Chapter Six
Goodbye
When Sirius' cup made contact with the floor, he realized he was gaping at the young girl in front of him, who in turn looked at the floor awkwardly. James intervened, clapping him in the back loudly.
"Always a lightweight, eh, Sirius?" He laughed and the adults around joined in, Sirius smiled sincerely at his best friend with a thankful expression on his face as he fixed his glass and went to leave it on the counter in the kitchen.
Away from the group his fake smile fell.
That five year old child couldn't be that Alice Fenwick... Could she?
While he definitely enjoyed their secret brief interactions over a journal, in the back of his mind there was always a lingering doubt about the truthfulness of this entire thing. He was always suspicious of things that seemed to be too good to be true, especially when his childhood home had anything to do with it. But this? It was too much.
Hurriedly, he took the journal from his coat and wrote a message:
Happy Christmas, Alice! I wonder... Where were you at this time in 1980?
He hoped to himself that this did not come across as weird.
"Sirus, excellent!"
His thoughts were disturbed by Benjy walking in, followed by James and Lily, with a sleeping Harry. The man closed the kitchen door and placed a strong undisturbing charm so they wouldn't be heard.
"Did Dumbledore fill you in the plan?" Benjy asked, but James shook his head.
"No. Sirius' been out of the loop as well, remember?" He told Benjy, who nodded, "What with the last fight... Fresh out of recovery"
"My brother was able to secure safe passage to America," Benjy informed him in hushed tone, "Mary's sister is a private healer for a magical diplomat, and she managed to secure them invitations."
Sirius' heart skipped a beat. This was it. The night where Alice's family moved.
I grew up in America, she had said.
"You feeling alright, mate?" Benjy asked, "You look like you've seen a dementor!"
"Just had a bit too much to drink," Sirius mumbled and cast a sobering charm upon himself to illustrate his point, hoping his friends would be fooled by this act. James looked suspicious, but sent a look that meant later you'll explain. Benjy seemed satisfied by this and went on.
"Dumbledore was able to secure an international portkey for them, leaving in two hours, but they cannot leave from here and we fear that their departure may alert someone from the other side about Order activity in Godric's Hollow."
Sirius perked up at this.
"So you need someone to be on the lookout for Death Eaters?"
Benjy smiled, "I thought you'd be up for that!"
"We're in!" James said. Lily adjusted Harry in her arms and gave her husband a stony look, "Well, there won't be much danger - having backup will be only a precaution, right Benjy?"
"Just come home safe, Potter!"
"We can never be too safe these days," Benjy agreed, darkly. "Be sober and ready to leave in an hour!"
The two Marauders and Lily followed after him, back into the living room.
Sirius took a seat next to a bookcase, and James pulled a chair and sat by his side.
"So, what's with the weirdness around the Fenwicks?"
"What weirdness? No more weird than usual, mate" Sirius smirked at his friend.
Part of him wanted to tell James everything, but he paused. It didn't feel right.
"You know... Benjy is always going on about his niece, and how proud he is of her," Sirius said, "It's kind of hard to believe she's just a five year old. I was picturing a muggle superhero. Cape and all."
James snickered, "It's the trouble of being around kids all the time. The smallest things awe us. Like me with Harry - or you with Harry."
"What are you talking about, Prongs?! Harry is the best kid his age. The way he tries to make sounds when we speak? My godson is a bloody genius, mark my words!" Sirius boasted, looking lovingly at the boy, sleeping on Lily's arms, across the room.
James was also staring, with a proud look in his eyes.
"That he is, Padfoot..." He sighed contently, winking at his wife when their eyes met, winning a smile in return as she chatted with Emmeline Vance, "Can you believe I made it? Married the brightest witch in our year, made a heir to the Potter name..."
"Yep, I made the wedding. You may remember me... Stood by you at the alter - was the sexiest man up there," Sirius grinned, teasingly. James mock-glared at him.
"I knew I smelled wet dog," James grinned.
The men sat in silence for a few minutes, deep in thought before James spoke again.
"You ever think of doing the same?"
Sirius shook his head with a small smile on his lips, "What would I do with a wife, Prongs? Can you imagine it?"
James gave him one of his knowing looks, telling his friend crazier things have happened in the world.
"-It's super safe! Here - why don't you ask James and Sirius..." Benjy's sister-in-law was saying as she approached the men, holding her daughter's hand. Sirius froze inwards.
The child, Alice, blushed and was rendered speechless. Her mother rolled her eyes.
"She's scared of portkeys," Mary explained, before asking them if they could mind Alice while she went to the restroom.
"Is that so, Miss Alice?" James asked excitedly, magically placing a chair close to them, and patting it, "Have a seat and tell us what's so scary about them..."
"Well," She spoke weakly, sitting down on the chair, feet dangling, "Uncle Benjy said they're just a bit worse than apparition, and I hate apparition."
Sirius smiled a bit at that as James laughed, and Alice seemed to be a bit more at ease around them. The man decided that whoever Alice was, he was being an idiot in being so guarded - this right here, was just a little kid.
"You know what the secret is to using a portkey?" He asked her, and she perked up paying attention.
"You close your eyes and you hold onto it as hard as you can. You cling to it and do not let go," He explained, "Then, next thing you know, it's over soon and you've arrived."
"What if I puke?" She asked.
"Well, you're not a little kid anymore, are you?" James asked her and she shook her head indignantly, "Then you just wont, I know it!"
She nodded, determined, just as her mother came back, holding out a small white cloak for the girl, who nodded and dressed up.
"Not worried anymore?" Mary asked her daughter, who shook her head.
"You're a big girl, right Al?" Sirius reminded her.
"And big girls don't puke!" She grinned proudly, to her mother's dismay.
"Thank you, boys, really!" Mary told them in amusement, leading her daughter away from the two snickering men.
"Can you imagine all the trouble we'll get up to when Harry's that big?" Sirius asked James, who chuckled.
Close to Go-time, Dumbledore wished everyone Merry Christmas and Benjy and Brandon took it as the right moment to apparate to Brandon's house in the wizarding village of Tutshill to grab the family's belongings. A few minutes after them, James, Sirius, Alice and Mary apparated to a clearing in the woods, at a higher area that overlooked the village - their meeting and departing spot - but something was not right.
It did not take long for them to see the skeletal gleam of the Dark Mark over the Fenwick's house.
Sirius and James drew their wands and spread around the woman and the child, extremely aware of their surroundings. Mary's breath seemed to come out in nervous gasps, and the young Alice had her hands over her mouth, to keep from making noise. It was two minutes before the brothers appeared before them.
"What was the first and second thing you told me when we met?" Sirius asked Benjy, wand trained on the newcomers.
"So you're the famous Black I've been hearing about and No wonder Mckinnon pays attention when you speak," Benjy answered, smiling despite the tension.
"What happened, Brandon?" Mary asked, one hand on her lowered wand and the other holding Alice to herself.
"They came for us, but we were not home. The house is a mess. It's best if we leave it all behind... There might be someone watching the house." He told her, and she nodded.
There was the noise of leaves in the woods and the adults turned in time to see a limping cat running towards them, gray fur shining in the moonlight.
"Calico!" Alice let go her mother's hold and picked the cat up, clutching it to herself. Her parents exchanged a concerned look, and Brandon cursed.
"There was a portkey cage for Calico to be transported with us," He explained to James and Sirius, who both looked somberly at Alice, who stared back at her father with wide eyes.
"I won't leave her daddy! We can't!" Alice's voice was full of determination, but a shakiness betrayed a possible upcoming tantrum.
The adults exchanged worried looks amongst themselves. The last thing they needed was an outburst, and going back was not an option. Benjy kneeled in front of his niece and pried the cat out of her hands, with protests from both the child and the pet. Alice's eyes were filled with tears as she let go. Benjy's eyes - the same eyes of his niece - had the mesmerizing power of making her calm.
"Here's the deal, love. I will spend New Year's Eve with you and your parents, okay?" Alice nodded, with tears streaming down her cheeks openly, "Right now you be brave, and go with your mum and your dad. I will be bringing Calico with me next week."
"Do you promise?" She asked, petting the cat's fur on her uncle's arms. Calico was not having it - scratching and moving around.
"I promise to do my best, little niffler," He smiled, and Alice hugged him.
"Hey Benjy, time to go," Sirius warned him. James looked around nervously, wand at the ready. The night was very still and the silent was deafening, save for the indignant grunts Calico was making.
Benjy nodded and with a light stunning spell, put the cat to sleep, handing Calico's unconscious form to James, who held her in one arm and stepped way. Then, Benjy removed an old history of magic book from his cloak and activated the portkey, that started to glow an ethereal shade of purple. Sirius charmed it so it floated, and stepped aside as the family said their goodbyes. The brothers hugged and exchanged promises of being safe. Then Benjy hugged Mary and Alice, telling the young girl to take care of her parents for him.
Sirius and James stood aside and merely nodded when the Fenwick's thanked them for being there. Sirius thought about the diary once more - if this Alice was that Alice, then it meant she was going to grow up happy in the United States; the couple would have another child, and they would survive and thrive. His heart felt heavy, and he kept his expression somber.
The portkey glowed brighter as the family held onto it. As an afterthought Sirius told Alice to hold onto as hard as she could and close her eyes.
Within seconds they were gone, right as a series of cracks echoed around the three Order Members.
Alice yawned as she got to her bedroom and took the journal on her hands to write a nice Christmas message to Sirius.
Where were you at this time in 1980?
She thought back to 1980 and sighed.
The truth was that she could never remember much about life before America.
She was five in 1980. It was the year she left England with her Parents, and the last time the family ever saw uncle Benjy.
With a small start she realized that actually it was 20 years exactly since they had left in the late hours of December 25th, 1980. It was one of the only memories she had of Benjy: his eyes boring deeply into hers as he pried the family cat away from her arms, promising to bring her back.
She never saw that cat again.
She also never saw Benjy again.
Without much else to say, she scribbled:
Probably leaving England. Christmas 1980 was when me and my parents left.
Alice was about to close the notebook when the familiar handwriting that now she attributed to Sirius begun to form once more.
Hey there, little Niffler!
The woman stared dumfounded at the book. Only one person called her that.
Alice, we need to have a serious conversation about whatever it is we are doing here.
I just came back from seeing you away to the US. You and your parents. James Potter and I told you to hold onto the portkey while your mum was in the bathroom. Your uncle took your cat from you - he's taking her to you next week, but you probably know this already.
But, this is real. We are real people communicating with each other 20 years apart.
Do you remember? Do you remember me and what happened that night?
Alice felt it was hard to breath. Her eyes filled with tears, and she tried hard to remember something, anything, but it was all a blur. But she remembered uncle Benjy, and two young men sitting with her - but not much else. She remembered a man with shoulder-length dark hair and startled grey eyes staring her down.
Sirius.
You have long dark hair and grey eyes.
Other than that I can't remember anything.
What happened to the cat?
The words started showing up quickly and more messy.
What do you mean? We fought six Death Eaters so Benjy could take the damn thing with him home.
He's supposed to see you in six days and take it wit- here, the words stopped abruptly.
Alice's heart pounded.
Benjy never made it, and they eventually heard about his death: no body to recover - killed around the 30 or 31rst of December. Her father was never the same after this, and her mother simply avoided any mention to his brother.
He was only 25 years old when he died, the same age as she was now...
Alice held her breath.
This did not have to happen... She could save him, if she only told Sirius about him - they could come up with a plan and Benjy would live.
But then the guilt hit her like a ton of bricks. Why Benjy? There was Lily and James Potter, his friends, who would also die eventually at the hands of Lord Voldemort. There were a number of people lost forever to the war. Was there any way to save any of them?
Tentatively she wrote.
You have to save him, Sirius.
He never made it to the States.
He will be ambushed on the 30th or 31rst, and by the time the Death Eaters are done, there won't even be a body left.
But this is where we can do something... Since there's no body, you can warn him, and he can go hide somewhere and live, at least until the war ends. He can walk away with his life. No one needs to know, and we may just avoid a time paradox.
Alice felt herself go weak, and that's when she realized her entire body shook.
Could she help save Benjy?
Alice, have you lost your damn mind?
This is reckless and extremely dangerous.
Which is why it might just work!
What else do you know that can help me come up with a plan?
Shaking, she took her wand and summoned her mother's enchanted keepsake box, where her parents stored everything - from letters to family heirlooms. She smiled thinking about Mary Fenwick's obsession with organization when she pulled a document folder organized by date.
There it was, January 6th, 1981.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Fenwick,
I regret to inform you that Benjy Fenwick was killed on the 30 of December, after being ambushed by Death Eaters in his residence in Tutshill.
The details of what was found at the scene were deeply gruesome and disturbing, but it should suffice to say that there is no body left of him for a proper burial.
Your brother is a hero, having aided in the rescue of many muggles and muggleborn wizards all across England.
I am deeply sorry for your loss!
Auror Alastor Moody
Alice hurriedly wrote down that letter for Sirius, who took a while to respond.
I will track him down myself and convince him to leave now rather than later.
This is fucking insane, Alice!
Adrenaline racing through her body, Alice wrote for him to be safe and be careful, and decided to take a dreamless sleep potion.
This was fucking insane!
"Padfoot, bloody STOP!" James cried out to his friend, that now was frantically throwing his things back into his bag and running around the house getting ready for combat.
Sirius walked past James, and took a vial of pepper-up potion from Lily's cupboard.
"Padfoot, will you explain?" James tried again, getting his cloak back on.
"Look, this sounds insane, ok?"
"You're telling me," James said sarcastically.
"It occurred to me that Benjy is going back home to Tutshill, where-"
"-Where Death Eaters just destroyed his brother's house," James realized.
"I have a bad feeling."
"But we shouldn't go alone! It's crazy to go alone!"
"It's why I sent word to Fabian and Gideon. Let's go Prongs!"
"Merry fucking Christmas!" James muttered darkly.
Both friends apparated to where they knew Benjy lived, but they were not the only ones there. Fabian and Gideon Prewett were in position, as well as Alastor Moody when they appeared in the apparition post. Without batting an eye, Alastor begun speaking in his rough voice.
"Fenwick sent me a Patronus. His defenses were overpowered twenty minutes ago."
"Any movement?" Sirius asked him.
"Too quiet. We're moving in! Prewetts, with me! Black and Potter, you're backup!" Moody barked, managing to sound at once commanding but silent.
Without needing any more instructions they charged.
Benjy's house was a one bedroom cottage with a spacious living room, small kitchen and back door to a yard.
As the group charged in, they noticed the clear signs of a struggle: books were thrown everywhere; a shelf had collapsed, the two armchairs were broken, with red fabric and inside cushions all thorn to pieces. The back door was broken, half hanging off its hinges but nobody in sight. Fabian and James moved inside to search the bedroom, while Sirius and Alastor ran outside, wands ready, Gideon following them closely.
"Clear!" James shouted from the bedroom, "No signs of anyone, not even Benjy"
"There's no Death Mark," Gideon said, "You think he got away?"
Amidst his search, Sirius conjured up a magical light that shone all over the yard.
The first thing they saw was the blood. Then Sirius vomited, just as James ran out of the cottage and the Prewett twins stared frozen, in shock.
"What is that?" He asked at the large stains of blood and what could only be described as entrails.
"Well, boy," Moody said, all colour gone from his face, "We are staring at the insides of Benjy Fenwick, it seems."
Sirius retched once again.