Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything what you can recognize from the books. I do however own the plot of this story but I don't have profits because of it unless you count improving my English as a profit.
Prewiev: Mirzam talks about her past. Walburga gets the shock of her life. Pettigrew gets closer to being found..
Read, enjoy and review (becuase I really want to know what you think about me ending this chapter just like that).
Chapter five: Past Simple, Present Continous.
February passed quickly and half of March was already gone. The winter was fighting the losing battle with spring. Homam grew out from Regulus's old baby clothes and Walburga decided that it was the highest time to buy him new ones. She even managed to talk Mirzam into going with her to the mall.
The morning of 20th March was very beautiful. Sun was shining, the wind was gentle and warm. Two women were enjoying themselves. Homam in his pram was giggling happily and everything was perfect.
After they bought Homam five sets of new clothes in kids store they decided to head to the park.
"Did you tried searching in Ottery St. Catchpole?" Walburga asked as she pushed Homam's pram gently.
"I thought about it but firstly I wanted to make sure if he isn't in Greenvillage," Mirzam admitted and she inhaled deeply.
"I thought about arranging the garden in next few weeks. Since boys grew up no one took care of it. Orion couldn't even keep a cactus alive and the last thing on my mind back then was the garden," Walburga said. "Your thoughts?"
"I saw Magnolia tree in the corner, it needs trimming badly," Mirzam said pensively. "Plus that pear in the other corner. Daffodils would look wonderful under the walls of the house. We can plant tulips and lilies in the centre of the garden. After trimming the pear we can even set a swing on it for Hommy so we won't have to take him all the way to the park because he wants to swing."
"We can also add a patio so when the weather gets more stable and warmer we can eat our meals in the garden," Walburga added.
"And plant irises around it. Sirius would love irises, especially the violet ones," Mirzam added quickly.
"He would love everything violet," Walburga chuckled. "I can't help but think that it has something to do with the colour of your eyes."
"Completely biased," Mirzam snickered.
"Mommy up," Homam called suddenly.
Mirzam smiled as she stopped walking, picked up the kid from the pram and sat him on her shoulders. Walburga smiled at them, they looked so perfect together. After Homam was secure on Mirzam's shoulders they resumed walking.
"What about a pond?" asked Walburga curiously.
"With kid resistant charm around it," Mirzam added.
"About teen feet away from the magnolia," Walburga added.
Suddenly someone called Mirzam's name and both women turned around to see who it was.
It was a very old lady. If the lines on her face was any indication Walburga would give her at least eighty years. Her white hair was pulled into impossibly tight topknot. Her face was heart-shaped just like Mirzam's was and her cheekbones were very pronounced. Her lips were drawn into a tight line. But what really surprised Walburga were woman's eyes, almond-shaped and violet, but unlike Mirzam's eyes they didn't hold warmth, they were piercingly cold. The woman was dressed in black tail-coat. In her left hand she was holding a leash on which other end was a very small rat-like dog.
Walburga glanced at Mirzam, any indication of good mood on her face was gone. She wasn't smiling and her grip on Homam's feet tightened so much that her knuckles turned white.
"Mirzam Verascez," said the woman coldly and small dog started barking.
"No, that would be me, madam Roberts," Mirzam replied icily.
"Rude, some things never change," the woman huffed angrily.
"Bitch, some things never change," Mirzam's tone switched from cold to livid.
"This brat is yours?" asked the woman as if she didn't heard Mirzam's comment.
"His name is Homam," Mirzam growled. "Still fond of rats posing as dogs I see."
"What kind of a name is Homam?" the woman asked lividly.
"What kind of a name is Benedicta?" Mirzam replied in equally livid voice. "Why do you care?"
"Is he normal?" the woman asked curiously, livid still evident in her voice.
"Perfectly normal," Mirzam replied icily.
"So he isn't a freak of nature like you?" the woman continued prodding.
"You mean that he isn't like his great-grandmother?" Mirzam asked. "He is just like his dad."
"So you married a normal man," the woman stated.
"No, I didn't married his father," Mirzam replied with a livid smile. "We are having a child out of the wedlock. We need to wait for his sentence to end before we get married."
The woman turned pale and whispered, "God will condemn you for that."
"I preserved my sentence in purgatory," Mirzam replied icily. "Besides I don't believe in God if he allows the existence of bitches extraordinary."
The woman turned even paler.
"Pardon my manners, Walburga Black, my future mother-in-law. Mum," Mirzam turned to Walburga and added, "this is my grandmother Benedicta Roberts, bitch extraordinary to whom I owe growing up in orphanage and her dog."
"If you think that I will come to your wedding my lady ..." started the woman angrily but Mirzam quickly cut her off.
"You won't come because hell will sooner freeze over before I will send you an invitation," Mirzam growled.
"I'm your grandmother young lady and I deserve some respect!" the woman exclaimed.
"I have no grandmother, just a cold-hearted bitch which happened to be mother of mine mother," Mirzam replied lividly before she turned around and started walking away.
"I'm not done with you yet, you little freak!" the woman screamed.
"Fuck off bitch!" Mirzam called out without turning back. "Mum, are you coming?"
Walburga glanced for the last time at the old woman before she turned around and quickly caught with Mirzam.
"You had unfortunate opportunity of meeting my grandmother," she said after a minute of silence. "I could swallow her little rat in a matter of two bites," she said grimly. "One rat down it would be."
"Was she always like that?" Walburga asked quietly.
Mirzam nodded slowly before she sighed, "It doesn't matters now."
"She has your eyes," Walburga said more to herself than to Mirzam.
"No, I have her eyes. Why? I have no idea. My mother had green eyes, so did my sister. My father's eyes were blue, just like the sky today. It's the irony that the feature I like from myself the most I got after her," Mirzam replied grimly.
For the rest of the walk they remained in uncomfortable silence.
Mirzam glanced at the cottage curiously. Last time she visited him, Sirius suggested including Lupin into looking for Pettigrew, mentioned something about werewolf's more sensitive nose actually. She couldn't help but agree with him, Lupin knew the scent of the rat, she didn't. After she came back to Grimmauld she suggested Mrs Black that they should include Lupin into the secret. Mrs Black agreed and told her to bring him to dinner today.
The cottage seemed empty so she leaned against the old maple in the way which allowed her to see Lupin returning to the house. She spent half of hour at recalling the villages in Devon she already checked out, many were clear but much more were left unchecked.
She was so occupied by her thoughts that when she felt someone's hand on her shoulder she nearly jumped. She whirled around and saw Lupin smiling at her.
"Waiting for me?" Lupin asked gently.
"Yes," she replied. "Do you have any plans for today's dinner?" she asked straightforwardly.
"Not really," Lupin answered.
"Good because I would have drag you with myself anyway. My mother-in-law and I want to have a chat with you, at our place," she said.
"I wasn't aware that you got married Verascez," Lupin replied.
"I didn't, yet anyway," she said with a shrug.
"So who is the lucky man?" Lupin asked curiously.
"Old friend of mine," she answered, technically she didn't lied, just omitted part of the truth. "We have a kid together and the family presses us into marriage," this one was a lie, the Blacks didn't pressed them into anything because while they were aware and mostly accepting of their relationship the wedding hadn't been mentioned even once.
"So why your future mother-in-law wants to see me in the first place?" Lupin asked curiously.
"Suit measuring," she replied shortly. "My fiancé wants you to be his best man. He would have asked you by himself but currently he is ... otherwise occupied," that was the truth, Sirius told her that he wanted Lupin to be their best man and he was otherwise occupied.
"So I meet him already," Lupin said pensively. "Let me guess, is it Arthur Diggory?"
"No," she replied. "Tad younger."
"Someone our age then," Lupin said. "Samuel Brocklehurst?"
"No."
"Duncan McMillan?"
"No."
"George Turpin?"
"No."
"So not a Ravenclaw and probably not a Slytherin," Lupin said. "Fred Hopkins?"
"No."
"William Jones?"
"No."
"Robert Smith?"
"No."
"Gavin Kelly?"
"Definitely gay," she chuckled.
Suddenly Lupin paled and looked at her in shock as he whispered, "Sirius Black?"
She said nothing.
Lupin let out a shaky breath and she saw him reaching for the wand. Her instinct kicked in and she cast Body Bind Curse before he even managed to touch his wand. He fell to the ground like a log. She bend over him in concern, checking if he hurt himself when he fell. He glared at her.
"You will thank me for that later, trust me," she assured him, grabbed the old on his arm and side-along-apparated to Grimmauld Place.
With Homam under Kreacher's watchful eye Walburga busied herself with preparing small dinner for five. No one from the family was supposed to visit today so it would be just the five of them, her, Homam, Mirzam, Lupin and Snape. Snape fire-called five minutes after Mirzam left and Walburga hoped that he won't be having problems with Lupin being here.
Mirzam warned her that Lupin was a werewolf and that if they wanted to include him into the search for Pettigrew they had to include him into Homam's real identity as well. Either both or nothing at all. That's why until they were absolutely sure that Lupin will agree to help them they had to remove Homam from the kitchen so Lupin couldn't smell him too early, because if he did they were all doomed.
Part of her found the information that one of her son's friends is a werewolf and in fact had been one when he was going to Hogwarts a bit worrying but on the other hand she knew that if Dumbledore let him attend Hogwarts then security precautions had been good. Mirzam also spent two hours at talking her into it over and over that only a transformed werewolf on full moon or the one of the type of Fernir Greyback and his mates were dangerous. She also added that she meet Lupin and outside the full moon Lupin was as dangerous as lady powder's puff.
She trusted Mirzam's judgement as far as her son and grandson were concerned and as an Auror Mirzam certainly could deal with Lupin if his reaction wasn't akin to the one they wanted.
Content with the state of baked potatoes she put them under warming charm and moved to the table to set the plates. Mirzam should be here any moment now.
Suddenly there was a crack of apparation in the kitchen and in front of her on the other side of the table appeared Mirzam and Lupin, the man seemed to be under Body Bind.
"Mum a frying pan within reach if you will," Mirzam ordered without looking at her. Then she said to Lupin, "You have a choice Lupin, you can stay here willingly with ability to move or you can be bound to the chair or leave. If you leave I assure you that you are going to be oblivated. The choice is yours to make. In a moment I will lift Body Bind, but if you do something suspicious and you will find yourself bound to the chair and silenced."
Lupin appeared to understand and Mirzam lifted the Body Bind.
"So why you need me here?" he asked calmly.
"I need your help in finding Peter Pettigrew," said Mirzam firmly.
"Peter Pettigrew is dead. Thanks to you dearest," Lupin snarled.
"Remember what I said about binding you to the chair?" Mirzam asked sarcastically as she pointed at the chair. "Do I really have to do it?"
"Peter Pettigrew is dead," Lupin repeated firmly but he sat in the chair obediently nevertheless.
"Peter Pettigrew is an unregistered Animagus who takes the form of a rat. Didn't it occurred you that all which had been found from Pettigrew was a finger?" Mirzam asked icily. "I know what Sirius, Potter and Pettigrew did for you. I know their forms."
"How did you found out?" Lupin asked in shock.
"The same way I found that Peter Pettigrew is not dead. I visited Azkaban. Day after I talked with you. Originally I planned to find out what Sirius knew about Harry Potter's kidnapping, turned out that he didn't knew anything but I found out something nevertheless. He was never the Potters Secret Keeper, he was too obvious choice. Shortly before the charm was performed he switched with Peter Pettigrew. This way Voldemort could go after him and the Potters could be kept safe even if he was captured. But Sirius didn't calculated into the plan that it was Pettigrew who could be the traitor, after all who could suspect Pettigrew, much more probable traitor could be a werewolf," Mirzam said firmly. "But he was not."
"I could never..." Lupin started but Mirzam cut him off.
"You could never do that, Sirius knows it, now," Mirzam said.
"He went after Peter and tried to kill him and Peter ran away," Lupin whispered.
"It was Pettigrew who blew up the street that day. He caught Sirius out of guard and we all know how it ended," Mirzam said grimly.
"You want me to find Pettigrew?" asked Lupin quietly.
"No," Mirzam said. "I want you to help me in finding him. You know his scent, I don't. You knew him long enough to know in which places he would feel the most safe, I don't."
"What about Harry Potter?" asked Lupin grimly. "I thought that you were assigned to be looking for him, weren't you?"
"Harry is fine," Mirzam replied. "That's another matter I need to talk about to you Lupin. But first I want you to swear Unbreakable Vow that you will never, and I repeat never, mention our conversation about Harry to anyone whom I don't approve, in any shape or form. Too many people will suffer if you do."
"You found him?" Lupin jumped from his chair. "Where is he?"
"Mum?" Mirzam asked without turning to face her. "Don't bother in trying to ran away with him. You won't even reach the door," she added to Lupin.
"He is here?" Lupin asked.
Walburga disapparated from the kitchen and apparated into Homam's room. She gave Kreacher a small nod and picked up the child. She decided to come back to the kitchen on foot to give Lupin more time to calm down.
When she reached the hall she heard a gentle knock on the door. Snape was here. She sighed in relief and approached the door. After making sure that it was only Snape she let him in.
"Good evening Mrs Black," he said politely.
"Good evening Severus, I'm glad that you decided to help Mirzam," she gave him a small smile.
"She played dirty," Snape replied with a sigh. "Just like you. Hey kid."
"Hey," Homam said.
"Not causing troubles, are you?" Snape asked.
"Not at all," Walburga replied for Homam.
"That's good," Snape sighed. "Anything out of ordinary since Verascez send you into hiding?"
"Nothing, if you not count meeting Mirzam's grandmother," Walburga replied. "Merlin that woman is a … real pain in the backside. She ran into us when we went out to the park."
"Benedicta Roberts?" Snape asked curiously.
"How do you know that?" Walburga asked in surprise.
"She was my father's boss for some time. Visited him at our place once, kept complaining about freak of granddaughter named Mirzam whose abomination killed her parents and little sister. Mirzam is very uncommon name even in wizarding world," Snape replied. "Besides I asked Verascez once, out of curiosity if she was related to her, I couldn't get better yes than the look of pure disgust and if it didn't gave her away it would be her eyes."
"I know," Walburga sighed.
"So is mummy dearest here yet or is she looking for the rat?" Snape changed the subject.
"She is in the kitchen. I was on my way there when you knocked," Walburga explained and she waved at Snape to go in front of her.
"You left him with Sirius's mother?" Lupin asked in shock. "Were you thinking at all?"
Mirzam sighed heavily before she muttered, "I did. Listen Remus I talked with Dumbledore about that so called protection. It just won't work. The kid needs to consider his Aunt's place as home and with the way they treated him it would be a miracle if he lived long enough to enter Hogwarts. Mrs Black at least cared enough to see the obvious. The kid needs a family, a real family and once Sirius is out of Azkaban he will have full family who will treat him like every child is supposed to be treated. He will have around himself adults who will sooner die than let anything bad happen to him. Don't spoil it."
"You are asking for a lot Verascez," Lupin muttered. "Dumbledore…"
"Is just a human and makes mistakes. But unlike mistakes of most of us Dumbledore's mistakes can be much more dangerous and their results may be drastic. What would you do if you knew that Harry was beaten at least twice in a day and didn't got much food? Could you call it protecting the child? Could you call taking care of the child by putting him in a dark cupboard under the stairs?" Mirzam asked fiercely. "Listen I know how far abuse can go and I wouldn't wish to anyone something I …" she flinched not really wanting to talk about it but Lupin needed to see the point, "something I got through."
"What?" Lupin asked in shock.
She sat down in a chair Lupin occupied previously and sighed heavily before she whispered, "My magic started manifesting when I turned four. No one in my family could really explain why things started flying around me or why meals I didn't liked ended on the floor. My g… good-for-nothing grandmother stated that I was spawn of the satan and then … then … about a year after that my little sister was born … she was weak newborn, very weak, when she was three months old the doctors discovered that she had leukaemia. My parents … she was their main concern, they send me to live with my grandmother and grandfather," she hung her voice feeling that if she continued now she would burst in tears.
She felt Lupin's left hand squeezing her left shoulder and she willed herself to calm down long enough to continue, "I lived with them till I was ten. I saw my parents three times during the year. My grandparents were … horrible people. For my parents they set me a room at the first floor but I was only in that room when my parents visited … normally I was living in the storage room under the stairs, it was bigger than the cupboard but with the stuff they kept there and barely enough space to sleep. I … I was given only two meals for day, both were far too small to be enough. But it wasn't the worst …"
"What was the worst?" Lupin whispered, the grip of his hand on her shoulder tightened.
"My parents rarely saw me and they always called about two weeks before they were supposed to show up. This allowed my grandmother to beat me regularly, at least once in a day. She told me that she will kill me if I ever as much as breath about what was going inside their house to anyone. I knew better than disobey her … when it started I tried to call my mother but she caught me … she told my mother that I was little liar and that she should worry about Gemma … She was furious … if you saw her … I thought that she was going to kill me right then … few days later she pushed me down the basement stairs and … if I wasn't a witch I would never make that fall," she paused feeling tears running down her face. "I broke left leg in four places, had broken three ribs, punctured lung and severe brain concussion. But it was only the first time…"
"What had happened another time?" Mrs Black asked quietly and it was then when Mirzam realised that she was in the kitchen.
"The second time she tried to run me with her car, I was seven," she whispered. "Once again I got concussion and broken leg, in five places. The third time happened shortly before my sister made full recovery, when I was nine and half … I … it was the worst of all … she pushed me out of the window, from first floor. I broke a backbone and for two weeks I was in coma … If I wasn't a witch I would never survive that fall…"
"What had happened later?" asked Snape and it surprised her because she wasn't aware that the man was coming. "Did she get away with it?"
"She managed to get away with it," she whispered. "But I didn't cared, my sister got better and my parents decided to take me back home. For two years I was the happiest kid in the world. Until my parents died when I was twelve. The judge told me that I could make a choice, go to live with my grandparents or to go to orphanage. I chose orphanage and I would have chosen it times and times again if I had to. That's why I would rather die before I will allow the Dursleys to take Harry back. No one deserves to live with the family who doesn't cares about you," she hid her head in her hands.
It was more than she could take. On the top of all this mess now she had to relieve the memories of her childhood. Not even Azkaban made them come to the surface, she was trained enough Occlumens to keep them in cheek in Azkaban. This memories tainted her, made her weak.
Sirius knew of course. She wasn't able to keep the truth away from him since they spent ten weeks in the middle of nowhere sleeping in one bedroom cottage, in one bed. She woke him up in the middle of the first night with her nightmare and scared him shitless because she forgot to cast stupid silencing charm around her side of the bed. He spent the rest of the night with her and talked her into uneasy but dreamless sleep. He chased the demons of the past away, he taught her how to keep them in cheek, he suggested learning Occlumency so she didn't had to relieve her memories when she was sent with prisoners to Azkaban.
Tonight she was going to have nightmares again, it was obvious and unlike the last time Sirius wasn't here to sooth them.
"You can tell them everything Mrs Black. I'm going to come around tomorrow at nine and we are going to look in Falron, Lupin. Now excuse me but I really need to lie down," she whispered as stood up from the table and marched out from the kitchen.
She made her way into her bedroom and went immediately to the trunk. The bottle was hidden under her Ravenclaw scarf. Even after the nightmares had stopped she kept once just in case of emergency. She took it from the trunk and checked the label. Dreamless Sleep Potion. The dose was big enough to knock her out for next twelve hours.
"No," she whispered to herself. "Not this time."
She returned the bottle to the trunk and sat down on it. Dreamless Sleep Potion could stop the nightmares but if she started taking it again…
She sighed heavily as she stood up and approached her bed. She would not allow her past to control her life. She crawled under the covers with her clothes still on.
Walburga's eyes followed Mirzam until the doors shut behind her. Poor dear had been through so much in her young life and last few months added only more worries and troubles. Walburga wasn't stupid and she knew that Mirzam spent at least sixteen hours a day at searching for Pettigrew and the lack of success only frustrated her. Today's meeting with her grandmother and talking about past certainly didn't helped her. Mirzam was on the edge of mental breakdown and one step in the wrong direction would crush her.
"She is on the edge of mental break down," Walburga muttered to the men. "Listen you two if you at least have a bit of human decency you will carry on the searches for the next week without her. She wanted you Severus to check if the rat isn't hiding at Hogwarts or in Hogsmead. Keep an eye on any rat which doesn't have a toe. You Lupin, will go to Falron tomorrow, there are four wizarding families living there but for security measure try to check muggle households in the neighbourhood. If you can't come back here personally and give a report of what you found out send an owl."
Snape nodded then said grimly, "I will bring you few bottles of Dreamless Sleep Potion tomorrow madam. She looks like she will need it. A change of surroundings should help too, I suggest a house in the country. Preferably nothing in Devon."
"I suggest something at the sea. Cornwall perhaps. Few farmers at Treen rent cottages so maybe you can use one. I will check it and will meet you either here or at my house in Treen if I don't find you here tomorrow, Verascez will know how to find me," Lupin said quickly.
"Good," Walburga nodded. "For now goodnight boys, I'm sorry that we didn't had dinner but right now she is more important. You will find the way to the door on your own."
Walburga returned Homam to his room and put him to his crib. The boy seemed to sense that he needed to fall asleep tonight without a story and after giving Walburga a wide smile he cuddled to his mascot, closed his eyes and within a minute was asleep.
Walburga smiled at him briefly and she left the room. She made her way to Mirzam's room and knocked on the door. The girl didn't answered so Walburga turned the knob silently and peeked inside.
The lump on the bed indicated that Mirzam was asleep so Walburga backed off and closed the door quietly.
Mirzam wasn't asleep when Mrs Black opened the door to her room. She really didn't felt like sleeping tonight but she wasn't going to make Mrs Black worried about her now.
She waited until the house fell completely silent before she stood up from the bed and left her room. She entered the corridor and looked to the right and then to the left.
Something was pulling her in the direction of the corridor and the stairs and against her better judgement she followed that pull. The closer she got to the ground floor the stronger the pull became. When she realised that she had her hand on the doorknob of the front door she frowned.
The pull was unnatural, almost like she was under Imperius, except she wasn't because she could think on her own. The pull wanted her to leave through the front door but her instinct told her to not do it.
She glared at the door before she went in the opposite direction of the front door to the door to the garden. She opened them and slipped out from the house.
The night was beautiful. The sky was clear and wind was gentle. Oh, to fly tonight.
"Idiot," she whispered to herself before she transformed into the raven.
When she took off the ground the pull returned and made her fly in general direction of the west. The wind carried her gently as she was waving her wings with all the strength she had. The pull was getting stronger with each passing minute and when she recognised the lights of Bristol ahead she was so weak that she had to land, even if it was for a moment.
She picked up big oak in the middle of the forest and sat down to catch her breath. After a moment of consideration she flew down to the ground and transformed back into her human form.
Suddenly she felt the weight on her neck. It wasn't anything too heavy or too big but as a woman who never wore necklaces she knew that there was something on her neck. How it found its way there she had no idea.
She reached her left hand to touch her neck and trailed downwards. On the collarbone she felt something akin to thin chain. She trailed her hand down to its end and felt small pedant. She glanced down and caught glimpses of silver.
"I didn't had you before," she muttered grimly.
Common sense told her to turn around and apparate home. Too many people depended on her now and she couldn't get killed now. But the Auror in her wanted to know why someone tried to lure her out from the safety of 12 Grimmauld Place into place she didn't knew.
Whomever tried to lure expected her to appear in her human form. So if she went as animal and checked what awaited on the other end she could be safe, or safer than she was in human form.
She transformed into the dog and let the pull guide her. For fifteen minutes she was running in the direction of Bristol before she felt that the pull started to be stronger when she made a step in the direction of south. She was running another fifteen minutes before she saw a small house in the distance.
It looked like typical muggle house with brick walls and white windows. She switched paces from running to tiptoeing as the house got even closer.
With hammering heart she approached the front door. She was about to change back and look for a way to enter the house unnoticed because the pull of the necklace got unbearable when she spotted the cat-flap. As a dog she was too big to get through but the cat wouldn't have that problem.
She changed back into human form and quickly transformed into a cat.
She raised the cat-flap with her head and peeked inside. The hall looked normal and she made two tentative steps into the confines of the house. All rooms, except the one at the opposite end of the corridor to the front door seemed were dark and deserted. That one at the end of the corridor seemed to be occupied by someone because the fire was crackling merrily in the fireplace, then she heard a clink of glass.
'Definitely occupied,' she thought quickly.
She padded gently her way to the doorframe of that room.
It was small rectangular living-room with a three bookshelves, fireplace, couch and two armchairs. One of the armchairs was occupied by a dark-haired man with a book in his lap, his legs were outstretched and at man's feet was sleeping orange cat which looked like a mix of a Kneazel and normal cat.
The eyes of the animal had opened and as it saw her it hissed loudly. She flinched and made a step back, she was discovered and it would be good time to turn around and ran away.
"Stop hiding in the hall Mirzam Verascez. You scared Crookshanks," called the man.
She shifted into her human form so quickly that she wasn't aware of it until she heard herself asking the man, "How do you know my name?"
"You are the only one who would come here to find me," said the man as he stood up and turned to face her.
If she didn't knew better she could have swear on anything that in front of her was standing Sirius. Except that Sirius was in Azkaban and the man in front of her was higher than her when Sirius was the same high as she was. He was wearing muggle jeans and green sweater. His shoulder length, jet-black hair had the same wavy look as Sirius's hair had. His cheekbones were pronounced just like Sirius's. But the eyes of the man weren't grey. They were dark-brown.
"I was expecting you to visit me ages ago," said the man with a wide grin. "Don't tell me that you don't remember the man who saved your dignity from a perverted Gryffindor."
She remembered and she blushed at that memory. She was in her sixth year and was wandering around the Ancient Runes classroom and waiting for fourth year lesson to end when Peter Pettigrew cornered her and started taunting her. The taunts about why she didn't gave Sirius the time of the day she could stand but what had happened later made her blush scarlet every time someone had mentioned it. As she turned away from Pettigrew with intention of ignoring the git and leaving the corridor to come back later she realised that something was wrong. Her clothes and robes, all except underwear had vanished. On instinct she tried to cover herself from the perverted Gryffindor instead of hexing the git into next week. Pettigrew of course was laughing his ass off. Suddenly two things had happened at the same time: someone covered her with Hogwarts robe and Pettigrew had been hexed so hard that he flew through the half of the corridor and hit the wall. She glanced around looking for her saviour and found tall and lanky boy with Slytherin crest on his sweater. For a moment she thought that now she was doubly doomed because somehow Sirius Black had stolen the clothes of some Slytherin student but in the moment the boy's eyes connected with hers she knew that it wasn't him.
"Regulus Black," she whispered. "You are supposed to be dead."
"I'm as good as dead," he shrugged but still kept grinning at her. "I remember that blush. You turned in exactly same shade when Sirius came into Flitwick's office with your clothes which he managed to find in Pettigrew's trunk."
"Perverts the lot of you," she snorted but quickly changed her tone to more serious one. "Now back to the subject. You are supposed to be dead."
"You already said that," he replied. "Perhaps you would like to take that necklace off."
"Why it brought me to you?" she asked gravely but she took of the necklace off nevertheless and lied it on the small table next to her.
"Because I charmed it this way," he shrugged and he made two steps in her direction just to find himself with her wand pointed at his chest. "I couldn't gave it to Sirius because he would completely ignore it. But you could wear it, and you could make him go with you. I wonder why he didn't?"
"Otherwise occupied," she replied shortly. "Why?"
"It would be a lot simpler to explain if you let me lift memory charm," he said simply.
"I won't have anyone messing with my head, thank you very much. One person in a week is enough," she snorted.
"Fine then. I can wait," he shrugged. "Remember the massacre in St. Ives?" he asked then he waved his left hand. "Of course you remember. You and Sirius remember that after you fell he called for the backup and he carried you out from that damned warehouse. That's not what really happened," he said seriously.
"So what really happened?" she asked grimly.
"He had been hexed himself. Hard enough to lose consciousness for three minutes. At the same time Death Eaters from the roof called for the backup. You were both injured and weren't the issue at all. They decided to leave you there for a while and finish you later. They left, all but one, me," he said firmly. "That's when I gave you the necklace, then with Sirius's wand I called for backup and modified the memories of you both."
"Why?" she asked quickly.
"I was stupid little boy who got into his mind that he could serve the Dark Lord. All was well," he snorted. "Until I actually joined. I lasted a year, mostly because for better part of that year I was at Hogwarts. I was too weak to be a Death Eater, I've learned it very quickly. The only thing I could be good was supporting pure-blood philosophy and push for 'good' changes in our world. The raids taught me quickly that I got into very deep shit with no way out."
"I think that was fairly obvious for the beginning," she snorted.
He chuckled at that and said, "You are right, but you can't just come and hand him a resignation. Serving the Dark Lord is lifetime of service or death. I saw what had happened to these who were foolish enough to oppose him openly," he cringed. "These stuff still gives me nightmares. That's why I knew better than tell the Dark Wanker to hang himself in the closet."
"Charming," she snorted. "Are you finished?"
"I didn't really started yet," he replied shortly. "The turning point was kidnapping of the White family. The parents had been killed quickly, they tried to fight. The father actually inured two Death Eaters with a gun. But their daughter…" he shuddered. "She had been taken by Bellatrix to the meeting, as entertainment, for the Dark Lord. She was six years old," he whispered. "She didn't even tried to fight. I didn't took the part in her kidnapping but I was at the meeting she was taken too. She had long, gold hair and eyes so blue, like the sky in the summer…" he hung his voice.
"Her body was never found," she whispered.
He nodded then added, "Twenty Cruciatus. By Dark Lord only. The room full of people and she found me," he paused. "Have you ever seen the eyes of the person who wants to die because the torture is too much? That was her eyes. They found me in the room full of people and remained on me till she drew last breath. After he had enough, the Wanker told us that we could have some fun with her. He allowed Fernir to be first," he paused again. "She was his to take, to torture, in any shape or form. She was six, and he, raped her… three times before the Wanker told Fernir to step back and let the others have fun."
"What had happened later?" she asked quietly.
Regulus stared at the wall next to her as he said, "I supplied as first after Fernir. I walked to her with my wand pointed at her. My eyes and hers were still connected and I… I killed her. Killing Curse. Quick and painless death which stopped the torture. I paid for it dearly but I never regretted doing what I did because I knew what awaited for her if I didn't killed her. She was only six, she deserved to live, to grow old, without the memory of the torture, to have a happy life. But life and happiness wasn't something which awaited her in Wanker's Headquarter, only torture and death. The worst kind of death," he paused and took a shaky breath. "I wanted to spare her that pain and agony it would bring. Killing Curse… allowed her to die quickly and painlessly. And if I had to do it once again, I would… No one deserves to die in the way the Wanker prepared for him or her. That was the turning point for me… I realised that it wasn't about pure-blood philosophy, it was all about the cruelty."
"You know that I can charge you for her murder," she said calmly even if she was shaking inside.
"I know, trust me, I know," he sighed. "And I will go to Azkaban with lighter heart but I ask you to wait until I finish the rest of my story," he said quietly. "Around that time I possessed an information that there was something the Wanker want to hid from the world, something important, essential to him. Me finding out about it happened shortly before my deranged cousin, Bellatrix suggested to the Wanker that I needed loyalty test. I had been given a week to kill the person of their choosing. The person I would never in a million years harm, no matter what. I didn't refuse straightforwardly, I wasn't that stupid."
"Whom you were told to kill?" she asked quietly.
He caught her eyes and held her stare as he said, "The person in whose veins runs the same blood as in mine. My brother."
She gasped at that but he continued as if he didn't heard her, "My time was running out. I knew that I would not kill my brother and I knew what I awaited me if I didn't. Death was the only thing which awaited me but I didn't wanted to give the Wanker that satisfaction. I knew that I was about to die, one way or the other and I decided to be a master of my own death. It was me who sent the note to the Ministry to include both of you into Garbageworthy search in Finland day before he was supposed to be killed as I returned home to prepare myself for what was going to come."
"You vanished, they never found your body and you very much alive. You didn't died," she said quietly.
"I'm as good as dead Mirzam," he said quietly. "If the Wanker ever found what I did… It was a miracle, a freaking coincidence that I lived," he snorted. "I went after that thing of his. I took Kreacher with me, from him I knew what Wanker wanted to hid because a year before when he asked for a trusted house-elf I supplied Kreacher."
She said nothing and let him continue.
"Kreacher took me to the dark cave at the coast. We went inside," he paused. "I had a locket with me, similar to the one of Wanker's. It contained what I really thought about the git. We passed the lake full of Inferis and got on that island in the middle of it…" he paused again. "There was a basin. I told Kreacher to feed me with the potion inside it and when the basin was empty to switch the lockets, take the one of Wanker' s to home and destroy it. The potion was most horrible thing you can think about… It burned my insides and made see my worst memories. I wanted water, something to drink… I crawled to the end of the island and took a handful of water from the lake … The hand of Inferi caught me and dragged me beneath the surface. The water filled my lungs, my insides still burned… The surface was so distant that when I felt that I was really about to die another thought passed through my mind. I had nothing to lose and latched on it. If it failed, I would die, but if I could do it I could live. I concentrated on disapparating from that damned place. Next thing I knew was that I was lying in a muggle hospital in Bristol," he snorted.
"Why you didn't contacted your mother?" she asked quietly. "She was going spare."
"I would contact her, trust me I really would. Actually I planned to contact her, until I found out that since I disapparated from that cave a year had passed. A year which I spent I coma. Besides I discovered something else, I didn't wanted her to see me like this," he replied quickly.
"What? Alive? You are her son she would be happy that you are alive," she pointed out.
"You don't get it," he shook his head. "That apparation nearly killed me. Destroyed my magic. Turned a defenceless squib."
"Liar, you offered to lift the memory charm," she pointed out with a huff.
"I did," he nodded. "I didn't said that I stayed as a squib. The magic started slowly returning with passing time. But even now, nearly eighteen months later I no more powerful than a second year and it will take years for me to come back to my former abilities. That's why I chose to stay here."
"So what I'm supposed to do with you now?" she sighed heavily.
"I suggest having a breakfast with me and giving me juicy details about my older brother," he said simply.
That's when she realised that a lot of time had passed since she left Grimmauld Place.
"What time it is?" she asked quickly.
"Six o'clock," he answered. "You have a clock on your left."
She turned to take a look at the clock and realised that he was right. It was six o'clock.
"Your mother will murder me if she finds me," she muttered.
"Why?" he asked curiously.
"Because I was supposed to stay in bed not run around the country like a Kneazel in heat," she replied as she turned back to face him.
"What my mother had to do with it?" he asked, curiosity evident on his face.
"I got a nervous breakdown yesterday, in front of her," she replied. "I have a feeling that she is already awake and it's a matter of fifteen minutes before she sends a rescuing squad after me."
"Why she would do such a thing?" he asked again.
"Because with your brother in Azkaban she can't have her mentally unstable almost-daughter-in-law disappearing from the house without information where she is heading," she replied quickly.
"Sirius is in Azkaban? Daughter-in-law? Did the earth started turning in opposite direction?" he asked quickly.
"It's a long story and I would prefer to not explain it here. You can come back with me and see for yourself," she answered.
"Fine, let me take my cat," he said quickly. "Crookshanks!"
The animal which left the room after she changed into her human form ran into the room, jumped on his shoulder and started purring loudly.
"From where did you get that cat?" she asked curiously.
"Came around about a month after I moved in here," he explained and scratched the cat behind its ear. "Scared me to the death because one day I woke with him lying on my stomach. Didn't wanted to go away so I kept him. Very intelligent half-Kneazel."
"Are you apparating on your own?" she asked.
"I was hoping for you to side-along me," he grimaced. "Since that hell of apparation I prefer muggle means of transport."
"Fine then," she sighed and gestured at him to come to her.
He walked to her, taking the cat from his shoulders to his arms on his way. She hooked her arm around his elbow and disapparated from the house.
When they found themselves in the kitchen she examined the room and saw that no one used it yet. If she played it smartly Mrs Black would have no idea that she left the house. That was until she heard the steps on the stairs.
Walburga didn't slept well that night. At the beginning she caught few hours of disturbed sleep but after she woke up at three o'clock in the morning she spent about a hour at tossing and turning in her bed. She gave up sleeping at four o'clock in the morning and stood up to check on Homam and Mirzam.
Homam was sleeping peacefully in his crib so she quickly backed away from his room and went to Mirzam's. She found her bed empty and unmade which indicated that Mirzam just stood up. Walburga came back to her bedroom to fetch the dressing-gown and started looking for younger woman. After nearly two hours worth search Walburga knew one thing, Mirzam wasn't inside the house and neither she was in the garden.
That was a scary thought. Mirzam wasn't exactly emotionally stable after yesterday and her leaving the house today wasn't something which Walburga liked to think about. She was about to apparate to Mirzam's flat when she heard Homam waking up. With a heavy sigh she decided that she will check on her after Homam's breakfast and went to his room.
"Morning grandma," Homam greeted her. "Where is mommy?"
"Mommy woke up early and decided to go out," she replied, she wasn't going to inform the kid that his mother vanished from the house without a trace.
Homam extended his arms for her to pick him and she took the kid out of the crib. She sat him on her left hip and smiled at him.
She walked down to the stairs to the hall where she stopped and once again checked if Mirzam didn't came back. Nothing indicated that she did. She sighed heavily and went down to the kitchen. As she stepped from the last stair she saw two people in the kitchen. One of them looked like Mirzam and the other looked just like Sirius.
'It's impossible,' she thought frantically. 'Even if she found Pettigrew while she was out there is no way to let him out before hours of hearing. It can't be Sirius.'
"You're staying quiet. I'm doing the talking part understood?" asked Mirzam in her Auror mode. "Unless you want to find yourself hexed into next week."
"Got it," replied Sirius's lookalike and it was then when Walburga realised that he was holding a cat in his arms.
Mirzam turned around and saw Walburga. Immediately she smiled at her and greeted her with over cheerful, "Hello mum. Did you sleep well?"
This was it, she could berate younger woman for leaving the house without a warning. She took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for a tirade before she said, "Not good at all my dear. I spent half of the night at looking for you since you didn't bothered to left even a note where are you going."
Mirzam smiled sheepishly before she said, "That would be his fault," she pointed at the man standing next to her.
"Hey!" the man exclaimed.
"It was because of your stupid necklace I had to get out," she pointed out.
"If it worked properly it would activate a hell lot sooner," the man muttered.
"Language," Mirzam berated him. "There is a child in this room."
The man finally looked at Walburga as he saw Homam and whispered, "Sior procreated. Now I see why you were so eager to come back home Mirzam."
Walbugra acknowledge man's sentence absent-mindedly because she was more shocked by the appearance of the man. His hair and cheekbones were just like Sirius's, but his eyes … Her thoughts came back to late afternoon at 12th November 1979. Family and some friends scattered behind the trees and bushes while she and Orion stood in front of the grave in which lied an empty coffin. He was only eighteen. His body was never found. She grieved his death just like she grieved Orion's few weeks later.
It wasn't possible. Not after these two long years. He couldn't be back because he died.
"You aren't here," Walburga whispered as she shook her head. "You are just a memory," she added as she looked from the man to Mirzam.
Mirzam rolled her eyes in annoyance before she asked, "Could I pinch him if he wasn't really here?" and pinched the man.
"Ouch!" the man yelped. "You pinched me."
"You gave me cursed necklace and made me fly for half of the night to find you," Mirzam muttered at him. "Guess that makes us square."
"You are…" the man started then looked between Walburga and Mirzam. "You are my… how it went? Almost-sister-in-law?"
"Don't complain," Mirzam muttered. "You could get worse than me."
"Mommy!" Homam exclaimed and Walburga felt him struggling in her grip.
Mirzam approached her and picked up the kid who immediately burrowed into her arms. Then she wandered away to the pantry leaving Walburga clear way to stare at the man who looked exactly like her supposedly deceased youngest son.
"Is it really him Mirzam?" she asked and her own voice sounded in her ears otherworldly.
"There is only one Slytherin who could protect me from perverted Gryffindor so I guess that would be him," Mirzam replied from the pantry.
"Hey mum," the man, Regulus waved at her nervously.
"Regulus," she whispered as the relief washed over her. It was him.
Before she knew what had happened she found herself in his embrace. Her head was reaching his shoulders. He was exactly the same high he was when she saw him for the last time. She clung to him like he was last solid thing in the world.
After she left the pantry she stared at the exchange between Mrs Black and her younger son with interest. Add Sirius into it and old lady would be deliriously happy for the rest of her life. She let them stay like as she went to prepare breakfast, Homam which she shifted from her arms to her left hip was watching her actions with interest.
"Berry jam," he said timidly.
"One or two?" she asked with a smile.
"Two," the kid smiled back.
"Of course two, you are getting bigger and growing boys need two toasts with berry jam," she replied. "Cup of cocoa or tea?"
"Cocoa," Homam replied. "Why grandma hugs that man?" he asked curiously.
"Because it's your uncle," Mirzam replied. "He was … playing very long hide and seek with grandma and she couldn't find him," she added, Homam didn't knew all the nuances of the family history before he turned at least four.
"But you found him," stated Homam.
"I did, but not without his help," Mirzam replied.
"Is daddy playing hide and seek too?" Homam asked suddenly.
Mirzam stopped buttering the bread slices and sighed. Shortly after her birthday Homam started asking about Sirius, dad to be more specific, and both women had to tell the kid that Sirius was very far away and that he won't be back for some time.
"In a way," Mirzam sighed. "Yes, he is. But he is playing with someone else who told him to hide and he can't come out of hiding until someone else before him is found."
"Are you looking for daddy, mum?" Homam asked timidly.
"I do, Hommy," she smiled at him. "I really want your dad to come back that's why I need to find that person first."
"Okay," Homam mumbled.
It wasn't okay. Not at all and she knew it. Homam was sad and she needed to cheer him up.
"Grandma talked to you about fall? Remember colourful leaves?" she asked.
Homam nodded eagerly.
"Hommy I promise you," she said seriously. "That before you will see first colourful leaves outside daddy will be home with us."
"Really?" Homam asked hopefully.
"Really," she replied eagerly.
Great now she had six months to find Pettigrew.
Regulus felt a bit overwhelmed by the situation. He knew that the necklace someday would bring Mirzam Verascez to him even if he didn't knew when it could happen exactly. But last evening when he was getting himself ready to the bed he felt that the necklace started working. He abandoned the night of sleep, not really knowing if she was going to show up on his doorstep in a matter of five minutes or five hours.
He nestled himself in his armchair in living-room, a muggle romance novel in his lap. He started reading but after fifth page when Crookshanks managed to corner him and pin him to the armchair he realised that he already forgot what had happened at the first page. He closed the book and lied it at the small table on his right. Tonight wasn't going to be about fiction, it was about the past.
His father was very good source of information about Sirius. At 27th June 1979 when Regulus was mentally preparing himself for the ambush on Aurors next day his father came from the Ministry and mentioned to him that Sior already got a partner, a young witch named Mirzam Verascez. He remembered her from the Hogwarts and Quidditch matches, she was great competent unlike Hufflepuff's and Gryffindor's Seekers, then was that incident with Pettigrew in his fifth year. The pervert managed to corner Verascez and banished her clothes and even if Regulus wasn't keen to help Muggle-borns he still obtained some sort of decency which made him take of his robe and cover the girl before hexing Pettigrew into next week, a woman in need was a woman in need after all. He escorted the girl to Flitwick's office and waited with her while Flitwick went to McGonagall to see if she could get her clothes. Two minutes after Flitwick left, to his office came furious Sirius with a bundle of Ravenclaw's uniform. Verascez turned scarlet from embarrassment while Sirius stammered an apology and ran away.
Regulus knew about his brother's fascination with the girl. After all he asked her out before Hogsmead weekends and every time he got no. Sirius was a charmer to whom many girls fell easily, so one who actually didn't made him chase after her even harder out of pure spite just to prove that he could have her too.
Information that Verascez was Sirius partner was a blessing in disguise for him. He already wasn't very happy about serving the Dark Wanker, the Whites murder and their daughter's torture make him sick. The girl hadn't done anything wrong and before she died, before he killed her he watched her suffer under Cruciatus Curse performed by the Wanker and then her rape. He knew what awaited the girl and every little particle in his body screamed at him to do something, to stop her torture. Death was her only salvation. Killing Curse, quick and painless death which saved her from agony was her salvation and his doom.
Ten Cruciatus Curses for being a disobeyer and fun killer – literally – left him hurt and angry. At himself for being a fool and thinking that Wanker could make a difference in the world when what really Wanker wanted was to destroy the world and build his own on its ashes. For making him a murderer because he wanted to stop girl's suffering. Anger at the Wanker himself because pure-blood philosophy didn't required killing innocent children who weren't connected to wizarding world.
He cursed the medallion that night. He knew that in a matter of few weeks, maybe month he would die. He wanted someone to find his body and told his fucking parents that Lord Voldemort wasn't something the world needed.
The raid in St. Ives was the first real one he was supposed to partake. The morning of the ride he sent the anonymous note to the Ministry that Death Eaters planed a massacre in St. Ives. When he looked out of the window of the warehouse and glanced down at the street he nearly got a heart attack. The fools from the Ministry sent ten Aurors out of training, Sirius and Verascez amongst them against thirty Death Eaters. It was a certain death.
They fought hard, every single one of them. Regulus went as far as he could to help them without being accused of helping them that he deliberately missed every single hex or curse he performed while avoided getting hit.
He wanted to kill Nott by himself when he saw that Nott's Killing Curse flying in Sirius's direction. It was pure luck that Verascez's fall knocked him out of the way. He stunned Sirius for a good measure when he heard that Death Eaters from the roof called for backup. Nott retreated with the rest upstairs and Regulus was left with the two of them.
He approached Verascez knowing that all Sior was going to have was a nasty bump. She was in pain, great pain. He quickly healed her wound and bend over her. In that moment he could read her like an open book.
She was scared, worried about the others, defenceless, unable to move. Her eyes looked like eyes of captured animal which knew that it was going to die. On its own volition his left hand reached to touch her face while the other took of his mask.
In her eyes he saw fear and realisation. She recognised him.
"I won't let them kill you," he whispered to her. "I won't let them kill Sirius," he added as he withdrew his left hand and reached for the medallion in his pocket. It was his occasion to make sure that someone would find his body.
He put it on her and watched as she writhed when it melted into her skin. It would go off in the moment his magic will vanish, in the moment of his death. His matters were taken care of and now all he had to do was fluffing his promise. He reached for Sirius's wanted and called for the backup.
He dropped Sirius's wand to the ground and quickly modified memories of them both. They would remember the ambush and that it was Sirius, not him who called for the backup. After that he retreated to the centre of the warehouse and slashed himself across the face to make sure that Death Eaters would believe that he was injured by an Auror. He waited for the backup at the stairs, blood dripping from his face and when he heard a noise outside he flew up the stairs yelling like a banshee that backup had came. He was amongst the ten Death Eaters who managed to escape that day.
He managed to survive next three months on pure luck without doing too much damage. Until Bellatrix, fucking bitch, suggested the Wanker to test his loyalty. He thanked all deities he knew that he was skilled enough Occlumens to fool the Wanker into believing that he was going to kill his brother.
He tipped the Ministry about Garbageworthy and suggested sending Sirius and Verascez after him. Day before they were supposed to leave he came back home prepared to be master of his own death. He wouldn't allow the Wanker or Bellatrix the merit of killing him so he decided to ensure that Waner's Horcrux was destroyed even if it had to cost him his life. Seeing Wanker's downfall was certainly worth it.
Horcrux was another thing which started bothering him after he woke up from the coma. He spent countless nights at wondering if Kreacher managed to destroy the Horcrux. After few weeks in hospital he started wondering if there were other Horcruxes and since he was bedridden he had more than enough time to think about it.
He was absolutely sure that at least one other Horcux beside the locket existed. Hufflepuff's cup went missing exactly at the same time as Slytherin locket, both used to be in the possession of the same person so Wanker making the cup another Horcrux was highly possible.
By the time he acknowledged the cup as very possible Horcrux he was discharged from the hospital. Being reduced into total squib prevented him from coming back to wizarding world, not until Wanker and his merry bunch were still at large. He found himself a decent job at the small muggle bookstore which owner was too old to take care of it by himself.
His job itself was fascinating but the hours he spent waiting for potential client he spent at thinking if there were other Horcruxes, beside the locket and the cup. After few weeks he came with few ideas like the one about the Gaunts's ring, sign of Slytherin heirloom, if the Wanker was the heir of Slytherin the ring could be very probable Horcrux. There was also Ravenclaw's diadem, farfetched theory but still possible. The diary of the Wanker which Lucius Malfoy, for killing of the Durnham family had got and Niagini, Wanker's pet. Niagini as possible Horcrux made him spend about a week of sleepless nights constantly either shooting down that idea or bringing it back as a possibility.
But tonight wasn't about Horcruxes, well maybe not all of them. His magic started slowly coming back with passing time but he knew that he wasn't powerful enough to outlast an Auror. Pissed Auror.
She came just like he expected her to do and she let him talk, that was a miracle. Then when she realised how late, or rather how early it was she muttered something about his mother and that she was going to kill her. Her comments about almost-daughter-in-law and Sirius in Azkaban threw him off a bit but nevertheless he found it amusing.
She side-along aparated him to the kitchen at 12 Grimmauld Place which meant that she was considered as a occupant of the house, not a guest. Then his mother came into the kitchen with a kid on her hip and he couldn't help commenting on Sirius procreating, with Verascez of all people.
His mother had changed very much since he saw her for the last time. She certainly smiled far more than she did when he was here, the probable cause of it was handled to Verascez who wandered off with the kid in the direction of the pantry. Verascez, a known Muggle-born and the kid, Sirius's kid indicated one thing. She changed her views, which was good for him because it meant far less fighting about his own choice. That thought made him put Crookshanks down on the table, ran to her and hug her tightly.
He didn't knew how long he held her and he would probably hold her even longer if it wasn't for his stomach which grumbled loudly.
"Someone mentioned breakfast before," called Verascez from the table.
He turned around and saw both her and the kid sitting at the table in front of huge plate of toasts. On the table were two other plates.
He snickered and asked out of pure curiosity, "So how you named the kid?"
Meanwhile Black family in the kitchen at 12 Grimmauld Place was going through small reunion on the other side of the walls of the house, more precisely at the door of said house two men were staring at each other and trying their best to conceal mutual surprise upon seeing each other here out of all places.
"Morning, Severus," Remus Lupin finally gave up.
"Morning, Lupin," Snape replied grimly.
"With the potion I guess," Lupin stated.
"With concern about the girl I guess," Snape muttered.
"I want to see how she is before I go to Falron," Lupin replied.
"Are you knocking or do I have to do it?" Snape finally gave up.
Lupin knocked on the door loudly.
Mirzam was in the middle of explaining Regulus the events of last few months, without the information about Homam's real identity – the kick under the table from Mrs Black was enough to make her realise that perhaps they should wait a bit longer with explaining that particular part to him – when she heard a knock on the front door. Death Eaters and the Blacks never bothered to knock so it only left two possibilities named respectively, Severus Snape and Remus Lupin.
"Come in!" she called out and came back to explaining Regulus her trip to Azkaban.
She heard the front door opening and few seconds later into the kitchen came both men. Upon seeing Regulus sitting at the table they stopped in their tracks.
"I see that you don't need our help anymore," Snape stated.
She turned to face them with a smirk before she said, "Actually I still do. That's not our prisoner of Azkaban. You are welcome to stay for breakfast since I'm going out with one of you nevertheless."
"You aren't going anywhere my dear," Mrs Black huffed at her.
Mirzam sighed and she turned to face older woman as she said, "Mum, I'm an Auror. I can go without sleep for two days and still be coherent."
"Even after a mental breakdown?" Mrs Black snorted.
"Even after a mental breakdown," Mirzam confirmed. "Besides I need to be there when Pettigrew is found. Do you honestly think that the guards at the Ministry would let in two former Death Eaters, one supposedly dead and one werewolf? I need to be there so I can sort this mess without troubles," she said firmly.
"Mirzam…" Mrs Black started but was cut off by Regulus.
"Where you are looking for him today?" he asked curiously.
"Falron," Lupin replied shortly as he sat down at one of free chairs.
"I'm going with them too. Dumbledore gave me a day off thinking that I was going to check upon something at my place," Snape added as he seated himself beside Lupin.
"What makes you think that he is hiding in Falron?" Regulus asked sceptically.
"The fact that we didn't looked for him there, yet?" Mirzam replied sarcastically.
Regulus shook his head and said pensively, "I know that Sior mentioned Devon as possible hiding place, sis, but I'm not really sure that he is hiding in Falron."
"What makes you think so?" Mirzam asked sceptically.
Regulus stood up from the table and his scratched his head before he replied slowly, "If I was Pettigrew I would hide in a household of magical family in Devon, on that one I agree with you. But not just a random family…" he paused as he started walking along the fireplace. "If I were him I would hide in the family, not the close one, distant one would do, some unsuspecting cousin several times removed, you get the point."
"Part of it," Snape muttered. "Whom specifically you have in mind?"
Regulus rolled his eyes and asked, "Pettigrew is a half-blood, right?" After collective nod he continued, "Muggle mother, pure-blood father. As far as I remember Patrick Pettigrew, Peter's father married, what was the name of that deranged woman…" he muttered and quickly answered himself, "Ginevra Callahan. Callahan had a paternal cousin, something which started with M… Magnolia… No, not Magnolia, Margaret, also a deranged woman, who got married to…" he paused for a moment then continued, "to Sebastian Prewett, uncle Iggy's paternal cousin. Bastian and Marge got three kids, two boys and a girl; Gideon, Fabian and Molly."
"Gideon and Fabian got killed during the war," Lupin muttered.
"But Molly is still alive," Mrs Back muttered. "Married to Arthur Weasley, had six sons last time I checked."
"Out of the things I remember about Mollycoddle is that she can't keep a one room clean to save her life, considering the number of kids I bet that the house has to look like a tornado passed through it," Regulus muttered. "Good hiding place for a rat."
"So we are going to Ottery St. Catchpole," Mirzam muttered.
Go ahead and tell me how evil I can be to end it here.
I brought back Reggiekins... Well someone needs to worry about Horcruxes and I would feel a lot better if all Horcruxes related stuff had happened before the final battle took place and since Dumbledore and the Blacks aren't having very good relationship right now so someone else should step into his place. Besides I like Reggie.
Next chapter: I stated above that they are going to Ottery St. Catchpole to check on the Weasleys. What do you think will happen next...