Bones of Death

by foxylittlelady

James was visited by a Druid who gave him a gift, a promise and a prophecy. He, and three others, would see Peace. After the Final Battle, she fulfills that promise. Now, four twenty-year-olds out of Time need to figure out where they fit in this new time, while coming to grips with the fact that the Peace they are now enjoying was won by a baby they had sworn and failed to protect

11. Wild Magic and Grimmauld

a/n There is a part written a bit differently. It was really heavy for me to write; a lot of dark themes are involved. This is a long time coming. I have no excuse beyond simply needing a break from this fandom. I hope to have a monthly update for the remainder of this story.

I have gone through the previous chapters and did a bit of editing as well as fixed a few things I missed. Nothing big, but I think it flows better and a few typos that have been bothering me are fixed.

ENJOY!

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12 Grimmauld Place, 26 June, 1999

Hermione sat quietly at the table in the kitchen, Luna just across the way. The blonde had shown up early the day after the announcement with a large bag thrown over her shoulder and the promise of a day, just about her. Ginny had gone from house to house of all their friends and family demanding that Hermione be pampered, since she was unable to do so. Her quidditch team had been kind to give her the day to see Grimmauld and hear the announcement, but they could not spare her further. They were in the middle of training, and with a large bunch of new trainees every day counted.

Luna had been the first to arrive, Elf wine, and an enormous number of snacks. Most were chocolate based, if the bubbly woman was to be believed. Sirius had been called away on House business, along with James. The ordeal with Molly the day before had made the Saturday edition of the Daily Prophet, and they wanted to work on damage control. Hermione didn't want to make a big deal out of it, hoping it would blow over like so many of the temper outburst of Molly Weasley.

Hermione had gone as far as to not read the paper, pleased when Sirius had tossed it into the fire of the kitchen after reading it. He had left shortly after, having received an owl from the Head of House Potter.

Hermione was dreading facing the day without Sirius by her side to reminded her that she was never going to be alone. The company of her friends would certainly help, but nothing could match the warmth of her husband paired with his smell of leather and smoke. The combo was enough to relax her alone.

Luna hummed to herself, some lullaby Hermione wasn't familiar with, while pouring them both a healthy amount of wine for ten in the morning. Hermione took a sip, ready to do nothing of importance for the day. She'd spent it doing whatever her friends wanted and have the night to be alone with Sirius. They had decided to take their relationship slowly, especially since it happened in such an unusual way. Luna took a sip of her own warming her cheeks. Hermione tried to remember a single time she had seen the younger woman drink. Thinking of none, Hermione cocked her head in question at her friend. Luna giggled.

"It sits a bit like Warropit Spice in the stomach." Hermione frowned at Luna's, asking what Warropit Spice was. "Oh silly me, it's not often consumed in Britian. I'm hardly surprised you don't know." She started plaiting some of the flowers on the table into Hermione's hair, humming softly. "It's dried unfertilized Warropit eggs." Hermione fought down a face.

"That's... nice." Hermione let out a relieved breath as footsteps echoed down the stairs leading to the first floor. She loved Luna and saw her as a valued friend. But there were times the young woman made little sense to her.

"Bit early isn't it?" Remus wandered down the stairs, Lavender close behind. "You'll have to forgive Andromeda. She wasn't feeling up to..." He cut off his speech and smiled widely, mischief in his eyes. "Either way, Teddy's looked after." He poured himself a cup, giving Lavender a cheeky smile. "Sorry luv."

"Drink all you want Professor." She returned his look. "One of us should." He took a sip and leaned in for a kiss. Hermione stared eyes wide in surprise. Luna paused in her plaiting, pulling a thin ribbon from somewhere and tying it off. Hermione's hair had become much more manageable with Sirius happily applying oils and other treatments to keep it from bushing out like she was used to. Luna returned to her seat, smiling warmth at the couple.

"That's lovely." Luna slowly began taking things out of her bag and placing them on the table. No one in the room recognized any of them. Hermione stood up, eyes moving up and down her friend, while Remus placed a protective arm around Lavender's waist.

"I wanted to wait for everyone, but OH MERLIN." Lavender leapt out of Remus's grasp and into Hermione's open arms. "I'm pregnant!" Luna remained focused on her progress of bag emptying, while Hermione and Lavender made girly sounds of excitement. Remus covered his ears with a laugh, setting his drink on the table. If anyone had asked Hermione a year ago if she'd be jumping happily, screeching in Grimmauld with Lavender, she'd have laughed in their face.

"We wanted to tell everyone last night but with everything." She growled lightly after her sentence which triggered something in Remus, who did the same. The two with lycanthropy took several moments to calm down and had their hands dancing over each other, reaffirming they were both safe. "Needless to say." Lavender huffed. "Fuck Molly Weasley." She glared at Remus until he took a deep drink for her. He smiled through a grimace. "Don't give me that look Rem. I know for a fact that you can't get drunk without drinking a whole liquor store."

Hermione laughed at their exchange. She had done extensive research on Werewolves during her third year, and with her massive memory she still recalled it all. There was something about the sped-up metabolism of a werewolf. They required a greater amount of protein then an average witch or wizard because of it. Processing alcohol at a higher rate would certainly fit into that trait. Hermione wondered if Lavender had a similar issue.

"I can't stay for long." Lavender's smile turned down. "And obviously, that's..." She pointed at the large array of things Luna had pulled out. "Is out of the question." Hermione gazed at the assortment of things Luna had pulled so far. There were over a dozen different bottles filled with all the colors of the rainbow, a pitcher, some stones that were glowing, and small leather-bound notebook that was covered in gibberish; at least Hermione couldn't read it.

"Don't worry," Luna spoke, turning her eyes on Lavender. Who had taken to rubbing her stomach with darkened eyes. There was a lot about the children of werewolves that wasn't known. It didn't help that they were so isolated that it was a rare occurrence regardless. Werewolves were unable to breed among themselves, since the transformation damaged their bodies so. However, there was a rumor that two werewolves that mate during a full moon can produce pups. Hermione had heard the twins tell a tale about the Forbidden Forrest having such a pack. She had never given the idea much thought, but now as she looked at how nervous Lavender was; she wished she had. "They are beautiful and powerful to match their parents." Remus paled at her declaration, eyes moving from person to person, without words.

"They?" Lavender sat down heavily.

"Why yes." Luna answered, returning to emptying her bag. Remus downed his drink, and filled it again. Hermione didn't have anything to say, unsure if Luna was right or not. Thought she thought it was likely. Luna had a way of seeing things that others could. She wondered if Luna could have been a Druid. Winfred had said only she had the ability to Shapeshift. That certainly gave credit to the idea. Hermione wished Winfred had been more open to teaching; there was so much she wanted learn about the practice of Druid, even if she couldn't practice it herself.

Wild magics had been studied extensively by Romans after they discovered the Druids, but there wasn't anything they could truly learn. It was the foundation of magic as they knew it, but like everything else, much had changed since the beginning of the world and Wild Magic was no different. Perhaps that was one of the reasons Druids fled to the Obscurity in the first place, true Wild Magics was becoming rare in the environment. It wasn't a bad thing, it merely was. Hermione figured that was why, if Luna could have been a Druid, they did not come for her like they did for Winfred all those years ago.

"Do I want to know how you know that? We only just found out she's carrying... it's too early for genders or... numbers?" Lavender took in a deep breath and watched Luna gaze at them with her light blue eyes, unblinking. Luna had a way of seeing into everything that a person was or is. It was unnerving when she was younger, but Lavender felt strangely comfortable with it now. She never expected Luna to explain anything to them. She would say very insightful things and that would be that. So, when she elaborated, Lavender was surprised.

"You have three bright glows around you." Luna hummed, head cocking slightly. "You always only had one, so the other two are likely the babies." She smiled warmly. "I can't tell you their genders however. That's something they will have to figure out for themselves." She giggled, setting her bag down. Hermione stared at the arrangement of new bottles and treats that now decorated the table. She recognized none of it. Based on what she could smell, there was chocolate in some of it. She looked up at Remus as he took sniffs of the table, clearly trying to identify it all as well.

"Luna... what is all this?" Hermione was not opposed to experimenting with the younger girl, knowing that Luna would not do anything to harm her or anyone else knowingly. However, she also did not want eat something that would taste foul or sit strangely in her stomach.

"Some is for later, some for now." Luna didn't elaborate, but rather began mixing things into an empty glass pitcher she had placed on the table. Hermione tried to keep an open mind as the liquid turned from white to red, to green and finally settled on blue. "You shouldn't have any of this, Lavender." Luna added after pouring five glasses of the weird mixture. Hermione eyes the glasses, taking one, and counting those present.

"Are we expecting more people?" Lavender voiced Hermione's question, picking up a glass and lifting it to the light curiously. The liquid was translucence and swirled in the glass. The blue had danced between lighter and darker shapes. It was quite beautiful.

"Of course." Luna smiled, turning her eyes to the stairs leading to the first floor. Everyone froze in their positions and listened. Hermione bit back a laugh as the Floo triggered, and the sound of faint arguing rumbled from upstairs.

"...I don't think I'd be welcome at a large Gryffindor party." Draco Malfoy's voice echoed through the room. Hermione smiled as she made out the voices. Grimmauld was projecting their discussion so she could hear it. The house was quickly becoming one of her favorite people. Grimmauld had started showing its true self in small ways, like allowing her to hear discussions when she was far away, or making Sirius's water cold when Hermione wanted the bathroom. The favoritism was a running joke between the Lady Black and her husband.

"Please Draco, Hermione would love to have you around." Harry's voice was a bit of a surprise for Hermione. She had been too distracted with her own hidden romance to keep an eye on her best friend's. Hermione glanced at the group and show not an ounce of surprise. So, this was an old hat.

"I'd rather not suffocate in her hair when she eventually drinks too much." There was a pause. "She gets clinging when she's drinking." Harry's laughter echoed throughout the house with the aid of Grimmauld. They must be getting closer. Hermione flushed recalling the last night in Hogwarts, where they all sat in the Slytherin common room sampling liquors Draco's mother had provided. She had gotten a bit cuddly to say the least.

"You have a lot of love to give." Luna patted Hermione's arm in comfort. "I quite like it." Lavender giggled at her friend's expense. Draco came down the stairs first, face flushed for reasons none in the basement kitchen knew. Harry followed quickly after, face wide in joy.

"Of course, you'd have a party in the basement." Draco looked at the space with his normal judgmental eye. "I don't know why I expected anything different." He sighed dramatically and stood beside Lavender. Harry came up beside him, and Hermione did her best to not laugh when his hand clearly found a home on the young pureblood's lower back. She made a note to watch the appendage as it likely migrated lower.

"Why Draco, this is where the kitchen is located." She smiled at her friend. They had bonded over their final school year, both trying to build themselves back up from the pile of broken pieces the war left them with.

"If you tell me that House Black doesn't have a single House Elf, I won't believe it." Draco crossed his arms as Hermione frowned. The pureblood knew exactly how Hermione felt about House Elves. The race of sentient beings was enslaved by Wizard trickery to serve them, or at least that was how it started. Now, they shared bonds and magic with the creatures. Harry cleared his throat, drawing the two away from a verbal sparring match.

"Basil offered to take care of Hermione's needs for the day, but she'd rather just be... down here." Draco huffed, leaning slightly into Harry, causing him to stuttered slightly.

"I am well aware of Hermione's bleeding heart." He eyed Hermione with a smug smile. "I was merely going to point out that she hadn't read any of the research I sent her on House Elves." She snorted; they had this conversation many times before. "Nor, spoken to any actual House Elves, mistreated or otherwise." He waved his hand in a dramatic fashion. "The Potter elves I'm sure would love to educate you, Hermione." The new Lady Black wanted to be annoyed and continue fighting the good fight, but she also knew that Draco was baiting her. She huffed as a response and grabbed the drink Luna had concocted for them. Remus frowned as she held her glass up for a cheer.

"I don't know if I..." Remus stared at his glass with a mix of uncertainty and curiosity. Harry picked up his own when Luna pushed it toward him. Draco eyed the blue liquid with distrust, but lifted it to his lips on the same. His felt like some kind of rite of passage for their group.

"Go ahead." Lavender smiled at Remus and placed a single kiss on his cheek. They clicked glasses and brought them to their lips. Harry tossed back over half of what was in the cup. Remus finished his whole glass. Hermione had taken a small sip and once pleased with the taste finished it.

"Is Lavender abstaining?" Draco had taken a slip and was processing the after taste of the drink before he took another. It was cool to the touch, but there was burn in the flavor that hit the back of his throat. He could not place any of it, only that he like it.

"I'm pregnant." She smirked at the blonde pureblood spit the drink on the table and began to cough heavily. Harry was calmly rubbing his back, while finishing his own beverage. Lavender's smirk grew into a full blow laugh. Remus set his cup down, unsure what to do about his laughing girlfriend. She had doubled over gripping her stomach in a sad attempt to contain her mirth.

"Pregnant?!" Draco's eyes were red from his coughing, and his face was pale from lack of breath. Harry sighed, helping Draco into a seat as if the pureblood choked on his own beverages regularly. Hermione snorted.

"It's hardly surprising Draco. Most birth controls are useless when there a Werewolf involved." It was Remus's turn to pale. Lavender cocked a hip, eyes turning to Remus in accusation.

"Excuse me?" He looked from Lavender to the rest of the table. "Useless?" Hermione balked at the question. Remus was supposed to be the know all of Werewolves, not only did he spend an adsorbent about of time researching them, but he also was one.

"Yes." Hermione looked at his surprise. "There a hormone in Werewolf sperm that triggers the reproductive cycle in females." She looked around the table and was met with only confused looks. "Obviously it doesn't work immediately, but given enough intercourse... Pregnancy is a guarantee." She laughed. "It was suggested to switch birth controls every four weeks. To reduce the chances."

"It was suggested?" Draco gave her a cheeky smile. "Does this have anything to do with the massive crush you had on our third year Defense Professor?" Hermione turned red, as the whole room burst into laughter.

"NO! I was just curious!" That set everyone off again. The room filled with unrestrained sounds of joy. Hermione sank into her seat, huffing at being teased, but a smile on her face. Lavender gathered herself first.

"Well, I'm going to spend the day with Andy. She can't drink either, and I would time to process this new bit of information." Remus pales, his eyes watching her make a scene as she stretched. "Don't fret Rem." She patted his cheek. "I'm not mad, but we are going to be much more careful in the future. Three children running about it more than enough for a time." Draco gagged.

"THREE? You're having twins? Merlin..." He placed his hand on his forehead and finished his glass. Lavender waved off Remus's attempt to join her and headed for the Floo.

"Is Mrs. Tonks expecting?" Luna asked downing her refilled drink in a matter of seconds, after refilling everyone else's glasses. Remus had been about to bring the drink to his lips and froze. Hermione took a small sip from her glass and watched the werewolf move between a few shades of color before speaking.

"Umm. No." He cleared his throat. "She's watching Teddy so we could come here." He glanced at the direction Lavender fled. "Or me I suppose." He laughed awkwardly, finishing the concoction Luna made. Hermione could feel something from the beverage. She wouldn't say it was the usual high that came along with drinking. This was something that made her almost feel like her skin wasn't hers. She was trapped in her own flesh, thrumming and moving like a tide pressing against a rock.

"What is this?" Draco's face was squished up tightly, his eyes had a weird greyish glow to them. Hermione blinked a few times, trying to see if the glow was merely a trick of the eyes. The light only became brighter. Draco stood slowly, eyes moving over the room. "Merlin Hermione, your eyes." She touched her face, rubbing her eyes thoughtlessly.

"What about my eyes?" She looked around the group, before her gaze settled on Luna, whose whole body was almost pure white. No not pure white, she was all the colors so tightly woven together that they were indistinguishable from each other.

"That's just your magic silly." She stood up, pouring them each another glass. "A bit more and we can try something fun." Hermione stared at the glass before her. Remus's grumble sounded far more like the wolf he became on the full moon rather than the man who taught them in third year. She turned at the noise and gasped at the earth tones that surrounded him. Greens, browns, and blues twirled until his skin and in his eyes. He didn't hesitate, taking a long drink of the latest drink Luna poured him. He took several pained breaths and started to shake.

"Luna?" Harry's voice held all their unease of the situation.

"Moony is coming out to join us." Luna's answer didn't give any of them comfort. Draco jumped back at the golden glow that encompassed the werewolf's eyes. The glow of his skin had sunk it, becoming darker. After a moment, he shook himself like his wolf counterpart and gazed transfixed on Luna. Remus didn't speak, his golden eyes taking in the situation and frowning while flexing and relaxing his hands.

"If... if this stuff brings out Moony, what's it going to do to us?" Hermione asked her friend, while taking the drink into bother her hands, curious. Luna merely smiled her knowing smile. "Fuck it." She downed the beverage, wondering what sort of weird magic Luna had brought into her house. Hermione took several breaths, feeling the swirl of her magic beneath her skin awake into a whirlwind of power. It was a shade of blue. She opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them. The room was glowing as well as her friends. The walls of Grimmauld were tones of earth as well as blues and red all dancing together.

"The Red's Sirius's magic." Hermione focused on Luna, whose mix of many colors had separated so she could see each. Or maybe she wondered, she could suddenly see each color. "Grimmauld is a mix of many magics. Sirius and yourself are the newest and thus the strongest." Hermione glanced at her friends, wondering how they were taking this change of sight. "I see this all the time. She visited me Before and taught me how to share it." Luna was humming a melody that Hermione could feel all around her. "Pretty, isn't it?" All Hermione could do was nodded. It was pretty.

Draco had a grey color to his magic, while Harry's was black. Looking at him was like staring into an endless pool of nothing, but everything as well. Remus had passed out on the table, the magic beneath his skin still thrumming. She wondered why Luna had done this. What purpose could opening their eyes to the magic of the house and each other serve.

"Oh, they're here!" Luna stood up quickly, creating an equally magical pitcher of liquid for whoever was arriving to drink. Hermione watched Draco slump into the table just as Remus had. "Oh dear. I had hope he'd be in-tune enough to stay awake." Hermione watched Luna giggle in a way that implied she knew more than everyone else. Hermione could feel herself swaying to the thrum around and inside her. It was overwhelming, but she had to see what Luna was trying to do.

"Luv?" Hermione turned at the sound of Sirius's voice. She smiled, lost to the feelings. "Oh sweetness, you're knackered." He laughed, running his fingers along her cheek. She leaned into his touch, happy to have him back.

"She's not drunk." Hermione looked up, startled at the voice of Winfred Potter. She still had the objects plaited into her hair, but the school uniform had been replaced with a pair of slacks and pale blue T-shirt. Hermione frowned. The Druid's magic was white like Luna's in some places, black like Harry's and what Hermione could only think of as rotting in others. "What did you do Luna?" The Druid from the clearing was suddenly there in place of the wild temper Winnie that she had come to know at Hogwarts.

"I wanted them to know the full price of what was paid to bring them back." Luna was standing, holding out a glass for Winnie to drink. She sighed, eyes on the glass and those around her. "It's important." Winnie looked up at Luna again, search for what Hermione didn't know. Winnie took the glass and drank it quickly, setting it down on the table with a grimace. Hermione watched for a moment as the white over took the black, and the rot receded.

"Why does it look like your magic is rotting?" Hermione couldn't help herself, eyes moving from Luna to the Druid and back again. The strange twists in the Druids magic were haunting to look at. Hermione felt an indescribable loss while looking at it. Luna frowned; a face filled with thankfulness took its place.

"Because it is." Hermione whipped her head around so quickly, she had to close her eyes against the dizziness. She groaned; respect for Luna growing if this was what she had to always deal with. Winnie took in a slow breath, holding up her hand where the rot seemed to be coming from. "Wild Magic is the birth of life." She shifted her feet, clearly uncomfortable. "One cannot make a deal with Death and keep it." She looked down, there was a mix of resignation and shame on her face.

"You're going to lose your magic." Neville was there, his eyes soft as he gazed at her. Hermione didn't quite understand everything, but there was cursing and Neville pulling Winnie into his arms; while Sirius's magic danced with emotion. Her mind couldn't grasp anything but the loss of her magic. The idea of it happening to her was overwhelmingly devastating.

"You... you gave up your magic... for them?" Harry's voice pulled her out of her hazy thoughts. She watched him dance between fear, gratitude and every other emotion she could think of. Winnie sighed again, the air around her grew colder, but there was a warmth to it as well. She allowed Neville to keep holding her but crossed her arms in annoyance.

"I don't know what you wanted, Luna. This doesn't do any good." She shifted. "Guilt does no one any good." She leaned into Neville. "I made my choice." Neville tightened his hold, as she relaxed into him. Luna nodded in agreement, but showed not an ounce of remorse.

"You are forgetting your last gift." Luna's voice was soft, a happy tone to it. "You asked me to remind you about the other Black." Hermione tensed, trying to sit up only to let out a groan. She was either going to pass out or throw up. At this point she'd welcome both.

"Is Hermione pregnant?!" Neville blurred out before anyone else could speak. "Winnie mentioned a second Black son the other day and it didn't make sense to me... until I saw you two at the graduation party... and I didn't have time to ask after the announcement..." Neville trailed off as Sirius and Harry both stared at Hermione, who was beginning to clear her head. Whatever Luna had given her was fading to the background along with the colors of magic that danced around them. Luna watched her, a small pout forming on her face.

"I wish it would last longer." Hermione turned to Luna, relieved when her magic slowly began to become invisible to her again. Hermione did not think she could deal with having to see it all the time.

"Oh." Everyone turned to Winnie, whose eyes widened when she spoke. She turned sharply and charged to the stairs. There was a count of three before every one followed her. Luna remained in the room with Remus and Draco, a smug look on her face. Harry was the fasted and reach Winnie first. She had stopped in front of a door they had each walked by and tried to open at least once since the remodel of Grimmauld. Harry had to catch his breath as the magic and power of the space hit him fully in the face.

If Grimmauld had a body it would be holding its breath. Winnie took in a slow breath, and Harry watched with a deep fascination as her body began to glow and a hummed filled the air. Hermione came up behind him along with Neville and Sirius. She gasped as Winnie pulled the door open, and the space was engulfed in water.

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Grimmauld (date unknown)

Long before there were family magics, lineages, and even humans, there were Wild Magics. We existed in the creatures and the world they inhabited. Earth, Fire, Sky, and Water were the main forces that housed us. We were everywhere and there was balance. By the time humans numbered too many to count, we were many other forms. Pulled from the world and trapped in objects, or harnessed to protect and destroy, to name a few; Magic used by man Changed, as did the Magic passed from generation to generation in the world's creatures, humans included. Some, stayed in tuned with us in our original form.

The humans called theirs, Druids. The Druids formed the knowledge, study, and practice of wielding us, beyond magical creatures like dragons. They created a pocket of time and space using the pure form of Wild Magic to hide and protect themselves from others. This place was called the Obscurity. Much like the Druids learned from us, we learned from them in turn. Some Wild Magic began creating pockets of their own, to hide from those that would use or trapped them.

Regardless of form, we are all Magic.

When we were taken from the world by a coven of witches and trapped within wards, we did not know how we would change. We existed without name, used to protect the coven and eventually a family of witches and wizards. None born to our family had been blessed to be in tuned. No matter, we bonded with them in a way that was unknown to us. Their magic seeped into the wards with blood and power fusing with us until we were far different from what we once were.

Over time we were given many names. Our family that inhabited us took turns, it seemed, every hundred years or so changing it. We watched children grow and leave, some returned and grew their own children within us as well, until Arcturus Black I. When he became Lord Black he brought his family to us, the previous Lord Black had taken up residence somewhere else.

We loved our family, flawed and broken as it was at times. It was ours, and we'd always forgive them. Arcturus did not like us. He treated us like a thing, rather than what we were. His distrust and distance wounded the connection between us and our family's magic. We couldn't protect them as we wished. We had to watch the children suffer in silence. The blood once given with purpose; birth, death, love, and life were now shed in pain and torture. We were starting to rot from the inside.

We hated him.

He was followed by others just as cruel and selfish. We hated them too. Walburga and Orion Black were twisted and Mad from their Patriarch's insanity. Even as the new Lord Black, Pollux settled elsewhere, he let them continue the pattern of his uncle. There was always something swirling in the minds of our family, dark and twist, but never toward us. Never toward their children. We wished to destroy them, but the bond formed all those years ago with the coven and strengthened over time, stilled our power. Forced to watch the young boys grow in pain and suffering, our bitterness sharpened to a blade. We poised it to cut our ties and destroy the House of Black before it could destroy itself.

Then Sirius left. Orion turned ill, Walburga's doing, and gave us another path. The blade forged from the mistreatment of our masters could be used to cut them from our bond instead. Their abuse of each other and their children, weakened their attachment to us enough to separate it. Regulus would be our master. Sirius was too far away now.

We were grateful for him, fleeing gave us a chance to save our family. To savage something instead of abandoning it all. After all these years we knew nothing else but this place and those had claimed it. Sirius would always be welcomed within our power.

Things changed quickly with loss of Sirius Orion Black. His mother was lost to her Madness, poisoning the Father. Our bond with the Black parents was gone; we were bound to Regulus as master. We had decided to wait for them to kill themselves, eventually they would do it, and we could full care for our family as we had before. Regulus was not his parents, but still his choices forced our hand. He let another press his magic into his skin. Dark twisted magic, it was not a natural order of things. Life and Death had a place, always, in the world. This thing wished to cheat death and life in a single moment and bind others to his will.

We would not stand for it.

Power rippling in our walls, poised to kill the man who marked what should be ours to protect. We could not free our master, but we could see the one who harmed him face Death. He never visited our walls, our wards, our power. The being that we would never call even a monster, for monsters respected and abided by Death and Life. We were tormented with the binds placed upon our master that we could not prevent, but eventually Walburga succeeded in ridding us of Orion. It was one person harming our family that would meet Death and learn the true price of the horrors he visited upon the world.

Walburga would soon join her husband.

Death was patient. It would take when ready and not a moment sooner. The life for her was running out and all we had to do was wait. Wait and our master would be safe from their influence. Wait and see the brothers rekindle their love for each other. House Black, our family would not fall as we had feared; it would be stronger. We could be patient as Death.

With the damage done from the generations our connection with Other Magic reappeared. The world had changed while we sheltered. Wild Magic was thin and quiet, still we learned from each other. The Other Magic had secrets to share, skills that we had not known before. How the creatures of the Wild had changed; Werewolves once blessed by the magic of the moonlight were now its prisoners. Forced to change against their Will. Another product of human influence on the world. Greed corrupting the beings of the night.

They taught us other things, how the binds on our Master worked and how to break them. We had only to wait, until he was ready to be free. We would use our power to free our master from his chains. But it was for not, Kreacher took our master somewhere and returned filled with tears. We felt the bond between us stretch in his fear and panic, in his death.

We did what we had to, to protect, and the action cost us greatly. For many years after, everything was silent.

1995

We were aware for the first time since Regulus left Kreacher behind. Taking stock of the house sitting on the Wards we took to be us, we found how. Sirius Orion Black had returned to the Ancient and Noble House of Black, bringing with him a werewolf. The return of our family must have awakened us. We were overjoyed, shaking the stale suffocating air of the years. Our walls were covered in dust and webs, creatures settled in and, the damage done by the previous generation unchanged. Where Regulus's room used to be, there was nothing but a hole. It felt as if a piece had been removed and nothing left behind. We had been gone far too long.

The connection between our family's magic and ourself was still cracked, bits of the outside magic bled in. This was how the creatures enter us. How the outside was able to affect our walls. We needed to fix the cracks, but we waited. There would be no reason to aid a Black who would do the same harm as the others before him did.

Sirius went to the Warding stones easily enough, renewing our bond with blood given willingly as had every member of his family since the coven whittled down to one. We welcomed him, allowing the bond to fully take hold for the first time since Arcturus. We sang with power and joy. Still, he looked angry and violent hurting Kreacher and lashing out at our guests.

We did not understand and were afraid. Had he so changed, that there would be nothing but more pain and blood like before? He and the Werewolf, Moony, Sirius called him, slowly cleared the house. We did not know what sort of family Sirius would become, or even what he was now; angry and violent. We hid things, sinking into ourself, trying to decide what to do. We could still feel our tie to Regulus, but we could not find him. Our memories were hazy, and Kreacher was no help. Walburga, a large painting, screamed at her son even after death.

That was when they arrived. Witches and Wizards not of the House of Black, say one. They brought light out of our remaining family member. He would light up when others were around. He was lonely. We understood. We opened up to the bond, connecting our family's magic and our own, preparing to take back Grimmauld, and become the true House of Black that we used to be. No longer were dust and webs to haunt our halls, Boggarts would find no foothold here, and House of Black would have our true protection again. It had been a century or more since we had a true bond, we were excited.

Then She came. A Druid walked in as if she was made to be here. Her Voice and Magic were tainted with Death, but still she held on. She weaved through the house as if she had always been here. She knew our house. We could not force her out.

"Hello Grimmauld." Her Voice was weary, as it should be. Many feared us as was right; we defended our family fiercely. "I know you wish to help your family." We would; we must. She had to understand. "If you were to return to what you were now, in a year's time, the House of Black will be extinct." NO! We were as angry as magic can be. She was unaffected, eyes hazy with magic unknown to us. "I will save them. But it will not work if you intervene." Anger left as quickly as it came and She told us a story, the Future.

We promised to wait. In exchange we would have both Black sons returned to our protection. It was a small price to pay. Or so it seemed at the time. We watched Sirius fall in love with the New Magic. His eyes shining even brighter when she walked into the room. His hands finding reasons to casually touch her, a squeezed shoulder, a brush of hands, and eventually a stolen kiss.

It was torture to watch the pain return to his face every time he was alone. We wanted to scream he wasn't alone. We were here. Regulus was alive. Don't give up. The screams of nightmares we endured, when all we wanted to do was comfort. We watched in pain as he spiraled and eventually as the Druid predicted, died. The bond that should have been severed with the Death of Sirius Black held on to someone else instead.

We slowly gave up hope in the Druid as the New Magic, Hermione, returned with her friends, fleeing from the evil that marked Regulus all of years ago. We would lose everything again because of that man. She held our bond now. Sirius had loved her and she him; Magic did the rest. We showed her parts of us that had been lost since Arcturus. We gave her the ring Sirius would have. We opened ourselves to her, offering her what little comfort and protection we could without her giving blood to the Ward stones. She was as tied to us as a non-Black could be. We lamented Sirius holding back. A baby would have given us hope.

Still, we waited.

Others entered our house, stealing and break. We hid everything we could, as fast as we could. There were spaces no one but us could use. Time moved on without anyone visiting us. The men marked by the evil had done their work, but we held strongly against their influence. The one with Black blood tried to pour her blood on the Ward stones, but it wouldn't take. We wouldn't let it. We had been us for far too long, to be held as captive as we once were. It would take a coven, thirteen strong to take control of us without consent. The Mad woman could bleed all she wanted. The House of Black, Grimmauld would never belong to her. We promised to wait, and wait we would.

Broken alone, Harry Potter came, bringing with him Hermione. He'd cry out. His magic and mind hurting like Sirius had been hurting, like the children before them had been hurting. Still, there was nothing we could do for our lost master's pup. We needed a master, a family to hold on to and protect. Hermione, beautiful Hermoine, would come and care for the hurting child. She'd do what we could not. She would make a wonderful Lady Black. We wished she'd bond with us like the coven all those lifetimes ago. We would bond with her without complaint. We knew nothing else, but she didn't know how. Sirius had showed her much, but he had not shown her that. He feared that we were as tainted and wrong as his blood. That we would hurt her if she tried to bond with us. We wished we could tell him how wrong he was, but we promised. It would all be better; the Future the Druid spoke of was better, and we would wait.

"Merlin pup, why are we here?" We never thought we'd hear him again. Our bond latching onto Sirius as if he had never died. The Druid hadn't lied. The guests stayed briefly, with Sirius visiting here and there, but where was Regulus? The outside world moved on, but we waited. We promised. Both sons would be returned to us.

Hermione came! She showed him the room! He must understand now. We knew he would want her again. We could be patient. She would be our Lady Black. She would help him make our family the best it could be. We would be strong for them when the time was right.

He returned for longer periods of time, lashing out at our house. He wanted us to change. We would change for him. It had been easy to open the connection, our family magic and us together like we were always meant to. There was just a little longer to wait now.

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12 Grimmauld Place, 26 June, 1999

Hermione was the first to open her eyes in the hallway that was soaking in water that smelled like it belonged in a swamp and not her own house. If the angry distraught creaks and groans of Grimmauld were anything to go by, it agreed with her. The hall was dripping from roof to floor with the gross liquid, and there were large lumps of mass groaning and twisting on the ground in front of her. She felt her blood turn cold as one of the things pressed a hand into the ground and looked up at her with empty eyes. Hermione's first thought was zombie. The skin of the creatures was swollen, telling her that it was likely in water for a long time. The body had absorbed much of it. Her next thought was an even more frightening one, Inferi.

Harry had told her briefly about his time in the cave with Albus Dumbledore. Why the Headmaster thought it was a good idea to take a child to a place where he knew danger to be, was something she had asked herself throughout the whole of the wizarding war.

Another of the things attempted to get up, only to fall forward.

The inferi had almost dragged Albus and Harry into the water for a gruesome end to their lives. Luckily the two had escaped. Harry had told her that the whole of the very large lake surrounding the small island where they retrieved the Locket was filled with the things. Regulus had died there, and his body was likely to be an inferi itself. She watched with strange fascination as the third Inferi, seemingly still having use of its legs, unlike its fellows stood up, only to trip on the creatures wiggling on the ground. She had two more thought before Sirius let loose a roar of outrage, Kingsley had not been able to finish clearing the lake, and how the Hell did they end up here.

"Hermione!" She gasped as Neville pulled her back while Harry and Sirius rushed forward wands drawn. Her had forgotten hers downstairs. There was an unwavering feeling of safety in Grimmauld. She knew without a doubt that nothing in this house could do her harm. Sirius and Harry need to not have bothered charging into battle, as quickly as the water and creatures had arrived, they were gone. Hermione gagged at the smell of burning flesh that permeated the air for only a moment, but enough she knew she never wanted to smell it again.

"What the fuck!" Sirius's voice was heavy clearly just as shocked and uncertain as she was, as to how a group of Inferi managed to enter their home. Harry was already rushing toward the door that no one but the Druid had been able to open. She had not moved from her spot. The door was still gripped tightly in her hand and seemed to be fighting her.

The room was Regulus's room. Or at least what she recalled his room to look like, except there was water everywhere. The swamp must had come from this place. Was the only real thought Hermione had while looking in. Harry had already gone inside and was kneel beside another body on the ground. It wasn't moving as far as she could tell. Hermione took several slow breaths trying to stop herself from lecturing her friend about the stupidity of touch an inferi.

She chose not to enter the room, for obvious reasons, instead took in the Druid's shaking form. Her hands were tightly gripping the door, and her face was twisted with concentration. Hermione looked from the door, to the room, and back to the Druid.

"Guys... I think you should get out of there as fast as possible." Harry looked up from his place on the floor with the body. Sirius had just joined him and was working on clearing the man's face. Hermione turned to them at the sound of pain and distress Sirius let out. Hermione went to enter, curious to see what was causing his distress, when the Druid let out a grunt. The door had started to close. "OUT NOW!" Hermione rushed in, ignoring the two men, and grabbed the body by the legs. Without waiting for them, she pulled the man out of the room as quickly as she was able. Harry and Sirius followed after. Once they passed the door, the Druid let the door go and collapsed. Neville had her by the waist, keeping her pressed against his chest. When he had moved to her side, Hermione didn't know.

"Oh good," the three awake adults turned to the voice of Luna. A groggy Draco and Remus beside her. "I knew it would all work out." Luna was smiling widely at each of them, holding the same liquid in two glasses, that she had given the Druid. Everyone was frozen in confusion and surprise as she dumped the potion down the mouth of the unconscious body, that had been pulled from the room. Sirius let out another distressed sound, yanking the man into his chest as he gasped and gagged on the liquid. Luna hummed happily and handed the other glass to Neville as the Druid came to. "What a fun day!" Hermione had no idea what to make of the younger woman as she walked away from them, skipping toward the floo.

Draco was leaning against the wall with Remus, while Harry and Sirius hovered over the body. Neville was helping Winnie drink the liquid slowly unlike what Luna had done. Sirius was sobbing, heavily. Hermione joined them closer to the man, wiping the excess liquid off his face and trying to see who it was. His almond shaped eyes opened, revealing identical gray irises to Sirius. Hermione jumped back as he threw up a mix of Luna's potion and the swamp water. Everyone let out a sound of disgust at the smell.

"Sirius... is that?" Remus started, eyes moving from Sirius to the man he was holding on to for dear life. "Regulus Black?"

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A/n What a way to come back into this story. I will admit I hadn't planned on bringing Reggie back until around the time Hermione showed Sirius the Study. I realized that the way I designed Wild Magic and expanded the world, as well as Grimmauld itself. The house using its power to save its master was not a huge stretch. Also, I love Luna. She such a sneaky little character, there so much in her head that she just doesn't say or explain.

I won't lie, I wrote and rewrote this chapter so many times that I just couldn't bring myself to do another read through for final edits. I didn't want to make ya'll wait another week for me to get up the energy. So, if you find a mistake, please let me know, and I will endeavor to fix it.

I plan on changing Regulus age to 16. (Rather than the canon 18) I always liked the idea of him switching sides while he was a seventh year. Plus, that allows me to make him a Ward of Sirius and Hermione, and he has to go back to complete his school. XD