The Gears Begin Turning
"Lucius, you have to back off from this and let me try to reach out to Sirius. He's family, he will not come after us unless you provoke him. I would not think it would even cross his mind, with his distaste for politics in general." Narcissa was used to her husband generally ignoring her advice or opinions, but she would have thought he would listen when she told him about her family.
"We cannot afford the risk." Lucius returned, "Barty Crouch lost his job to placate your cousin, but he didn't go after Dumbledore when he could have. The old man still opposes me in the Wizengamot whenever topics of traditions or bloodline preservation come up. We cannot afford to take the chance that Dumbledore asks your cousin to take back your Family Vault when Weasley finally presents his so-called 'Muggle Protection Act', thereby preventing us from having the disposable income to lobby against it."
"He's already out of St. Mungos, this is not going to end well."
"I have an idea how that happened too." Lucius ignored her warning, "He was registered as an animagus the same day his innocence was confirmed. I asked around the records office, and he apparently learned the skill during the war and never reported it. Obviously, he was pardoned for that indiscretion due to the situation at the time."
"So you think he spent his time in Azkaban as an animal?" Narcissa asked, "That matters how?"
"The Dark Lord prioritized sending the few animagi Death Eaters there were on the raids that involved Dementors." Lucius explained, "I ended up asking Rookwood about it because I thought something was odd for the Dark Lord to risk such high value servants, he said that animals aren't physically affected by Dementors. Including transformed animagi." Narcissa raised an eyebrow, that sounded like the opposite of helpful for Lucius' plan, "But those animagi were still affected mentally, it is just lessened. Sirius Black may recover one day, but not even his animagus form will have protected his mind from the Dementors for ten years. The real thing that his ability explains is his physical recovery. His form is a dog, which needs less sustenance than a human. If he spent a truly significant amount of time as a dog, then he would have fared better than most with the deterioration of his body."
"So you believe that his rapid recovery is limited to his body, it will not extend to his mind as well?"
"You said yourself that the healers let him be removed because he needed a change in venue 'for his mental health.' That tells me that they know he would be taking up space in the long-term care ward if they didn't."
"You had better be right Lucius." Narcissa shook her head in disbelief as she left the room. She had a letter to write, Lucius' plotting be damned. She would not let that arrogant fool leave her and her son destitute by challenging the Black and Potter families directly.
o0-0oo0-0oo0-0oo0-0o
The sound of waves assaulted Sirius' dreams and he kept his eyes clamped shut against the light that was entering his cell as he slowly woke up. Did they move me to a different cell last night? He thought to himself, the sun didn't always shine in like this. Then his nose was assaulted by the delicious smell of bacon, and his memory came back to him. He had heard the guards talking before about how it was impossible to taste good food under the effects of dementors, so they never took anything other than the prisoner's rations out of the kitchen.
Sirius slowly opened his eyes and glanced around the room. It was relatively spartan, having only recently been done up, but still cozy and warm. It took a moment for him to remember exactly where he was again. He had moved to Potter Isle yesterday with Moony, it seems that the silencing charm that was keeping him from hearing the ocean had failed in the night.
The animagus took another sniff of the air; definitely bacon, eggs and cheese as well. He vaguely remembered that there was another family living on the island with him, but he couldn't place their names at the moment.
"No time like the present." He said to himself as he struggled out of bed and began to dress himself, only to be interrupted by Remus almost immediately.
"Sirius, I'm so sorry. I was speaking to Temperance and forgot to come check on you." The werewolf said from the door, "Do you need any help? If not, breakfast is ready."
"I'll be alright Moony, just give me a few minutes and I'll come down and have some tea."
Five minutes later, Sirius entered the kitchen to find a trio of kids eating breakfast with Moony and a woman he vaguely remembered from when he was in Hogwarts. Burke? Isn't that her name?
"Uh." Sirius lost his voice, he certainly wasn't expecting someone like that to be here.
"This is Temperance Smith and her children; James, Marielle, and Heathcliff." Moony offered as he indicated each of the other occupants, "They were the ones that fixed up the cottages for us."
"Smith?" Sirius asked, "Muggleborn?"
"My husband was a muggle," Temperance answered quickly, "you might remember me from school, though. I was there while you were."
"Burke, right? No offense or anything, but that is pretty surprising."
"Yes, well, I decided to follow your cousin's example after the war was over."
"Andi?" Sirius asked as he sat down and poured himself some tea while putting some bacon and eggs onto a plate.
"The same," Temperance answered, "she was only a few years ahead of me. I always admired her for telling her family 'no.'"
"She was the best of her sisters, that's for sure." Sirius replied, "Anything on the schedule today Moony?"
"Not today, no." Remus answered, "But your mind healer will be coming by later in the week to check on you. How did you do last night?"
Sirius frowned as he thought about that question. The bed was soft and comfortable, he hadn't slept that deeply in ages. But at the same time his dreams had been a little more vivid, and he wasn't sure how happy he was to be back on an island. Even if Potter Isle was as far removed from Azkaban as could be while still being surrounded by water.
"I'm doing better," Sirius decided, "I'll be a lot more so when Harry comes home."
Sirius didn't step outside until mid afternoon. He may be walking, but he still tired easily and knew that he shouldn't wander too far from a comfortable seat. When he finally made it out, he was happy to find the older boy riding a broom and throwing a football through a hoop. It hadn't occurred to him until then how close in size the muggle ball was to a Quaffle.
"I've been told you aren't to get on a broom until you are stronger, Mister Black." He heard Temperance say from the porch of the other cottage, "But he's looking forward to playing with you and Remus when you are well enough."
Sirius made his way across the cobblestone path to the other cottage as he answered, "Seriously, you have to call me Sirius. Mister Black was my old man."
Temperance looked unsure for a moment before nodding, "If you are sure. Remus stepped out to arrange Tina's home sessions with her healer, if you were looking for him."
"I just wanted some fresh air." Sirius replied, "You know, I don't think I've ever actually been here before."
"Well, you can see most of what's on the island from here. Those greenhouses and the two cottages are the only buildings, then there's the beach at the bottom of the cliff." She rambled.
"I'll check it out later." Sirius stopped her, "More interested in sunlight and a clean breeze than exploring at the moment."
Remus brought Tina by later that afternoon, but Sirius was out cold. She had to go home still not knowing the deal with "Padfoot."
o0-0oo0-0oo0-0oo0-0o
Narcissa Malfoy paused as she entered the private room she had reserved above the Leaky Cauldron. She had been psyching herself up for this meeting for days now, but she still found herself not ready to face her estranged sister.
"Good afternoon Andi, how have you been?" She finally said to break the tense silence.
Andromeda eyed her sister warily, they hadn't spoken more than a few words at a time in over eighteen years; not since she had run away from home to avoid being forced into a marriage with one of the Lestranges. It was highly suspect that she would remember that she had family now, when her proxy seat on the Wizengamot was slated to be recalled by Sirius as soon as he was well enough.
"I've been well Cissi. Not as well as I heard you have, but well nonetheless." The older sister answered before the silence drug into awkward territory, "Please, sit down. You must understand that I'm a little worried about letting you see Sirius until I hear your intentions."
"I expect no less, father did not raise fools." Narcissa reached out and poured herself a cup from the steaming teapot on the table, and with slow deliberation inhaled the scent before taking a sip, "Lucius is planning something."
"Wow, straight to the point?" Andromeda fixed her own tea while Narcissa elaborated. If you could call it that.
"Lucius thinks that our dear cousin is suffering from severe dementor exposure. He intends to use that against Sirius somehow."
"And you cannot explain? Or will not?" Andromeda returned, "That your husband is likely making moves in the background against Sirius is almost a given. What do you want, Cissi?"
"Cannot," Narcissa insisted, "I am unsure if actually telling you what Lucius is doing would violate our marriage contract." She sighed, "I think I can safely warn you that Sirius needs to be well again as soon as possible. Lucius knows that he is an animagus, and thinks that would lessen the dementors' effect."
"So he's going to push for something with a quick timeline." Andromeda mused aloud.
"I did not say that." Narcissa grinned behind her tea.
"And what do you want in return for warning us about this?"
"I tried to convince my husband to just leave Sirius alone, but he's convinced that he can outmaneuver the two of you." Narcissa locked her sister's eyes, "I know him better than that. He was always a bit too mad to be affected by those demons anyway. Bella wasn't gibbering mad when I visited her a few years ago, so if Sirius is an animagus then… well, I want you to get Sirius to promise he won't hurt Draco when he wins and comes after Lucius."
Andromeda smiled sadly, "You don't think he would do that, do you?"
"I had to be sure. I understand that Draco has not been the most congenial toward Harry Potter in his words and actions. But I have warned him to stop antagonizing his schoolmates." Narcissa closed her eyes for a moment before changing the subject, "What about your own daughter? I heard she is training to be an auror, but not much else to be honest. We never speak anymore, tell me a little about your family. We have time."
Andromeda wasn't expecting that, but maybe Sirius' return could help the two sisters reconnect, "Only if you tell me about Draco as well. I'm sure what little I know from Harry and his friends is embellished a touch in many of the wrong places."
o0-0oo0-0oo0-0oo0-0o
Harry couldn't place why all the girls in the dorm were giggling and whispering among themselves when he came down that morning. Hermione seemed to be the only one immune to whatever seemed to be affecting the others, but she just smiled and hugged him when he asked what was going on. He wracked his brain as they made it to the Great Hall, but he couldn't place what was different.
Until the mail came.
"What the heck?" Harry covered his head as he was bombarded by at least two dozen owls, all carrying letters addressed to him. He managed to grab one of the letters and open it, "Oh no, this can't be serious."
"Secret admirer Harry?" Parvati asked with a smothered giggle.
"I don't know any of these people!" Harry answered, exacerbated, as he opened another, "And this one is from someone who's thirty!"
"What, really?" Hermione sputtered, "That is weird."
"I told you so." Parvati muttered to her.
"What should I do with these?" Harry asked the table, "A lot of them came with chocolate too. I can't eat all this."
"You could share if you don't want them. The chocolates, I mean." One of the Weasley Twins asked as he eyed a box of Honeydukes chocolate that some rich fan of the Boy-Who-Lived had sent.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Harry said as he looked at the pile, grabbing a chocolate frog before offering the rest, "I guess start with first year and people can take whatever they want. No need to waste it."
"Did you really forget what day it is?" Neville asked goodnaturedly.
"I guess," Harry says, still confused, "but why are all these people sending me valentines chocolate?"
"Because you're the Boy-Who-Lived," Parvati answered simply, "and also the heir to the Potter Family. There are a lot of families that would love to get you to marry their daughter since it would give them a quick path to money and prestige."
"That you're actually kind of cute and super good at magic doesn't hurt either." Lavender added from Parvati's other side, causing Harry to blush, "Did you send any cards or chocolates?"
"Uh, no." Harry answered dumbly, "I mean, it's not a big deal or anything is it?"
"Not a big deal!" Lavender returned, utterly shocked.
"Well I don't see any point in making a fuss about it. We're only in our first year." Hermione interjected. Parvati and Lavender just sniggered at her.
"Is that why you did up your hair like that?" Dudley asked as he sat down beside them, once again late from working out. Harry and Hermione had been joining him every other day or so, but neither was willing to get up that early every single day.
Harry looked back at Hermione. Since Christmas she had been using the potion his aunt got her to make her normally tangled hair stay manageable. But today she had obviously used more than she regularly did, as her normally frizzy hair was laying down (relatively speaking) in thick, curly waves. Was there someone she liked like that?
"Um, Harry? You might want to look at the Prophet." Neville's voice drew Harry from his musing as the other boy held out his copy of the paper. Harry's heart sank as he read the article Neville was referring to, hidden on the fourth page due to a scandal involving love potions dominating the main headline.
Last night, in a session called by a group of families led by Diggory and Nott, but with several more on "both sides of the isle," the Wizengamot ruled, by a slim margin, to demand an evaluation of Sirius Black's mental stability pending his return to active status as Head of House. The argument presented by the families was that ten years in Azkaban had rendered him too unstable to be allowed among them in an official capacity, and called upon the Wizengamot to remove his family headship if he was found unsuitable. Harry honestly couldn't blame the Wizengamot at large for wanting a professional to write off on Sirius' recovery, but jumping straight to an ultimatum like this was just wrong.
Worse though, was the blatant manipulation that had been pushed for by some of the families in question. The writer of the article provided the background information that the shortest amount of time ever demanded for such an evaluation was four months, in the case of a Lord Blishwick who continued to hold his family headship after going thouroughly senile at the advanced age of one-hundred and sixty-two. The Wizengamot approved the same time duration, citing the vastly greater political importance of the Black family as opposed to the still-relatively-working-class Blishwicks. More than that, the start date for the four months was set as the day Sirius was declared innocent; a rider included by Lord Nott and just barely not removed by an even closer margin than the overall motion itself. This meant that he had to be cleared as mentally sound just after Easter.
Harry seethed as he held the paper in his hands. The idea that Theodore Nott's father wouldn't be friendly to him or his family wasn't a surprise at all. The family he was least expecting to be doing something like this was Diggory. Cedric had even specifically asked about Sirius the last time they had spoken.
Was this why? Harry wondered to himself, did Cedric ask how Sirius was doing to know if they needed to figure out a way to cheat him out of time? Harry drew his gaze over to the Hufflepuff table, where Cedric was sitting with a few others from his year group. He was reading the paper too, a neutral expression on his face.
"Harry, I don't think Cedric knew about this." Dudley said, noting where his cousin's eyes were fixed, "For real, he seemed like he was truly glad that Sirius was getting better when we talked in the common room."
"Does anyone else think it's past time for Malfoy to come over and gloat about how great his father is?" Neville asked out of the blue, "Wouldn't something like this be exactly what he would heckle Harry about last term?"
"You're right," Harry said, shifting his eyes to the Slytherin table, "do you think his family is in on this too?"
"Probably," Neville offered, "his mum is a Black by birth so I think if your godfather loses his headship then it would pass to her until her son inherited."
What Harry saw at the Slytherin table wasn't what he expected, though. Nott was, predictably, showing his copy of the Prophet to everyone around him. But Malfoy's expression as he looked at the paper was… confused?
Meanwhile, Draco was struggling to figure out what, exactly, his father wanted of him. The Malfoy name may not be directly tied to this measure, but they were the ones that stood to gain the most. There was no way that Weasley and Potter didn't know who was really involved here, so how was he supposed to "get closer" to them? His mother had described her cousin as one of the most Gryffindor wizards she had ever known… perhaps he should approach them like a Gryff himself? Perhaps that was even what his father wanted him to do; to maybe convince Potter that the Malfoys weren't involved in this.
The most Gryffindor of wizards could always be played by the most Slytherin, after all.
"Do you think there will ever be a good time to talk to Potter?" Daphne lamented from the other side of the Slytherin table as she read the article about his godfather. "One thing after another and my father is getting frustrated."
"I think you may have to just go talk to him." Ron offered, "I did let him and Hermione know that your families were asking about him. So he won't be totally clueless."
"We should probably just go try and talk to him in the library." Tracey added, "But not today, no reason to start weird rumors."
o0-0oo0-0oo0-0oo0-0o
"Your daughter is very guarded when we speak." Jeanette Withering explained to the Polkiss's, "I have dealt with children who are closed off before but-"
"But that doesn't sound like Tina at all!" Angela exclaimed, "She's normally such a cheerful, outspoken girl."
"I sort of assumed so." Withering answered, "I must confess that I have an extremely slight Legilimency ability. That is, I can sense other people's thoughts."
"You can read our minds?" Timothy asked, suddenly worried about their privacy in the future.
"It is a very rare skill as, unlike the ability's inverse, Occlumency, you have to have some inborn talent for it already; which you find out when you start learning advanced Occlumency for the first time. In my case, it is very weak. I can only use Legilimency when I look directly into someone's eyes; and I can only get a feeling if you are basically shouting it in your mind. Or repeating the same thought over and over." Timothy nodded, only partially pacified, and the Mind Healer continued, "I would never use the ability on someone if it wasn't for Healing purposes, I assure you. In Tina's case, it seemed she was scared that I was here to prove she was crazy, or dangerous."
"Why would she think that?" The father asked.
"Mister Lupin informed me that when her magic 'disobeys' it tends to replicate the effect of a blasting charm? Like a cannon impact?" At the parents' nods she continued, "Everyone's magic reacts differently to stress, but I would hazard a guess that she is worried that this manifestation is somehow rarer or more dangerous than it is. The way many of my colleagues gawked over her in St. Mungo's probably does not help her fear of me either."
"Are you saying you can't help her?" Angela asked. No proper psychiatrist would give up after only two real sessions.
"Oh no, I was hoping you would give me permission to administer a calming potion to her drink during our next session. After getting her permission as well, of course."
"You want to give our daughter drugs to talk to her?" Timothy asked incredulously.
Withering frowned as she figured out what that meant, "No, it is nothing like a muggle pill. It is a potion that reduces stress and excitability, it makes the drinker calm. Hence the name. I would be happy to let either or both of you take it first to understand the effects, if you like. I only want her to not be tense or afraid when we speak. It is fairly standard for child mind healing when first getting to know the young one."
"Is Petunia home?" Timothy asked his wife after debating the healer's offer.
"I'll check."
o0-0oo0-0oo0-0oo0-0o
"So, Sirius, how did you feel when you found out what Mister Diggory and Lord Nott had done?"
Sirius winced, no pulling punches with this woman apparently, "I was pretty pissed. Furious even, I'm not some nutjob."
"And did you stay human through this outburst?" The mind healer asked, her expression neutral.
"I… ye-... No. After a bit I turned into Padfoot and curled up on the front porch to calm down."
"Sirius, I understand that the animal doesn't feel things as strongly as a person, but using it as a crutch like this is dangerous. If you shift as an automatic response to stress then you'll be a long time in getting better. You need to cope with things the right way. Talk to your friends, Remus and Temperance. Talk to me. But don't suppress it."
"I know. Talking about stuff has never really been how I handle things though." Sirius sighed, "It's been nice entertaining the kids though. Heathcliff loves riding around on my back as Padfoot."
The healer sitting across from him frowned at that. Until he was in a better place he wasn't supposed to turn in to his animagus form at all, even when it was just to have fun.
"I know I'm not supposed to," he continued, "but the kids are just too cute when they beg; and if I do things that dogs don't do like hide-and-seek or something then it isn't as bad."
Technically true, the risk was that he would give in to the animal's instincts to avoid confronting his issues. Animals just didn't have worries like "psychological health."
"Have you tried working on Occlumency at all yet?" The healer shifted gears, when her patient became defensive like this he quickly moved to being louder and quickly lost control, "Since you were practiced in it before your ordeal, fixing your mental defenses will be the fastest way to reorganize your mind and get past your current problems."
"I've tried." Sirius hedged.
"Tried?" The healer returned with a smile, "Does the animal interfere?"
"A little," Sirius admitted, "It's a lot harder when I'm by myself like that. Temperance can't leave the kids alone to sit with me for that long and Remus isn't here every night."
"That isn't ideal. I was under the impression that Mister Lupin would be here with you often." The woman made a note on her parchment, "I have an idea that might help you, a meditation partner. I know someone else who is working on organizational Occlumency. This person is just starting out, so you could help them and work on your own defenses while you do."
"I'm not really trying to get to know new people yet, if it's all the same." He sighed, "First impressions aren't so good right now, yeah?"
"Trust me Sirius, let me ask the person in question if they would be willing to meet someone to help them get started, no names, and if they say yes I can set up a meeting?" Damn the Confidentiality Oath, if I could just tell him!
While she was fuming to herself, they heard the sound of a portkey depositing someone outside; followed by an unannounced, but welcome, visitor letting herself into the cottage.
o0-0oo0-0oo0-0oo0-0o
The Previous Day
"You don't have to drink it if you don't want Tina. Please don't think anyone is trying to make you do something you don't want to do."
The girl in question eyed the glass of water warily.
"If you would like, you can test it. Just take a sip, and I swear I won't say anything unless you ask me to. That way you can know how it feels and how long it will last. What do you say to that?"
Tina glanced between Healer Withering and the cup of tainted water a few times before picking it up, "Okay."
At first, she thought that maybe the healer was messing with her, as she didn't feel anything right away. But after a few moments she began to feel relieved, like her worries that this woman was trying to find a reason to take her magic, seemed to weaken just a little. Free of the worst of that baggage, Tina was able to actually examine Miss Withering.
She looked kind. The woman seemed genuinely worried for Tina, like mum or Aunt Petunia. The single sip she'd taken didn't keep her from continuing to worry about what was happening to her, but did just enough that she could ignore it to a degree. After a few moments thinking about whether she was okay with that, she took a second sip and nodded.
"Thank you Tina, I was worried that you were working yourself into a bad state."
"Piers and dad say I'm good at hiding when I'm bothered by stuff, what gave me away?"
The healer sighed, "Well, you were closed off when we spoke before. That wouldn't normally tell me much without knowing you, but you were practically shouting your fears at me on top of that."
When Tina gave the healer a confused look, she decided to explain to the girl about Legilimency. Starting with what it was, and quickly explaining its limitations. Her personal limitations in particular. Tina was angry that the healer had seemingly abused her privacy, and was even more mad to find out that her parents already knew about it. Jeanette Withering ultimately gave Tina permission to avoid her eyes whenever she wanted to and no questions would be asked. Tina's extreme aversion to the idea of Legilimency did open up a new discussion, however.
"I take it you don't like when things are done to you." She stated, rather than asked, Tina, "You like to do things for yourself whenever you can, and don't like when you can't control things about yourself."
"Um…" Tina looked at her shoes as she thought about that. She'd never put it into words before, but that was right. She hated when she felt loopy from allergy medicine, she hated games that have random stuff in them… was that why she didn't like her wand?
"I told you that you learn if you have any talent for Legilimency when you are studying its opposite. Occlumency, as it's called, is divided into two categories:" She held up two fingers and waggled them, "Organizational Occlumency, and Defensive Occlumency. You have to learn the first before the second, and it's during the learning of the second that you find out if you are a Legilimens like myself, and to what degree."
"Can I learn that, I don't want people reading my mind. That's scary."
"Well, Legilimency is extraordinarily rare. All mind healers have to learn Defensive Occlumency, so if any of us are Legilimencers we will know. But for the most part, only the most important families make a routine of teaching Occlumency to their children. In fact, it is generally reserved nowadays for those who have mind issues. The first step in Organizational Occlumency involves getting to know yourself as completely as possible, largely through meditation."
"So you want me to learn the first one first, can you teach me?" Tina was tentatively excited again. The chance to learn new magic; and not just any magic, but magic to protect her from mind readers! And she might even be one herself!
"Learning Occlumency is a very personal experience. It needs to be done with someone you trust, because the one who teaches you how to get started will know almost everything about you." Tina's eyes widened in fear, "Please remember that I am magically bound to never reveal your secrets unless they are a direct danger to the whole magical world. I know we don't know each other too well just yet, but I promise I am only here to help you. You don't have to be afraid of me. It is my sincere hope that we can become friends while we help you get better."
o0-0oo0-0oo0-0oo0-0o
Tina swayed back and forth on the floor of the cottage on Potter Isle, a smile on her face as she meditated with her eyes closed. Sirius was sitting perfectly still across from her, only a foot away while Healer Withering watched them. Whenever she saw the telltale signs of Sirius' animal form struggling with him, Tina would reach out and grab his hand without ever opening her eyes.
This was their third session together, and it seemed like this would be the last time that Healer Withering would need to observe. What the healer was learning about Tina in the process, however, was enlightening. She was startlingly adept at feeling when something brushed against her own magic. According to the girl, she could tell when Sirius was having trouble by feel, she could actually tell the difference between the human and the animagus due to him being in such close proximity to her, something she figured out in their very first session. When Jeanette had asked Tina how she had even thought to do that, Tina's face grew cold and she answered, "Rats."
Questioning Tina, as well as her parents, illuminated that the girl had always been able to feel the magic wards on the Dursley property; and had been forced to figure out how to actively block the feeling to stop being weird around her parents. Tina admitted that she had felt what she now knew to be magic before, probably when her parents took her into London and she passed some Ministry building or Diagon Alley, and had practiced blocking those feelings out too. Once she learned about magic and realized that that was what she was feeling she stopped blocking it only to learn that she could feel things a lot more now.
From a healer's perspective, it seems the girl taught herself how to control her own magic sense, specifically her ability to "feel herself" with her magic. She had a startlingly accurate sense of when magic was used on her, and it was beginning to seem like this sensitivity was the root of her problem. Magic has a life of its own; and while there is magic that is "yours," Magic itself is its own thing. Tina could feel when her magic behaved with its own will and controlled it. Just like all the stupid men teaching her had instructed. With a better understanding of the problem, Jeanette was sure that the girl would be more ready for classes come September.
