Chapter 45: Scorpius
Lestrange Manor, Cumbria, England
February 6, 1987
Scorpius shook his head in the negative as he backed away from the towering form of his grandfather, Theodoric Lestrange. "I can't," he whispered.
"Can't," his grandfather sneered. "There is no room for that word in our vocabulary," his grandfather snarled. "You mean you won't!"
Scorpius felt a surge of anger crest through his whole being as he met the hazel eyes of Theodoric Lestrange. "Fine!" he snapped. "I won't then! I won't do it and I won't let you make me!"
He cried out when Theodoric backhanded him across the face. Scorpius stumbled to his knees and he hated himself for falling. When would he learn that he was not as strong as his grandfather, at least, he wasn't as strong as the man was in the physical sense? Scorpius's magical core was already greater than his grandfather's and it was still growing. Theodoric Lestrange often beat him, insisting that the beatings would help his magic grow stronger within him. Scorpius could not deny that he felt it working. His magic reacted to each beating by healing him and then surging stronger than before. It was a horrible ancient practice of some of the darker families to abuse their children to make them stronger. Still, he wondered if the dark families were so great then why did Lord Voldemort fall to a child from a family of Light Magic Practitioners?
"You know the incantation," Theodoric snapped. "Now you will point that wand at this filthy mongrel and you will cast the spell!"
Scorpius stared first at his hand that still gripped the Aspen wand that his Grandfather had given him. He was told that this wand had belonged to Rolant Lestrange. Theodoric had been impressed that Scorpius could make the wand obey him. Apparently, not a single member of House Lestrange had been able to do so after Rolant's death. Scorpius had looked up information on Rolant in the family library and discovered that the man had been a member of the elitist dueling club "The Silver Spears." The club only accepted duelists who owned an Aspen wand. Rolant was considered a legendary duelist. He didn't know what it said about him that the wand obeyed his will. His grandfather thought it meant that he would become a great duelist, a warrior to serve his beloved Dark Lord.
The specter of the Dark Lord had visited them twice in the last two years. He had heard the specter tell Theodoric to train him, to make him strong so that he would be able to properly serve. Scorpius didn't want to serve a specter. He wanted nothing to do with the man whose actions had ensured that his parents ended up in Azkaban Prison. His parents could be there with him but instead, they had obeyed the Dark Lord and so they were being punished. That is what his grandmother had told him. His Grandmother, Amaryllis Lestrange nee Parkinson did not approve of him being trained as a warrior for the Dark Lord. She had engaged in many arguments against it but Theodoric had beaten her and now she remained silent on the matter. Scorpius would do as he was told or he would be beaten. Well, he would be beaten even if he did do what he was told. He figured it was better to stand up for what he wanted than to blindly obey.
"I refuse!" Scorpius proclaimed.
"You little fool!" Theodoric snarled. Then he turned his wand upon the form of the little puppy dog that sat on the floor looking at them with growing fear. "Cruci," Theodoric declared but got no further because Scorpius suddenly moved and knocked into his legs forcing the older wizard to stumble and cease his incantation.
Scorpius then changed course and raced the few steps to the puppy dog and picked him up, cradling the animal in his arms. "I said NO!" he yelled and his magic seemed to spread out from him. The picture frames began to tremble on the walls and several of the portraits of family members fled their frames, seeking shelter in other areas of the house. Theodoric took a menacing step toward him only to suddenly find himself flung back against the nearest wall. The magic coming from Scorpius pinned him there.
"Stay away!" Scorpius cried and the dog whimpered in his arms. "You're a monster and I hate you! I HATE YOU!" he screamed at his grandfather.
Theodoric snarled back at him but he was unable to move from the wall, unable to take a single step toward Scorpius.
A moment later the form of his grandmother appeared in the doorway. He had not heard her approach. "Scorpius!" she exclaimed. "Darling you must stop this now. Remember what I taught you, how to calm yourself and reign your magic in?" Amaryllis urged him.
Scorpius frowned at that. The thing about magic was that it was always alive and it wanted to be unleashed, it wanted to be free. Why did Witches and Wizards think that magic could lay dormant?
Her worried voice kept urging him to reign in his magic. She sounded frightened and Scorpius hated to do anything that upset his grandmother. She was as much Theodoric's victim as he was. The first time he had won Scorpius's compliance in casting dark curse was because the man had tied up his grandmother and beat her in front of him until he did what he was told. He had thought himself a monster for casting the blood boiling curse and he had been inconsolable for weeks.
Slowly he began to pull the magic back. The picture frames stopped rattling on the walls and a moment later Theodoric was no longer pinned to the wall. Scorpius swiftly decided that releasing his grandfather was a mistake because the man came charging at him. He cringed then and closed his eyes tight ready to accept the blow that he knew was coming but then he heard the swishing of skirts and the cry of his grandmother. "Theodoric no!" Scorpius opened his eyes to see his Grandmother had gotten between him and Theodoric.
"Gran!" Scorpius cried out even as Theodoric's fist connected with her cheek. He heard the snap of breaking bones and watched his grandmother fall to her knees. It felt like something unlocking inside of him. He pointed his wand at Theodoric and said the incantation for the blood boiling curse. The man fell to his knees a moment later and screams erupted from his throat. He took a step toward the man feeling righteous anger mingle with horror as he watched the man who had tortured him and his Grandmother suffer. He released his hold on the pup who swiftly ran to a corner of the room and tried to hide there, curling in on itself and whimpering in fear. Then he felt arms close around him and pull him close. He tensed briefly but didn't struggle once he caught the scent of his grandmother's preferred perfume.
She rocked him back and forth and whispered "I'm sorry darling, so sorry. It wasn't supposed to be like this. You shouldn't have ever had to do this," she mumbled she was sorry over and over and slowly Scorpius relaxed against her. He refused to end the curse and she didn't ask it of him. Instead, the two of them cuddled together on the floor of Theodoric's favored lounge while the man slowly died in agony.
Blackmoor, Essex, England
February 6, 1987
Sirius stood before the great family tapestry and stared at the names that trailed down from his own. Leonis Regulus Black trailed from his attachment to Olivia Greengrass. Orion Remus Black trailed from his attachment to Sylvia de Rais. He let his fingers trail across the names of his two sons and smiled as their names seemed to burn. He liked that about the tapestry. He wondered what other magics the tapestry held. Surely a few neat fireworks and the ability to keep track of their bloodline was not all. He wondered if there was some way the tree could be coaxed into giving up more secrets. He then moved over to where the tree showed his closest cousins and stared hard at Bellatrix's name. His finger trailed down to her son and he watched the name Scorpius Apollo Lestrange as it seemed to burn. "Why not Rodolphus?" Sirius asked aloud.
"I beg your pardon?" His Great-Grandfather, Pollux, asked of him. Pollux was also the Great-Grandfather of Bellatrix.
"The boy is named Scorpius Apollo Lestrange," Sirius began. "First born sons are traditionally given the middle name of their father."
"Your first born does not bear the name Sirius," Pollux reminded him.
Sirius acknowledged the strike of that barb but refused to allow Pollux to see how much it had hurt him that they had kept Leonis from him. "He was named to honor Reggie, I have no problem with that," he said. It was a lie. Sometimes he feared that bearing the name Regulus would ensure that fate would play the boy a bad hand. Every Regulus in the Black family seemed to live a troubled life. His little brother certainly had.
"You have a point though," Pollux said as he came to stand beside him to stare at Scorpius's name on the tapestry. "Rodolphus Lestrange was an arrogant man," he mused. "He would have wanted his child named after him. So, this must be a bit of rebellion on Bella's part."
"She hated him, didn't she?" Sirius said. He had not paid much attention to his older cousin and her betrothal when he was younger. He only cared about himself and his friends back then. Bella was eight years older than he was. He was ten-years-old when she was forced by the family to marry Rodolphus Lestrange. He couldn't have saved her from that. It didn't mean he didn't feel some sadness for her, however fleeting. He did still remember when his proud cousin had taken a curse meant for him and had stood up to the Carrow twins saying that those twins would never be half the Wizards that he and Reggie would grow up to be. She had been beautiful then. So proud, powerful, and kind. Well, kind to him and Reggie. He, like Narcissa, didn't know when Bellatrix became lost to them. He supposed it must have been at some point after she was married to Lestrange.
"Yes," Pollux sighed. "A marriage contract had been on the table with House Lestrange since Lycoris refused to marry after Marrick Lestrange killed her fiancée Oliver Bones," Pollux explained. "The Late Lord Black agreed to a marriage contract of a future heiress of House Black to convince Marrick Lestrange to not push his right to marry Lycoris. She was threatening to kill herself if she was forced to wed Marrick Lestrange. She had been deeply in love with Oliver. She vowed to never marry after that and so she didn't."
Sirius nodded slowly. This was a bit of family history that he hadn't heard in many years, and never to this degree of detail. "So, Bellatrix as the first heiress of the House Black in her generation was betrothed to Rodolphus Lestrange," he said.
Pollux nodded. "We hoped that Rodolphus would be a kind husband. We hoped that his mother would have a better influence on him. Theodoric is a hard and horrible sort of man. How they didn't find a Dark Mark on his arm to match his sons, I have no idea," he growled. "It is believed that Theodoric beats his wife Amaryllis. We foolishly thought that seeing such as he grew up would make Rodolphus hate the man and favor his mother. This does not seem to be the case at all."
"You think he beat Bella?" Sirius asked and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He didn't know if he could handle the rage that built inside of him at the mere thought. He knew that Bellatrix was not a good person and had done terrible things. She deserved to be in Azkaban Prison. He knew it, but, she was his cousin. Also, if what he believed was true then Rodolphus pushed her into doing those terrible things. It didn't make any of it better, not in the least, but perhaps it would ease his mind and that of Narcissa as well.
"I am sure he did, though Rabastan probably kept him from doing so as often as he would have wished," Pollux said smugly. At Sirius's questioning look he explained "The younger Lestrange was in love with Bellatrix and he was magically and physically more powerful than Rodolphus. I got the impression that Rabastan acted as her bodyguard and lover."
Sirius really didn't want to think about Bellatrix and her lovers. He honestly didn't think that Rabastan Lestrange was a great step up from Rodolphus. Rabastan clearly didn't do enough to protect Bellatrix. "Could the child be Rabastan's?" Sirius asked.
Pollux opened his mouth to speak but abruptly closed it when they heard the voice of Lord Black.
"No. According to Bella's old bonded Elf, the child was not born of Bellatrix and Rodolphus. He brought the child home one day to Bella and there was some argument before she agreed to assist in a ritual. I think it is obvious that this child was blood adopted by Rodolphus and Bellatrix. He clearly got tired of waiting for Bellatrix to become pregnant," Arcturus informed them.
Sirius frowned at that. He didn't like the thought that Rodolphus Lestrange went out and stole a magical child from some poor unsuspecting family. Were they missing their child, even now? Then he silently cursed himself for his own stupidity. Of course, they would not be missing the child. They were most likely dead. Rodolphus would not have left anyone alive to later attempt to claim his new son as their own. "Do we know what the child looks like?"
"No," Arcturus answered with a frown. "We have incredibly little information on Scorpius. As you can imagine, this makes me quite irritated," he assured Sirius.
"Oh, I can imagine," Sirius said finding a small kernel of levity in the situation. It was rare to see either of his grandfathers discomfited. "You spoke to your solicitors," he then said. "Are they going to serve papers to House Lestrange demanding that the child is given to you?"
"If only it were that simple," Arcturus sighed. "It has to go through the Wizengamot and we hit an immediate snag," he said and then he shared a meaningful glance with Pollux.
Pollux cursed then and began to pace. "What right does he have to interfere?"
Sirius watched them closely even as he tried to figure out just who they were talking about.
"He's the Chief Warlock," Arcturus said with a weary sigh.
"Chief Warlock?" Sirius frowned at that. "You mean, Dumbledore? Albus Dumbledore has interfered with our claim to raise Bellatrix's boy?" he asked incredulously. How could Dumbledore do something like that? He knew that Theodoric Lestrange was a horrible man. Sirius knew that Dumbledore believed the Lestrange family were evil to the core. He had said as much once during a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix.
"Yes," Arcturus said. "Apparently, since Scorpius is the Heir Lestrange, it would not do to see him raised by anyone but Theodoric Lestrange, the Lord Lestrange," he said with disgust. "Here is Dumbledore's official notice," he said handing the paper over to Sirius.
Sirius strode forward and grabbed the letter. He swiftly unfolded it and read over Dumbledore's words a look of fury twisting his handsome features. "I've heard him call the Lestrange family monsters. I have heard it with my own ears. He said it during a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. He included Theodoric in his statement," Sirius said breath quickening with his growing rage. "That he would do this, damn a child to such a horrible upbringing," he trailed off.
"He is prejudiced against us Sirius," Pollux informed him. "He believes we are all like Walburga," he said naming his daughter and Sirius's mother. "He has no reason to believe that Scorpius would fare better raised by any of us."
"Mother was a good example of what to hate about our House," Sirius said simply and then he sighed. "This is unacceptable. We cannot leave Scorpius there. You know that if we do nothing then Narcissa will take matters into her own hands," he added wryly.
Arcturus smirked then. "Do you think she'll go with outright torture of Theodoric or a cunning poison?"
"A swift torture and swift death," Sirius said after a moment of thought. "She would want to make him suffer longer, but feel the need to be swift due to the need to secure Scorpius."
Pollux chuckled. "You and your brother were always more loving toward Narcissa and warier of her when she was angry than you ever were of Bellatrix or Andromeda."
"Narcissa is more cunning than her sisters," Sirius admitted. "She's also more capable of doing harm than Andromeda is. Oh, Andromeda will go to great lengths to protect those that she loves, but she is not as ruthless as 'Cissa is about it. Andromeda would leave a threat alive after warning them off. 'Cissa will not let a threat live to become a bogey-man for her loved ones."
"She is like Cassiopeia in that," Pollux mused.
"Yes," Sirius said simply. He was still not on good terms with his Great-Aunt and probably would not be for a long time. What little footing he had gained with her had been lost when he had foolishly sent that Howler to Leonis. He was still ashamed of himself for doing that. He was glad that he and Leonis were doing far better now. He was looking forward to taking his firstborn shopping for the room that he wished to set up for Leonis in his London townhouse. The eight-bedroom house had been part of his inheritance from his Uncle Alphard. He intended to see that Leonis, Orion, Harry, and Dudley had individual rooms set up in the House so that they would always feel welcome.
His attention turned toward the doorway as he heard the swift clicking of high-heel boots followed by two heavier steps. He moved immediately toward the door, putting himself between the new arrivals and Lord Black. A glance at Arcturus showed him that the man was both amused and pleased by his protective measure.
His grandmother, Melania, entered a moment later followed by two men dressed in Auror Robes. He immediately recognized one as Kingsley Shacklebolt but he didn't recognize the younger man. Kingsley had been several years ahead of him at Hogwarts and was one of the Auror's trained by Alastor Moody before Sirius had been taken on as Moody's protégé.
"Arcturus," Melania said her husband's name with distress in her voice. "These Auror's have a warrant to take you in for questioning," she told him.
Arcturus frowned at that. "Questioning?" he inquired.
"Forgive us for disturbing you Lord Black, but there are some people of high authority who insist that I bring you in for questioning regarding your desire to see the Heir Lestrange removed from his home," Kingsley said evenly.
Sirius wondered just who it was in high authority that wished to know about their desire to remove Scorpius from the clutches of Lord Lestrange? Briefly, Kingsley met his eyes and Sirius read a wealth of information in them. Kingsley thought bringing in Lord Black was a waste of the Auror's time and resources, but orders from above had to be obeyed.
Arcturus arose from the sofa and he passed the papers he had idly been perusing to Sirius. "I am at the Ministry's service," he said.
Sirius didn't bother to stop the urge from growling at the younger Auror when the young man stepped toward Lord Black with the clear intent to manhandle him. "Lord Black said he was at the Ministry's service and you are not charging him with anything Auror," he snapped at the younger man. "You lay a finger on him and I'll sue the Auror Department."
The younger man looked at him with wide and frightened eyes even as Arcturus chuckled. "You must forgive Sirius, he was an accomplished Auror. He was one of the best the Ministry could boast. He knows the rules quite well," he said idly even as stopped beside Melania. He gently caressed her cheek and gave her a lingering kiss on her lips. "I'll be home soon darling," he promised her.
Sirius watched the Aurors follow him from the room and then he glanced at the paperwork that the solicitors had drawn up for the Black's to claim custody of Scorpius. "Dumbledore shouldn't have had a say in rejecting our proposal of custody. He overstepped," Sirius said.
"Not surprising," Melania muttered even as she came to him and took the papers from his hands. "He did the same when it came to Harry. Pollux and Cassiopeia were perfect candidates to raise Harry, but instead, he placed a child who was already doing magic in a Muggle neighborhood with a Squib and her then Muggle husband to raise. From what Petunia has told me of Vernon, I shudder to think of what could have befallen poor Harry."
Sirius made a swift mental note that he needed to speak with Petunia soon and in more depth about the circumstances that brought Harry into her custody. "Something must have happened to Lord Lestrange," he said softly. "Dumbledore already put a stop to our petition. We could file again of course, but he just would have halted it again. They suspect us of having harmed Lord Lestrange somehow."
Pollux nodded his head. "It does make sense. Perhaps I should call Arcturus's solicitor and put him on standby."
Sirius nodded. "Do it," he said. "It is good that he went willingly and he'll be honest enough in the questioning, but if someone from up above really wants to pin this on our family then they'll try to keep him there in holding without real evidence of his crime. They'll claim it as taking a break before more questioning. Also, while Shacklebolt is a good sort, we cannot guarantee that he's going to be doing the questioning."
Auror Headquarters, Ministry of Magic, London
February 6, 1987
Two hours after he had watched Aurors escort his grandfather away for questioning, Sirius found himself waiting in the visitor's lounge at Auror Headquarters. He sighed as he looked over the upholstery of the chairs. "Very little has changed. That ugly floral upholstery is still here. They need to redecorate," he said.
"They changed that painting," Pollux rejoined in a conversational tone. "It used to be a painting of Auror's battling against a Hydra," he said.
Sirius let himself stare at the painting that now graced that wall. It was one of Auror's doing battle against dark cloaked wizards wearing masks. The masked wizards were supposed to represent Death Eaters. Based on the designs of the masks it was easy to tell that the painter had never had the misfortune of having met a masked Death Eater in person. "I remember the painting of the Aurors fighting the Hydra. I always thought it was stupid. Auror's are trained to fight Dark Wizards and bring them to justice. If a Hydra is a problem then the Department of Creature Control should be called in. They are trained to handle that sort of thing."
Pollux chuckled, clearly enjoying Sirius's snarky comeback. "I agree," he said with a sigh. "This painting does represent the Auror Department much better."
"Yeah, even if their wand work is terribly sloppy and the masked Wizards don't properly look like Death Eaters," Sirius said and stretched slightly in the chair. It was a ghastly looking thing but surprisingly comfortable.
A comfortable silence stretched between them. His grandfather looked calm and relaxed and Sirius wondered at the other man's calm. Sirius couldn't quite relax. He hated being back in the Auror Headquarters. There were too many memories, not enough had changed, and he was worried about his other grandfather. He wished he had the ability to appear as calm and relaxed as Pollux did. Still, he was remaining in his seat when he really just wanted to get up and pace so he figured he was doing a far cry better at maintaining his composure than he would have a year previously.
His attention focused suddenly on the doorway. His ears, always more sensitive thanks to all the time he had spent in his Animagus form, could hear footsteps coming toward the lounge. One set was large and seemed almost to stomp. He wondered if that person was an Auror. It was not a good thing if the Auror had not learned how to be as silent as possible when he or she moved. The second set of steps were far lighter. The third set he picked up on only a moment before three people appeared in the doorway.
Sirius's eyes raked swiftly over the Auror, big burly guy. He must be the one who had practically stomped toward the room. He had brown hair that was cut like a Muggle buzz cut close to his head. He had a mean looking face, the sort that looked better scowling than he did smiling. His Auror Robes were pristine and pressed. He cut an imposing figure. Then he let his gaze take in the woman that he was escorting. If he had to guess, he would say that she was around the same age as his Aunt Lucretia or possibly a few years older. Her hair was a silvery-blonde and it was in a sort of half up and half down fashion. She had a beautiful face that reminded him of a pretty and elegant porcelain doll. Her slim figure was encased in a simple but elegant purple dress that had little white threaded ivy vines stitched hem, collar, and cuffs of her garment.
The woman took a seat on the love seat across from Sirius and then she reached out her arms for the child that had entered with her. "Come here Scorpius," she said.
Sirius's gaze locked upon the child as he approached the woman. The boy was not what he had expected Bella's child to look like. He had been expecting Bellatrix's lush raven locks but instead, the child had silvery-blond hair that matched the woman who now held him in her arms. He was a pale child, but not unhealthily so. From his vantage point, he could not tell what shade the boy's eyes were, but he was curious about their color. Did he have hazel eyes like Rodolphus Lestrange, blue eyes like Bellatrix, or were they the gray of the House of Black?
"Pollux," the woman addressed his grandfather. "I am happy to see you, we need your help," she said and took a shuddering breath. Sirius watched the boy grip her tighter as though to give her comfort.
"Then it is true," Pollux said gently. "Theodoric is dead?"
The woman nodded and it was then that Sirius put together her identity. "Our condolences Lady Lestrange," Sirius said to Amaryllis Lestrange nee Parkinson. He didn't feel the least bit bad that a monster like Theodoric was dead, but it was proper etiquette to express regret for her loss.
"I thank you for the thought," Amaryllis said. "He was a true monster in the end," she shivered then and held the boy tighter to her. "We had no choice in the end," she attempted to explain.
"I killed him."
Sirius blinked as he registered the words and the source that had spoken. The boy, Scorpius, slowly leaned away from his grandmother and looked then at Sirius and Pollux. "I..I killed him," the boy said again and he took a shuddering breath. "I'm a murderer. I belong with Mama and Papa in Azkaban," the boy said and a few tears leaked out of his eyes.
Sirius was on his feet and kneeling before the boy before he had even thought about what he was doing. "No!" he said vehemently and he reached out to gently touch the boy. He withdrew his hand slightly when the child flinched but he kept his hands hovering near Scorpius, in the boy's sight so that he could gage that Sirius meant him no harm. "I've been to Azkaban," Sirius told him. "I was wrongfully kept there for many years and you don't belong there."
Scorpius frowned at that. "But I killed him," he said unable to understand.
Sirius moved his hands closer to the boy and felt relief surge through him when the child let him. He gently brushed away the little boy's tears. 'Gray,' he thought. The boy's eyes were the pride of the Black's. Bellatrix must have been overjoyed. "You didn't want to do it," Sirius said. "I can tell. These are not the tears of someone in fear of a punishment."
The boy nodded slowly but didn't say any more. He burrowed into his grandmother once more and Sirius let himself run his hand through the silvery locks trying to assist Amaryllis in comforting the boy. He considered Amaryllis's pale violet eyes. He held her gaze conveying with his own that he demanded to know what had happened.
She nodded slightly and then began to explain. "Theodoric was insisting that Scorpius learn dark curses and hexes. Scorpius was rebellious. He refused. He only ever mastered one of the curses and that is because Theodoric tied me up and tortured me in front of him to get him to obey," she said softly.
Sirius felt rage burn in his blood. No one should have to endure what Amaryllis and Scorpius had endured. "Was that what happened today?"
She shook her head in the negative. "Theodoric had bought Scorpius a crup. It is just a little pup. Scorpius has taken very good care of it," she said. "Today Theodoric decided that the Crup should be used in their practice. He told Scorpius to torture his pet. Scorpius refused to harm his familiar. When Theodoric tried to torture the poor little animal, Scorpius stopped him. Then he lost control of his magic for a few moments. I became aware of the situation then and I coaxed him into reigning it in. Theodoric then went to strike Scorpius. I got in the way," she said and placed a hand on her cheek. It was discolored with a terrible bruise. "The healer here tended to me. The cheekbone was broken. I was given Skelegrow."
Sirius winced. Theodoric had hit the woman hard. He didn't know what was worse. That the man had hit his wife hard enough to break a bone or the fact that his intended target was the seven-year-old in the woman's arms. He was angry either way. He wished he could spit on the man's corpse.
"Scorpius cursed him then," she whispered the last and the boy began to sob. "He only knew the blood boil curse and that is what he used on Theodoric," she told him. "It was so terrible that Scorpius had to do that to save us from him," she said. "I'll never forgive myself for this. I should have been strong enough to protect him from Theodoric," she said the last with tears in her eyes.
"We'll see to the protection of yourself and of Scorpius," Sirius assured her. "It's a very clear case of self-defense. Scorpius cast that curse to protect the both of you from further harm."
Pollux voiced his agreement. "We only became aware of Scorpius's existence a few days ago. In that time Lord Black has attempted to gain some form of custody over Scorpius," he revealed.
Amaryllis looked hopeful then. "Truly?" she asked and when Pollux nodded she smiled. "That is wonderful news," she said. "He'll need a proper guardian for his estates and perhaps to keep up with him. I'm not as able as I once was."
The rest was left unsaid but Sirius understood all too well. She had spent most of her marriage being tortured by her husband. She was not physically capable of keeping up with a rambunctious growing child. "We will arrange something for him to have a good guardian and still have you in the house with him," he promised her. "For tonight, perhaps you would both prefer to return to my house with me," he offered.
Amaryllis smiled at that. "Thank you for the offer Mr. Black," she said to Sirius. "We will take you up on that offer," she said. "I would just request that we are allowed to pick up a few items from home, Scorpius's Crup," she paused then. "You do not have any known allergies to Crups do you?" she asked.
Sirius chuckled. "No, Crups and I generally get along," he promised her.
"Good," she said and then looked at Scorpius, "Darling, this nice man is your mother's cousin," she said. "His name is Sirius Black and we are going to stay with him for a little while."
Scorpius looked again at Sirius. "You knew my mother?" he asked of Sirius.
"Yes, and I am quite close with your aunts Andromeda and Narcissa. 'Cissa will be overjoyed to meet you," Sirius assured him.
"Was," the boy paused for a moment and then stared deep into Sirius's eyes and asked in such a tentative voice that Sirius felt as though his heart were breaking, "Was my mother always a monster?"
Sirius swallowed hard even as he shook his head in the negative. "No," he said gently and he continued to run his fingers through the child's hair. "Bellatrix was a proud and fierce Witch," Sirius explained as he let himself remember the girl his cousin once was. "Bad things happened to Bella and she was convinced to go down a dark path. We regret it Scorpius," he promised the boy. "We regret that we didn't watch out for her better, didn't realize what was happening to her until it was too late to stop it."
The boy slowly nodded and then he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Sirius's neck. Sirius released a shuddering breath and closed his eyes, holding the boy close to him. He stood up and then settled himself and the boy on the loveseat beside Amaryllis. He rocked the boy gently. "Just rest now," he told the boy and let his lips graze the side of the boy's head. "You were such a brave lad today. You stood up for what was right and you tried to protect your pet and your grandmother. You slew a monster today," he promised the boy. "We won't let you become like your mother," Sirius promised him. "We'll watch out for you far better than we did for her and we'll always save you from monsters," he said. The boy relaxed against him and cuddled close taking comfort from Sirius's presence and his words.
Two hours later, Lord Black was released from questioning. He found Amaryllis Lestrange talking softly with Pollux and Sirius asleep on the sofa cradling an also sleeping Scorpius Lestrange against him. His arms were around the boy, protective even in sleep. Arcturus smiled at the sight.
Thank you for reading! I hope everyone has been enjoying the story so far. We are almost ready for the children to be old enough for Hogwarts, but we aren't quite there yet.
Next Chapter: A Day of Shopping - in which Sirius takes Leonis, Scorpius, Harry, Dudley, and Narcissa shopping in Diagon Alley and to lunch at Estelle's where he meets a damsel-in-distress who captures his interest. Update should be in two weeks!
