Disclaimer; I don't own anything, apart from OCs, the plot, some spells and potions blah blah.

Important Note: If you haven't read His Two Paths, I suggest reading it, otherwise you won't understand anything.

This chapter has been written on my phone because my laptop broke; excuse any mistakes for the time being.

xoxo

5. War

It was virtually impossible to memorise the whole of Hogwarts; perhaps it would be easier to memorise the universe instead? Albus Dumbledore, however, thought he came quite close to mapping the entire school. His mind was like an enormous cavern, plotting and plotting and plotting.

He knew there was still so much to uncover, and maybe when the whole mess was over, and if he even survived the war, Albus could go back to committing as much of the great school to his memory as he could.

Hogwarts was his home. And it felt so good to be back. Though no one knew he was back. No one could know. Albus hurried as fast as he could down some steps and through an underneath tunnel that he was sure no one save the Founding Four knew about.

The tunnel was brilliant: it opened up wherever the person passing through it wished to appear. Albus pushed through the opening only to appear in his old office. Sitting on one side of the desk was Severus Snape, and on the other, perched on a plush chair, was Fawkes.

The bird's head snapped up, eyes meeting his master's. Then a quivering note descended upon the room; haunting, chilling but so sweet. The phoenix opened his large wings and soared into the air, coming to rest on Albus's shoulder.

Nothing else special was done but that didn't make it any less of a reunion. Albus reached up, stroking the soft feathers of his bird and smiling when he was bitten affectionately on the finger.

But then Albus looked up at the frozen frame of the Death Eater Headmaster, and waited patiently for Severus Snape to turn around and meet his eyes.

There was a clash of stormy coal eyes and piercing blue.

'Dumbledore,' the younger man breathed. 'What are you doing here?'

Albus smiled, and with his phoenix, walked across the desk to sit opposite his old student. If someone had told him five years ago, that the weird seventh year Severus Snape would take his job, Albus would have laughed. But alas, here he was, sitting on the side of his old desk he never even dreamed he would sit on, and ready to ask the younger man for a favour.

'I'm going to tell you something, and I'm asking you to keep it to yourself.'

Snape stood up, shaking his head to clear his mind. He put down the quill he had chewed on and sighed angrily. 'I have a lot on my mind Dumbledore. A lot on my mind—!'

'Sirius Black is alive.'

A pin drop could have been heard. The room grew very silent, very quickly. Then Severus buried his face into his hands. He stood frozen, wand peeking out of his robes and ink on his chin; he looked stressed and mad and so very very tired.

Obviously the younger man wasn't dealing with being Headmaster very well. He was exhausted, in more ways than one.

'How?' he asked in a hoarse voice.

'He returned Severus, and that's all that matters. Voldemort doesn't know, and I intend for it to stay that way.' Will you help me keep it that way? the question didn't need to be asked. Albus had no interest in asking it. What he liked about Snape the most was that the younger man truly was too clever for his own good; he could read people perfectly.

'O-of course.' Snape said reluctantly, looking up. In general, he looked healthier. Maybe it was because Voldemort was being kinder to his faithful followers. Or rather, as kind as the Dark Lord could be.

'What is it then? What do you need me to do?' Snape asked.

Albus watched as Fawkes took off from his shoulder, opening his wings and soaring out of the open window. The office itself looked very different. It was tidier; the books were all on their shelves, Albus's instruments were packed away, quills were boxed and categorised, and parchment rolled up.

'You need to help me protect him—' the old Headmaster was cut off when Snape scoffed, eyes narrowing and teeth clenching in anger and annoyance. Albus sighed, preparing for the rant Snape was sure to burst into.

'You ... you want me to protect that ... that arrogant, hot-headed fool?' the younger man hissed. 'I think he can protect himself! He's come back from the dead, he's fought with the Dark Lord ... he can protect himself, I'm pretty sure.'

'But because he's thought to be dead, he can't openly protect himself, he needs to stay in the shadows Severus. He has a task to do, and he can't do it with Voldemort and Death Eaters watching his every move. All I want is for you to be a guardian angel of some sort. Guide him, warn him of danger, protect him.'

'After everything he has done to me,' Snape whispered, 'you want me to protect him? To jeopardise my position with the Dark Lord, just to make sure he survives? What makes him so important?'

Albus sighed heavily, shaking his head and looking straight into the black orbs of Snape's eyes. 'Because he can end everything.'

'But he can ruin everything.' Snape countered.

And he was right. And wrong. So wrong.

'The only thing we can do is hope. Tom Riddle has power and strength on his side, whereas Sirius Black has the element of surprise. And when fighting Voldemort, surprise means everything.' Albus whispered the last sentence, holding out his hand and watching Fawkes hoot before plummeting through the air to land on the very tips of his fingers.

Fawkes had incredible balance. And in war, balance mattered most. An equal balance between Time and Power.

'I didn't send you that patronus yesterday just so you could turn up today. In fact I stated how dangerous it is to be anywhere near Hogwarts. The Dark Lord comes whenever he wants, without warning. You need to be careful, Dumbledore! Especially now the moon has set.'

'I'm not scared of Voldemort.' Albus replied, shaking his head and looking down. Sometimes the memories in his mind returned at the most random of moments; the memories that hurt him.

Pain.

Ariana.

And her pretty wide blue eyes.

'I only fear what he could do to others.'

'And for Voldemort, that's more than enough!' snapped Snape. He turned to face Albus fully this time before he sighed gently. 'He's done something he hasn't told me about. But I doubt Voldemort trusts anyone completely. It involves Dolohov—'

'Antonin Dolohov.' Albus breathed, nodding to himself. 'Remus bit him. He's a werewolf now, isn't he?' at Severus's nod, Albus sighed and shook his head. 'Full moon should have ended. Dolohov's first. It must have been painful.'

'Do you think he deserves anything less?'

With a sharp shake of his head, Albus said, 'No, I think he deserves as much pain as possible, if I'm honest...'

The current Headmaster drifted off however when something white streaked into the room. It was large and ferocious; the biggest owl he had ever seen. And with it, the owl was carrying a howler. It dropped the letter and waited patiently beside it.

The red envelop started smoking, and then:

'Come, Snape. Dolohov's injured and needs Healing Draughts. The Dark Lord summons us all to the Malfoy Manor. Dolohov has discovered where the Order is hiding. We're going to attack from underground. We're going to wipe them out once and for all. Hurry.'

The voice was ecstatic. And it was also perhaps the most polite Snape had ever heard Bellatrix talk. Crying out noiselessly, he turned to face Albus. 'Professor ... what do ... what do we do?'

xo

Lily screamed in frustration. Friends of hers, Order and Aurors alike were running, hurrying, packing and vanishing their belongings; their most prized possessions. Harry was crying, clinging to her as hard as he could. He was a smart boy; smarter than either of his parents made out. He could tell something bad was happening. He knew the significance of such a moment.

James struggled to ply his son from his Mother, crooning under his breath, 'Come on Harry, you need to let Lils go.'

When his son finally let her go, he turned in his Father's arms and wrapped himself around James, kissing him and crying.

'That's a good boy.' James whispered, kissing the side of his son's face and holding him tight.

'I love you Harry,' Lily breathed, tears cascading down her beautiful pale face. Her red hair stood out vividly against her usually creamy but now porcelain face. Her lips were scarlet. And very kissable. James leant forward to press his lips against her own, marvelling at the fact that even during all this mayhem and madness, he could still get turned on.

Marvelling at the fact that without her, he'd probably be dead. He owed her everything, everything and more!

'I love you so much,' he whispered to his wife, kissing her again. 'Please Lily, please don't do this...'

She shook her head, kissing him again to silence him. 'No, don't start that up again. I-I need to learn to defend myself without you there, backing me up every step of the way. I need to fight this war, just like everyone else. Because I'm apart of it, just like everyone else.'

'I love you.'

'Love you too,' she replied, leaning over to peck Harry on his nose. He cried out in laughter, his earlier annoyance already forgotten. Oh, how simple it was to be a child!

'I can come with you...' James whispered to her, 'Sirius can find the rest of the horcruxes on his own—'

'No he can't!' Lily hissed indignantly. 'And you know he can't! Look James, you know how much you and Harry mean to me, but we can't win this war if we put ourselves first. I'll see you soon. But I have to do my bit, just as you have to do your bit.'

Like before, James ran his spare hand through his hair, the other hand still holding a now dozing Harry tight to his chest. He sighed and shook his head, looking down at his wife with watery red eyes. 'You stay with Remus, you hear me?' his voice was commanding and deep. For once, he wasn't joking and didn't feel at all close to even smiling. 'You stick with him as much as you can. He'll protect you for me, I know he will. And you take down as many of those bastards as you can, okay?'

Lily grinned mischievously. 'Is there anything else I'd do?'

And then the married couple started kissing again, like it was the last kiss they would ever share. And maybe it was. But they hoped it wasn't. And they'd do anything to make sure it wasn't.

Things were different at the other end of the room however. SJ was wailing; still strapped to the baby carrier an exasperated Sirius was wearing. Rose was crying herself, shaking her head and begging Sirius not to leave.

'—can't do this without you! Think of me and SJ! Think of your son, your beautiful son! What if you die?'

Unbuckling the baby carrier and carefully taking his son out of the Muggle contraption, Sirius handed his son to the Mother after giving SJ a big kiss. Then he retied his hair and turned to face his girlfriend. 'Shut up Rose. I'm not going to die.'

I can't die! Sirius wanted to scream. He had the horcrux. He was safe. He had to stay safe. He couldn't bear the thought of never seeing his son again.

'I'm not going to die Rose.' He said, throwing the backpack over his shoulder after he helped her on with the baby carrier. 'I'm not going to ever leave you. Or him. I couldn't leave him even if I wanted.' Sirius told her, leaning forward to quickly kiss his son again. 'But I need to get you to safety: you, SJ and Harry. You all need to get out of here.'

'What are you going to do?' Rose breathed, gently rocking her son and watching Sirius with wide eyes.

'I don't know ... I really don't know,' Sirius admitted, leaning forward to hug her tight. Then he started to snog her senseless. It grew very heated very quickly; up until Remus popped up beside him and clapped Sirius on the shoulder. 'You need to get out of here, Padfoot.'

His voice didn't have the usual flare of Remus Lupin; the charm or the wit. Instead it was cold, plain, urgent. 'They're breaking down our shields.' He said. Then he turned to Rose. 'The Anti-Apparation spells are lifted. You need to go!'

Before anyone could even process what was going on, Rose strode over to where James and Lily were, took Harry forcefully from them and disapparated with an echoing crack. She didn't even say goodbye. She didn't even let them say goodbye.

Seconds later, the first shudder took over. And everyone inside started screaming.

xo

Rose slammed down, an arm immediately coming up to cradle Sirius James, and the other wrapping tighter around her boyfriend's godson. They both started wailing; clearly in pain. But it wasn't like apparating was painless.

'Shush,' Rose breathed, kissing the side of her son's face. 'Shush, it's okay babe.' Then Harry gave her an expectant look and the woman gave him a big sloppy kiss too. How could she not? He looked so much like his Father.

They were in London, but she was smart enough not to apparate right where Sirius's old home was; that was much too obvious, especially since, like the rest of the nation, her Apparation License had been revoked. Only, Rose never got the opportunity to get it back, what with being the lover of the man Voldemort had wanted most.

Instead, she was at least half an hour away, in an alley. An alley that, thanks to Sirius, she was intimately acquainted with. And if Rose was right, up the road was the Marauders' favourite Muggle club, and opposite it, a cafe. A cafe!

Conjuring some sunglasses (it was very sunny this morning) and a cap, Rose put on the accessories. It wasn't the best disguise or anything, but thanks to what Sirius had done to her hair, she was unrecognisable. She conjured a little cap for Harry and put it on him before setting the small boy down on the floor.

'Hold my hand, Pronglet.' She said quietly, holding out her hand.

He took it and looked up at her, smiling. 'Dog an' Lil?'

'We'll see them later.' Rose said, a fake smile on her face. She decided to take a shortcut to the cafe, which thankfully, was still there. Hurrying inside, Rose sat right at the back. No doubt, any of You-Know-Who's people, once they'd detected Rose's illegal apparation, would come looking for her. She made sure Harry wasn't facing the window. He was much too recognisable!

Then Rose closed her eyes and exhaled, struggling to remain calm. But she managed. And when a waitress came up to her, Rose ordered a cappuccino and orange juice with a straw for Harry. He started talking to her. And Rose, momentarily distracted by the cute child in front of her, wished that Sirius James would grow up to be like Harry.

But then Rose realised that all children were like this. Free and fun and energetic; blissfully ignorant. Until they grew intelligent enough to understand the war. And she didn't know what was worse; being ignorant of the war or understanding it. In the end, the result was the same. Wasn't it?

The cafe door opened, sending a tinkle of bells through the air. Rose's head snapped up and she cursed her stupidity and obviousness. But then she sighed in relief when she saw it was just an elderly couple, laughing with each other.

The woman had thick grey white hair, and was carrying a Muggle newspaper. She said something to her partner and accepted his rather clumsy kiss to her cheek. Then the elderly woman sat down whilst he ordered them drinks at the check-out.

It was such a normal thing to do; ordering for each other. But Rose found herself longing to find a similar sort of routine with Sirius. Where they'd go to cafes together, and order each other drinks, and grow old.

When the old man joined his wife again, Rose watched with a small smile. They had eyes only for each other...

She was snapped back to reality when the chimes filled the cafe again, as someone else entered. He was tall, muscular and had dark hair and even darker eyes. He went over to the waitress operating the till and started talking. Discreetly taking out her wand, Rose charmed Harry's hair red and her own son's hair blond; her shade of golden blond.

Act natural, Rose!

She leaned over to kiss the top of Harry's head just when the Death Eater looked over at them. He stared for a moment, assessing her short hair and the blond and red-haired boys she was in the process of cleaning up.

But after a few more seconds of examination, the Death Eater shook his head and left quickly. Rose sighed.

'Oh god,' she whispered to herself. Her eyes watered; from fear or relief, Rose did not know. 'Oh god.'

It took at least another half an hour before she was even confident enough to go over and pay for the cappuccino and orange juice. Then she tightened the baby carrier, ignoring SJ's protests, and took Harry's hand.

Rose didn't like being out in the open like this, not one bit. But when she went to the bus stop (she knew her way around London extremely well) all she could do was wait.

Harry sat down beside her at the bus stop and pulled SJ's hair a little too forcefully. Rose looked down at her son. He suited golden hair a lot. In fact, it seemed almost natural on him. And he looked just a tiny bit more like her with blond hair ... maybe, if she ever did see Sirius again, she'd try and persuade him to let her permanently alter SJ's hair.

When the bus came (and she very inconspicuously confunded the bus driver into letting her on) Rose sat down and sighed. Her feet already ached from carrying her son and the rucksack she'd packed earlier. But before she knew it, it was her stop and she reluctantly got off, ignoring the man eyeing her appreciatively.

He was pretty cute too. But no, no, she had Sirius. And she'd be damned if after all the fighting and all her hard work to get him back, she threw it away for a lustful one-night-stand with some Muggle stranger.

Rose held SJ tightly, kissing the top of his head as she once again readjusted the baby carrier. Then she took Harry's hand and started to walk. Rose was nervous; scared; suspicious. Every noise she heard had her looking back worriedly half a dozen times. With the sun blazing down and the warm air cackling, she soon started sweating. She swallowed hard.

After maybe ten minutes, Rose released Harry's hand and let him skip merrily at her side. But when a group of boys, maybe in their mid-teens walked past, she grabbed Harry's hand and watched them round a corner before she relaxed slightly, though she didn't let go of Harry's hand again.

The houses got larger, richer and neater the further she walked. And it was like a weight was lifted from her shoulders; she could breathe again!

Number Nine ... Number Ten ... Number Eleven ... Number Thirteen—

Rose didn't know whether it was her or her son's presence which triggered the house to grow between Eleven and Thirteen, but it did. Towering over the houses on either side, and looking wealthy and grand, it stood, tall and erect before her light green eyes.

She sighed for the millionth time that day and almost smiled. Almost. Not yet though, not yet.

Running up the stone steps, with Harry following behind, Rose lifted the snake knocker and banged it aggressively against the thick door at least half a dozen times. She waited and waited...

Oh please let someone be home!

Just as she lifted the knocker again, the door was thrown open by the small and ugly house elf. Sirius's enemy. Kreacher.

The house elf seemed genuinely surprised.

'MISTRESS!' the elf cried, trying to close the door on Rose's now intruding foot.

'Get back you rotten elf!' she spat, failing in pushing the elf back from the door. She was so weak. She just wanted water. And something to eat.

Anything to eat.

'MISTRESS!' Kreacher roared again. Then a face joined Kreacher's, and there stood Walburga, in all her graceful and beautiful glory. She wasn't smiling though; far from it. Her striking grey eyes were wide, and she was frowning.

'Please,' Rose panted, after a long moment of tense waiting, 'please can we come in Mrs Black?'

And that was when Walburga broke into a wide, stunning smile.

xo

The house shook. Screams echoed, shouts and orders flew in the air; and people were trying their hardest to protect their loved ones.

'THEY'RE COMING IN!' bellowed Moody, already in his duelling stance with a wand ready in his hand. Then he noticed something. 'FOR MERLIN'S SAKE, GET OUT OF HERE, BLACK!'

A heavy rucksack hit his chest, and Sirius reeled, winded. He put it on when he managed to get his breath back, looking up to meet the furious golden eyes of Remus. 'You need to get out of here, Padfoot!'

'Where's Prongs!' Sirius shouted. 'Prongs!' he could barely be heard over the screaming. But then the first Death Eater apparated directly into the room. He looked around and grinned before disapparating, another crack rippling through the air.

'JAMES!' Remus roared, swivelling around to try and locate James. And sure enough, he was across the room, holding Lily and furiously arguing with her, kissing her, shielding her from a spell that almost collided with them.

More cracks.

Death Eaters.

White light.

'JAMES!'

'PRONGS!'

He finally, after what seemed like an age, looked up. And he froze; only now noticing the urgency of the situation. James's crack joined the ones of the Death Eaters. He appeared beside Sirius, and simply said to Remus, 'Good luck Moony,' before disapparating and taking the long-haired Marauder with him.

Then spells started raining down on the Aurors and Order members. It was fury and electricity and pain; the Death Eaters had grown in numbers. They were strong. Remus barely had enough time to jump in front of Alice before he was struck with the Cruciatus Curse.

Better him than her, at least he wasn't pregnant...

And Frank, ever the courageous man, jumped into a battle with the Death Eater who dared harm his family. Alice snatched her son from the floor and managed a 'thank you' to Remus before she too, was gone.

'ANTI-APPARATION WARDS!' a voice cried.

Bellatrix.

Remus almost gagged. Almost. She made him sick. And she was now watching him, twirling her wand and chewing seductively on her lip. Bellatrix seemed so calm, considering the spells shooting dangerously close to her.

'Werewolf,' she spat. 'How was the full moon?'

Tiring, so very tiring. 'Interesting—' he threw the first non-verbal spell at her, 'the most interesting full moon I've had in a while—'

'CRUCIO—' the Torture Curse.

'ADFLICTIO—' a spell that inflicted such pain.

'AVADA—'

'REGERO!' and Remus managed to throw her back. But she was resilient; one did not become a favourite of the Dark Lord if they gave up easily. She stood up and threw a harder spell back at him, skimming the side of his leg and watching him roar in pain.

'Bitch.'

'Half-breed.'

And then they started throwing spells at each other again.

xo

James and Sirius appeared in the cover of trees, and though they couldn't see the Death Eaters and their friends fighting, they could hear them. The air around them cackled with electricity and power. But there had to be enough of them to win; enough Aurors and enough of the Order, right?

They weren't going to lose. They couldn't lose.

'Padfoot,' James was whispering. But Sirius was too busy inside his own mind to pay attention. Then James started tugging on his sleeve and Sirius looked up.

'What?'

It was like winter came; frosty, cloudy and so bitterly cold. The sun disappeared, sinking deeper into the sky and behind the shelter of almost black clouds. And the dark was following them.

It was so dark.

When did it get so dark?

Sirius shivered. They were trapped. Surrounded by black shadows. And it was so cold.

Sirius had never known such coldness. His breath turned white in the air, and he shivered again. The air turned darker, if such a feat was even possible.

He choked.

'D-de-de...' he couldn't finish his sentence. All he could do was watch the space in front of him, the space that was getting smaller and smaller and...

James threw the Invisibility Cloak over the both of them, knowing it possessed special powers. It was a true Invisibility Cloak, and apparently, his Father had believed it was also part of the Deathly Hallows. And the Invisibility Cloak, the last Hallow, was passed down the Peverell line, protecting those who wore it from Death.

Sirius was already friends with Death though, wasn't he? He didn't need to be protected; he just needed to keep a promise.

And just like that, the Dementors turned and left. The cloak, like so many times before, had protected them from the searching eye of their hunter. Releasing a breath he didn't even know he was holding in, Sirius turned to his best friend. 'That was close...'

A shriek pierced the air. It was coming from the other direction, where some of the Order was. 'EXPECTO PATRONUM!' roared James, and erupting from the tip of his wand was a great translucent stag, enormous, strong and powerful. It made an almighty noise before chasing away some of the Dementors.

Sirius was still shivering. He was so scared of them. There had to be at least fifty, swarming towards the small opening of the Aurors' Training Camp. There was a reason he was so scared of Dementors, they were his greatest fear...

Or they had been. But Sirius now thought maybe the Dark Lord was his biggest fear. Or maybe anything that could harm his son.

'We need to go,' James said. 'The sooner we get the rest of the horcruxes and destroy them, the sooner we can be with our families again.'

'Where are we going?' Sirius had to call over the shouts coming from the other direction. He could hear Moody bellowing orders and shouting curses.

'That,' the bespectacled Marauder's voice was deep and serious, 'is something even I don't know.' He stuffed the Invisibility Cloak into his rucksack.

Then, without another word, he grabbed the other man by the shoulder and disapparated, an echoing CRACK tearing through the air.

xo

Walburga snapped at Kreacher; 'Go get them some cool refreshments!' He hurried off without another word. Sirius's Mother opened the door wide, beckoning Harry and Rose inside, before she closed the door and waved her wand, adding extra protection to the wards.

'Taten,' Walburga breathed. 'What on earth are you doing here?'

Rose was panting; maybe it was the adrenaline and the fatigue and the thirst, or maybe she just really needed to sit down. Mrs Black seemed to sense it and immediately led them to the drawing room, where the windows were open, sending a pleasant draft inside, and the WWN was switched on.

Rose sunk down on the sofa, sighing heavily. She unbuckled the baby carrier and took SJ out, setting him on the thick expensive carpet. He could crawl now, barely, but when the mood struck him, Sirius James was off like a rocket. Or maybe a snail would be a better analogy.

Rose watched her son and admired his beauty. He really did suit blond hair.

With a wave of her wand, the glasses and caps disappeared, and Harry grinned at her, red hair sticking up just like James's. Restoring her boyfriend's godson's hair back to normal, Rose looked at her own son, wondering whether she should change his hair, or leave it golden just for a little longer.

'Leave it,' Walburga said in a deep voice. 'He suits it.'

Rose nodded tiredly before she scooped her hair up and tied it into a small ponytail.

'I didn't recognise you.' Walburga said. 'Your hair is very different.'

'You can thank your son for that.' Rose replied quietly. When Kreacher came in with iced lemonade and some sponge cake, Rose lifted Harry and set him on her lap, giving him a cup and feeding him bits of sponge cake once she'd consumed as much as she could.

'Thank you,' Rose said, 'thank you so much.'

But Walburga Black didn't seem to be listening. Instead she had her grandson in her arms, and she was running her fingers through his golden hair, smiling softly as he looked up, cooing and giggling. It seemed like what happened to everyone who'd ever even touched SJ was happening to the cold, heartless Walburga Black.

She looked like she was so in love, like he was the most precious thing ever. 'I'm glad you've carried on the family tradition of naming children after stars.' Walburga said slowly, looking up from her godson to stare at Rose. 'I'd have hated it if you called him something like Jack or Matthew ... disgustingly common names.'

Rose was tempted to say that her Father's name was Matthew, but she held it back. Maybe she was half her Father, but she'd never even met him before. He didn't mean anything to her, as much as she wanted him too.

'I have a feeling Sirius James'll be the brightest person out there. Rather fitting, don't you think?'

Surprisingly, Walburga smiled. 'Yes.' Then her face fell and she stopped smiling. 'Why are you here with Potter's son?'

Rose sighed, running a hand through her hair and setting Harry down on the ground. 'It's a long story.'

'We have time.'

'Death Eaters.' Rose snapped angrily; even the thought of them made her so angry. 'They came and attacked where we were hiding. Sirius and the others got me out of there with the children.'

'Foolish boy,' Walburga said, shaking her head. 'My son Regulus was never like him. He preferred to stick to the shadows, a Slytherin through and through. But he was intelligent like the Ravenclaws, and as much as I hate to admit it, he had Gryffindor qualities too. He didn't deserve to die ... and here, looking down at your son, I'm reminded so much of Regulus.'

'Why?'

Walburga laughed to herself. 'Regulus was quiet, he liked to play and watch people. Sirius on the other hand ... the biggest show off there is. He'd always be crying or screaming, anything to get attention. And when he went to Hogwarts, it changed from attention seeking to rebelling. I think the last time I was proud of him was when I found out his girlfriend was Serena Yaxley.'

Rose swallowed. She remembered Yaxley. Horrible bitch. Yaxley was stunning, graceful, intelligent...

Everything Rose wasn't.

'SJ rarely cries. I think he gets that from you.' She didn't mean to say it, but it came out. And weirdly enough, Walburga seemed like she respected her for being brave enough to say it.

'Yes well ... tears are for the weak.'

'Will you hide us, Mrs Black?' Rose asked after a moment. She watched her son reach up and tug gently on a lock of his grandmother's soft black hair. Walburga looked down just as SJ reached up further to touch her cheek. Instead, he touched her lips, and before the cold woman knew what she was doing, she kissed the hand pressed to her mouth.

SJ left a lingering touch on her chin before dropping his hand.

It took a long moment for Walburga to compose herself, but when she did, her voice still shook: 'Yes, yes I will.'

xo

'Professor?' Snape hissed, watching the owl fly out of the window. 'What do we do?'

Albus was staring at the spot the owl had just been. He was shocked, more than shocked. But then again, he knew, sooner or later, Voldemort would find them. He always did. He swallowed hard. 'I guess ... I guess we're going to have to do what the patronus has asked us to do. Round up some Healing Draughts and apparate directly to where he's asked of you.'

'But professor! They're coming to hunt you all down.'

'Which is why, Severus, you're going to send a patronus.' Albus's voice was urgent now. He wasn't joking, and he wasn't in the slightest amused by any of this. People were going to die. Some of them on the good side, and some on the bad.

Snape paused, looking like he wanted to protest. But he didn't. Instead, he whipped out his long dark wand and hissed the spell Dumbledore had taught him, conjuring a round ball of white wisps. And then he started speaking in a clear, angry but collected voice: 'Dumbledore is with me. He told me to warn you all. They are coming right now. And they're coming inside. You'll have nowhere to hide when they attack you from underneath. Run, and make sure Sirius Black runs too.'

The ball of white grew larger, until it was tall and radiant; its knowing eyes appraising Snape before it dashed out of the window at a furious lope.

The patronus was the same as Lily's ... a doe... 'Lily.' Albus breathed.

'Always.' Snape muttered angrily. Then he turned away, and this time his voice shook. 'Always.'

xo

~ the following night ~

'And now we have Minister Lucius Malfoy here, joining us, with a very special announcement.' The crowd applauded, more out of fear than respect. Lucius looked around, smiling softly to himself.

Then he sat opposite the broadcaster and thanked the older man. 'Thank you, Walter.'

Lucius was only in his late twenties, and he was already the Minister of Magic. No wonder people were outraged; such a young man, ruling over their country. Preposterous!

Lucius found it funny.

'And thank you all for coming.' He continued. 'The support means a lot to me, and I'm grateful. Now, lend me your ears and your eyes, because I have a very important announcement. The Ministry would like to achieve something; and it's a mission that would be made easier if you could all help.'

The audience were listening with rapt attention now, surprised. What could Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater and one of the purest wizards in Britain, want from them? Didn't he have everything? It sure seemed that way!

'I need to find James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. After a mission to retrieve the three men, earlier today, several of our Aurors—' he couldn't help but smile at this part, 'were killed and many more were injured. However, three of the attackers allied with Potter, Lupin and Pettigrew were detained and shipped off to Azkaban.'

Lucius waited for applause, and after a befuddled moment, he got one. Lucius smiled graciously, beaming at Walter. Then he continued. 'Nonetheless, Potter, Lupin and Pettigrew weren't caught. And we need to find them, we need to find them now ... before they wreck more havoc on Britain. I say, if the D- ... if Sirius Black can be captured and killed, so can they.'

It was hard not to say the Dark Lord, but it wasn't time to reveal his presence behind the Ministry and the running of Britain just yet. It was a gradual thing that took time. Like only a few weeks ago had the magazines and newspapers stopped called the great wizard You-Know-Who and now referred to him as the Dark Lord.

It was going to take time to stop the population of Britain from fearing Lord Voldemort and have them admiring him, like they so rightfully should. Oh, many knew of the Dark Lord's involvement in the government but they didn't know just how involved he was.

'Now, we have to appeal to the Muggle population as well. Which is why, tomorrow, I have a meeting with the Muggle Prime Minister...'

And Lucius Malfoy was not looking forward to it, not one bit.

xo

Sirius and James hoped she still lived where she had since graduation. They hadn't seen her in so long, so, so long. And they missed her, Sirius more than James.

But either way, she had been an important part of their life. Especially during Hogwarts. The house she lived in was small, comfortable, and of course, brilliantly done up. But what did you expect from the daughter of a model?

They knocked on the door and waited for at least five minutes.

Please let her be home, please...

The door swung open, revealing a sleep deprived and rather pissed off woman. She was gorgeous. Tanned olive skin, pearly white teeth, long black hair and wide dark green eyes.

No, she wasn't gorgeous. She was the meaning of the word. Sirius couldn't help his eyes roam her body; willowy and tall.

The woman's sleepy eyes widened when she recognised the two men standing at her doorstep; dirty, tired and smiling widely at her. 'Sirius...' she breathed.

'Emanuelle.' Sirius replied, leaning forward to deposit a very brief kiss on the corner of her mouth. 'Mind letting us in, babe?'

A/N: This is well overdue, and I'm incredibly sorry for that! I could start saying that I've been in the hospital because I got really sick, and I've got some major exams in the next few days, and I need some incredible mood lifting which I'm sure you can all participate in by leaving me some amazing and helpful reviews.

Maybe about how you're amazed that I've finally, after His Two Paths, have introduced Emanuelle Danté? But yeah, I think you guys and your reviews can heal me quicker than those stupid doctors. Have a brilliant day, thanks for all the support.