Apologies! I meant to publish this chapter yesterday but I was having technical difficulties! Anyway...We're moving forward! You'll hear a lot from Audrey in this chapter, more than usual. I'm really excited for the next few chapters. They're pre-written and I've been waiting so LONG to publish them. They'll need to go through a little editing so this may take a day or two.
Thanks for the reviews, thewrittenword87, Weasleytwinslover87, Ali, and HandsomHolly! :D
Hey, so…shits about to get real in this story. You might want to review. ;P (…Please?!)
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE. JK ROWLING IS QUEEN!
CHAPTER 91
It seemed to take hours to get to the hospital, when in reality it only took minutes. Sirius and I always had to take precaution when apparating, especially with our daughter. Albus had given us orders to stay hidden, and by 'us' I mean my daughter and I. The toll was just beginning…but that is a tale for another time.
The end of 1980 was a good year, really. Despite all the sadness, there were little reminders of hope. James and Lily finally started their family; they named their little boy Harry, after James' father of course. Marlene and Remus were due to tie the knot in August, after waiting nearly 3 years.
The McKinnon family held the wedding in a manor that belonged to Marlene's great Aunt. As with all of the other Order of the Phoenix weddings, they were worried about guard.
Not only was I the Maid of Honor, I was also the Chieftain of the Guard…much to Alastor Moody's dismay.
"Look at you." Sirius growled at Audrey, as she was getting ready.
"Well, you know…I am the Maid of Honor." Audrey smirked, fixing her hair. "…and the Chieftain of the guard."
"So my date won't be my date tonight?" Sirius pouted.
"As the Maid of Honor, it's my duty to make sure no one fucks up this wedding, Sirius." Audrey laughed.
"Good point, love." He pecked her cheek. "Plus…I replaced you…"
"Oh?" Audrey turned to face him, skeptical.
Sirius nodded, then whistled.
Anastaisa shyly walked in, wearing a well fitted red dress with a white bow tied around the waist.
"Ooooh!" Audrey cooed. "She's lovely, far lovelier than I."
Sirius grinned as his daughter hid behind his leg.
"Why so shy when receiving compliments, love?" He said.
"She's an entertainer by blood." Audrey smiled.
"We need to stop letting Hisoka babysit." Sirius mumbled under his breath, Audrey giggled.
The wedding was lovely, and thankfully uninterrupted.
As the next few weeks went on, the seasons changed. Fall was always a happy time for me, when I was younger it meant returning to school. Now that we were in the middle of a war, I was hardly aware of the seasons.
Traveling and performing became difficult that year; the news only became worse as the time dragged on. The Prophet may have left out half of the horrid atrocities that occurred, but that didn't mean that we did not hear of them.
At that time, I only made performance accommodations for my highest paying patrons. They were generally in the safest of places, but as certain countries fell under the Dark Lord's regime, I stopped entertaining those clients.
I still made trips to see Blake. By the end of 1980; he was the only client that I still saw. As you can imagine, I was rather unhappy that my career was in shambles due to this terrible war. I wasn't sure how any of the other entertainers were doing…I wasn't even sure if they were alive…
In September, I recall visiting Blake. At the end, as I was packing up my belongings, I heard hushed voices down the hall. I knew that Edgar and Blake were talking about something they did not want me to hear. A muffliato charm was cast, which is what made it so difficult to discern their words.
It was at an Order of the Phoenix meeting two weeks after, that I had figured it out…
"There are certain matters we must discuss today, regarding families and children." Albus said, pacing around the floor of the Hogshead.
"We have the Longbottoms and the Potters, both of their sons are prime targets right now. I believe that Godric's Hollow is the safest place right now, with the right enchantments of course…a number of our allies live in that village as well."
The couples nodded, cooperating. There was more banter between them and the Headmaster, but Audrey tuned it out.
I must say I wasn't surprised at their reactions. They were new parents, and the fear that crept into them was so natural yet unnatural. The circumstances were odd, especially for human beings. Normally, a human would never have to worry about a Dark Wizard targeting their child. That was the privilege of being human in the magical world, not having to worry that your child will be hunted for who they are. This prophecy really had changed things…I expected Frank and Alice to cooperate, Lily too, but not James. He was always so hot headed, like Sirius.
I was snapped out of my daze when I heard my name.
"…Audrey and little Anastasia. That is a difficult decision. Edgar tells me that a client of yours has repeatedly offered to shelter you in Australia."
It was then that I figured out exactly what Edgar had done.
"Why?" Audrey hissed at her mentor, there was a thick silence cast over the room as the other members watched. "What have you done?!" There was a sense of alarm in her voice.
"He offered you a safe haven…he offered you an escape!" Edgar replied quickly, exasperated.
"Me." Audrey replied in a low voice. "He only offered me a safe haven. Not my husband, nor my daughter…he doesn't know they exist. What ever happened to my personal life and my professional life not being intertwined?"
"Sometimes we have to take steps in life that we do not desire." Edgar argued back. "Australia is a hell of a lot safer than here."
She turned to Hisoka. "I was such a fool to let you push me towards Blake, you knew…and so did he!" She pointed at Edgar.
"I did not sign up for this…" She looked between the two with narrow red eyes. "I did not sign up to be thrown around and fooling men into believing I'm interested in them so that they could provide me a shelter!"
I felt the heaviest guilt shake my bones, I thought of my father…How many times over the years had he objected my choice in profession? He tried to hard to keep me away from it…
"Ayla, you know how they see us, no matter what we are they all look at us the same. We do not become entertainers for our dreams, we become them because there isn't another way!" Hisoka replied with an edge to her voice.
The sad truth was, she was right.
"Your alibi could save your life!" Edgar shot in. "You've yet to think or care of that these last few months!"
"It's because I do not care for it." Audrey snapped back. "And I haven't for over three years now."
I had been dead for a long time, a broken heart can do that, you know. Some would say I have been very lucky, my heart has only been broken three times in my life. But the pain was far too excruciating…I think that this last one has definitely killed me…
I don't care if he kills me, I just care about her." Audrey pointed upstairs to where the children slept. "and him." She pointed at Sirius.
"You seem to forget that he's coming for you! Not them!" Edgar snarled. "He doesn't even know about the child's ability. For all he knows the child is human!"
"He is smarter than that, Edgar. I'm sure he knows what the child is." Albus interjected, his eyes traveling between student and mentor.
"He does know." Audrey said quietly. "Regulus told me he knows…he wants her too."
"You could send her with anyone in this room." Edgar reasoned. "A child is far more concealable."
"No, I cannot.." Audrey said, her eyes fiiling with tears as she glared around the room.
"Why not?" Edgar said, staring her down.
"Because someone in this room will betray us." Audrey didn't blink.
"And what makes you think that, Audrey?" Albus asked, intrigued. Sirius could see something in his eyes, a calculation.
"I can feel it in my bones." Audrey replied without falter. "The feeling comes to me everytime we have a meeting."
"Bullshit." Edgar hissed. "The sight is such a rare gift, it couldn't have been passed to you with your eclectic gene pool."
Audrey was about to snap back when a twitching Peter Pettigrew broke the tense silence that surrounded the argument.
"How do we know that you're not a traitor?" He piped in, shaking nervously. "How do we know you're not on his side?"
Before anyone could react, Audrey's eyes turned black, her hair stood on end, she leaned over the table staring at him. He stared at her in fright.
"HE MURDERED MY PARENTS AND HE IS THREATENING MY CHILD'S SAFETY" Audrey snarled, slamming her fist onto the table. "HOW DARE YOU EVEN INSINUATE THAT I AM ON HIS SIDE."
The other members gave Peter a look, there was a small silence. Audrey composed herself quickly. Her hair became sleek and straight again, her eyes back to normal.
"Anyway," Edgar continued. "He's obviously going to think that the child is at your side. Send her away, split up the family and you'll all come out of this alive."
"He has a point, Mr. and Mrs. Black…perhaps you should consider…" Albus interjected.
"Seperation?" Sirius was incredulous. "So now we're just going to live in fear of him?"
It was moments like this where I was greatful for Sirius' stubbornness.
Audrey shook her head, cradling her head in her hands. Molly rubbed her back.
"You don't have many other options." Albus said gravely.
"Look, with all due respect, I'm backing my wife up. If she believes that someone in this room is going to turn sides, I don't want to take the risk of leaving our daughter with them." Sirius said.
"And if it's someone trust worthy who you wouldn't doubt for a second?" Edgar asked. "Like James, Hisoka, Remus, myself?"
"Honestly, I'm going to back Sirius and Audrey up as well." said James, chiming in. "Lily and I would take Asia in a heartbeat, without question. But I believe that Anastasia should be with her parents. They shouldn't have to miss out on her growing up."
"And Audrey is one of the most powerful people in this room." Remus chimed in.
"Audrey-san is the most powerful in this room." said Hisoka, speaking for the first time in a while.
"And Sirius is one of the best combatants here, I believe that they would be most fit to protect thier child." said James.
The matter was dropped a few moments later, Edgar left the Hogshead in a huff.
"I feel bad, oneesan." Audrey said, looking at the ornate red carpet below her feet.
Hisoka had returned with me to Oxshott that afternoon for tea.
"Edgar only has your best interests in mind, Ayla." Hisoka said, taking a sip of her tea. "He promised your father that he would protect you."
"I know…" Audrey sighed. "But I cannot leave my husband and my daughter."
She looked out the window, the leaves were beginning to change colors.
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Audrey felt so tired and weak. She had never felt this way before.
Audrey shakily got up from the floor. Nearly falling twice, and made her way towards the bottom of the stairs where two people lay. She couldn't really tell who it was; she had a bit of double vision. She fell on her knees in front of the two, they were both breathing, and then she noticed it.
Fiery red hair.
The scene changed quickly. Suddenly, Mr. Ollivander, the wandmaker was there with a house elf.
Mr. Ollivander took one of the elf's hands, and Audrey took the other, with her other hand she firmly held onto the familiar Scottish man she had seen in her dreams.
Audrey held her breath, why was this apparition so tense? They fell to the ground; she felt the sand under her face. As soon as they arrived the house elf left.
The man lay face up, looking at the greyish sky. The light was blinding, though the sun wasn't out. How long had it been since either of them had been in full light?
Mr. Ollivander was sitting up. "Alright you two?"
"I think so." Audrey said, her companion however, shook his head lightly. His breathing was shallow.
Mr. Ollivander stood up. "I'm going to run and get help."
He fell trying to climb halfway up the hill, it had been a while since his muscles had been in full use.
He looked as though he was sinking into himself. In the full light Audrey truly saw how awful he looked. She tried to yell for help but her throat ached so badly, and nothing came.
And then she saw them.
There were a few tiny pebbles within her reach. She didn't know how much she weight she could hold…but it was worth a try.
She flicked her fingers, and the pebbles went flying up the hill. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a plink.
They hit the window.
No response.
She kept going…She had to…
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Audrey woke with a start.
This had to stop.
I needed to find out the truth…and I needed to do it before I lost my chance.