His Greatest Wish, by AndromedaMarine

Great Transition

In the very early morning of the twenty-third of December, 1972, a solid black owl tapped insistently at the front window of the Longbottom residence. It was a smaller owl, young and beautiful, with amber eyes that stared through the window as it tapped. Augusta Longbottom, woken by the sounds and in a nightdress, unlatched the glass and pushed it open so the bird could fly inside. It landed on the seat back of one of the chairs at the kitchen table, hooted, and stuck its leg out for the letter to be removed.

Mrs. Longbottom did not recognize the owl or the handwriting on the envelope tied in a scroll to the owl's leg, but as soon as she untied the letter the owl took off and disappeared out the window. She watched it fly for a moment before looking down at the letter, which was addressed to Sirius Black. She wondered who would be writing to her houseguest this early in the morning—or this late at night, depending on when the owl was sent. It could have left its destination several hours earlier if it was a long flight.

She set the letter in Sirius's place at the table, and returned to bed, yawning. The clock above the mantle read fifty-four past three.

Almost two and a half hours later, at the Burrow, Molly and Arthur Weasley were woken up with a start by a silvery phoenix Patronus. The Patronus did not speak at all, only hovered at the end of their bed for several seconds before dissipating into the air. Molly and Arthur shared a glance, their expressions serious. It took them almost no time to throw off the covers and dress in their robes and descend to the kitchen, their wands held in their hands. They opened the front door and stood with their wands by their sides, ready to defend themselves if any uninvited guests appeared.

The same phoenix appeared to Augusta and Jacob Longbottom, Caradoc Dearborn, Ted Tonks and his very pregnant wife, Andromeda, Dedalus Diggle, Alastor Moody, and the rest of the members of the Order of the Phoenix. Within twenty minutes the members of the Order had arrived at the Burrow and were awaiting the one who had summoned them.

Minister Telford was a friend of Dumbledore's and had let him know immediately when Rabastan Lestrange was about to be given the Veritaserum. Dumbledore had Apparated to the Ministry within three minutes and wore a hard expression as he walked with the Minister to Courtroom Six, where Rabastan was chained to the chair at the center of the room, Dementors guarding the doorway. Dumbledore cast his Patronus to ward off the cold and did not pay attention to the dark, hooded creatures. Elphias Doge, a member of the Order, and Amelia Bones were already in the courtroom, stiff-backed. They both tipped their heads to the new arrivals.

The Minister nodded to Elphias, who then forced Rabastan to drink the truth-serum. It had taken almost two months of politics to actually pass the approval to use the Serum on suspected Death Eaters. Dumbledore had tried to get the Minister to see there was a problem with having Dolores Umbridge working in the Ministry, but he kept insisting it wasn't up to him alone. Two long, drawn out months of opposition from Umbridge that ended that night, to find out just how much Rabastan knew about Lord Voldemort.

Rabastan coughed, twisting away in his chair. Elphias moved back and sat on one of the benches, observing, where Amelia joined him.

"Do you know who I am?" Telford asked Rabastan in a cold voice.

"Yes," he answered reluctantly. "Beltran Telford, Minister of Magic."

"Do you know why you are here?"

"Yes," he answered again.

"Why?"

Rabastan tried to fight the Veritaserum one last time before his shoulders slumped. His voice was laced with hatred. "Because I tried to kill Undersecretary Folward."

Dumbledore exchanged a glance with the Minister before asking his own questions. "How old are you?"

"Almost sixteen."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"Yes."

"Were you required to kill someone before Lord Voldemort would brand you with his Dark Mark?" Out of the corner of his eye Albus saw Telford flinch at the name.

"Yes."

"Was that person Undersecretary Folward?"

"No."

There was a pause and the Minister looked around at Amelia and Elphias. Elphias had been one of the Ministry officials that responded to the attack on the Undersecretary's home.

"Who did you kill to gain standing in Lord Voldemort's circle?"

"I don't know their names."

"You killed more than one?" the Minister demanded angrily.

"Yes. It was a mass initiation in Shirebroke."

Dumbledore produced his wand and flicked it at Rabastan's left arm. The sleeve slid up and the Dark Mark became visible, black as ink, against the flesh of Rabastan's forearm.

"Who else was involved in that attack?"

"I don't know their names."

"Were you aware that Professor Mathis Hardgrave was one of the Aurors responding to that attack?"

Rabastan stared up at Dumbledore through poison-riddled eyes. "No."

"Do you know any names at all?"

"Y-yes."

"How many?" Dumbledore's voice was cold and calculating, his eyes stony as he watched the young boy.

"Three."

"Who are they?"

Rabastan's eyes flashed with anger as he was forced to betray his fellow Death Eaters. "Rodolphous Lestrange. Bellatrix Lestrange. Lucius Malfoy."

It was all that the Minister needed to hear. He looked over at Dumbledore and mirrored the stony expression. "This does not go to the Prophet until after we raid," Dumbledore said to Amelia and Elphias, who did not disagree. Amelia stayed behind and two members of Magical Law Enforcement entered to release Rabastan into the Dementors' custody. Before Telford, Dumbledore, and Elphias reached the Atrium, Albus had sent out the phoenix Patronus to his Order.

Petunia Evans hated her sister. She couldn't stand the idea that magic existed, even though most kids across the world would be thrilled that magic existed. No, it wasn't that magic existed. It was because her own sister had control over magic that Petunia hated her. Writing to Professor Dumbledore had been absolutely useless, and when she told her few stuck-up friends that her sister is a witch they all nodded understandingly because they thought Petunia was just calling her sister a mean person. She couldn't clarify without subjecting herself to rejection for believing that such an improbable thing existed in the first place.

She couldn't believe her parents were so accepting of this abomination, that their own child was a freak and all they could do was praise her for being able to hex someone. After all, Lily Evans did have the third-highest marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Whatever that was.

Even worse was the fact that her parents seemed incredibly taken with the Snapes—or, as Lily insisted now, Princes—those unwashed, ugly members of the Wizarding world who had managed to insert themselves into her home life at almost every turn. Invited over for Christmas? Really? How much could her parents hate her? Was it entirely necessary to allow them full access to their house? And why was she punished when Lily was the one who had punched her in the nose?

Petunia Evans was grounded until the summer, no questions, no negotiations, no whining or else it would be until next Christmas. She wasn't allowed to see her friends or use the telephone, and when the school year began again in January she would be required to come straight home. Now how on earth could she get a boyfriend with that strict dungeon enforcement by her parents? It was all Lily's fault. All of it. If Petunia Evans never got married it would be Lily's fault. The only way Petunia was convinced she could be happy was if Lily never came home again, never spoke to her again, and was never mentioned again. And, since none of that was plausible or even possible, Petunia Evans did not doubt that her life had been completely and utterly ruined by Lily and her puppy dog, Severus.

Regulus sat on his bed watching his window, waiting. He hadn't moved from his room since before finding out from Kreacher who was in the house, and his constant thoughts about it made his appetite disappear. He'd written the letter carefully but quickly, only second-guessing himself once—as his owl had stuck out its leg to receive the envelope. He wasn't tired. He was confused, and more than a little scared.

A few minutes past seven, Sirius Black rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he descended the stairs at the Longbottom house, into the kitchen where he could smell the coffee and bacon that Frank was making. The slightly taller boy was still in his pajamas and looked only a little less tired than Sirius felt.

"Where're your parents?"

"Mum left a note on the table. It looks like you got a letter, too."

"What? It's a bit early for the post." Sirius sat down at the table and first pulled the note from Augusta towards him.

Frank shrugged and turned the bacon. "It must've come during the night."

Frank, Sirius,

We have been called away and do not know when we will return, but if you do not hear from us by Christmas Day, contact Minerva McGonagall or your DADA professor. Make arrangements to stay with one of your friends. Stay out of trouble. You have permission to use magic if you need to.

Mum and Dad

"'Called away'?" Sirius read out loud. "What does that mean? Did they go out of the country or something?"

Frank shrugged again. "I dunno. Didn't you hear them Disapparate this morning?"

"No. I guess I was too tired from that snowball war we had last night. It sounds bad, though, if they want us to talk to Hogwarts professors and go stay with someone else if they're not back by Christmas. Why wouldn't they be back by Christmas?"

Frank shook his head as he put the bacon onto plates and handed one to Sirius. "I dunno. I wouldn't worry too much, though. Mum and Dad are really powerful wizards. They can take care of themselves. Hey, who's your letter from?"

Sirius finally picked up the parchment envelope and flipped it over to see the handwriting. His jaw dropped and he stared at the address for several seconds. "It's…it's from Regulus."

Frank swallowed his coffee too quickly and almost choked. "You're kidding!"

Sirius shook his head, his eyes not leaving the letter.

"Open it!"

Sirius finally lifted his eyes to his friend. "Are you mad? Regulus doesn't send me letters! Regulus doesn't even talk to me! How do I know it isn't cursed or anything?"

Frank lifted one eyebrow. "You're holding it, aren't you? Do you feel cursed? Besides, Mum or Dad had to get it off the owl, and they were well enough to Disapparate earlier. Who knows, maybe Sev finally got through to Reg and there's a chance he's switched sides."

Sirius kept staring.

"Fine, do you want me to open it?" Siri handed Frank the envelope and Frank slit it open with a butter knife. He pulled the parchment out and unfolded it, and passed it back to Sirius. "See? Just fine."

Sirius began to read it aloud.

Brother,

The Dark Lord is in our house tonight. Mother forbade me from leaving my room, but the secrecy was too much. I called Kreacher and he spied for me. Fourteen people are here, most of them branded Death Eaters. Kreacher said he overheard them discussing plans for something at the Ministry. It has been two weeks since Rabastan was captured, but there has been no indication that he gave anyone up, yet. He at least knows his brother and sister-in-law.

Brother, I know you overheard Narcissa speaking with Alexandra Flint, Soren's sister. And I know you probably told all the people you hang out with. You know that I believe one day the Dark Lord will fall from power and influence, maybe even from life itself.

At the beginning of term, Severus Prince approached me after my argument with Narcissa. He seemed to know we had been arguing about what I thought, but I treated him as any Slytherin treats a Gryffindor. He did not start my current thinking, Brother. He only made it clearer that maybe…maybe I'm on the wrong side.

I'm not asking for your help. But I am beginning to understand why you see our family the way you do. I cannot be seen speaking with any of the Gryffindors because the Slytherins would retaliate, but I do not want to turn into Rabastan.

Do not reply to this until we start back at school. I don't want Mother intercepting our owls.

Regulus

Sirius looked up at Frank, who was sitting silently and completely still, his eyes wide. "You-Know-Who is at my house," he repeated in disbelief.

"Maybe," Frank said after swallowing hard, "this has something to do with why my parents left this morning."

"But what? How could the Ministry know anything?" Augusta and Jacob Longbottom were Aurors and members of the Order, although Sirius and Frank didn't know that the Order existed at all.

"They have Rabastan Lestrange. Maybe they used Veritaserum on him."

"Then why did it take them this long to use it?" Sirius looked at the letter again and reread it. "I think we should write to Sev and Lily."

Frank nodded his agreement. "Not just them, though. Rem, Peter, and Alice too." After a moment of silence, he added, "I think Dumbledore should see this too."

Sirius only nodded as he watched Frank rummage around one of the counters for a spare bit of parchment, a quill, and some ink. He handed the items to Sirius. "Here, copy it down and I'll have the owl deliver it to the professor."

Regulus had fallen asleep against his wall. He awoke with a start when a crash echoed from downstairs, and within two seconds Kreacher was on his bed and pulling at the robes of his arm. "Come, Master Regulus, come away! Aurors are here and the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters are fighting!"

The young Black paled instantly and whispered without really thinking, "My brother—Kreacher, take me to my brother! He's at the Longbottoms!"

A/N: Cliffhanger! Sorry. Not really. According to the Harry Potter Lexicon, Augusta Longbottom was not part of the Order of the Phoenix, but she seems like the kind of woman who would be involved with the fight against Voldemort. Because the Lexicon doesn't list the name of Augusta's husband his name is my creation. Note that much of my timeline is derived from research done on the Lexicon, but that will change because of the expected butterfly effect.