August 4, 1992
Marina was worried. Actually, that didn't even begin to describe how she was feeling.
The Tonks family owl had brought back Harry's birthday present with an irritated hoot, and she knew that neither Ron nor Hermione had heard from him all summer either. Given everything Harry had told her about the Dursleys, and all the stuff he hadn't but she was assuming, that was not good. The muggles treated him like an outcast in what was supposed to be his own home.
She had told Dromeda all this, but had been ordered to stay out of it.
Dora had offered to apparate her to where Harry lived, and Marina had been sorely tempted, but it would get her cousin in trouble with Mad-Eye – who had also told her not to mess with Dumbledore's arrangements.
Not that she'd been speaking to Mad-Eye lately. After her initial breakdown, she'd read through her father's file carefully. That was when she'd discovered that the auror in charge of the arrest had been none other than Alastor Moody. She'd refused to see him since.
Maybe she was being childish, but Mad-Eye had been a member of the Order too, had fought side by side with her father, and yet hadn't deemed it necessary to actually talk to her Dad.
For that very same reason, she wasn't feeling charitable towards Albus Dumbledore. The great and wise wizard who always gave people a second chance, even the likes of Severus Snape, but hadn't bothered to verify that her father was actually guilty – or had received his trial.
Remus, she had given more leeway. As a werewolf, there wasn't much he could have done and he'd been in France that Hallowe'en and two weeks after.
As for Dromeda... Marina didn't know how to feel. While her cousin clearly knew her Dad was innocent, she'd given up pretty quickly after being shot down the first time.
Then there was Narcissa. Now that was a wrinkle if she'd ever seen one. Her cousin was married to Lucius Malfoy, a Death Eater. And while everyone was pretty convinced she wasn't one herself, she sure hadn't stopped Lucius from raising a pure-blood fanatic like himself. But then, who had Narcissa been supposed to ask for help? Dromeda didn't speak to her, their other sister was in prison, and no one else on the right side would ever support a Malfoy.
Marina, feeling somewhat charitable since it had been Narcissa that had finally clued her in as to her father's fate, had sent her a Thank You but hadn't signed it so the woman wouldn't get into trouble with her husband and his friends.
Her best friend, Carmen Nott, had been a blessing the entire month. She had intercepted all attempts from the adults to stop Marina from obsessing and supported her in the, borderline obsessive, desire to clear her father's name and get him back. Of course, that sounded a lot easier than it was.
She had nothing in the way of actual prove, and somehow she didn't think the Ministry would accept a dead woman's journals as a character witness – even if the deceased had been the mother of the accused's child.
Her parents had never been married, which wasn't so surprising, seeing as Marina had been an accident during their last year in Hogwarts. They'd both stepped up to the responsibility, and they'd loved Marina very much, but... her father had never loved her mother. He'd cared for her but it had never been love. That was the one depressing thing about those journals; her mother had been very much aware that her feelings hadn't been reciprocated.
Either way, no one would listen on that basis. As for the letter her Dad had left her toddler-self... it had been enough to convince the Notts, Mad-Eye and Kingsley but the Ministry? Marina doubted it.
So they were all stuck with plan B: force the Ministry to rectify their mess and give her father the trial he should have gotten almost eleven years ago.
But it had to be done very carefully. Four aurors and a slew of civilians would not be enough to sway the minister on sheer conviction and attitude.
Marina was their ace up the sleeve; even bureaucrats wouldn't be able to refuse a demand for a veritaserum testimony so that Black's traumatised daughter could get closer. Her mind-healer, Teresa, was on board as well.
Even with a dozen strategies laid out carefully, it would take time though.
The man responsible for her Dad's unlawful imprisonment, Bartemius Crouch, had been transferred after the war – mostly, because his own son had turned out to be a Death Eater of the worst order. So while not quite as popular as he'd once been, before sending his own son to Azkaban, Crouch still had a lot of political weight in the Ministry.
Carmen had, very hesitantly, suggested to ask Dumbledore for help. And while neither Marina nor Remus were particularly inclined to trust him with this matter at this point, they also knew that they might well need him; he was Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot after all.
Long story short, it was likely that months would pass before anything would happen to exonerate her father. And she was still and underage student, so there was nothing Marina personally could do.
Well, except the plan they'd come up with as last resort: to go to the press.
It would make the Ministry look horribly incompetent, would almost definitely get Mad-Eye, Kingsley, David and Dora in trouble or even fired, and would make the minister very mad at Marina and anyone who'd helped her.
It would be so much easier, she mused, if the Ministry would just listen. Or better yet, if they could get their hands on the rat. But seeing as Pettigrew had stayed hidden for over ten years, it was highly unlikely they would just stumble over him now.
But before anything happened whatsoever, Marina needed to tell Harry all of it. If he came back to Hogwarts and heard the rumours... And the Slytherins were bound to spill the beans to get Harry mad at her.
Telling Harry would just require actually getting in touch with him.
Last night, she'd gotten Ted to promise her that if Ron didn't hear from him by the time their Hogwarts letters arrived, they'd go and check on him.
"Marina!" Carmen's voice startled her out of her convoluted thoughts.
"What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise, hugging the brunette in greeting. "I thought you were visiting Trish." Patricia Stimpson was one very ambitious Ravenclaw and the only one better than Carmen in class.
"I was. I got back this morning," Carmen confirmed. "But never mind that right now. Did you hear what the Weasleys pulled last night?"
August 5th, 1992
Marina had been shocked when Carmen had told her how the twins and their brother Ron had flown their father's enchanted car halfway across the country to rescue Harry from his relatives. She was still torn between terror, humour and gratitude.
Terror because just about everything could have gone wrong; from crashing the car, to accidentally hurting someone, to being seen by muggles.
Humour because, really, who but the Weasleys could have come up with that? And would have been brave enough to risk Molly's ire?
And gratitude because they had done what Marina couldn't.
It's not like she hadn't considered ignoring Dromeda's instructions, but her cousin must have suspected just that, because Marina had never been left unsupervised this month.
She was kind of surprised that they hadn't all been grounded. Unfortunately, she suspected it had to do with the state Harry was in. Even Molly Weasley couldn't have stayed mad for long once she saw the condition he was most likely in.
Marina would soon find out, as she was getting ready to floo to The Burrow.
"Are you sure you want to do this today?" Ted asked her as Dromeda was very much against just that and refused to see her off.
"He needs to know," she nodded with a sigh. "It's only a matter of time before some Slytherin says something about how he's friends with the daughter of the man who betrayed his parents. I don't ever want him to believe that."
Her Hogwarts letter had arrived today, so he'd received his too. The Weasleys would take him shopping in Diagon Alley and Ted had asked them to take Marina along. Really, though, it was just an excuse for her to only have to tell her story once today.
The second letter that another owl had brought her was from Mad-Eye. Apparently, she'd succeeded in thoroughly guilt-tripping him. The grouch had somehow managed to get special permission to visit her father and had talked to him.
Part of her was furious he hadn't brought her along – but even she knew that Azkaban was no place for a fourteen year-old.
Whatever had been said in that hell-hole, Mad-Eye was now firmly convinced that she was right and her Dad was innocent. He'd subsequently gone to meet Kingsley, so they could sort out together just how they were going to make things right.
Additionally, he'd added a piece of parchment that was charmed so she couldn't read it; it was supposed to assure the Weasleys, and anyone else she might decide to tell, that she was telling the truth.
"I'm not looking forward to this, let me tell you," she confessed. "Mr and Mrs Weasley only know and believe the official story. The moment I mention Dad they are going to try and stop me."
"You can do this," Ted said confidently. "You managed to get Alastor to fess up to his screw-up."
"Right. So I'll see you at dinner."
She took a fistful of floo powder and stepped into the furnace. Travelling by floo was handy, but it was messy. She tossed the powder into the flames, said loudly, "The Burrow!" and hung on.
Instantly, she was spinning in place so fast she was getting dizzy and a hundred different exits passed her by. Thankfully, you always stumbled out the right exit if you spoke clearly.
Case in point, when she tumbled out somebody else's furnace, she immediately found herself surrounded by seven redheads and a smaller black haired person.
"Hello there, dear," Mrs Weasley greeted her warmly and waved her wand to clear Marina's robes of soot.
"Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley," she nodded politely in turn and grinned the twin's way.
She oomphed in surprise when Harry hugged her hard. He was, once again, too thin and his skin didn't look like he'd been outside at all.
"I thought we were going to see you in Diagon Alley," he said, smiling, and backed away.
"That was the plan," Marina agreed, a nervous flutter tightening her stomach. "But I need to talk to all of you before we leave."
The collective kids present frowned but sat back down at the kitchen table. Mr and Mrs Weasley on the other hand scrutinised her.
She pulled out Mad-Eye's bewitched piece of parchment, along with a written explanation from Dromeda – who had only been against Marina telling them today – and handed it all to her friends' parents.
"You're going to want to stop me, Mrs Weasley," she said quietly, knowing how protective the woman was of her kids. "But I need your kids to know the truth. I need Harry to know."
The two adults read both parchments, paling so much Mr Weasley's freckles stood out, and then looked at each other silently.
"Go ahead," Mr Weasley eventually said. "We won't interrupt." She wasn't positive that was a promise he could keep, but she nodded and looked at the impatient teenagers.
"Okay, guys... I'm going to tell you a story. And please don't interrupt – it's hard enough as it is." They all nodded their agreement, curious what she was talking about. Ginny didn't even blush, sitting close to Harry.
Marina couldn't look at him while doing this, so she walked over to the window and looked at the family's large garden. Then she began.
"About twenty years ago, there were four Gryffindors in Hogwarts. From the very start they became best friends. Everything they did, they did together – most of which drove the teachers round the bend. They were inseparable.
So when three of the four found out that the fourth was a werewolf, they didn't turn their backs on him like everybody else would have done. Instead, they decided they wanted to be there for him during the full moon too. But the only way to do that, was to become animagi."
She heard whispering and assumed that somebody was explaining to Harry what an animagus was.
"It took them a while but they figured out how to do it in their fifth year. Impressive, when you think about it, especially since Dumbledore never had any clue," she said and turned around because for the next part, she had to look at Harry.
She'd given him another one of her mother's journals in the train back home, so the names would mean something to him.
"Peter Pettigrew turned into a rat, small enough to freeze the Whomping Willow by touching a knot at the roots. Remus Lupin, the wolf, would already be at the other end of the tunnels in the Shrieking Shack. Sirius Black-"
The Weasley kids all gasped but their father held up a hand to silence them. Mrs Weasley stayed quiet too.
"Sirius Black, my father, turned into a big black dog. And the last of their foursome turned into a stag. Your father, Harry. James Potter."
As per usual when getting any information on his parents, Harry was listening with rapt attention. Marina had actually not known what animal James had turned into – her mum had never written about it – but Mad-Eye had included that titbit in his letter. He had got most of the story she was telling from her father.
"As you can imagine, with a friendship like that, they stayed best friends even after Hogwarts. They all joined the Order of the Phoenix too – an organisation that fought Voldemort and that Dumbledore founded back then.
Remus, as a werewolf, always had a hard time finding work because the wizarding world is bigoted and stupid. Anyway, he always travelled a lot. Peter got an administrative position in the Department for Magical Transportation. And James and Dad joined the Auror Office."
Again, Ron leaned over and hissed into Harry's ear what an auror did for a living.
"For a few years, everything was fine. Well, as fine as things were likely to be in the middle of war. Then Lily got pregnant and James resigned from active duty. Dad was there the day you were born," she added with a smile for Harry. "He was the first to hold you after your parents."
Thinking of the depressing rest of the story, Marina lost her smile and turned away again.
"Then, sometime in 1981, Dumbledore received information that Voldemort would be coming after James and Lily, for some reason. They decided to go into hiding. Only a handful of people knew where they were. But it still wasn't enough for Lily, not with her son at risk. So they decided to use the Fidelius Charm."
"It's a spell that effectively hides your location," Mr Weasley explained, no doubt in reaction to his children's questioning faces. "Even when you know exactly where the house is, standing right in front of it, you wouldn't find it."
"The spell requires something called a Secret Keeper," Marina continued. "You don't cast the spell on the house, you see. You cast it on a person; a person that effectively is the only one who can find you. So naturally, you pick someone you trust with your life and the lives of your family."
"They picked your Dad," one of the twins said surprisingly gently.
"That was the plan," she nodded, still not looking at anyone. "Dad would sooner have died than betray James and Lily, so it was perfect. James went to inform Dumbledore, so the Order wouldn't panic once they couldn't be found anymore. As far as the world was concerned, Dad was their Secret Keeper."
Marina turned around, her eyes burning with tears she refused to shed.
"But while James was gone, Dad was running some errands – and crossed paths with his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange."
This time, the entire family Weasley gasped in shock. Harry looked around, confused.
"Dad has three cousins, Harry. The oldest, Andromeda, ran away and married a muggle-born. She and Ted are my guardians. Bellatrix is the middle sister and she married a pure-blood, Rodolphus Lestrange. They were among the first to join Voldemort," she explained. "And Bellatrix is without any doubt the worst of them all. She's a complete lunatic, utterly insane, and absolutely loyal to her Lord and Master." Marina figured she had no business telling them about the Longbottoms. It was up to Neville when, or if, he would tell his story.
"Dad fought Bellatrix that day, but they were equally good at duels. She taunted him about what she and her friends were going to do to Lily and James once they found them. She said he couldn't protect them, not from her. Then she got away."
At this point Marina wondered is maybe she should've asked Ginny to go upstairs; the poor girl looked terrified.
"Bella might be crazy-," she forced out, "-but Dad was worried that she might have a point. It was common knowledge that he was James' best friend after all. The Death Eaters would surely come after him once they figured out they'd used the Fidelius."
A tear escaped and she brushed it away hastily – she'd done enough crying over this to last two lifetimes.
"So Dad, in his less than genius moment, came up with a plan: James and Lily would tell everyone, Dumbledore included, that he was Secret Keeper but would really use someone else."
She could literally see the impact of those words; the kids looked at each other, shocked. Mr and Mrs Weasley looked somewhat suspicious but she could easily sense guilt creeping through their composure.
Harry just seemed very confused.
"James and Lily agreed to that idiocy, which left them with the dilemma who to use. Remus was in France, looking for work, so he was out. Naturally, they settled on the next closest friend they had: Peter Pettigrew," Marina bit out, a rush of anger welling. "Dad thought it was a brilliant idea. He would play decoy and lead the Death Eaters on a wild pixie chase, meanwhile Peter would be safe and, consequently, so would James and Lily."
She took a step forward and gripped the back of a chair so she wouldn't punch something.
"No one saw coming what happened next.
Dad went home and told mum the plan, wrote a good-bye letter to me and then left, ready to play bait. James and Lily, knowing what it would cost them all, invited Mum and me to come with them. And then... well, you all know. At Hallowe'en, Voldemort found them and... yeah."
They so didn't need to have that conversation right now.
"The only way a Fidelius can be broken is when the Secret Keeper fails to do his job and spills his guts," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Or, like in Peter's case, is a spy and traitor and sells out his best friends to save his own worthless skin."
Realisation dawned on Harry's face but Marina kept going. She had to finish it or she wasn't entirely sure she'd ever work up the nerve for it again.
"That very night, Dad decided to check on Peter and say goodbye before he left the country. Except when he got there, Peter wasn't home. He got a very bad feeling and went to check on your parents – he'd been told the location, of course. When he arrived there... it was too late."
Her knuckles were turning white from the force she was gripping the chair with.
"He found the two of us in your crib – I actually remember that. He was waving his wand in what I'm assuming were Healing Charms. Then Hagrid showed up and they argued – and then Dad handed us both over."
No one moved a muscle. They just stared at her and waited for the rest of it.
"And then, well aware of what had happened, he went after Peter. But when he found and confronted him, Peter screamed for the entire street to hear that Dad had betrayed Lily and James, before the coward blew up the main gas line of the street and killed twelve muggles in the process."
Mrs Weasley looked miserable by now and Mr Weasley was visibly shaken – the man worked for the Ministry after all.
"By the time the aurors got there, looking for Dad, Pettigrew was gone. The muggles were dead and Dad was kneeling on the ground, a lump at the size of a melon on his head, and laughing hysterically."
Everyone looked confused by that.
"The auror in charge wrote in his report that Dad was clearly in shock and not up for questioning. So they put him in a cell until he calmed down and started looking for the rat. All they found was a finger.
According to Dad, the coward cut it off himself before blowing up the street and changing into a rat, disappearing into the sewers."
"Wouldn't the Ministry know he's an animagus?" Ron, apparently unable to keep quiet any longer, asked.
"Normally, yes. But Peter, James and Dad became animagi without permission – they never registered."
"Why didn't your Dad say that?" Ginny asked shyly.
Marina smiled but it was not a happy one.
"Because, after they couldn't find Pettigrew and Dumbledore testified that Dad had been Secret Keeper... they sent Dad to Azkaban without ever questioning him. He never got a trial."
"Are you sure?" Mr Weasley asked her sharply while his wife had gone pasty white. Everyone in the room, except Harry, knew what Azkaban was like.
"Very. Don't ask me how, but I got my hands on the official file. They locked him up, threw away the key and never bothered to make sure he was actually guilty. My father has been rotting in Azkaban for almost eleven years, for things he did not do."
"Why didn't he break out?" Harry asked, oblivious to the looks the others shot him.
"It's not like a muggle prison, Harry. There is no escaping Azkaban. Especially considering they took his wand – which they never tested," she added grumpily. If they had, they would have seen he'd never blown up the street.
She gave them all a minute to process the several bludgers she'd just dropped on them.
"So what now?" Fred... or George... asked.
"Politics," she replied with a grimace. "Knowing Dad is innocent is one thing, proving it is apparently another. All we have is mum's journals, the letter Dad wrote me, and a lot of assumptions – and, of course, Dad's version.
Dromeda, Remus and a slew of others, don't ask, are trying to get the Ministry to reopen the case and question Dad under veritaserum. It would be the easiest way. But to get them to do it..."
"What can we do?" Ron questioned, ignoring the pointed looks his parents shot him. Marina smiled.
"Nothing. Neither can I, for that matter. We're all underage, as much as I hate to say it, so it's up to the adults. I've guilt-tripped them all, though, so they are getting him out somehow. It's just going to take time." As if he hadn't suffered long enough already.
"Until then-," she said brightly, attempting to lighten the mood, "-we're all going back to Hogwarts. So some shopping is in order."
"Why don't you get your lists, children?" Mr Weasley suggested, none-too-subtle. Everybody with red hair jumped up, hurrying upstairs.
Harry didn't. He came over to her and, obviously not knowing what to do, put a hand over hers.
"I wish I could help," he told her quietly.
"There is something I didn't say," she admitted. "Mostly because I don't want to get your hopes up. If Dromeda and the others can't free him, it doesn't matter anyway."
"I can handle it." She smiled at the defiant tone.
"James and Lily made Dad your godfather," she told him and almost gasped at the painful burst of hope she could suddenly sense from him.
"Harry..."
She had no idea how to caution him; she was just as bad.
Mrs Weasley stood close by, a stoic expression on her face that didn't fit her personality at all, and watched them. But Marina could sense the woman's anguish on her behalf.
"We beat Voldemort," Harry replied to her unspoken concern. "We can get your Dad out."
It was hard to argue with that, even when she was pretty sure that he had beaten Voldemort.
"Let's go," she smiled and ruffled his messy black hair. "I'll buy you a scone at Fortescue's."
Diagon Alley
After they'd gotten their money at Gringotts – which had been an uncomfortable affair for Harry and Marina alike, since they'd both inherited a fortune – and had bought the essentials, like quills, ink and parchment, they'd herded into Flourish & Blotts.
That had been rather mortifying.
Following Lockhart's forced photo shoot with Harry, they couldn't escape the other students' laughter. Marina had drawn their attention so Harry could make a run for it. Now she rather regretted that.
Her godbrother's conversation with Draco's father had ended with Mr Weasley and Lucius brawling.
Right now, they were all hurrying along. That was when Marina spotted her cousin.
Like her husband, Narcissa had bright blonde hair and was always poised. Where Lucius radiated arrogance, she was aloof.
While Marina had sensed nothing but disgust and menace off Lucius, she could sense determination and... loneliness from Narcissa.
Making a spur of the moment decision, she hung back from the group and walked over to Dromeda's sister.
"You shouldn't do that," Narcissa advised her, looking up the street.
"Lucius is busy complaining to the manager. He and Mr Weasley..."
"Ah, yes. I have seldom seen Lucius as animated as when speaking of Arthur Weasley."
"Draco will end up just like him unless you do something, Narcissa," Marina told her cousin bluntly. The woman blinked, startled.
"There is nothing more I can do," she countered.
"Leave Lucius," Marina suggested. "And don't tell me you love him because that's just not true."
"Draco would stay with his father."
Unfortunately, that was probably true.
"Marina!" one of the Weasley twins yelled and she turned around to find the entire group gaping at her.
"You should take your leave," Narcissa said softly. "Your friends worry about the company you keep."
"It's never too late, Cissy," she said, clearly surprising the woman by using the nickname Dromeda and her Dad had called her.
Then she rejoined the Weasleys, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"She's the third sister," she explained when Harry kept looking at her. "The youngest. Her parents made her marry Lucius Malfoy. And when everything went to hell in a hand basket, her parents were dead and her sister wasn't speaking to her. Narcissa had nowhere to go. Then she realised she was pregnant and... well."
Harry didn't comment but he clearly thought she was nuts. Maybe she was.
They went to buy supplies for their pets, even though both of them mostly fed themselves by hunting, and got their new robes.
After all that, they said goodbye at the furnace in the Leaky Cauldron. Marina would floo straight home, while Harry would go back with the Weasleys until Hogwarts started. When they hugged, she slipped him a copy of her father's letter. She'd been debating that for days, but he deserved to read it. Then they all left.
[Sirius Letter to Marina]
"My dear Marina,
It is hard to believe it's already been three years since you were born. But there you are, smiling and talking to your mother – sort of. You are the best thing I ever had, and did, in my life.
I remember the day your Mum told me she was pregnant. I had never been so scared in my life. Your Uncle James laughed at me. Prongs still teases me about it, come to think of it. He always said I would make a great father. I hope he was right. You're really the only one who can judge that. I really hope I'll be around when you do. But maybe I won't be. I apologise for that. I have no idea when you will read this letter, whether I'll be there to explain or not. I don't know if you're still my Kitten, or maybe a teenager already. I trust Rose to decide when you're ready. If I'm not there, I am so sorry. I would give anything to help you grow up, baby-girl, but if I can't, let me explain why:
By now, I'm sure your Mum has told you all about Lord Voldemort. He is the most evil wizard to ever have walked this Earth, Kitten. And for some reason, he has decided that he wants to hurt Harry. Uncle Prongs and Aunt Lily won't let that happen of course – and neither will I. They will hide from Voldemort and his Death Eaters – and they have invited your Mum and you to join them. Everybody will think I am the only one who knows where you are. That was my idea, actually. While the bad guys will be busy looking for me, Uncle Peter will be safe – and he's the Secret Keeper that knows where you will be. Ask your Mum or Uncle Prongs what I mean by that.
But the plan will only work if everybody, including Uncle Moony, thinks that I'm the Keeper of their Secret. I hate lying to him, Kitten, I do. But it's the only way to keep Harry safe.
And that is why I have to leave, baby-girl. I will lead the Death Eaters far away so Uncle Peter will stay safe and, by extension, so will all of you. I don't know how long I will have to stay away.
If this takes longer than I hope it will, look after your Mum for me. And tell Uncle Prongs that none of this is his or Aunt Lily's fault. I volunteered after all.
Please don't ever think I chose Harry over you, Kitten. Please don't be mad at any of them. But I love your godbrother too, just like I love his parents. Grown-ups are complicated that way, believe me.
Be a good big sister to Harry, Kitten. You two already love each other a lot.
Hopefully this entire letter will be for nothing and I will be back home before you're old enough for your Mum to give it to you.
But if not, know this:
I love you, Marina, more than my life. I will gladly hand it away if it means you are safe. So if I don't make it home at all, know that your father died to keep the people he loved the most safe. I love you.
Always,
Dad"