2 To Teach the Trio
Please, Ron, come home. Your mother is beside herself.
We miss you, and we're sorry you felt like we cared
more about Harry than you. We don't. Obviously, we
care about Harry, but not any more than any of our children.
You know your mother sees Harry as a part of the family.
Just please Ron come home.
Love, your worried father
Ron looked down at the letter. He wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't going back home obviously, but what should he do about the letter? He was sitting outside on the terrace. He had finished with his Potions test just a while ago. He knew it hadn't gone that well. Potions wasn't one of his best subjects. He would still do his best, but it wasn't something he ever thought he would use after school. Though he wanted to be able to recognise both potions and poisons if he could learn that. It was always useful being able to successfully identify different concoctions.
"Is something bothering you?"
Ron looked up. It was Melonni the team's curse-breaker. "I got a letter from home," he said. "They want me to come back."
"Hmm," Melonni sat down next to him. "I suggest you write a response. I know it won't stop them from trying to convince you to come home, but at least it will let them know you are alright," she said. "Mail they send you will end up in our hub. We empty that every week, normally. When we empty it, we can also send any mail you wish to send."
"Thanks," Ron said. He looked down at the letter. "I'll think about it," he said. He paused for a moment. Then he asked, "What happens to Howlers?" he asked.
Melonni grimaced. "You have one of those parents do you…" she said. "Don't worry. Howlers are destroyed on the spot. They never make it back to base."
"That's nice to know," Ron said. His eyes returned to the letter in his hands.
"Whatever you decide to do, make sure it is what you want to do," Melonni said before she stood and headed back inside.
Ron wasn't sure how long he sat out there on the terrace with his father's letter in his hands. Eventually, he rose from his position. He needed some paper so he could write. They didn't use parchment here. He could understand why. Pencils were way easier to erase. The lines on the paper also made it easier to write. He was pretty certain he wouldn't enjoy going back to parchment and quills. He found what he was looking for and brought a stack of paper and a pencil with him outside. He stared down at the blank paper. What was he supposed to write?
When Harry and Hermione finally found their friend hours later he was surrounded by crumpled pages of paper.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked.
Ron looked up from the desk he sat by. "I'm writing father," he said. "They brought in a letter from him earlier today."
"Oh, Okay," Hermione said.
Ron went back to the paper in front of him. He wrote another line or two down before he handed it over to Hermione. "What do you think?" he asked.
The bushy-haired brunette looked down at the letter. "Dear Dad," she read. "I'm sorry you're worried, but I had to leave. Voldemort is back, and we need to know how to fight. Hogwarts won't teach us what we need to know so we went elsewhere. Our teachers will make sure that we're safe. Please don't worry about us. Yeah, I know I keep writing 'we' and 'us'. Hermione and Harry are here with me. I'm not alone. Even Sirius is here. We'll come back when we're ready. I don't know how long that will be. Until then, I'll try to write every month. At least then you'll know we're still alive." Hermione stopped reading.
"Too much?" Ron asked.
Hermione chewed on her lips for a moment. "No, I don't think so," she said. "They are your parents. They can't find you here; the wards are too strong, and the way the mail is handled will just lead them to the States as far as I know. The fewer lies you tell your parents the better. At least then they can't accuse you of lying when we return."
"I would have to agree with my sister on that," Juliet said from the door. "Dinner's ready," she informed them. "If the letter is finished make sure to place it in the basket on the shelf next to the front door. It won't be taken along on the next run otherwise."
"Sure," Ron said. He grabbed an envelope, wrote his father's name, and their address on the front and pushed his letter in. He dropped it off before he headed out to join everyone else. It was impossible to tell how many they were going to be at dinner time from one day to another. Sometimes there was no one from the Alpha squad there and even members of Juliet's Beta squad were missing, and sometimes everyone was there. Though, Ron wasn't sure they had actually met everyone since members of the two teams spoke of people they had never met sometimes.
...
"So how are they actually doing?" Juliet asked her fellow teammates once they had finished testing the three teens. It had taken a couple of days, but it would be well worth it.
"Well," Sonja said. "They are all fairly good at both defensive and offensive magic though Harry has a natural affinity to both that the other two lack. Not to say that they can't learn. Harry will just naturally learn faster."
"As far as Potions go Hermione is way above the other two," Jonathan said. "Though I have a sinking suspicion that the boys are worse than her because of bad teaching. Harry does seem to understand what he's supposed to do on some level at least. I'm not sure about Ron. All of them should be able to take their NEWTs though." he paused to look down at his notes. "It is a similar story in Herbology though Harry and Hermione are more equal there. Harry is better at handling plants and Hermione is better at identifying them. I'd say that Harry is used to working with plants."
Juliet grimaced. "Unfortunately he is," she said signalling to the others that he didn't know out of his own free will.
"They don't know any Healing and will all start on the same level though I believe that I'll focus on the other two subjects for at least six months, to begin with," Jonathan finished.
Juliet nodded before she turned to the next person.
"They are in line with what I would expect students who have gone four years in school to know," Nate said. "I believe that Ron could do better than he is. Something is holding him back. I also believe that apart from Hermione I should fully go through how and why both magics work the way they do. I think that both boys could benefit from understanding the how's and why's."
"I agree in Charms," Melonni said. "And I'm pretty sure Ron's problem is his confidence. He's the youngest son in a line of brothers with only a sister younger than him. I understand what his problem is." She looked down at Nate. "We have spoken and we believe that it would be better if I took care of Ron in Charms and in Arithmancy."
"Yes absolutely," Pauline said. She looked down at her notes. "Neither Harry nor Ron has studied my subjects previously unlike Hermione so I have to start from scratch. With Ron, we have to teach him basic math as well and that is one of the reasons Melonni will be taking him. I'll have more than enough to do teaching both boys Runes as well as teaching Harry Arithmancy. I think that they can learn without any bigger problems. All they need is time and patience. Just like Jonathan with Healing, I would prefer keeping Warding off the schedule for now. They need a proper base before we can even attempt to teach them Warding."
"Well that sounds like we can build their schedules," Juliet said. "They all start with me in the morning and end with me in the evening." Slowly three separate time tables were created. Some classes would appear more often than others depending on just how good the teens were in them. They would revise the schedules in six months or so to adapt to what they had learned in that time. In simple terms, it meant that both Ron and Hermione had more classes with Sonja than Harry while both Ron and Harry would have more Runes and Arithmancy lessons.
They had done their best to make sure the three students would have just as much to do. None of them wanted anyone to feel mistreated.
Ron walked into the potion lab the following day. Just the room in itself was a huge change from the potion classroom at Hogwarts. The classroom at Hogwarts was dark and damp. It felt unwelcoming. The lab in the manor was bright. It had big windows that let in a lot of light. Though, one could cover the windows completely when working on potions that were light-sensitive. Everything was clean and well ordered. It felt like the complete opposite of his old classroom.
"You will be making the Draught of Peace today," Jonathan said. "The instructions are on the board next to the cauldron. Please read them through thoroughly before you begin. If you have any questions then feel free to ask them."
Ron nodded. He walked up to the bench and looked down at the instructions. They were split up into three parts. The first one listed what ingredients he needed, the second contained instructions on how to prepare those ingredients, and the third described how to brew the potion. Ron read the instructions just like he had been told and then he went to work. He picked out the ingredients he needed from the storage cupboard and carried them over. Porcupine quills and moonstone among other things. Then according to instruction, he prepared each ingredient as carefully as he could. Jonathan came up to him and provided a few pointers that would yield him a better result.
Once all the ingredients were pulverised to perfection, since that was what he needed to do with most of them, he lined them up in order before even adding heat under his cauldron. Brewing was tricky, and Ron had despised doing it back in Hogwarts. He himself had been pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to do a very good job. He knew he had messed up during the test. He was still determined to do his best. He didn't want to just give up. He wanted to prove to himself that he could do it.
Jonathan watched as Ron brewed. He had already seen several things that would make the potion unusable. It wasn't anything that would harm Ron, however, so he hadn't stepped in.
Ron sighed. It didn't look right. It was supposed to be turquoise blue and have a light silvery vapour rise from it. It wasn't horribly off, but it was more of a sky blue and there was no vapour.
"Don't worry," Jonathan said. "We'll work on what you did wrong together." He walked up next to Ron. "First of all the temperature wasn't right," he said. "There is a simple fix to this." He lifted a cooking thermometer out of a drawer. "This will tell you what temperature the potion is and the instructions will tell you how hot it should be. We'll be using this method from now on or until you feel confident that you can tell without it. We'll use this since casting spells at the cauldron could compromise the potion."
Ron nodded. He looked at the instrument. Non-magical people had some really good ideas.
"Another problem with the potion is that you were a little heavy-handed on the moonstone," Jonathan said. "Now I'll guide you through all the steps and then next time you will make it on your own again."
Ron nodded. He felt like the students at Hogwarts were missing out. As he brewed the potion again with Jonathan's help, it made it so much easier for him to tell what he himself had done wrong when he had brewed the potion.
In another room on the floor above Hermione sat with a notebook and pen. With her was Sonja, the defence and offence teacher.
"So, you see defensive spells are so classed simply because they defend the caster or someone whom the caster attempts to protect. Now offensive spells are a little harder. An offensive spell is not necessarily Dark Arts even though many try to slant the spells that way. The reason they are considered Dark Arts is because the spell's sole purpose is to cause harm. The thing is that not all uses of these spells can be considered dark. Spells like Confringo can easily kill someone, but it can also be used to save lives if the caster knows what they are doing. For example, a few years ago I worked with a team that was sent out on a rescue mission. We found five soldiers trapped behind a pile of rocks. We didn't have any explosives to get them out with us, but my team knew about magic so I made it seem like we could blow them out while in reality, I strengthened all the rock walls before using Confringo on the rubble that had trapped them."
"Couldn't you have used Reducto instead?" Hermione asked. "Wouldn't that have been safer?"
"Well, yes," Sonja said with a smile. "But you have to remember that the people trapped didn't know about magic, and I was trying to get as close to recreating an explosion as I could."
"Ah, so it was to keep them from knowing, instead of having to Obliviate them afterwards?" Hermione said excitedly.
"Exactly," Sonja confirmed. She opened several books up as she placed them in front of Hermione. "I want you to find as many 'so-called' Dark Arts spells as you can and try to figure out a scenario where they can be used for another purpose than attacking someone." She smiled at Hermione as the girl went to work. She had a feeling that the youngsters would do well. She would have to remind them not to speak to each other just yet. She wanted to see if they'd come up with different scenarios without help from each other.
As Ron struggled with potions and Hermione flipped through page after page looking for spells, Harry was sitting in a greenhouse. So they wouldn't disturb the local flora with some of the foreign plants they kept, they had built several greenhouses to keep those plants in with magic cleansing going in and out of the buildings so that nothing would travel either way. He was in there with Juliet. While Jonathan was the Herbology Master, she could easily step in to deal with the basics. As it was, Melonni, Paulina, Jonathan and Nate had all been called away early that morning so there had only been a few options left for them as far as lessons went. They had done some quick workarounds of the schedule for that day, and that was how Harry had ended up in the greenhouse.
Currently, he was sitting at a table with a sketch pad in one hand and a pencil in the other. Juliet had started him off (at least according to her) just like Jonathan would have done. He was told to sketch each plant on the table in front of him as well as he could. He didn't understand why, though. "So why exactly am I doing this?" he asked.
Juliet smiled. "To learn patience," she answered. "And to learn to be thorough. Plants take a lot of time and care to grow… at least like this, away from their natural habitat. Like many people your age, you'd prefer a quick task, so we will teach you to take your time. Both in this classroom and during yoga you'll learn how to calm and take things as they come."
Harry nodded slowly. He guessed he could see the wisdom in her words. It would maybe be nice to be able to calm down for once. He moved his latest failed attempt at a sketch of the belladonna in front of him aside and started on a new one. If he was now going to do this, he might as well do it properly.
…
The first month turned out to be the hardest one to get through. The pace was so different for the teens that it took them by surprise despite the fact that they should have expected it. They also weren't used to having so close contact with their teachers. Normally at Hogwarts, they would only have lessons with the professors not sit and laugh and have fun with them in the evenings. Or listen to them tell stories. Once they had learnt how to relax without losing their edge it had started going much easier.
"What's up with your names Hermione?" Ron asked one day. He had been wondering about it for a while by then. It wasn't like the sisters had common names. At least not by his standards.
"Blame mother's love for Shakespeare," Hermione answered. "Juliet is the main female character in Romeo and Juliet and Hermione is a character in The Winter's Tale. According to Juliet, it could have been much worse. They considered several other names all of which are kind of insane."
They were lying on the beach looking up at the stars. It was after dinner. It had been a rough day for all of them. They were all glad that it was Friday, and they kept to a five-day work schedule. They would be free to do whatever they wanted after the morning run the next day.
As Harry climbed in under his covers that night, he considered what his life could have looked like if they had stayed in Britain. If they had managed to get the Ministry not to break his wand then he would be in Hogwarts right now. He couldn't say he missed it. Sure a big part of him missed the castle itself. He didn't miss the professors, or the pace, or the other students. Though it did cross his mind that he sort of wondered how Neville was doing. The only other thing he missed was quidditch. He hadn't asked Juliet if he was allowed to fly. Maybe they would let him do that. They had brought his broom after all.
...
A proud smile adorned Sirius' face. He could literally see how Harry and his friends were improving. Having one on one tutoring really made a difference. He himself had improved a lot too. The Beta team had helped him work the rust off his casting and had given him the opportunity to increase his repertoire. In the month and a half they had been there he had gained seven pounds. It was all muscle.
He did, however, feel like it was time for a bit of Marauding. Everyone was just far too serious. He knew that doing anything that could affect the potions classroom was asking for trouble so he decided not to mess with Jonathan even though he was sure that the laid back man would be one of those that could appreciate what he was about to do.
A scream tore through the manor. A mischievous smirk spread over Sirius' lips. Then his eyes widened.
"SIRIUS ORION BLACK... YOU... BETTER... RUN!"
The Marauder turned towards the house. He wasn't sure exactly who that was.
"I suggest you do run."
Sirius looked over his shoulder and chuckled. It would seem that Juliet had been hit too. She was such a cute pink bunny.
"If you hit Nate with this he will turn you inside out," Juliet warned him. "He, Pauline and Melonni will be the least amused by this and if Rue is still here you are better off as far away as possible because she will strike you down.
"Who screamed?" Sirius asked.
"Ah that would have been Pauline," Juliet said. She looked down at herself. "Did you have to make us look like Playboy bunnies? That is what is going to go over the worst with all of them. Most of them aren't happy with showing their bodies off."
"Well, I guess I don't really need to hide then since none of them is going to want to show themselves until after the spell has ended," Sirius said.
Juliet shrugged. "I guess," she said. "But that only holds if Rue has left already. She doesn't care."
"What are you wearing?"
Juliet chuckled. The expression on her little sister's face was quite entertaining. "Ask Sirius," she said. "He is the one who decided we should look like this today. It isn't like I can get rid of it myself. It is wizarding magic. I can't do anything against that." She walked past the teens and into the house. "I'll see if I can make sure they don't all want to kill you, Sirius," she called back.
Sirius was having the time of his life. Poor teenage hormones. He had seen the way both Harry and Ron had looked at their best friend's big sister. Not that he could blame them. Just her calm confidence was sexy all on its own. Add in the bunny costume and she could probably get just about any straight guy to drool.
It quickly became apparent to Sirius that he should be very careful with who he pranked and how. For two weeks after his little bunny prank, he'd been walking around looking like a half dog half man. The ladies did not enjoy being pranked. That much he had learnt. Well, he guessed Sonja hadn't cared since she had been walking around with the same confident strut as Juliet and just like he had anticipated Jonathan had thoroughly enjoyed himself.
Sirius knew he was going to have to lay low for a while. He was also considering doing a less revealing joke next time since most of the ones affected hadn't thought it was funny. If it was supposed to be a joke everyone should find it funny even those who fall victim to the joke. He knew that had been one of the Marauders' biggest mistakes when they had been students. They had bullied, and while he would probably never apologize to Snivellus, he could learn from his mistakes. At least when he felt like it. Or Melonni came at him with a giant magical scythe.
…
Remus sighed. He knew that convincing werewolves was almost impossible. He had tried explaining to Dumbledore that they weren't going to listen to him. He was pack-less. An outcast. No werewolf really wanted to associate with him. They allowed him to stay with them… for a time, but he never felt welcome. The latest pack he had made it to wasn't bad. He highly doubted they would join Voldemort, but Dumbledore insisted that he needed to get them to join the light. Remus snorted. He knew that wouldn't happen. Werewolves weren't light creatures. The camp he was in now was no different. He knew he would have to leave them soon. He had outstayed his welcome.
His gaze rose from the ground as he heard people moving about around him. His eyes widened. A man had entered the camp. He was alone much like himself. That was where the similarities ended. Tall, broad-shouldered, and with sunshine blond hair, the man looked like he could easily crush someone's skull with his bare hands. He looked intimidating. But it was the way the other werewolves were acting that caught Remus off guard. Unlike when he had arrived, something that they had seen as a slight annoyance, they were now almost bending over backwards for this newcomer.
He wondered who it was.
The stranger spoke to the pack Alpha in private. While they talked Remus could hear snippets of conversations between the members of the pack. They seemed excited. He still wasn't sure what was going on, though. A sigh passed his lips. He needed to keep moving. He went to pack what little he had with him into a bag.
"You are Remus Lupin, are you not?"
Remus spun around his wand in his hand. The newcomer was standing behind him. "Eh, yes," Remus said carefully. He wasn't sure why the man wanted to speak to him. It put him on edge. No werewolf ever wanted to talk to him.
"I have a message for you," the man said. "Bambi is safe and his dogfather is with him."
Remus' eyes widened. "You have spoken to Sirius?" he asked.
The man chuckled. "In a manner of speaking," he said. "My son asked me to relay the message for him. I did meet Padfoot though. And I have spoken to Harry on several occasions." The man looked out over the pack. "You should give up," he said. "When I spoke to the alpha here he told me what you have been up to. It is futile. No werewolf wants to join Dumbledore. Rest assured they will not join Voldemort either. The alpha did join in allegiance with my pack, and I will never join Voldemort."
Remus nodded slowly. He didn't doubt the man. He just didn't know what he should do. If the mission Dumbledore had given him truly was pointless then what. He knew that if he brought back what information he had now then Albus would insist that he got the man next to him on their side. He… he really needed to…
"You look like you could use a break," the man next to Remus said. "I could bring you to Sirius."
Remus looked up into warm blue eyes. He could really use Sirius input right about now. "I… I would like that," he said.
"Good. I am Argo by the way," the man said. He offered his hand to Remus who shook it. "We will stop by my pack for the full moon first."
Remus breathed out in relief. "That would be appreciated," he said. He did not want to transform anywhere near Harry again.
"Then let's head out," Argo said. He led Remus out of the camp and side-along apparated him to his own pack's camp.
It was incredible. Remus had never felt so welcome. He looked around wide-eyed. Every member of Argo's pack seemed so healthy. None of them was suffering the same premature grey hair he was sporting. There were people of all ages there as well. Even young children.
"We don't turn them," Argo said.
Remus looked up at the alpha.
"We don't turn anyone," Argo said. "Most of the children here have been turned by people like Fenrir."
Remus grimaced as he heard the name of the werewolf that had turned him.
"Ah, you are one of his victims as well I see," Argo said. "Yes, he is a problem. I have tried to get a kill order in on him for a while now. It is still working its way through politics. With everything else that is going on, especially in Britain, I fear that dealing with him will be put on the back burner."
This surprised Remus. "But Fenrir works for Voldemort," he said.
At that news, a wolfish grin spread over Argo's face. "Oh, that is news to me," he said. "In that case, I should be able to get a kill order through rather easily." He leaned back. "It will give Alpha squad something to do."
Remus was confused. He had no idea what Argo was speaking about. He wasn't going to ask now though. Not before he knew what he would do with himself. For the moment he was happy to spend time with a pack that didn't care that he was pack-less. They all welcomed him with open arms. They were so different from other packs he had met. He had a feeling that it had a lot to do with their alpha. Argo looked intimidating, but he was calm, caring, thoughtful, and above all, he didn't fear his own wolf.
Spending the full moon with the pack opened Remus' eyes. His wolf had tried to go berserk until Argo had shown up next to him. The huge golden wolf hadn't even needed to growl at him to get him to behave. Just his presence had calmed him and brought him into submission. He had gone on a run with the pack. They hadn't come across any humans. It was all because of the alpha.
Remus looked up. They were nearing land once more. He wasn't sure where Argo had port-keyed them, but there had been a boat there waiting for them. A week with the man's pack had taught Remus that being a werewolf didn't have to be painful and lonely. It could be fun and playful. People of all ages did things together. He had even been given the opportunity to guest lecture in the pack-school. It had felt amazing to teach again.
He was called down into a small rowboat and the man that had driven them over rowed them inland. Remus' breath caught as they passed through the wards. A big mansion house had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. On the beach bathed in the evening sun were a group of people.
"It seems we have arrived in time for yoga," Argo said. "I'll better join. Juliet will nag me otherwise. I'm supposed to be a role model after all. You will be exempt from today since you have only just arrived. Though you will get bonus points with her if you do join. Don't worry if you can't perform some of the moves. She outdoes anyone else here. Unless possibly Celestine is here."
Remus nodded. He would prefer staying out of it. At least for that day. He looked over the group facing the water. He could easily see Ron and it didn't take him long to find Hermione in the crowd. Only seconds later he had identified Harry. Then he snorted. Sirius was out there with the others. He was surprised Sirius would do something like yoga. It didn't seem like his old friend to do something like that.
It didn't take him long to realise that it was all very similar to what many of the werewolves in Argo's pack had been doing the evening of the full moon. It was all very calming. Even if he wasn't participating.
The group broke up soon enough.
"Remus!"
The scabby looking man chuckled. Harry had been the first one to notice him. It didn't take long before he was caught in one of Sirius' bear hugs. "What are you doing here?" Sirius asked.
"Argo invited me over," Remus said. He looked to the teens. "You guys seem to be doing alright," he said.
"Yeah, they are teaching us here. It is so much better than Hogwarts. Of course part of that is because there are more teachers than students," Harry said. "We're done for today. Though, I really should go over my rune arrays." he smiled at the others. "I'll see you at dinner." He took off towards the house.
"Yeah, I have to do the last of my potion," Ron said. "So I'll take off too."
Sirius chuckled as he saw Remus' expression. "Yeah, it's weird, isn't it," he said. "They really have improved in the past seven weeks. Their teachers are capable of being far more involved than the professors at Hogwarts ever could which boosts the kids' will to learn."
"So what is the plan?" Remus asked. "I'm guessing they have one."
Sirius shrugged. "Learn to beyond NEWT level. Possibly return to Hogwarts for their last year, but they haven't decided yet. It depends on how quickly they learn," he said.
"And you?" Remus asked.
Sirius chuckled. "Well, they are working on getting me a fair trial. With some luck, they can get in contact with the right people and I can have my name cleared," he said.
"They can do that?" Remus asked.
"Eh, I'm pretty sure they can do just about anything they want as long as it is legal," Sirius said. "Though they technically work for the United Nations. They are a part of the magic division." He shrugged. "I don't think that the British magical world is aware of the fact that they exist. Which is probably a good thing. I think the Ministry would freak. Did you know that the land that Hogwarts and Hogsmeade are built on was actually granted to us by the King of England and the King of Scotland once upon a time so technically the current Queen could take it back? Hopefully, that won't happen though."
Remus grimaced. "I'm sure it is better they don't know. I mean you can imagine what they would try to do," he said.
"Get themselves killed," Sirius said. "Apparently these guys know the magical people that are in charge of protecting the Queen and the Prime Minister. If they are anything like the guys around here, then Aurors don't stand a chance. You should watch them duel. As a matter of fact, if you want to see them duel I think I could fix that now."
Sirius led Remus into the manor house and through a number of doors. They soon found themselves in a big open room with a raised podium in the middle. On the podium were Argo and a young woman who looked a lot like Hermione. The two seemed to be circling each other. It occurred to Remus that they weren't going to use magic. He had seen similar fights before. He wondered how the young woman could even stand a chance against someone like Argo. He had to be at least three times her size.
To Remus' surprise, it ended in a draw. He had barely been able to see most of her moves. "Who is she?" he asked Sirius.
"Oh, that's Juliet," Sirius said in admiration. "She is the one that leads the yoga, and she is going to start training the kids in martial arts."
A smirk spread over Remus' lips. "You like her," he said quietly, picking up on the tone in Sirius' voice.
On the podium, two others had just bowed to each other. They were going to use magic that much was obvious. Remus had a hard time following their spells or even telling what they were casting. They were equally paced since neither seemed to be getting the upper hand.
Remus glanced over at Sirius, who wasn't even watching the duel. His eyes were glued on the brunette across the room. "Really, Sirius just ask her out," he said.
Sirius snorted. "Like you have managed to ask Dora out?" he asked.
"I'm too old for her," Remus said.
"Hogwash," Sirius responded. "Juliet is younger than Dora is. You can't tell me to go for it and then deny yourself the same opportunity."
"I'm not right for her Sirius," Remus said.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Why because you are a werewolf?" he said. "Sorry to break your bubble, but Argo's wife is human. And the blond up on the podium right now is their son. The only trace of lycanthropy he shows is that he likes his meat rarer than most other people. If you are worried, speak to Argo. He can probably give you some tips. And please for your own sake join his pack. You only have to join up with them before the full moon. Apart from that, you can live wherever. He doesn't care as long as you follow pack rules."
"You have spoken to him?" Remus asked.
"Nope but his son knows loads," Sirius said. "His father doesn't keep secrets from him."
Remus sighed. "I'll think about it," he said.
"All I can ask for," Sirius said.
"I still maintain that you should go for it," Remus said.
Sirius shrugged. "We'll see," he said.
Soon enough they had all joined up for dinner. Remus had never been so close to a mismatch unison before. These people were all so different, but it didn't matter. No one here was an outsider. Not even him. He had just arrived yet they easily included him in conversation. As he sat there it became even more apparent to him how small a chance there would be that Harry, Hermione, or Ron would just leave. It also made him want something similar for himself. 'Maybe joining Argo isn't such a bad idea after all,' he thought as he listened to the conversations going on around him.
Remus stayed on the island for a week and a half. He even got the opportunity to speak to Celestine, Argo's wife. Having a heart to heart with her had been eye-opening. He still wasn't sure he was the best choice for Nymphadora, but he was noticing how his reasons against even trying were being broken down from all directions. He would return to Britain. He would report his failure. Then when Albus asked him to please try again he was going to join up with Argo's pack. He felt like he could do more good there, and it would do him more good too. He left the manor knowing that his best friend and Harry and his friends were going to be fine. He no longer had to worry about them. What little pack he had was safe.
Everything continued like normal for several weeks. Harry and Ron had more fun learning than they ever had before. It was incredible how much difference one on one teaching did.
A pained scream tore through the manor one night.
Juliet was the first one in the room. She reached the bed and grabbed the boy lying in it by the wrists. He was trying to claw at his scar. Only steps behind her was Jonathan. He quickly realised that they would have to restrain the boy further so he wouldn't hurt himself. Climbing up on the bed he settled down on Harry's legs. He looked up at Juliet. "Do you have any idea what is going on?" he asked.
Juliet shook her head. "I'm guessing we'll have to wait until he wakes up," she said. She looked towards the door. Sonja was standing there. "We forced the other two to stay in their rooms and Melonni is trying to convince Sirius to let us handle this," Sonja said.
"Good," Juliet said. She looked back down at Harry. She could feel him relaxing. Then he tensed again and another scream erupted from his throat. This time it woke Harry up. He was trying to fight them.
"Lights, Sonja," Juliet called.
The room was bathed in soft lamplight and Harry calmed. He was safe. His teachers wouldn't let anyone hurt him. He knew that. He could feel the grip on his wrists loosen.
"Do you think you can tell us what happened?" Juliet asked softly.
Harry was breathing heavily. It felt like he'd been submerged. "I don't know," he said hoarsely.
"Were you hurting?" Juliet asked.
Harry nodded. "My scar," he said.
"Has your scar ever hurt before?" Jonathan asked.
"Yeah," Harry answered. "When I'm near Voldemort."
Juliet met Jonathan's eyes. A silent message passed between them.
"Has anyone ever examined your scar?" Jonathan asked.
Harry shook his head. "No, not as far as I know," he said.
"Would you mind if we did?" Juliet asked.
"You think there is something with my scar that makes it hurt?" Harry asked.
"We are unsure," Juliet said. "But we would much rather examine it then just let you continue like this. You were trying to claw your own forehead to shreds when we got here. Jonathan has healed the worst of it."
"Okay," Harry said.
"We won't do it now," Jonathan said. "I want more healers with me."
"Celestine, Zephie... you want Estelle as well?" Juliet asked.
Jonathan thought about it for a moment. "Yes," he said. "They all work with healing in different ways. They will all have their own input."
"I'll go fix that then," Juliet said. She looked down at Harry as she stood next to the bed. "We will help you to the very best of our abilities," she promised him.
Jonathan held out a potion vial. "Here it's some pain reliever," he said. "You should drink it and try to go back to sleep."
Jonathan turned the light back off as he left the room. He knew it would take some time before all the Healers could arrive. Some of them might even be out in the field which could complicate things. They couldn't just up and leave if that was the case. He knew he was asking for the best of the best. He was doing it for a reason. Scars were not supposed to hurt. At least not the way that Harry's obviously did, and they were not supposed to react differently because of let's say a specific person. Something was seriously wrong.
For several days there was a worried tension hanging over the manor. Slowly, and one by one the three healers appeared. The ladies were both very different and very similar. Zephie was more serious than the other two, Estelle seemed like her mind was somewhere else, and Celestine was bubbly and outgoing.
Together the four healers took Harry to one of the medical rooms. No one else knew what was going on in there. After a day Sirius had taken to walking back and forth on the hallway carpet. Ron and Hermione had dug themselves so deep in their school work that it was almost impossible to speak to them at all.
In the evening two days after they had disappeared into the room Jonathan came out and joined everyone else at dinner. "Harry is fine," he said before anyone had a chance to ask. The others are stabilizing him, but he will be fine. We will tell you what we had to do, but we believe that Harry has the right to know first. We had to give him dreamless sleep."
Juliet gave a curt nod. "No one is to pester Jonathan. You will learn what they had to do in due time," she said in a tone that did not allow for any type of counter-arguments.
Jonathan was glad that Juliet held that kind of aura. It was one of the reasons she was the one that led their squad. People did what she told them to do.
It took another two days for Harry to wake up and rejoin his friends. He wouldn't be allowed to use his magic in a while to let it stabilize. That didn't mean he wouldn't have plenty of things to do. All the teachers adapted to keep him busy.
"So what … like what was the problem?" Harry asked.
Jonathan sighed. He rubbed his brow before he returned Harry's gaze. "There was an anomaly attached to your scar," he said. "As far as we could tell it was an infusion of magic. Some would have called it a piece of soul though that wouldn't be quite true. There are ways to fracture your soul, but you can't successfully attach that to another magical being. The original soul won't allow for the disruption. It is, however, possible to infuse someone else with your own magic. Couples do this to strengthen each other all the time. It is normal enough. We believe that Voldemort tried to create some kind of soul-vessel the night that he tried to kill you as a baby. But he failed. He must have tried to use you as the vessel just before his body was destroyed. The concentration of magic could connect with you but not the soul." He paused. "After that, we believe that it was another's magic that interfered. Most likely your mother's. Her magic didn't want Voldemort's magic to mix with yours which is why it was kept in its concentrated state rather than just mixing with your own magic."
"How come I am a Parseltongue then?" Harry asked. "According to Dumbledore, I got that ability from Voldemort."
Jonathan leaned back. "I'd say your mother's protection wasn't perfect. The ability isn't dangerous to you so it slipped through," he said. "Your mother's magic hasn't been as strong in protecting you lately, but your own magic has continued what hers started."
"What about the pain then?" Hermione asked.
"Well that is easier," Jonathan said. "Voldemort's magic wants to get back to him, but since Harry's magic has encapsulated his magic it can't just leave Harry. The resulting struggle is what hurts. The biggest problem for us was that Voldemort's magic had mixed with Harry's blood through the scar. It was a tad bit tricky to separate the two."
"But how did that give me visions?" Harry asked.
"Ah, that is where people would assume there was a piece of a soul involved," Jonathan said. "The problem is that concentrations of magic can make that happen too especially if the vessel doesn't have very strong mental shields." He straightened. "You see the repeated exposure that you have had over the years to Voldemort has made you more sensitive to him. I'm guessing he hadn't either cared about mental shields or have been incapable of forming them."
"Though we do worry that in a way he was still channelling his magic towards you and that was what gave you the connection," it was Zephie one of the other Healers that spoke up. "It doesn't take as much as some may believe to keep a channelling spell up; especially if it is just a slow trickle. It could have consumed you. Or he could have attempted to take over your body should his own be destroyed once more."
"This, however, is not something you will have to worry about anymore," Jonathan said. "Since we have removed both his magic and the connection, he will not be capable of taking you over that way."
"So what you are telling me is that my godson's life was constantly put in even greater danger the more exposure he had to Voldemort?" Sirius asked.
"We don't think that Voldemort ever figured out they had that connection, but if he had he could definitely have used it to his advantage. He could have opened the channel up and flooded Harry with his own magic. It could have driven Harry insane or even killed him. It is really hard to tell with these things since it isn't a regular occurrence," Zephie said.
"What we can now guarantee is that Harry is safe," Jonathan said. "And this has also alerted us to the fact that Voldemort may have created soul vessels that need to be destroyed."
"The diary," Ron said. "It possessed my little sister." he looked over to Harry.
Harry nodded. "Voldemort stepped out of the diary," he said.
"Destroyed?" Juliet asked.
"I stabbed it with a basilisk fang," Harry answered.
"Well, that would do it," Zephie said.
"We did that before he had regained his body, though, so he must have more," Harry said.
Jonathan grimaced. "Great, he thought he would get a better result with more of them," he said.
"Doesn't work that way, huh?" Ron said.
"Nope," Jonathan said. "You would just weaken yourself."
"Doesn't make him any less intimidating," Harry said.
"Unfortunately no," Juliet said. "But with the training, we are giving you. You will stand a much better chance should you end up facing him again. We will also equip all three of you with a little contraption that will be able to call the entire Beta squad to your side. So if you ever end up having to fight Voldemort you can call on us."
Ron snorted. "They won't stand a chance," he said.
Everyone was happy to know that Harry would be fine. The Alpha team now had a new objective that needed to be dealt with. Find Voldemort's soul vessels.
In the manor, teaching went on as normal even though Harry had to lay off magic for a few days.
…
"It's been six months now," Juliet said. "How are they doing?"
"Great," Pauline said. "They are doing far better than I thought they would. Both Harry and Ron are catching up smoothly. They are up to fifth-year studies now. Hermione is ahead of them of course since she knew everything we have been teaching the boys already."
"In Charms and Transfiguration, they are all doing great. Ron's problems have basically disappeared. He definitely has a knack for Charms," Nate said. "If they continue as they have started then I expect them to be capable of clearing their NEWTs in less than a year."
"I would have to agree," Sonja said. "They have forced me to change my time table. They are learning faster than I expected."
"They are all doing alright in Potions and Herbology. I would have recommended that Ron stopped, but I can tell that he really wants a NEWT in Potions. He doesn't want to go beyond that though," Jonathan said. "I can tell that both Harry and Hermione have an interest in continuing. Maybe not to Mastery level, but they want to learn how to start building their own potions."
"Which is basically the same as mastery level," Juliet said chuckling.
"Yeah, I didn't point that out to them," Jonathan said.
"Okay since they are doing well," Juliet said. "Are you going to start them on Healing, Curse-breaking and Warding?"
"I will start them in Healing," Jonathan said.
"I will start them on Warding," Pauline said.
"But we believe that we'll wait another few months before we start them on Curse-breaking," Melonni said. "Since it would be good for them to know some warding and healing first."
Juliet nodded. "Good, then I suggest that you renew their time tables," she said. She left the rest of them since her times wouldn't change. She wandered outside. When her sister had first asked for help, she had been sceptical. Of course, she had wanted to help her little sister, but she had been convinced that placing Hermione in a different magical school was the best thing to do. Then Voldemort had come back and she had learnt more about Harry Potter. It had become obvious that another school wouldn't be good enough… not safe enough.
She leaned over the railing running around the terrace. She was glad that the three students they had taken in had turned out to be as smart and willing to learn as they were. She would have been the one that had to take the fall otherwise.
"Is something the matter?"
Juliet looked over her shoulder. It was Sirius. "No I'm just glad this has turned out as well as it has," she said. "I had to put my career at stake to bring Hermione and her friends here."
"Does she know?" Sirius asked.
"No, she doesn't," Juliet said. "She wouldn't have gone along with it if she had known. She knows just how much this job means to me." She paused. "I needed to help them through."
"She's your little sister," Sirius said. He wished that he could have done the same for his own little brother. Regulus hadn't wanted to follow the Dark Lord, but he didn't have much of a choice.
"Yes," Juliet said. She stood up straight. "I will protect her with my life should I have to," she said.
Sirius gave a mirthless chuckle. "I wish I could say the same," he said quietly.
Juliet looked at him. "You can't always manage," she said. "Sometimes it is hard enough to keep yourself alive."
"Yeah, I just wish I had tried harder," Sirius said.
"It is in the past now," Juliet said. "I know it isn't easy to put it behind you sometimes, but it is healthier to not let your past consume you."
"True," Sirius said. He looked out over the sea.
"It is alright to make mistakes."
Sirius' eyes moved from the reflections of the sun on the waves and looked down. A smooth tan hand was lying on top of his. "Even when that mistake kills your best friend and his wife?" he said.
"Yes," Juliet said. "Because the mistake isn't solely yours. You are not the only one that made that mistake. You can't take the entire blame."
"Oh, I don't know," Sirius said. Her words did make him feel better though. His eyes widened suddenly and he simply stared at Juliet in shock. She was smirking. "You just doused me with water!" he exclaimed once his brain had caught up with him.
"Yep," Juliet said. She dodged as he tried to hit her with water. Laughing she ran out on the beach with Sirius right behind her.
"What are Sirius and Juliet up to?" Harry said as he, Hermione and Ron came walking out on the terrace.
"No idea," Hermione said. She watched as one of Sirius' spells finally hit her sister.
Juliet felt herself lift off the sand. He had used a levitation charm on her. "Let me down," she exclaimed.
"Oh, alright," Sirius said. He twisted his wand, Juliet felt how her body was flung back into the sea. She managed to get her bearings quickly. Sputtering she stood up.
Sirius laughed heartily. She was drenched. "That's what you get!" he called out.
"Oh, really!" Juliet called back.
"What is happening to the ocean?" Ron said.
Harry and Hermione looked out to sea. Ron was right; something was wrong. Hermione's eyes caught her sister in the water, and then they landed on a laughing Sirius. "Oh, Sirius is in for it now," she said.
The other two looked at her confused. The confusion didn't last for long. Behind Juliet water was building up. She took a few steps back through the curtain, and then she let the water go. It washed over Sirius knocking him off his feet, drenching him as well. He managed to get up as the water returned to the sea. "You monster," he said as Juliet came walking up to him.
"How about you don't try to combat a water mage by throwing her into the biggest collection of water around," Juliet said.
"Oh, really is that so," Sirius said. He reached out and grabbed her.
"Eh, Hermione," Harry said as he poked his friend.
"Yeah," Hermione said, not looking up from her book.
"Sirius is snogging Juliet."
Hermione lowered the book. She raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was about time," she said before raising the book once more. "Though mom and dad might have opinions about his age."
"You really don't mind that my godfather fancies your sister?" Harry asked.
Hermione shrugged. "They are both grown up. I would never imagine telling my sister what she can or cannot do," she said. "And Sirius isn't that bad. He's grown a lot since coming here."
The boys couldn't help but agree. Sirius really had grown.
…
It was raining outside. You could hear it tapping on the windows. Harry Potter stood in a brightly lit room hunched over a cauldron. It was bubbling away with a potion that he had been around to brew once before. Polyjuice. Hermione had been the one in charge at the time. Now he had to do it himself. In a cauldron next to it stood another one containing Veritaserum. Since both of them had a month of brewing time Jonathan thought it just as well that Harry tried them both at once.
Harry didn't mind. After the first two weeks of revising exactly how ingredients were supposed to be prepared, the difference between the ways to prepare them, and the reason for why they needed to be prepared the way they were, he had no bigger problems getting the preparation correct. There hadn't really been all that much wrong with his brewing, but it became clear to him that the Slytherins must have messed with his potions more often than he had thought since he had done so much better simply by being elsewhere.
As far as actually being taught what he needed to look out for Jonathan was so much clearer. He didn't expect Harry to somehow figure things out for himself. Potion making was a precise art. Guesswork was not a good addition to it. Sure sometimes Jonathan would simply hand him a book when he had a question and he would have to find the answer himself. There were even times when the man had just told him to go check in the library.
There was a pattern though. When Harry asked questions that were beyond what Jonathan believed his current level to be he would answer. If the question was on his current level, he would be handed a book. If the question was below his current level, then he was sent to the library. He looked up from his cauldrons. "I'm done for now sir," he said.
Jonathan came up to the table and looked at the potions. "Looks good," he said. "You can leave, but remember that you have to make sure to look after them without my input."
"Will do sir," Harry said before leaving the room. He set an alarm with his wand and headed over to the library. He had a ward array to finish. They had started with wards not too long ago, and Pauline had them begin with rune based wards since that was a natural way to both move their knowledge of runes and wards forward at the same time. When Harry felt he was done or he had any questions he could go speak to Pauline, but there was no need for him to sit in some designated classroom to do his work when the library worked just as well.
Harry looked at the runes he wanted to use. He was supposed to use them to protect a model house. The more things he thought of the better. But Pauline had also told him that he needed to consider whether the rune array ward was the best way of placing each ward as well. So he needed to make sure he knew what spell wards could be placed and if there were any equivalents to the rune ones he wanted to use. It was tricky work but well worth it.
While Harry was pouring over books in the library, Ron was sitting in the greenhouse. He couldn't say he enjoyed plants himself, but he had reached a stage where he could understand someone like Neville's fascination with them. He wanted to make sure he knew how to deal with the dangerous ones so he studied. They had all been taught how to deal with most plants they would ever come across. It was important for them to know since the nearby jungle held some pretty dangerous species. He knew the local flora after all the runs they had made through that jungle. Juliet had pushed them hard. They had needed to learn on the fly. She had always been there should they need help though. It would feel weird without her.
"Earth to Ron."
Ron looked up. It was Juliet. "Jo," he said.
"You should probably get started with charms," Juliet said. "Melonni will be back soon. You might as well get cleaned up and head over there." They had been short on teachers again. It happened often enough that Juliet was used to bringing them to the greenhouse or taking them out in the forest. Or with Ron, she would sometimes work on strategy since the redhead was pretty good at it. Some evenings they could spend hawking over a chess table. A muggle one since Juliet hated the blabbing pieces that a wizarding set held.
"Be right at it," Ron said before he got up and headed out. He figured Juliet was right and he should get cleaned up. Melonni didn't really care about dirt, but sometimes it got in the way. He was clean and seated in the Charms classroom by the time Melonni showed up. "Good you're here," she said. "I've been getting some things for us to work with." She poured out several things on one of the desks."
"I'm thinking you can help me make some things for the Alpha team. They are in the thick of it right now and could really use some help. We need to make things that are non-lethal but will stop people in their tracks. This will sort of be a combination thing, but I'll be the only teacher that handles it."
Ron moved up to the table. It was filled with all kinds of everyday items. "We aren't supposed to let it show on them, I take it?" he said. "What we do I mean."
"No that is definitely a part of the plan."
"Where do they need them? What kind of situations are we talking about here?" Ron asked.
Melonni smiled. She was well aware that he was a strategist. As far as she was concerned that meant he was the leader. Juliet was after all their best strategist. The rest of them were good. She was better. She could be almost a hundred different scenarios ahead of the rest of them when she was really working on it, Melonni wasn't sure Ronald was that good, but as far as she had been able to tell, he came close. "They are supposed to help produce escape routes. Mostly from restaurants or offices. Places like that. They will be placed there ahead of time," she said.
Ron nodded slowly. He was deep in thought. They needed to make the items inconspicuous, but they also needed to be visible to the Alpha team. Every item needed to have a unique way of getting people out of a sticky situation so that no one would expect it. If they made too many like the other, people would start working out ways to counteract them. "You know," he said after a while. "You should tell them to go by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and pick some things up as well. My brothers have some pretty good inventions. They could be good back-ups."
Melonni chuckled. "I'll tell them about that," she said. "I think we should still try to do our best."
"Oh, of course," Ron said. He sat down by the table. He started tinkering with the items.
"Try using your whole arsenal," Melonni reminded him after a while. She picked one of the items up and cast several rather easy charms on it. Then she sat it down and activated it. It started dancing. Ron ended up sitting there with a foolish grin on his face. Melonni had to dispel him. "See."
Ron nodded. He understood. Simple wasn't necessarily bad. He just needed to increase the strength of the spells. It would be a little tricky since he could overdo it if he used too much power. Absently he walked over to one of the bookshelves in the room. He pulled out a book and started flipping through the pages. Research still wasn't his favourite, but he'd been taught enough tricks to make it easy for him. He wasn't the only one in the house that didn't like spending hours over books. Neither Sonja nor Nate were the most studious of people. They were good at what they did though. You didn't always need books to be clever.
Hermione was sitting with her nose in a book completely voluntarily. She was waiting for Nate… sort of. She couldn't be sure he would show up that day so she was going over things. She hadn't really liked his latest suggestion. He had pointed out to her that one could easily transfigure a person's inner organs into stone for example. There were many ways to use transfiguration as a battle mechanic. He had been teaching them how to do it but directly using it on a person's heart. Well, it didn't feel right to Hermione. She was still researching it though. She would need ways to protect herself and her friends from it should someone ever try to use it against them.
She hadn't liked what she had found so far. It wasn't easy to reverse a transfigured organ. To do it you needed to know exactly how a person's heart was supposed to look and work. Since everyone was unique, it wasn't as easy as some might think. She figured she would have to find some way of getting to know the inside of her friends. She would have to speak to her sister about that. Nate might know a way too… or Jonathan. She added another question to her notebook.
She had a lot of questions for Nate. She liked him. He was a good teacher. He seemed emotionless, but that wasn't really true. He just had a hard time showing his emotions. He taught in a calm to the point manner that made Hermione feel like she belonged… if that was the right way to describe it. She had always felt like an outsider in a way. Sure Harry and Ron were her friends, but neither of them understood her wish to learn the way that most of the teachers in Beta team did. And yes sure Nate was not a bookworm, but he found the information he wanted in other ways. Mostly by experimenting. She liked that too. He was always a reliable source of information. She never felt the need to question him because he never gave facts like they were set in stone. He always left room for interpretations.
Sirius passed by the library. He chuckled as he saw Harry and Hermione in there pouring over two huge piles of books. He felt years younger. His time with the team had been wonderful. It had been almost a year and a half. The kids had taken their OWLs. They all had pretty amazing marks. He was proud of them.
Juliet was standing in the kitchen. She was washing potatoes for later. Sirius walked up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her. He wasn't really sure what to think. She was such an amazing person. He felt like the luckiest man alive. She actually wanted him when he had nervously come to ask her, she had laughed and said yes. They had dated for a while now. It made him smile just thinking about it.
"I think we should go to Miami in a few days. We'll meet some Aurors from Britain and you can actually let them know the truth. Since we have already cleared you through the UN, it will really only be formalities. We'll have some guards just to be on the safe side. Maybe we should bring Hermione. No one can take my sister away from me like they could try with the boys. She knows what happened with Peter."
"Sounds good," Sirius said. "I'm sure you have everything under control. You usually do."
Juliet snorted. "It's my job to plan things. I'd get people killed if I didn't do a good job." She dumped the potatoes in a bowl. She would need to cut them up before spreading them out on a baking sheet. She turned around. A smile played on her lips. She kissed Sirius. "I need to make dinner," she said. She bumped him. "You're in the way, love."
Sirius chuckled. "It would seem that way wouldn't it," he said. He took the bowl from her and carried it over to the table. Juliet brought out two cutting boards and a pair of knives. "You might as well help out if you're going to stick around," she said.
Sirius accepted the knife she handed him. He didn't mind helping her. At least not when it meant he got to spend time with Juliet.
…
Hermione came walking down the stairs from the second floor. She was dressed in a business suit. They were leaving for Miami to free Sirius. He had already been declared a free man by the UN magical division and the US magical government also saw him as a free man. Now they just had to present their evidence to a delegation from Britain. Hermione was a little nervous. Last time Ron and Harry had gone with her, but since the Brits could try to bring them back to Britain they had decided it wasn't a good idea for either of them to come along.
"Don't worry Hermione."
Hermione turned around. Her sister was wearing a similar suit to her own. The dark blue looked even more professional on her.
Sonja came down the stairs. "Everyone ready?" she asked.
"You're coming with us?"
"Yes," Sonja said. "Juliet thought it might be good if there were two of us. Especially since she is an elemental, not a witch. I'm coming along as extra security that's all."
"Sounds good to me." Sirius came down the stairs. He was very stylish in a white suit and dark blue shirt. "I'm guessing we'll get going right away?"
Juliet nodded. "We have a port-key that will take us to an apparition spot not too far away from the meeting place. She put on a pair of glasses and the other two women followed suit. Sirius chuckled. "You look like FBI agents," he said. "All you need is those cords running from your ears.
Juliet rolled her eyes. She started heading towards the door. They needed to get going. "Coming?" she asked by the door before she headed outside.
"Good luck," Harry called.
Sirius gave him a thumbs-up. He grabbed onto the port-key Juliet held out and she activated it. They landed in an alley with a magic secluded area. "Hermione you walk in front. Sonja and I will take the sides. Be ready for anything, but try to avoid magic. We shouldn't run into any problems."
"But I might as well be ready, right," Hermione said. She walked out upfront and led the group. Her sister had shown her where they were going. It wasn't quite the same place as last time, but it was close enough for her to know the layout. Sirius had a hard time keeping from laughing. They had used a bit more of a down key outfit last time. This just felt like he was escorted by special agents. It had to look ridiculous from the outside. With a bit of effort, he managed to keep his face straight. It probably wouldn't be that good if he started laughing.
They entered a hotel. A man dressed much like the ladies walked up to them and without a word led them over to the elevator. The ladies' outfits suddenly made sense to Sirius. They had dressed the same as the Aurors in the States would when they went no-mag. They would just look like employees. It was actually pretty smart.
The room they eventually entered was lavish. Marble and big flower arrangements with a soft burgundy carpet.
"Ah, there you are mister Black."
Sirius walked up to the man. It was the same one he'd met last time when he'd been declared innocent. "Mister Hotchner it is good to see you again," Sirius said. He shook the man's hand.
"We'll have this dealt with in no time," Hotchner said. "I can understand if it feels nerve-wracking, but you are safe here. We know of your innocence so no matter what our British colleagues say you are in no danger here. I understand that you'd like to return to Britain since it is your birth country."
"It wouldn't be a major loss," Sirius said. "I could live without ever going back, but there are some things I would be missing in that case. It would be nice to be present for my best friend's wedding for example." Remus had eventually asked Nymphadora out and the two seemed to be getting along rather well. Sirius was fairly certain there were wedding bells in the air. He cast a glance at Juliet. Maybe he should consider proposing.
They shared some small talk for half an hour or so before the door opened again. Another man in a dark blue suit entered. He stepped to the side. The first person behind him was a woman with steely grey hair and a monocle. Sirius rose. He bowed. "Madam Bones," he said.
She raised an eyebrow at him. She had been warned there was a delicate matter that needed discussing, but she could never have guessed that it would involve Sirius Black. "Mister Black," she responded with a bow of her head. Then she greeted Hotchner. The second man, behind Madam Bones, Sirius easily recognised as Shacklebolt. The towering dark-skinned man looked surprised but didn't react apart from that. It was the last that became a problem. His hair looked like a lion's mane and his eyes widened. He drew his wand as soon as he had a clear shot on Sirius.
As one, the guards in the room took one step forward and drew their wands. A shield appeared around Sirius.
"Put your wand away, Scrimgeour," Madam Bones said sternly.
"But Madam that's Sirius Black."
Bones gave him a stern glare. "I am very well aware of that, Scrimgeour," she said. "I'm sure there is an explanation for this. Now put your wand away before you are escorted out." She knew no one in there would harm them, but they would remove her people if they presented any kind of danger.
Slowly, and muttering under his breath Scrimgeour put his wand away. He didn't like it. He walked up so he was standing behind the armchair Bones sat down in. He was glaring at a rose in one of the flower arrangements angrily.
Hotchner cleared his throat before he started. "We have asked you here to hear the case of Mister Sirius Orion Black." He motioned for one of his Aurors to step forward. The man opened a briefcase he had been holding. Inside lay an orb the size of a goose egg. "You are aware of how this works, Madam?" Hotchner asked.
Madam Bones nodded. "I am," she said.
Shacklebolt raised his hand. "Would you mind informing those of us who might not know?" he asked. He had never seen the strange orb before.
"Of course," Hotchner said briskly. "This is an Orb of Truth. It will glow blue if the person holding it is telling the truth. It will turn white if the person is withholding something, and it will glow red if the person is lying."
"It is a reliable method?" Shacklebolt asked.
"As far as we have found there is no one who can lie to this method. It is, of course, possible that someone could trick it, but so far that has never happened. We always gather evidence as well as taking testimonies. It has never been wrong, and it is far safer and more accurate than any truth potion we have ever come across." He handed the orb to Sirius before turning to Amelia Bones. "Do you wish to handle this Madam?" he asked.
"Preferably yes," Madam Bones said. She turned to Sirius. "Our information indicates that you were the Potter's secret-keeper. Is this true?" she asked.
"No," Sirius said and the Orb glowed blue.
"Who was the secret-keeper?"
"Peter Pettigrew."
"Did you kill Peter Pettigrew and twelve Muggles on the 31st of October 1981?"
"No."
"Who cast the blasting curse?"
"Peter did."
"How come you claimed to have killed the Potters when the Aurors captured you?"
Scrimgeour snorted. "Because he was guilty of course," he said.
Sonja rolled her eyes. "That isn't necessarily true," she said. "He could have felt guilty without being the cause. His declaration could very well be a sign of his love for the Potters."
"Quiet please," Madam Bones said sternly. "We aren't here to discuss PTSD." She turned back to Sirius. "Please answer the question."
"I felt responsible," Sirius said. "I was the one who recommended to James that they should use a different secret-keeper. I felt it would be too obvious if it was me. We made it Peter instead. If I had just been the secret-keeper then maybe they would still be alive." The orb had stayed blue.
Amelia nodded slowly. "Why did you escape from Azkaban?" she asked.
"Minister Fudge gave me a newspaper. It had a picture with a family on it. Peter was sitting on the shoulder of one of the boys."
"Please clarify."
"Peter just like James and I became unregistered animaguses during our time at Hogwarts. He could turn into a rat. It was the rat that I saw in that picture."
"So you decided to escape," Amelia said. "How did you get out of the prison?"
"I turned into my own animagus form. Dementors can't really tell the difference you see. I slipped between the bars of my cell in my human form and then I switched. I got out of the prison and swam to the mainland. I spent most of my time in my animagus form after that."
"We'll have to look into that," Amelia said calmly. "People aren't supposed to be able to leave that way." She gave him a stern look. "Will you register?" she asked.
Hotchner reached for a set of papers. "I have his registration here ma'am. You can bring this copy with you," he said as he handed the papers to her.
Amelia looked them over. "Everything seems to be in order," she said. "So, how did you know where to look?"
"It said in the paper that the youngest children went to Hogwarts. I feared what would happen to Harry should Voldemort return with Peter that close to him. I had to do something."
"We are speaking of Harry Potter?"
"Yes."
"Do you know where he is now?"
Sirius smirked. "In school," he said. "He took his OWLs some time back. Really good grades."
Hotchner handed Amelia another set of papers. "Since we use the same grading system I don't see why these shouldn't be valid in Britain as well," he said.
Amelia looked the papers over. There were some pretty good grades there. "Where is Ronald Weasley?" she asked.
"In school," Hotchner said.
"His family has reported him missing and he isn't in Hogwarts," Amelia said. "I believe they have a right to know."
"Unfortunately I cannot help you. You will have to turn to the UN magic division. They are the ones in charge of that. All I can say is that it is with his full consent."
"You have met him?"
"Once when they cleared Mister Black to us."
Amelia shook her head slowly. "It is kidnapping," she said.
"The law is a bit divided there. It is clear from his perspective that he ran away. I'm not so sure we can call his teachers kidnappers. Either way, the whole thing is an approved mission. As I said you will have to bring this up with UNMD. This is their thing."
"What is that?"
"The UNMD?"
"Yes."
"It is the United Nations Magical Division."
"The UN is a muggle version of the ICW isn't it? I didn't know they had a magic division."
"They do. We have been aware of them for some time now. We work together quite a lot."
Amelia sighed. She wasn't getting anywhere. "You said there was proof," she said.
"Ah, of course." Hotchner handed her a folder.
Amelia went through the pictures and documents in it. There was the newspaper that Sirius had seen the Weasley family in. Then there were several pictures of a rat-like man. Amelia sighed. It was Pettigrew and she could tell the photos were new. "How did you get these?" she asked.
"The Alpha team," Hotchner said.
Amelia gave him a questioning glance.
"The Alpha team is the UNMDs foremost tactical team. They are supported by the Beta and Delta teams. Not even I know all the members. I have worked with people from both Alpha and Beta."
"I would be surprised if you had worked with Delta." Juliet stepped forward. "They are undercover. Only the head of the Alpha and Beta know who they are."
"May I introduce the leader of Beta team, Juliet," Hotchner said. "I didn't know you would be here."
Juliet shrugged. "He is the godfather of one of my charges. I make sure the people under my protection are safe. You know that," she said. She turned to Amelia Bones. "Beta team will move into Britain soon. Once that happens I'll get in contact with you."
"Why?" Amelia asked. "Why are you coming to Britain?"
"Alpha team is gathering information and disrupting Voldemort right now. When we move in as well, our orders will be to neutralise him and his Death Eaters. You seem stable enough to know the truth. We have walked on glass around Britain for quite some time now. It would be nice to set up the same kind of connection with you as we have with most other countries."
"You are British yourself," Amelia said.
Juliet chuckled. "That I am ma'am," she said. "I was employed into the Beta team before it really came into existence. Many of the other members are also Brits. Two has even attended Hogwarts." Her expression turned serious. "You will be dealing with the Beta team foremost. We are younger and can move into new areas easier. We don't have as many areas of responsibility as the Alpha team." She paused for a moment. "It might be nice for you to know that Fenrir Greyback has been neutralized. His connection to Voldemort moved him up a hit list and he has been taken out."
"I have not heard anything about this," Amelia said.
"It was taken care of as an internal matter within the werewolf community ma'am. Usually, there isn't a body then. We do have proof however, I will send it to you as soon as possible. Most of his werewolves have left Voldemort. The few that have remained are pack-less. The werewolves are not supporting this 'so-called' Dark Lord."
"You are very certain about this."
"It is direct information from an alpha wolf. His pack is the biggest and strongest in Europe. He is well known by the UNMD he works with them for the betterment of werewolf living conditions everywhere."
"Foolishness," Scrimgeour snorted.
"To you maybe," Juliet said. "But to us, werewolves are people too. We will not treat them any different from other humans."
"I look forward to speaking with you, Juliet," Amelia said. She looked at Sirius. "I will have your name cleared as soon as I get back. It might take some time before everyone gets it so I would suggest not returning for another month at least." She looked up at Juliet. "While we are talking about this is there any way for me to speak to Harry?"
"I'm not entirely sure. It depends on what you want to talk to him about," Juliet said. "And it really is Sirius' decision since he is Harry's guardian."
"He has been accused of underage magic in front of a Muggle," Amelia said. "He was supposed to appear at a hearing and did not show up."
"Ah, yes well," Juliet looked at Hotchner. "You have the memory with you?" she asked.
"Yes." The stern-looking man motioned to another Auror who brought out a case. It was filled with vials. "This is the correct one," he said. A pensive was placed in front of them on the table. "If you would."
Amelia looked at the swirling substance for only a moment before she dipped her head in. She was gone for a good half-hour before she returned. "Dementors," she said angrily. "I will be looking into this. Those allegations will be dropped. He saved their lives." Her eyes narrowed. She was fairly certain the memory was true. She was quite good at seeing discrepancies and she doubted that a teen of sixteen could fool her. "I'll get back to you about this," she said. She looked at Juliet and then at Sirius. "Hopefully Mr Hotchner knows how to reach you. We'll keep you updated."
Sirius smiled. "Thank you, Madam," he said.
Amelia sighed. "I'm going to have trouble getting people to listen to me about this though," she said.
"Don't worry," Hotchner said. "I'll speak to the President. She can have a long nice talk with Fudge for you. He cares enough about his image that having her displeased with him will make him worried."
"I would appreciate that," Amelia said.
"If our business is concluded here, we would like to get back," Juliet said.
"Go ahead," Hotchner said.
"We'll be in touch," Juliet told both him and Amelia. Then she, Hermione, Sonja and Sirius left the room. They headed down to the sunny street.
"That went well," Hermione said.
"Quite," Juliet said. "I'm worried about the current situation in Britain though. Alpha team has told me Voldemort is up to something. We should gather and see if we can't figure out what. We'll need your opinion too."
Hermione nodded and then she started thinking. What could Voldemort be up too? They made it back to the apparition point and headed back to the manor. What could… Hermione's eyes widened. "Sis," she said almost desperately.
"Yes, Mione."
"Is Voldemort still after Harry?"
"According to my information, he is rather obsessed."
"He could try to get to Harry through people he cares about."
Juliet nodded slowly. "We have people watching the Weasleys. Mom and dad left the country and Remus hasn't been back since he left to join Argo's pack last. I think he brought his girlfriend along. It is safe enough for them there."
"The Weasleys would be the prime target," Hermione said. "By attacking them he would disrupt Dumbledore as well as have a way to get to Harry."
"I'll send word to Rita. She'll know what to do," Juliet said. "We might even have to send out some Betas."
That got Hermione thinking. "Are there more of you than our teachers?" she asked.
Juliet chuckled. "Of course," she said. "Most of them are out in the field. They haven't come by either because they aren't done yet, or because they work for the Alpha team right now so they don't report to me."
"Oh, well I guess that makes sense." There was a long pause as they settled down in the conference room and waited for the rest to join them. "How many agents are you?" Hermione asked. She was curious now.
"About a dozen," Juliet said. "The Alpha team is about the same and the Delta is almost double."
"That's not very many," Hermione said.
"No, but we are the best," Juliet said. "You don't need many when you have good. We are the best. If we need more than we have then we contact Aurors from our allies." She turned to the rest of the room. "They are having some problems with Voldemort. He has been trying to take over the ministry, but some time ago he just stopped. According to our people, he is focusing completely on finding Harry." She nodded in the black-haired young man's direction. She let them know what Hermione had come up with already. "We will have people on it as soon as possible," she told Ron. "Is there anything else we expect them to do?"
"Do we have someone on the inside?"
Juliet smirked. "We do," she said.
"Can we contact them?"
"We can if we have to. It wouldn't be my first choice though."
"Is it one of yours?"
"Yes."
Jonathan grimaced. He knew just how difficult it was to speak to those people. Juliet would have to go personally. She couldn't send anyone else. "I guess that will have to wait then," he said.
Juliet nodded. She looked at Sirius. "Do you think you can act completely smitten with me? Willing to do anything I tell you to without seeming too out of character?" she asked.
Sirius thought about it for a moment. "I guess I could. It depends on why though," he said.
"I have a few plans," Juliet said. "They involve becoming friendly with some darker families. They don't know who I am…" She let it hang. Her plan demanded that he proposed to her and they married. She would need his last name. It wouldn't work otherwise.
"You want to get behind the scenes?" Sirius asked.
"If we can manage that we could cut down on casualties quite a lot. I could possibly insert most of my team," Juliet said. "Though it is only one plan and not necessarily the one we'll use."
"I'll think about it," Sirius said.
They spent another hour or so discussing alternatives. Afterwards, Juliet sent off some coded messages. Making sure the Weasley family was safe was the priority right now.
Amelia sighed. Her desk was full of papers. She had spent yet another day trying to convince the Wizengamot that Sirius was innocent. Convincing them about Harry hadn't been that hard. Especially after she had found the one who sent the Dementors after the boy. She had been boiling with anger. One of the Minister's secretaries had sent out one of the most dangerous creatures they had in Britain after a child.
Another sigh left her lips.
"You should let them know that Harry will never come back to Britain if his godfather isn't cleared."
Amelia looked up. A short woman with shoulder long orange hair stood in front of her desk suddenly. A pair of strange goggles adorned her head. In one hand she held a cage. Amelia had drawn her wand. "Alpha or Beta?" she asked.
The woman smiled. "Alpha," she said. "Juliet is right, you are good. I'm Rita Mordio." She placed the cage on Amelia's overfull desk. "Here is something that might convince people a little better. Try not to lose him will you."
"Pettigrew?" Amelia asked.
"It is, yes."
"Thank you," Amelia said simply. "Why should I mention Harry?" she asked.
"Because some of them want Harry to come back," Rita said. "We'll hand you a list later. Right now they are better where they are. It's easier than flushing out who the new ones would be."
Amelia nodded slowly. She didn't like it, but she understood Rita's reasoning. "I'll see if I can't get this wrapped up next time the Wizengamot meets."
"I wish you all the luck in the world. I'm glad I don't have to deal with those doddering old fools," Rita said. She turned around and disappeared. Her job was done. Hopefully, the rest would work out for the best.
Juliet looked through their mail as she walked up to the house. She opened one she had gotten from the USA Auror office. A smile spread over her lips. Sirius was finally considered a free man in Britain. She passed by the library.
"...but where does magic come from then?"
She stopped. Hermione and her friends were sitting together around a table. For once there were no books on the table in front of them. "If you really want to know that I could send for Cynn and Mhenlo they have been studying the matter for almost two decades now. Several non-magical governments asked us where magic comes from. They wanted to know if anyone could turn out to be magical or if it was hereditary. I think Cynn and Mhenlo have tracked several hundred no-mag born people's ancestry. I haven't asked them how they are doing in a while. I think they might even have decided to look into our family, but I really don't care all that much so I haven't asked about it."
"Can you contact them?" Hermione asked. "I would really like to know."
"Sure, I'll go and do that now… do any of you know where Sirius is?"
"Outside," Harry said. "He doesn't like being locked up inside for too long."
Juliet rolled her eyes. "I'll find him later then," she said.
A few days later a slender woman in an ice blue dress with pale blonde hair and a man, bald with flowing tattoos along his scalp and down his arms, came to the manor. They were not members of the tactical teams, but rather researchers that worked for the UN magical division. She was a fire elemental mage and he a healer. They sat down with the teens having brought plenty of their work with them in large scrolls.
"Magic as far as we have been able to tell comes from magical beings," Cynn explained to them. "There is no dormant trait in humans that will produce magic, but they can have it coming from magical creatures. Many older magical families can even tell what creature they predominantly come from."
"The Weasley family, for example, descends from dryads among other beings," Mhenlo told Ron. "We were in contact with your grandfather many years ago when we first started out. He had records of his family."
"Dryads aren't they female? How come most Weasleys are male?" Ron asked.
Cynn looked at her husband wondering if they really should tell him. "It dates back to your hostilities against the Malfoys," he said. "As we understood it there was a marriage between the Weasley family, which then had mostly women in it and very fertile women at that, and the Malfoy family. We don't know exactly what happened. But something went wrong and the Malfoys cursed the Weasley women to be infertile. Thankfully it didn't quite work, but after that, the Weasley family has produced men."
"But I have a sister," Ron said.
Cynn's eyes widened. "Well," she said thoughtfully. "The curse might be weakening. It is possible that the infusion of your mother's blood has done something. She might also be a descendant of dryads. That could do it."
Harry smiled at Ron. "I guess now we know why your family and the Malfoy's hate each other," he said.
Ron shrugged. "It's in the past," he said. "I don't like Malfoy because he is an arrogant prick."
"True." Harry looked at the two researchers. "Do you know anything about the Potters?" he asked.
Mhenlo opened one of his scrolls up. He started searching through the myriad of names that were on there. "I think we got sent information from a Potter," Cynn said. "And a request…" She thought it over. "For a Lily Evans," Mhenlo said. "Here it is," he said then. "Potters descend from many different families, but their clearest link is to the Peverell family. The Peverell were interlinked with a race of shapeshifters. We don't know what they were actually called, but we strongly believe that animagus abilities come from these beings. It is also possible that many of the other families were descendants of Shapeshifters."
"Lily Evans we actually tracked back to the Aylmer family. The family died out about a century ago, but it seems like one of their children disappeared into the no-mag world," Cynn said. "We don't know exactly what they descended from, however. Their family history wasn't preserved."
Harry smiled. He didn't really care about that. His mother had been the descendant of a squib. Then something struck him. "The tactical teams were involved in the previous war too, weren't they?" he asked.
Cynn nodded. "The Alpha team was. They tried to do as much as they could. They had a lot on their plate, however, and didn't focus as many people into it as they should have before it was too late. There wasn't much they could have done for your parents since they had gone into hiding with the Fidelius charm," she said.
"You know quite a lot about them," Hermione said carefully.
Cynn smiled. "We were members of Delta back in the day," she said. "Then I got pregnant and we decided it wasn't a good idea to continue."
"Oh, that makes sense," Hermione said.
"Either way, Juliet asked us to do the startup job for your family. We have created a family tree. There are several places where we lost the members and couldn't find them when they were younger. That either means the records have burned or otherwise been destroyed, or the members entered the magical world from the non-magical one. Now we have to look over our magical records to try to find these people. You can help us with that. We have over the years gathered together magical family trees from families that agree with our research. With a little bit of luck we'll be able to locate these people," Cynn said. She together with her husband and Hermione quickly went to work. To begin with they restricted themselves to Britain and France since there were old family connections to that country.
Harry and Ron tried to help but soon found that it would probably go faster for the other three if they weren't in the way. They headed out of the library quietly leaving Hermione with the two researchers. Not that they didn't do anything. They had plenty of other things that demanded their attention.
Hermione's eyes scanned the scrolls of names. She was looking for a Mary Norwell but wasn't having much luck. At least she knew that Norwell was the woman's maiden name. There were other women whose maiden names were unknown to them. Those would be much harder to trace. The idea was that if they could trace her back then there would be a blood test made that would check if she truly was related to the family. It would all be easier if they did their research first and then the tests. Her hair frizzed up and she lost track of time as they worked.
Outside Sirius was wandering around nervously. His hand kept going to his pocket. His hair was put up in a low ponytail. His skin had a healthy tan. Long gone was the unhealthy grey and bony appearance he had spotted when he escaped Azkaban. He had filled out and grown healthy from his stay with the Beta team. Most of his nightmares had subdued, and he was learning how to deal with his regrets. Finally, he decided to just go talk to Juliet. He found her in the greenhouse taking care of the plants. "Juliet," he said to catch her attention.
The well-toned brunette stood up and turned towards him. "Yes, love," she said. She wiped her hands off on a towel.
Sirius pulled out a small box from his pocket. He opened it as he said, "Will you marry me Juliet Granger?" he asked.
Juliet's eyes widened. A soft smile spread over her lips. "Yes, Sirius," she said. "I'd love to marry you." She walked up to him and hugged him before giving him a long tender kiss. Sirius' arms wrapped around her. He hugged her close.
"Whoa, get a room."
Juliet moved away from Sirius slightly. She gave Jonathan a stern look. "Mind your own business. We're not doing anything inappropriate and the plants don't mind," she told him. "But if you want to stay around and ogle my fiance and me go ahead. Just be quiet please."
Jonathan blinked. "Fiance?" he asked surprised.
Juliet rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I decided to grab her before someone else could try to woo her away from me," Sirius said.
Jonathan smirked. "Congratulations," he said.
Sirius chuckled. He took Juliet's hand and led her out of the greenhouse. They needed some alone time.
Juliet walked into the library later that day. Her sister was sitting with a notebook and a huge scroll. "It's dinner now," Juliet told her. "You can go back to researching after you have eaten." She walked forward and pulled the scroll out of Hermione's hands. "Food is now," she said gently.
"She's right," Cynn said. "We can continue after we've eaten." She rose from her seat. Food did sound like a really good idea. She followed the sisters downstairs. She sat down next to Sonja. Juliet passed her a bowl filled with papaya salad. Her eyes caught on a beautiful amethyst adorned ring. "He asked you?" she said. Everyone's attention turned to Juliet. Sirius chuckled. "I proposed to Juliet earlier today," he said.
"And I said yes," Juliet said.
There was a multitude of congratulations. Hermione hugged her sister.
"The wedding will be held this autumn," Juliet said. "I need to get my parents here and we need to get a hold of a marriage officiant." She looked at Sirius. "We should invite Remus as well. Then we have everyone that really matters."
"You'll have to write the marriage contract," Sirius said. "If it is supposed to be a proper wedding there has to be a contract since I am technically a member of a Most Ancient and Noble house."
"You are technically the Lord," Juliet said.
"Yeah, I know," Sirius said. He figured maybe he should do something about that. He wasn't too interested, but the idea of making Juliet Lady Black would really piss his mother's portrait off. His cousins wouldn't really like it either once they found out. All except for Andromeda of course. The more he thought about it the better it sounded to him.
Around the table, pleasant talk flowed. They ate and drank until everyone was satisfied. Most of them stayed outside. Hermione, however, did not. She headed back to the library so she could continue searching. Her eyes scanned the many names. She knew there was no way she could go through all of them in a single day, but she wanted to get as much work done as possible.
Later that evening her eyes kept falling shut. She had to shake herself back awake time and time again. A soft warm hand landed on her shoulder. "Time to go to bed Mione." Hermione looked up into her sister's soft brown eyes and nodded. She was too tired to respond. She placed the scroll aside and stood up. Juliet supported her on the way to her room. She even tucked her in.
"Good night," Juliet said before closing the door.
…
"We found it… we found it!"
Hermione came rushing into the kitchen where her sister was helping Melonni with dinner. She had a thrilled smile on her face and a piece of parchment in her hand. She handed it over to Juliet. "Here look," she said.
Juliet rolled the parchment open. It confirmed that her sister was a descendant of the Chevalier family. She chuckled.
"What is it?" Hermione asked.
Juliet handed back the paper. "We're related to Celestine's family." She met Melonni's eyes. "I'm related to Jonathan," she said.
Melonni started laughing hysterically. She had to grab onto one of the counters just to stay standing. "Oh, poor you," she said between gasps for air.
"We should let Celestine know," Juliet said. "This perfectly explains how come I am a Water Mage. It is fairly common in their family.
"What so funny in here?"
Melonni took one look at the new addition in the kitchen before she started laughing again.
Jonathan looked confused. He looked at Juliet seeking an answer.
"Turns out we're family," Juliet said. "Hermione and I descend from the Chevalier family."
"Like mom," Jonathan said with a smile. "That's awesome. They'll love adding you to the family. Mother would have loved daughters. You'll never hear the end of it. I should probably let her know as soon as possible. She doesn't like it when people keep these types of things from her." He glanced at Melonni. "She's really having fun," he said. "I hope she doesn't choke."
"She'll be fine," Juliet said.
That evening, everyone who was present at the Manor got to know what Hermione, Mhenlo and Cynn had found out. Celestine happily welcomed them to the family. Then she turned to Sirius. "You better take care of her Mister Black," she said. "You will make powerful enemies otherwise. We are very protective of our young."
Sirius smiled. "I wasn't planning on doing anything else," he said. He wasn't worried.
A light breeze slowly shifted the big colourful leaves of the nearby trees. The beach was covered in crystalline flowers that were glowing in the evening sun. A small group of people were gathered together on the beach. Calm conversations passed between them. Then a gleaming silver bell rang followed by serene violin music. Together a beautiful bride and a nervous groom came walking down a white-clothed aisle. She was wearing a simple blue sundress, and he wore suit pants and a shirt. There was no reason to dress up more than that.
They passed their friends and family and walked up to the officiator.
"Dear people we have gathered here today to witness the union between Juliet Marie Granger and Lord Sirius Orion Black. We ask now for the blessing of the elements," the officiate said calmly. "We beg for the power of the flame of the East. The warmth of hearth and home. The heat of the heart's passion. The light created to guide us through the darkest of times. Fresh beginnings with the rising of each Sun. "
Fire burned in a circle on the ground around the couple. It wasn't hot but brimming with power.
"We request the blessing of the wind of the South. Communication of the heart, mind, and body. Bearer of news. The knowledge of the growth found in the sharing of silence."
Wind blew up around them carrying leaves on its wisps.
"We ask for the blessing of the water of the West. The deep commitments of the lake. The swift excitement of the river. The refreshing cleansing of the rain. The all-encompassing passion of the sea."
A grand wave moved up from the sea and froze above their heads.
"We hope for the blessing of the earth of the North. A firm foundation on which to build. The fertility of the fields to enrich our lives. A stable home to which you may always return."
The sands moved and beautiful flowers grew up around the couple.
"Do you, Sirius Orion Black, welcome Juliet Marie Granger as your wife, offering her your love and encouragement, your trust and respect, as together you create your future?
"I do," Sirius said. He smiled at Juliet.
"Do you, Juliet Marie Granger welcome Sirius Orion Black as your husband, offering him your love and encouragement, your trust and respect, as together you create your future."
"I do," Juliet said.
"So I bestow upon you the blessing of the elements and with the signing of this contract declare you husband and wife," the officiator said as he held out the marriage contract Juliet had written since that was the common way for a Lord or Lady in Britain to be wedded. They both signed it calmly. They knew what it said.
"And so I declare you Lord and Lady Black," the officiator said finally. "May your union last through sadness and happiness."
Then the wave above them broke and rained down over them like tiny crystals. The fire rose. The officiate left as the elements reigned. He was done. He would file the contract both in the states and Britain just in case. He had never seen the elements respond as they had done that day before. Especially the sea. He knew that many of those people were elemental mages, but he also knew none of them had used their abilities. It would have cheapened the ceremony.
On the beach, a feast had been brought out. Caroline Granger hugged her daughter. "Are you coming home soon?" she asked.
Sirius standing behind his wife chuckled. "I do believe she will," he said. "My wedding gift to her is a rather nice house with large grounds and a building for her Betas."
Juliet turned to look wide-eyed at her husband. "Sirius," she said. "Why?" Her voice was questioning, almost small.
"I figured you wanted to go back to Britain with Hermione and the others. I don't want to live in my parents' old place so I found a nice patch of land and had a house built there. Then I realised that you are the leader of the Beta squad. I had another house built as a gathering place for you. I know it might have been better with one building, but then again I think keeping work and free time a bit separate is probably good," he said.
"I…" Juliet smiled. "That sounds lovely," she said.
"Don't worry I haven't furnished it. If you would like to do that you can go right ahead. I just want it to be homey," Sirius said.
"I think I can manage," Juliet said with a smile. She internally groaned as her mother started giving her all sorts of advice. She didn't need help. It wasn't her mother's house after all. Thankfully, Sirius dragged her off rather quickly so they could enjoy their wedding night.
