Albus Dumbledore watched calmly as Harry Potter destroyed his office.
The boy had every right to be angry. To have fought your parents murderer for the fourth time in five years at such a young age, only to watch the body of one's godfather to be carried away in the hands of Dementors…. Harry was strong, Dumbledore knew, but still barely more than a child.
Still, Sirius had always been a wildcard. Some had suspected there was no way he could have been responsible for those murders all those years ago, and had Dumbledore allowed himself such thoughts, he would have been suspicious of it as well. But, he had had a job to do to ensure that the Wizarding World would survive Voldemort's return. It was far easier to place the sacrificial lamb in the arms of those who would not mourn him, to try and lessen the collateral damage as much as possible.
He supposed his adherence to the greater good would never subside.
And there it was, in front of him. He had once doubted it to be true, doubted that Voldemort held such a sway over Harry. That things really were the worst possible scenario. But Dumbledore could see it in the boy's justifiable rage, those traces of Tom. And how else would the Savior of the Wizarding World be so drawn to the Dark Lord's daughter if he didn't have some part of the Dark Lord within him?
It was time to stop treating Harry as a young boy, as the son of some of his star pupils. It was time to treat him as the solution he was.
So, finally, he recited to Harry the Prophecy.
The boy was still troubled, still angry, he knew, but he sensed in Harry a sort of resignation to his fate. Good. When the time came, Harry would become the sacrifice he needed to be, hopefully without too many people standing in his way.
It was then that the fireplace turned green.
"Headmaster-" came the disembodied voice of Remus Lupin. He sounded dreadfully out of breath. "He-he's been pardoned."
Dumbledore nodded magnanimously. "It is right that Sirius should finally receive justice in his death, though unfortunate."
He had strode around the desk to place a grandfatherly hand of support on Harry's shoulder.
Remus was shaking his head. "Sir, he's not."
"Pardon?"
"He would have been if not for Evanna Malfoy knocking him away from the Veil-he's unconscious now, but the Healers expect him to make a full recovery," Remus said excitedly.
"Sirius… Sirius is alive?" Harry said numbly.
Remus smiled broadly at him.
"Can-can I see him?" he said slowly, as though not dating to hope. Dumbledore's mind was spinning with the implications of Sirius Black not only being alive, but being pardoned. That meant…
Remus smiled at him again. "No one could stop you if they wanted to, Harry. Now that he is pardoned, Sirius is officially your guardian."
A grin seemed to split Harry's face in two as he quickly stepped forward, not even looking back to Dumbledore for permission as he might once have. Dumbledore hid his frown behind his hand, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Sirius had never fallen in line with Dumbledore's orders, and that the man had seemingly been saved by Evanna Malfoy? Dumbledore would have to find a way to regain his influence over Harry, and soon.
For the greater good.
A few hours earlier
Evanna groaned as she tried to lift herself from the floor, ears full of a tinny ringing sound. She had felt Harry's fear, had known that he was terrified to lose his godfather, so she had acted.
Sirius had been blasted away from the Veil Between Realms, laying a few feet away from her. One of his arms were bent at an angle that made Evanna nauseous. He was so still, she was scared she had failed. From the Veil, she could still hear the whispers of Lucius, doing his best to torment her from beyond the grave.
Tu vas faire comme je dit. Tu vas fair comme je dit...
Professor Lupin had remained to check on him, while Moody and the other Order members had run off. Evanna nearly cried when the werewolf slumped in relief after finding a pulse. His eyes widened and she knew that her mind magic had failed; he could see her again.
"You were here all along? You saved him?" he said, clearly shocked.
Evanna would have answered, but her mouth felt like it was full of cotton and her head pounded worse than it ever had. She could feel Lupin's relief, Sirius' mind barely clinging to life, the fear of the DA members, and something further away…. Two equal and opposite forces, both filled with anger and power.
Her father. And…. Dumbledore.
Evanna stood on shaky legs and took a step toward the exit of the room. Her old professor stopped her, and she found she did not even have the strength to do anything more than slump against him.
"I've placed a stasis spell on him, but he isn't out of the woods yet, and I don't think you're in any state to continue fighting, Ms. Malfoy," Lupin said gently.
She opened her mouth and out came a croaking sound that could barely be considered a voice. "Ha-Harry. M-my fa-"
"Don't worry, the rest of the Order is helping Harry and the rest."
"But-"
"Shhh!" the former professor said, quickly conjuring two stretchers. Evanna suddenly was under the altogether awful sensation of being forcibly magicked onto a stretcher. She tried to strain against it, but it was like she had used up all but a trickle of her magic. "I'm going to disillusion you both, alright?"
Before Evanna could say anything, the werewolf had done exactly that, a feeling like an egg being cracked open over her skull and trickling down her back. She flinched at the feeling before he started half jogging out of the cavern-like room. The twisting hallways made Evanna dizzy as Lupin moved quickly through them. She could hear explosions above her and then an eery silence.
She did not dare hope either one was the victor.
They reached the atrium just in time to see it flooded with Ministry officials and Aurors. Evanna's heart lurched when she saw her father grab her mother, sliding back into an open fireplace to disappear into green flames. Then she saw Harry prostrate on the floor and it felt like she could not breath until she saw the Headmaster gently lift him up.
"He's back!"
The Minister of Magic was standing there with his mouth gaped open like a fish. Dumbledore had begun to speak to reporters, his arm tightly around Harry's shoulders. Whether that was because Harry needed the support to remain upright or because Dumbledore needed it to appear so, she was not sure.
Remus had begun pushing through the throngs of people, announcing that he had injured fighters. It was not until they had nearly reached the exit and Dumbledore had ushered Harry to a fireplace of his own that Evanna felt it. A strange cold descended around her, snuffing out all warmth and bringing to the forefront of her tired mind all the worst memories of Lucius Malfoy. From far away, she heard someone shout: "It's Sirius Black!" and then more shouting and finally silence as unconsciousness at last overtook her.
When she finally awoke, she was in a soft hospital bed, morning light streaming in around her. On one side of her, her mother-Narcissa-had fallen asleep in an inelegant heap, her head resting on Evanna's thigh. On the other side, was Professor Snape, his long legs stretched in front of him and his arms crossed as his chin rested on his chest.
Evanna tried to sit up slowly, reaching for the water on the table beside her bed, but the movement roused Narcissa immediately. She blinked her lovely blue eyes a few times before noticing Evanna was awake and shouting for Madam Pomfrey. The noise startled Professor Snape, who looked ready to grab his wand and start fighting whoever was nearby. Then his eyes landed on Evanna and she was certain that they were no less angry than a few moments before.
"Good morning, Ms. Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey said before Professor Snape could launch into what was sure to be a truly impressive lecture. "How are you feeling?"
"Thirsty," she said, voice still hoarse.
A glass of water popped into her hands with a straw. She took it to drink gratefully.
"Small sips, please," the mediwitch said. "You had a nasty case of magical exhaustion, but now that you are awake, everything should be fine. You may leave the Hospital Wing as soon as you've had breakfast. But you must be more careful-you gave your mother quite the scare."
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," she said. The nurse nodded smartly and with a flick of her wand, there was a breakfast tray over Evanna's lap. It was only plain porridge, but Evanna felt suddenly ravenous. The nurse left as soon as she saw Evanna pick up the spoon and start eating.
She had barely taken her second bite when Professor Snape stood and spelled the curtains around her bed shut and soundproof.
"Did you completely lose your mind, Evanna?" he hissed, eyes narrowed at her.
"Severus, she's only just woken up-"
"If she's well enough to leave the hospital wing, she's well enough to discuss how she ended up in here in the first place!" Professor Snape snapped. "Not only were you foolish enough to charge after Potter into one of his reckless schemes-you also decided to use unfamiliar magic in a way that had you on the brink of magical ruin! Had you survived such a thing, do you really believe the Dark Lord would have suffered a Squib daughter?"
"Did Sirius Black survive?" she asked. A vein in Professor Snape's forehead twitched. "Ginny? Luna? The others?"
"Sirius and the others are alright, but Evanna-" Narcissa began.
"He may not act it but Black is an adult, and you had no business-"
"Harry wouldn't have anyone looking after him if his godfather died," she said. "I don't trust the Headmaster."
"Protecting Harry Potter is not your job, darling," Narcissa said, squeezing her hand. "You are playing with fire."
"Does my father know I was there?" Evanna said, looking back at Professor Snape.
The Potions Professor looked ill. "He would have ordered me to bring you to him if he knew. Your mother is at the Manor, and several others are in Azkaban. The rest are dead, so they will not tell tales if they saw anything."
A chill went down Evanna's spine. She did not dare ask whether they had been killed in the Battle or because of her father's rage.
"There is another matter," Narcissa said. "The Potter boy came by and asked after you."
Evanna's heart did a little flip in her chest. Harry had come and check on her? After months of coldness and believing she had been the one to turn the DA in?
"He left you a note and against my better judgement, I allowed it," Narcissa continued, frowning deeply. "But, Evanna, you have risked enough. Your father will catch and-"
Evanna had ripped open the folded bit of parchment to reveal Harry's scratchy handwriting.
Meet me in the Room of Requirement, Sunday evening at nine pm. ~HJP
"What is today?" she said, cutting her mother off.
"Is there any reason you need to know?" Professor Snape all but snarled.
Before Evanna could say anything, Madam Pomfrey had returned to check that she had finished her porridge and to usher Professor Snape and Narcissa out so she could perform one last diagnostic.
"Madam, how long was I unconscious?"
"It's only been a day and a night," Madam Pomfrey assured her. "Today is Sunday. You really must be more careful in the power you exert-this is the second time you've been in my hospital wing in two years-"
But Evanna didn't really pay attention. She was seeing Harry tonight.