' she stopped. Not her dad. Her uncle she supposed. Tom. That wraith had said that he was her father, that meant Vol….,' she stopped herself from thinking. That locket. It was so heavy with the darkest of magic. She had felt it all through her. Her eyes were so heavy. Her body felt like a block of steel. The exhaustion of the last two days was galloping up on her. She had been running on pure adrenaline and fear. Her eyes settled on Iris as relief flooded inside them. The healers levitated her.

'Iris,' she whispered. The healers nodded in understanding. They levitated the stretcher near the toddler who lifted her chubby hand into her mother's.

'I'll be back soon,' she whispered. Iris simply looked at her and squeezed her hand gently.

Walburga was looking at Hayley.

'Tomorrow,' Hayley stated simply.

'We'll talk tomorrow,' Walburga replied. Sirius watched all this with apprehension. His eyes met Hayley's. He stood to the side and didn't attempt to approach her.

'Sirius,' Hayley seemed to pause. Whatever she was going to say seemed to die on her tongue.

'Later,' she said.

Sirius gave a brief nod. Hayley closed her eyes as she drifted into oblivion. The healers then levitated her out of the House. Gareth following close behind.

The other healers were attending to Moody and Kingsley.

'Both alive, but unconscious. I could be wrong, but it looks like they've both been given the draft of the living dead. And a lot of it,' one pronounced, 'Let's get them in the ambulance.'

The Wizarding World had an ambulance similar to the knight bus. The three most critical patients would be whisked away and be at in a few minutes.

'We'll be back for the others in a jiffy,' called out one of the healers.

Walburga and Iris would need to be checked over, but they mostly seemed unharmed. Kreacher would need some salve for his bruised knuckles, however.

Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief. Moody and Kingsley were two of the few Aurors whom he had any trust to be tough as nails but fair. Now Tom was caught and a long list of his followers could be established. Dumbledore doubted he would get all their names through Veritaserum. One needed to be very clever when questioning very intelligent people.

Interpretation of a question could be manipulated. Still, they should be able to arrest many of them. They had a lot of Death Eater suspects held in the Ministry cells already. At least the Imperius curse defence would be utterly useless. Tom Riddle would make sure of that.

Dumbledore smirked. The Death Eaters had been caught in their own trap. The prosecution was forbidden by law from giving Purebloods Veritaserum in a court of law. The Half-bloods and Muggleborns that Lucius Malfoy and his ilk were so enthusiastic about lording it over had, throughout history forced it down their throats in court in the hopes of Purebloods gaining more incriminating evidence against them to ensure a long prison time. It amused them greatly that they could walk free of the most disgusting crimes due to lack of evidence and a Muggle-born or Half-blood could spend twenty years in prison for a much lesser crime.

'Those from the gutter should stay in the gutter. They should by now have learned their place in our world,' Lucius could be heard to say pompously.

'Lucius. Self-proclaimed Pureblood royalty,' Dumbledore thought, giving a resigned sigh, 'Caught by their own traps. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when he finds out Tom is a Half-blood.'

There was something poetic about it.

Even with all those greasy palms, the many corrupt Pureblood elites couldn't defend him against that in the Wizengamot. When Tom would have to state in court the truth that Lucius was never under the Imperius curse and did all his murdering and torture wantonly and with great enthusiasm Malfoy's defence would fall apart.

'Karma,' Albus thought. He hoped they were given a cell next to each other.

'Yes,' thought Dumbledore, 'We had started the day in the depths of despair, but it had somehow ended brighter than I could ever predict. No deaths and a mortal Tom without magic. For how long though?''

Dumbledore didn't want to rain on his own parade, but if anyone could rise from this, Tom Riddle could.

'How many more tricks did he have up his sleeve? Still, even with Tom's talent and the criminal mind, it could take him years to regain his strength and followers. If they didn't execute him that is. He would be far more useful to them alive. Years of crimes could be attributed to him.'

Dumbledore paused. Something tickled the back of his mind, 'How? How did Tom do this? How did he rise again?'

His thoughts wandered to Sirius and his hostile reaction at the Ministry to the evidence of his wife and daughter's lineage. He sighed. A problem for another day.

Dumbledore walked around the cauldron studying it. His eyes spotted the locket on the floor. He could feel the remnants of the foulest dark magic in the air.

'What did you do Tom?' he questioned himself quietly. He had his suspicions already and he did not in the slightest like the direction any of the options were taking him. He would need to talk to each of them at length. Tom was vital, of course. Tom's natural occlumency would certainly cause a problem. Even a non-magical could master it with some level of skill. Meditation and hypnosis were branches of it. Knowing Tom he would have protections guarding his most precious secrets in the deepest recesses of his mind. The Ministry may forbid Dumbledore to use legilimency. There were many sympathisers to prisoner's rights. He needed to talk to Peter especially. That was if the Ministry hadn't already thrown the rat to the Dementors.

At this stage, both sides would have the motives to do that. The suspects would be numerous. Rita's memories would be vital. Gareth's memories of Tom and Greta too. Hayley was, of course, the key to all this. How did Hayley's vivid dreams of her mother fit into this? Just who had told Tom that Hayley was his daughter and how could the ritual cause Tom to lose his magic?

Dumbledore was under no delusions in regards to Tom. He was not surprised that Tom would use Hayley for his own twisted gains without consideration. It was a miracle that Hayley had survived. Tom had pushed the boundaries of the darkest magic. The magic that should never be pushed. No dark Wizards or Witches had gone as far as him. The consequences were impossible to predict. Magic was supposed to be respected. Tom had no respect to give.

Kreacher came back into the drawing-room swaggering a little. Iris's face lit up.

'kr-er,' she babbled opening up her arms.

'Ah, the little Mistress Black. Safe and Sound,'

Iris put her chubby arms around him as she hugged him hard, 'You so bwave. Save us. Tank you,' she said to him. Kreacher seemed overcome by this as they both started crying in each other's arms. Rather than seem warmed by this display of affection Sirius simply sneered at the exchange.

'Sirius,' his mother eyed him wearily, 'Why so despondent? Everyone survived. You have your freedom. Peter is currently in custody. This could have been much, much worse. What else hasn't lived up to your expectations, yet again?'

'I don't have to explain myself, least of all to you,' he snapped back.

Walburga just looked at him. After a moment she spoke, 'I assume from your hostile demeanour you have been informed about Hayley's real lineage?' she stated simply.

'Yes. I had to endure a long, tedious meeting to establish various facts about Hayley's parentage, with a brief history of Voldemort, the early years, thrown in for good measure. There was also irrelevant babble about possible motivations for Voldemort and Wormtail holding my wife and daughter hostage. Amelia insisted on going by the book,' he said in a wry tone.

Albus looked at him cautiously. There was a glint in his eyes that he had not seen before.

'Why did Hayley come here?' Sirius asked sharply.

Walburga looked at her wayward son and told the truth, 'Hayley needed my help. She wanted to see you. The justice department wouldn't let her. They refused to tell her anything. You had been arrested at the scene of the crime. Over a dozen people murdered in public and you were laughing your head off. They were not going to slap you on the wrist with a fine, Sirius. Even in our archaic world, it wouldn't have mattered who you were. Even Malfoy would have been slung headfirst into Azkaban for that display of lunacy. Gareth wasn't making any progress. I am still Head of the House of Black. I have more influence than him in these matters. I know all their dirty little secrets. Doors open for me.'

'I would never have asked her to see you. I told her I want nothing to do with you under any circumstances. She betrayed me,' Sirius was getting more and more volatile.

'Be reasonable Sirius,' she snapped, 'You were a whisker away from being thrown into Azkaban without a trial. She loves you. She did what she had to do.'

Walburga was trying to be patient. She understood that it had been a tumultuous week for her son and he was close to cracking. He was, however, lighting a fuse on her considerable temper. Her nerves had already been to hell and back the last two days.

'She went behind my back,' Sirius said this in a vacant tone as his eyes pierced his mothers, 'I thought I could trust her and she came straight here. Peter. Hayley. You're all in it together, aren't you? Hayley and him. All this has been about Voldemort. All these years.'

Albus watched Sirius anxiously. He didn't seem anything like himself.

'Sirius, you need to go for a walk,' Albus said to him softly, 'Clear your head, my boy. You're in shock.'

Sirus didn't acknowledge him.

'I can't believe you are saying.…,' Walburga breathed deeply, trying to control her temper. 'Voldemort and Pettigrew must have suspected she would come here after you were arrested. They breached the wards less than an hour after Hayley and Iris arrived.'

'That is your version of events. Did you tell Voldemort where to find them?' Sirius had paled alarmingly, 'Hayley wanted to be found, by him, didn't she?' he hissed this in such a manic way that even his mother stepped back from him.

Everyone in the room had turned around to witness this ugly scene as Iris clutched Kreacher. She was shaking. Sirius was losing control of himself.

Walburga narrowed her eyes. Dumbledore stood silently to the side.

'How dare you?' Walburga hissed, 'If Voldemort wants to find someone, then they get found. To accuse me of intentionally putting Iris's life in danger, to accuse your wife of planning this. That is low Sirius, even for you.'

'Is it? I wouldn't put it past you to sacrifice a child for the Pureblood cause,' Sirius's eyes had taken on a frenetic quality that was unnerving to witness.

'Sirius, you're mind is snapping,' Albus tried again, 'Leave before you do something you'll regret.'

Sirius wasn't listening as he stared down at Iris as his eyes seemed to glaze over.

Iris gazed up at him. She knew her daddy was angry. She didn't know why. Too much had happened in this week for Iris to make any sense of it. Daddy had gone and mummy was so worried. And then there was so much shouting. Then screaming and blood. Mummy was hurt and she was so tired. Her head was spinning.

'That's how Riddle works. He destroys you from the inside,' Sirius stared down at Iris with a look of genuine horror, 'He's planted her, them, with us. That's how he's doing it. He wants to kill the Light.'

Kreacher looked at Sirius with more hatred than usual and put his bony arm around Iris to protect her.

'You shut up,' Kreacher said fiercely, 'You're upsetting the young Mistress!'

'See,' Sirius spat out to the handful of people left in the room, 'She's not even two and already she gravitates to the most twisted and demented of creatures. I'm starting to doubt she's even mine. Who is her actual father? McNair's? Goyle's? What does Hayley do to keep this charade going? Put glamours on it? Forge a birth certificate like Gareth did?'

He glared at Iris in a red haze. His rage at this moment was seething hot. He had lost his grip on his sanity. The tumultuous events of the last week had snapped his mind.

Sirius turned to his mother, 'Seeing as this family has such a wonderful history of disowning their children you can have her. They are both the true descendants of the Devil. Why mother, you see, I still respect our traditions after all,' he glared at her.

'That's enough, Sirius,' Dumbledore snapped to him. Even he was unsettled by this side of Sirius. He had thought the young man had grown out of this sort of behaviour, but alas, the trials of the last week had taken their toll and this was the result, 'You're mind is exhausted. You need to rest.'

Walburga looked around at the people left in the room. A tall man she didn't recognise. Dumbledore, Rita, Amelia and a nervous-looking young woman hovering at the door who appeared to be a healer. They all looked aghast at Sirius. Although Walburga would be the first to admit both she and her son gave each other as good as they got she realised it was the first time anyone else other than Regulus and Orion had been witness to a Black mother and son domestic. Sirius gave the impression outside of the house as a charmer, a rebel on his motorcycle. A defender of the innocent and the oppressed. Now they saw first hand the very ugly side to him that very few others got to see.

She recalled a young Severus Snape turning up on her doorstep a few years ago. He had popped in for a cup of tea and a lament about Sirius. This had proved mutually beneficial and had become quite a regular treat for them both. When she heard about the werewolf incident at the school, she was horrified by her son. Sirius had lured him into a werewolves lair. Madness. An attempted murder at sixteen years old. Severus enjoyed the sympathy with a kindred spirit. They had both found it cathartic to ruminate about Sirius.

Sirius turned to glare at Dumbledore, 'Don't tell me what to do. For the first time, I'm actually seeing everything for what it is. Gareth said Tom was too good to be true. Hayley has been acting a part all these years. All this has been pretending.'

Sirius turned back to his mother. Even to Walburga, he looked very mean. She had seen many sides to her son but this was new.

'Raise Iris the Pureblood way, mother. You always wanted a girl. Do what you want. Teach her to hate all the Half-bloods, the Muggleborns. To treat everyone who's not a Pureblood like shit. Make sure you teach her the Dark Arts. With Riddle's blood in her, I'm convinced she will be torturing cats and dogs by the age of five. Give her a few years and she can start to torture the other children. Make her as sadistic and vicious as possible. When Voldemort gets his magic back they can all join forces and destroy everything and every one the rest of us love.'

He glared around at the others, 'Don't ever tell me I didn't warn you. Mark my words.'

Amelia was staring at Sirius as if she had never seen him before, 'Hayley was doing everything she could to help you….that you would accuse her of such disgusting things. Unbelievable.'

'Voldemort and Pettigrew were going to use Hayley as a blood bank and then kill her, Sirius. I can't even begin to say what they had in store for Iris,' Walburga snapped at him, 'I know every family has their difficulties, but there is no getting over that monumental faux-pax. Even we Blacks have never succumbed to that level. I doubt they will be having 'Grandad' round for Christmas dinner in this lifetime. There won't be any tearful reconciliations,' she said scathingly.

Sirius paused as his face flushed with disbelief, 'All I have is your word for that and your word means nothing to me.'

'It's the truth,' Rita spoke up, 'I saw it with my own eyes. Peter was insane. He was telling them what he was going to do. If the ritual hadn't backfired Peter told them what they were going to do to Iris. She was to be kept as a 'pet,' she spat the word, 'for them both until they needed her blood. Then killed and discarded like rubbish.'

Sirius just looked at Rita with contempt, 'You, Rita bloody Skeeter, speaking the truth? Don't make me laugh. Your job is writing nonsense gossip and lies for a comic. If you told me that water was wet I'd ask for a second opinion.'

Rita narrowed her eyes, deeply offended.

'You have known Hayley since you were eleven years old Sirius. In all that time has she ever given you a reason to think she is anything remotely capable of what you are accusing her of,' Dumbledore asked quite fairly.

'Riddle had all of you fooled when he was young,' Sirius said with his eyes blazing, 'Greta thought he was the best thing since sliced bread. It's what evil does. Manipulates, seduces, plays with you. Pretend it cares, then it destroys you. I'm not going down that path, I won't let them ruin me. The Dark has already killed James and Lily. NO MORE!'

He turned to Amelia, sliding off his wedding ring. He thrust it into her hand as Amelia glared at him.

'As soon as you get to the Ministry, annul my marriage. I know you're authorised to do that. She lied about her parentage. She has a Half-blood father. It doesn't matter about all his other made-up titles. In Wizarding law, he is considered less than me. I didn't write these laws but I will use them to my advantage. As a Pureblood, I know my rights. I know this is possible. Annul it with immediate effect,' Sirius said this with a manic look on his face.

There were sharp intakes of breath in the room.

'I don't believe Iris to be mine,' Sirius seethed, 'Pureblood law allows me to do this. The only thing she's entitled to is the Black name. Seeing as I think that is worthless, she's welcome to it. She won't get a sickle off me. Make sure this is done when you get back to the Ministry. Bring it to my house in the morning at nine. If this is not done, I will launch criminal proceedings against you for unlawful obstruction.'

Amelia's face became frozen as she stared at him blankly.

Walburga rolled her eyes and scoffed, 'All that you have is what you inherited from Alphard. You'll have burnt through that within a decade with your reckless ways. I'm not planning on leaving this mortal plane anytime soon. The Greengrass family is the wealthiest in the kingdom. They own half of the Wizarding World. Withholding a few sickles from Iris isn't going to affect her prospects. Don't think I won't leave everything I have to Iris either. If for no other reason than pure, unadulterated spite for you.'

She looked at him with regret, 'You and I are one thing. We have a toxic, putrid history. I may not like this, but I can at least understand it. My ways are not your ways. But to treat Hayley and your own daughter like this? For shame. I will acknowledge Iris as my Granddaughter in public, at least,' she told him cooly, 'I have never been more ashamed of you. To abandon an innocent little girl and a loving wife, neither of whom has done anything wrong, is beyond contempt.'

Sirius snarled at his mother.

'Sirius,' Amelia spoke in frustration. 'You haven't even spoken to Hayley about this. You can't do this. At the very least sleep on it. You have had an extreme week. You're not thinking clearly.'

'No,' Sirius growled, 'You get it right. She didn't speak to me. She had all the time in the world to tell me the truth. She's been lying to me all these years.'

'Poor little rich boy,' said Walburga snidely, 'Going home to sulk about all your imagined grievances against those who, in your eyes have done you so much wrong. Without a scrap of evidence to prove any of these accusations. You're always so innocent and righteous, isn't that right, Sirius? The hero. You're so much on the side of the light that it simply shines out of your ass. You're not like the rest of your family, are you? Not in the slightest. You love to tell all and sundry about how different you are to us.'

His mother spoke with deep sarcasm, mimicking his voice, 'I'm a Gryffindor,' you would brag to anyone that would listen, 'I'm not a slimy snake.'

Sirius glowered at his mother.

'Have you ever seen what a lion does when it catches its prey, Sirius? It rips it apart using its claws and teeth, limb from limb with a brutal, clinical viciousness,' Walburga's dark eyes pierced his, 'Severus Snape doesn't count as a human being to you, obviously. You, who is always right. Never, ever wrong. Always justified to do what you like, when you like. You have always been so quick to judge others. You're always right about them too, according to you anyway. Isn't it strange then that you never saw what sort of traitorous filth Pettigrew really was until it was much too late? But Severus on the other hand. He was a bad guy through and through who deserved your retribution. You proclaimed yourself judge, jury and executioner. You tried to murder an innocent boy using Remus to do it. Severus's crime was breathing, wasn't it? And you didn't give a tiny shit about what effect that would have on Remus. That he would have to live with the knowledge he had killed someone.'

Her words dripped sickly sweet as Sirius looked at her with contempt.

'You know nothing,' he spat.

She looked at him with derision, 'I know enough,' she stated primly.

'Hayley didn't know the truth. Gareth was honest about that,' Dumbledore spoke gently. He was getting very concerned. Sirius wasn't backing down. Walburga had thrown everything, including the kitchen sink at him, to try to get him to see sense.

Albus looked at him in a sombre way, 'He hid it all from her. From everyone. He thought he was protecting her. She genuinely believed Gareth was her father, and in every way it is possible to be, he is. She had no reason to think otherwise till two days ago. Gareth and her even look alike.'

Sirius scoffed, 'Lies, all lies. She knew. There are only a few people in my life I have ever trusted completely and two of them were James and Lily. All that's left that is decent from this whole wretched week is Harry.'

'You criticise Pettigrew for being a traitor..?' Walburga whispered. She gave a hollow laugh, 'You live in a glass house and seem unable to see all the similarities between you and Pettigrew which are glaringly obvious to everybody else. You, who seems to think you are so fucking virtuous and without blame. If you abandon your wife and child in this way you are an even bigger traitor than Pettigrew.'

Sirius ignored her. He stared at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore closed his eyes tight. He knew where this was going the instant Harry's name was mentioned. Sirus's demanding tone battered into his ears.

'I'm his Godfather, Dumbledore, You know this to be true. James, Lily and I took the vows and magic accepted it. I have a certificate. Not a forged one either. A real one. In the Wizarding World, that means I'm his next of kin by the law of magic. That is absolute.'

Dumbledore tried to put his hand up to placate him, but Sirius batted it away, 'The Wizengamot cannot override this. Even you can't challenge this, Dumbledore. Wherever you have dumped Harry, un-dump him. No excuses. According to you, Voldemort has lost his magic. He's less than a squib. His Death Eaters are being rounded up. I can keep Harry safe from the rest of his minions. I need Harry and he needs me. I must have at least one person in my life I can have faith in.'

Amelia shook her head in disdain as Sirius glared at Albus, 'Bring Harry to my house tomorrow at midday. If that little boy is not sitting in my living room at five minutes past, I'll hunt him down myself and make an almighty scene. If by hunting him down I find out that you have put him with Lily's bitch sister, I'm going to break your nose so don't give me any reason to find out,' Sirius scowled at everyone in the room.

He finally spotted Rita's pad and quill moving rapidly. She took a step back as he moved forward to look at the pad.

He gave a sick sort of smile, 'It looks like you got every word of that, you nosy cow.'

She snarled at him, 'For good reason. I was thinking it may be needed in court for evidence you heartless bastard.'

He looked to consider something for a moment, 'Print the lot. Word for fucking word. I want every last Witch and Wizard in this country to know every last sordid detail in all its glory. I insist on it,' he growled.

With that, he stormed out of Grimmauld place without a backward glance and with a crack disappeared, leaving a room full of shocked people and one very sad, frightened little girl in a heavily silent room.

The healer walked gingerly into the room, 'Hi, um. I'm Wendy. We're here to take the others to the hospital for a check-up.'

The tone of the room changed dramatically for the better at this innocuous statement.

'Ah,' Dumbledore spoke, 'Yes,' he was still flustered by the unpleasant scenes he had just witnessed. He looked down to where Iris was still clutched to Kreacher. Her little face looked pale, taut and rigid.

'Sirius in miniature. How could he deny this?' Dumbledore thought.

He knelt down, 'Hello Iris,' she looked at him blankly, 'You need to go with the nice lady. She's going to take you to the hospital and make you feel better.'

Iris gulped, 'Mummy there?' she whispered.

'Yes,' Dumbledore said, attempting a weak smile, 'Mummy is there. Kreacher and your Gran are going to be with you too.'

Iris tilted her head slightly in acknowledgement. Dumbledore watched her grip Kreacher's hand tightly.

Walburga spoke gently, looking with worry at Iris, 'I'll get us a change of clothes.' she left the room.

Dumbledore turned to Bill, 'Do you mind travelling with them? Just in case.'

'Not at all,' Bill looked perturbed, 'That Sirius guy. I just, what the hell was that? What a jerk.'

'Indeed. What the hell?' Amelia cut in. 'I have never seen him lose himself like that.'

'A series of most dire incidents pushed him over the edge Amelia. He's always been hot-headed but…,' Albus tried to see reason, but looking at the forlorn tiny figure of Iris even he couldn't continue to attempt to defend Sirius.

'I'd better head back to the Ministry,' Amelia stated, 'The night is still young and I have a great deal to get through. Pepper up potion will be used in abundance I suspect. I'll send in the cleanup department for this mess,' she waved nonchalantly around the room, 'They will store any evidence. Albus. Feel free to examine it all. Your knowledge is vital. Rita. If you would accompany me. I will need your version of the events for my report. I'll visit the hospital tomorrow to interview the others. I'll deal with Sirius and his order tonight. He was perfectly correct in what he said, unfortunately. It will only take me a minute to annul his marriage and disown his daughter,' she said bitterly.

There was an uncomfortable silence at these words.

Amelia looked very angry, 'He will, of course, be sacked with immediate effect. I will not be spoken to like that by a subordinate without consequence. Threatening me, ME, with the law! After witnessing his behaviour tonight I feel letting him out of that cell was presumptuous of me. He is not fit for duty. That was my mistake. I was under a huge amount of pressure and acted without due consideration. I will learn from it and rectify that. I will inform him when I hand him his proof of the annulment of his marriage and disowned child in the morning. I hope for the child's sake he lives to regret his heinous decisions tonight and tries to mend the bridges.'

Dumbledore was not surprised at all at the news of Sirius's impending unemployment. Amelia ran a tight ship and the disrespect that Sirius had flaunted to both herself and his family tonight was unacceptable under any circumstances.

Rita spoke, 'Shall I do what Sirius told me to?' she asked them both.

'Asking permission for a change, Rita?' Amelia stated dryly. Rita pursed her lips and nodded to Iris.

Rita was looking at Iris with concern. She lowered her voice, 'What about Hayley and Iris? This information is going to follow them every day of their lives. This isn't a three-day wonder. It won't go away over time. This is going to be as big as the news that Harry Potter survived the killing curse. He's famous for what he did. They are going to be notorious for who they are. Everyone in our world is going to know their names. They can't cover this up. This will all be discovered at the trials.'

Dumbledore stroked his beard in deep thought. So many assumptions would be made if they didn't print this. Rita was right. The whispers would already be starting. There were leaks all over the Ministry. Much more information was sure to come out of the trials. It would be a mess of confusion in the newspapers. He came to a decision.

'I think it would be wise to print the basic truth. Just that. No speculation. Just Tom and Greta's morbid history. Why Gareth was forced to lie. Sirius and his unreasonable reactions. Put pressure on him. There is not one shred of evidence Hayley has any leanings towards the dark arts. Sirius is being hysterical. Amelia, can you give a full report to the Daily Prophet on what you have learned today as well?'

Amelia nodded. Albus gave her a brittle smile, 'We cannot leave any room for any confusion or falsehoods. The situation is dire at best as it is. I hope when Sirius does come to his senses and sees his poisonous words in print, it will be enough to ensure he begs forgiveness from Hayley for all of this pain he has caused Iris and her.'

'Very well,' Rita said shortly, 'For the first time in my career, I can't say that printing this particular part of the story brings me any joy. I'll leave out the bit about Remus. It isn't in the public interest. I doubt Severus wants people knowing either.'

Dumbledore sighed. How bleak was this if even Rita Skeeter didn't want this scoop?

Walburga returned with coats, gloves and scarfs for each of them. Each one of them took a last look at the drawing-room as they left the building, passing Aurors and official-looking staff who were gathering the evidence and reverting the square to normal. A sombre Iris, looking so woebegone it broke Albus's heart, left. He watched them step into the ambulance as he waved goodbye to Amelia and Rita.

'Merlin only knows how Hayley is going to react,' was Dumbledore's last thought before he apparated away from 12 Grimmauld Place.

Andromeda and Ted sat in their kitchen watching the clock tick, tock, tick, tock. Andromeda opened up another pack of cigarettes and swept into the garden to light another stick up as Ted gulped another swig of Brandy. Her eyes pierced the night sky. She heard Ted's footsteps behind her.

'Where the bloody hell is she?' Andromeda snapped.

'Patience, Dromeda. If Sirius was at the Ministry or even sat in a cell in Azkaban, she would have been back by now. There is something else happening.'

'Yes. You're right,' Andromeda agreed.

'No news is good news, ok.'

They both looked up as in the faint distance they could see an owl flying down towards them.

The tension in the room rose.

The brown owl flew into their kitchen as they took out the little note tied around the bird's leg.

Pausing to settle themselves, they put a dish of water out for the owl. Andromeda sat down with Ted next to her and with a deep breath rolled it open and read aloud.

'Sirius is free. You were right. The rabbit hole was deep. An explosive story in tomorrow's Daily Prophet courtesy of yours truly. Remember, don't shoot the messenger,' kisses Rita.

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

'We're over the worst. Whatever Rita's story is, it can't be anywhere near as bad as Sirius being sent to Azkaban without trial,' Ted said to his wife optimistically.

'You're absolutely right. As for Rita's idea of explosive. She probably found the Minister in the broom cupboard with Barty.'

Ted chortled, 'We'll get all the answers tomorrow. You're right. It will probably be about an illicit knee-trembler knowing Rita. What a relief about Sirius. I can't wait to see how he got out of this. I knew he was innocent. They must have caught the real culprit.'

'Mmm, well, I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. Time for bed, my love,' she smiled at him seductively.

Ted smiled back charmingly, 'Absolutely. Time for bed. What a week. At least it's almost over. Just the loose ends to tie up.'

'Yes, just a few more bits and pieces. Then we can go back to a healthier lifestyle now our nerves can settle down properly.'

Little did they both know just how many more shocks and questions they would both have by the end of tomorrow and just how much more cigarettes, alcohol and cheering charms lay in their future to help them both with their coping mechanisms.

Author note.

I know Sirius seems very out of character, but that is to emphasise the enormity of what he has endured and what he has now been confronted with. He's not his normal self. His mind has broken. It does get better for Sirius, I promise.