Hello! Well… in this chapter we briefly meet Sirius' girlfriend… I hope it will be okay! And this is the last chapter BEFORE we move into Harry's Hogwarts years and things start to heat up!

Enjoy!

Twisting Time

Chapter 23

Monday 13th May 1991

BLACK INHERITS

Today, Sirius Black stepped into the shoes of his grandfather, Arcturus Black, who passed away last night. The-Man-Who-Lived is the last scion of the Pure-blood family, who, in 1981 defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, ending a decade of war and terror brought upon our world.

Black is now the Head of the Family and is expected to take up a seat in the Wizengamot alongside his friend and ally, James Potter. Since his defeat of You-Know-Who, Black has kept a low profile, choosing to reside in the Muggle world and only making occasional appearances in the magical world.

Black is rumoured to be in a romantic relationship with a Muggle-born witch. He was not available for comment.

Sirius scowled as he threw the paper down on the table. He hated, no, loathed it when his name was printed in the press, especially when it pried into his private life. He had expected to be brought up in relation to his grandfather's death but not have the whole front page dedicated to the subject with a large photo of himself and his grandfather which he strongly suspected had been supplied by the Malfoy family, as it was a photo taken of Sirius shortly before he had begun Hogwart's when his grandfather had endorsed him as his heir… before Sirius had defied tradition and rebelled against the Black family values.

The information about his relationship frustrated him as well. He had only been with Leanne Stone for six months as it had taken him years to get the courage up to ask her out. She still lived in Oxford where they had first met but since he had, had to move away Sirius had thought she would have moved on. They hadn't dated when they lived close to one another however they had made a habit of meeting every so often. Eventually, after moving away due to Harry's kidnapping, Sirius had asked her out, believing she would say no, yet he had been pleasantly surprised when she had said yes. He'd only asked her out because James had kept pressuring him to get it out of the way.

Leanne was a Muggle-born witch and surprisingly someone who his grandfather had approved of. Leanne worked part-time in Diagon Alley as an assistant in Florish and Blotts, whilst the rest of the time she worked in the Muggle World in an office, combining her two lives seamlessly. She wanted to maintain her links to the Muggle World as she was very close to her family. Sirius had only met them once – Leanne had yet to tell her parents her boyfriend was a hero to her world. He did wonder what their reaction would be if they knew. Thankfully it was something neither of them would have to confront unless they decided to get married and that hadn't come up in their conversations yet. She was a few years younger than Sirius which was an advantage since Sirius rarely acted his age unless he had no choice but to do so.

"Do you think they will find out about me?" she asked softly. Leanne's dark eyes caught his own, her expression worried.

"Eventually," answered Sirius, "but I hope it won't be for a long time. This is… still new to us… I don't want the press poking into our lives or your family."

Leanne gasped. "Would they do that?"

Sirius nodded, scowling. "Unfortunately. They know of the existence of the Wizarding World. Therefore our reporters can approach them… We can't hide forever." He reached out to hold her hand. "But when they do I will make sure we will be able to maintain the quiet life we have been lucky enough to have." Though he couldn't help but suspect when Voldemort returned, a quiet life would be pretty much impossible. "But if it does get out before we want it too, we will have to tell your family about how…"

"Normal you are?" teased Leanne, her eyes sparkling.

Sirius laughed. "I wish. Any sense of normality for me vanished the moment I was declared the 'Man-Who-Lived'." He grimaced, hating that title. Still it was better than being known as Voldemort's right hand man and the most dangerous man to escape Azkaban.

"When I realised you were living near me I was surprised," she said.

"Living in a Muggle neighbourhood is the best way to maintain your privacy. Reporters will not risk our world's discovery by staking out a wizard's home," explained Sirius. "Honestly when I first saw you I didn't believe you were a witch. Surprised me when I found out."

Leanne smiled. She wasn't perfect – in fact she had many faults, including a quick temper and was very judgemental but she had a good heart. She wasn't stunning either, she was pretty. With her chocolate brown hair curled around her face and cut short to her shoulders, and her nose pointing upwards, she wasn't what one would expect to be dating the Wizarding World's most eligible bachelor.

"I think learning I worked in a Muggle office threw you," she grinned.

"And then I ran into you in Diagon Alley in one of my rare trips there and realised I knew you," chuckled Sirius. "I know it took me years to ask you out but…"

Leanne put a finger to her lips. "Shh… it doesn't matter."

Sirius smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

She wasn't perfect but Leanne Stone was his.

Thursday 16th May 1991

One of the advantages to his grandfather's death was that Sirius finally had the authority as the head of the Black family to enter his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. The vault had belonged to her when she had been a Black and it had fallen under the jurisdiction of her father, Pollux, upon her imprisonment in Azkaban, however Pollux had died a year ago. In his Will he had bequeathed it to Cassiopeia, his younger sister, and she had immediately turned the vault over to Arcturus, not wanting anything to do with it. Despite his warm relationship with his grandfather, Sirius had not dared to ask him if he could enter the vault. He knew he had time before Voldemort returned so it didn't matter if his search was delayed by six months. He had known when his grandfather would die, after all.

He didn't know for sure a Horcrux was in his insane cousin's vault. He just wanted to check just to be on the safe side, especially since Lucius Malfoy had been given one to protect. Another year and I'll be able to deal with the diary.

Today was one of his rare days where he ventured into the heart of the Wizarding World. Naturally, Sirius knew his picture would be in the paper again but since he had to get to Gringotts, he had to pass through Diagon Alley. Thankfully he had Remus to accompany him.

They managed to get to Gringotts with minimal fuss, though Sirius did stop to sign a small child's book on his life (which was surprisingly accurate) which was not endorsed by him. He also consented to have his photo taken with the boy. When he was in the Wizarding World and he was approached, Sirius did want to leave a good impression so he reluctantly allowed people, especially children, to talk to him.

They walked up the stairs into the grand chamber of Gringotts hall, heading straight for the Head Goblin who sat perched on a high stool behind a desk at the end of the hall. Sirius stopped in front of the desk, cleared his throat and waited for the Head Goblin to raise his head.

"Sirius Black. Here by appointment to discuss the Will of Arcturus Black and the vault belonging to Bellatrix Lestrange, formally Black." He said this quietly though he knew he had been noticed by other wizards and witches in the bank. He hated being stared at and he knew he was.

The Head Goblin slowly nodded his head. "Very well. You will accompany me to my office where we shall discuss this further…" The Goblin hopped down from his chair. He led them out of the main hall, down a smaller corridor and then turned left at an intersection where the Goblin opened a door to an office.

The Goblin moved to sit behind the desk, motioning for both Sirius and Remus to sit.

"I am Gornuck, Head of Gringotts. What is it do you wish to discuss regarding the Black properties?" The Goblin's dark eyes bored in to Sirius' own.

"As per Arcturus Black's Will, I am now sole heir of the Black family fortune and its properties. I wish to know what else has been bestowed upon me other than the family fortune."

"I see," the Goblin said. He began to shuffle through some papers on his desk before extracting a few pages of parchment and riffling through them. "Arcturus Black leaves you the house he lived in as well as all of his possessions. He has also left you the vault belonging to Bellatrix Lestrange. And the Black seat in the Wizengamot is now yours."

Sirius nodded. He had expected this. At least he did have direct access to Bellatrix's vault. "Can you tell me what protections are on Bellatrix's vault?"

"There are a variety of curses and protections placed upon the contents inside the vault. As you are now in charge of the vault, unless Mrs Lestrange is freed from Azkaban, then you have the ability to instruct us to take down the protections."

"What about contents inside the vault? Am I allowed to remove them?" asked Sirius.

"No. The contents of the vault are not yours. You cannot remove items placed within however you can add items to the vault. You may have jurisdiction over the vault but our laws are clear: the vault still belongs to Bellatrix Lestrange and anything inside it is hers unless she dies and only then will the contents pass to you." The Goblin watched Sirius' reaction carefully.

Sirius frowned. He had expected this and thankfully he and Remus had thought ahead to bring two Basilisk fangs with them. "That's fine."

"Would you like to inspect Mrs Lestrange's vault, Lord Black?" the Goblin asked, using Sirius' full title.

"I would."

Like many vaults belonging to the Pureblood families, they were in the deepest part of Gringotts. Sirius' own vault was only a few spaces away from Bellatrix's. The Potter vaults were located just above the Black vaults, as the Black family was an older Wizarding family than James' was.

They travelled by cart deep down into the caverns. Sirius wasn't surprised when he found a dragon blocking their path to her vault. Though he didn't have that protection on his own one, it certainly would have deterred people from trying to break in. Thankfully he didn't need to do that as he had permission to visit her vault.

Remus leaned in close. "Do you think we can get away with destroying a Horcrux in the vault?"

"I don't see why not," answered Sirius, "if there is one in there."

"Do you think there is?"

"Highly likely. Bellatrix was his most loyal follower and if he trusted Lucius Malfoy with a Horcrux who was his second most faithful…." Sirius trailed off, leaving Remus to come to his own deductions.

They waited as the dragon was scared back away from the entrance of the vault with the Clankers, used by their guide, Griphook, who had been assigned by the Head Goblin to escort Sirius to the Lestrange Vault. Once the dragon was a safe distance away, Griphook approached the Vault and ran his finger down a crevice in the doorway.

The Vault door melted away before them.

"All protections have been deactivated," announced Griphook. "When you leave the Vault, all the protections will automatically revive."

Sirius nodded.

"An alarm will sound if any attempt is made to remove an object from the Vault," continued the Goblin, its face scrutinising Sirius.

"Understood." Sirius stepped inside the Vault with Remus following behind him.

The Vault was large and stacked high full of Galleons. There were multiple heirlooms scattered around the Vault: some belonging to the Black family, others to the Lestrange side.

"So what are we looking for?" asked Remus.

"No idea," said Sirius truthfully. He started to walk among the treasures, occasionally picking one up, turning it over in his hands and then placing it back down in the exact same spot. "I've usually sensed the dark magic on objects so if there is anything like a Horcrux in this vault I'm sure I will pick it up."

Remus was ahead of him in the Vault, the two having deciding to split the search of the Vault in two. "What about this?"

Sirius looked up at Remus who was standing on a higher level, closer to the back of the vault. In his hand was a cup.

"It has the badger on it representing Hufflepuff," explained Remus. He pulled a face. "And it doesn't feel right either."

Moving forward, Sirius held out his hand and Remus tossed the cup to him. Catching it in his hands, Sirius' senses started to scream out at him. Very old and dark magic flooded into him. He jerked back, still holding the cup in his hands.

"Horcrux?" Remus sought clarification.

"Definitely." Sirius shuddered. He hated these things. "Guess my hunch was correct. Interesting this is the second heirloom of a Hogwarts Founder that has been turned into one."

Remus' eyebrows rose. "Significant?"

"Maybe…" Sirius bit his lip. He looked behind him. The Goblin had closed the Vault door but had left them alone inside. "We need to destroy this."

Remus grimaced. "Is it safe to do so inside Gringotts?"

"It's going to have to be," explained Sirius. "We can't take it out… And I'm not breaking out of Gringott's just to destroy this in a safer place."

The cup was glowing gold in his hands.

"I think it knows…"

"They're all sentient in some way…" frowned Remus.

"They do have bits of Voldemort's soul in them." Sirius rolled his eyes at the obvious statement. He set the locket down on a clear stretch of the floor. Stepping back he motioned for Remus to proceed.

"Padfoot this should be…"

Sirius shook his head. "I've already destroyed one. So has Prongs. Do it, Moony."

Reaching into a small bag hung around his hip, Remus extracted one Basilisk fang carefully, ensuring his fingers didn't touch the tip of the fang. Kneeling down next to the cup, Remus raised his hand high.

But the cup reacted, sensing the new threat.

Water bubbled from the top of the cup, quickly flooding the floor, washing away the cup from them.

Remus dived towards the cup but lost sight of it as the water very quickly built up around them. Treasures within the Vault washed around them as everything began to float in the water as it rapidly pushed and rose against their legs.

"Moony! Find it quickly!" Sirius began to step back, moving towards the entrance. "Why can't these things just accept they need to be destroyed?" Sirius swore loudly, glaring around as he turned to face the door to the Vault. "GRIPHOOK! OPEN UP!" He hoped the Goblin would hear him from outside. The only thing he could think of was to open the vault and let the water wash out.

Remus was splashing through the water, which had now risen to their knees, one hand still clenched tightly around the fang, whilst the other sought the cup in the rising waters. "I can't find it!"

"OPEN THE VAULT!" screamed Sirius urgently.

The water was rising faster – now up to their waists.

And then the Vault door opened and the water went rushing out, along with many Galleons, Sickles and Knuts and a few priceless heirlooms. But as the water drained, Remus found the cup, still spewing water but now it wasn't a threat to them as it had been before in an enclosed space.

Holding the cup carefully in his fingers, the werewolf positioned the fang against the metal and pushed it in, breaking the surface of the cup. The water bubbled furiously and a gurgling sound erupted from it as it toppled out. The cup broke into several pieces and the fang nearly went into Remus' other hand as the Horcrux shattered but Sirius was there, pulling his arm away from it.

"That…" Sirius panted. "Was close."

"Yeah." Remus winced at what had nearly been a fatal injury. "These things are dangerous to use, Padfoot."

"I know. But we didn't exactly have much choice." Sirius turned as several Goblins entered the Vault, noticing their angry looks.

"What have you done?" Griphook stormed forward.

Sirius decided to be truthful. "There was a Horcrux. It attacked us. We destroyed it."

Griphook's eyes glared at them in dislike. "You knew it was in here?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. We guessed. That's why I wanted to look in here."

"You have just violated one of Gringott's laws! You have destroyed an artefact which doesn't belong to you!" The Gringott's fingers stubbed forward.

"So you do not want Voldemort to be defeated then?" asked Sirius casually. The Goblins could be trusted to keep this to themselves. They rarely spoke with Wizards. "What we destroyed didn't belong to Bellatrix either. If Remus and I are to be prosecuted for this, I think you would find the courts would side with us due to the nature of the dark magic we encountered." Though the last thing Sirius wanted were his actions being debated in the Wizengamot. He didn't need Voldemort to find out his Horcruxes were being destroyed one by one. "Though I would prefer to keep this a secret."

Griphook eyed him carefully as the other Goblins watched on. "And what can a mere wizard offer us in exchange for our silence?"

Sirius grinned. He knew exactly how to please the Goblins. "By offering you all the Goblin treasures within my family's vault. You can have them back. I have no need for them. Why shouldn't I return them to its maker?"

"You would just allow us to purge your vaults of every Goblin-made artefact?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes."

Griphook contemplated Sirius' offer. "The conditions are acceptable. But this depends on the agreement of the Head Goblin."

"Then let's go see him, shall we?"

In the end the Head Goblin agreed to take up Sirius' offer. Regaining old Goblin-made objects from a Pureblood family was an opportunity the Goblins could not afford to ignore. In the end, if it kept their silence about the existence of Voldemort's Horcruxes, then it was an offer Sirius was happy to make. If his grandfather had been alive, he would not have been happy, but Sirius was now head of the family and had the authority to make those decisions. In the end, the offer solved his problem.

Of course, the Goblins did insist on one alteration to the deal, which Sirius agreed to.

He and Remus both had to assist the Goblins in clearing up the mess they had made in Bellatrix's vault, which they were happy to do.

"You gave the Goblins your inheritance?" James gaped at Sirius. He had been surprised to hear the story of their trip to Gringotts and what had happened during it.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't want it anyway. The Black family is a responsibility I wished I didn't have but I have no choice. I can't let the knowledge of Horcruxes getting out either. It was the only way I could avoid getting myself in trouble."

"But you still told them about Horcruxes…" groaned James. "You didn't have to."

"True but sometimes you have to judge when it is better to be truthful. I figured it would be better to do rather than try and lie. The Goblins would know I'm lying. How was I supposed to explain the gush of water and some of the possessions bursting out of the vault when the door opened?" asked Sirius, folding his arms across his chest.

"Easy," answered James, "tell them there were still defences up."

Sirius shook his head. "Wouldn't have worked. The defences were down. Trying to claim otherwise would have been folly." He leaned back against the chair, resting his head back. "Still… the fact that I 'returned' all the Black heirlooms to them does put me in their good books. They know I am a wizard who respects their laws and views on gifts and possessions."

James snorted. "Or a wizard who will do anything to have your secrets kept."

Sirius laughed. "Honestly Prongs, it was the right thing to do. Even Remus agreed. And we did stay to help clear up the mess we made. How many witches and wizards would do that?"

"Not many." James acknowledged, aware that many would walk away, believing themselves to be beneath that line of work.

"Look, I know what I'm doing. And, anyway, we've destroyed another Horcrux! I didn't expect it to be in a Gringotts vault though… However my theory was correct: if Malfoy had one then my cousin was likely to as well." Sirius was quite pleased he had decided to look in her vault. At least this way he had ruled it out as a place. It had been pure luck they had actually found one there.

James sighed, running a hand through his messy black hair. "How many more do you think he has? What if we never find them all?"

"We will." Sirius was determined to do so. "I'm going to talk to Dumbledore in the morning. We know from Horace Slughorn that Voldemort mentioned seven to him. We are basing our search on that number."

James winced. "Seven?"

"I don't think he has made seven. I think we are just hunting for six. Three of which are now gone. I'm sure Dumbledore will be able to enlighten me. I'm going to work closer with him… It's getting closer to the time Voldemort originally emerged from hiding… In a few months Harry will be attending Hogwarts. I need to be ready."

James swallowed, acutely aware that it was possible his son would be facing dangerous times. "Do you think he will still target Harry?"

"I'm not sure." Because Sirius really did not know. "I hope he comes after me… but…" He trailed off.

"There is still a risk my son will be the target," finished James.

Friday 17th May 1991

"Sirius…. It has been a while since you visited." Dumbledore had been surprised to see Sirius enter his office, completely unannounced.

Sirius shrugged. He preferred to visit on his own time rather than the Headmaster's. "I thought now was the right time to tell you I have destroyed three Horcruxes."

"Three?" Surprise flickered across Dumbledore's face. "I was aware you had possession of two… You have not kept me up to date with your progression."

"I wasn't aware I had do," answered Sirius stonily. He sighed. There was no point arguing. "I had possession of two – a locket and a ring, both objects belonging to Salazar Slytherin. I know Lucius Malfoy has possession of one currently however I expect I will be able to get my hands on it soon. I thought if Malfoy had one it was possible my cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange had been given one to protect… So Remus and I visited Gringotts yesterday and discovered a Horcrux within her vault. We destroyed it. Three Horcruxes with a fourth still out there."

"And what did Horace Slughorn tell you a few years ago?"

Sirius had forgotten it had been Dumbledore who had advised him to visit his old Potions Professor. "He said Tom Riddle had once enquired about splitting the soul into seven pieces. I have reason to believe he has six based on this information."

"Why only six?" asked his old Headmaster curiously.

Sirius had been doing research of his own for years and he hoped he knew more about Voldemort than the Headmaster did. "Well, five at the moment since I do not believe the sixth has been created yet… He made my Harry a Horcrux by accident… So in my original timeline Voldemort had six Horcruxes after his defeat. His seventh was created later before he returned… a snake from Albania where we know he is hiding. Much as I'd love to stop him from doing that…. I can't. I do not believe that event has occurred yet. At present we have only two left to destroy but by the time he returns there will be another one. The problem is I do not know what other objects Voldemort might have used. He does seem to have an obsession with heirlooms of the Founders though. Two Horcruxes have been heirlooms from them. The locket of Salazar Slytherin and the cup of Helga Hufflepuff."

"You are seeking to discover what other heirlooms may exist to this day?" Dumbledore shifted forward.

"Yes… Godric Gryffindor had the sword but no one has ever found it. I know we can rule it out as one since my Harry managed to summon it… Which only leaves an heirloom from Ravenclaw left…" theorised Sirius. "Trouble is I'm not sure if she has any heirlooms… I know she had a Diadem but its presumed lost and has never been found… But if Voldemort was looking for objects from the Founders…" He shook his head.

"Why not concentrate on the Horcruxes you know about first? The one we are unsure of can come later."

Sirius nodded. It was the obvious choice. "The diary then." He had never gone into explicit detail about that Horcrux with the Headmaster before. "It's a Horcrux which will be coming to this school… It will be used to open the Chamber of Secrets and release the monster inside it… which, thankfully, has already been killed. It isn't much of a threat as it was before in my old timeline but I cannot do anything about the diary until it leaves Malfoy's possession as he was the one who has it."

"Which student carried it originally?"

"Ginny Weasley," answered Sirius. "She'll be joining Hogwarts in 1992. Whether it plays out that way this time…"

"We cannot assume it will. Enough has changed that Lucius may choose to act sooner or pass it onto someone else…"

Sirius nodded. "He wanted to discredit Arthur Weasley… They're still rivals in the Ministry. I'm sure it will happen again that way. We have a year to counteract his plans. At least the Basilisk is dealt with so there will not be any students petrified this time. But now the time has come for me to become closer to Harry. I still worry, no matter how much I've tried, that he will still be a target."

"All my sources regarding Voldemort's whereabouts continues to inform me he is still adamant on acquiring you. I have heard nothing on Harry which is a good thing however we cannot rule out he may refocus on Harry at a later date."

"I know… but I will try my hardest to ensure Harry does not have to bear the burden he did before." He was grateful the Headmaster wasn't trying to tell him that Harry had to be prepared. "I need to be at Hogwarts if I'm going to protect him." They had spoken of this, years ago. "Being here will also ensure I can take the Horcrux that Lucius Malfoy has."

"I remember," mused the Headmaster. "It just so happens we do have a position for you here."

Sirius was surprised by that. He hadn't heard of any Professors leaving.

"It has yet to be announced but the Muggle Studies Professor, Rupert Cuthbert, has decided to leave us. He had only been contracted for a year whilst Professor Quirrell took some time out of teaching. Quirinus will be rejoining us in September but as Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. Therefore the position of Muggle Studies Professor is open to you…" smiled Dumbledore. "You are quite qualified for it, considering you have lived within a Muggle neighbourhood for the last ten years. I would certainly see no reason why anyone would oppose you taking the position."

Sirius nodded. "A few years ago I turned your offer of a job down… You said you might not be able to make it when I wished for it…" He did need to be at Hogwarts, especially if Quirrell had Voldemort stuck to the back of his head.

"Yes, I did," said Dumbledore, "however it seems that fate is on your side… The position is yours if you wish to accept."

And Sirius did.

To be continued…

Please let me know what you think!

Sirius' girlfriend: yay or nay? I'm not planning on her having a large role… in fact at the moment her appearance in the rest of the story is quite minimal and I do not really see that changing… I think I wanted to introduce her so Sirius wouldn't be lonely. And I just couldn't think up a better name either…

Another Horcrux down… I'm taking a bit of liberty with the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange. I'm assuming that before she married, that vault was the one she would have had as a member of the Black family so I think control would relinquish to the Head of the Black Family rather than anyone in the Lestrange family. I didn't want Sirius to have to break into Gringotts either and I figured inheritance and being Head of the family would at lease allow him access to any vault belonging to a member of the Black family that has been incarcerated in Azkaban.

Now with the end of this chapter we can move onto Harry's first year at Hogwarts… The next chapter is mostly from Harry's POV. I think it is important to show how different Harry is due to different circumstances growing up and Harry will start to play more of a role now.

The next chapter will be posted next week!

Until then,

the-writer1988