"Life plays the same lovely and antagonizing joke on all of us." - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tragedy Strikes Black
Article by Rita Skeeter
My dear readers, I'm writing today bringing tragic and heart breaking news for the Wizarding World. In the early hours of the morning, yours truly received an owl from an anonymous source informing me of a gut wrenching event surrounding Hermione Black nee Granger, esteemed Auror whom now holds the Black familial seat on the Wizengamot, Order of the Phoenix member, and wife to Sirius Black, Heir of the Noble House of Black.
The couple and their family are no stranger to the front page. You've heard their names and seen their faces amongst a wide spectrum of news-worthy headlines. From their heroic roles in defeating Voldemort, their controversial marriage, their part in capturing Death Eaters, all the way to their announcement of their pregnancy… You dear readers have followed along their incredible, yet dramatic, journey of love and heroics while falling in love with them along the way.
Which is why is pains me to write that another tragedy has struck the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black.
Hermione Black mysteriously disappeared from the Auror department early in the day yesterday under the guise of being called to meet Head Auror Alastor Moody. Several hours later, Head Auror Moody and Auror Sirius Black frantically set off on a mission to find the beloved Lady Black when they realized her disappearance.
Her friends and family were seen causing a scene in the Auror department once news broke to them of her disappearance, demanding to know where she was. Hours passed until the group finally received a lead and raced down to the Department of Mysteries. Led by Head Auror Moody, former Auror Fleamont Potter, and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the group barraged their way into the secretive department to rescue Hermione Black.
Hermione Black, seven months pregnant with the future Heir of the Noble House of Black, was found bound to a chair and had undergone excruciating rounds of torture by way of the Cruciatus curse when her friends and family arrived on the scene.
Most shocking of all, my dear readers, was the horrific event was led by Dolores Umbridge, assistant to the Minister of Magic, and Cornelius Fudge, Junior Deputy of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Sources tell me Dolores Umbridge had a maniacal obsession with Hermione Black. She rallied other prominent Ministry workers, such as Cornelius Fudge, to capture Lady Black because of their horrific views on blood supremacy.
Dolores Umbridge has been declared dead following the event. The details surrounding her death are incredibly vague due to the secrecy of the DOM. The person(s) responsible for her death are not being charged per Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartimus Crouch Sr. Cornelius Fudge is being held in Ministry Lockup awaiting trial.
Sources have informed me that Hermione Black was rushed to St. Mungos unconscious, and there is no update on her status nor their child's.
As always, I will do my part is updating you my dear readers with any further information. On behalf of myself and the rest of the Wizarding World, we offer our sympathies and wish of good fortune to the Noble House of Black during this tramatic time.
Me, myself, and my readers are curious to know… When will the Black family finally catch a break?
Sirius' POV
Over the course of my fucked up, shitty life I've questioned more times than I can count whether it's all worth it.
Is it all worth the pain? The agony? The fear? The heart break? The plaguing deterioration of oneself?
Is finding genuine happiness worth the soul wrenching loss of that source happiness?
That is the question that's been burning through my brain in tortuous repetition for the last three weeks. My mind screaming out for help, replaying in a loop the events leading me here… leading to this unbearable event that I'm almost assuredly not able to recover from.
If she could only see me now…
Body crumbled over in a chair next to her hospital bed. Eyes blood red and burning from the tears continually flowing. My under eyes sunken and black as my familial name from countless sleepless nights. Hair knotted and wild from pacing the room, yanking and pulling my locks in furious frustration. My throat hoarse from screaming in painful desperation into the darkness of the room while surrounding myself in silencing charms.
So, again, I ask myself… Is it all worth it?
Three Weeks Prior
No….no… Please not her…
I'm frozen in place when Moody and Pa break through, Moody quickly casting a nonverbal Finite and Pa rushes forward to catch Hermione. Umbridge gears up to cast, but I quickly move forward with every ounce of rage pulsing from my body.
Umbridge starts speaking the words I've never been more terrified in my life to hear.
"Avada…"
"Flipendo!" I cry out, wand aimed directly at Umbridge.
Her body flies through the air directly into the path of the Veil. Like de ja vu, her body floats calmly through the Veil and slowly disappears.
The chaos around me unleashes while my body moves forward on autopilot towards my wife and father. Panic fills through my body as I approach closer seeing Hermione unconsciously twitching in my father's arms while he's attempting to revive her.
"Renverate… Renverate… DAMNIT, Hermione! Don't do this!" Pa cries out while running his wand over her chest, desperately trying to wake her.
I finally make my way next to them when my body suddenly halts, as I take a painful gasp seeing the love of my life. Her body is limply cradled in my father's arms, twitching uncontrollably, the after affects of the Cruciatis painfully seizing her muscles. Eyes closed and head dropped back, the clear expression of pain and torture is etched into her unconsciousness.
The world around me quickly closes in. The screams from my friends and family go unheard, their panicked movements going unseen.
All I can see is her… my wife… my brave, stunning, pregnant wife…
I've never felt pain like this before. I feel so easily and so deeply when it comes to her, but in this moment my body fades into a terrifyingly numb state. Like every joy and happy moment has been stripped from my soul by a Dementor, leaving a ghost-like shell of a body in its place.
I don't feel the hands of James harshly shaking me to snap out of it. I don't hear Moody screaming at his Patronus to call for a Healer. I don't see Cissa collapsed in Kingsley's arms wailing out for help. I don't register Dumbledore whisking away to calmly yell at the Head of the DOM to lift the Anti-Apparation wards to allow Healers to come through.
As I gaze at my wife, I realize that I am just a man whose soul is slowly leaving his body and that I'm nothing… absolutely nothing without her.
Three long, excruciating weeks I've been stuck here in this bloody fucking room staring at my unconscious wife. The days pass by in a blur of Healers, friends and family, and plaguing dark thoughts.
When we first arrived, the look on Healer Jacobs face was enough for me to completely lose it. When they took her body into the room, Healer Jacobs couldn't even get a word in before I stormed off and destroyed the waiting room. The magic was rippling off my body as every desk, chair, book, and mug were incinerated.
It took Moody, Kingsley, James, and Remus to force me down and bind me before my body settled and I burst out into hysteric tears, pleading for my wife.
James and Remus were hardly able to hold it together, sobbing over me while they began to break down. Even Moody was misty eyed above me, something I never thought I'd live to see.
Lily, being left behind from the events of Hermione's rescue, burst into St. Mungos in a terrifying fury while her bright, red hair was sparking to the point it looked like swirling flames dancing on her head. She hexed anyone who dared get in her way of seeing her best friend, earning her a spot on the Dangerous Non-Admittance list until Dumbledore negotiated on her behalf. The Heads of St. Mungos were not thrilled, but reluctantly agreed and they've kept a close watch on her ever since.
Cissa was in more hysterics than I've ever seen before. The carefully put together, powerful woman was crumbling with the best of us, only allowing comfort from Kingsley and Meda.
As the hours ticked by slowly, our small group grew to thirteen strong as we camped outside of Hermione's room. The Healers, already furious with our previous actions, refused to let our large group stay in the hallway but no one budged at their threats. It took Crouch Sr. and three Aurors reluctantly showing up to remove the group from the premises. Being her husband, I was the only one allowed to stay.
Cissa, having more money than sense in the moment, immediately purchased an immaculate brownstone directly across from St. Mungos. She threatened every furniture supplier and decorator in England to furnish the place, and within hours, our family and friends moved into the eleven bedroom home. All of them refusing to go back to their own homes, as they insisted they wanted to be as close as they can to Hermione and the baby.
While I was given a room, I couldn't bear not sleeping next to my wife. So once the Healers exited after the hours of treatments, I conjured a cot next to my wife's hospital bed and have barely left since.
A week or so in, someone in the group, likely Lily, slipped Dreamless Sleep into my tea. I was carried out of the hospital and slept for two days in the bedroom at the brownstone, before waking and threatening every single person in the home.
Day after day, our friends and family rotated in shifts to come during visiting hours. Many of them sat quietly in chairs beside Hermione's bed, afraid of setting me off. As more time went by, the bolder they got with me. Meda damn near forcing food down my throat, Regulus vanishing my clothes leaving me starkers and throwing clean clothes at my head, while Ma scorgified my body since I refused to leave the room and shower.
Healer Jacobs was the only one who I would respond to, well, if you can call a gruff and one word, a response. Hermione's diagnosis was that she had drained her magical core, and they suspected she was focusing her magic on protecting their unborn daughter while being tortured. Between the multiple rounds of Cruciatus affecting her brain and organs, the severe depletion of her magical core, and past trauma, her body was on the brink of shutting down.
They've placed her in a magically induced coma to calm the swelling in her brain and allow her organs to heal, but they say the combination of the trauma to her body and core deems her critical and unstable. The most heartbreaking news of all was the Healers revealing that it's not WHEN she wakes up, it's IF she wakes up. And even if she does, they don't know what condition her brain will be in cognitively.
Our daughter, however, with the protection of Hermione's magic, is healthy. She protected our daughter with everything she had, draining herself in the process, and it breaks my heart every second that I couldn't somehow do the same for Hermione.
So, I sit here drained of every positive emotion I've ever known, staring at the love of my life, pleading Merlin, Morgana, God, and any other higher being for them both to survive.
With no power to do anything else but wait, I lean back in the chair next to Hermione and close my eyes to tap into the passageway connecting our brains to try and reach her.
Please, Baby… Please, don't leave me… I love you… Come back to me…
Hermione POV
The hot summer sun glistens over the ripples of water of the Black Lake. The gentle breeze blowing causing the trees of the Forbidden Forest to dance in the wind. The healthy grass tickles my senses as I run my fingers through it while sitting on the edge of the shore of the lake.
It's peaceful here, so serene. I've never seen Hogwarts quite like this.
I feel like I've been in this scene surrounding me for years. When I first arrived, part of me expected there to be students and staff wandering throughout the halls and grounds, just as I have always known it. The other part of me expected to see the war torn and broken castle of which I had left from long ago in a different time.
Over my time here, I nervously scoured the halls looking for any sign of life inside the historic school. As time went on, I began to realize that I was truly and utterly alone here.
After exploring the grounds and the halls countless times, I started to pick up on clues that I was not actually physically at Hogwarts but it some sort of paradox. The real castle has this way of feeling sentient, between the ancient magic pulsing through the stone, the armor statues always shifting just slightly, and the portraits gossiping and running frame by frame for visits. But none of that was here, everything besides the natural elements remains stagnant.
I got over the panic of being trapped here alone awhile back. I tried to run to Hogsmeade, but somehow looped back onto the grounds. I explored the Forbidden Forest to try and escape, but came out the other end in front of the castle. There was no where to go but here, so for the first time in my life, I settled in and took in the tranquility of the peace and quiet.
It's always day here, so it's impossible to know how much time has gone passed. As I'm sitting in the grass by the shore, soaking in the sun and peace, I reach over to grab a rock from the edge.
Another past time I've developed here is skipping stones. I've collected the best stones from the shoreline and created a pile by my favored sitting area in the grass.
I stand up and start walking toward the shoreline as I glide my hand on the thin, silky-smooth stone. I stop just as I reach the water's edge and take a deep breath, inhaling the calming scent of nature. I wind my arm back to the side, and with practiced force, fling the stone to skim across the top of the lake.
The ripples breaking the plane of the water is my favorite part of this activity. It creates life and movement in the lake as I watch the stone skip across vast body of water. Counting skips as it goes, I realize with excitement that I've just broken my record.
"YES!" I whoop out cheerfully, jumping up and down clapping my hands at the achievement.
"Nice work, Mione!" A familiar voice startles me from behind.
After being alone for what feels like an eternity, the voice sets me on edge and I whip around to confront the person breaking my tranquility.
When my eyes land on the figure in front of me, I gasp out and clutch my hands to my chest in pure shock. The man before me, isn't at all who I was expecting.
"H…Harry?" I tearfully cry out in disbelief.
A wide, playful grin creeps up on Harry's face, the face of my best friend whom I left behind in a different time.
"Glad you recognize me. I half expected you to call me James at first," he smirks out while chuckling.
My heart begins pounding out of my chest as I take off running and jump on Harry midair engulfing him in a hug. He wraps his arms around me tightly, squeezing me with all the love in the world.
"I'll take it you're happy to see me. Since when have you been this affectionate?" He asks playfully.
I lean back to stare as him as he drops me down to my feet. "Of course I'm happy to see you, you idiot!" I cry out at him with a light hearted smack to his chest. "As for being affectionate, you can blame Sirius for that," I scoff out while rolling my eyes dramatically and flipping my hand out in annoyance.
Harry's grin widens further, his green eyes shining like emeralds in the summer sky as he looks down on me.
"Ah yes, my godfather! Have to say, it's a bit weird knowing that you're shagging my father figure," he barks out as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh, honestly! You try hurling yourself back in time and not falling for the wizard. The man's a walking sex on a stick, and happens to be the love of my life, thank you very much. You're just going to have to get over it," I sneer to him with my eyebrow raised in a challenging way.
Harry laughs out and throws his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright. Fine, you win. Now, come on. We need to talk a bit, catch me up on what's been happening," he says as he walks over and plops down next to my favored spot in the grass and pats the spot next to him.
I eagerly make my way over and sit down next to him, looping my arm through his and leaning my head on his shoulder.
"It's peaceful isn't it? I don't think I've ever seen Hogwarts so… calm," he mumbles out quietly.
"How are you here, Harry? And why now?" I ask quietly, transfixed on the slow ripples of the water.
"Well, to be honest… I have no idea how I got here, but I do have a theory," he responds nervously.
I tilt my head slightly to look at him, "And what's that theory, Harry?"
He takes a deep breathe before beginning, "Well, as I'm sure you've realized… You're stuck somewhere in between life and death. Even though you've tried to escape the grounds, you haven't been able to move back or move on from here. So you're trapped in the in between." I nod my head agreeing with his theory before he begins again.
"I also believe you called for me because it's time for you to decide…" he says with a hint of pain in his voice.
I ponder on this for a moment, questions rattling through my brain. "But… If I'm in between, then how was I able to call you? You aren't dead?" I ask while turning my face to meet his.
He smiles a bit once we lock eyes and shrugs, "Aren't I, though? This version of me, I mean… Yes, Mum is pregnant with me right now but once you went back in time, this version of me ceases to exist."
My breath catches in my throat. The realization that my Harry and baby Harry will be completely different people because of my actions. I've known this since before I came here, but to be staring at MY Harry and processing this brings a wealth of emotions.
"I'm so sorry, Harry… I'm so sorry I left you behind…" I shakily cry out squeezing his arm tighter around mine as my head drops down to my best friend's chest.
Harry curls tighter around me and runs his free hand through my hair in comfort, "Don't you dare apologize, Mione. You sacrificed your whole life and you've given me everything… A new chance at life with my family, a chance to grow up as a normal wizard, all while saving countless lives otherwise lost. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done…"
I sob harder into his chest, "But… but I won't have you, Harry. I knew back then when I decided to leave that I'd lose you, but seeing you now… as you were… I don't think I have the strength to leave you again. You're my best friend, Harry Potter. How am I supposed to go on without you?"
Harry's hand is still stroking my hair as we sit in silence for a few moments and then he tilts my head up to face him, "You'll never lose me, Hermione… ever. Our relationship will change in your current time, being my godmother and all, but you'll never lose this version of me. I'll always be here…" He says as he points to my heart, and then moves his hand to tap his finger on my temple. "And here… So, see? You're stuck with me whether you like it or not."
A tearful chuckle escapes my lips, "As if I could ever forget you… It's going to be so strange watching you grow up. What's even more strange is that you're going to grow up with my daughter…"
Harry's head tilts back and a barking laugh escapes him. "HA! Won't that be a sight to see! Part Padfoot and part you? The world won't know what hit it. Hopefully she takes after you, because she will be the most stunning witch to grace this earth. Put in a good word for me, will ya?" He playfully teases with a mischievous smile.
I smack his chest rapidly while screeching out at him, "Harry James Potter! You'll be lucky if my daughter gives you the time of day!" His laughs echoing over the lake as he playfully tries to cease my striking.
"Alright, alright! Enough of that, you wicked witch! Calm down," He cackles out as I slowly calm my hands and snuggle back into him.
"I'm going to be jealous of my daughter, you know? Having you as a best friend… it's the greatest gift anyone could have," I mumble out sincerely.
He squeezes my arm lovingly, "And I'm jealous of my future unborn self for getting to have you as my godmother. There's no one else I'd rather have as family than you. Plus, I don't think anyone else can handle Padfoot."
I chuckle out against his chest in agreement, "That's for damn sure. He's a handful, but he's my handful."
Time passes slowly as Harry and I sit in silence, wrapped in each other's arm gazing out over the Black Lake.
My ear is laying against his chest allowing me to listen to the steady sound of his heartbeat and the shallow feeling of his chest rising and falling with each calm breath.
"How much longer are you here?" I ask, breaking the peaceful silence between us.
"Well… that all depends on you. We don't have much time left and you need to make a decision, Hermione," he tells me, eyes never leaving the water.
My eyebrows crinkle in thought, "Decision? What do you mean?"
He takes a deep breathe and then his eyes flicker to meet mine.
"You need to decide if you're going to fight. You can either come with me and cross over, or you can fight to return to your life. Either way, you need to decide. But I already know what you're going to choose and what I want you to choose…" he says with a sad smile on his face.
I nervously shut my eyes and breathe deeply, "What's that?"
Please, Baby… Please, don't leave me… I love you… Come back to me…
The voice echos throughout the grounds. The sound of my love… my life, breaking through the tranquility of the inbetween I've been trapped in.
Eyes still closed, a smile starts slowing rising on my lips thinking about returning to Sirius. His beautifully chiseled face, his silky black hair, his lips that could end wars, and his startling grey eyes so full of love and warmth.
My smile grows wider thinking about his intoxicating scent, his infectious laugh, the melting sound of his voice, his comforting touch, and the undeniable safeness he effortlessly wraps me in.
My heart starts beating faster when I think about our daughter.
Will she have his eyes? His earth shattering smile? Will she have my unmanageable curls? My love for books but his mischievous nature?
When my heart starts flooding my chest overrun with love, I slowly open my eyes to lock my gaze on a pair of gleaming emerald eyes.
Harry's smile so blinding and genuine as he watches me come to my decision.
"I choose, Sirius. I choose our daughter. I choose Lily. I choose James. I choose Remus, Narcissa, Andromeda, Regulus, Euphemia, Fleamont, Little Tonks, Ted, Kingsley… Hell, I even choose Moody! I choose life and I choose future you, too," I jump up, yelling out to the universe my decision, spinning around in elation.
Harry runs to me quickly picking me up and spinning me around. Tears streaming down our faces at the mix of happiness and sorrow, for now it's time for us to part for the very last time.
We fall down onto the ground, both of us out of breath as we stare out into the clear blue sky. Harry reaches over and gently grabs my hand and squeezes.
"Right answer, Mione," he sighs in relief while smiling up at the sky as the world starts to blur around us.