Hi !
This is my first fanfiction in english, I do think it's a good way to share story but improving my skills too. So if there is some faults: blame on me.
I hope you'll like it !
Marie
This story is posted on Ao3 too with the same user name.Chapter O1 : The Night of Samain
Sirius Black stood. His curly black hair flew in the night wind that insinuated itself into what was left of the Potters' cottage and especially through the smashed wall of the nursery. The place was devastated, far from the room that the Marauders and Lily had created for little Artemis.
His wand was raised, while he held his goddaughter all against him. Tears singed uncontrollably through his cheeks as he felt all the sorrow in the world, trying to ignore the blank gaze of Lily's corpse.
Hagrid had arrived a few minutes after him, almost begging to be given little Artemis. The half-giant was kind but above all very naïve and he had explained in a clumsy voice that Dumbledore had specially sent him to retrieve the little girl. The world was not even aware that the old director of Hogwarts was already putting his salt in this horrible killing.
Sirius had tried to convince him kindly, he was artemis' magical godfather, his custody was his and the protections that Lily had taken months to erect around the baby would only hold if she was with someone from her magical family, by blood or by the title. It didn't matter where Dumbledore wanted to send his goddaughter, Artemis was safe with him at the moment.
The final solution had been to stupefy Hagrid, the body of the gamekeeper was lying in the middle of the room, seeming hardly more alive than Lily's. The thought tore his heart out, she was one of his best friends and one of the people he trusted the most.
He stared at the immense man, checking that his spell would last long enough for him to escape with the baby. Sirius had never stupefyed a half-giant in his life, acromentula yes, but never to be as massic as the Hogwarts gamekeeper.
The little one against him was in her sleep, uncomfortable cheek glued against the leather jacket of his godfather.
Sirius sobbed as he drew his goddaughter closer to him, she had fallen asleep by the miracle of candour and innocence. Artemis had not yet understood that his mother and uncle P'ongs would never return and that it was his fault, uncle Paddy fault.
He had killed Lily, the funniest, smartest, fiercely combative woman he knew. He had killed James, his best friend, lover and everything in between. They both had done everything to protect Lily's child, little Artemis, and who had sacrificed their lives, and more than that to do so.
Sirius was ashamed. He was as grieving as he was angry. He had failed.
The animagus was the one who begged Lily to entrust the secret of fidelius to Peter Pettigrew. He insisted. Remus was too nervous, too suspicious, but Peter was in the dark of everything, and yet he would never have betrayed him.
After Lily abruptly broke up with Artemis' father as soon as she became pregnant, she knocked on James and Sirius' door. The chief marauder and the redhead were close and, in fact, many secretly thought them together. The truth was different, it was James and Sirius who had a hidden relationship. Indeed, James would lose the title of Lord Potter and his name if he did not marry a woman. The situation had created a dysfunctional alliance.
Now, none of the secrets Sirius kept for three made sense. Confused and lost, sad and angry, he didn't know what to do. How could he have thought that dirty rat was his friend? How could he have delivered them to Voldemort? Sirius let go of a sob resembling a canine howl.
Peter was not the most powerful of the marauders, and he had been one of the most affected by the war in the run-up to the year, but they had all seen the determined brilliance hidden behind his fearful mine as a genuine will to fight, not to survive at any cost.
Sirius sighed with sorrow.
- "What am I going to do with you?" He said softly, watching his niece sleep in these arms, his two little braids had gently undone, red hair framing his sweet infant face.
The most striking detail in the baby was the scar that would allow everyone to recognize it. Sirius cannot prevent a few tears from flowing, the mark of the spell of death marked her forever, a flash on her forehead. The wound had stopped bleeding, but he had no doubt about the reddish color around the wound that it was extremely painful.
And yet Artemis slept at closed point, her eyelids beat gently as a snoring came out of her little pink mouth.
- "You can't stay with me, everyone will think that I was the keeper of your parents' secret." Sirius let go of a sob as tears rolled down those cheeks. "I'm so sorry Artemis, so much. It's my fault, it's all my fault. You don't deserve this. »
The little girl moved in her sleep, her hot red cheek landing against the heart of Sirius tenderizing him. He sniffed loudly, always watching the sky and Hagrid's frozen body.
Artemis was half-hidden under her jacket to protect her from the horrific vision.
Everything was destroyed, his heart, the room, the life of the child. Everything had been ravaged by three green flashes and nothing would ever be the way it was.
He sniffed loudly, dropping a slight sound like a muffled cry.
Sirius broke down those tears, remembering that James constantly complained that he wished Artemis would be a little more like him, since the sorcerer's world hung that he was his father. The only trait he shared was a round nose, which had been a source of profound hilarity for the two lovers. Lily's nose was sharp and almost aristocratic, giving her a soft voice while her biological father's nose was bruised and prominent, so James felt that he had saved the girl from a horrible nasal destiny by the power of adoptive fathers.
- "I promise you Artemis, I will take you to a place where you will grow up happy and fulfilled, I will follow your mother's instructions. But... But it won't be with me." The animagus explained with sadness caressing the sweet cheeks of the little girl who became a little more agitated in her sleep. "I'm going to do everything I can to make Remus with you, he'll tell you about the adventures of the Marauders at Hogwarts, he'll tell you that in life, a family is not limited to the bond of blood, okay?"
"Remus will tell you two absolutely amazing fairy tales. The first about a fierce princess who preferred to fight for these opinions and what seemed good to her, she needed no Prince and she was so brave. »
"He will tell you the story of a prince lost in the dark, with the help of his best friend, a funny deer who will discover the light. And you will know that these fairy tale heroes exist and that they will fight for you too to be entitled to a happy ending Artemis. »
Artemis opened his eyes and looked at him with those big dark grey eyes, almost black. They were the same as his biological father. There, however, a few things of purely Lily-ish, a keen burst of curiosity and malice that Voldemort could not embrace.
Sirius looked down upon Hagrid, if he had taken his precious goddaughter to Dumbledore, all that was beautiful in that look would have died out.
Artemis dressed a few things before going back to sleep, with a big smile.
Sirius apologized again, weeping back to her heart. He stroked his red hair with rare softness, thinking that this was the last moment he would spend with his goddaughter.
He then came out of the room past Lily's corpse, these emerald green eyes no longer shone, but his face was frozen in an expression of eternal determination to protect her baby.
The nursery he had spent whole afternoons decorating in the most Muggle way was destroyed. There was nothing left to save, not even the bright moon that Moony had spent two days painting. The stuffed animals supposed to represent the marauders had been gutted by the backlash.
Everything was ruined.
Sirius held back those tears as he hid the little girl's face in his leather coat. It was out of the question for the little girl to see her parents like this, dead, lifeless. The white face, the eyes off, the mouth open in a cry, and the hand extended towards the cradle. It was best that she remembered Lily mischievous and cheerful with a dangerous and venomous respondent. James had his fatherly and devoted air, loving her as if it were his own.
The exterior was even sadder than the interior, the façade was ravaged and gravas had destroyed the myrtles that were growing. Lily had planted them at the birth of Artemis for good fortune, her name came from the Greek goddess whose attribute plants were myrtle. In witch mythology, she was very different from the muggle one, but she remained a fierce warrior, a powerful and independent girl, everything Lily wanted for her child whose fate she knew will be difficult.
Sirius looked at the path of the woods, the one James took to transform himself and come out with a pinch in his heart, before looking away, approaching his motorcycle shining like a beacon in the dark. The wizard tried to find a pleasant position for the trip, he used the red shirt that hung on those hips to put the girl in a scarf as Lily had had the patience to teach her. He re-made the knots with trembling hands, ensuring that his beautiful goddaughter was not too tight.
The engine vrombits under his hips, his wand stuck between his fingers. He tossed the darkness with awe, the night was dark and Samain was the worst night of the year. Hades was not a tender god. And the idea was reinforced by the death of the two people he loved the most in the world. He sobbed again, his tears seeming to freeze when a frigid wind swept his face.
He flew away after a last glance at the destroyed potters' cottage, a place that had such beautiful memories before and which was now synonymous with misfortune. In another life, James and Sirius would have lived there together in the eyes of the world and they would have hosted Lily and Artemis for a time. There would have been no Voldemort, no death, no anything. Just happy families, giggling happily in front of a little red baby with almost black gray eyes.
Sirius swallowed those tears again as the ball of disarray and anger swelled in his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.
He took a deep breath to calm down, and then set off away from the sky of Godric's Hollow as he had come, in haste.
The journey lasted longer than expected, the night was dark and icy and Sirius did not fly too fast to prevent Artemis from getting refrigerated because of the high winds. True, he had thrown a spell of Caloris at her to keep her warm, but all spells had their limit, a lesson Flitwick struggled to teach her students over the years.
Fortunately, the limit was not reached, Artemis did not shiver against him, she continued to sleep peacefully like the adorable little girl she is. Sirius wondered about her ability to sleep, wondering if it was magical. The wind was really violent, whipping his face like a dozen dagger, the cold was biting holding him perfectly awake and the night so dark, so dangerous ...
Sirius may have bewitched, but he felt like he was in cold, dark abysses and drowning in them.
He could not allow himself to be in this darkness, let himself die in the night, it was enough that he slipped after all. And he'd die.
Artemis against him, reminded him of the thousands of reasons he had to stay alive, she, protect her, find her a home, avenge James and Lily, maintain their memory, understand the dark mystery that hovered around Albus Dumbledore, ...
After four long hours of travel, the sun began to appear, the darkness giving way to a lighter palette of pink, purple and orange. The morning stars shone powerfully dancing with the sun under the eye of an erased moon. Close to the clouds, it was a spectacle of indescribable beauty, the power of nature was breathtaking.
Below, the city of Paris was visible. The Seine stretched gently in his bed, twirling around the city, while the monuments mixed with the Parisian dwellings
Sirius lands in the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, hidden by the trees, close enough to the Louvre whose pyramid acted as a luminous lighthouse. The place was deserted at four o'clock in the morning, and the beauty of the dawn was still hidden at low altitude. It was as cold as Icesnake and it was hardly surprising that there were no sorcerers or Muggles.
Sirius concealed his motorcycle with a spell, before making sure that little Artemis was still well held against him. He didn't need his motorcycle to be steal or be spotted, he couldn't afford to lose his means of locomotion, as soon as the aurora was perfectly visible, he would be a wanted fugitive. He was convinced of that. As a result, he did not need to be arrested sooner than necessary.
The man still concealed by the darkness pressed the step. Walking through the gardens with a particular familiarity. The wind between the branches emitted a particular hiss, creating a sad melody accompanied by the sound of water produced by the huge fountain.
Sirius was looking for the entrance to the Wizard Paris, or at least the entrance to the Boulevard des Hippogriffes, one of the parts of the city. He had a vague memory of his entry, having not come since he was fourteen years old.
During his vacation, between his third and fourth year at Hogwarts, he had come to Paris. His cousin Narcissa was to meet one of her potential fiancés. As marriage contracts are still in force, it was common for families to meet with different suitors to determine which would be the best.
Narcissa had therefore been promised to Jacob Tristallins, a Frenchman of very high nobility, a good person according to Sirius. Perhaps it was because the sorcerer had greatly appreciated the Tristallins boy that the nuptials had been broken. After all, Wallburga had established that the Tristallins were "the worst enlightened than the Potters!", they remembered laughing at the remark. He and Jacob remained friends.
Sirius stopped in front of a small path almost invisible, there was a small golden door that seemed to do the task, almost hidden in a bush. It was impossible to see it if we weren't looking for him. It was the entrance to the Boulevard des Hippogriffes.
Paris was divided into several magical places, three in total. La ville Lumière that could be reached by the docks of the Seine in a sewer overlooking the catacombs. The other was the Ministry of Magic in The Fürstenberg Square.
Sirius tapped several times against the bars of the gate, the bush fading, showing the magic bubble where the famous boulevard was hidden. The place was extremely rich, illuminated while the Bourbon palace at the end of the Boulevard seemed to capture all the attention.
This magical street was the richest place in all of Europe, probably because it had been commissioned by King Louis XIV, while the various heads of state of the time were going to Paris for the Quidditch World Cup. The Boulevard contained the Palais Bourbon, as well as very wealthy family mansions, the Sans Retour hotel, high Standing apartments, lawyers' offices and Luxury boutiques.
He was not interested in any of his places except perhaps the apartment of Jacob Tristallins.
The place was at least as deserted as the Jardin des Tuileries, however, Sirius knew that Dhuergars were watching the grain guarding the entrances and exits. They were vicious little dwarves reading people's intentions and jumping at the throat of anyone who endangered the precious boulevard.
Sirius quickly emerged from the pretty little flowery lane that served as the boulevard's home, arriving on the perfectly illuminated central artery. It was five kilometers long, the floor was polished white marble, sharp with the black rock of the pedestals of the solid gold statues of the Kings of Gaulles and France. Some did not have monarchs, settling for a gold plaque for "Damnatio Memoriae" such as Nero, Commodus or Caligula.
Sirius was walking down this street lined with gold lampposts, they were surrounded by Chattadaptaflowers, chameleon plants made of the same materials as the object on which it grew. They had the unfortunate habit of being very talkative and during dark times they even served as spies, until it was revealed that they had no allegiance. Thoses flowers just loved gossip, so the secrets of some were told to the enemy camp and vice versa.
A few metres from the 31st, Sirius brought Elizabeth closer to his heart. The wizard placed in front of the double-sweeping door at the golden edge that overlooked a building even more luxurious than 12 Square Grimmauld. In particular, he saw a huge solid gold chandelier and a statue of the god Apollo, guardian of the House of the Tristallins.
After a deep breath, he pressed the magic doorbell to the right of the door. He felt a bit like an idiot, bringing his goddaughter closer together.
- "Who is it?" A male voice grounded "It's Samain, go away!"
- "Jake, it's Sirius, Sirius Black!" Almost like a madman, the wizard Black, when he saw the glass sphere that was probably used as a means of communication... "I need your help!"
The connection suddenly broke, and Sirius sat down at the door with little Artemis, who was still sleeping peacefully. He's afraid Jake won't answer him. The idea made him nauseous as the sky became clearer. The dawn was soon here.
Sirius took a deep breath, his brain quickly seeking a solution, as he tried to extinguish his worries by pushing back the red hair that fluttered near Artemis' round nose.
It had been a long time since he had celebrated Samain, the wizards were asked, on this date, to watch over the sacred fire of offerings, making a donation to the kingdoms of Hades and his referring god to take care of the dead of his family. The celebrations lasted until the end of the day.
That night, if James was not locked up in the Cottage, he should have presided over the ceremony like all the Potters, Sirius had lost his faith for far too long.
- "Sirius Black, you better have a damn good excuse to show up tonight in front of my house." The male voice thundered behind Sirius, while the door had opened, he jumped up. "My familiar Stellamaria cannot watch the sacred fire for more than half an hour and I do not hold so much to suffer the wrath of the dead and the gods for an entire year because of you!"
Jake Tristallins stood behind the wooden door. He had piercing grey eyes that seemed to read people's souls. His young age was compensated by an intimidating, almost royal aura that swirled around him, while his ceremonial attire made him look like a vengeful king.
- "Have you heard the latest rumors? What happened last night?" Sirius asked after a moment of thinking on how to announce to him, Jake was still a Sentinelle, a French auror.
- "No, I didn't hear them!" He took a long breath, crossing his arms on his chest with a weedy air. "For Hecate's sake! What are you doing here?? And what's in your arms? »
- "Voldemort was killed that night."
- "It was... Killed." The stunned young man repeated. "How?"
Sirius began his story. Voldemort, after discovering where Lily, James and Artemis were hiding, had decided to slaughter them. The very noble and ancient house of the Potters had been annihilated, it was no longer ruled by the bonds of blood but by the bonds of magic -although he refrained from revealing this detail-.
With the greatest difficulty, he recounted that the Dark Lord had murdered James, then Lily. The two trying in vain to protect little Artemis. His voice filled with emotion, he recounted how Voldemort had tried to kill the baby, his spell of death turning against him. The Cottage had been destroyed. Everything had been ravaged. And at the end, several tears came down his cheeks.
His voice became darker when he explained that Dumbledore had sent one of his faithful follower to retrieve his goddaughter, going against all the magical bonds. He almost scolded that the director of Hogwarts was a suspicious man and that he should never approach the little girl, with such conviction that Jake raised an almost admiring eyebrow.
- "I still don't understand why you're here Sirius?" Jake yawned staring at the shape in the Black's red checked shirt.
- "I'm going to kill Pettigrew, the man in charge." He said with aplomb his eyes bright grey with rage. "I'm already a fugitive, the whole of the English wizards think I was the keeper of James and Lily's secret, I'll probably be locked up without trial... Artemis doesn't need to see that. »
- "Is that her?" Jake inquired, wilfully ignoring his friend's words, and he would be forced to lock him up sooner than expected and that was the last thing he wanted to do. "Why did you bring her here?"
- "I told you! Dumbledore is not a man of trust. James, Lily and I didn't want to... we didn't want him to have any influence on her." He looked at the little girl in his arms. "Lily wanted her to go with a trustworthy person if none of us could keep and protect her. It's one of her wishes. »
- "And have you thought of me?" His tone was suspicious. "A Sentinelle?"
Sirius nodded.
Sirius had almost no confidence in anyone, so to raise Artemis, he needed to choose the ideal being, and it was Jake. Despite his grumpy air, he was usually like James, someone happy to live, hardworking and mischievous, they amused themselves with a whole and a nothing.
In addition, Jake followed witch traditions scrupulously while being fond of Muggle culture. She would therefore not be raised as Sirius or James in closed and regressive ideas. He was intelligent and powerful, a young sentinelle- a French auror - whose services had brought him up the ladder quickly. He was more than armed to protect and raised the survivor despite his young age.
- "Damn! You want me to adopt her!" Jake Tristallins understood by standing at the door of his building.
- "She would be safe with you, she would be well behaved. Please Jake, I'm her godfather, my job is to protect her, and I know I could never offer her stability or raise her properly, but you do. »
- "I'm only twenty-one years old!" He exclaimed, making large arm movements. "How you want me to take care of a baby, I know absolutely nothing about it! Find someone else, not me. »
- "Jake! You are the only one I trust! You will not hide the truth from her, but you will keep her safe, away from all the people who want to use her. »
- "But you almost ask me to kidnap a child!" The french unleashed before taking his head in these hands. "And above all of that, the baby who defeated the most dangerous dark mage in our history!"
- "I'm not asking you to kidnap her." The Sentinelle looked up to heaven, to tell him that he did. "When James and Lily died, the magical guardianship passed to me, if I pass it on to you, nothing and no one can accuse you of kidnapping Artemis. Please Jake! »
Sirius Black's eyes were clouded with tears, he looked miserable. Jake remained silent, fully understanding the situation, he himself had a rather sad childhood. His mother had died, making him the last bearer of the name Tristallins, his father had left him to the good care of a governess while he was going to run the thighs of all the women of small virtues of Europe.
In his youth, he had built himself and feared that he would be used. Artemis Potter's fate was much worse than his, she would have a difficult childhood, unless...
Jake sighed and approached the baby tied up in a scarf in his friend's shirt. She was asleep. Her head was against Sirius' body, those little fists clinging to the shirt of the future criminal, she breathed hard making her little nose all round, this red hair fluttered around her like a kind of crown, she was beautiful. She was a beautiful baby. She was powerful, he could feel his magic potential much higher than for a child about a year old.
He concentrated on these fine and already delicate features, he could recognize a certain aristocratic grace that he could say came from her mother, as well as the freckle of that hair. What would be disturbing, would be to hide the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, he was pushing to feel the black magic that was slowly escaping from it.
His observation stopped when the little girl awoke revealing dark grey eyes like his and probably as one of her parents, she would be so beautiful later. Artemis looked like a little angel, he even surprised himself to smile when she began to chirp trying to grab his hand. He raised his head to cross Sirius' grey eyes, the latter fearing that his friend would be angry at the sight of his look.
- "Come, we must hurry to pass on Artémis's guardianship." Jake said with a smile on the corner of his lips.
Hope you like it !
Marie