Chapter Three:

Sapphire


December 5th, 2000

Growing up, Alice only had her parents and her brother Jamie to call family. Her idea of a family meeting was hanging out around the kitchen table for a meal. At the best days Jamie and their dad would tell jokes and tease each other and her mercilessly. Their mother would smile happily and quietly to herself - but throw her own witty retorts in when she had the chance.

Her family was small, but quite happy.

Therefore, nothing could have prepared her for what dinner at the Weasley's was like.

Alice arrived at the perfect time, according to Bill.

"Mum just got past the shock of having a second grandkid on the way, and now she's excited about a second grandkid on the way," He told her conspiratorially as soon as she came through the fireplace, motioning for her to go to a large kitchen area where everyone sat.

A lot of introductions were made: Bill's wife, Fleur Delacour and her family; George's fiancée, Angelina Johnson; two more of Ginny's siblings, Ron (and fiance Hermione Granger) and Percy; and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

In contrast to her own quiet relatives, dinner was loud and exciting. There was never a quiet moment, and despite the family environment Alice felt like they did their best to include her in every subject.

She could tell that these were people who went through a war and were doing their best to move on and cope with the after effects. Some names were mentioned in passing, and they would all share a collective grim look, until someone changed the subject into something lighter.

She found herself countless times trying to put herself in their shoes. To imagine what it was like to lose a sibling, a friend or a child… Only to find that she couldn't.

Arthur was extremely curious about the cultural differences between the United States and Great Britain. Molly was very inquisitive, curious herself about things only a mother would be. When Alice was pried into telling her about her failed marriage and subsequent travel to London, Ginny decided to intervene, pulling the young witch away to sit by her.

Alice spent a good portion of the evening listening to Ginny's retelling of the Holyhead Harpies team practices. Her impressions of Gwenog Jones were extremely funny, and the younger woman seemed over the moon to be playing for her favorite Quidditch team.

Harry would laugh and try to guess at Jones' lines of strategies, but Ginny would smile and say it was confidential.

"You'll just have to wait and see," She'd tell him.

After a dinner that Alice secretly swore to be the best food she had ever had, everyone sort of fell into smaller groups: Fleur's parents were talking excitedly with Arthur and Molly about baby things; Alice, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny talked about Quidditch, Auror training and curse breaking; Bill, George and Percy laughed among themselves in a corner. Fleur, Angelina and Gabrielle chatted lightly over a baby blanket Mrs. Weasley had knit.

By the time Alice got home it was way past midnight, and she felt happier than she had since moving to the country.

When the next morning came she woke up an hour later than she was supposed to, and it would be quite some time into her work day before she realized she had left Sirius' journal behind, under her pillow.


The Leaky Cauldron. December 7th, 1980

Sirius tapped his fingers on the bar counter to the rhythm of a song he had heard at a club somewhere. Tom gave him a sideways glance, and he nodded at the barkeeper, raising his empty glass. With a flick of Tom's fingers, the cup filled up, and Sirius thanked him with a polite nod.

It was eleven in the morning. He knew that by the time Remus arrived, he would probably be admonished for his inappropriate day drinking, but Sirius didn't really care. He could pretend to be ashamed of himself later. At the moment, he had other things in his mind, like the open journal in front of him.

'Good morning, Alice.' He wrote.

Sirius took a small sip of his drink and waited, hoping she would write back. He hadn't heard anything from her the past day, and he hated to admit to it but he was kind of amused by their silly back and forth. It felt like being away from the war, back in a simpler time where people could finally take jokes again.

She didn't reply, and he sighed in annoyance.

The day before had been hectic, to say the least. The Order raided a known Death Eater hideaway, where a mysterious lead had warned them there'd be muggle prisoners. The Order stormed in only to find bodies. He had recognized a muggle-born witch that had been a couple of years behind him at Hogwarts. Her two younger sisters were found, along with their parents and three people they weren't even able to identify. Their bodies were severely disfigured, and tied together.

To Sirius, the worst part was that they didn't even bat their eyes at it anymore. They felt disgust and anger, but the shock you were supposed to feel at witnessing things like that was gone.

With a swig from the glass he grimaced, the tapping stopping.

The Order's numbers were laughable, and they were being eliminated one by one every month.

Staring at the journal in front of him he desperately wished for a response to write itself, at the very least so he could take his mind off his dreadful train of thought. Still, nothing.

He had an idea, suddenly, but before he could write it down, a shadow stood by his right side.

"Sirius Black and a book," Remus said sarcastically, "Now that's a sight!"

"We have to fill our heads with something, eh Moony? Or else we'll go barking!" Sirius declared with a weak smile, slipping the journal inside the pocket of his jacket.

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Remus sat down by his left side with a smile, and gave a disapproving sort of look at Sirius's glass, refraining from saying anything.

Sirius took in his friend and noticed the long scar running from his left cheek to his forehead.

"I'm sorry about last full moon," he said, "I tried to track you down at night, but I couldn't find you out in the forest."

"I didn't leave. Locked myself in the basement, with a number of spells. I suppose they held me in," Remus said with a note of bitterness, "I'm getting quite good at them lately."

Sirius could tell his friend was upset but was fighting the mixed feelings of not feeling like he was entitled to be. Remus and his internal struggles...

"We'll coordinate something next time, yeah?" He asked. Remus shook his head sadly, staring intently at the counter with a strange look on his face.

Sirius decided it would be better to change the subject.

"No Wormtail today?"

"His mum is sick again." Remus told him sadly.

Sirius sighed, and turned his glass upside down, drawing random patterns over the bottom. Remus didn't say anything. The silence between them felt heavy, uncomfortable and filled with both mistrust and unspoken suspicions.

Sirius could feel this unspoken tension between them rise every day. Subtle at first, but at times he wondered how his friendship with one of his best friends came to be so strained. They suspected there was a traitor amongst themselves. Sirius hinted once during one of their rows that it could very well be Remus. But he had noticed a few times the way his friend stared him down, whenever another plan was frustrated by someone on the inside passing information.

"Sometimes I wonder if he wouldn't be better off just moving away," Sirius confessed absentmindedly, his fingers still circling the glass.

Remus raised an eyebrow, "Away?"

"Abroad... You know what I mean... Peter was never much of a fighter to begin with," He looked at Remus, "Back at school he was rubbish. You remember… Getting hexed trying to prove us his value. Now the stakes are higher than us running around being idiots."

"You are saying that he should give up and go hide?" Remus asked in disbelief.

"I just worry that he won't be around once this is all over and done with," He confessed, "James and Lily are hiding, and we're all targets now. More than ever. I just reckon Wormtail's in over his head… It would be better for Pro- for everyone if he went into hiding soon."

"Do you hear yourself, Padfoot?" Remus' voice was calm, but someone who knew him well could point out the anger.

"Well, I have nothing to lose. Peter has his mum, and she's sick all the time lately."

"I have parents," Remus mumbled, "Should I quit for their sake as well?"

Sirius shook his head.

"Mate, who would last longer in a fight? Your dad or Wormie's mum?"

"Of course. The half-blood werewolf and his parents are much more expendable than Peter," Remus whispered venomously.

"That's not what I'm saying!" Sirius said indignantly.

"Dying for a cause is the only thing someone like me should ever hope for, is that right?"

"Merlin, shut up Remus!" Sirius snapped, before looking around and going back to discussing in hushed tones, "That's not what I'm saying at all! We're in over our heads, especially Wormtail! Bloody hell, mate! We just found an entire muggle family yesterday! You've seen the report, haven't you? You know what they did to those people!"

"No, you shut up, Padfoot!" Remus whispered angrily, "Of course we're in over our heads here! We are heavily outnumbered! We need every man we can get now. That's a bloody war out there! We knew it would get bad! I just never thought you'd turn into a bloody coward in a time like this!"

Sirius stood up and pulled his wand, when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Whoa, down, boy!" James Potter joked. Sirius stared at him in disbelief, turned back and wrapped his friend in a tight hug, followed closely by Remus.

"What are you doing here?" Remus asked in a stern tone, but his eagerness betrayed that he was not actually upset.

"Sirius owled, and I decided to show for once,' James replied, with a kind smile, "Plus, I don't think the Death Eaters are bold enough to attack us in broad daylight. At least not yet."

"It is working hours for Ministry employees," Sirius added darkly.

"So, what are we fighting about today, gentlemen?" James asked his friends with a raised eyebrow, as he gestured them to a table at the darkest corner in the bar. The three friends sat down, before Remus replied:

"Sirius thinks Wormtail should go into hiding. Leave the country," Remus rolled his eyes. James nodded calmly, and Sirius sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"It wouldn't be such a bad idea…" James mused for Remus' exasperation, "He's never been much of a fighter. I doubt anyone would blame him, really. But then again, if he wants to stay and fight we can't stop him… We do need everyone we can get."

Both Remus and Sirius nodded their agreements, and silently agreed to drop this subject. The happiness over seeing their friend again after almost an entire month seemed to dissipate the growing tension between them.

"Now could we please not talk about the bloody war? It's all we ever talk about nowadays, and I'm sick of it!" James settled the matter.

"How's Harry and Lily?" Remus asked.

"Harry is up to no good!" James said proudly, "A Marauder in the making, I tell you!"

"Wouldn't expect any different," Said Sirius.

The friends caught up on life events for the remainder of lunch. James told stories about Harry and Lily; Sirius retold some adventures on his motorcycle when he had time off from Order missions; Remus spoke about his current job, at a small muggle bookshop that seemed promising for the time being. They each went their own way, feeling much lighter than when they first met that morning.

Sirius arrived home and made a beeline for his desk, where he took out the journal from his cloak pocket and smiled at the new message on the page.

'Good Morning, Sirius!

How are you?'

'Difficult times…' He wrote, 'How's the place?'

'Your great great something keeps following me around, complaining about the stuff I'm tearing down. I hate this dude. Phineas Nigellus… Do you know him?'

'Annoying prat,'

'Agreed! Besides that… I guess I will be finished with the kitchen in less than a day!' She wrote and he smiled at the apparent excitement, 'Have you taken blonde beauty out yet?'

'That's still a work in progress, I'm afraid,' He replied, his smile widening his face, 'Did you do anything interesting yesterday?'

'I went to the Weasley's home. One of the boys is getting married. It was fun.'

'I'm glad you're not stuck in that awful house all the time. That's my worst nightmare!'

She didn't write anything for a few minutes. Sirius stretched on his chair and wrote:

'Are you at Grimmauld's?'

'Yes.'

'Good! I found a hiding spot!

Go up to my bedroom; look for the last floorboard on the right side. Tap it twice with your wand, and say 'resero'. That was my standard hiding spot as a teenager. That's where I'll place the item I'm leaving you.

Let me know what you find.'

And then he waited. Every pressure, anger, sadness and tensions suddenly forgotten, thanks to his new shenaningans.


London, December 7th, 2000.

Alice went upstairs running about two steps at a time in excitement, journal in hand. If this whole thing was true, she would get her proof now. She opened the bedroom door, feeling weird and unsure of anything. She felt like a little kid in a treasure hunt.

Doing what he told her, she grinned as the floorboard lifted on its own, revealing a small gap under the flooring. Inside there was an extremely dusty wooden box.

Her hands shook with excitement as she opened the metal lid. Inside there was a triangular folded parchment with her name on it. The parchment sat on top of a smaller, rectangular velvet box. Alice set on reading the letter first, frowning at the letter.

'London, August fifth 1993.

Dear Alice,

When I first proposed you this little arrangement, the only person I thought I could trust was myself, which made me decide to first assess you and this situation, before I could decide on what to place here.

Next thing I know, twelve years go by before I am able to fulfill my end of the bargain. I am no longer a twenty-two year old man, but still I feel indebted to you. I have felt indebted for years now.

So here I am, writing this after I proposed this solution in the first place! I suppose there's no use fighting reason. I know you did find this present one way or the other - it has happened, so I did hide it in here.

I cannot hold myself back from doing this. And I have been writing on the journal for a month now, but you never write back. And I can't help but wonder about so many things that we discussed in the past. I find this amusing, because at this point in my life I'm the one with future knowledge about you for a change.

Present Sirius knows more about future Alice - who's seven years in the future - than you know yourself at the moment. You'd be amused at how jealous of past me I am at the moment, because right after finding this, it's him you'll write back to - and not who I am at this point in time.

Does this make any sense, or does it warp your sense of reality just a bit too?

Those are two time paradoxes right there - knowing the future of a woman who lives in the future, and to feel jealous of your own self!

You'll find that we'll run into a few of those, which is enough to drive anyone bloody mad!

As it happens, against reason and all it is known about time, I trust you, and this gift proves that - both to you and to my younger self. This little box is the one heirloom that actually means something to me, and I do believe it belongs to you.

Now, before I make my way north I must leave you with a request.

You don't know what happened during the war yet. What happened to me, to Harry and his parents, and some of the people you just got to know. You will know, but I ask that you do not look into it yet...

I have learned that you are fierce and fearless. Your loyalty knows no bounds, which in turn will cause you to try your hardest to change things, to intervene.

I will save you the heartache by stating that you can't change what's happened, whatever it is. And when you find out, be at peace.

If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't know that all of this sacrifice, heartache and pain will be worth something, someday.

So I ask, my darling, that you don't go looking for me in time. Do not drive yourself mad trying to solve the unsolvable.

Whatever happens to me from now on, will happen. My only power is to fight, and yours to move on and build your own future. Do not waste away thinking of a man that is not around, for whatever reason.

You know, I used to wonder why you never met me in your own time. Now, I am not so sure I care to find out.

Yours,

Sirius

P.S: If I ask, tell me it's the Locket in Alphard's vault. You'll feel tempted to give it back to Harry. To not keep it, in fear of taking something that you feel is not yours. Don't. It belongs to you.'

Alice fell down from her crouched stance into a sitting position on the floor. Her olive eyes wide as she read the letter again. She did not quite know what to make of it. The Sirius is this letter was cryptic, dark and hinted at things she couldn't possibly understand.

She didn't know how long she sat there, thinking and trying to decipher whatever 1993 Sirius meant, until she gave up and decided to see what the heirloom was.

Alice picked up the small black velvet box on her hands and opened it carefully. It was coated in dust, which made her sneeze - her sand coloured hair escaping its ponytail. Inside the box was the most beautiful locket she had ever seen.

It had a deep blue sapphire at the center, with engravings of stars carved in white gold. The chain was made of white gold, with a dragonfly in the clasp, and there were several runes spread in interesting patterns around the main engravings. She fought the urge of running her fingers over the delicate stone, and kept herself from it last minute, deciding to perform a few assessment charms to be safe before touching it.

Before renovating old houses for a living Alice was trained in curse breaking, having traveled the world for a year with a world renowned Curse Breaker - or at least that was her cover story for her actual job. She remembered every single piece of magical items found on her own private contracts and wanderings, but never something so beautiful. It was probably worth well over a thousand galleons.

Running her wand over the locket, she muttered as many enchantments as she could. No hexes, no curses, no dark magic.

That it was magical, she had no doubt. There was something powerful about it that she couldn't quite put her fingers on; something to do with the rune pattern, and the fact that the piece was undoubtedly goblin made.

Alice pulled up her notebook and wrote:

'You left me a locket. In the letter it says it is the one inside Alphard's vault. It's white gold, with a blue sapphire in the middle.'

Alice didn't know how long she stood there, staring at the journal, but at last he wrote back.

'Interesting.'

'How can I give it back? It looks extremely valuable, and I do not feel right keeping it.'

He did not write anything back, so she pressed:

'I will put it inside the mailbox after I am done with work today, ok?'

She stood up when he replied.

'What do I ask you to do with it?'

'You said it is a gift, and that I need to keep it.'

'Then it is yours, I suppose.'

She shook her head as if he could see the gesture, and as an afterthought she wrote:

'I will think about it!

But here's a piece of future, as promised: John Lennon will pass away tomorrow, December 8th, 1980.

I don't know if you keep up with muggle music… But he is a very talented musician, originally from a band called The Beatles.'

With that, Alice went back to work, leaving the journal safely inside the pocket of her burgundy cloak.


Diagon Alley. December 7th, 1980

Sirius Black always took pride in having the last word. Back at Hogwarts he was the person who would win the arguments, both by talking or with a nice set of spells. He and James were particularly good at talking their way out of any sticky situation. While this predicament did not look exceptionally troublesome, for once he did not quite know what to say.

The locket in Alphard's vault.

He knew exactly what that meant. That thing had a lot of history, ancient goblin magic and century old spellwork. While it wasn't the most valuable item in the whole of the Black vaults, it was by far the most valuable piece inside Alphard's vault.

That locket was loaded with historical value. When he first visited his uncle's vaults as a child, he had been told in detail where it came from, and how powerful it was. When Alphard died and left him and Andromeda everything he possessed, Sirius was surprised to find the necklace named specifically for him on the will. He had never once taken the thing out, in fear of misplacing it, or damaging it somehow.

That thing had a weird calling to him.

To think that he would give it as a present to someone he did not know, seemed like a grand gesture. Of what? He did not quite comprehend yet.

He barely registered what she had said about John Lennon, but when he did, he cursed loudly.

'I told you to tell me something meaningless, Alice!' He wrote, 'Lennon's death is not meaningless!'