Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warning: None for this chapter
Chapter 64 – A New Term Begins
It was well into the evening before Sirius finally made his way back to the Gryffindor common room. As he climbed through the portrait-hole, he was surprised to find that James was alone – sitting on the floor at the low table and scratching away on a long piece of parchment. It was obvious that the young wizard was lost to his task, as he never acknowledged the presence of his friend until Sirius cleared his throat loudly.
"Bloody hell, Pads!" James jumped at the sound and glared at the other boy. "You shouldn't sneak up on a bloke like that; it's not healthy!"
Sirius smiled and grabbed a cushion from the couch. He dropped it on the floor across from his friend and was soon settled on it, arms folded on the table in front of him. "Where is everyone else?"
"Remus is in the library, trying to see if he can find anything useful about some of the characters we talked about earlier. Lily and Kate went to visit McGonagall." James lifted an eyebrow at his friend. "I'm to notify them immediately when you return. Of course, my definition of 'immediately' and theirs is probably a bit different." He turned his attention back to his work. "You've been gone quite awhile."
Sirius nodded with a smile and pulled the folded parchment from his pocket. "Here. Whatever you're working on over there will probably be helped along by this, eh?"
James reached over and gave his friend a light slap to the side of his head. "Berk! Never thought of leaving a note that you'd taken this, did you? I mean – I figured you'd pinched it, but you never know what Lily can manage when she puts her mind to it."
Sirius gave an exaggerated rub to the spot above his ear and grimaced at his friend. "She's managed to overlook your more annoying – and violent – tendencies, so I would tend to agree with you." He ducked in time to avoid another swat before his expression grew more solemn. "I showed the list to Uncle Alphard."
James nodded. "I thought you might have done. And?"
"And he filled me in on the meeting he had with Dumbledore and yourfather," Sirius paused; James' reaction was exactly as expected.
"Blimey!" he leaned toward his friend. "And, of course, you're going to share that information with us."
"Yeah," Sirius confirmed, "only 'us' includes Lily and Kate, as well."
James' eyes widened in response. "And you agreed?"
"I know; totally unlike me, isn't it?" Sirius shrugged, smiling. "But, once I stopped fuming and listened to him, it made sense – particularly the part where he reminded me that if I didn't tell her, she could be walking into trouble at home …"
"…and ill-prepared to deal with it," James supplied. "He's very smart, your Uncle Alphard. Knows how to get your attention at any rate. Shall I collect the girls?"
Sirius rose and stretched until his back popped. "Yeah, I think so – and Jamie?" James had risen and begun to pack up his supplies. Upon hearing his name, he looked up at his friend. "Have them go to the Room of Requirement. Less chance we'll be disturbed by well-intentioned Heads of House, yeah? I'll go and fetch Remus."
XXXXXXXX
"Hal; good of you to come," Albus stretched out his hand as the dark-haired wizard stepped out of the headmaster's enormous fireplace.
Hal Potter brushed the soot from his robes and clasped the older wizard's hand warmly. "Happy to do it, Albus. Alphard - good to see you again." James' father greeted the other wizard and soon found himself seated in a large armchair before the fire, the others similarly situated before him.
Albus turned to a large tea tray that had been placed on the table between them and poured out for his guests. As he did so, the older wizard glanced over at Hal. "I would imagine that you have news to share with us."
Hal withdrew a notebook from the pocked of his robes and nodded. "Indeed I have. Late this afternoon, various members of several prominent Pureblood families met in London – specifically in one of the large conference rooms at Gringott's Bank."
Alphard snorted. "Some things never change; the goblins will do anything for a galleon. They've been letting out those rooms for a tidy sum for decades – and they don't care about the party or the purpose."
Albus nodded. "And their secrecy is absolute."
Hal smiled. "Which served my team very well, indeed. You see, we paid for the conference room on the opposite side of the hall and I put a team of my best Aurors inside to observe the proceedings." He paused to refer to his notes before continuing. "We were spot-on with our assumptions earlier; Orion Black, Eduard Bullstrode, Abraxas Malfoy, Victor Crabbe, Theodore Nott, Sr., Thomas O'Hanlon – all were in attendance."
Alphard exhaled sharply. "This is one time I would have preferred to have been wrong."
Hal looked over at Albus. "There was one other attendee, but he wasn't on our original list. My team got a bit of a look at him but none of them has seen him before. We're looking into it now."
"Do you have a description?" Albus asked, fixing a sharp gaze on the younger man.
"Nothing detailed, Albus. My Aurors recorded his physical description and there was nothing remarkable about it. No obvious scars, no accent." Hal continued to flip through his notes.
"Any obvious allegiances?"
Hal looked up at the headmaster. "No, as a matter of fact. Why do you ask?"
Albus sipped from his cup thoughtfully. "This isn't the most inclusive of groups, after all. Any unknown is, of course, of greater interest than those we've been observing for awhile. O'Hanlon proves that point nicely."
"You have a theory," Alphard shot a keen look toward Dumbledore.
"A theory? No; I do not have a theory," Albus replied. "I do have many questions to ponder, however."
"And I can safely assume that you will contact me if your pondering bears any fruit?" Hal asked.
"Of course, of course. Now, were your Aurors able to hear anything useful?"
Hal nodded. "Yes, but we are still working on the details of our follow-up. Of course, you both realize that nothing we say here can be repeated to anyone." He waited until both of his companions had nodded. "The names Tedeaus & Persephone Rivers were overheard."
Albus put his cup and saucer on the table rather sharply. "Their names and nothing more?"
Hal shook his head. "The group was gathered in the hallway, apparently awaiting some latecomers. Three of the men were in conversation as they went into the conference room. We got the names but no more; silencing charms were put up when they entered the room."
"Who were the three men discussing the Rivers?" Albus asked softly.
Hal sighed.
"Antonin Dolohov, Abraxas Malfoy and Thomas O'Hanlon."
XXXXXXXX
The group of friends sat on the floor surrounding the low table before the fire. Despite the crackling warmth emanating from the ancient, blackened hearth, Kate shivered.
"Incendio maxima!" Sirius' softly worded incantation caused the flames to leap in the grate. His efforts earned him a strained smile.
"What will you do?" Lily asked from her place next to James.
Kate shot her best friend a look of barely concealed irritation. "I've just been told that my mother has married a man who appears to be in league with some fairly powerful Pureblood wizards – all of whom have more than a passing interest in power and Dark magic. Any suggestions?"
Lily colored slightly. "Kate, I…"
"No," the other witch interrupted with a sigh. "I'm sorry, Lily. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I just can't wrap my head around it all. I have more questions than ideas at this point."
Sirius tightened his arm around Kate's shoulders. "So ask them. We're not going anywhere; maybe together we can figure out the answers."
Kate gave him a dark look. "I'm not sure most of them have answers." She shook her head and turned back toward the now blazing fire. "How in the bloody hell did my mother get herself into this situation? Get us into this situation? She and Melanie Hanscombe have been friends for years. There's never been any sign of anything Dark…" her voice trailed off.
"But she may not be involved in any of it, after all," Remus reasoned. "You said yourself that she had no love for the Blacks and that – sorry, Padfoot – they typify the term 'Dark'."
"She is quite fond of Sirius, though," James observed.
"Meaning?" Sirius glared at his friend.
James shrugged, "Dunno exactly. I guess it could mean anything." He shifted his gaze to Kate. "She wasn't always his supporter, was she?"
Kate shook her head as she looked quizzically at her friend. "Speak plainly, James; I'm afraid I'm not understanding you."
James' voice was quiet. "She was adamant last year that you not see him, isn't that right?"
Kate nodded. "Yes, but…"
"And yet this summer, she reverses herself, allows him into her home and provides him shelter even after she has left on a trip with friends," James interrupted. He had been casting glances at Sirius throughout and felt it likely that he would be interrupted at any moment. "Friends that included Thomas O'Hanlon, whom she ultimately married."
Kate paled. "You can't mean…you don't actually think…."
"I'm not saying anything more than what's possible, Kate," James said, reasonably. "Isn't that what we're doing here? Trying to sort it all out?"
"Jamie," Sirius' voice carried more than a hint of warning, despite its quiet pitch.
"What?" James turned to face his friend, arms flung wide from his body. "What? I'm not saying any of this to intentionally upset anyone, least of all Kate. But we can ill afford to leave any possibility unexplored, can we? You know damn well what's been happening out there! Dad always says …"
"We're not Aurors, James! If there …" Sirius interrupted, fists clenched in his lap.
"Enough," Kate's quiet voice silenced him. "Enough. No, we're not Aurors; you're right on that point. But James isn't deliberately being cruel, either." She paused and drew a deep breath. "As difficult as this is, we can't turn our backs on it."
Sirius looked at Kate with some degree of surprise but she continued without acknowledging him. "That's not to say that I agree with your not-so-subtle insinuation that my mother is somehow involved in this. She isn't stupid – and you seem to be forgetting a somewhat critical point. If my mother was involved in helping O'Hanlon get to Sirius, she would knowingly be putting me in danger, as well – and that is something that my mother would never do!"
But James wasn't entirely persuaded, although he reclaimed his seat beside Lily and his voice lost some of its volume. "I thought of that, Kate. I think the key word in what you've said is 'knowingly'."
"You're thinking of the Imperius curse," Remus observed thoughtfully.
"That would make more sense than the idea that Kate's mother was acting intentionally," Lily chimed in.
"She could have just been duped, you know," Sirius said, glancing over at Kate. "She could just as easily have been taken in by O'Hanlon's attentions. She might not know what he's about at all."
"She's not some insipid, swooning female," Kate protested, but in her mind she knew that statement to be at least partly untrue. Felicity was, indeed, given to melodramatics on occasion. And until her husband's death, she had been taken care of without the need to make major decisions or to fend for herself. Mother, could you have wanted someone to depend on badly enough to overlook a character flaw this significant?
As if she had read her thoughts Lily said, gently. "But maybe she was just lonely enough to believe him; lonely enough to want to believe."
"Katie-girl," Sirius turned toward the now-silent Kate. "For what it's worth, I don't think your mother would put you in danger if there was anything she could do to avoid it. I agree with the others that she would have to be cursed, be unaware of O'Hanlon's true intentions or… there is one other thing we haven't considered yet."
"And that is?" James questioned.
"O'Hanlon has something to hold over her head and is forcing her into complicity somehow."
"So, you're suggesting that he charmed her into marriage and then, once successful, began to blackmail her into going along with a scheme to get to Sirius?" Remus shook his head. "It seems thin, Pads."
"I know," Sirius replied. "But not impossible."
"I can't imagine that he'd know anything so potentially damaging that my mother would agree to betray you," Kate said, but her voice carried some degree of uncertainty. "Or me."
Sirius looked at her sharply. "Can't you? Katie, remember the story you told me about your father and all the intrigue and unanswered questions surrounding his death. Maybe O'Hanlon has some of the answers."
"Maybe," Kate conceded. "But even if he does, why hasn't he come forward long before now?"
"Perhaps there was no benefit to him to do so until now," Remus answered, then turned to Sirius. "The more I think about this, the less certain I am that Kate's mother is involved in any of it. I think it's more likely that she is completely unaware of any ulterior motives her new husband may have."
"Well, that theory puts us right back to where we started," James said, miserably.
"Not necessarily," Remus replied. "Think. The biggest mystery surrounding Kate's father's death involved Sirius' uncle. The general consensus seems to be that he wasn't powerful enough – or was too near to death himself – to kill anyone. Sirius, you've said that your uncle wasn't known as a particularly gifted wizard, which seems to underscore the alternative theory that there was another person on the scene that night."
"Are you suggesting that Thomas O'Hanlon killed my father?" Kate's face was pale.
Remus took a deep breath. "I suppose it's possible; yes. Kate, do you know if your father might have known O'Hanlon prior to his death? Perhaps through his sister and her husband…"
Kate interrupted him, shaking her head. "No. My mother and Melanie have been friends since they were girls, but Gregory Hanscombe has always spent a great deal of time traveling for his businesses. They had nannies for their children which allowed Melanie to travel with him most of the time. Then, the children went to Hogwarts which I assume made her travel less cumbersome. I'm certain that Father met the two of them, but he wouldn't have known O'Hanlon. We left for America, as well, so…" she shrugged.
Remus nodded. "I suspected that the chances were slim. So, it would seem to me that if Thomas O'Hanlon were responsible for your father's death, he would have been acting on the behalf of someone else rather than for his own purposes. Assuming that, it would follow that O'Hanlon would have been a significant liability to the person for whom the murder was committed. As such, I can't believe that he wouldn't have met a similar end."
"He certainly wouldn't be as visible as he's been of late," James commented. He looked curiously at Remus. "So, Moony, what's your theory?"
"Not sure, exactly," Remus admitted. "But it does seem to leave us with one alternative to explore – or to discuss with your father so that he can explore it." The young wizard paused, gathering his thoughts for a few moments before continuing. "Suppose O'Hanlon happened upon that alley in Boston, saw the confrontation between your uncle and Kate's father – and was witness to its outcome. Suppose he knows who really cast that Killing Curse?"
"Wouldn't that make him just as much a liability as if he'd cast it himself?" Sirius asked.
"Only if the true killer knows that O'Hanlon observed him," Remus replied.
"I'm confused," Kate said. "Even if what you suggest is true, why would O'Hanlon pop up now? Why would he marry my mother and make veiled threats against Sirius via his uncle? It doesn't make sense."
"Actually, Kate, it might," James said. "Well, part of it, anyway. It goes back to what Remus said earlier; perhaps there wasn't a reason for O'Hanlon to act until now. Suppose whoever killed your dad went to ground that night. If O'Hanlon couldn't find him there would be little reason to expose himself. He could simply live his life as he'd been doing until the killer revealed himself."
"But where does my mother come in?" Kate looked at her friends. "Unless my mother killed my father – and I can assure you that she did not as she was home with me that night – what possible purpose could marrying her serve?"
"A certain degree of acceptance," Sirius spoke up. "Marrying your mum gives him a certain respectability and allows him to conduct his business affairs without the suspicion that might follow a stranger. If he's married to someone from an established family, it would allow him to move about more easily, I suspect." Kate raised an eyebrow and drew breath, but Sirius smiled grimly and cut her off. "Yes, I know; I just finished telling you aboutO'Hanlon's visit to Uncle Alphard's house with my picture in hand…a picture my father had put there. So, I know that you're wondering how marriage to your mother could have gained him any firmer a foothold than his acquaintance with Orion Black already afforded him. The Needhams are an ancient family on a par with mine. Apart from what we already know about your grandfather's questionable affiliations, their reputation is strong. The Blacks do have a little bit of dirt connected to our ancient name; the Needhams' unsullied name gains him even more access."
"To society and to more covert activities once that connection had been made," Kate finished. "I think it's becoming clearer for me now – if, in fact, this theory is accurate. And that begs the question of how it can be validated." She turned to James. "Would your father be willing to listen to the hypothesis of five 6th years?"
James smiled in return. "I'm sure he would. We could send him an owl…"
"…or have a chat with Professor Dumbledore first," Lily put in.
"And see if Uncle Alphard would like to join us," Sirius finished. "Instead of dissecting this thing with different people, maybe it's time to get everyone in the same room, put all of the facts on the table and see what they make of it."
"Tomorrow," Remus said, glancing at his watch. "It's after 11. No one is in any frame of mind to attack this topic tonight. Let's catch up with Dumbledore after breakfast and he can gather the others, yes?"
While anxious to explore the matter further with the adults who could obviously shed more light on the situation and assist in the development of more sound theories, the group was exhausted and readily agreed to postpone. As they gathered their things and headed for the door, Kate naturally fell into step with Sirius.
"I'm not sure what difference any of this is going to make," she confided. "We can debate all the theories in the world, but if there's nothing to be done with them, we might just as well have saved our breath."
Sirius held the door for her to pass through then caught her hand as she started to turn away from him toward the open corridor. Kate turned back and found herself caught up in a pair of very strong arms. "Now, you listen to me, Ms. Morgan," Sirius said softly. "This group – adults included – is a formidable force to be reckoned with. Dumbledore, Uncle Alphard and Jamie's dad have more experience and brain power than we can even imagine! Uncle Alphard and Dumbledore fought Grindelwald, for the love of Merlin – and Mr. Potter is the head of the MLE! This is much more than a debate; this is where the battle begins! They won't let the Dark take us over again if there's anything that can be done to prevent it. The more they know, the better off we'll be – all of us! And we'll be doing something that much quicker! Katie – this is going to make a very real difference; not just for us, but maybe for the rest of our world, as well."
Kate smiled at his determination and reached up to brush a stray wave away from his eyes. "Don't you think you might be getting a wee bit ahead of yourself, though? I mean, we're just looking at what we know and trying to put the puzzle pieces all together. There's no battle lurking, waiting to be fought."
Sirius leant down and kissed her forehead. "We don't have to worry about any of that tonight. Come on; let's get some sleep, yeah? I have a feeling that tomorrow's going to be a long day." Oh, Katie-girl; if you only knew how wrong you are. Maybe the soldiers aren't completely organized but their numbers are growing and the battle lines are being drawn as we speak. We'll all be choosing sides before too long. Unbidden, memories of the past year with Regulus crossed Sirius' mind; the younger boy sneaking toast into his basement cell, contacting his father on Sirius' behalf after that last, most cruel torture at the hands of Walburga. I wonder which you'll choose, Reg, he thought sadly, wondering for what must have been the hundredth time if Orion and Walburga Black had managed to finally turn their remaining son into the heir they had hoped Sirius would be.
XXXXXXXX
The following morning, a group of students, teachers and the head of the MLE gathered in the Headmaster's office. There, seated around a conjured table situated before a roaring fire, facts were laid out, examined at length and discussed by all. It was apparent that Alphard had spoken with Dumbledore prior to the larger meeting as there were no longer any attempts to hide facts from any of the students. A tacit agreement now seemed to exist amongst the older adults that "forewarned was forearmed", as the Muggles said – and the students were to be kept advised of everything that was currently known. Their headmaster made one caveat at the outset by telling them all that he reserved the right to reverse that decision if, in his considered opinion, the students' safety would be compromised through full disclosure. Observing Alphard's raised eyebrow at this statement, Dumbledore qualified it by saying that any such decision would be made only after consultation with both Sirius' uncle and James' father. Hal further emphasized that anything that might fall under the aegis of current investigations in the MLE would be similarly off-topic. Both qualifications were readily accepted by everyone present and so the discussion moved forward.
The hours crept by unnoticed; indeed, when house elves delivered a platter of sandwiches, cookies, bowls of crisps and pitchers of pumpkin juice, the group did not even hear them, so engrossed were they in their task. Only the aroma of smoked ham finally roused them and once a healthy dent had been made in the food, all returned to the table and the lengthy parchment that awaited them there. Blotches of ink littered the pale page and dark lines cancelled out points or theories that were debated and ultimately discarded.
By mid-afternoon, Hal Potter's spiral notebook contained numerous pages of new notes and he had several avenues that required further exploration. The general consensus amongst the adults was that it was highly likely that Felicity was completely unaware of her husband's activities which gave Kate some degree of comfort, albeit a small one. The thought that her mother could be an unwitting accomplice to something Dark bothered the young witch very much.
"You look troubled, my dear," Kate was brought out of her thoughts by the soft voice of her Headmaster.
"I'm concerned about my mother, Sir. She may be in danger and completely unprepared to deal with it."
Dumbledore leaned over and patted her hand. "There is much that we don't know, Kate, but this much I'm certain of: she is important to him. As such, I believe that she is not in any danger."
"For now," Kate countered, squaring her shoulders. "But even you cannot guess if and when that might change."
"No," Dumbledore agreed. "But if there is some nefarious purpose for his marriage, I believe that the brain power we have in this very room will figure it out before it does."
His voice was so certain and his expression so earnest that Kate felt some of the tension in her chest lighten. She smiled. "I'm sure you will."
"We will," Sirius piped up. He was very much invested in the partnership that had begun in this room and was determined to remain a part of this undertaking.
"What is our next step?"
Alphard chuckled. "Well, I suspect that James' father has quite a bit of follow-up work to do if all that writing he's done is any indication."
Hal nodded. "I need to get back to the office and pull the team together. Albus, you said earlier that you had a theory about the Gringott's meeting. I'd like to speak with you for a moment to clarify a few things." He glanced over at his son who looked back at him unblinkingly.
Hal smiled and shook his head before returning his gaze to the headmaster. "And that would be in private, if you don't mind."
When James appeared ready to protest, Albus spoke up. "Now, you young people have been hard at this since last night and by your own account. As this is your last week of freedom before the new term begins, I think it would do you all some good to leave this for awhile; get outside and enjoy the warm weather while it lingers." The elder wizard's tone was genial enough; his eyes communicated clearly that he would brook no challenge. The students recognized the signs and gave in.
"Come along, mates," James said. "I suppose that a walk down by the lake won't do us any harm." The others reluctantly stood and made their goodbyes to James' father.
"Now, now; there's no need for the long faces," Hal said, smiling at the group. "You all have been most helpful today – and I'm sure you will continue to be so in the future, as well."
"I know that I needn't remind you that what we've discussed here today cannot be repeated outside this office," Dumbledore added.
The five students nodded. They moved toward the office door, but Remus turned back to the Headmaster for a moment. "Sir?"
"Yes, Remus?"
"I was just wondering; Peter is due back on Wednesday. As we share a dormitory, it would be difficult to keep this from him and, of course, he may be able to be of some assistance, as well."
Sirius snorted, but Dumbledore spoke up before the younger wizard could say anything. "Excellent points, Remus. We certainly would not turn away any credible assistance that might come our way. You may take Mr. Pettigrew into your confidence – but only Mr. Pettigrew, you understand."
"Of course, Professor. Thank you."
After the door had closed once again, Alphard turned to his old friend. "My nephew doesn't seem to think much of their absent friend."
Dumbledore smiled. "Mr. Pettigrew does not share the same intellectual capacity as possessed by Sirius and his friends. It makes for some impatient moments."
"Is he intelligent enough to hold his tongue?"
"I believe that he does, Alphard. You see, Mr. Pettigrew has become quite reliant on his friendships; he won't do anything that will jeopardize them. If James, in particular, impresses upon him the need for silence, Peter Pettigrew will remain silent. Of that I can assure you." Dumbledore patted Alphard on the shoulder.
"Right." Alphard reached out and shook Hal's hand. "I suspect we'll be seeing more of you, Hal."
"I suspect so," the younger man replied. "It seems that you were both right about that crowd; they'll do some of our work for us if today is any indication."
Once Alphard had left, Hal turned to Albus. "I would just ask that you perhaps take your earliest opportunity to ponder those questions about the unknown meeting participant."
Dumbledore nodded. "Of course. I'll owl you if my ruminations turn up anything…interesting."
As Hal walked to the hearth with the older wizard, he shook his head slightly. "I have this nagging feeling that you may have already 'turned up' something."
Dumbledore smiled grimly. "Perhaps. Safe travels, Hal. I'll be in touch."
Hal Potter reached for the pot of Floo powder on the mantel and stepped into the huge fireplace. He dropped a pinch of powder to the floor and called out his destination. The last thing he saw before the green flames pulled him away was Albus Dumbledore lowering his face into the huge stone Pensieve in the center of his office.
A/N: My thanks to all of you who have been so patient with me during the long delay in updating this story. I promise that I will not take as long to post the next chapter!
