Chapter 12
The Trials of Walburga Black part 1
Severus Snape
Albus has called for another meeting. It's been a few days since the last one. Severus has jotted down what ingredients he needs to procure and what he already has on hand, the latter being significantly less than the former.
Once again, the kids are there at the meeting but only those six, much to the annoyance of one Molly Weasley.
Albus clears his throat to call for everyone's attention.
"I've called this meeting for several reasons. Firstly, I want to know the progress of horcruxes. Have you been able to find the diary, Lucius?" He asks.
Lucius shakes his head with a polite, "it's not in the manor. Father has hidden it somewhere. I'll find it."
"We know where the diadem is," Sirius says, "Harry and Ron told me. We'll go and procure them. They have requested for the horcruxes to be given to them for safekeeping."
Albus nods silently but not before sighing. He doesn't like this but he has no choice. It's too big a risk to go against the kids.
"I simply wish that you would tell me what you plan to do with these horcruxes," the wizard says.
Everyone looks expectantly at the kids.
They don't say anything. They simply look at their hands silently, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.
"You must understand why I want to know. I can't imagine any scenario where I would tell students about the Horcruxes. I had wanted them to stay a secret. I had decided to locate them myself and destroy them. I was researching Tom's past to understand what he would use for the horcruxes. It gives you immortality but takes your humanity from you. The knowledge of how to create them needs to be contained," he says quietly, trying to make the kids understand.
Harry stares at the headmaster at this statement and for the umpteenth time, everyone wonders just what this boy had to do with the Dark Lord.
Severus himself is confused. Why would the Dark Lord leave him alive if he knew the prophecy? It's completely illogical because technically, Harry is supposed to defeat the Dark Lord. Why was he left alive? Why?
"You're so powerful. Why don't you just go and defeat him? You defeated Grindelwald," Draco asks abruptly in a time bordering on disrespect. There's also a certain bitterness in his tone.
"Draco, don't use that tone with the headmaster?" Narcissa admonishes her son.
"Because of a couple of reasons, my boy. Firstly, I can't defeat him till I have destroyed his horcruxes. He won't die. He is immortal. His soul will simply travel around, attempting to latch onto a death eater. Secondly, I'm not more powerful than Tom. We're evenly matched. With Gellert, it was different. I don't think that I can defeat him by myself. We would need an army to bring him down. He'll not be defeated without war and that war can happen only after all the horcruxes are gone," the headmaster finishes.
"Maybe, we'll win but at what cost? We-" Draco is interjected by Ron who is squeezing his shoulder while shaking his head.
"Calm down, Draco. You know we can't tell them," Ron says, "there will be a time to tell him but now is not that time."
Draco closes his eyes and sighs. The five-year-old calms down.
"The Dark Lord is so powerful. What if we fail in the mission?" Draco mutters, his eyes still closed, "we're not on the same page with them regarding the order."
"We're not on the same page because we're five. We'll tell them when we grow up. You know that the war is not ending anytime soon. Harry and Ron will probably not find the diadem at Hogwarts," says Blaise, "the order will have to search from the scratch."
"The Dark Lord is arrogant but not that arrogant, Draco," Pansy says, "after the locket, he has probably relocated all the horcruxes. I suppose the cup must be in the Lestrange vault although if your aunt Bella can still access it, then he must have relocated it too."
"Then, there is the resurrection stone," Neville mutters, "you remember what happened the last time. We can't let it happen again. Dare I say that we should be the ones to find that one? It's the most dangerous one, Draco, excluding Nagini of course."
"All right," Draco says, annoyed.
The order is speechless. The kids as good as announced that the war will take a bloody long time to end.
"Date I am, how long will this go on, Mr Malfoy?" Albus asks quietly, his voice deep and hard, "when will this war end?"
"Don't hold your breaths," the boy mutters, "it will take very long. He's not dying anytime soon."
Albus takes a deep breath and asks Severus about the potion. Severus tells them about the ingredients he needs. Sirius takes the responsibility for the Veela-based solution.
In the last part of the meeting, Albus tells them that they have the allegiance of Greyback and his pack and this means that werewolves will fight for them. Other packs will follow Greyback's lead. Severus wonders how Remus convinced the insane werewolf.
Draco beams at Remus who smiles fondly at the little boy.
The meeting ends after that.
Severus returns to his lab.
The ingredients for the potion are hard to find. Remus bought the original werewolf's tears. Of course, they are Greyback's. He's joining the pack. There is a story there but Severus is so busy that he can barely make time to meet Sirius these days.
Apart from brewing this potion and gathering ingredients for it, he has an apothecary to manage and a curriculum to plan.
He's thinking about moving with Sirius to the Grimmauld, much to his parents' despair although next year onwards he'll spend most of his time in Hogwarts. Brewing this potion is a very slow and lengthy process and he has not started the actual brewing part yet.
The base of this potion is not water. He needs a special veela-based solution for it. This potion seems to be a bloody cocktail of ingredients obtained from different Magical creatures and he's worried that he won't be able to get all the ingredients. Veelas are private and wary of wizards. He has sent Sirius for the base.
The bodies of the Longbottoms are in St. Mungos and the Potters are at Hogwarts under security and Albus' spells.
First, he has to heat the werewolf tears on low heat for 24 hours. They are not to be touched so the tears are sitting in his lab at home.
Right now, he's in the forbidden forest, searching for a black cherry tree. Black cherry is a magical fruit and is used in several healing potions. It's highly rare and the potions it's used in can't be bought without a prescription.
The issue with this fruit is that the tree on which it grows is magical too. Not many people have seen it. He doesn't anyone who can tell him about it.
"What are you doing here, human?"
Severus jumps in surprise as he hears the sharp voice.
He looks around but finds no one there.
"Who is it? Show yourself?" He drawls, moving in a circle, his wand in his hand.
"I'm here. Turn around."
It's the voice again. Severus frowns. There's no one there.
"Are you blind?"
"There's no one here. Where are you and who are you? Show yourself," Severus snaps impatiently and chokes in surprise when he's picked up by the back of his robes to come face to face with a - a rather large tree that wasn't there just a few moments ago.
Severus stares. In his entire life, he's yet to see a tree that speaks. He doesn't know any magic that can do that.
This one is glaring at him. He swallows nervously. Not many things make him nervous but a large, speaking tree - of course, it will make him nervous.
"What do you want?" The tree asks him sharply.
"I'm searching for black cherries," Severus murmurs as the shock wears off.
"Why do you need my beautiful cherries? They are mine," The tree asks petulantly and brings him closer to its bark to glare properly at him. But, Severus is not scared anymore.
"My friends are dying and I need those cherries for a potion to cure them," he says, "I'm a potions master."
The tree places him back on the ground.
"Why should I care for your wizards? What's in it for me? Wizards are selfish. I hate wizards," The tree asks, its wooden eyebrows creased together as it towers over Severus, "go away, selfish wizard. I'm not giving you my pretty cherries."
"I'll give you whatever you want," Severus offers respectfully.
"Will you come to talk to me sometimes?" The tree mutters, "I get lonely."
Severus stares at the tree and keeps on staring, wondering if it's a joke but it isn't so he nods.
The tree brings the cherries down for Severus and once Severus has enough, he turns to leave.
"Don't forget your promise, wizard," the tree calls after him.
"I won't," Severus mutters and disapparates home.
He needs to shred these cherries and add them to soak them in water for thirty-five hours under a cooling charm. The temperature has to be -40.
What a strange day!
Sirius Black
Sirius wipes the sweat off his forehead. Who knew veela were so complicated!
Initially, he had assumed that he could get the solution from any veela. So, he approached the only Veela he knew. She was a classmate and had left Hogwarts when he was in his fifth year. They had had a fling before Sirius realised that he loved James.
The welcome that he received was not good. She didn't want to talk to him, much less help him.
But, he persisted so she gave in and told him that he needed to see the Green Veela. She gave him the apparition coordinates and sent him on his way.
So, here he was, standing in front of the gated colony of the Green Veela. It's been full twenty for hours. They refuse to see him but he has no other option.
So, he's waiting on crossed legs in front of the guard. Another hour passes before the gate opens and a woman comes outside.
All of them have vivid green eyes but they are different from Harry's.
"Come inside, wizard," she says. He follows her in with a sigh.
Inside there are small huts scattered all around. Children are playing outside. They are slightly taller and they are beautiful but they come across as unapproachable, somehow dangerous. They have their wings out.
Sirius follows the woman to a hut that's bigger than the rest. It must belong to their leader.
Inside, there's a man. He seems Sirius' age and there are two more veela on either side, both men.
"Thank you, Ana," the woman is dismissed by the middle man.
Sirius is not offered a seat.
"What do you want from us, wizard," he's asked.
"It's called the green Rye solution," Sirius answers in a heartbeat, "my friends are dying and they need the solution."
"Half of our kind are dead because of your ancestors, wizard," the man says, "the rest are dying. You took our land from us. Why should I help you? Be grateful that you are alive. Be gone."
Sirius stares at them. They hate him. They hate his kind and it's understandable.
"You sell our women," the man continues, "and daughters. Why should I help you? Why?"
"Your friends shall die and the Draco Malfoy shall fail in his mission. Your kind shall kill each other and only then - only then will our kind be avenged. Be gone, wizard!"
"I - I need proof that wizards have sold your daughters and women. To my knowledge, wizards stay away from Veela. I need proof that my ancestors took your lands unfairly," Sirius mutters resolutely, "I don't see anyone dying. They seemed happy enough to me."
The man stands up, glaring at him before talking to his men in some strange language.
Those men come towards him but Sirius stands there resolutely, "look, I promise you that I'll help you. I'm a good man and have never touched anyone inappropriately. I'll help you. All I want is for my friends to get well and for this goddamned war to end."
"Your kind has enslaved our women. Our kind needs to stay in our lands. It has ancient magic that -look, wizard, I'll make it easy for you - we're losing our magic here. You give our lands back to us and return our women to us with a vow that you'll never hurt our kind unfairly again and we'll give you whatever you want, wizard. You'll even have our allegiance in this war of yours," the third man says quietly, "be gone now."
"I'll come back. I promise," Sirius says and leaves the colony.
A few moments later, he finds himself in front of the Grimmauld.
Mother and father would know about these lands.
It's been three days since he left. Ron and Neville have been living with Harry in the Grimmauld.
He's not in a good mood. He doesn't want to be connected to such inhumane people. Why would his ancestors take their lands? Why! Didn't they have enough properties all around the world?
However, he forgets all about those lands and the green veela when he walks inside the dining room because right in front of him, his mother is sitting with the kids, talking almost gently with Harry who's shaking his head continuously.
His mother who had vowed to make his life as difficult as she could was talking willingly to the kids of three families she was supposed to hate.
"What's happening over here?" He asks. Harry jumps in surprise.
"Your godson not eating anything," mother says, annoyed, "I've tried everything to make him eat. But, he just won't. I don't understand why."
Sirius sits across from Harry.
"I don't want to impose on you, dad. I don't want you to fight with your parents," the little boy says.
Ron and Neville stay quiet. Even their plates are almost untouched.
"Did I say that you're an imposition on us? Did I?" His strict pureblood mother, who made it a point to be strict with Sirius and Regulus says as gently as she can.
"How can three little boys be an imposition on us? And all of you are so quiet for someone so tiny," she continues.
"I can stay with the Malfoys. They won't mind. I'll be quiet and pretend that I'm not there and they will not even notice me. I don't want dad to lose his family again," Harry mutters, his head bowed and his eyes on his folded hands.
Neville and Ron have unshed tears in their eyes.
Sirius doesn't understand why his godson is saying so.
Mother is also stunned.
"You are my son's godson and by extension, my family and they are your friends. It's normal to call your friends around. I'm telling you that you're not an imposition. Why will you stay with the Malfoys when you have a home and a family?" Mother says fiercely. She doesn't have any tears. Mother has always been a very strong woman. At this point, Sirius is so stunned that he can't find any words at all.
"Mr Black was glaring at me the day before yesterday at lunch and then he didn't come down for meals at all. I don't want to be a burden on anyone, Mrs Black. I don't want dad to resent me or mum and papa for that accident. It wasn't my fault or there's," the boy says, tears flowing down his cheeks and onto his hands, "I am sorry."
The last bit is so heartbreaking that Sirius wants to hug the boy but even now mother beats him to it. She takes the little boy in his arms before whispering something in a very low voice. No one can understand what it is.
Ron and Neville are staring at mother as if they have seen someone come back from the dead.
Maybe they have.
He wonders what happened to the Blacks in their timeline.
"I love you, Harry. You know that I'll never resent you. Father will come around and if he doesn't, then it's his loss. Not all families are happy families, Harry. It's okay. You are my family and mother thinks so too," Sirius says.
But, Harry shakes his head, "he's your father. I don't want you to lose your family again. I don't want you to be lonely. I'll not stand."
Sirius looks at him with narrowed eyes, wondering exactly what happened to Sirius in Harry's timeline. The not clearly has a lot of unresolved trauma.
"Let's talk to Orion, then," mother says, settling down again.
"ORION, COME HERE THIS INSTANT, YOU NONSENSICAL, STUPID MAN. COME HERE," mother screams and Sirius covers his ears, Ron and Neville grin at each other.
Sirius wishes he could understand. Father enters the dining room warily, his face white.
Mother is angry. She's glaring at father. Mother is a very strong, powerful witch and she has her wand in her hand right now. Usually, she doesn't pick her wand. She does it only when she can't restrain her rage.
Sirius might have to interfere.
"What did we discuss before Regulus left for his mission," mother asks quietly, "what did he tell us?"
Father swallows, his hands folded on the back of an empty chair. It's not that father's scared of mother. It's just that when mother gets like this, there's no calming her down.
She's so angry that her hands are trembling.
"Both of you asked me to leave them alone. I did that. I-"
Mother's glass shatters suddenly and the shards spread all around the table as she stares father down, "lying to my sons throughout their lives wasn't enough for you. Now, you want to lie to Sirius' godson too. You still want everyone to think that I'm a bitter old woman who doesn't know how to be happy or how to treat kids. You want Sirius to think that I have some sort of issue with three five-year-olds," before keeping her wand back on the table. Belatedly, he realises that it was terrifying Harry.
Father wisely stays quiet. Sirius stares at mother who is still not done.
"You had him think that I had an issue with him being in Gryffindor, that I gave my consent to you torturing him throughout his childhood and youth in our cellars when I knew nothing about it," she says, "Regulus couldn't reach out to us because he thought we would start hating him like we hated his older brother and he actually died."
She takes a deep breath and it escapes no one's notice that she's still not crying. She's sad, yes but she's not crying outwardly.
"After such a long time, I've both my sons under this roof and now you have found a new way to make them leave because of course, he'll leave if it's little Harry you're tormenting mentally, if not physically," she mutters, breathing deeply, "I would ask you to leave and stay in one of the other properties because I'm done with you. This isn't what I married you for. I was supposed to have a family. I want supposed to die alone and bitterly in a big old mansion with no one to witness my death but tormented house elves. I would ask you to leave but Harry doesn't want that. So, Orion, I suggest you find a way to reconcile with our boys and his godson because if you ever hurt them again, I'll strangle you to death myself. No one would mourn you at the end, not even your sons."
Father sits down across from mother and serves food quietly for himself, his hands trembling and his face very White. Regulus is standing at the door, gobsmacked.
Harry sneaks a glance at father before letting mother serve food for him.
He starts eating quietly with the other two. They take turns telling mother about their day. Regulus settles down beside father, squeezing his hand in silent support Good or bad, he's their father and they couldn't abandon him like mother had done. He realises that mother is far more complicated than he had thought. He doesn't know his mother at all. This time, though, he'll do this properly. He'll get to know mother. He'll not run away this time.
Sirius realises that he has lost his voice.
He eats silently, looking at mother now and then to make sure that he's not dreaming all this.
He could be, seeing that he always wanted his mother to love him.