Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. belong to J.K. Rowling, not myself.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this one guys! RL got super busy, I'll try to update when I can, no worries about me not finishing/abandoning this work (or any of my others)
R/R!
Chapter Thirteen: Freedom
Sirius smiled as he stepped through the floo from Grimmauld Place into the foyer of Malfoy Manor. It was the night before Draco and Orion returned to Hogwarts for the New Year and Lucius had invited Sirius and Remus to spend the evening at the Malfoy ancestral home. Practically bouncing down the hall to the family room, Sirius ran smack dab into a rather hard, slightly cushy surface.
"Oof!" The dog animagus grunted out as his back end acquainted itself with the lushly carpeted hallway of the Manor. A soft chuckling reached his ears and Sirius turned stormy grey eyes upward, only to have his jaw drop. Standing above him and extending a hand, presumably to help him up, was none other then Tom Riddle, otherwise known as Lord Voldemort, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, The Dark Lord, etcetera.
"Are you alright?" The man asked, arching a fine eyebrow at Sirius who was still gaping like a fish on the floor.
"Fine," the Black Lord wheezed, reluctantly letting The Dark Lord pull him to his feet. He wobbled for a moment, before steadying himself.
"Er thanks?" Sirius offered, face slightly flushed. "Sorry for running into you, I was just excited," he explained. Tom chuckled, offering the stammering Black Lord a soft grin. He was rather fond of the excitable man, not that he would admit that to anyone.
"It's fine," Tom reassured. "I can understand the excitement," he added with a small grin. He knew Sirius missed Orion and Draco and hadn't seen them in a number of days, thanks to his errant followers attack on the boys and the recovery period. Sirius grinned, letting his insides settle once he realized he wasn't going to be cursed into next Tuesday.
"Where's your werewolf friend?" Tom asked; normally the pair were inseparable.
"Remus? He'll be by later, he's looking for work in Diagon Alley," Sirius said, a frown on his face. He told Remus time and time again that he didn't need to work, that he could support the pair of them, but Remus was proud and refused to accept charity.
Tom nodded in understanding; he knew the werewolf laws were incredibly restrictive, he knew that Fenrir had complained about them time and time again, despite him and his pack living an almost completely feral life away from the Ministry and Ministry restrictions.
"They're in the family room now, if you wish to join them," The Dark Lord told Sirius, smiling his thanks. Sirius disappeared down the hall, heading towards the Malfoy family room, intent on seeing the boys.
Tom chuckled as he watched the man go, before turning and heading back down the hall, towards his own bedroom to collect a Potions' manual he had promised to lend to Draco. Normally he would ask and elf to get it, however he couldn't remember where he'd left the exact text and he wasn't sure he wanted an elf rifling through his things.
Sirius stepped into the family room, a soft smile coming unbidden to his lips at the sight of the gathered family. Draco was sitting opposite Orion in front of the fire, the two boys bent over a chess board, heads so close their hair was nearly touching. Lucius was sitting in an overstuffed arm chair, a lap desk across his legs holding a stack of parchment positioned in front of him, and a quill balanced in one hand. Narcissa was sitting near the boys, watching their game out of the corner of her eyes as she sipped on what was presumably a cup of tea, though knowing Cissa it could be brandy or something-the woman was a Black after all.
"Siri!" A slightly husky voice squeaked and Sirius soon found himself tackled to the floor, a comfortable weight on his chest. Making another 'oof' sound, Sirius bent his neck to glance down into the grinning face of his godson.
"Feeling better I take it?" He questioned, ignoring the chuckle that escaped Lucius as Orion clambered off of his chest.
"Much better," Orion said with a grin. His voice was still soft and somewhat husky, but it was nowhere near as bad as he had thought it would be.
"Good," Sirius said, standing up and dusting himself off before pulling Orion in for a tight hug. When his godson started squirming he released the young teen, letting him go join his brother again so they could resume their chess game.
"Sirius," Lucius greeted, setting aside his work in order to greet the man. Neither Malfoy parent appeared to care about their son's overzealous behaviour; instead, Narcissa was grinning amusedly and Draco was sniggering while Lucius attempted to keep a straight face though his grey eyes sparkled amusedly.
"Lucius," Sirius greeted, sitting down next to his cousin on the couch and watching the boys curiously.
"I spoke to the Minister," Lucius said suddenly, wincing as Sirius whipped his head around lighting fast. It had to have hurt and Lucius resisted the urge to rub his own neck in sympathy pains.
"And?" The dog animagus breathed, scarcely believing his ears. He didn't think Lucius would work so fast.
"He's willing to meet with me the day after the boys return to school. I hinted at what the meeting was about and he seemed open," he said with a small grin. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief; it was finally happening.
"And what about Dumbledore? I know he wants me and Remus back under his thumb," Sirius said, chewing his lip nervously.
"Cornelius did say he was getting letters from the man, but he doesn't seem to be taking Dumbledore seriously-the man drives him nuts after all," Lucius said with a grin.
Sirius returned the smile, imperiously summoning a Malfoy house elf and asking the creature to bring him a glass of celebratory wine. Narcissa chuckled at her cousin's antics but like the rest of her family, she was pleased. Sirius (and Remus) had managed to worm their way inside the hearts of the family, especially after the pair's easy acceptance of Orion and his newfound heritage.
-Blood-
Orion groaned playfully, staring down dejectedly at the chess board; he had lost, again. Ignoring his brother's amused grin, he began packing away the game pieces, pointedly ignoring his game pieces which were hurling abuse at him for losing.
"Now what?" He asked Draco curiously. The older blond shrugged, glancing around the room. Remus had arrived about half an hour earlier, getting the same greeting from Orion that Sirius had received, however the werewolf hadn't fallen over, his superior strength allowing him to catch and hold the young teen rather then landing on his ass.
Orion huffed, nibbling on his lower lip. He was bored and he wanted something to do. He was actually a little excited about going back to school, nervous because of everything that had happened, but he was still looking forward to going back to the castle. At least Hogwarts was never boring; there was always something to do there, or someone to hang out with. As much as he loved being home, his parents and brother tended to hover and there really wasn't a whole lot to do at the Manor when everyone was being so overprotective since almost all the fun activities involved going outside and actually doing something.
Remus chuckled as Sirius regaled him with how he had arrived at the Manor.
"And you're not dead? You're luck astounds me," The amber-eyed man teased his friend, smiling as Orion came and clambered between the two men, snuggling against Siri who couldn't keep the grin off of his face.
"Bored?" Remus asked as Draco went to sit with his Uncle Tom, pestering the man about the potions' book he was lending him for his return to school.
"A bit," Orion said, wriggling as Sirius began to tickle him lightly.
"Still bored?" The dog animagus teased, still tickling his godson's sides playfully.
"S-stop it!" Orion laughed breathlessly, his huffy chuckles drawing the attention of his family.
Lucius smiled proudly, enjoying seeing his youngest son so happy and carefree. It was rare for Orion to relax so completely around everyone and it was a testament to how far he had come in the recent months that he was comfortable enough to let his guard down around them.
"Are you still bored?" Sirius persisted, fingers digging into Orion's side. He smirked as the boy writhed, trying to escape his godfather's fingers, though Remus was helping to hold the boy in place.
"N-no!" Orion huffed out, tears of mirth running down his face.
"Stop it," Draco said with a chuckle. "He's going to wet himself!" He added, ignoring his brother's glare.
"Dray!" Orion huffed, resenting his brother's implication.
"Just don't want you making a mess on the furniture," Draco quipped, chuckling as Sirius stopped his tickling.
"Draco," Lucius murmured, reprimanding his oldest son lightly. Teasing was alright occasionally but Lucius had a feeling that Orion wasn't enjoying this as much as Draco was.
Draco sighed, but ceased his teasing and returned his attention to his Uncle, who was explaining a rather difficult potion to him. Normally Severus would be doing the explaining but he was at Hogwarts, preparing for the students to return from the holidays.
Orion smiled thankfully at his father, letting his head rest against Remus' shoulder as the man sipped his wine and listened to Tom's explanation of the potion to Draco.
"Dinner is being ready!" an elf squeaked as it popped in to the family room. Lucius nodded to the elf and the group rose as one, heading down to the informal dining room to enjoy one last family meal before summer.
-Blood-
Orion yawned tiredly, his head falling to rest on Draco's shoulder as he stared out the window of the Hogwarts Express.
"Didn't sleep well?" Draco asked his brother curiously. He had slept fine, wanting one last good night in his own bed. He didn't mind the dorm room beds, but nothing beat his king size, plush mattress in his own room at the Manor. Orion shook his head tiredly.
"Couldn't fall asleep," Orion mumbled, fisting his eyes tiredly.
"Why not?" Draco asked curiously, ignoring his friends who were watching him and Orion closely.
"Dunno, was thinking," Orion said with a shrug, offering his brother a wry smile. He knew Draco was probably worried or concerned and he didn't want his brother fussing over him due to one missed night of sleep. He was used to sleepless nights, or at least Harry Potter was used to sleepless nights and he could manage.
Draco sighed, but nodded his head, returning to his conversation with Blaise about what they had done for Holidays.
Idle chatter continued in the train compartment, voices hushed as Orion was lulled to sleep by the movement of the train. Draco grinned and continued the conversation with his friends, glad that his brother was catching up on some much needed sleep.
-Blood-
Sirius fidgeted nervously in the sitting room of Malfoy Manor. Shaking his head, he sipped the tea that one of the elves had brought him while he waited for Lucius to get ready. Today was the day that he and Lucius were heading to the Ministry to try and clear his name. Narcissa and Tom were taking care of some 'business' as well, and Remus was probably joining them.
"Ready?" Lucius asked curiously as he entered the room. He looked very professional in a muggle suit though he had a traveling cloak over top.
"I suppose so," Sirius said, fighting to keep his voice from shaking. He knew deep down that this could go wrong, that he could end up back in Azkaban, and that thought terrified him.
Nibbling his lip nervously, Sirius followed Lucius into the floo, thankfully flooing directly into the Minister's office where he and Lucius would meet with not only the Minister but with
Amelia Bones, current head of the Department of Law Enforcement.
When Sirius stepped through the floo, Lucius was already informing Bones and Fudge about Sirius, but that didn't stop Bones' gasp and Fudge's unmanly shriek at his appearance. After calm was finally restored, Sirius was seated in a stiff-backed chair and allowing Bones to carefully extract his memories of what happened the night the Potter's died. Watching the pearly memories drift into the pensive, Sirius resisted the urge to shudder as his worst memories were dredged up.
"There," Bones said, casting Sirius a suspicious look before plunging headfirst into the pensive, leaving Fudge behind to keep an eye on the prisoner. Because that was what he was, at least until he was cleared.
An hour later Bones surged out of the pensive, eyes wide.
"You need to see this Cornelius," She said, looking at Sirius with a frown. She couldn't believe it, but he'd been telling the truth-Lucius Malfoy had been telling the truth. Once Cornelius saw the memories they would have no choice but to clear Sirius of all charges against him and then start a man-hunt for Peter Pettigrew. She sighed, sitting down at the desk to begin writing up the paper work for Cornelius and herself to sign once the Minister was out of the pensive.
Sirius fidgeted nervously, letting Lucius lay a calming hand on his shoulder as the two watched the pensive. Amelia had emerged from the pensive with an unreadable expression and was now writing furiously at the desk. Finally, what felt like hours later, Fudge emerged gasping from the pensive.
"He-He-He-" he stammered, staring at Sirius and Lucius doing a fair impression of a fish out of water before he managed to pull himself together.
"You're innocent?" He asked, causing Lucius to arch his eyebrow. "I mean he's innocent," Fudge stated, trying to pull himself together.
"Yes I am," Sirius said, Lucius nodding in agreement.
"I can't believe it," Fudge murmured, falling into his chair, recently vacated by Amelia and poured himself a small glass of fire whiskey. Amelia pushed the paper in front of him, handing the man the quill before pinning Sirius with an apologetic look.
"I, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, do hereby clear you, Sirius Orion Black, of all charges brought against you by the Ministry of Magic and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Cornelius said, signing his signature with a flourish. "You will also be awarded a sum of galleons which will be calculated, in order to make reparations for your time spent in Azkaban," he added, with a small frown.
"Please send any paperwork to my lawyer," Lucius stated. "He'll review the case and make sure the amount is deemed fair." Fudge nodded, Amelia looked slightly put out, but she couldn't disagree; Sirius had been wrongly imprisoned, without a trial, for twelve years.
"I would like to apologize for this...mess," she said, grimacing at the word mess. It really made light of the whole situation. Judging by the twin sneers shot in her direction, both men found the word just as undesirable as she did.
"We'll be in contact," Lucius drawled, inclining his head to the pair before sweeping out of the room, Sirius on his heels, shooting a pleased look over his shoulder at the Minister and Amelia.
As soon as they were free of the office and heading to the main floos, Sirius let out an excited 'whoop' and commenced dancing around, much to Lucius' horror.
"I'm free!" The Dog animagus cheered, ignoring the looks shot his direction by various ministry-goers. Lucius resisted the urge to slap his forehead and groan, instead he continued on his route, using his patented Malfoy glare to terrify people staring at the slightly crazed man still dancing in his wake. Finally he made it to the floos and he and Sirius were on their way to Malfoy Manor where Sirius immediately headed to Grimmauld place to find Moony and tell him everything.
Collapsing in a chair in the family room, calling for wine as his wife and Tom shot him amused glances. Finally, once he had drained his glass of red, he filled the pair in, glowering at them when they laughed as he explained Sirius' uncouth behaviour in the wake of his freedom.
"He was always the so-called 'white' sheep of the Black family," Narcissa said, hiding her smile behind her hand since Lucius still looked less then amused with Sirius' antics.
-Blood-
As the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station at Hogsmead, Draco nudged Orion awake and helped him into his robe; he knew he should have woken his younger brother earlier, however he knew Orion needed the sleep after not getting any the night before.
Finally the pair made their way off of the train, joining the throngs of students who had gone home for the holidays as they made their way towards the line of carriages. Surrounded by familiar faces, Orion felt a small smile tug at the corners of his lips.
For once he didn't feel scared. After everything that had happened over Christmas with Bellatrix, he felt better, a lot more confident then he had felt in awhile. After the summer, he had always felt so unsure about everything; however after surviving Bellatrix and realizing that his bravery and stubbornness was still there, even if it was hidden under all his uncertainty, had given him a boost of confidence.
He could defend himself, he could learn how to use magic with his left hand and he would make his family proud. He knew he'd always have to deal with the over protectiveness of his entire family, extended included, but he sort of enjoyed it (though he now knew he could handle himself and that feeling pleased him immensely).
Still smiling, he clambered into the carriage, ignoring Draco's questioning look, not wanting to get into everything with their friends in the carriage. Plus he sort of doubted Draco would understand the realization he had just had. The older blond, Slytherin to the bone of course, would just argue that Orion didn't need to be able to look after himself- he was a Malfoy and a Slytherin after all and had tons of people watching his back.
Orion, of course understood that, but he wanted to be able to protect and defend himself. He had enemies at the school in the form of his former friends, the Headmaster and even some of the Professors. Even if Umbridge was gone, he wanted to be able to handle himself in any situation that arose; he couldn't always rely on Draco, Severus or the others to come to his defense, nor should he have to.
-Blood-
Orion flopped down on one of the large, leather couches in Slytherin Common Room. Dinner had been interesting, as usual. Gryffindors had glared, Dumbledore had given a weird speech and announced that a new Defense teacher had been found and would be arriving later that week, until then Defense class periods could be used as a study block.
Many students groaned at that announcement, especially those students who were taking their OWLs or NEWTs that year. Orion, personally, wasn't worried; the extra study time would be useful in beginning to train his left hand at wand work and to work on his writing skills. He had practiced a bit over Christmas, but he wasn't going to say no to any extra practice time.
"So who do you think it is?" Pansy asked, settling next to Orion and looking around the others.
"Who?" Blaise asked curiously from his seat opposite her.
"The new defense teacher," Pansy said, rolling her eyes at Blaise, the 'duh' clearly implied by her scathing look.
"Oh," Blaise muttered, "no idea, guess we'll found out in a week." He added with a shrug. Pansy's face pinched, clearly annoyed at Blaise's response.
"I know that," She drawled. "Still it would be nice to know who's taking over the class, you'd think with all the connections of Slytherin house we'd have some idea who it was," she added, shooing a look around the Common Room.
Draco chuckled at Pansy's annoyed glower, as if her eyes could somehow leech their secrets from them.
"Do you know?" She asked Draco, eyes shining. Pansy was like a dog with a bone when it came to something she didn't know and she wouldn't let up until she found out.
"No," Draco said with a frown. "Father probably knows though, I could owl and ask him."
"Why does it matter? Like Blaise said we'll find out in a week," Orion piped up. "Just use the study period to study defense and you'll be fine," he added, resisting the urge to blush as all eyes landed on him.
"But what if it's a teacher who favours Gryffindors? Or is like Umbridge and doesn't teach us anything!" Pansy wailed.
"Then talk to Professor Snape, he agreed to teach you guys defense privately if things continued poorly with Umbridge. I'm sure he'll uphold that promise if the new Professor is equally bad," Orion said, rolling his eyes lightly.
Pansy looked thoughtful before nodding and letting the subject drop. None of them were naive enough to believe that she would let the matter drop entirely, but she would for the remainder of the evening at least.
Finally the group rose, quietly heading to their own dormitory rooms, needing to get some sleep before the busy day tomorrow. The only bonus was that for Orion, his first class was supposed to have been defense. Instead he could study or (just this once) perhaps sleep in, though he had gotten a good nap on the train. Dimming the lights, Orion slithered into bed, letting Draco go about his lengthy bedtime routine.
This was the one thing he liked about having his own bedroom at Malfoy Manor, he didn't have to put up with Draco's 'primping' as Pansy and Narcissa called it.
"Stop rolling your eyes brat. Skin and hair care is very important," Draco called from the bathroom.
"For women perhaps!" Orion called back, snuggling into his blankets, smiling as Night jumped on the bed, butting him in the chin before curling up on his pillow.
"I am not a woman!" Draco hissed, sticking his head out of the shared bathroom, his face slathered in some white cream.
"Uh huh," Orion deadpanned, ducking his head to keep from giggling at the sight. Draco just huffed and disappeared back into the washroom, shutting the door loudly behind him. Inside he could be heard grumbling about annoying little brothers and the importance of hygiene.
A/N:
Some people have complained about how weak Orion is, or that this is really just a 'sick Harry story'. I'm sorry that you feel this way, that is not what I intended with this story. However, this chapter is sort of a turning point in that behaviour, after New Years, Orion learned some things and has a bit of a backbone. Please keep in mind that Orion has been through some fairly traumatic experiences and isn't going to be '100%' again for quite some time. With that being said (ranted) I hope you guys enjoy this update!