Thank you all so much for your kind reviews. I honestly have been overwhelmed with the response that this story has received. I hope you all enjoy this new chapter.
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She knew he would be annoyed in the morning when he realized what she had done, but as she watched Sirius fall asleep on one of the beds in the hospital wing she knew it was what he really needed. The man had been dead on his feet and she could detect a slight odor of firewhiskey that needed to be addressed. She would see to it that that nonsense was taken care in the days coming but for now she was content that he was resting at last. Even if such rest only came because she persuaded Madame Pomphrey to slip him a sleeping draft.
She left him to his slumber and went and seated herself on the window ledge next to the young man who so resembled her James. It made her heart ache to know that he was gone, but it broke her even more that he never got to truly live and know the joy of watching his child grow. He might have been reckless and cheekier than a monkey on a cheering charm but she knew he would have made a wonderful father.
As she looked at Harry and saw so much of her son in him, but she also saw some of her Charlus and even her in him as well. She didn't say anything at first, she simply stroked her hand through that famously untamable Potter hair and looked at him. She saw him doing the exact same as her when his eyes met hers, she saw him look her over and a thousand questions all fighting to be asked at once die before they reached his lips. "You can ask me anything you want, Harry. I am sure you have questions and are more than likely angry, hurt and confused so ask me."
"Where were you when, well when everything happened? Why didn't you come and claim me, and how do you look almost the same age as Sirius and Remus?" Harry was unsure of this woman, and Professor Dumbledore had not explained much before aurors had come back to the school needing his attention. He had started explaining the prophecy and what it meant but not much on how his grandmother was alive. His friends were all asleep in the hospital wing and so he had been left with his own thoughts and confusion for the last few hours.
Dorea shifted so that she was facing him more now, and she longed to take him in her arms and hug him but she knew, just with a look, he would not welcome it. "I was doing something for the order, something that only a female of the Black family could have done. As you know the war started when your father was just a teenager. It was small things at first, strange disappearances and votes in the wizengamot becoming slowly more archaic.
"When I lost your Grandfather Charlus, I was lost and convinced that it had been set up. I loved that man far more than was sane, but from the age of sixteen, I knew he was the one for me. Brave and reckless and entirely too charming, he could have had any girl in the school but I was determined to make him mine, so I did." She smiled wistfully, her gray eyes soft as she looked at her Grandson. "We caused quite the scandal, me running off to marry him almost gave my father a stroke. And when my Charlus died it felt as though some had blown a hole through my chest that I could never heal.
"So I did anything Albus and the order needed, James was away at school and my life without Charlus was empty. I did things that I am not proud of, and I made some of the worst decisions of my life. James was so young, only around your age when Charlus was killed. He had been working on a case, a wizard had reported his wife and small children were missing. Your Grandfather thought there was something suspicious about it, and he was right, the wizard had been abusive to his wife and children.
"They had fled in the middle of the night to escape him, and Charlus found her and them staying in a small muggle flat, the eldest child had a broken arm that had been incorrectly healed so he had taken them all to St Mungo's and issued a call for the husband's arrest."
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment "One of the healers had been working on an experimental treatment for dragonpox and had been moving some of the vials he had collected for storage when they had tripped and smashed every sample. Your grandfather being the man that he was, tried to help and ended up breathing in a fatal dosage of the infectious gas.
"He died only three hours later in my arms and a large part of me wanted to die with him. But I couldn't leave James an orphan, not when he needed me more than ever." Her voice was hollow as she spoke, and she took a deep steadying breath, looking first at Harry and then looking at Sirius on reflex, silently thankful that she hadn't lost him as well.
"So I begged Albus to give me something, anything to do to tear me from my grief. I started to research my family's history and the magics that were unique to it. There was a reason Old Voldewort targeted those he could in my family and the order needed to know why." She grinned as she saw the shocked look on Harry's face at the nickname before continuing.
"They had tortured Sirius to try and make him join them and he would have had to offer something incredible to have Orion part with his son and heir. Orion was the one that brought Sirius to my home, tortured and almost dead, and he didn't look much better. I don't think Sirius even remembers that he was so weak for weeks after what they had done to him. Orion, his father was killed not a month later, and he never changed his will, so Sirius remained his son and heir, which makes him Lord Black."
She shook her head and sighed. "Sirius hated that title, spurned it and did everything he could to try and escape it. It took me months so convince him not to change his name and lose everything he was entitled to. Stubborn reckless little lion cub." She smiled fondly at the memory of him defiantly denying who he was, and the fierce debates they had where she would verbally back him into a corner and watch him struggle with who he thought he was meant to be.
"While I was talking into being Lord Black I discovered many things, some of it quite alarming. Like the reason, the Plague was nicknamed the Black plague was because of one of my idiotic forefathers. And also that the Black family has more daughters than sons for a very specific reason. Daughters back then were expendable, we cost them gold and did nothing to continue the family line.
"So twice a century three daughters would disappear, and with some research and a lot of blackmailing my nitwitted nephews, I found out what happened. They would be placed in what the family referred to as the sanctuary. There their magic and life forces would be sapped until they were no more. Thus ensuring that should anything happen to the Lord of the house or his heir, one would be brought back in order to continue the line.
"I thought it foul and disgusting and if I hadn't have run off and married Charlus that could have been my fate as well. With Orion dead and Regulus having been presumed dead I started to realize that time was coming again, and that Cygnus' daughters were meant to have been placed in there too. Cygnus had been wounded during a duel some ten years passed and had never had a living son, and Sirius was the last male left of the family. If something happened to him, which was looking more and more likely with each passing day, the Black family would be no more."
She turned her head to watch Sirius sleeping soundly and smiled, he might not have been her son by birth, but he was hers by choice. "He's furious with me for saving him, and I only wish I could have done the same for my James." She met his confused gaze and with her wand traced a series of runes in the air between them. Some were Black and sizzled, others were pure white and shone so bright they almost hurt to look at. "My ancestor Arctus Leonidas Black performed a blood rite that tied the fate of the Black house to that of Black magic itself. He did it thinking that our family would never die out, but instead created a way to end dark magic. All you had to do was kill us off and wait for the bloodline to die.
"Well I am sure you are thinking that can't be a bad thing, dark magic certainly lives up to its name and people do many evil things with it. But they also do some amazing things with it. Almost all healing magic when it is cast is dark magic because you are seeking to destroy or purge the source of the illness. If we suddenly couldn't do those things anymore, thousands would suffer needlessly, all those spells that keep our society a secret from the muggles would fail and chaos would undoubtedly ensue.
"I'd like to think that we would find a way past it, learn to live in a coexisting society with muggles but our magic would be forever unbalanced. Not to mention all the old families would probably have kittens about their houses suddenly being unwarded. As amusing as that would be in some cases, with families like the Notts that could be dangerous. Thoros Nott wouldn't need dark magic to commit mass genocide of any unsuspecting muggles that wanted to look around the castle that appeared out of thin air." Her lips curled in disgust just thinking about that lecherous old fool.
"I think Voldemort wanted to replicate that kind of magic for himself, but instead of using bloodlines he would use the loyalty of his followers to keep him alive. He probably hoped it would make him live forever and was convinced he could replicate it in a far more useful manner for his purposes. So I became the sacrifice, deaged myself so that I would be young enough to survive the process and then I altered what I was doing. Instead of letting it kill me, I put myself in a state of neither living nor dead. I made a link between myself and Albus so that if Sirius survived and the war was over he could call me from my slumber. He was the only one that knew I was still alive, and he and I will be having many words about the fact that you were orphaned and he chose to leave me there."
The last words were said with a bite and Harry looked at her in shock. "Don't let those twinkling blue eyes of his fool you darling, he's as sneaky as a Slytherin when he wants to be, and he will pay for making that decision." He laughed for the first time and Dorea's heart hurt when she heard it, he might look like her James but he had Charlus' laugh. Without thinking, she reached out and wrapped her hand around his. "I am so sorry I wasn't here when you needed me, but I hope I can make it right with you somehow. I would love to get to know you, maybe even be a part of your life."
She pulled out a rather ornate golden locket from under her shirt and lifted the chain off over her head and passed it to him. "There are a few pictures in there I am sure you'd love to see, your parents, the boys when they were young, and your Grandfather as well. I am sure you hear a lot that you look like James, but my word, you sound like my Charlus so very much. He would have adored you, darling." She wiped an errant tear from her eye and swallowed back all that emotion that was threatening to spill forth from her.
"Who's the baby swaddled in pink?" Harry asked, looking at the pudgy little face snore softly in their sleep, their little hand stroking the soft pink blanket. It was opposite of a picture he guessed was his grandfather, graying black beard and messy hair so familiar to that he saw in the mirror every day. He was laughing and Harry couldn't help but think he looked like a young Santa Claus.
Dorea looked over at the image and smiled, even as inside she ached. "That would be my daughter, who isn't all that much older than you. I conceived her after your Grandfather with a married man I had no right to be near. But I was lonely and he was handsome and charming and so terribly easy to open up to that I found myself giving into him when I knew better."
She laughed at his shocked face and tapped one of the runes with her finger when she noticed the little blonde girl start to stir. At Harry's curious look she explained. "It's a silencing rune, this and a few of the others here are keeping our conversation private. And by the look on your face, I am guessing you didn't take ancient runes. I could teach you if you'd like." When he nodded she smiled.
"Another time, maybe when there aren't sleeping children around. Now I kept my pregnancy secret, I had committed myself to maintaining the family magic and there was no one who could take my place unless I wanted to kidnap some of my young cousins and well, murder isn't something I will ever endorse. I couldn't burden James, he was so young and if he knew what I planned he would fight me against it, offer himself up instead. I would not hand her over to her father, his wife is well, psychotic would be an understatement to describe her. So I decided she would need to be hidden.
"I was having lunch in Oxford with Augusta Longbottom and a few other friends when I saw a young couple, clearly muggle and obviously heartbroken so I listened in. They had just lost another child and the doctors had told them they would never have another. Having been told the same before I had James I knew just how soul destroying that could be. So I looked into them, found out everything I could and when the time came I visited their home. Giving them my daughter almost destroyed my very soul but it breathed life back into them. They were so happy and a simple charm hid the information that she wasn't theirs until I could come back and claim her."
Harry found himself reaching across and taking his grandmother's hand without realizing it. He squeezed her hand and could see from the far away look in her eyes just how much it had hurt her to have to make that decision. "Why?" he asked. When she looked confused Harry continued. "Why did you have to hide her? I know you didn't like his wife but surely her father could have..?"
Dorea was vehemently shaking her head "No. No, I couldn't do that Harry. You might as well know as you will undoubtedly learn soon enough. My daughter, her father was not someone the order or well, you would approve of. Her father belongs to an old family, one with a rather notorious reputation even in my day. Her father is Rodolphus Lestrange and it's a rather a long story as to how it came about. Let's just say the order needed information and well, it was well known he couldn't stand his wife and was lonely and I wasn't above taking a deaging potion and seducing it out of him. So no I couldn't give her to her father. He isn't as terrible as some of the others but I didn't want her anywhere near those fanatics."
"I kind of understand why you did what you did, I even think saving Sirius was a good thing, I just wish I would have had someone when I was growing up instead of…" Harry trailed off looking at his feet and trying not to get lost in those hopes of what if. He was scared to admit that knowing who she was, she wouldn't want him or something would happen and he would be left with the Dursleys. He was startled when he felt arms go around him and he was pulled into a hug. He hesitantly hugged his Grandmother back and tried not to tremble.
"I don't know what happened when I was gone, Sirius told me a little and what he told me has me wanting to find your aunt and uncle and hex them senseless. Say the word and it will be done, after all, what are Grandma's for?" She gave her best sneer, but her smile ruined it. "I'll also need to air out the family home, Potter Hollow and get you a room all set up. I could set you up in James' old room but I think you'd prefer something of your own." She trailed off when she felt tears begin to soak her shirt and kissed the top of his head, holding him tighter and rocking him in her arms the way she would when Sirius would have panic attacks after she took him in.
"My darling boy" she whispered into his hair and let her own tears and self-loathing take hold of her. He might forgive her, but she would never quite forgive herself for missing so much of his life as well as her daughters. Albus Dumbledore was going to look at Alastor Moody with envy by the time she got through with that old goat.