Oh My Goodness, firstly I just have to say thank you! I was not expecting the response that I have received from you all which has been nothing but positive. You have all made my day. The next few chapters will be snapshot scenes of what happened between the events in the department of mysteries and Hermione meeting Dorea in Dumbledore's office. Enjoy.
Disclaimer... I own nothing, but I do adore a death-eater tale.
The ministry of Magic - Aurors office.
"Alastor Moody I don't care if I did not give birth to him, I have raised him since he was eleven years old so don't you dare say that I am not his mother one more time." Mad-eye Moody eyed Dorea Potter Nee Black as though at any second she would sprout wings and start spewing fire at him and his colleagues. "He is mine and you are not taking him anywhere, the minister of magic has in just five minutes of meeting the man, shown what a spineless yellow-bellied toad that he is. You think I can't lead him around like scalded hound until I get my way Alastor?"
She eyed the aging auror like one would eye a bug that had dared to enter a clean room. "My son stays with me and I have no intention of ever being taken into Auror custody. I know the wizarding laws like the back of my hand. Or have you forgotten my Charlus had to die for you to get your current position?"
"Mada… Lady Potter as the wife of a former auror surely you must know that there are protocols that we have to follow. I understand the circumstances but.." Alastor was fighting to maintain his patience, it seemed his old friend Albus had kept a secret he would have preferred to be in upon as dealing with an irate Dorea was not something he was ever fond of doing.
"But nothing Alastor. You either release my son or I will personally drag every member of the wizengamot from their feather beds until they call for your head for being so incompetent. Now go and get the pardon forms so I can get to Hogwarts and check on the wellbeing of my Grandson or so help me, I will not be held responsible for what I do next." Her eyes blazed with untamed fury and the promise of swift retribution. "Dorea.." Alastor pleaded and she aimed her wand at his chest. "Don't Dorea me Alastor Moody, start a fire under the arses of your lazy underlings and get the paperwork sorted so that I can have my son back. He almost died today and I will be severely annoyed if you keep stalling." When he didn't move fast enough, she plastered a pleasant smile on her face and started walking from the room, smiling at Sirius and winking as she passed him.
"Dorea where are you going?" She heard Alastor call after her. She didn't halt her steps, instead, she carried on walking and called over her shoulder.
"Why to talk to the press, of course, there's a blonde curly haired little chit I can see from here that looks to be positively dying for an exclusive. How about I give her one. Just think of the headlines. 'Ministry incompetence sees the department of mysteries invaded by You know Who.' 'Miscarriage of Justice sees an innocent man convicted of murder'. Or how about my favorite, 'Grieving mother forced to watch as sons face further abuse from thugs at the ministry of magic.' Oh, I do like that one, run alongside images of all those children who were apparated back to Hogwarts on stretchers because the auror office is now incapable of completing the simplest of tasks."
"Dorea stop! I understand that you are upset but certain things need to be confirmed before we can just let him waltz out of here, including where you have been for the last seventeen years." Moody was now red-faced as his anger finally got the better of him.
He spun Dorea to face him and winced when she sent a stinging hex his way for daring to lay a finger on her. "I am not leaving him here with you, and I have a grandson who has recently been traumatized to get back to. Or did you forget the only parent he has ever known died before his eyes today! My son James and his wife Lily are dead because of this institutions corruption and ineptitude so if you think for a second I will leave Sirius with you, you have lost your mind.
"Where I have been and how I have come back is none of yours or the ministry's business. I am not some errant child to be scalded and you will remember who you are talking to!" Her chest was heaving as she screamed in his battle-scarred face and she saw from the corner of her eye many of the DMLE (Department of Magical Law Enforcement) aurors stare in shock as she made the famous auror cower before her. "Now get off your lazy backside and release my son and do not make me repeat myself again."
"Dorea you know I have to wait for the wizengamot before I do anything and I have several wizards that I need to process for transfer to Azkaban." Moody had taken a step back from the raven haired witch clearly remembering for the first time why he and his colleagues had feared the Potter family, it wasn't the Patriarch of the house but the woman before him who was the driving force of their ruthless reputation.
"You are getting on my last nerve Alastor. Get the bouncy pink haired witch who is pulling faces at my son to process even more men to enter Azkaban without a trial whilst you work on releasing my son. Or I will call every wizarding newspaper agency in the world and tell them everything your spineless Minister is rushing around destroying evidence of. Like abuse of minors, illegal methods of detainment perhaps?"
She placed her hands on her hips and looked very much like the viper playing with the mouse before she killed it as she smiled once more. "In fact, if memory serves me, the Abbott family still own shares in the The New York Ghost newspaper and I am sure they will be more than happy to help me get the story of the ministry's ineptitude and gross mis-justices to the masses.
"I could even pay for one to be delivered to every wizarding household in Europe from my private accounts and barely feel the pinch in order to get the word out. The Matriarch Rosemary is a dear friend after all and will be more than happy to help me keep my family safe from ministry thugs. Her son's businesses are all based overseas of course so threats to his business would be ill conceived. She always did have a soft spot for Sirius, he charmed her every year at my New Year's ball after all." When Alastor continued to stare at her with a dumbfounded expression she could have sworn she heard the pink haired witch giggling that she broke 'Mad-eye'.
No witch or wizard moved an inch as they waited to see who would win the argument between the Old auror and the formidable witch. With a curse, Moody began shouting orders for her son to be released and Dorea moved back to sit beside Sirius, taking his hand once more as she did so. Her son was shaking and when she met his gaze she could see he was holding back the laughter that threatened to bubble forth. "That was cruel" he muttered, still trying and failing to completely stem the laughter bubbling up inside him.
"Cruel or not dear boy, they will never lay a hand on my children ever again. Now tell me more about my grandson, everything you know dear and I will tell you all about the night I gave into my urges and let a man young enough to be my son have his way with me." She laughed at the look of horror that filled his features and kissed his underfed cheek. "Tell me or I will give you far too many details that you will never have sex again for fear of the mental images it would conjure."
Her eyes met those of the eavesdropping pink haired witch before laughter erupted. Her sons cry of "Tonks don't you dare" brought on more than a few stares and she grinned wickedly. "Tell me about Harry, Sirius."...