Minerva sat beside of Tom in Gringotts as they waited on Walburga Black to come. As Black Head of House she had to be preset before a betrothal could be established. Siruis was looking depressed at the mere thought of seeing his estranged mother. He had avoided her since he ran away from home. He even skipped his father's funeral and will reading to avoid her. He groaned at the mere thought of seeing her.
Walburga came in accompanied by Siruis' brother, Regulus, and Druella. She scowled at him before she saw the current Minister of Magic sitting nearby. "What's the meaning of this," she demanded as she sat in a chair provided for her. "Why were we summon here like commoners?"
"We are here for several reasons," the Black House accountant said as he looked around. "The first is to hear Orion Black's last will and testament."
"It hasn't been read," Sirius asked suprised.
"You, your brother, your mother and your aunt were required to be here before it could be read," the Goblin said. Picking up the will, the Goblin read all of the way until he got to what Orion left to Sirius. A couple of boxes were brought in and sat on the desk. "To my oldest son Siruis, I foremost leave an apology. Words will never be enough for how I have grieved you. You are one of the few wizards that truly lived as House of Black should have. You bowed down to no one when it came to your beliefs even when it cost you greatly. You remained strong in your convictions as a Lord of the House should be. I see the error of my ways as death comes closer and I hope I can right what wrongs I have done. In the first box you will find the Black family betrothal rings. My grandmother saw a vision of your betrothal on the day you were born and asked I keep them safe for you. I, Orion Black, as Head of House Black grant my approval on your betrothal and hope you have a wonderous marriage when your soulmate becomes of age."
Siruis opened the box and gently took the rings out. Made of the finest Goblin forged silver with black diamonds and onyx stones scattered in a star pattern throughout it, they were one of a kind and left no doubt of belonging to House Black. He delicately placed one on Hermione's ring finger on her left hand and watched as it magically adjusted to fit her tiny finger. Gasps of suprise filtered through the Black family members at the betrothal. Hermione clumsily got the other one and put it on Sirius and smiled when a golden mist formed and surrounded them.
"I will not approve of this betrothal," Walburga screeched.
"You have no say so," Druella replied with a smile. "The Head of House Black gave his blessing in his will. It is already out of your hands." Siruis grinned at his aunt and winked. He enjoyed seeing someone else give his mother a hard time.
"Shall we conclude the will," the Goblin asked. "Lastly, it is my hope to see House Black lead Magical Britain even more strongly in the future. I hope my heir, Siruis Black III, will be the Lord that House of Black desperately needs. Follow you instincts son and you shall succeed."
"What," Walburga screeched in protest. "Sirius was disowned. He can't be the new Lord of House of Black."
"You just blasted him off of the family tapestry," Druella replied matter-of-factly. "Sirius wasn't actually disowned by Orion."
Dumbfounded, Sirius sat there speechless. Hermione kissed his cheek and brought him back to the present. He grinned at her and took the offered Lord of House Black ring. With a grin, he placed it on his hand and watched as it accepted him magically. "I wish to stop access to to anyone other than myself and Druella from gaining funds to the Black vaults please. I would like reports of spending habits of all Black family members before I establish stipends for them. They can submit spending requests if needed presently and I will gladly look over it."
"It shall be done," the Goblin said. "Anything else?"
"I want to file an heir to the House of Black on record," he said thoughtfully. "Please list Nymphadora Tonks as my current heir."
Walburga ranted until Druella smacked her. "That's my granddaughter you are ranting about. She has more Black characteristics than any in this room and will be a splendid heir."
Minerva McGonagall sat at the kitchen table in Caithness and frowned as she saw her mother's amused face. "I fail to see what you find amusing," she said briskly.
Isobel grinned at her daughter. "Now you can sit up for endless hours and worry if your young daughter will actually make it to her wedding night to complete her soul bond," she offered with a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.
Scandalized at the thought, Minerva turned to her daughter and demanded, "You will not finalize that soul bond until you are of age. Preferably after you graduate Hogwarts and are married!"
Hermione, wide-eyed and suprised at the tone directed at herself, nodded her agreement.
Isobel laughed merrily. "That's the same look you had!" Minerva just groaned in frustration. "Hermione isn't much younger than you were when you formed your soul bond. It shall all work out my love. Think about it this way, she managed a Lord of a Noble and Most Ancient House. One of the Sacred twenty-eight isn't something to frown upon."
Sirius barked out laughing at the expression on Minerva's face. Hermione smiled at Sirius before leaning back against his chest and sighing happily. "I like your mother," he said to Minerva.
"Siri," Hermione yelled excitedly from the corner of her mother's office as she ran towards the wizard in question.
"Hey Mione," he greeted as he swept her up in his arms. "Good evening Minerva," he greeted his future mother-in-law.
"What brings you to Hogwarts Sirius," she asked with a smile.
"Albus asked to speak with James and Lilly," he offered. "I tagged along so I could see my favorite person."
Minerva smiled at the comment and how much happiness the wizard brought to her daughter. "Who has Harry?"
"That would be me," Remus said as he walked into the room carrying Harry. "Someone transformed and left me in a mad dash to make it here."
Minerva chuckled before standing up and relieving Remus of his small burden. "Shall we head to my quarters gentlemen," she asked but didn't wait for a reply as she walked out of her classroom and towards her quarters. Sirius shifted Hermione in his arms and they all followed after Minerva.
Once settled in her apartment, Minerva summoned a notebook to her and magically laid it in Remus' hands. "I have been working on that project for years," she said. "I have been stuck on it for a few years and then after Hermione's first visit to Potter Estate, I had a moment of clarity."
Remus read through her notes and looked up at her sharply. "You theorize a potion can strip the werewolf disease from me but leave my wolf as an animagus form?" he asked in disbelief.
Minerva nodded sharply and explained, "I had been going about it wrong. I initially wanted to strip the werewolf from you entirely but that would leave too much damage and the wizard wouldn't be strong enough to survive it. When Hermione instinctively knew you were a werewolf based on your strong mind, I reevaluated the situation. Your strong mind is a characteristic of your wolf form much like increased hearing is a part of my tabby cat or Sirius' grim hound. Being an animagus is a coveted feat because of the extra characteristics and I finally realized I could strip the negative traits of your werewolf. I could remove the forced change at the full moon, the loss of your mind during your change, and the Dark appearance of your werewolf by transforming it to an actual wolf animagus."
Remus looked at Minerva with tears forming in his eyes. He held her notebook to his chest and silently wept. Once he composed himself, he stated, "Even if this potion doesn't work, thank you for just the attempt to work on it. You are one of the few people I know, wizarding or muggle folk combined, that honestly wants to help. There is not many people in general who would start a separate vault for royalties from their achievements to help Hogwarts in general."
"How did you know that," she asked suprised. She hadn't made that public knowledge.
Remus smiled sadly at her for a moment or two then answered. "When my parents died, I didn't have the funds to continue my schooling here at Hogwarts. I was attempting to sale the family home at Gringotts so I could hopefully finish Hogwarts. I figured I could stay with James during the summer months and wouldn't need the house. A couple of goblins recognized me as a werewolf and knew how a lot of wizarding kind looked at me. They spoke with the Goblin leader about my situation. He informed them I meet the qualifications to use funding from that vault. You had set it up for the goblins to access it to help halfbreed creatures that wanted to attend Hogwarts and didn't have funding to do so. The way it was worded, a broke werewolf fell within those qualifications."
"I had no idea Remus," Minerva said as she eyed him closely. "I only look at the end balance on the reports month and trust my account manager to take care of it." She smiled at him reassuringly before saying, "I am glad the account manager paid for Hogwarts for you though. So you ready to take that potion?"
Remus widened his eyes in disbelief and searched her face. "You already have it brewed?"
"I do," she answered with a smirk. "I finished it this morning actually and intended to owl you tomorrow but this works out better."
Remus looked at Sirius who nodded his encouragement before nodding his head. Minerva walked to her private lab with Harry still napping against her shoulder. She grabbed the shimmering amber vial from her table and walked back to give it to him.
"Bottoms up mate," Sirius encouraged and watched as his bestfriend drank the potion. He hoped it would work but they wouldn't know until the next full moon.