"I don't know what you had in mind, but here we stand on opposing sides.
Let's go to war."-Nothing More
Gringotts, December 30th, 1981
Sirius's heart thumps erratically in his chest so hard at one point he fears it'll burst out. His goddaughter was close and most importantly she was safe. Well, as safe as she could be in the hands of a magic-hating muggle woman and humanoid creatures. The heart in his chest still aches in sorrow and guilt of the sister he invertedly killed when he suggested using Peter.
Sweet, innocent Peter, who turned out to be a spiteful rat! The murderer he wanted to kill with his bare hands.
He shakes his head out of his murderous thoughts and surveys the bank before strolling over to the lone goblin sitting in a high chair near the sealed golden door carved with elegant runes. "Master Goblin," Sirius stated with respect as he gave a waist-length bow.
"Master Wizard," the goblin bared his teeth with minable respect. "How may I be of service?" he inquired as he leaned back from his pile of rubies.
"I'm here for Petunia Dursley in concern of my goddaughter," Sirius informed firmly and straight to the point. Goblins hated when you wasted their time from earning money.
The goblin's eyes widen a bit at the information before a sneer fashions itself on his thin lips. "We have been expecting you." the goblin turns and drops from his towering chair and gestures with his long, sharp-like talon fingers towards the golden door. "This way Master Black."
Sirius followed the goblin down an extended twisted hallway before stopping in front of a door with the word Wafsi carved on it in runic language. " Is she in there?" Sirius eagerly inquired as he bounced on his toes with excitement. It had been what seemed like months since he had last seen his goddaughter, he fears she had perhaps forgotten him.
The goblin merely rolled his eyes and with a flick of his hands, the door opened and Sirius was forced inside. "Master Black, Wafsi." the goblin informed softly with slight respect before taking off to recount his rubies.
Sirius's eyes are immediately drawn to the delicate woman he knows to be Petunia, only she is different from before as he recounts the wedding scene of his former best friend. Strawberry-blonde hair hangs in wild curls and teal eyes blazed with righteous fury. "Black," Petunia greeted curtly her arms, tightening around a bundle in her arms.
"Petunia," he grunted with narrowed eyes. "What have you done with Sage?" he accused with all his Gryffindor bluntness.
"Excuse me!" Petunia hissed as she clenched one hand into a fist. "What are you trying to imply Black!" she spat.
"Come on Petunia, you've never liked magic treating Lily like bat dung." Sirius crossed his arms defensively over his chest.
"When I was a child!" Petunia spat as she adjusted her hold on Sage. "Unlike you, I grew up!" she sneered recalling on the various cruel and childish exploits the man-child had done according to Lily.
"Children!" hissed Wafsi, who had enough of the petty fighting between the two humans. "Enough of your squabble, we have more important things to talk about." she gave a pointed look to the toddler cradle in Petunia's arms.
Sirius felt a rush of heat rise up in his cheeks as embarrassment burned through him after being chided by a goblin of all things, "My apologies, my temper often escapes me." Sirius spoke softly to Petunia as he realized he had forgotten his Pureblood manners and yelled at a woman who was holding his goddaughter in what he realized was a protective hold. It did not help ease his guilt any further when he realized she was pregnant.
"Clearly," she sniffs before she hesitantly stares at the handsome young man. "You care for Sage? You love her?"
"Of course!" he hissed affronted as he stared intently at the slumbering child in her arms. "I would give the world to my goddaughter."
"Then help me protect her!" Petunia pleaded out as tears fell quickly from her teal eyes. "Help her live, for Lily's sake!"
"Explain!" Sirius snapped with slight impatience.
"It appears Lord Potter has disowned his daughter and on her eleventh birthday, the Potter magic will leave her," Wafsi informed coldly to the Black Heir.
Sirius felt his jaw drop in shock, "No, James wouldn't. He couldn't, what?" denials splutter while stumbling back as if he was physically hit in the chest by a bludger. "That would kill Sage!"
"Do you know how to fix this!" Petunia pleaded to Sirius the last failsafe she had on protecting her niece.
Sirius furrowed his brow in deep thought as he slumped into a chair trying to pull on all his deeply buried Slytherin cunningness for an answer. "It would be difficult, but it could work." Sirius gave a vicious grin, "James will be livid once he finds out."
"What Black?" Petunia questioned hesitantly as she noticed the mad gleam shining in his mercury colored eyes. "What would be problematical to us?"
"When a child is born they're given three types of magic and protection." Sirius began kindly. "One set of magic comes from the mother and it's the most powerful of the three."
"How come?" Petunia inquired with a tilt of her head.
"Hecate is the Goddess of magic, both human and magical creatures alike. The baby is cocooned in the mother's womb for nine months soaking in their magic."
"Hecate?" Petunia mused trying to wrap her head around everything. "And the other two sets of magic are?"
"The second set of magic comes from the father," Sirius responded with a frown.
Petunia wrinkled her nose at that admission. She never had pleasant thoughts about Lily's husband and found her daughter did deserve a better father than the one she got. "This magic acts as backup protection with the mother's magic. The third and final magical protection acts as a balance between both the parents, this is known as family magic. You need the three magical protections or you can die. What we need to do is replace James protection on Sage to mine." Sirius finished in a rush as he leaned even further into the chair.
"What does that mean exactly?" Petunia hesitantly asked.
"I will blood and magically adopt Sage." Sirius began as he licked his dry and chapped lips. "This means magically and biologically she'll be mine and Lily's daughter."
Petunia went quiet for a few minutes, "Sirius", she began as she adjusted the sleeping toddler in her arms. "I don't care if it was the pope himself, do it." she began in a stern voice. "Do this for Sage but I want two things from you and it might be selfish of me to even ask." she ended in a whisper as she ducked her head down in shame.
"What is it, Petunia?" Sirius inquired kindly from where he sat a relieved smile now painted on his once stress filled face.
"I want you to marry me and blood adopt this child too. Vernon is a nasty man and I fear he'll try to take this child away from me. Harm or even murder as his sister did to my darling Dudley."
"Lily told me what happened, you have my condolences", Sirius began softly with sincerity etched deeply in his mercury eyes. "I will do it if only to spite my mother and family for marrying a squib. You do know that we might grow to hate each other right? If we do this you're tied to my family and me until your death and beyond it." he ended with a grave countenance etched like a stone on his handsome face.
"I know this, Sirius." Petunia began softly as she gave a smile and kissed her niece's head. "We might not love each other now, but we could one day far off in the future. Sage will be contented and happy." she took one hand and laid it upon her swelling stomach full of life. "My child too will be contented and happy." Petunia throws him a scowl, "I'm also a witch, Sirius."
"Well then Wafsi prepare the bowl, we have mischief to execute." cheered Sirius with a mad grin knowing he'll deal with the Gryffindor brashness insults later from his grandfather. "I'll help you gain a wand later, Petunia."
Wafsi merely rolled her eyes at the inane situation she was placed in.
Ebonymoore Manor, 1981
Ebonymoore manor was a grand and vast building built in the earliest seventeenth century to be used for all Black family matters. This arranged from marriages to births and even now an emergency family meeting that recalled all family members to show, including the ones who were thought of as disowned by force of magic. "Willing to tell us why we're here, Arcturus?" inquired Cassiopeia Black of her eldest cousin with a quirk of her eyebrow while long slender fingers taped themselves gently on top of her beloved and notoriously known black book of blackmail. "I take it my grand-nephew has done something again?" she ended with a smirk as her eyes roamed over to the obviously pretty but pregnant woman.
"What has that filthy blood-traitor done now!" Walburga sneered as she gave a disgusted glance towards her wayward son.
"Lovely to meet you too, mother." Sirius dryly muttered as he took a generous gulp from the olive green teacup.
Arcturus gave his grandson a stern warning, "We are here to discuss family business and the heir of the Black family." he began causing everyone to sit up with more alert. "Sirius Orion Black, my grandson, will be the next heir."
"That blood-traitor over my own grandson!" spat Cygnus with a deep loathing for his nephew.
"Oh do shut up, Cygnus." Callidora Longbottom nee' Black blandly ordered with an irritating squint on her face. "As you were, Lord Black." she smiled sharply satisfied at cowing Cygnus Black.
"As you all know I'm not getting any younger," he began with a dry quirk on his lips. "I've outlived my beloved wife, my idiotic son, and my cunning parents. You may deny it, but our bloodline is declining and I'm now going to fix it by handing it over to my grandson." he ended the lecture as he took off his ring and placed it on a shocked Sirius. The lights around the house flickered as winds swept in and brushed against Sirius like a gentle lover. "SO IT IS, SO MOTE IT BE!" Arcturus roared as everything settled quietly, the winds leaving and the lights shining brightly as before.
"Grandfather?" Sirius whispered with confusion, his eyes swimming with frail hope.
Arcturus allowed a rare smile to appear as he gave a pat on Sirius' shoulders, "You can do this, Sirius. You have an excellent heart, strong-willed, loyal to a fault, and a ferocity to protect what you claim as yours. Now stand proudly before your family and lead well. Toujours Pur."
Sirius stood with help from Petunia and faced the family whom he had scorned and hated long ago. "Toujours Pur," he began with a nod to his grandfather who took a seat next to his daughter, Lucretia Prewett nee' Black. "As you know this, past October the Dark Lord Voldemort was defeated." Sirius took in a sharp breath, "My good friend Lily Potter was murdered." Sirius sent a vicious glare that caused his mother to pale in fear of it when he heard the (mutter) of 'mudblood.' "James Potter and their two children survived the encounter. Ralston has been labeled the Boy-Who-Lived and Sage tossed out like she wasn't even his child, though we all know how that goes in our family." he hissed bitterly shooting another glare at Walburga.
"THE POINT!" Cedrella Weasley nee' Black roared temper slowly fraying at the seams.
"I cannot have children." Sirius bluntly stated, causing the room to become thick with horror and mortification. "It is a side effect from my parents being second cousins and a curse that Bellatrix hit me with." he continued on flatly. "I magically blood adopted Sage Potter, establishing her physically and magically mine and Lily's. Her name henceforth is Nova Sage Black, heiress of the Black Family. My wife Petunia is currently pregnant with my last child whom I also magically blood adopted." Sirius gently pulled Nova out of Petunia arms and cradled her lovingly. It was minuscule changes if one had known where to look when it involved magical adoption. Her hair was still the hue of a rose, but the once wave of messy curls she claimed were gone and tame if still wild ones took their place. Nova's skin was no longer sun-kissed, but the color of creme known to Black's and her jade eyes could be seen with a rim of molten silver blended in. Her cheekbones were sharper and more angled than before, allowing her heart-shaped face to stand out more. Sage Potter was once a beautiful child but now you could call her almost ethereal being Nova Black. You could call Lily Potter a mudblood all day but it did not deny the fact she was a gorgeous woman and that stood firm with the Black's normal aristocratic appearances had Nova heaping in the genetic benefits. "We no longer support the Dark Lord Voldemort! If I find out even one of you cretins facilitated his cause, I'll punish you to the fullest extent of our family's law." the smile Sirius wore was both cruel and unfeeling, promising a ton of pain to those who would disobey him.