"The Horde is considering helping us?" Albus checked with a frown.
"Considering, but I wouldn't hold your breath," Sirius muttered. "We're…there's just nothing! We can't prove a bloody thing!"
"I know it's frustrating my boy…."
"Frustrating!" Sirius shouted, "It's not frustrating, Albus it's bloody terrifying! Lucius is on course to enact the future exactly as the twins remember it! The Wiznegamot are buying his Thestral shite! The laws they're passing…."
Albus looked at him from behind his desk, once again wondering if he was too old for this. He didn't think he had ever felt so exhausted in his life. "What do you suggest?"
"I don't know Albus! But we can't fuck this up. How many lives were lost…either literally or because they left our world? They said squib rates were up, how long until magic died completely?"
Albus barely repressed a shudder. He wasn't wrong. "I don't know," he admitted quietly.
Sirius sighed, "Are you any closer to sending the kids back?"
"Yes. But we've not worked out how to bring them back here."
Sirius frowned at him, "Pardon?"
"We can't send them back without a contingency, we have no idea what we're sending them back to. It's proving rather tricky to have a timed memory spell work with the time turner. Of course, if we send them back and everything has worked as we wish, their memories will need to assimilate. Usually, that would happen simultaneously to their arrival in their own time. However, in case things are worse, we need to delay it to allow them to activate the time-turner to bring them back."
"Merlin's ballsack." Sirius cursed looking at him helplessly. "What are we doing?"
"Hopefully making things better for them…Miss Granger, Mr Nott…muggleborns."
Sirius hummed, "Gods, I hope so."
Theos head jerked up when Draco burst into the common room. "Mate…I thought you were going home for Christmas?"
"I need Black. Now." he barked, looking terrified.
Theos eyes widened. "Draco… what's going on?"
"I…fuck Theo…I stole a book from Father's study, it was blood warded…I….I need Black. Now! Before he fucking notices. The wards…no one else could have touched it. Even Mother, he'll know it was me! Where's Granger?"
"I have no idea, but with the children is a reasonably safe bet."
Draco paused in his panic, "Why aren't you there? I thought things were better between you?"
"They are," Theo sighed, "But they don't really know what to do with me. And they're missing Christmas with their mum…they just wanted Hermione."
"Gods when you put it like that…."
"Exactly." Theo replied briskly, shoving down how much it hurt, "Come on, let's go and see if she's there. I imagine Potter will be there too. Cassius and Scorp were doing something with Snape this afternoon."
Draco nodded sharply, and turned on his heel, practically running out the door, Theo rushing after him.
He almost screamed the password at the portrait once they were outside the children's rooms, stumbling through the portrait hole in his haste as it hit him once again how precarious a position he was in.
Five heads jerked up in surprise at this arrival.
"Malfoy!" Hermione looked him over, he looked deranged. "Are you alright?"
"No! No, we need Black now. Right now. Before my father fucking murders me."
"Ok. OK, we'll sort it." she soothed, deciding that questioning him further was a bad idea. Wordlessly he thrust a book at her. "Take this. He's going to notice I'm missing."
"Malfoy, wait!" she shouted after him as he turned to leave.
"What?" he yelped.
She cast quickly, before handing him a copy of the book. "Take this back."
He let out a long, slow breath before laughing slightly hysterically. "Fucking hell, I should have thought of that."
"I assume whatever this is came as a bit of a shock." she shrugged, "Go then. And…let Theo know you're alright?"
He nodded abruptly and ran from the room.
"What is it?" Harry asked quietly.
"Only one way to find out," Steeling herself, Hermione opened the book. Inside the pages had a name at the top, underneath were notes. "Holy fuck," she breathed "This is…this his bloody blackmail material!"
"What?" Harry yelped, as Theo forcefully tugged the book from her hands, his eyes darting over the page rapidly.
"Fuck…fuck…I…sweetling, I think this is it! Or part of it anyway!"
"Part of what?" Ophelia asked.
"This should be enough to get Lucius investigated. We have a very good chance of getting his bid for Minister thrown out." Theo murmured.
"But?" Alex prompted.
Theo sighed looking at his children, and admitted quietly, "Unless he has my father's dirty little secrets in here… it doesn't solve the issue with him."
The twins nodded slowly, as Hermione wrapped her arm around Theo's waist, dropping her head onto his shoulder. "It's more than we had this morning," she murmured.
He twisted to kiss the top of her head, the twins watching them in fascination, "That it is, sweetling." he agreed. "We need to get this to Black."
"I'll contact him." Harry offered, "I've still got the mirror."
Nodding, Hermione moved towards the door, "Meet us in Professor Dumbledores' office. We'll go get Professor Snape first, so you shouldn't be too far behind us."
"On it, Boss." he saluted, ignoring her eye roll, "See you soon."
Hermione turned to the children as soon as the portrait hole slammed shut, "Stay here, all of you. We'll be back once we know what's happening."
"We're coming!" Ophelia protested.
"No. Not this time you're not." Theo shook his head. "I know you won't like it but…your mother is right. We'll come back, but right now, you need to stay here. Fill the other two in. There are going to be enough voices at this meeting. Once we've made sense of it, we'll arrange something. We're not cutting you but..." he trailed off helplessly
"No! You can't tell us what to do!" Ophelia cried into the silence.
"Ophelia," Hermione warned. "That's enough! You are thirteen! I might not technically be your mother yet, but I'm still your mother. Stay here. We don't even know if we'll be allowed to stay. I promise we'll be back. I promise we'll tell you what's said. No one is going to cut you out, this is your reality we're playing with. But you need to stay here just now. Promise me."
Ophelia glowered, looking mutinous. "Fine," she growled. "I don't fucking like it, but fine."
"Remind me to have harsher punishments for profanities next time round," Hermione muttered as she let some of the tension go at Ophelia's capitulation.
Against his will, Theo snorted, ignoring the way his children glared at him, "Sure, sweetling." he agreed.
"Professor Snape!" Severus' head snapped up at the sound of Hermione's voice, as did the room's other two occupants.
"Miss Granger?"
"We need to speak with Professor Dumbeldore. Now. We assumed you'd want to come?"
He blinked, taking in her agitation. "Of course." he turned to Cassius and Scorpius, "Return to your rooms, we will resume later if we have a chance."
"Is no one going to tell us what's going on?" Scorpius asked incredulously.
"The twins will fill you in," Hermione replied, ushering them quickly out of the door.
"Aunt Hermione!" he whined before he flushed, realising what he said. Hermione paused, looking up at him in surprise. "He's…he's Uncle Theo." Scorpius shrugged self-consciously. "And we've been spending time with Po…James. He…he calls you Aunt Mione."
Hermione nodded slowly, "You can call me what you want." she replied softly, before she snorted, "Within reason. But now you really do need to go! Now!"
The boys huffed but complied. "It appears you have a future successfully wrangling teenage boys, Miss Granger," Severus muttered, a brief look of amusement flashing over his face.
She shuddered, "I want to say I hope not but…actually, I suppose I should be hoping that I do."
Severus snorted as they turned towards the Headmaster's office.
"Miss Granger…Mr Nott…" Albus froze looking at them in surprise before ushering them in. "Have I forgotten a meeting?"
"No, Professor."
"Severus, too. Interesting."
"We're just waiting on Harry and Sirius," Hermione explained when he looked at them expectantly as they sat down.
"I see. You have news?"
"We think so but it's probably best not to explain it twice." she twisted towards Theo. "Have you heard from Draco?"
He nodded, "He got it back in. He doesn't think anyone noticed. Thank Merlin for your coins sweetling, or we'd still be waiting on an owl."
"Thank god for that."
She jumped at the roar of the floo. "Kitten? What going on, Pronglest said it was urgent,"
Slowly, Hermione released the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding as Sirius and Remus appeared in front of her. They'd know what to do with this. "Hermione?" Remus prompted.
"Harry should be here in a minute," she muttered, standing up to hug them both.
"You're scaring me, cub." Remus murmured into her hair.
"It's…good news. We think," she replied softly.
Theo watched, his face blank at the sight of them, he knew neither man was fond of him and unfortunately, he was beginning to realise that he was going to have to win them over. Like a pair of bonus parents, he really didn't want to have to deal with. Remus' eyes narrowed slightly at him over Hermione's head, smirking as the boy paled slightly. Satisfied, Moony released his cub and allowed her to sit back down as Harry barreled through the door.
Severus' eyebrows rose "Is someone going to explain now?"
"Draco brought us a book." Hermione began. "It was held under blood wards in Lucius' study. We haven't looked through all of it but…we think it's what he used to keep track of his blackmail material. Because of the wards, the only people who could access it were him and Draco. Even Narcissa wouldn't have been able to. I don't imagine he thought for a minute it wouldn't be safe."
Severus hissed through his teeth, "Where is Mr Malfoy now!" he barked.
"Home again. He rehid a copy of the book."
Silently he let out a relieved exhale. "Good thinking Miss Granger," he replied wryly.
She shrugged, "He'd have thought of it himself if he hadn't panicked." She handed the book to Sirius, glad to be rid of it. It made her feel slimy. "Is…is this enough?" she asked hesitantly.
Silently Sirius flicked through the book. "Perhaps." he murmured, "We'll need to read it. Have you?"
"Only the first few pages."
He nodded, flicking through it before inhaling sharply. "Who is Margarite?" he barked, looking at Theo.
"My mother."
"Fucking Morganna." Sirius hissed, handing the book to Remus. "He murdered your mother in front of you?"
"Yes," Theo replied, his voice utterly devoid of emotion.
"I think this is enough." Remus voiced softly, running his wand over the book. "Did you feel the magic?"
Sirius frowned. "No."
Remus hummed, handing the book over to Severus who merely raised his eyebrow before mimicking Remus' actions. His eyes widened as he realised what Lucius had done.
He flicked to a name that wasn't Thoros Nott's in case his hunch was correct before placing the book on Albus' desk. Methodically he began placing his wand on each word along the first sentence under Ezra Greengrasses name, muttering a quiet revalio until he hit the keyword. Suddenly Ezra's tired voice filled the room, "I don't know what to do Lucius! She's bloody pregnant! I can't have a bastard child, Vivienne will never forgive me! Add in that it'll be a bastard half-blood and I'll never survive the shame!"
Everyone looked momentarily stunned. "He recorded everyone's secrets." Theo breathed. "Sweet Merlin!"
Lord Black,
At this time the Horde cannot fulfil your request. However, should we be presented with a mandate from your DMLE, we would consider cooperating. Perhaps something to pass on?
Garlang.