Author's Note: Well, this is it for Part II! Ugh, this chapter still makes me tear up. Hopefully I'll start uploading Part III asap, so check it out...
Chapter 12
"I don't need no money, fortune, or fame. I've got all the riches, baby, one man can claim," Sirius sang, picking up little Gracie from her high chair. She smiled and giggled, loving to be sang to. "Well, I guess you'll say, what can make me feel this way? My girl."
"My girl, my girl," Isabelle joined in, standing up from the kitchen table.
"Talkin' 'bout my girl."
"My girl," she harmonized. Sirius danced the baby around the kitchen, somehow managing to clear the dinner dishes at the same time.
"Talkin' 'bout my girl. I've got sunshine on a cloudy day with my girl. I've even got the month of May with my girl," he crooned.
"Talkin' 'bout, talkin' 'bout my girl," they finished together.
"Good, Papa," Grace praised him. "More?"
"I don't think so, Princess. Besides, I think it's about time for you to go to bed," he answered her.
Both girls looked at Sirius, confused. It was only eight-thirty, and Grace usually went to bed around nine-thirty. He got a faraway look, and sighed.
"Isabelle, could you put her to bed for me? I brought some work home, and that'll keep me pretty busy all night. You can play with her or do whatever you want to do, as long as you stay upstairs, ok?" He gave her a look that begged her not to ask questions, and simply do as he said.
"Yes, sir."
She took the baby from his arms, and went upstairs. Grace wasn't the least bit sleepy, so Isabelle took her into her room and put her down on the rug. She rushed into the nursery and picked up several of her favorite toys, which quickly amused the little girl. Isabelle walked to her desk and finished up the day's worth of correspondence lessons, keeping an eye on the baby as she played.
Suddenly, Grace started fussing and crying. Isabelle rushed over, wondering what was wrong. She checked her over, not seeing any cuts or bruises.
Puzzled, she picked up the little girl and started pacing the floor with her, trying to soothe her. It didn't work.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked the teary-eyed toddler.
"Bad man," she kept repeating over and over.
"But there's no one here except your Papa," Isabelle tried to assure her. At least, she didn't sense anyone else's presence.
"Yes. Bad man," Grace insisted.
"Alright, Princess, I'll make you a deal. It's almost two-thirty in the morning, and you seriously need to go to sleep. If I put you in your crib and you behave, I'll see if anything's going on downstairs."
"Ok."
Shaking her head, Isabelle scooped her up and took her to the nursery. Years of eavesdropping as a small child came in handy as she crept to the stairwell, slithered down the stairs, and crept into a shadow. Sure enough, Sirius wasn't alone, but she couldn't see whom he was talking to. The man turned around and Isabelle had to cover her mouth so that she didn't gasp loudly. It was Peter Pettigrew.
"Are y-you sure that the Fi-fidelius Charm will work?" he simpered.
The Fidelius Charm? she thought, wondering what was going on.
"Yes, Peter," Sirius explained patiently. "Someone's giving Lord Voldemort inside information on us, and we need to buy a little time. After I fired you last year, no one would expect us to pick you as a Secret-Keeper."
"Th-that's true," he stuttered sourly.
He sighed. "Look, I can't make exceptions in Ministry policies, even for friends. And trying to hook up on company time is strictly against the rules. I did find you another job, though. It was the best I could do."
"I k-know. N-no h-hard fe-eelings." He held out his hand, which Sirius shook and hugged him like a brother.
"Thanks, man. It's good to know you can always count on your friends." He smiled somewhat nervously. "Well, here's the plan. We do the charm twice – once for the girls, and me and again for James, Lily and Harry. Then, you hightail it to Newcastle and hide out with Remus in the Ministry safe house for a few days. Got it?"
"Y-yes."
Isabelle watched Sirius and Peter perform the intricate charm with a growing pit in the middle her stomach. She knew Gracie was a Seer, and also from personal experience that Peter was a very bad man. But, who would believe the words of a toddler? She bit her lip nervously.
After the charms were completed, the two men talked for a few minutes. She saw Peter turn around to grab his cloak off the back of the sofa. As he carelessly threw on his cloak, the left sleeve of his robe was pushed up slightly. Isabelle's jaw dropped. He had the Dark Mark; she'd recognize it anywhere.
"Sirius," she began to say, but no words came out of her mouth.
She desperately tried to find her voice as Peter left the house. As he closed the door behind him, she rushed out of the shadow and started shaking Sirius.
"Isabelle, what are you doing down here?" he thundered. "Didn't I tell you to stay upstairs?"
"Yes sir. But--"
"But what?"
"Peter has the Dark Mark. I saw it," she said in a rush. "I know that I should've have been eavesdropping, but I did anyway. And, I swear to you on my mother's grave that Peter's a Death Eater."
Sirius looked at her skeptically for a minute, and then kicked over a coffee table. "Shit! God da--"
"Don't take the Lord's name in vain, ok? While you're at it, please calm down," she said practically.
"Yeah, you're right." He started pacing. "Think, Sirius, think! Peter's already got a good fifteen minutes on me by the time I get ready and leave."
"Leave?" she repeated in a high-pitched voice. He walked over, put his hands on his shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes.
"Isabelle, I need to go find Peter before he gets back to Voldemort, ok? So, I'm counting on you to stay here with Gracie until I get back. Don't answer the door. Draw the blinds and stay away from the windows. Don't cut on any lights after dark unless it's an absolute emergency. I want this house to look abandoned."
"But, why can't we go to Lily's, or the Longbottoms'?" she asked, trying not to show her fear.
"Because it's safer for everyone if you stay here. I just had Peter, that," he swore profusely, "do the Fidelius Charm for all of us as a precautionary measure. Voldemort's really just after James, Lily and Harry. Taking you over there would put you in more danger. And, I don't want the Longbottoms to get mixed up in all this. The fewer people involved, the better."
Sirius stormed upstairs to say goodbye to Grace, followed closely by Isabelle. The toddler was sitting up in her crib, as if expecting them. She didn't make a sound as he picked her up.
"I need to go away for a little while, ok?" he told her.
"Work?"
He smiled sadly. "Yeah, work. So, be good for Isabelle while I'm gone."
"No," she screamed. Her baby face scrunched up in concentration as she searched for the right word to say. "Bad."
"Well, if you're bad, you'll get in trouble then," he said patiently. Grace's eyes suddenly lit up. "Trap."
"Yes, there's a mouse trap in the corner. I promise that none will hurt you, though. Remember that I charmed the crib so that nothing will bother you?"
"Trap," she repeated louder.
"Princess, I'm sorry, but I don't have time to play this game." He kissed the top of her forehead. "I love you, and I'll be back before you know it."
"Bye." Her lower lip trembled as Sirius gave her to Isabelle.
"Remember everything that I told you?" he asked. She nodded, taking a deep breath.
"You can count on me," Isabelle replied, sounding much more confident than the felt. Suddenly feeling a sense of impending doom, she hugged Sirius tightly with her free arm. "Take care of yourself."
"You sound just like Lily," he laughed.
"Well, we are of some relation," she winked. "I'll walk you downstairs."
He nodded tensely. "Let me grab a couple of things, and I'll meet you at the door."
Grace whimpered softly as Isabelle carried her downstairs. "No, trap Papa."
"I wish I understood what you're trying to say, sweetie." She brushed a stray hair out of the baby's face. Sirius rushed down the staircase a minute later.
"I love you both," he said, opening the door. "And Isabelle, please remember to owl those papers to the Ministry first thing in the morning, please. I left them on the kitchen table. It's very important."
Her face fell. "Yes, sir."
"Thanks."
With that, he was gone. Isabelle closed the door tightly, and set the deadbolt charms. Wrinkling her nose, she carried the baby into the kitchen. She unrolled the thick parchment scroll, tears streaming down her face as she read the court order.
"Adoption papers," she sniffled, staring at Sirius' bold signature at the bottom of the scroll. "Oh, Gracie. He's got it all wrong. Yes, I want to be a part of his family, but not as a daughter."
"Mummy," she exclaimed brightly.
"That's right." Isabelle sighed. "I'm in love with your father. And, nothing would make me happier than to be your mummy. Too bad he doesn't see things that way."
The baby scrunched up her face again. "Will too."
"Thanks for the positive reinforcement. Glad to know someone's on my side. Ok, let's get some sleep, Princess Grace." She snuffed out the lamps and headed back to the nursery, hoping that Sirius would be back by morning.
-----
Isabelle paced up and down the living room, wringing her hands nervously. She snuck over to the window and peeked outside, gazing at the setting sun. It had been nearly two days since Sirius had left, and she was beginning to become extremely worried. Her agitation wore off on Grace, who was in an equally ill humor.A quiet flapping noise echoed through the kitchen and into the living room. Excited, she ran into the kitchen, seeing Lily's barn owl perched on the countertop. She fumbled with the strings and removed a thick letter from the owl's leg. Before heading back into the living room, she filled a bowl of food and water and set them on the floor.
"Here you go, Morgaine," she said distractedly.
She hooted in response as Isabelle flopped down on the sofa, eagerly unrolling the parchment, which was completely covered in Lily's neat handwriting.
Dear Isabelle,How's it going, little sister? It seems like so long since I've had the time to sit down and write a nice, long letter. But, Harry's taking a nap, so we'll see how far I can get before he wakes up!
Anyway, before I get any further, thank you so much for both Harry's birthday present and the lovely anniversary card you sent us. Trust me, the package of sweets Auntie Isabelle sent him was a huge hit. I loved the gummi worms – what a wicked touch. Did you torture Sirius with those before you packed them up?
I still feel horrible that I missed your sixteenth birthday. But, I hope that I can make it up to you next year, sis. Can you keep a secret? Hopefully you nodded yes. Well, next June, right around your birthday, you're going to become an aunt again!
Yup, I'm pregnant! I just found out last week, but I haven't told James yet. With everything that's going on with Lord Voldemort and all, it would just worry him. So, can you be my Secret-Keeper? I had to tell someone before I burst. Hopefully I won't have to be on bed rest this time…
Speaking of Voldemort, we've finally got him cornered. The Ministry's moving in on him bright and early tomorrow morning, so all of this hiding and sneaking around will be over. I can hardly wait! It'll be heaven to be able to take Harry outside to play instead of keeping him cooped up all the time. He has so much energy, and it just doesn't seem fair to confine him to the same old surroundings.
And, to reunite him with Gracie. Every morning, he asks where she is. It's so heartbreaking. I know she'll be happy. Sirius says that she wouldn't play with little Neville Longbottom at first because he's not Harry. The abuse that poor boy must take at the hands of that child.
Isabelle, I'm sure that you must be absolutely miserable going to the Longbottoms' house every day to do correspondence lessons instead of being at Hogwarts with your friends. Thank you for being such a good sport about it; it's a real load off my shoulders. Shoot, if everything goes well tomorrow, then you could be back at school before Christmas holidays!
Well, maybe after the holidays. First, we're all going to take a nice, long holiday. Maybe at Abuela's house in Spain. It's so beautiful. I know that you'd love it. I went there once with the gang when I was at Hogwarts, and I fell in love with the area.
Pardon my daydreams. It's frustrating to be stuck at home on my own anniversary. Can you believe that it's been seven years already? I sure can't. I'm planning on putting Harry to bed nice and early, and then a candlelight dinner. But, I don't know what to cook. Yeah, stop laughing. Hmm, maybe we should skip dinner…
Good idea. There are only certain things I'm good at in the kitchen, and cooking isn't one of them. Maybe I can get James to pick up something on the way home. Yeah, that's the plan.
Anyway, I've been developing some new charms in my spare time that you might find useful someday. I know that sounds like a random subject change, but I thought of it because it eats up time I promised myself that I'd use by learning how to cook.
Isabelle giggled, and skimmed over the charms instructions. Much as she loved her sister, the instructions were as boring as her Charms text. She scrolled down to the end of the letter. Sorry if I rambled on a bit. I just miss talking to you so much, and I can't wait to see you again! Hopefully as soon as tomorrow evening, we can be sitting in front of the fire, eating way too many chocolate truffles. I've been on a serious truffles kick lately.Funny, James is so stressed about Voldemort and the raid tomorrow, but I'm not. All I can think about is this new baby, and how it must be a sign that everything's going to be all right. That there's a future beyond hiding in fear. I just wanted to tell you that all of this is almost over, so just hang in there a little while longer!
I love you so very much,
Lily
She smiled, rolled up the parchment, and turned to Grace. The toddler stood under the living room window with a petrified look on her face. Isabelle jumped off the sofa, and scooped her up.
"What's wrong?" she asked the trembling little girl.
"Bad here."
Isabelle moved the curtains, and felt like she was going to be sick. A familiar greenish glow shone in the distance. She watched it become brighter and closer. Death Eaters. A knot formed in her stomach as she ran upstairs and into her room, charming the door shut.
"Well, Gracie, it's just you and me. Lucky for you, I've fought Death Eaters before. Which means I know exactly what they'll do to us if I can't fight them off." She shuddered involuntarily. "We won't think about that."
"Ok, mummy," she said, wide-eyed.
Isabelle realized that she was still clutching Lily's letter in her hand. "Ok, so I'm thinking about that. What happens if--"
Her voice broke off, and she collapsed on the floor crying. Life taught her exactly what cruelties heartless people were capable of. She clutched Grace to her chest, sobbing loudly.
"Oh, God, I'm too young to die," she pleaded, looking down at the little girl. "But, I'll die a thousand deaths if you let Gracie live. She's just a baby, and she's never done anything to hurt anyone. It'll kill Sirius if he loses her, too. Please, don't let them kill her."
"Love you, mummy," she said, patting Isabelle on the cheek. "I love you, too," she sniffled, pulling herself together. "Well, I'd like for everyone to know what happened, and that I love them. So, how about we write a letter to the Ministry about this attack?"
She walked to her desk, and pulled out her best quill and parchment. Biting her lip, she began writing.
To whom it may concern,Because of today's dark times, I feel that it is necessary to write down all that has happened to my family. Our lives are in danger, so here is what happened to us, in case we are all gone and someone needs answers.
Well, that's a good start, she decided. She wrote furiously, detailing the events leading up to tonight's attack. Once she finished, she scanned the parchment. She picked up her quill again, scribbling out her final farewells.
Lily–You are my sister, mother and friend. I can never thank you enough for everything that you've done for me. Harry is so lucky to have you for a mother. I love you, sis.
She began to write something about the new baby, but stopped herself. James would certainly be upset that she knew first, so she decided to leave that part out. Finally, she said goodbye to everyone except Sirius. Wiping away her tears, she tried to think of something comforting to say to the man she loved more than anything, including life itself.
Before she could write more, a horrific bang sounded at the front door. The sound of shattering glass and splintering wood filled the air. She gulped. This was it.
All my love,
Isabelle
She quickly rolled up the scroll, picked up Grace, and snuck across the hallway to the nursery. No matter what happened next, she wanted to minimize the baby's trauma. And, being in a familiar environment would be comforting, Isabelle decided. Wincing, she covered Grace's head so that she wouldn't have to hear the first floor being ransacked.
Loud, thumping footsteps came up the staircase. Whoever was in the house went into her bedroom first. She heard the wardrobe open, and then slam shut again. Then, the footsteps stopped in front of the nursery door, and a low male voice muttered an incantation.
Despite Isabelle's best attempts to charm the door shut, it swung wide open. A tall, dark-haired man holding a lantern stood in the doorway. He shone the light around, pausing when the girls came into view.
"Stup--" she began, but was cut off by the stranger.
"Accio wand," he said, almost lazily. Isabelle watched in horror as her want flew neatly into his outstretched hand.
"Not bad, mummy," Grace whispered softly.
The man's eyes focused on the origin of the little voice. He clicked his fingers, illuminating the room with light. The toddler stared back at him, unafraid.
So, this is the little piece of humanity Regina died for, Severus Snape thought, choking up a bit.
Isabelle looked at the young man, shocked. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. If she played her cards right, maybe, just maybe he wouldn't kill them. But, then again, he might feel spiteful because of Sirius and kill them anyway. Either way, it didn't hurt to try. Not taking her eyes off him for a second, she stood up slowly and walked towards him.
"Excuse me, Mr. Snape?" she asked quietly. He jumped, as if being taken out of a trance.
"Yes?" How does she know my name? he puzzled.
"Hi," she began, gaining confidence. "You don't know me, but we have a mutual acquaintance, Regina Potter."
"How do you know that?" Severus growled, lowering his wand. He fully intended to kill her and the Black child, but the mention of his former wife's name made him hesitate. Isabelle sensed his indecision, and pounced on it.
"Shortly before she died, she entrusted this to me. And, she told me that if I ever saw you, to give it to you."
She reached into her cloak pocket, producing a shiny gold chain. A beautiful filigree ring dangled at the end of the chain. With a trembling hand, Severus took it from her hand.
"I don't know why Regina said this," Isabelle lied. "But, she wanted you to know that she never stopped loving you."
He swallowed, clearly shaken and touched. After looking at the ring for a minute, he looked up at the baby, disappointed in the lack of resemblance to her mother. As if sensing this, Grace suddenly smiled and batted her eyelashes coyly in a flawless imitation of Regina. Isabelle's jaw nearly hit the floor as the man's expression visibly softened.
"You have five minutes to pack a bag for you and the baby," he snapped.
"Where are we going?" she asked quietly.
"Never mind that. Pack," he barked.
Truthfully, Severus had no clue where to take the girls, except perhaps Hogwarts. In fact, that was probably the only place any of them would be both safe and welcome. Exactly four minutes later, Isabelle reappeared with a bulging knapsack. She quietly followed him downstairs.
"Um, Mr. Snape, how are you going to hide the fact that we're not dead? Voldie wouldn't be too happy if he knew that."
Severus couldn't help laughing at the nickname, but quickly straightened his face. "I assume you have a suggestion, then."
"Yes," she said coolly. "I happen to be a Potions master. And, I know how to make a potion that will burn so hot that nothing of this house would remain once the fire's lit."
"Well," his nose almost touched hers, "I also happen to be a Potions master, little girl. So, I'll make the potion."
"Suit yourself." She shrugged. While he busied himself, she managed to tie her letter to Morgaine's leg and send her off into the night sky.
"Alright, let's go," Severus commanded, pouring a thin liquid all over the living room floor.
They walked out of the back door, towards the woods. Isabelle chuckled softly, thinking about the adoption papers that she "accidentally" left on the kitchen table. When they were about a hundred meters into the woods, he snapped his fingers.
A towering inferno lit up the night sky. Brilliant shades of red and orange engulfed the house almost immediately. Before turning around to lead the girls to Hogsmeade, Severus pointed his wand. For the last time, he spoke the incantation for the Dark Mark.
On the other side of the house grounds, Sirius Black watched in shocked disbelief as his home burst into flames. Before he could react, the Dark Mark illuminated over the burning building. In that moment, he knew exactly what Gracie meant by "trap". He'd been set up, and walked right into Voldemort's trap.
Enraged beyond belief and guilt-stricken, clenched his fists, determined to find Peter Pettigrew. If it was the last thing he did, he would make that sniveling rat pay for destroying his family.