The Winged Wolf Chapter 5, a Harry Potter + Avengers Crossover fanfic

AN: Hello my dear readers, what you're seeing here are chapters 12 and 13 of my original fanfiction.

Chapter Five: Freedom and Health

Dressed in a formal royal blue kimono with a white obi wrapped around me, I walk out from the Ministry floo fireplace and make my way to the security desk. I simply smile at the guard at the desk and walk on through, looking too young to be a threat or even have a wand yet, my petite size helps in that regard, though I did draw some eyes at my attire.

Heading to the elevators off the side of the Ministry I make my way inside and hit the button that says DMLE on it, happy that at least I don't have to blindly look for the right floor or ask one of the few random strangers here in the morning. Making my way into a room with cubicle upon cubicle I look to the back of the room, seeing an office door with DMLE Head Amelia Bones written on a gold-colored letterhead.

Seeing that I haven't been taken note of just yet and I'd rather not be put on a waiting list to meet the head of the department, I simply shadow travel directly into her office, pausing to make sure I was alone. Seeing that I was fine, and feeling a ward in the office, most likely an alert ward since there doesn't seem to be any darker magic attached, I make my way in and find a seat for myself in front of her desk, opening up the tea compartment of my trunk.

A minute later the floo in her office flares to life and she comes rushing through, wand drawn and at the ready, only to see 10-year-old me with a pot of Earl Gray and two warmed cups at the ready.

"Tea?" I ask with my cane at my side, the rat cage sitting on her desk with Peter shivering slightly from the shadow travel, though still passed out.

"Who're you?" she says, her tone sharp and commanding, not dropping her guard for a moment, which is something I can respect. I could be a polyjuiced criminal or even a metamorph, so staying cautious despite appearances in this world of magic is smart.

Giving her a small smile that may have been more of I smirk I pour two cups of tea, "Elizabeth Potter, and I hope you don't mind my intrusion, but we needed to talk" I tell her, pushing one of the filled cups over to her.

Glaring at me she starts casting a series of charms that wash over me, though nothing that felt hostile, so I didn't feel a need to react. She lowers her wand after she finishes, her spells telling her whatever she needed to know to calm down, and sits at her desk across from me, sipping her tea after I do.

"Firstly, this is one hell of an introduction kid, and secondly, how did you get in my office?" she asks, making sure her displeasure was clear.

"Well, you only have one time to make a first impression and I figured I should make a strong one. As for how I got in, well, that will be my little secret for now" I tell her with a smirk. She's known to be one of the more moral characters in the books and throughout fanfiction, so I felt comfortable taking a stronger approach with her. Though my heart rate raised when she had her wand at the ready, my training with my grandfather certainly helped me keep calm. Yet I was ready to jump into the shadows nonetheless just in case things didn't work out.

Constant vigilance and all that, according to a certain Mad-Eye Moody.

"I don't know how the hell a kid that hasn't even gone to Hogwarts yet managed to get in here, but you didn't take the risk to get in here just to show off I assume, what do you want?" she asks, still sharp and straight to the point.

"I'm here, to get straight to the point, to get my innocent godfather out of Azkaban" I tell her clearly, looking at her directly in the eye.

"What!? Sirius Black was..." she begins to say.

"Was never given a trial" I interrupt her, wanting to avoid any misconceptions she may be basing her beliefs on.

"That's impossible" she says, her eyes hard and tone brittle as ice.

"You're certainly welcome to check whatever records you need to. I have the time, though the longer you take, the longer an innocent man is in prison" I tell her, my words biting and sarcastic.

"Wait here" she said before briskly walking from her office to get the truth of the matter about Sirius, and not 15 minutes later she came back with a scowl on her face and an empty file in her hand.

Looking at me with resigned eyes "I don't know how you knew this, but I'll make damn sure he gets his trial, but how do you know he's innocent?" she asks, leaning back in her chair and sipping on the tea I made.

I just point at the rat on her desk, causing her to raise an eyebrow at me in question, "who was the one that said Sirius was guilty and then was summarily killed in an explosion that killed 12 non-magicals as well, with just a pinky somehow remaining?" I ask her.

"Pettigrew? You're saying that's Pettigrew?" she asks, causing me to simply nod, "animagus?" she asks, causing me to nod again and her to sigh before taking her wand to cast a few charms to confirm it, and her signing even deeper when it turned out to be true.

"He'll be taken to a private cell under DMLE guard later today, after we question Pettigrew then Sirius Black will have his trial, he should be a free man within a week" she tells me, steeled in her affirmation on making sure Sirius has his trial, pleasing me.

"Great!" I tell her with a wide smile, getting one from her in return, "though I want you to make sure his guards are people you trust and can watch out for each other in case one is magically messed with, maybe even Moody if you can get him" I tell her, getting a nod in return.

"And when he is free to go, tell him to head to Potter manor, he should still be tied into the wards, but I will double-check to be sure" I tell her, making sure Sirius knew he had a place to go to.

"I'll be sure to let him know" she tells me.

"Thank you" I say, letting out a sigh and giving her a genuine smile.

"I would like one more thing though" I told her.

"And that would be?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I would assume the DMLE came to my parent's home after the attack, I would like you to give me their wands" I told her, feeling like their wands belong to me.

She looked at me for a moment before nodding and leaving once again, coming back a bit later holding two wands she removed from evidence, she handed them to me, being they would go to surviving family anyhow. With a small smile I took them both, holding them close, one of the last remnants from my parents, feeling a slight comfort and connection to both wands. Neither would work very well for me, but I could feel comfort in that small connection and could even feel my mother's soul stir just slightly with her wand so close.

Finishing our business, we both down our cooled tea and she vanishes the remains in the cups and pot for me, earning a quick thank you as I put it all away and head back out with my cane. Undoubtedly I'm on her radar now, with suspicions abound, but as of yet, she has no proof of any real wrongdoing that she would bother pursuing. Though no matter her suspicions in the future, if she has no evidence to pursue, she won't do anything.

After receiving training from my grandfather, a founding member of a ninja organization that is still in the shadows even today, I have more than enough training to leave any crime I may commit without a trace.

When I arrive back home, I head to the living room, collapsing onto a couch by the fire Dobby started for me, emotionally drained from everything that happened just this morning.

"Holy hell and all the gods above I'm glad that worked out!" I let out with a groan, happy my gamble worked so well for me. Amelia Bones always seems like a straight shooter, and that could have gone bad in several ways, but still, she's the only one I knew for sure I could trust and with the power to get things done.

Now, all I have to do is wait for him to get his trial to be let free and spend some more time studying as I wait.

When he finally gets home, I'll make sure to hex some sense and situational awareness into him, so that there is no getting got because he was cocky and distracted like in the books!

ΩΩΩ

Sirius Black POV

After about a week of platitudes, healers, and lawyers, I'm finally a free man again, and it's all thanks to that wonderful goddaughter of mine! I don't know how she found the rat, or even how she knew I was innocent but thank Merlin she did, or who knows how much longer I'd be stuck in that hell for.

Stepping through the fireplace into Potter manor I was about to happily yell out my presence, ecstatic to be back at one of the only places I called home, when I paused, suddenly hearing the melodic sound of a piano. The bewitching sound rang through the manor like a siren's song, heartfelt but heart-wrenching at the same time as the simple melody echoed throughout the halls.

I shifted into my grim form to stay silent and made my way to the music room, the only place where the piano could be coming from, but as I made my way up the stairs is when I started to hear her sing, a rich and velvety soprano that wrapped around me like a blanket. The piano accompaniment was soft and rich as it supported her ringing voice, the German words rising and falling, shaped into a quality rich with emotion, making my own eyes water as I peered into the room.

Sitting at the old Steinway piano was Elizabeth, playing as she sang, shaping the piece into something hauntingly beautiful and all I could do was sit and listen as the music washed over me, calming some of the pain from my time in Azkaban:

Leise flehen meine Lieder (Softly my songs plead)

Durch die Nacht zu Dir; (through the night to you;)

In den stillen Hain hernieder, (down into the silent grove,)

Liebchen, komm' zu mir! (beloved, come to me!)

Flüsternd schlanke Wipfel rauschen (Slender treetops whisper and rustle)

In des Mondes Licht; (in the moonlight;)

Des Verräters feindlich Lauschen (my darling, do not fear)

Fürchte, Holde, nicht. (that the hostile betrayer will overhear us.)

Hörst die Nachtigallen schlagen? (Do you not hear the nightingales call?)

Ach! sie flehen Dich, (Ah, they are imploring you;)

Mit der Töne süssen Klagen (with their sweet, plaintive songs)

Flehen sie für mich. (they are imploring for me.)

Sie verstehn des Busens Sehnen, (They understand the heart's yearning,)

Kennen Liebesschmerz, (they know the pain of love;)

Rühren mit den Silbertönen (with their silvery notes)

Jedes weiche Herz. (they touch every tender heart.)

Lass auch Dir die Brust bewegen, (Let your heart, too, be moved,)

Liebchen, höre mich! (beloved, hear me!)

Bebend harr' ich Dir entgegen! (Trembling, I await you!)

Komm', beglücke mich! (Come, make me happy!)

Shifting back into my human form once again I began to clap loudly and vigorously, absolutely astounded at the exquisite music I just heard and maybe wanting to see her jump a bit. Though sadly for my prankster's soul she didn't jump at all or even seemed startled, like she knew I was there, but that's impossible.

"Padfoot" she yelled out with a smile, filling me with a warmth I though long forgotten and with a smile plastered on my face I opened my arms for a hug, when suddenly she pulled out a wand, I don't know how she had and sent a flurry of stinging hexes at me.

"Ow, oww, oww, owwww! What's all that for!" I yelled as I ran around the room trying to avoid her hex's, already feeling that I'll have more than a few sickle-sized welts.

"That's for being a reckless idiot and chasing after the rat without a plan! I know you were hurting Padfoot, but you promised mom and dad to take care of me, not chase after their killer" she snapped out, making me feel like the lowest dog in the world, unable to meet her eyes.

"I know Pup, I know, and I can't apologize enough for that" I say, my heart in my throat and my eyes burning.

She looked at me again, making sure she met my eyes as her own softened, "I'm not saying this to make you feel guilty Padfoot, you've suffered enough in that hell called Azkaban to pay any debt you might have owed. I want you to learn from what happened, making sure you don't get yourself killed by being reckless again or not taking something seriously when you need to" she told me, her own eyes moist and her tone soft.

"Sigh, your right pup, but I have to ask, why are you going so far for me? Not that I don't appreciate it, I do! But you should hardly remember me, right?" I asked, curious why she would go so far for someone who might as well have been a stranger to her, even if I love her like a daughter since James and Lily named me her godfather.

Her eyes dimmed a little when I asked, worrying me a bit, "Well, I'm not your average girl" she said, her face expressing her hesitancy.

"How do you mean? Whatever it is pup, it won't matter to me, because I won't fail you again, your parents made me your godfather, and I'll be dammed if I mess that up again!" I say, making sure she knows that nothing she says will turn me away from her.

"When I was younger, something happened that gave me something more than my magic, and also gave me an incredibly strong healing ability. Because of that, a lot of my older memories became a lot easier to recall Padfoot, and I remember when you cuddled with me in dog form, bought me my first broom, played with me in my crib, and haha, even let me ride on your back when you were in dog form as well. So, no Padfoot, you're not a stranger to me, you're one of the few people lefts in my life that I can call family" she told me, making tears fall from my eyes as sorrow and love for her choked at my throat, a painful fire deep within my chest.

"Does, does that mean you remember when, when he came to your home?" I asked, feeling an icy cold pit form in my stomach, dreading the answer, no child should have to remember the murder of their parents.

Her eyes took on a solemn look before turning hard, "I do, I remember hearing my father fight him and die doing so, and, and I remember mom begging for my life and Voldemort killing her while laughing, and more so, I remember that when the rebounded killing curse incinerated his body, his wraith fled in terror and agony" she said, and I could hear the vindictiveness dripping from her voice when she talked about his state near the end.

"So, he not dead then" I say, feeling a hallow fear at that, the death and destruction of the last war still fresh in my mind, largely thanks to the dementors.

"Just mostly dead" she said with a bit of dry humor causing me to chuckle a bit, which I appreciated, I took a calming breath and looked at her again, "anything else you want to share?" I ask with a wry smile.

"Since you know he still has his followers and could be back at any time, I want you to make sure your skills are back up to par and improved, not shying away from ending your enemies, permanently" she said with hard eyes, making me wonder what she's experienced in her life to feel like that. But I nod nonetheless, the last war and my subsequent imprisonment teaching me that letting your enemies live doesn't usually turn out well, no matter what Dumbledore says.

Thinking of the old man brought up some bitter feelings in me, how he left me to rot without even a trial, and as I later found out, he spent the time helping out Snivellus. He tried to approach me after getting the trial I was due years ago, wanting to mend bridges maybe, but I didn't have time for his excuses since I had my goddaughter to get back to.

"I understand, I'll make sure to open up some of the old family curses, and as much as I loathe my family, they made and compiled some truly deadly magic. And since I doubt Voldemort will let you go after what happened or any of his followers for that matter, I'll do my best to start training you too" I told her, not happy about having to delve into some of the darker magic of my family, but if it would keep us both safe, I'll do whatever I have to, making sure little Elizabeth can protect herself too.

"Awesome! I look forward to learning what we both can do Padfoot!" she said with a bright and happy smile, making me all the more determined that she won't ever lose that because of me, and I'll do better to make sure of that.

"Now, do you have any other earth-shattering revelations?" I ask with a wry smile, not really expecting any other big reveals.

Suddenly she sported a smirk and stepped into the shadow behind her, seeming to melt into it, shocking the hell out of me, with my heart jumping up in my chest. Just a moment later I felt something being me, a slight surge of magic, making me jump back, only to see her emerge from the shadows like a wraith, dropping my jaw to the ground.

Still smirking she raised her hand and two bloody claws pushed out from between her knuckles, "bloody hell!" I say, not sure my heart could handle any more surprises.

"Maybe a few more things to explain hahaha, but first, I have some tea that should help mend with all those years in Azkaban" she said, shifting my shock to confusion.

"Tea?" I asked, wondering what kind of tea could possibly help me, but boy was I in for a shock.

ΩΩΩ

Elizabeth Potter POV

After introducing Sirius to the Sakura petal tea, I had him drink a cup to fully heal the damage that Azkaban had done to him, making a man who looked to be in his upper fifties turn into a man who looked to be in his upper twenties. Since he's only 31 years old, and with the anti-aging effect that magic can have, he looks his age again thanks to the rejuvenating tea.

Though when I look at him and think about how magical power pretty much equates to a further extended life and seeing how strong I should be magically, along with my incredibly strong healing, I think I may very well turn out to be immortal. Immortal at the very least regarding age, but even Logan, without metal poisoning, was thought to be able to live up to 700 years to being immortal, throwing in my magic to that equation, immortality seems like a pretty good bet.

But, as great as that might be, giving me time to see the world change and adapt, growing my skills and powers, I will still have to watch those I come to love, wither, and die. All eventually are reclaimed by the dark in time, even this universe will one day perish, but that does make making connections to others in the future a two-sided blade. Yet, it will still be something I have to accept because I can't stop living my life in fear of loss.

Sirius drinking the Sakura petal tea may have stopped the tea from potentially being a life-saving item in the future, but since a lot of dark magic tends to kill instantly, or quickly enough to be within seconds, it doesn't matter overmuch. I prefer he gains his full strength now and improves on that, rather than his time in Azkaban hindering him enough that he falls to someone else, with no lifesaving item in sight.

With Sirius also being back in top form, I was also able to get my own magical teacher, other than trying to figure things out with books alone, though I was able to memorize those easily enough thanks to my occlumency mind palace. Being that my mutation keeps everything about my body in top shape, that includes my mind, my memory was naturally very sharp, nearly eidetic but with the help of my occlumency, it did in fact become so.

Since I was able to be exposed to a much larger variety of spells due to Sirius, I was finally able to get a much better handle on magic overall. What I was doing before with my basic elemental and telekinetic magic was having an intent behind what I wanted and then pushing my magic with my will through that intent to get a basic idea of what I wanted to do, aka some fire, water, wind, and some telekinetic control.

After seeing what Sirius could teach me, I was able to feel what was happening when his spells were being formed and went through a few magical theory books to get a better idea. Magic overall comes down to intent, will, and focus in order to form various spells to do a number of things, though magic itself can give some spells a life all their own, hence you get Fiendfyre and its desire to consume that you have to conquer.

What this meant for spells was relatively simple after I was able to get a better feel for it, you need to focus your magic around a firm intent, building the structure and idea of your spell, use your will to push your magic into that formed spell structure, and then use your focus to push that formed magic from you out into the world, with the spell taking different effects based on the intent. If you want something like simple levitation, then when your magic is released into the world with that intent, something relatively benign, it can almost immediately act out what you want.

But for something like stunning someone, causing destruction, or even death, there is much more weight behind that intent, a firm idea, and action that comes to mind, making the spell cost more magic but also manifest in some way due to holding more magic. Hence you get something like the red of a stunning spell or the green of a killing curse, with transfiguration or conjugation taking form in the object transformed or crated.

Of course, being able to feel all this through my magical sense gives me a massive advantage since I can start to freely shape my own magic in such a way. Wand movements and incantations help massively when learning magic because it allows a witch or wizard to learn how to shape their own magic in such a process, learning how to feel out the basic way to shape their spells in time.

Though your average witch or wizard will be content to simply rely on this process, masters in their field learn to better connect with their magic to help shape the world around them. Dumbledore certainly doesn't need a hundred different spells for transfiguration when using his mastery over that form of magic. If he wants to do something that may take more magical energy than minor tricks, and without his wand, then using an incantation at a time like that to better help shape his magic around his intent would be understandable then, like when he caught Harry falling from his broom in third year.

Yet even still, this doesn't make learning from various magical books useless or even covering the basics of magic when going to Hogwarts. Rather than trying to come up with numerous different spells myself, covering the basics and reading from others to help build my own foundation is a must.

I can create my own cutting curse but learning how others have shaped their intent to make it more efficient, more lethal in some way, or expanded on it like Snape's Sectumsempra. No matter how talented a person is, they simply can't think of everything, and studying others is a must.

Also dealing with more complex ideas in forming the intent of a spell and how the creator shaped their intent to achieve certain spells you want to mirror, such as the Patronus or Fidelus, means you need to study them.

Even dark magic is wide and varied, with everything from the basic cutting curse to dark curses in the Black family library Sirius let me read from after much hesitation and much to Kreacher's grumbling. Dark magic falls under spells with the specific intent within the spell to do hard to someone or something. You can kill a person by lifting them Wingardium Leviosa and dropping them off a tower, but the intent when casting the spell is the concept of levitation.

When you use something like a bone-breaking curse, a heart exploding curse, or even a minor cutting curse, you introduce the intent of harm into that curse, tainting that spell and magic with the desire to harm someone, making it harder to heal depending on the type and power of the spell.

Of course, that doesn't mean you're going to go crazy using dark magic or be tainted by it because like everything, it depends on how you use it and your choices that help define you. Emotion can be used to further increase the power of dark magic, tainting that magic even further, giving it more power, and making it harder to heal. Though if you're making yourself feel certain emotions over and over again for power, or are just inclined to be like that overall, that comes down to the person making themselves go crazy, not the fault of dark magic.

I mean, come on, if you make yourself feel hate or anger repeatedly, it's no wonder you start losing your mind, even if my own inclinations towards hunting prey are questionable at best, that's not how I constantly think either. It's something like the three unforgivable that skirt the line into something called Black magic, where you need very dark emotions to power the spell or ritual.

Wanting to cause pain or dominate for the Cruciatus and the Imperio curse can start affecting you if you use the spell repeatedly and the desire for someone to truly die for Avada Kedavra curse even more so. The killing curse kills the person rather than their soul no matter what people think, since killing something like a soul would take a hell of a lot more power if it is at all possible outside of cosmic beings. Though even these spells skirt the line between Dark and Black magic, with whatever Voldemort did to make a horcrux being more true black magic as it can permanently taint your soul and mind.

Yet for all that these types of spells are called Dark and Black magic, they are still not of the Darkness, simply descriptors of various forms of magic.

Though speaking of the Darkness, after a few weeks with Sirius and more meditation within my pitch-black room, I finally managed to merge with the Darkness even further, feeling it anchor inside of me. When my godfather tried testing my mental defense, he said it was like trying to peer into pitch-black shadows. That it held a kind of cold that not even dementors could replicate, and he even had some ice forming on him after a light delve into my mind.

One thing he did note was that my left eye turned pitch black when he tried to enter my mind, only the emerald of my eye shining out from the darkness.

Luckily it only happened when he tried to delve deeper into my mind outside of surface thoughts, though even with briefly touching my mind like that, all he saw was shadow. Yet even with the lightest of touches upon my mind, it was like touching still water, the lightest of ripples easily triggered and telling me someone tried to enter my mind.

With my deeper connection with the Darkness came a growth in my shadow-related abilities as well, being that I could shield myself from any form of detection magic when blended into shadow that my godfather knew, and even Dobby knew. Though if I was going to launch an attack, I had to be swift and decisive since I could be detected once I left the shadows, but great for assassination nonetheless. Even before it was hard to detect me, but now at least it's pretty much impossible for a witch or wizard as far as I can tell.

I could also shadow travel now without stepping into shadow, simply connecting to the Darkness anchored inside of me, making it look as if I was consumed by void-like smoke. Though very useful and incredibly difficult to stop, it would still be equivalent to apparition from normal wizards, just a lot more comfortable as well. I still plan to learn apparition in the future so I have more than one option for teleportation, but shadow travel will be my main choice.

Being that Yumie is so intricately connected to me as my familiar, she could do the same as well, allowing her to protect me even easier if that is ever needed. How this might be able to be combined with my magic and its effect I'm not quite sure yet, I want to build a better foundation first before I experiment, but it's something to consider for the future.

By the time June came along, Sirius and I were having our morning breakfast, him with some eggs and whole-grain toast at my instances, and me with some rice topped with natto and a fluffy sweet omelet when a mail owl came sweeping in.

"Well, looks like your Hogwarts letter finally came" Sirius said, happy at seeing it.

"Yep" I said, popping the p, still eating my breakfast,

"You know you're going to absolutely destroy their expectations, right?" he said, this time smirking

"Yep" I said again and in the same way, finishing up the last of my meal.

"Hey, at least it all should be an adventure, right?" he said, this time with a wide smile.

Taking a sip of some green tea I turned to him with a wide smile of my own, "Oh, you have no idea" I said, I'm certainly going to shake things up, and I'll make sure things are never the same by the end. Smiling I quickly jot down my acceptance and send it off with the owl that brought it.

ΩΩΩ

"Why a spear?" Sirius asked as I was handling my weapon at its full length, examining the basic transfiguration enchantment I placed on it, the best I could do at the time.

"Because it's a weapon I liked, gives good attack range, can become a short spear to act similar to a sword, and most magicals won't expect the weapon. Plus, when they focus on my spear, they won't see my claws coming, even if they're prepared for a spell" I told him, a bit exasperated at his continued disbelief.

"And you chose to transform it into a cane, why?" he asked, making me wince a bit at the silent judgment.

"Because I didn't know if I could make it into anything smaller at the time, and I probably couldn't have, but now I can, and since it's my own magic and intent saturating the weapon, I can at least make an adjustment to the transformation aspect of it" I tell him, finally feeling out that part of the magic in the weapon, purging it.

"At least that will make it very difficult to be messed with using most magic, though I probably wouldn't trust it to hold up against someone like Dumbledore who's a transfiguration master, or Voldemort who could just overpower the weapon" he told me, making me roll my eyes at him.

"Though speaking of forging my weapon, do you think you can have a forge built near Potter manor? I'll write out a blueprint for you to follow and a list for some metal to stock up on, I still want to get better, and I have things I want to make in the future" I ask, and he just gives me a happy nod, happy to have a project to work on and I get back into the enchantment on my spear.

As I began to shape my intent into the weapon, reinforced with my magic, I could feel my older magic in the weapon itself and I used my will to reinforce my intent and fill it further, taking about five minutes when it was all said and done. Finally, after everything felt stable, I focused on pushing the spell into my spear, feeling it slot into place, being much more stable than my first attempt, and now holding more power.

"Done! And going against either of them right now would be foolish, Dumbledore failed you to be sure, but I still don't know the kind of man he is. And Voldemort, well, right now I doubt my spear or wand would do much to him" I tell him, plus, I'm coming up with my own plans for that man, I just need more time to study the books I got from Japan.

He nods at my rather obvious points, "True, but you'll get there in time I'm sure, hell, your stronger than any kid I knew at your age, and you still haven't gone through your magical maturation. So yeah, you might not be in their league for a long time coming, but I bet you'll get there by the time you're an adult, maybe even surpassing them both" he said with a smile, though maybe a smile that was a bit on the manic side.

"Thanks for your vote of confidence Padfoot," I say, a bit dryly, but still sincere and continue "plus I'll be turning 11 in a week, so my maturation isn't far off at least."

He barks out a laugh at my tone and gives me a bright smile, "So oh wise witch, what did you change?" he asks, nodding at my spear.

Smirking I push my magic into the weapon, seeing its new transformation as a ring on my finger, much easier to conceal now, thank you very much, "as you can see it turns into a ring, much better to hide I think, and when I push my magic back into it," I say as I push my magic into the ring, holding my spear again, "it transforms fast and always within the palm of my hand" I tell him, giving him a smirk at his wide eyes.

"Well, that's certainly better than turning a matchstick into a needle" he pointed out.

"Yeah, but it also took me 5 minutes to do, already had my magic, was forged with the idea to transform as well, all helping in the end, and again, still took me 5 minutes. I have no doubt that I'll progress faster than most others, but I still have to build up from the basics, because having a strong foundational knowledge is important" I told him, making sure he understands that no matter how good I am, it's still better to start from the beginning.

"Plus, I only sleep about 5 hours now thanks to my occlumency, and my connection to the shadows and darkness helps a lot with legilimency" I told him with a smirk.

"I still think that's unfair, how does something like 'slipping into the shadows of your mind' make sense at all!" he complained, making me laugh.

"And how does making an almost sentient animal of fire make sense with Fiendfyre? Or anything with magic? It's all about visualization and imagination with magic taking the reins from there when you get right down to it" I told him with a chuckle.

"Plus, while I can slip past shield easier and I'm harder to detect, I can still be detected if I start going through a mind outside of surface thoughts and be pushed out, as you showed. So, it's not a perfect skill quite yet" I defended with a smile.

Giving me a sideways look "I know but I also don't know when that will stop being the case you scary little prodigy you" he joked out, pouting, and making me laugh further.

Though he did get a bit more serious with the next question "but I need to ask, and I've kinda been avoiding the question since I didn't want to seem like I'm judging you, because I'm not! But, well…" he started muttering out.

"Why align myself so closely with Darkness?" I ask, showing a kind smile so he knows I'm not defensive about the question at all.

"Yeah" he says, rubbing the back of his head and letting out a chuckle.

Giving him another smile, I explain, "when I was one, I had my first brush with death, seeing it with my mother, hearing it with my father, and even touched by it momentarily with that killing curse Voldemort sent at me. My magic was touched and changed by both, hence why we can see thestrals after we see and understand death. The killing curse, something so fundamental in causing death also left its touch on me, a slight taint of death in a way, but not something that would have any effect one way or another, without the Dursleys at least" I explain, my eyes darkening a bit as I mention them.

"I know what you told me about them, and I'd want to strangle the lot of them, or at least the parents if I could get away with it, but what did they do that made the taint, worse I guess?" he asked, his own voice holding a growl at their mention.

"Because magic is weird" I say with a laugh, "being relegated into that dark cupboard over and over again, letting it be a refuge away from abuse, let my magic grow deeper into that connection with the Darkness, unknown to me at the time of course but finding comfort in the dark nevertheless, and coloring my own magic overall" I explained, earning a nod in return.

"Almost dying again, staying alive just because of my healing ability, further aligning my magic with the Darkness, and with Yumie's evolution into an Acidic Shadow Serpent due to my own magical influence on her, I was able to get a direct connection into the shadow realm and Darkness. Though just like the Ashwinder being born in a magical fire, you don't get too many elemental animals like that so I got lucky with Yumie" I told him with a fond smile spread across my face.

"But why pursue that connection? Rather than trying to get better at fire, lighting, or even Light?" he asked, his face a bit pensive.

"Because I understand something about the Darkness, the void, that many do not Padfoot" I gently explain to him.

"And what's that?" he asks.

"That the Darkness isn't evil. Is man's first fear, it takes whatever you give it with the gaping maw of the void that it is, but it is neither a hungry predator that wants to devour all nor malicious in any way. It is simply that which is the end of all things but allows for new beginnings" I tell him, earning a bit of understandable confusion.

"How do you mean?" he asks with puzzlement clear on his face.

"Simple, all things will return to Darkness, into the void, eventually, even the universe, all it takes is time, so there is no need for something like the Darkness to even need to hunt, let alone in any way we could understand the concept for something as primordial as the Darkness. But look at our universe, constantly expanding out into the void and will one day burn out and die off in the void!" I exclaim getting a chuckle from Sirius, making me feel a bit embarrassed, taking a sip of tea before continuing.

"But that won't stop the possibility of another universe being born just like this one was, however it came into being, even if it takes the lifetime of a thousand universes. The Darkness simply is, it does not take life or stop life from being, Light will endure just as much as Darkness, we are simply the momentary flashes of consciousness that try and give both meanings, both being outside that and much bigger than things like good or evil" I say, taking another sip of tea after such a long explanation.

"Well, I see what you mean, though isn't it a bit nihilistic all said and done?" he asked with a smirk, making a bit of fun of me, I just roll my eyes at the accusation.

"Just because I accept and I'm not afraid of the end doesn't mean I want to meet my end any time soon. Accepting is one thing, but as I said, the Darkness doesn't care when the end comes, simply that it will eventually. I will live my life as best I can, getting stronger, making friends, maybe even falling in love, and simply having a grand adventure of it all, and when my end comes, then it comes. And when it comes for others, I will morn and hurt over the loss like any other human, that's what makes me human" I say with a wide smile.

"I will do my best to survive and keep those I love alive as long as possible because that's what it means to be human, but when the end finally does come, I won't meet that end with fear because it is inevitable and I will have lived my life to the fullest" I say, once again wearing a wide smile.

Giving out another baring laugh, Sirius comes over to pick me up into a sweeping hug, causing me to giggle and laugh aloud, "By Merlin, I can drink to that at least!" he exclaims, swinging me around and joy filling us both.

ΩΩΩ

Walking through the doors of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries with Sirius at my back I admit I was nervous. July 31st, my birthday came and went, and my magical maturation came with it. I went from a strong second year to a strong third year in magic power, my magic feeling a bit denser overall, but still, my magic felt strained. Being that neither Sirius nor I know much healing magic, something I will be sure to correct, if not for me overall, then others around me, but regardless, we both figured we needed an expert's view on what might be going on.

I might not have even noticed it if it weren't for my sensitivity to magic, especially my own, being so high, but even if I can feel the strain, I'm not sure what to do about it. I'm not foolish, at least I would hope that I'm not, so I figure it's some binding on my magic, most likely from Dumbledore, but I have no idea how to undo that, and neither the Black nor Potter library specializes in healing magic. Though right now we need to wait a bit till one of the nurses on duty calls us forward, just like any normal hospital I guess, making me wish I had more access to healing magic in either library.

If I want a number of different curses, knowledge of a wide scope of Dark magic, Rituals, Runic tomes, and even more deadly War magic, then the Black library is the way to go. War magic, easily decerned from its name, was used way back when mages weren't in hiding and needed to fight armies and take down castles. Though not very useful nowadays being that they take a lot of power to use, going against armies and castles that's understandable, yet not useful in duels at all.

Explosive curses to take down castle walls and barriers, elemental attacks to rain down hell against the enemy, and more, all of which would cause a blowback hitting the wielder if used right next to yourself. The magical expenditure wouldn't be worth it when faster and more deadly spells on the personal level are a better option. Though when Voldemort took down the magical shield surrounding Hogwarts, he undoubtedly used War magic to do it, any regular spell just wouldn't have been able to do the same. This is the same reason why I'm making sure to read over that kind of magic, you never know when that kind of heavy-hitting magic would be useful.

The potion knowledge in the Potter library goes back through multiple previous generations and has at least helped me build a good foundation before Hogwarts. The battle transfiguration books have been very interesting to read over, at least for various ideas, even if I can't make use of most of them yet. Battle transfiguration is what Dumbledore would use when fighting Voldemort or Grindelwald, using the environment to attack, or even transforming their own attacks against them, though it takes great control and power.

When Dumbledore attacked Voldemort's Fiendfyre snake, he didn't just hit it with random magic, but broke the spell intent apart and transfigured it into raw fire to use against Voldemort. Another part of that fight that showcased this field of magic in a more defensive aspect would be when Dumbledore turned Voldemort's glass shard attack into water, a great defensive move, even if I would've tried to follow it up with a curse of two. Again, this is another field I want to master in the future, once I start building my foundation in this branch of magic, though anything that is useful will be focused on by me as much as I can.

"Mr. Black? Ms. Elizabeth? A Healer will see you now" said one of the staff, pulling me out of my musings.

Following Sirius, we were led to a private office, the name Andromeda Tonks written on the door, making me smile since it was a name I recognized, the mother of Nymphadora Tonks. She was sitting at her desk wearing a Healers uniform, with a crossed wand and bone symbol prominent on her chest. Surprisingly enough she looked a bit like Helena Bonham Carter, and since she's supposed to look similar to her sister, I guess I know what Bellatrix will look like.

"Andi!" Sirius said with a wide smile, going up to hug the woman as she came out from behind her desk.

"Siri" Andromeda said with a smile, welcoming the hug, "I'm glad you're looking so much better, actually, you're looking great! I don't know how, but whatever you're doing, it's working for you" she said with a bit of shock and amazement, though being raised a Black, she knew not to pry.

"Thanks Andi, it's all thanks to the pup, Elizabeth, speaking of which, Andi meet Elizabeth, my goddaughter, Elizabeth meet Andromeda, my cousin" Sirius introduced us with a wide smile.

"It's very nice to meet you" I said, a small smile playing across my lips as we shook hands.

"Likewise," she replied, giving me a smile in return, "so how can I help you two?" she asked, getting into her Healer role for us both.

After telling her what I was feeling, and surprising her a bit with my magical sensitivity, she asked permission to run some diagnostic charms for my magic, which I was happy to give her. After a few minutes of running her wand through various motions over me, though using silent casting the whole time, her expression went from professional to angry.

"It appears you have a binding on your magic" she said with a scowl, making me sigh in disappointment at Dumbledore, whatever his reasons may have been, "but it is not an overly strong one at least, and since you caught it so soon into your maturation there won't be any damage. If it was any stronger then you would have noticed right away, regardless of your sensitivity to magic, because of the pain it would have caused, but it also would have been much harder to remove then" she said.

"So, you can get rid of it without a problem then?" I asked hopefully, not wanting it to take a long time, even if I'm sure I could heal if any damage was caused.

"Just give me a few minutes" she told me with a smile, causing me to relax at the assurance.

True to her word a few minutes later I felt the restriction on my magic release and felt it sure forwards, getting stronger and stronger. By the end of the whole process, I felt the pool of magic reach about a 5th year and as about as dense as a 6th year, causing my spells to hit harder than younger students, or use less magic to hit just as hard. Compared to a lot of the professors like Filius Flitwick and Minerva McGonagall, that's still not a lot power-wise, but it does show that I have the potential to grow into a magical titan like Voldemort and Dumbledore, even greater given time, just not yet.

"I don't know what asshole put the binder on your magic Elizabeth, but as you can no doubt feel it's gone now" Andromeda said, starting with a scowl before morphing into a small smile.

"Thanks! That feels a hell of a lot better now" I tell her with a wide smile, happy it was a quick fix once it was noticed.

Sirius enveloped her into a quick hug, "Thanks Andi! I mean it, and just so you know, once everything is settled at home, I'm more than happy to reinstate you back into the Black family, your husband, and little Nymphadora to" he said with a big smile.

"Thank you, Sirius, truly, that would mean a lot. I don't regret my decision to marry Ted, even if it got me kicked out of the family, but it will be nice being part of the family again" she said with a soft smile.

Being that our business was all finished up since I was helped and all, we made a little small talk to get to know each other a bit better, and for Andromeda and Sirius to catch up on old times. Though soon we parted ways since she had other appointments to get to, though rather than leaving, Sirius and I headed up to the fourth floor, the long term patients ward, two vials filled with tea in hand,

"Are you sure this can help them?" Sirius asked, worry and hope warring on his face.

"This tea should help them Sirius, but I can't say for certain. When I healed the tree, it had a lot of damage to it, and putting so much of my magic into it to help heal basically gave it a lesser copy of my healing ability through my magic. So, it should help them, the tea can even save a life if given soon enough, but I don't know about their mind, it may help or may not, we'll just have to see" I told him, my voice holding a solemn tone.

Making our way further into the floor we came across what we were looking for, the room that held the Longbottom's, Nevil's parents, and who fought in the Order of the Phoenix with Sirius but were tortured into insanity with the cruciatus curse. There we saw Alice Longbottom sitting in a chair not seeming all there, and Frank Longbottom comatose in the bed near her. Almost holding my breath, I approach Alice while Sirius does the same with Frank, and we both pour the healing tea down their throats as gently as we can.

They seem to tense up as the tea went to work, going throughout their bodies to heal the damage that the cruciatus curse caused, fighting against any lingering dark magic in their systems. A few minutes later as I look at Alice, her eyes seem to clear, the vacant expression fading, and I can see Frank moving in his bed.

"Where, where am I" Alice said, her husband repeating the same sentiment to Sirius.

"What's the last thing you remember" I ask her, wanting to see how much damage, if any, there was to her memory.

"We were at home, in hiding, when, when, Nevil!" she suddenly yelled, and I spent the next few minutes calming her down as Sirius did the same with Frank, letting them know how much time has passed but that their son was alive and healthy. They remembered that they were attacked, though actual details of what happened were a blur, they know Neville was hidden by someone and just pain and nothingness after that, though they did ask how I helped them.

"I used what could be called an elixir on you both to help you, I knew you were friends with my mother, so I couldn't leave you like this if I could help. I'd just rather you not tell anyone outside your family that I helped, I don't want to be hounded by the media and criminals to get their hands on it, okay" I let her know, earning a smile and acquiescence from both of them.

Promising to stay in touch after they got their lives situated again, and reconnected with their family, we left with hugs and smiles for both of us. I admit, I was happy for another connection to my family and that I could help Neville as well, I might not know him personally yet, but he was great in the books and movies, and deserves some happiness. Maybe this way he'll be able to get his own wand, actually, he'll have to since his father will be using his wand again, so Neville we'll need a new one to be sure.

Still, both Sirius and I left with smiles on our faces and warmth in our hearts.

ΩΩΩ

After Sirius and I made our way home, I made my way to the office in the manor, looking over the Black accounts that I received from Sirius. The total account rounded out to be 432,000 galleons, ignoring the added sickles and knuts, as well as whatever value the various artifacts and gems may be worth within the vault.

I was admittedly a bit shocked by this amount at first, more so when I found out that a good chunk of it was drained in the war in support of Voldemort, about 200,000 galleons give or take a few thousand. Though after a bit of thought and going over the finances, it wasn't overmuch too surprising considering the family I was talking about. Looking over the deposits within the account I saw that a lot of the money came from land rentals by a lot of businesses. Considering the reputation of the Black family, I doubt much of that land was taken over, using savory or legal methods, with copious amounts of blackmail, torture, and death helping things along.

Regardless, one thing I did take notice of was that when Walburga died about five years ago, many of the rental payments on the land stopped. Most likely they thought they had no need to continue paying with all the Blacks at the time either dead or imprisoned, and no one to try and enforce the agreed-upon magical contracts, but I was sure to quickly dissuade them of that idea.

After looking over the fifteen contracts that thought it was a good idea to default on the money owed, I found one who was a single man in his 50s and an avid blood supremacist. Seeing that I found someone to use as a good example, I immediately enacted the clause is within his contract in regards to punishment over default on payments. Being that it was a contract written out by the Blacks, it should come as no surprise that breaking said contract comes with incredibly harsh punishments. In this case, the man had his entire vault turned over to the Black account, a total of 23,000 galleons, his business closed with his stock of potion supplies to be sold off in the future, and someone should find his body eventually having suffered an agonizing death due to the broken contract.

Seeing this Sirius had to wince before looking my way, "don't you think that was a bit harsh pup?" he asked, making sure not to come across as judgmental.

Looking over at him I raised an eyebrow his way, "not at all Padfoot, while he can have whatever beliefs he wants, he nonetheless made a good target to make an example out of, at least easier to choose than someone who would leave behind some family" I told him, my tone more analytical than truly cold or holding any feeling of schadenfreude.

Taking a moment to think over my words he had to nod in reluctant acceptance "I guess that makes sense, but couldn't you have sent out a warning? Or just have me write them out, even as much as I hate paperwork, I wouldn't have minded being I'm Lord Black now" he told me, his kinder nature coming through, despite his time in Azkaban.

Giving him a small but understanding smile in return I answered him back softly, "Padfoot, no, Sirius, a warning, or coming from the Black family, a threat, is only as good as the belief that others have in your willingness to back that threat up. And as much as I love you Sirius, do you really think you could go through with what I did?" I asked him.

With a firm look in his eyes, he nodded to me, "for you Elizabeth, I could, I have to uphold my position now, no matter how much I wanted to avoid it in the first place" he told me solemnly.

Giving him a firm hug in response, I looked at him in the eyes before answering again, "and that's just it Sirius, doing something like this would hurt you far more than it hurts me. I know I lean more into the darker side of things than you, not evil per se, but undoubtedly darker than you are. You've already told me I'm going to be your heir in the future, and I will eventually take over as head of the Black family. As such…" I told him, my eyes turning cold, "I will make sure that everyone knows not to cross my family, Potter or Black."

Sitting back in his chair with a sigh and a nod of acceptance he looked over to me with a slight smirk, "you're already becoming a better Black family head than I am, you can certainly be scary pup" he told me, letting out a short barking laugh. "But then again, you're showing why this world should fear you a hell of a lot more than you should fear it, maybe if I was a bit more ruthless and levelheaded, I wouldn't have ended where I did. Maybe if we all were a bit more ruthless we wouldn't have been losing the war so badly" he told me, his eyes haunted and weighed down by the heavy burden of the past.

"Maybe Padfoot, but the past is the past, and there's no use in asking what-ifs, because you did what you thought was best then, and foresight is always 20/20. You did you're best Padfoot, you fought your hardest, and don't let anyone tell you differently" I told him with sincerity.

Seeming to come back to himself he gave me a lighter and more genuine smile "you're right pup, thanks for that" he said, and I got up from the desk to give him a hug, receiving a tighter one in return. Both of us taking some comfort in each other's warmth and familial closeness for the moment.

Pulling away I looked up with a small smirk, "there is one big benefit about calling in his contract. When the others get their own warning letters to pay their debts, you won't be getting any angry replies, threats, or howlers in return. They'll do their best to pay up right away, and that means less paperwork for you" I told him.

Letting out another barking laugh, this one filling with more humor he slapped his leg and gave another affirming nod, "you're right about that pup!"

ΩΩΩ

"I don't like her" Yumie said, pouting within my mind, making me smile a bit.

"She was a gift from the Longbottom's, she's a perfectly nice owl and you won't be delivering any mail" I tell her, referring to the affectionate Snowy Owl sitting on my shoulder I promptly name Hedwig.

Being an owl bred by magicals, she has her own magic as well, being able to find witches and wizards to deliver letters, though she seems smarter than most owls, able to understand and respond in her own way. Taking this into account I've been considering making her into another familiar, much to Yumie's annoyance.

"Plus, there's nothing wrong with adding another member to the family. No one will ever replace you Yumie, you are and will always be my friend and familiar. Just like Dobby became part of the family, and so did Sirius" I tell her with a soft but loving tone, pushing how much I care for her through our bond.

Sighing through our link I feel her agreement, calming down some at my assurance, though we both know it's not something I can do immediately anyhow. Letting her hop to my arm I let her know to meet me at Hogwarts and watch with a smile as the beautiful owl fly's off into the distance.

Making my way further into Kings Cross Station, me and Sirius make our way to Platform 9 and ¾, traveling through the wall with a smile, all my supplies stored inside my main trunk, both kept in my pouch. Laughing at the minor bit of fun, I see the Hogwarts Express for the first time, and I can't keep off the smile from my face. Though my eyes glint slightly in the light, water glossing over them at the sadness of my parting with Sirius.

Coming down to my level, Sirius gives me a tight hug, "remember, stay safe, make some friends, and cause some mayhem" he tells me with a big smile, earning a smile and a nod from me in return.

Giving him another quick hug in return I look at him seriously, "and remember to try and contact Moony, I don't want you to be alone in the home, and you could use a friend" I tell him, not wanting him to wallow at all. Just like me, he gives a smile and a nod, making me giggle a bit, but smile.

Taking quick stock of everything before I head on to the train, I double-check that I have both my shrunken trunks, and now, both my wands, having gone to Ollivanders. The Phoenix and holly wand didn't connect to me near as well as my Orochi heartstrings and Cherry Wood wand, but it will make a good backup. Both of my wands had a feeling of discontent, pouting in a way, one that I got another wand and the other that it wasn't my main wand, but I sent the feeling that both are meant to save my life, and they seemed to settle down. Certainly, an odd feeling and experience, but not altogether negative in any way.

Not ten minutes later I found my own compartment and opened a book about potions to read on the long train ride, knowing that I'll be heading to a world of knowledge, magic, and adventure, but also a world with the danger of pain and death. But even so, I'll make sure to shock the wizarding world and prepare enough that my enemies will fear my name if they manage to survive that long. With a giggle at that thought, I begin to read as the train moves out of the station, and I smile at what's to come.

Note 1: The piece above is Franz Schubert's "Ständchen" (Serenade), the version I was listening to was: Angela Gheorghiu – Ständchen - Franz Schubert.

A beautiful piano arrangement from Liszt that I would suggest is Pianist Katharina Treutler: Ständchen (Schubert / Liszt)