I'm not even going to give excuses. Here's the new chapter, hope you enjoy.


Chapter 31. Road to Recovery

The next three weeks were the most stressful for everyone in the know about Sirius Black's return, particularly those who either had been close to him before his 'untimely death' (like Harry, Hermione, and even Ron) or those related to him (Naoko, Tomoyo, Sonomi).

Things had been very difficult, as once Sirius had lost consciousness in the Room of Death, he hadn't regained it until a week later, and even when he had, he hadn't been able to much at all for a few days. As they'd found out, his body had pretty much deteriorated in the almost two years it had spent floating in nothingness. Very much like one in a comma, and with no physiotherapy would.

Sirius didn't have any actual memory of the time he'd spent beyond the veil. He didn't feel like he'd been falling one moment and been out the next, he knew time had passed, but had no knowledge whatsoever of where he'd been, or anything at all.

For the first few days, the first week, everyone had been terrified that Sirius might die even after being out of the veil; after all, Tomoyo's Incantation hadn't called for his life, or his health, or even for him specifically, it had only called for things to be made right again, and miraculously enough, that had somehow included Sirius coming back.

Finally, on the evening of the seventh day since his shocking return, Sirius woke up for the second time. Not for long, just enough for everyone to see him away, and for him to realize he was in an unknown room somehow surrounded by at least half a dozen people, mostly teenagers, and the number included his godson. He'd lost consciousness again, but at least that time it looked more like him falling asleep rather than going into another comma.

He'd woken up again the next morning, finally completely conscious and aware of his surroundings, and while most had expected for him to recover right away after finally awaking, they soon realized it wouldn't be that easy:

***Flashback***

Sirius had been awake and trying to move, with no result whatsoever, for almost a full minute when the door opened and Harry entered the room, followed by Sonomi and Tomoyo; each carrying a tray: the first with breakfast, the second with potions and the third with bandages, salves, and other first aid necessities.

"P…Pup!" Sirius muttered in a hoarse voice.

Harry laid the tray on the night table before sitting on the bed and hugging his godfather, barely remembering to be careful and not be too hard on him.

"P…" Sirius tried to spoke, yet couldn't get his voice to come out.

Sonomi, after laying the tray on a nearby chair took a vial of potion and handed it to Harry, who offered it to Sirius.

The man began to object but Sonomi wouldn't allow it.

"Drink it Sirius." She instructed the man. "It will help you talk."

That was all the motivation he needed as he opened his mouth and allowed his godson to carefully pour the contents of the vial into his mouth. He made a face at the taste but swallowed. He was just going to try and talk when Harry was holding two other vials.

"Those too." Sonomi instructed, ignoring Sirius's attempts to complain. "You need to drink those Sirius. They're a nutrient potion and a strengthening draught. You will be drinking a lot of potions in the following days, if you expect your body to fully recover from whatever it is happened to it, to you while you were beyond the veil."

With a face Sirius opened his mouth again, swallowing both potions before taking some sips of the water his godson offered next.

"Now can I speak?" He said.

He was surprised that he was able to actually talk, even when just a minute or so before his voice refused to work; still, it was hoarse and his throat was a little tender, though it was better than nothing.

"Talk." Sonomi nodded.

"You're here." Sirius stated the obvious, then, with a broken voice he began practically babbling. "How are you here? I thought…They told me my brother was dead, and no one knew about you or…" he turned to Tomoyo and his eyes widened. "She's…"

"Yes, she's my daughter, and Daniel's, your niece." Sonomi nodded. "Tomoyo Heather Black. It is true Daniel died, but he made sure our daughter and I would survive. We went to Japan, back to my hometown and lived as muggles, until Tomoyo-chan got an invitation to Hogwarts, her second one in fact, when she was sixteen."

"Sixteen?" Sirius wasn't expecting that. "Why did you wait that long?"

"Why?" Sonomi took a deep breath so as not to lose her composure. "What makes you think I wanted to return to a world that had already taken from me my husband, my best friends, most of my family? Tomoyo-chan was all I had left, and if to protect her I had to ignore everything about the Wizarding World, the fact that magic even existed, that was exactly what I was going to do!"

"What about your obligation to Harry?" Sirius demanded, though his voice was too low and he was too weak to seem threatening at all. "You were…are his godmother!"

"Just as you are his godfather!" Sonomi retorted without thinking. "Yet getting revenge on that damned rat ended up being more important than protecting him!"

Sirius paled radically, right as Sonomi realized what she had just said and looked away in shame, she really hadn't meant to be that hard.

"Aunt Sonomi, Sirius, please!" Harry cried out in alarm, not wanting to see them like that. "Please don't fight."

"She's right, pup." Sirius commented quietly, turning to his godson. "I did something stupid that day. I was just…I was so angry. I didn't even stop to consider what may be the best for you. I was so stupid…and you ended up paying for it. And also…" he shook his head.

"We all made mistakes Sirius." Sonomi admitted in a tired voice. "Those were terrible days, none of us came out unscathed. When the attack happened, Daniel pretty much sacrificed his life so Tomoyo-chan and I would get away, and in that moment all I could think about was protecting her. Oh, we had tried to get custody of Harry already, with James and Lily gone, and you in Azkaban, we tried, but they refused us, considering us suspicious, because we were Blacks as well…and it was well known that all Blacks were dark." She hissed at the end. "After I left that night, I forced myself not to think about anything pertaining the Wizarding World, or even magic at all. I had no idea what had been of Harry until I came looking for Tomoyo, ended up in Hogwarts and met all of them."

"You said Tomoyo didn't come to Hogwarts until she was sixteen." Sirius remembered. "Why was that? I thought Hogwarts never took students older than eleven, unless they were in some kind of exchange program, or special studies, like those from Asia…" his eyes narrowed.

"It was something like that." Sonomi nodded, knowing what her brother-in-law must be thinking. "Only much more complicated." She took a deep breath. "Tell you what, you let Harry help you with breakfast, and meanwhile I'll explain what I can. Just a warning in advance, I cannot tell you everything, because some facts aren't mine to tell."

Sirius nodded, before turning once again to his godson, who'd just taken the bowl of porridge in his hands. The heir of the Black Family felt like a little child, a small invalid child, being fed in the mouth, particularly since it was his godson doing it; but he knew he wasn't in any condition to move, he needed to get stronger, to heal, and that wouldn't be possible if he didn't eat; so, in the end, having other people feed him was a necessary evil.

"Very well." Sonomi sat beside Tomoyo on a small sofa as she prepared to begin her story. "Like I was saying, I left Britain that night with my daughter, with no intention of ever coming back. Even when she turned eleven and the letter arrived, I sent it back with a note stating she wouldn't be going. Then I didn't know anything about it for five years, when Tomoyo-chan came to me, told me she'd been invited to a private boarding school in Britain, along with Sakura-chan, her cousin. I don't know why I didn't make the connection immediately, it had been so long since I'd gotten involved in anything regarding magic, and I thought it was the same for my daughter, and for Sakura-chan…how blind I'd been, though, of course I didn't realize that until much later…"

"Who's this Sakura?" Sirius asked as he made a pause in his eating.

"Sakura Kinomoto, though I guess it is Sakura Kinomoto Li now." Sonomi sighed, it was still hard for her to know her niece was married, and so young. "She's Nadeshiko's daughter, I suppose you remember my cousin…"

"Nadeshiko Amamiya?" Sirius was surprised. "I remember she left in sixth year…well, your sixth year, anyway, she didn't come back…"

"She fell in love during the summer, with a man who was giving some classes in the High-School where we went to keep our muggle-studies up to date." Sonomi explained. "She left our home and married the professor: Fujitaka Kinomoto, had two children: Touya, and Sakura, died when Sakura-chan was three. Sakura-chan and Tomoyo-chan are the same age."

Sirius nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"So I let my Tomoyo-chan go to this unknown school, not connecting the dots." Sonomi went on. "It wasn't until many months later, while I was in a business trip in France…I think, I sensed something was very wrong with my child. I nearly panicked, and without being completely conscious of it, I allowed my magic to track her down and guide me as I apparated away. Great was my surprise when I found myself as Hogwarts's gates…"

***End of Flashback***

So Sonomi had explained her side of everything that had happened since her return to the Wizarding World. It had actually taken two 'sessions' since Sirius had fallen asleep shortly after finishing breakfast and drinking one more potion and hadn't woken up again until around lunchtime, when Harry again helped him eat while Sonomi finished her story.

The man had been understandably shocked at learning that his sister-in-law was married again, and this time to Severus Snape! And not only that, but she was also expecting his child. However, it was hard for Sirius to be mad at the man for taking his brother's place, when he (along with Naoko, Draco and Tomoyo) were preparing all the potions he needed for his recovery, some very complicated (both in the ingredients needed and the time and specifications required for the brewing).

Three days later Sirius still couldn't walk, or even stand, but he wasn't trembling violently anymore, he could sit up for short periods of time, and eat by himself.

Several things had been explained to him, like how it was the beginning of March of 98, it had been almost two years since the battle in the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort was still around but in much more complicated circumstances (which they refused to clarify just yet), he was in a room in a set of Private Apartments in the South Wing of Hogwarts, and only those who inhabited that place knew he was even alive, for the time being. Also, the people he would spend most time with were Sonomi, Tomoyo, Harry, Hermione, sometimes Ron, Tomoyo's fiancé Eriol, and had even met Sakura and Shaoran a couple of times. He was told about Draco, and the changes in him, though the boy was apparently a bit busy and couldn't visit him yet.

By that point the man had noticed that something was being kept for him. It was hard not to, when he'd, either accidentally or intentionally, had mentioned the name of Natasha more than once and no had seemed surprised, or wondering who that was. Still, he had no idea what exactly it was that was being kept from him, until breakfast the fourth day…

***Flashback***

Harry had just left the room with the empty breakfast tray, it was the first time Sirius had eaten it on his own, when he noticed the door hadn't been closed. He saw a blonde stand at the open door, just a couple of steps in; but instead of looking at Sirius, he was looking at someone behind him, trying to convince that someone of entering.

"Come on Naoko, you can do this…" The blonde whispered to whoever was still out.

"Ryuu-kun…" Sirius heard a soft, hesitant voice call from outside.

"Don't Ryuu-kun me now, flower." The blonde said with a soft, understanding smile. "I know this is hard for you. But don't you realize you're only hurting yourself further by staying away? You need this, both of you do."

There was a loud sigh, before, finally, a young woman joined the blonde young man at the door, she had straight chestnut hair to her shoulders and misty blue-gray eyes behind a pair of considerably big round glasses.

The moment Sirius saw her, his breath caught in his throat, he'd no idea who the young woman was, but had a feeling he should, she looked so painfully familiar…

Sirius followed the two teenagers with his eyes as they stepped inside the room, closing the door behind them; it was until the blonde helped his companion onto a chair and went to stand behind her, by the window that Sirius suddenly realized exactly who he was and then the Black Heir couldn't help but gape.

"Aren't you Draco Malfoy?" He blurted out.

"Not anymore." The younger man answered simply, stoically. "The Malfoys are no family of mine, I refuse to be connected to them in any way, shape or form. I'm fortunate enough to have been adopted by a Chinese Clan recently and am now named Kido Long though…"

"Ryuu-kun, take it easy…" Naoko said softly, touching his arm.

And it was that Long had spouted everything without breathing and was about to begin babbling, not something very common, or the least bit normal in him, but he always got stressed out when dealing with people who still saw him as Draco Malfoy.

"Though Naoko insists on calling me Ryuu." Draco finished with a small smile.

Sirius tried to join the image of the young, smiling blonde man in front of him, with the petty, immature brat he'd known before his 'fall', they just did not fit; as far as Sirius's mind was concerned, the two couldn't be the same person!

Deciding that too much thinking on that matter would only end up causing him a headache, and he had enough pains and aches to last him a lifetime, Sirius chose instead to focus on the young woman, who had once more turned to look at him.

Sirius and Naoko stared at each for what could have been five minutes or five hours, neither spoke and they hardly even blinked; it was only after what seemed like forever that one of them finally broke the silence.

"You…" Sirius began, he seemed to be making some great effort.

"Yes?" Naoko looked at him with some much hope mixed with anxiety.

"I…Who are you?" Sirius finally asked.

Naoko nearly fell off the chair at that question, and it was only Long falling to his knees beside it and holding her up that prevented that.

Sirius tension only grew when seeing the rather dramatic reaction the girl had at his question, though it still didn't help him know anything.

"My flower…Naoko…please, relax." Long called as he held her tightly.

Sirius opened and closed his mouth several times, like he wanted to say something and yet couldn't for the life of him call on the right words.

"He…he doesn't know who I am…" Naoko muttered over and over again in a whisper.

"Naoko…" Long whispered, beginning to worry about his girlfriend.

The others had insisted that she couldn't just stay away from her father, it wasn't right, for her or for him. Long had initially agreed with the idea, and had helped convince her. But in that moment, seeing her deep distress, how she was nearly hysterical, he didn't know anymore… Was any of it worth that?

"He doesn't know who I am!" Naoko wailed hysterically.

Sirius's own tension grew exponentially at that, he wanted so much to go to the young woman, to hold her, to help her; she reminded him so much to the one woman he had loved the most…and yet for some reason his mind wasn't capable of making the logical connection.

It took nearly a full minute, but suddenly Long realized what was going on, he could have bashed his head against a wall for not realizing it before, but he decided it was more important to explain it to his girlfriend, help her calm down.

"Naoko, dear, calm down please." Long called in his most soothing voice.

"How can I calm down?" Naoko said amidst sobs as she held onto his shirt tightly. "How when he doesn't even know who I am?"

"Of course he doesn't know." Long decided there was no easy way to say things, he would have to be direct. "Remember the spell, your mother's spell. It's still protecting you. Even if a part of him knows exactly who you are, the conscious side of him won't be able to connect the dots unless you allow it. It's the same as with your grandfather, and your aunt and cousin, you need to acknowledge who you are for him to be able to see through the spell, to really see you." He brushed away each of her tears with great care. "Tell him Naoko, let him know who you are."

Just a few months Long could have never imagined that someone else's pain could hurt him so much, and yet each of Naoko's tears had been like a pain curse upon him. He had no idea how a spell casted by a woman who was gone, who'd been gone for over a decade, could still hold, could still shield Naoko from everyone who would have known her in an instant, even her own father! But at least once the truth was out things would be better, or at least that's what everyone hoped.

With the light of hope back into her eyes, Naoko kissed Long's cheek (she dare not do more in front of her father, even if he didn't yet know he was her father) and smiled once more before straightening up in her chair.

Sirius noticed something had changed, he'd no idea what exactly the two teens had talked about, only hearing something about a spell, the girl's mother, and something connected to him…still, he could see the changes the young woman had undergone after the young man who apparently was her boyfriend finished talking and Sirius knew that whatever it was she was about to say or do, it was important.

Naoko took a deep breath and turned to look straight at Sirius before making the declaration that would change everything:

"My name is Naoko Arianna Yanagisawa Black."

***End of Flashback***

No one but the three who had been in the room knew exactly what had happened after Naoko had revealed her full name, and with that allowed Sirius Black to see through the spell protecting her and realize just who she was. Long left the room a minute or so later, allowing father and daughter the time to reconnect, to truly get to know each other.

No one saw hair nor hide of the two Blacks for almost the whole day, even when lunch came and went, no one dared interrupt them. It was until dinner time that Naoko had called on Winky (who, like Dobby, served them exclusively) and the two Blacks had dinner in the quarters privately.

The following morning Sirius had insisted on Long and Naoko joining him for lunch, as he wanted to know everything about how the two had come to know each other, how they had come to be a couple.

Long had been very afraid, but still revealed everything, including some of the very bad things he'd done before being convinced by Naoko to change sides…what the blonde wasn't expecting was what Sirius revealed to him then:

***Flashback***

"It would seem like Black men are destined to always becoming better for love of a woman… and what women they tend to be…" He commented with a whistle.

"Eh?" Draco had no idea what that meant.

"Dad?" Naoko was just as puzzled.

Despite the fact that the two had only been together as father and daughter for a day, it had been so natural for Naoko to think of and refer to him as dad, just like it had been easy for him to see her as and call her his daughter. It didn't make the pain of losing Natasha any less for either of them, but at least it was easier to bear, they still had each other.

"Like Severus Snape has probably told you all already, I wasn't the best kind of person, of man in my early teenage years." Sirius admitted. "I was young, brash, arrogant, and pretty much a bully. To be fair, I wasn't the only one, and I wasn't raised to know any better…but still. It was Natasha that made me change." He looked at Naoko, who looked so much like her mother. "Your mother was one of the sweetest, most caring persons I'd ever known, and yet she was also fiercely protective. It took her cursing me to kingdom come after one of my worse pranks landed a third year in the Infirmary for me to finally realize how much of an idiot I was. I was in fifth year back then, and to be honest it took James almost another full year to come to the same realization, though that was all Lily's work." He shook his head. "Anyway, at first I was really angry at Natasha for getting involved, after all, the other student was a Slytherin, and with no connection to her whatsoever…still, that didn't stop her from calling me names, or showing me how stupid I was back then. Eventually our spats became more playful than serious, and I don't know exactly I ended up asking her out one day…the rest, as some say, is history."

Naoko smiled, as summarized as it had all been, she was happy to know some more about his parents, about how they'd come to be together.

"But that wasn't all." Sirius went on. "As you probably already know, the Blacks have always been considered a pretty dark family. My brother and I were raised under the 'pureblood supremacy' ideals. While I rejected them almost from the very start, which is pretty much how I ended up a Gryffindor; the same couldn't be say for my brother. Daniel actually embraced the family ideals, he was mother's favorite for that very reason. He was a Slytherin pureblood, and proud of it. I tried to make him change his mind many times, but nothing seemed to work, I was sure he would end up as a Death Eater before he even left school. And then, when I was in seventh year and he in sixth, she appeared. I'm talking about Sonomi Amamiya, she'd graduated several years ahead of us, and came back as Slughorn's apprentice, she wanted to become a Potions' Mistress. Daniel became smitten with her, and everything changed. Suddenly he stopped hanging out with any and all known followers of the Dark Lord, stopped being so brooding, and cursing everyone in sight, he also stopped insulting anyone not pureblood and treated everyone with respect. I had no idea what had happened, until that summer, when he got his own flat and moved in with none other than Sonomi herself…of course, being in love with a halfblood he couldn't exactly act like a pureblood supremacist could he?" he chuckled slightly. "I will always be grateful to Sonomi for saving my brother from the darkness. Even if he died only a few years later, at least he was on the right side of the war when he did, and the time he lived he was happy."

Naoko and Long blinked a few times, having had no idea that things had been that way for Naoko's uncle before he'd met and fallen in love with Sonomi…

"So, like I said, it's apparently destiny, for Black men to find the light in the women they fall in love with." Sirius smiled. "And you are indeed a Black boy, even if you've chosen to forsake the Malfoy name, Narcissa was a Black before she was a Malfoy, and you also have her blood running in your veins, not only Lucius's."

Long nodded, it was a comfort for him too, to learn he had family, blood family left, who actually wanted him, cared about him, no matter if they were close or distant, they were still very much family.

***End of Flashback***

Surprisingly enough, Sirius didn't seem to have any problem whatsoever with his daughter dating the 'former Draco Malfoy'; though, like he'd explained to Sonomi later, who was he to try and interfere in their love-life? It's not like he would have paid any attention to his mother's wishes if she'd tried to do the same; Daniel in particular had married Sonomi against the express wishes and orders of Walburga Black, and Sirius considered it the best decision his little brother had ever made…

A week after finally waking up, and two since his miraculous return from beyond the veil, Sirius got on his feet for the first time. His legs trembled, his muscles were weak, his bones felt brittle and he tired after a very short time; but no one could deny he was on the path to recovery, a path he seemed to be moving through in leaps and bounds, at least considering that just a fortnight before he'd been no better than dead.

Once he was finally able to get on his feet, others would help him walk around several times a day, each time trying to make him last a little more. The first few days he wouldn't leave his bedroom, but eventually he was allowed to go into the small common room of the suite; the other bedroom on it being Naoko's, who'd moved back there after Sirius had come out of the veil, to help look after him.

Finally, three weeks after emerging from the veil, he was mostly recovered, even if still a bit malnourished and easily exhausted; he could move by himself and began getting ready to reveal his return to everyone else (not even Albus and Minerva knew thus far) though not just yet. First, some more things needed to be revealed.

Sirius could only look around in amazement, even if it wasn't really the first time he was in the Main Common Room of the Apartments he'd been staying at, he couldn't help but marvel every time he saw them. While essentially the Main Common Room would seem like any Common Room in any of the Houses, there were certain decorations that revealed the place was very different from any of the Houses. Then there were the portraits, while Sirius didn't find it strange that he couldn't recognize any of the landscapes, he couldn't recognize any of the figure, those woman or less-than humans in any of the paintings either; he'd never seen any like those before, anywhere, not even anywhere else in Hogwarts.

"Where exactly are we?" He asked once Long helped him sit in a sofa.

"This is the Sorcerers' Common Room." Eriol deadpanned.

"Sorcerers…" Sirius repeated in awe.

"You don't seem as surprised at the idea of sorcerers existing as we thought you might be Black-san, why is that?" Sakura asked, curious.

"Please, call me Sirius." He told the young woman. "And I'm not surprised, James and Lily both had certain Sorcerer capabilities, they weren't actual Sorcerers themselves, mind you, but still had some ability. My wife was a Mage and had some Sorceress abilities too; I have some power, but am no Mage really."

They all nodded.

"Now, Uncle Sirius." Tomoyo said seriously. "Many things have been told to you, of what has happened in the last two years. But there's one very important fact that has been left out, a fact that influences everything else greatly. You need to know this now…"

Sirius had already known, or at least strongly suspected about that; he was about to tell his niece to go ahead when he heard her quietly singing what sounded like some kind of rhyme, or maybe an Incantation? Seconds later his mind was filled with images, sounds, events, he witnessed anything and everything important of the things that had happened in the last 22 months. He wasn't sure if he ought to be marveled or horrified, his godson and his friends, even his daughter and his niece, and all the others, they had been through so much…and it didn't seem to over yet!

The last thing Sirius became aware of was The Plan, and the snag the teenagers had hit while trying to put it in practice; his face hardened.

"You wish to find the heirs of the Seven Pillars." He said, though it wasn't really a question.

"Yes…" Harry's eyes narrowed, as he tried to come out with a reason for his godfather to be focusing in that in particular.

"We've been looking everywhere, haven't been able to find anything thus far." Hermione said with obvious distress.

She'd practically searched the entire library, and not just the one in Hogwarts either, since she had access to the one in the Hiiragizawa Manor, and the one at Potter Manor too; she actually hadn't finished going through all the books of the last one yet, but thus far the search had bore no fruits whatsoever.

"It's not easy information to acquire." Sirius acknowledge. "In fact, I believe only members of the actual Lines would have anything pertaining to those Lineages."

Hermione seemed to fall deeper into despair, the stress at the idea of not being able to find anything nearly overpowering her. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to notice something else, and he wasn't the only one.

"And you would know this how, Sirius?" Ron asked, brows narrowed.

That question immediately called everyone's attention, first to Ron, then to Sirius as everyone got on the same page and realized the implications of everything; even Hermione managed to calm down enough to see the truth, she could only wonder, like everyone else, what Sirius meant with that statement.

"Because I have that information of course." Sirius announced proudly. "I know the most recent names of those seven lineages."


Several things to say right now: first: in case you have, or haven't noticed, yes, I changed Naoko's eye color, to make them like Sirius's, also; in everything else she's like Natasha (that also tells you something about what Naty would look like, just imagine an older Naoko).

Second: Several people have posed the question regarding Sonomi's binding to Severus while being pregnant, especially when she supposedly didn't do it with Daniel because at the time she was pregnant with Tomoyo. I could give you several reasons: different timing in the pregnancies, different circumstances. But the truth, in the end (aside from the fact that I honestly didn't realize that tiny little matter when I was writing that particular chapter), in the end Daniel refused to do the binding, because he sensed (feared, whichever) that he was going to die, and refused to take Sonomi with him, or worse, leavve her mourning him for the rest of her life (like Nadeshiko and Yelan). Now the situation is different, regardless of fear or anything, Sonomi loves Severus too much not to bind herself to him. For those wondering if she loves him more than Daniel...she loves him differently. You have to remember Severus has been her friend for many years, and Daniel is gone now...we'll never know how things would be if Daniel had never died. That's not relevant for this fic.

So, that's that. I hope you liked the chapter.

In the Next Chapter: Just who are the heirs to the seven lineages? The new pillars? And how exactly does Sirius know?! That and a whole lot more, coming...The Plan is slowly beginning to come true...