Basic Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its affiliates.
Shout out to my first ever reviewer lala, thanks so much for the review. I'm definitely gonna try for longer chapters than the first, and gonna try to update every week or so, depending on how much time i have. Not all Chapters will be this long, but I really wanted this piece to come out all together. That's also why it took so long.
A warm sunny day, Late Summer 1963
"Sirius, Where are you! This isn't funny!"
Orion Black is not the type of man to be easily frazzled, he is a powerful Dark wizard, the Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and a 12-time Dueling Champion and Master of Marital Magic. But his firstborn son is missing, his house's heir, his Bright Star, somewhere here, in the thrice-damned backwaters of Knockturn Alley, and the stupid injury that had ended his dueling career, and nearly taken off his leg, is slowing him down even with the assistance of the damned cane.
"Sweet Nimue, fucking help me", Orion half-prayed, half-cursed under his breath. If anything happened to his son he'd never forgive himself, and he was sure Walburga would use his body as kindling to burn the entire Alley to the ground, preferably with him still alive through it all. Getting the Aurors would take ages and a mountain of paperwork, even with a child missing. Lucretia's nephews had been reported missing for over six hours before the ministry had even attempted to go looking for them, luckily the little brats had only found their way into the back of a sweets shop and eaten themselves into a sweets sleep. He didn't have that option or the time in a place like Knockturn Alley.
"Sirius, your mother will be worried sick if we don't get home soon!", Orion attempted to call his son again, for what felt like the thousandth time in the last few minutes. Nothing he had done so far had brought him any closer to his son.
Intent as he was on finding Sirius, Orion didn't pay much attention to the sound of a nearby shop door opening and closing again. After all, the wards on all the buildings in the alley ensured wandering children couldn't get in. They were used to keep young scoundrels from picking pockets or filching merchandise, but they also meant Sirius couldn't have gone in any of the shops without an escort. And the Black Family ring Sirius always wore ensured nobody escorted his son anywhere, the curses layered into the Heir's ring were devastating to anyone who meant ill-will to its possessor.
"Lord Black, what brings you this far down the Alley in such a hurry?"
Said Lord turned to face the familiar voice of Herman Burke, his cheeky cousin of slightly lower standing, whose personality grated on Orion on the best of days and whom appeared to be exiting a small nondescript store. It bore no outward markings to announce exactly what type of business was done there. Few stores this far down the Alley had any, you either knew what you were looking for or you kept your business to yourself.
Lord Black sized up his cousin, questioning if he meant any harm, before determining that he was as close to an help as Orion was going to get. Plus, their families were on good terms and Herman was half a Black himself, so it was doubtful the man would cross him.
"Sirius, my son, has wandered off and I can't find him anywhere. Have you seen him come through here?" Orion questioned the man, though he held no true hope that his cousin had seen his errant son. The only reason Orion knew to look down this part of the alley was because a passing hag had been willing to trade the information in return for his studded cufflinks. Which she had wanted for earrings, of all things.
The boy had somehow slipped out of Ointments and Unguents, a store that sold salves and external potions, when Orion had gone farther into the store to look at some of the bathing potions his wife favored, one of Walburga's few simple pleasures. Said store also happened to be the only place in London that Orion could get the Dark Relief Salve, the only legal and approved potion that could be used for the debilitating curse scar on his leg. It could not completely cover the pain the scar caused, but it did make Orion's leg functional, which was as good as he was going to get. The healers had been adamant about the fact that they had only just been able to save his leg and there was no amount of healing that could undo the damage done. There were other potions of course, that could take away all the pain, but they all had adverse side-effects and/or caused addiction, neither of which Orion was willing to risk.
"Apologies Cousin, I can't say I have." Burke started to reply before seeming to pause and think, "Though, you might try Old Lawny down the way, she runs the pub, the one with the sign for palm readings."
"You want me to ask some fraud Seer where my son is?" Orion asked incredulously. He was barely restraining his urge to throttle the man, his cousin was mad if he thought that a palm reading would get him any closer to his son. Old Lawney was a barmy old bat, everyone knew that entire family rode on the coattails of Cassandra, an old witch who was a Seer, but had disappeared years ago.
Shaking his head, Burke remarked, "It's true she's not much of a Seer, but the witch seems to know everything that happens down this neck of the alley. Throw her a bit of gold and you'll find your son in no time I suspect." Burke appeared to eye his cousin warily. Orion imagined his appearance was less than inviting, he'd been looking for his son for 15 minutes already, he was perspiring, as the day was uncharacteristically sunny and warm, and he'd kicked up the filth of the Alley in his haste; at best he looked disheveled, though he'd bet he was leaning more towards half-mad. Blessedly, perhaps due to some long dormant instinct or perhaps because Orion's magic was starting to spark along his cane, Burke seemed to realise that his cousin was not in the mood to deal with him. So with some lame excuses and a hasty, "Good day cousin", he fled up the alley and away from the Black lord.
Turning and heading as fast as he could down the alley again, Orion quickly found himself at what appeared to be Old Lawney's pub, a battered up building with a palm reading sign, which had an inner eye that seemed to follow him as he neared the door. Pushing down the leery feeling of being watched he entered the small heavily-scented shop.
"Welcome, my child. I have been expecting you."
The Lord Black could easily say he was less than impressed with the witch that stood behind the counter of the pub. She appeared to be middle-aged with a low whisper-hoarse voice garbed in poorly matched fake 'Gypsy' dress. No true Romani Wix would dress so ridiculously, Orion knew, having dueled several during competitions on the continent. They had favored fire and song-spells and often cast in pigeon tongues that were damn near impossible to understand. Yes, Orion remembered those little pyromancer pyromaniacs well. And while the pub reeked as though something wretched was burning, it was more likely the mix of the incense and the smoking pipe the witch had laid on the counter, which smelled a little too sweet to be just tobacco or herb, rather than a love of fire magicks.
"I was told that you were the person to see for information," Orion attempted to inquire as he made his way to the counter, but the stress and agitation leaking into his voice made the question sound off.
"Oh yes, of course. Come let's have a look. What will it be? I'm known for my work with hands, but I also have cards or perhaps a crystal ball is more to your liking, my dear?" The witch asked, gesturing to the items in question as she did. Orion bit down both the quip of Shouldn't you already know which one i'd choose? and the need to sneer at the witch's use of such a familiar term.
Fishing into the inner breast pocket of his robe Orion pulled out an unmarked velvet drawstring bag, kept precisely for those times when he needed to bribe someone such as now, and clapped it on the table. It was filled with enough coin to set the witch up nicely for the next three months, at the very least. "None of that," he retorted, attempting to remain somewhat civil, but ultimately failing, "I believe my son Sirius has come down this way. He's nearly four, dark haired and grey-eyed. He was wearing a royal blue outer robe and dragonhide boots. Have. You. Seen. Him?" The last part came out with a tendrel of Orion's martial magic laced into the words, leaving behind a distinct feeling of aggression and unease in the air. Invoking magic into words that weren't spells was a trick all Blacks were taught at a young age, it allowed them to control the flow of a conversation better, or just assert their power and authority.
Old Lawney eyed the drawstring bag on the counter before snatching it up and making it disappear into the folds of her clothing. "The boy ran past here about 20 minutes ago, he slipped out the Jameson Gate. You'll find it by going down the path between the store with the red lantern and the one with the cat statue with the glowing green eyes in the window. Fair warning though, that path leads to Muggle territory," She warned.
"My Thanks," Lord Black threw over his shoulder as he hurried for the door, his mother would have beaten him for such impropriety, then again she'd have beaten him for half the things that had happened today.
Merlin's Balls. Muggle London. His Bright Star was lost somewhere in Muggle London. On the plus side, a location spell would work after he was out of the Magical side of London, the only thing keeping it from working now was the wards that kept all things magical hidden. And the Jameson Gate was in Black Territory. On the down side, his son had been in the Muggle world for over 20 minutes. Muggles might not be hunting wix in this day and age but that didn't make their world less dangerous. He knew well enough about Automobiles, Muggle versions of the Knight Bus, and Guns. Plus, with or without magic there were still those people in the world who were merely Monsters playing at being Man.
Finding the shops Old Lawney had told him about, Orion had headed down the little path that ran between them. At first the little way had looked like any poorly-lit, dingy old back alley, but after about a minute of hobbling down the cobblestone he had felt the magical barrier give way allowing him through. In its place he found himself in a slightly better lit but equally dingy muggle alleyway. Checking to make sure he was completely out of the barrier, Lord Black lifted his arm into an arc, before twirling his hand and throwing his arm down in a concise motion, mumbling a location spell incantation as he did. He could not reasonably walk around muggle London with his wand out however, this particular spell would work with his wand still in its holster up his sleeve. Instead of pointing him were he needed to go, his wand would nudge his arm in the right direction, leading him without anyone who might see him any the wiser.
Exiting the alley and following his wands subtle hints to head what appeared to be southeast, Orion was thankful to realise that the Modification charms enchanted into his clothes were holding up. As he walked his outer robes changed into an overcoat and his clothing shifted into a slightly stuffy muggle suit, the change missed by any who might see it thanks to the built in Notice Me Not that activated when the Modification charm did. Such features had cost a small fortune to have added to his clothing, still he had had all of his attire, and Walburga's, and Sirius's, and even Regulus's baby clothes, fitted with them and several other protective measures.
Hurrying along the sidewalk as fast as he could with his leg throbbing and burning as it was, Orion took stock of his surroundings. The Jameson Gate had been in place for centuries, a gateway between the Magical Market (as the alleys were once called) and the Jameson Estate, the lavish home of a once-wealthy once-magical family. The last magical Jameson had warded down the estate, ensuring his non-magical kin could never attain the house, and after his death the house had fallen into the hands of another family, and then another, and so on until it had reached the House of Black. The Jameson Estate was one of several properties that made up the Black Family's lands in London, it lay no more than 7 or 8 kilometers from Grimmauld Place. (In fact, Orion could feel his house's magic wafting on the air, it was likely that Sirius had sought out the familiar magic.) And while the Estate was kept in pristine condition, and hidden from muggles, like all Black properties, the surrounding neighborhood was not in such good condition. Several businesses were boarded up and some of the buildings appeared condemned.
Rounding a corner, Orion noticed a small gated wooded park ahead, which from the buzzing of his wand was were his son was at. Relief washed through him, his son would soon be home and safe and this hellish day could finally end. He was almost to the park when he heard someone start shouting and the obvious sounds of a fight.
He had just made it into the park when he heard a child's voice over the din, "No! NO DON'T!" That was his son's voice! Bursting through the undergrowth Orion came upon a scene that would come to haunt him for years to come.
Ointments and Unguents 10 minutes before Orion finds Sirius missing
Sirius Black was having a nice day. He'd woken up early and gotten to spend time with Regulus, something he rarely got to do with all his lessons and priorities. The whole family had been at breakfast for once. He'd even been allowed to put blueberries on top of his pancakes, despite lemon and sugar being the 'proper way to eat pancakes' as his Grandmother Irma always said. Then to top it all off Father had requested he come with him to pick up some things in London. Mother had even excused the governess for the day, choosing to take Regulus to visit Uncle Cygnus and his family. Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa did love to dote on little Reggie, who was still in the cute baby stage.
So here Sirius was in a shop down Knockturn Alley with Father. They'd already been to a few other stores to get writing supplies, basic potions ingredients, and owl treats for Hermes, the family's melanistic barn owl. His father had already sent all their purchases back to the house via magic, as he couldn't carry around the excess weight on his injured leg. He could have used magic to carry their purchases, but shrinking and putting a featherlight charm on something wasn't the best idea, sometimes the items fell out of your pockets or got stolen or on one memorable occasion a wizard forgot about a charmed cauldron in his pocket only to set off Gringott's alarms as he entered the bank, the man ended up being escorted to the aurors at spear point.
The little shop they were in wasn't very fun, though some of the potions in the jars looked interesting. Some sparked or sparkled, others seemed to glow, still others seemed to continuously move about swirling to and fro in their glass prisons. The potion his father had come for was a thick sort of paste that seemed to eat the light around it, or maybe it glowed darkness, Sirius wasn't sure. He did know that it smelled sharp and made the air around it taste wrong. Sirius had seen Father apply the paste to his leg every morning since he'd returned from St. Mungos after the Incident, which had happened not long after Regulus was born.
Lord Black purchased a few of the potions in question then went with the owner further into the store, leaving his son up front with a young attendant, Jacob, who looked to be one of the owner's relatives. Bored, the attendant decided to strike up a conversation with the Black Heir.
"So you're the Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, huh?" the young man asked.
"Yes, I'm Sirius Orion Black, Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black." Sirius replied, he had not missed the tone the older boy had used when addressing his house.
"Heard there was another one of you, that true?" the attendant asked, a flash of mischief in his eyes.
"I have a younger brother, Regulus, if that's what your asking." Sirius returned, not liking the way the older was speaking to him or the questioning going on.
"An Heir and A Spare, then huh? Your Parents must be mighty proud. Heard all your cousins were girls." Jacob remarked, a cruel smile pulling at his lips. He didn't much care for all these holier than thou lords and ladies. Messing with their brats was usually fun though, and if the kid got upset their parents usually got mad at them rather than Jacob himself. Most of the time they wanted their kids seen and not heard, which meant the kids excuses for being upset were ignored in favor of discipline for making a scene in public.
"My Brother is not a Spare! And what's wrong with my cousins being girls? They're Ladies of the House of Black." Sirius shot back, trying to keep his temper. He'd inherited both of his parents tempers, sometimes he'd explode like his father, his magic lashing out and raging, other times he'd simmer, waiting to hurt someone as much as possible like his mother. It was a source of exasperation and endearment for both of his parents.
"Sure he is, anything happens to you he becomes Heir. But, if not, he'll spend his life in your shadow. And your cousins will all grow up and be married off into other families, so they won't even be Black Ladies anymore." Jacob taunted. This kid's back talk was annoying him, but he'd figured out that his brother was his weak spot.
"You don't know anything," Sirius fumed. How dare this pimple-covered bastard talk so callously about his house. He didn't know Sirius's family. And he certainly didn't have any right to judge them.
"Heh, you're not that smart are you kid? Maybe that's why your parents had another kid so quick. They needed to replace you as soon as possible." came the young man's cruel reply. Jacob knew the kid was about to crack, then he'd be free of him and his Lordly father both. He might even get to see the kid get a thrashing, that was always good fun. He just needed to push the kid a little harder, so he started jeering the young Black with anything he thought would upset him, without drawing his father's attention of course, he wasn't suicidal. Orion Black may be a has been Dueling Champion, but he still outclassed Jacob in every way possible.
Sirius did his best to grit through the various taunts that were thrown his way, a Black did not stoop to the level of their lessers. (They did get revenge though. And, Sirius was going to make sure both his parents heard about this young man's interactions with him.) However, Sirius lost his cool after Jacob implied the his aunt and uncle should sacrifice one of their daughters to convince the gods to give them a son.
At that moment two older witches entered the shop. The first made a line for the attendant, effectively distracting Jacob from his game of "Bait the Brat", the second entered the shop a few steps behind. Seizing the opportunity to get away, Sirius slipped around the skirts of the second witch and managed to get out without anyone in the shop the wiser. Sirius launched himself out of the store and ran down the alleys as fast as his legs could take him. Taking turn after turn, Sirius had no clue where he was going, especially with the tears clouding his eyes, but he couldn't stop. He didn't even slow down until he felt the telltale tingling of a magical barrier. Coming to a stop at the mouth of the alley he was in he finally took a look at his surroundings. He was in the muggle world he thought, it certainly looked like a poor rundown version of the street outside his home. He was lost. He tried to turn around and go back through the barrier but couldn't. He was stuck in the muggle world, Mother was going to be furious.
Sirius got an uncomfortable feeling of being watched. Deciding he couldn't just stay in a dirty alley Sirius picked a direction and headed in it. He didn't know what it was, but something in this direction felt right, like the magic that surrounded his family wherever they lived. Maybe he was near home. As he went Sirius felt his clothing shift, a trick his dad had had put on all his clothes, in case he went somewhere in the wrong clothes.
Sirius had been walking for a few minutes when he started to feel like he was being watched again. Picking up his pace he continued onwards. The feeling still persisted, but no matter how hard Sirius looked he couldn't see anyone around. Scared and alone he ran as fast as he could, following the phantom call of the magic in the area, he soon found himself rushing into a gated park. Not paying attention to anything but the magic Sirius ran straight into a man and a girl on a swing. On the bright side, the feeling of being watched by an unknown shadow was gone, now he was just being watched by the two muggles he had nearly collided with.
30 minutes before Orion Black finds the park
It was a beautiful day out, the first one William hadn't had to work in over three weeks. Which meant today he and Hermione were heading to the little wooded park that was just a short walk from their little apartement.
"Daddy, can we swing today" came the little voice of his daughter walking beside him, swinging their conjoined hands back and forth as she went.
"Sure, Pumpkin, if that's what you want," William humored. Every time they went to the park they went through the same routine, Hermione shooting off rapid-fire questions and he or Helen good-naturedly answering them.
"And can we play hide-n-seek?" came Hermione's next question.
"Yes, but you have to stay close by," her father replied. The East End had never been the greatest place, but ever since the factory down the way had shut down people had been getting desperate. And while William didn't think anyone would hurt them, he still felt the need to keep Hermione close. It helped that his daughter refused to hide in any of the underbrush for fear of getting twigs or spiderwebs stuck in her hair.
"Okay, but you have to be it first, i found you last time," Hermione reminded him. She had spent a great deal of time trying to find her father the last time they'd played, before finally finding him hiding behind a log off to the side of the park.
"That's right, you did," William acquiesced, his daughter took taking turns rather seriously. It was rather adorable.
"And can we look for things in the creek?" Hermione loved hunting the little creatures that lived in the little creek and pond in the park. Lizards, salamanders, turtles, frogs, and toads could be found in the area, his daughter had a penchant for catching toads in particular.
"Yes, but we have to be careful not to get too dirty. Or else your Mum will get upset." He stressed to his daughter. They didn't have the type of money to replace Hermione's clothes over pond scum and mud stains.
"I wish Mummy could have come today." His daughter's mood darkened a little with the reminder of her missing parent. Originally Helen was supposed to come with them today, but someone had called off work and Helen had had to cover the shift.
"I do too, Pumpkin, but Mum has to work today. She would want you to have fun though," William reassured his daughter.
Coming to the end of the sidewalk, just across from the park, William stooped down and picked up his daughter and crossed the road. It wasn't that Hermione couldn't cross the street, it was that William didn't trust his neighbors' driving enough to take the time necessary for his daughter's shorter legs to make the trip across. Once they reached the other side he returned his daughter to the ground, who then promptly disappeared into the park. Upon rounding the little decorative gate into the park William found his daughter struggling to pull herself up onto the old double swing set. She had just managed to climb on and get situated by the time her father reached her. Assuming his lauded position of Swing Pusher, William stepped behind his daughter to help her, elsewise she wouldn't actually get off the ground.
Within a few minutes of pushing Hermione had hit the swing's peak height. William had taken to announcing his daughter's achievement in a silly announcers voice, exclamations of "She's getting high, she just might beat the record!", "I've never seen such high swinging before!", and "She's done it! Hermione Granger is the new world swinging champion!" dotted the air, causing his daughter to giggle her head off.
The Grangers were so wrapped up in having a good time neither noticed a young boy enter the park until he neared bowled into William, and Hermione on her back swing. Only several years of rugby training allowed William to maneuver the child out of the way in time to avoid Hermione's high speed descent. Startled by the newcomer, Hermione ground her feet into the grass to halt her on her return and dismounted her swing to get a better look a the boy who had just appeared.
Behind her William still had a hand on the boy who had nearly run into him, a hand that he was pretty sure was the only thing keeping the kid upright. The boy appeared to have dark brown -near black- hair, a tear-stained face, and was wearing a blue coat, what appeared to be snakeskin cowboy boots?, slacks, and a pressed shirt. He also appeared to wearing a fair amount of jewelry; a ring, a pendant necklace, cufflinks, and a brooch of all things glinted in the sun, in fact they looked to be made of real gold and jewels. All-in-all, it was an odd look, especially in this area and weather.
Slowly, William kneeled so as not to startle the boy, who had yet to actually look at either him or his daughter, instead he seemed determined to stare a hole through the ground.
"Hello, are you alright? You came blitzing in here pretty fast. My name's William Granger and this is my daughter Hermione. Are your parents around?" William slowly released his hold on the boy as he attempted to soothe him and hopefully coax some sort of answer out of him. His daughter, who was watching his one-sided exchange with open curiosity, was far more blunt.
"Why are you crying? Are you hurt? Did you stub your toe? Did you get bitten by a rabid squirrel? Did you lose your favorite doll? You're pretty, too pretty, are you a changeling? Is that why your family left you here? What's your name?" quizzed his daughter, stopping only to catch her breath.
The boy had finally looked up and his rapidly reddening face looked to be both dumbfounded and horror-struck. William choked down the chuckles rising in his throat, so as not to upset the boy more.
"I'm not crying!", the boy burst out, finally gathering his wits about him. "Heirs to the House of Black do not cry! And I'm not hurt or stubbed my toe or been bit by a squirrel or any of that baby stuff! I don't play with stupid dolls! I'm not pretty or a fae, and my family didn't leave me!" Jutting his little chin in the air, he proceeded to introduce himself rather snobbishly, which was actually a little impressive given his state, "I'm Sirius Orion Black, Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Pleased to meet you." It was said with the certainty of someone who had introduced themselves in such a manner often before, though William had never heard of the House of Black, perhaps it was one of those old noble houses that still clung to their last dregs of prestige and power.
"I'm Hermione Jean Granger. Pleased to meet you." His daughter replied in an equally swotty voice, unwilling to be cowed, before holding out her hand to shake. The boy, Sirius, eyed the hand questioningly before taking it oddly, flipping it over, and kissing its back. "A pleasure," came his reply.
"You're weird" his daughter remarked, pulling her hand back and wrinkling her nose.
"You're weird" Sirius retorted back, crossing his arms over his chest.
While it was amusing to watch the two children interact, William was worried. Nobody had appeared to claim Sirius yet and he couldn't hear anyone calling his name along the streets.
"Sirius, where are your parents at? You shouldn't be out here alone." William spoke up, effectively breaking up the small name-calling match that the children had descended into.
"I don't know, Father and I were at the shop. Then I got upset and ran out, and I got lost, and now I'm here. Father will come for me soon." Sirius seemed to lighten at the mention of his father coming to retrieve him.
"Which shop?" William asked. "The one with the potions and ointments," was Sirius's puzzling reply. Potions and ointments, kids have such active imaginations, he probably meant the pharmacy three roads over, William thought to himself. That wasn't too far so his father should be nearby. Calling the police to help was an option, but William would have to take the kids home just to make the call as there were no pay phones near, not to mention it was in the opposite direction of the pharmacy. Going to the pharmacy itself wasn't the best idea as there were at least four routes between it and the park, and his father could be up his mind, William decided that if the boy's father didn't show up in the next 15 minutes or so they'd make the trek up to the pharmacy and call the police from there if they didn't find the man on the way.
"Well, until your father gets here why don't you stick around and play with us?" William asked, hoping to keep the boy in one place without having to physically detain him. He couldn't go running around covered in a bunch of shiny baubles, talking like some posh brat, and not attract attention. William and Hermione had lived in this neighborhood for years, they were relatively safe. This kid, however, didn't stand a chance.
"I guess so. What kind of game were you playing?" Sirius asked, scuffing his snakeskin -were they snakeskin?- boots on the ground.
"We were swinging. Well I was swinging, Daddy was pushing. He can push you, too, if you want!" came his daughter's answer. Apparently William's invitation to play meant that all had been forgiven in Hermione's mind. Then again, most of the other kids in the tenant building were older or younger than her which meant that she often felt like an outsider when playing with them, so maybe she was just happy to have someone to play with.
"If it's not any trouble," was Sirius's hesitant reply. Seeing William's smile and nod toward the swings both children hopped onto the playset. William returned to his position as Swing Pusher, this time moving between pushing his daughter and her new friend. The two children were laughing and having a good time, Sirius looked a lot better with a smile on his face.
After a while William's arms started to ache and he couldn't continue, he wasn't used to pushing two children on the swings. Rather than be upset, the children instead decided to play hide-n-seek. William was of course It. And Sirius was given the rules of staying within a short distance of the play area. He'd decided to give William his jacket for safe keeping, as the bright blue cover would easily give him away.
William counted to thirty slowly, hoping to give each of the children time to find a decent hiding place. A good idea, if the sounds of scuffling behind him were anything to go by. By the time he had finished a good minute had passed. Lifting off of the tree he had leaned on to count from, he started to make his way slowly around the small play area and the surrounding shrubbery. He made a grand show of checking absolutely everywhere for the two kids, but oh, he just couldn't find them. He took his time, checking under the swings at the swingset, under the slide, then up it's ladder, he even slid down it to make sure they weren't at the bottom. He went looking through the tall grass, and around the little shrubs, and steadfastly ignored his daughter's quiet giggle coming from the evergreen bush near the log he had hidden behind last time. He pretended not to see Sirius's little boots peeking out of the copse of trees he'd chosen to hide in, his bright eyes sneaking a look at William every so often.
After searching around the park in more and more obscure places (much to the amusement of both children) William chose to 'find' his daughter first. He had no wish to make Sirius 'it'. Sirius was already alone, playing a game where both he and his daughter hid from the boy seemed a little cruel. That, and Sirius had already admitted he was a runner when he got upset. So instead he turned and headed back through the tall grasses towards the overgrown bush that his daughter was in. He pretended to inspect the plant as he bending over it, before splitting open the branches with a triumphant "Aha!" as he 'discovered' Hermione inside.
At the same moment Hermione let out a small childish shriek at being found, a terror-filled scream came from the other side of the playground. William whipped around in time to see Sirius runnin from a disheveled, obviously intoxicated, man. Unfortunately, the drunk was surprisingly swift despite being heavily impaired and was able to grab Sirius by the arm and drag him back. The Grangers could only stare, rooted to the ground with horror.
"Lookie wha' we 'ave 'ere!", the man exclaimed, "a dolly lil' rich boy. All da way aaught 'ere on dis side ov town? Whatcha doin' aaght 'ere pret'y boy?". The drunk asked as he lifted Sirius into the air by his shirt front. Sirius could smell the cheap liquor on the man's rotting breath and see the teeth going bad inside his head. It was enough to make him gag. Which seemed to offend his captor.
"Yous fnk yous be'er than me? Huh? I'll learn yew, yew lil' brat! Hows 'bouts I knock sum ov tha' attitude aaht ov ya, and may'e a few teef 'long wiv?" came his threat. Sirius, who rarely kept his tongue in check, couldn't keep his mouth shut. "Go ahead, I'll still look a fair bit better than you I'd say," he shot back. This pissed the drunk off more, he reared back a fist and tried to clock Sirius in the face. Suddenly, William appeared and tackled the man to the ground starting a brawl and freeing Sirius in the process. "Run!"
Fight scene
William was fucked. His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest, whether from the adrenaline or sheer terror he didn't know. Davon Krane, the drunk bastard he currently had pinned down, was one of the nastier works the East End had to offer. Everyone knew he'd killed a few men in bar fights, though nothing was proven and no one was talking. Rumor had it he'd offed, or 'helped' off, a few of the working girls in the area and left them rotting in the Thames. If so, the guy was trying real hard to be the second coming of Jack the Ripper. Some of those bodies were completely unidentifiable. And, fuck. He was fighting the guy.
Krane slugged William the second he realized what had happened. Hit after hit, Blow after blow, arms, chest, head, anywhere he could reach. William tried his best to weather and avoid what he could, but he wasn't a fighter. A few years of rugby as a teen was no match for someone who'd spent their life on these streets.
One hit finally landed hard enough to knock him from on top of Davon, who jumped to his feet and kneed William in the head, sending him to the ground. Krane snarled like a rabid animal. "I'll K'll You, Yew fuckin' wanker!" Krane's kicks met William's gut and head. He felt the snap of his nose breaking. He could barely breathe. Spit and blood spilt from his mouth. His left eye was starting to swell. Blood poured into the right from the cut on his forehead,. clouding the world around him in crimson. He heard the crunch of his ribs cracking, he wasn't sure how many. Everything hurt.
Krane let out a breathless laugh. He bent down and ripped William up by his hair, so he could face him."Jut' wan'ed ter snatch da brat's shiny bits, but now i fnk I'll 'ave some fun wiv da brats. Dey'll fe'ch a fair price d'wn at da docks." He leered over William's at Sirius and Hermione. Hermione hadn't been able to leave her father. Sirius had tried to move her but ended up staying. Both children were crying, frozen, unable to look away from Williams broken body.
Krane dropped William, stepping on him as he made for Hermione and Sirius. Hatred welled up in William, Davon wasn't going to touch them. William grabbed Kranes foot , pulling and twisting as hard as he could. With a Crack! he dislocated the bastard's ankle. Krane crashed to the ground howling. Furious, drunk, and delirious from the sudden pain, Krane pulled a thin switchblade out of his pocket and rounded on William. "Yew Fuck, I'll deal wiv yew firs'!" He sank the blade into William's shoulder. He sat on William's chest and wrapped his hands around his throat. He wanted to squeeze the life out of him.
Grinning through the blood in his teeth William ripped the blade out of his shoulder and dug it into the other man's gut. His liver, if he remembered his anatomy correctly. Triumph flooded him as Davon stared dumbfounded at the blade sticking out of him.
Krane went livid realizing William had stabbed him. He pulled back his fist and blitzed William in the head three times, stopping only after he the other man went completely limp. He grunted as he pulled the switchblade out of his stomach, the wound poured blood but he didn't care.
A wicked smile stole across his face as he aimed at the fallen man's heart. He was determined to end this permanently. He had almost succeeded when he heard the boy shout "No! NO DON'T!", followed by a blinding light.
Sirius and Hermione
He watched terrified as the man that had tried to take him beat Hermione's father. Mr. Granger had told them to run, but he'd been unable to move Hermione, and he'd been raised better than to leave a young lady in need. (It was one of the few lessons that extended across all blood statuses, not just for purebloods.) So he'd chosen to stay and protect her if need be.
Sirius stepped in front of Hermione as the drunk man made a move to come at them. It proved to be unnecessary as Mr. Granger pulled the man to the ground, twisting his foot as he did, causing it to crack. The bastard crawled back to the other man and plunged the knife he'd pulled from him pocket into his shoulder. Mr. Granger pulled the knife out as the drunk tried to choke him and sank it into the other man's stomach.
It took all of Sirius's strength to stop Hermione from running over and intervening. The girl was crying harder than he'd ever seen anyone cry before and he had no idea what to do to help. The man had just punched Hermione's father so hard he'd gone limp. Sirius watched as he pulled the knife out of his own body and held it up about to stab Mr. Granger in the chest.
Then it hit him. Magic. If he could channel his magic he could help Mr. Granger. It was against the rules, but he knew that had to do something.
Sirius rushed forwards,"No! NO DON'T!" he screamed, pushing power into the words and throwing up his arms. The magic he had managed to pool exploded out of him like a shock wave that hit the drunk man head on. The man was sent careening through the air before landing hard several feet away.
With the drunken man out cold Hermione hushed to her father's side. Mr. Granger was in bad shape and Sirius felt uncomfortable seeing Hermione cry over her father's body, especially since he was crying over the man too. Knowing the magic he'd used could easily wear off without a proper spell, Sirius posted himself as a guard for the Granger duo. He hoped that someone who could help would arrive soon.
Orion's arrival
The scene Orion found when he made it into the park was awful. Two muggle men lay on the ground, with his son and another child surrounding one. Both appeared to be crying viscously. The man closer to him reeked of alcohol with one foot twisted in an odd way, was bleeding from a wound to the gut, and appeared to be stupifyed? The second man, who Sirius appeared to be guarding, looked like he had been through a meat grinder. His face was bruised and bleeding, his shirt had ridden up revealing a bloated belly and lopsided chest, meaning the man had internal damage, and he was lying in a slowly growing pool of blood that seeped out of a shoulder. The other child, a girl who was likely his daughter, was crying while she held the hand of his still good arm.
"Sirius!" Orion would be truly ecstatic at having found his son, if it weren't for the situation at hand. His son, who had been previously scouring the treeline, whipped around upon hearing his voice.
"Father!? Please you have to help!" he exclaimed. The little girl beside didn't even stir to acknowledge Lord Black's arrival. Not that he blamed her, she appeared to be in shock as she mumbled and petted the bludgeoned man's hair.
"What happened here? Are you hurt?" Orion questioned as he drew up to his son. He looked a little disheveled but didn't show any apparent sign of harm. He cast a sly diagnostic charm just in case. It came back negative.
"I'm fine Father. Mr. Granger and Hermione let me join them while I waited for you. But, that bastard tried to grab me," at this Sirius pointed at the reeking man, "but Mr. Granger saved me. Then the bastard tried to kill !" He'd let his son's profanity slide for now. Because, Yes, Orion thought, it certainly looked like the other man had tried to kill Mr. Granger. If the man didn't get help soon, he wasn't likely to make it.
"And, Father? I...I used magic to stop him." his son confessed in a small voice. Orion sighed, now he'd have to deal with the Aurors and Obliviators who dealt with accidental magic. What a headache, it seems they wouldn't be going home as soon as he hoped. Lord Black took in the man his son had hit with his not-so-accidental magic and felt pride well up in him. Despite being less than four years old Sirius had managed to take out a full grown man, an inebriated muggle yes, but a grown man nonetheless.
Orion bent down at Mr. Granger's side as best he could, Sirius had said the man had saved his life, and Orion had felt the weight of magic in those words. Which meant Sirius wasn't exaggerating, the House of Black owed Mr. Granger a life debt. One that Orion would willingly repay here and now. They were alone and a quick Muggle Repelling charm would ensure it stayed that way.
Lord Black slipped his wand out of its holster, cast the Repelling charm, and began a series of complex diagnostic spells. The man in front of him had internal bleeding, a stab wound in one shoulder, two concussions, a cracked skull and cheekbone, a forehead laceration, a broken nose, several cracked ribs, and major and minor bruising across his body. He'd need the internal bleeding, the concussions, and the cracked skull dealt with immediately at the very least. He'd also need the stab wound sealed some or he could bleed to death.
Luckily, as none of the injuries were magically induced Orion would be able to heal them well enough. He had had to learn rudimentary healing when dueling so he could continue to fight so long as the damage wasn't extensive. And while these wounds were lethal, they would take much longer to kill a wix than a muggle. It helped that aside from the beating, the man was in perfect health.
After placing a Tourniquet Charm on the stab wound, Orion set to work healing the internal bleeding. Mr. Granger had a ruptured spleen and several bruised internal organs. It took three casts of the Organ-Mending spell to repair the ruptured spleen and half a dozen Blood Restoration Spells to fix the internal bleeding and bruising. The Cranial Stabilizing Spells fixed the cracked skull and concussions. And he used a Vulnera Sanentur to partially heal the man's stab wound, leaving most of it behind so as not to alert anyone to Mr. Granger's 'miraculous healing'. Mr. Granger would live, but he would still need a trip to the hospital.
Lord Black stood back to look at his work. The other man's face had become less swollen thanks to the Blood Restoration Spells and his belly looked mostly normal and no longer looked like it was about to burst, though some of the outer bruising remained. Orion knew could not fully heal the man, or he would have to Obliviate him afterwards, which shouldn't be done so soon after a head injury. Instead, he would have to leave Granger with the non-fatal injuries he'd received during the fight.
"Who are you?" came a croaky voice.
The little girl who sat on the other side of her father had finally looked up from her crying, and she was currently giving Orion a defensive stare. He had forgotten the child was there at all. She'd not made a sound during the healing, though she eyed his wand closely, so he knew she'd seen him perform the magic, even if she didn't know what he'd done.
"Lord Orion Arcturus Black, I'm Sirius's Father," He replied. "Oh," the girl mumbled still staring at the wand in his hand. She appeared to be concentrating very hard, and Orion could only wonder what she thought of him. A strange man with strange abilities, saving her father from death's door.
"Father, this is Hermione Granger and that's her father William," Sirius supplied, trying to cover for the young girl's less than stellar response. "She's turning four soon, like me," he stressed. Thank goodness, Orion realized. He wouldn't have to obliviate the girl, Hermione. No child under the age of eight could have their mind tampered with, magical or not. Most muggles just waved off children claiming magic as having an overactive imagination. And there was something intrinsically wrong with raping a child's mind, Orion wasn't sure he could do such a thing.
"You saved my Daddy, didn't you?" The little girl asked, her eyebrows scrunching up in question.
"Yes," there was no use lying to the girl, "but, you can't tell anyone. Do you understand?" He highly doubted she did.
"Ok, I guess. But, only cause you saved my Daddy." Orion could live with that. He moved to the man his son had knocked out. A quick diagnostic charm told Orion the man suffered minor bruising and a barely lacerated liver (apparently from the stab wound). He also had a range of venereal diseases, kidney and liver failure, and slight malnutrition. Another quick Organ-Mending charm ensured the man would be fine for the time being, which was good because Orion had plans.
Lord Black's Legilimancy skills weren't Mastery worthy, but the muggle man before had no mental defenses to hide behind. A Renneverate followed by a Body-Bind and a Langlock allowed Orion unfettered access to the bastard's mind. He had expected the man glaring at him to be scum, but the things that lived in his head made Lord Black want to execute him there and then. Finding everything he needed he released his spell, stupifyed Davon Krane, and Obliviated him.
In the distance Orion could hear other people approaching the park. He quickly dismantled the Muggle-Repelling charm and bent down over William, appearing for all intents and purposes to be checking the other man's vitals. As the newcomers rounded the corner to the park Orion called out to them, "Hurry! Get help! This man's been attacked!"
The group of children that had just entered stood frozen (where were their parents?) before one broke off and ran up the street to get help. Lord Black turned to Hermione, put his finger to his lips in the universal sign of hush, andthen Disillusioned himself and his son out of view of the others and waited for the proper authorities to arrive. Within a few minutes sirens sounded from down the road and Orion used the noise to cover his and his son's Apparition home.
Neither realised that Sirius transformed cloak and brooch had been left behind.
It would be many years before either Hermione or Sirius realized they had met that day. But, the circumstances still shaped both them and their families in the years to come, and set them all on a crash course with both magical society and the Wizarding War.
Okay, I know this chapter isn't very Sirius/Hermione centric but the first few chapters are gonna be pre-hogwarts, and they aren't really gonna meet until then. Though there is going to be another Black/Granger run in in a chapter or two. And other interactions, but not between Hermione and any of the younger Blacks.
The fight scene was broken off to change perspective and let readers skip if they wanted to. It's not great, but neither is the rest of the writing. I'm just glad it's legible.
Right, so in case you can't read my attempt at a drunk man slurring in crap cockney:
"Look what we have here!" - "a dolly (cockney for pretty) little rich boy. All the way out here on this side of town? What are you doing out here pretty boy?"
"You think your better than me? Huh? I'll teach you a lesson, you little brat! How about i knock some of that attitude out of you, and maybe a few teeth along with?"
"I'll kill you, you fucking wanker!"
"Just wanted to snatch the brat's shiny bits (referring to Sirius's jewelry), but now i think i'll have some fun with the brats. They'll fetch a fair price down at the docks."
"You fuck, I'll deal with you first."
Made Up Spells 101:
Tourniquet Charm: Used to slow down or stop external bleeding. Can be used in a range of injuries large and small. Is not a healing charm, but rather a medical stasis charm. Works by temporarily cutting off the flow of blood through blood vessels in the affected area. Cannot fully stop flow through arteries and should not be used long term or necrosis may occur.
Organ-Mending Spell: Considered a transfiguration healing spell, this spell works similar to a Reparo or Episkey in that it stitches the affected area back together, it cannot regrow tissue. It is for internal use only, external healing requires a Vulnera Sanentur. Should not be used on the Heart ever, Cardio-Healing should only be attempted by experienced veteran Healers. May take multiple casts to repair highly damaged organs. It is better to use several moderately powerful casts rather than over power a single cast. Overpowering this spell can cause organs to fuse together.
Blood Restoration Spells: This spell literally 'restores' blood to its rightful place. This means blood lost in internal injuries or bruising will return to the organs/blood vessels it came from. This spell can return up to a quarter pint of blood into the body at a time, go slowly to avoid shock. Do not use to return blood that has left the body as it is no longer viable, instead use a Blood Replenishing Potion. Do not use on old injuries as the blood is possibly toxic. See a healer immediately if this spell does not work.
Cranial Stabilizing Spells: A series of 5 interconnected spells used to repair many minor skull/head/brain injuries. All Spells must be used and they must be used in the correct order as these Spells build upon one another. Minor concussions and damage to bone can be repaired with these Spells. Does not extend to the face or jaw as this is not part of the 'Cranium'. Should not be used on major injuries as botched healings to the head can be as dangerous as the injuries themselves. Cannot create tissue/bone/etc., if you need reconstruction see a Healing Specialist.