October 10th, 1995
Hogwarts

A hiss rang out around his ears. His head began spinning, and sound pierced through him. Barely able to see, but every part of his body awake, Harry found himself struggling to break free. There was a feeling of electricity running violently through him, and it was making him tense from his chest to his shoulders to his neck. In the distance, he could see two women in the distance. They were walking through a forest. A forest – where were they? They stopped near one of the trees. Were they looking for something? Were they looking for someone? A snake was following after them. Why was it there? Why did he feel as if it were himself watching through the eye of the snake. Then, out of nowhere, flashes of red jumped out from among the trees. There were cursing, snaps of magic, and the sounds of the forest were drowned out among the yells. Briefly, he caught sight of the symbol spreading out in the sky. It made him feel sick, dizzy, and out of place. The symbol.

The Dark Mark.

A primal rage smacked through him in an instant, but, before he could feel anything more, a piercing scream rang out among a harsh, red light. Then, there was nothing. Nothing except the woman with her cursing. It was then he found himself scream. His eyes snapped open, and –

"Harry?"

Ron suddenly grabbed him, dragging him out of his dream when he screamed.

"You alright mate?" Ron eyed him strangely. "You were –"

Harry shook his head, and then almost knocked him over. All but jumping out of bed and running out of the dorm towards the common room, the only things Harry thought to grab were his glasses and wand. Ron followed after him, the noise waking several of their roommates. They began to mutter and mumble but, only half awake, fell back asleep. Just before they could run out of the common room, Harry was stopped by not only Ron, but Hermione. She had reached over to stop him when he nearly run into her. He shook, realising she was still calmly sitting by the fire, working diligently on what looked to be no less than three different papers. He tried to speak, but couldn't find coherent words. Worried, Ron and Hermione shared a look before running after Harry. It didn't take long for them to figure out where he was headed.

The Headmaster's office.

Yet, well before the trio could make it past even the third set of halls, they were stopped dead in their tracks. Professor McGonagall, looking equally frazzled and exhausted, dragged them into her office. She started to lecture them for being out of well after hours before she had even shut the door. Ron and Hermione tried to protest, both of them holding Harry steady by his shoulders. It was no use.

"What is going on?" McGonagall demanded, frowning at the three of them. "If none of you can give a proper explanation for this, I'm afraid detention is –"

"Cordelia Fudge was attacked, in a forest!" Harry blurted out, shaking. "There was the Dark Mark, professor, and I –"

"Potter," McGonagall turned rather white, looking sick. "How could you possibly know about that when Professor Dumbledore has yet to inform her children?"

Hermione, Ron, and Harry all stared at her in disbelief.

"Is she…" Ron exclaimed, struggling to find the words. "Is she dead?"

"It was a dream," Harry quietly explained, meeting McGonagall's gaze. "Or a vision. I don't know. But Voldemort –"

"Come with me," She said briskly. "All three of you, now. I believe we all will have to discuss this matter with Professor Dumbledore."

The door opened without warning. McGonagall resisted the urge to swear, though she found herself much more concerned than angry when Tonks stepped in. Closing the door behind her, Tonks let out a sigh when she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione before shaking her head.

"What's going on here?"

"They know," McGonagall said shortly. "Has something happened?"

"Lily Potter should be here soon," Tonks replied, glancing nervously to Harry. "She offered to come, to take her kids out for the time being."

Harry nodded. "Is…" He hesitated. "Is she dead?"

"No," Tonks confirmed. "That's not to say she is in a good state, however. But it's not in my place to say anything else."

October 10th, 1995
Number 12 Grimmauld Place

"Sirius? Are you alright?"

Remus lightly set his hand to his husband's back, seeing the way he was shaking. Sirius was breathing heavily, his entire body shaking, his hands worst of all. He had woken up from a nightmare, only to be nearly run over by Lily as she left in a frenzy. She barely had time to explain, and he had just as little time to process what she had said. The reminder of his twelve years of false imprisonment had come back to him in torrents after the nightmare, too. He tried to remind himself he was free. His name had been cleared just two years ago. Two years. It was recent. It was a relief to think about. Lily, Harry, Eleanor, and Remus' discovery of the truth had saved him. Sirius shook off the initial anger both Harry and Lily had incited towards him. The loathing. The utter disbelief of the crime he apparently committed. It stuck with him that Peter had convinced them all – despite being unmasked by Lily as a traitor – he had been the one responsible for the explosion that killed him, and thirteen muggles. It was a damn mess. It was a disaster. He couldn't help but remember it now, even more so with what he had heard from – of all people – Amelia Bones.

"Lily," Sirius had embraced his old friend almost as tightly as he had embraced his husband, for the first time in his own clothes as he stepped out of the courtroom. "They've cleared me of all charges," He had said, his voice breaking.

"I know," Lily had said with half a smirk. "We were all in there."

The memory was almost a shining light in his jumped thoughts. He had turned to Remus, letting him kiss him for the first time since his release. He was finally free.

"Remus?" He had spoken almost hesitantly.

"You may owe Cordelia Fudge a favour or two," Remus had told him, half jokingly. "She was the one who signed on to allow me and Lily look for and find some of the evidence to finally prove you were not responsible. However hesitant she was about it, she still did it."

Sirius had laughed, smiling when he caught sight of the woman and her husband at the other end of the hall, speaking in hushed tones. He had started towards her, Remus holding his hand and both of their wands. Delia had turned on her heel, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

"I suppose I owe you a thanks," Sirius had smiled, and Delia had sighed.

"You owe me a great deal more than that, but, for spending over a decade in Azkaban, I suppose I'll call it even," She had said dryly. "Go, take care of yourself. All of you. I'm sure it's more than called for."

"Sirius?" Remus cut into his husband's thoughts again, holding him steady as he continued to shake. "If something's bothering you, please tell me. I –"

"It's too much like what happened in London," Sirius whispered. "With Peter. In November of '81."

Remus swallowed hard. "Sirius," He brushed his husband's hair away from his eyes. "You're innocent. You're free. You're never going to go back to that hell. I promise."

"It's not that," Sirius' voice broke, and he was feeling dizzy. He closed his eyes, and let Remus hold him steady. "It's what happened tonight. It's too similar. Peter had to have been there. He –"

"We'll see what happened soon," Remus told him, hoping to reassure him. "It's going to be dealt with."

"Aurors arriving at the scene quickly hasn't been enough before," Sirius shakily replied. "It could be the same, it could –"

"Sirius," Remus held his husband's face in his hands. "Sirius, listen to mee: it is going to be alright. Just give it a few hours so we know more. I can't have you go out there and get killed."

Sirius eventually nodded, tears finally escaping him when Remus kissed his forehead.

"What would I do without you…" He choked out.

"Don't worry," Remus quietly replied. "You will never have to worry about that again."

Sirius sighed. "Do you think she's going to survive this?"

Remus nodded. "I would be shocked if she didn't. Cordelia has never backed down easily. That was how she ended up in Britain in the first place. Whether she would admit it or not, I imagine this has happened to her before."

Sirius tiredly rubbed his eyes. "She's something else. Though, sometimes, that's a good thing, whether because it's amusing or reasonable."

"Rita is a nasty, old bat," Delia had scoffed, and Lily tried not to laugh.

"I suppose you can say that," Lily had replied. "Considering she's eighteen years your senior."

"That's true enough," Remus managed a small laugh. "She isn't known for biting her tongue."

"Oh, disco ball," Rita had rolled her eyes. "You and your cheap shoes need to walk out of here."

"That's all you care about!" Delia had shaken her head. "All you care about is money! And you have no journalistic integrity! You're only proving it!"

October 11th, 1995
Hogwarts

The headmaster's office was dim, lit primarily by a myriad of candles. Albus Dumbledore stood in front of his desk Lily Potter on one side, and McGonagall on the other. In the room with them were Cat, Shyanne, and Eddie Fudge, as well as Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Lily looked rather uncomfortable, her foot tapping impatiently and anxiously against the floor. Every so often, she glanced between her son and his friends, waiting for someone to say something – anything, really. It was maddening to wait. Dumbledore had been quiet, shuffling through several letters, and, rather conspicuously, hiding the morning's early copy of the Daily Prophet. It was five in the morning, and everyone still looked half asleep. McGonagall sighed, seeing how Cat kept trying to see the copy of the Prophet Dumbledore seemed so eager to hide, for the time being. Shyanne seemed curious, too, standing up every so often, and trying to catch even the faintest hint as to what were going on. They had a sinking feeling it couldn't be good. Eddie, however, seemed to feel this most of all, considering he had been feeling dizzy since they had been woken up, since they had entered the headmaster's office. He still looked dizzy, and was the closest to Lily, who had wrapped a blanket around him and sat him down.

"Are we in trouble?" Shyanne finally asked, frowning. "I don't think –"

"No one is in trouble," Dumbledore said calmly, deftly raising a hand to silence them. They immediately looked to their sibling, who shook their head. Dumbledore allowed the silence to remain for a moment, but quickly broke it again. "But, that said, the three of you will be escorted home, by Lily, for the time being."

Eddie looked about ready to pass out. "What the hell is happening?" He muttered.

Dumbledore sighed. "It is much more serious than whatever trouble any of you could have somehow managed to incur," He eyed all of them sharply before adopting a much more quiet tone. "Late last night, Cordelia Fudge was in Coventry with Amelia Bones, on work for the Department Of Magical Law Enforcement. There, from what Madame Bones has said, they were attacked by at least three Death Eaters, one of whom cast the dark mark."

Harry buried his head in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut, his head and scar searing, and barely able to feel the pain of his glasses pressing sharply into his face. Lily sat down between her son, and Eddie, rubbing Harry's back.

"I know it's hard, dear," Lily said gently. "But you will get through this, as will everyone else."

Silence held over them in painful tension.

"When you say attacked," Shyanne began, their voice shaking. "What exactly do you mean?"

"What happened to mommy –" Cat demanded, standing up, their fists clenched and their entire body shaking, their glasses askew and their wand sparking in one hand."

"Catherine Fudge, calm down," McGonagall sternly grabbed Cat by the shoulders, steadying them, and sitting them down again, though the eighteen year old flinched with every touch. "Emotions can grant you strength," McGonagall told them. "But to let them overpower you is counterproductive, and the last thing you need."

Silence befell them yet again, hanging heavily over the room. Ron and Hermione kept exchanging glances, and he awkwardly patted her hands. She raised an eyebrow but did not object either. Out of the corner of his eyes, Harry could have sworn he saw his mother smile at this.

"Cordelia Fudge," Dumbledore finally went on. "Was tortured using the cruciatius curse –"

"No!" Cat, Shyanne, and Eddie all exclaimed at nearly the same moment.

"Are you fucking kidding?" Cat's eyes were starting brim with tears.

"Is this some kind of twisted joke?" Shyanne snapped, eyes flaring.

"What the hell?" Eddie broke down in sobs, curling into himself.

"Hush!" McGonagall snapped, cutting into the noise. Once there were silence again, she softened her tone, offering them a sympathetic gaze. "The Minister is with her already. For obvious reasons –"

"Fudge should be here," Hermione said under her breath. "If he doesn't think his kids are traumatised as well, then he –"

She cut herself off upon Ron pointedly elbowing her before anyone could hear.

"The three of you may go with Lily," Dumbledore said with a rueful look. "Good luck."

In less than a few minutes, they were all gone, arriving in London in no more than ten minutes.