Author's Note:
Thank you for the warm welcome back! The wonderful support has been amazing and I am extremely grateful to all of you!
There have been many complaints about my long author's notes, but all I can say is that I love to take the time to answer reviews as many people have the same questions/thoughts/concerns. If you don't want to read them, you don't have to. It does add into the word count, but I personally don't care about word count. I write what I want which means some chapters are long and some are not. I go where the story goes. But my responses to reviews are my way of saying thank you to all of those kind enough to let me know how they feel. Thank you!
Reviews and Comments: To Bellmel: Starting it out with Sirius rocking out to Queen seemed necessary. Thank you for liking the time stamps, I do think it helps build up the intensity. I do want this story to be different than ASC as they aren't kids anymore and this is Harry's job which means he can't rush off half-cocked anymore. Not trying to destroy you though (only a little). Thank you! To briana_t: Yes, being stressed out already is a fair start. Harry's reaction will be interesting. Thank you! To Lovesamemory: I'm sorry to tear out your heart and to set it on fire lol. Thank you! To shuweet: Thank you very much! To Djones9417: Thank you very much! I hope you like where the story goes! To harry-potter-shtick: I love all of the wild thoughts! Intense is what I was going for and I hope I have a few surprises for you. Thank you! To Belle: Sorry to shatter your heart. Sirius needs to get away from them, true, but right now he doesn't see them as bad. Thank you very much! To CorbanD17: Sorry to break your heart, but thank you! To Goodygurl: Thank you! To ravenclaw_rockchick: Thank you! To AQuickRead91: Thank you! To KingRajesh: Wow! Thank you for reading ASC four times! Yes, people did let their guard down just like in the first war, not intentionally, but the relief of Voldemort being gone made people too happy and they forgot themselves. Harry knows what he's doing, but he's still stubborn and sometimes an act first and think later kind of guy. Thank you!
To ThuisOO1: I know, people let their guard down and bad things happened, but no one is perfect and the war being over made people complacent. Thank you! To GABRIELAGPGP1988: Thank you! To corneliastreet_28: Thank you very much! I agree, I wanted to show that Zee would not be found quickly, to hype up the worry and the concern. Harry definitely needs Ginny's support and he will get it. Thank you very much! To SiriusLover93: You think love will conquer all and Sirius will remember Harry and then refuse to kill him? Interesting. We will have to see. Thank you! To Endinium: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! To NeroTheJoiner: We will have to see, but yes, Sirius is being lied to and right now, he doesn't know it. Thank you! To EbonyRivers: I'm sorry to hurt, but also, you're welcome lol. Thank you! To kyciona: Thank you! To Minerva_Mcgee: Yes, they are all dead. As to Harry and Zee and raising Mina and Leo, we will see. Thank you! To pads13: Thank you so much for saying it exceeded your expectation! Hope you like what comes next! Thank you! To marauders_mowopapr: I agree, the title does hint towards Sirius, but it could also mean his return in a negative aspect. You think Mina and Leo will get abducted too? Interesting. Thank you! To Poppy_Wild: Thank you very much! To darkhk: Thank you! To .lilith: Thank you! To Zarathos Morgenstern: Thank you very much! And yes, Harry is definitely not going to know what hit him!
To Laura: Thank you so much for saying you didn't know you missed my writing until I returned, that's so sweet! Harry and Ron are definitely the best duo in the world. Thank you! To ThomasJAvery: I'm glad I hooked you in so quickly! I loved opening it with James, Lily, Monty, Fee, Sirius, Lady Godiva, Marauder, and Misha, to show a bit beyond and to show happiness. James and Lily are most definitely still smitten with each other. You think Sirius will remember something… hmm. Ron and Harry are definitely best friends and yes, Ron knows Harry needs him right now. Thanks for liking my Auror Squad, it's been fun to write them working the case. McGonagall adores Zee and knows how much Harry needs support right now so she will definitely provide him with that through Ginny without question. Sirius being interested in Belladonna is a sign of Sirius' old self, this is true. Thank you very much! To bihinnyshipper: I hope it's hard to read in a good way lol. Thank you! To Shivani: Thank you for being speechless, I will take that as a compliment. No, Sirius doesn't recognize anyone, not even himself. Thank you very much! To Sara: Nope, Harry doesn't remember Harry. Thank you! To mike3308: Yes, Harry hopes to find Zee too. Thank you! To MoD366: Thank you very much! To minerdude: You don't think Sirius will kill Harry and that I will bring back Zee? Interesting, we will see. Thank you! To Irishpanthers: I do agree that dark Sirius brings a fun twist. Thank you! To stringnut: SeriouslySam was kind enough to help me bounce some ideas back when I first started this story well over a year ago. She's an extremely talented writer and I'm honoured she let me bounce off some ideas for the main plot. Thank you very much!
To scrappy8: Poor Zee indeed and yes, Harry will be sad. Thank you! To Ehsomaria: Thank you! To A Huge Fan: Ha, yes I am back. Thank you so much for saying chapter one lived up to the hype. Yes, more will be explained about Sirius and what they did later on. Yes, Zee's body was left in Sirius' grave. Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you very much! Sirius was intrigued by Zee's tattoo! Thank you! To yunkol76: Thank you very much! To anjapotter: Thank you for looking forward to this story! You think I will bring Zee back and make Sirius remember everything? Interesting. Thank you! To Read and Fly: Yes, I am back. Thank you very much! As to the ghost of Zee appearing like Sirius did, you will have to wait and see. Thank you! To Hanacide: Thank you very much! Sorry to cause you so much stress, but I hope you like what comes next! To Katie2001: Thank you! To camazoz: Thank you very much and yes, I do plan on posting weekly. To Nightwing2013: So many questions that I hope you get answers too! Thank you! To alix33: Yes, I loved Robards having a highland cow Patronus, I don't know why exactly, but it was just awesome in my mind. Thank you! To rozmeen: Thank you! To Nuno Neves: Thanks for loving the beginning of TTTC. Sirius is being brainwashed right now, but he's definitely not himself either. Thanks for loving my Hinny and my Romione moments. As to Sirius killing Harry, it is a plot twist that Harry will not expect. Thank you! To Jimbo: Thank you very much! To Sets: Aw, thanks for re-reading by Beginning Series, that is very old indeed and I don't think it holds up lol. No, Sirius has bits of distinct personality traits, but he doesn't remember or know anything about himself. Sirius does trust Bellatrix because she's his family. We will see Bas soon! Ha, I'm glad you loved that Lily line — she knows her man lol. Thank you!
To Fanfictioner2014/ITHersey: Thank you very much! Being all mixed up inside is definitely what you should be feeling. I want to show the intensity of everything as best as I can. Thank you! To Lily Luna: Thank you! We will catch up with Remus soon and as to Zee, we will have to wait and see. Thank you! To Chelsea Greenwell: Thank you for saying it's so sad it hurts, that makes me feel like I've written it well. I am a Supernatural fan and I was influenced by it when writing. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! To ellyann13: Thank you very much! I hope your questions will be answered! To Cristina: Thank you! The break was needed to process the ending of ASC as much as I needed to process it all as well and for me to work on TTTC of course. Yes, I wanted it to be hard to find Zee, to show that it takes time for an investigation to work. You think Sirius is missing his soul/heart? Interesting. Thank you very much! To ascfan: I did enjoy my break, thank you! To FrivolousFox: Yes, ASC ending was a bit of heart wrencher, but thank you for enjoying the new story so far! To Gawerty100: Thank you very much for diving into my Kismet series and for loving my OC of Zee so much. You think Harry will get suspended at work because he's going to go off on his own? Interesting. As to the Knights of the Auror, not too much more about them, no, but we will see more of Sebastian and his work. Thank you very much!
To Gigi87: Thank you! I love that you are now picturing Robards as a highland cow — amazing! My heart is also breaking for Harry as he tries to figure things out. He is stressed and confused and terrified. The three bitches is a good name for them, isn't it? Harry is such a sweet big brother to those kids! Harry and Ron's bromance is important to both of them and of course Ron is going to make sure his best mate is taken care of. You don't think Zee is dead? Interesting. Yes, we will catch up with Sorcha, Colt, and Flo soon. I think house elf magic is powerful, but the three bitches have been working hard to keep themselves and their plan hidden and even Kreacher wouldn't be able to find Zee. Thank you very much! To EnigmaticEmperor: Thank you! You were hoping Zee would still be alive, but now you're not so sure? Interesting. Sirius looks exactly like he did before he died. Sirius definitely noticed how beautiful Zee is and did think she's more beautiful than Belladonna. Thank you very much! To saucyswimmer: I'm glad I had some surprises for you! Yes, Ginny is there with Harry of course. It's been fun to write the Auror stuff and to show how they work together. Thank you very much!
My posting schedule: Weekly.
As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!
Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!
CHAPTER TWO:
The One Where Ron Gets A Shovel
11th November, 1998 — 8PM…
Harry sat in the large dining room of Clevedon Court, the notes from Dante Dragomir spread out across the massive dining room table. He'd taken them from the vault at Grimmauld Place, hoping to find some answers in there, but so far the runes hadn't told him much of anything except that there was a lot of dark magic in the world, too much. There were things listed here that he never would have imagined in his wildest dreams let alone even wished to make happen.
He looked down at the notes he'd made, comparing them to the notes that Althea Papakonstantinou provided when she'd originally given them to Zee. He had to admit, the healer's notes were more than thorough.
Dante Dragomir had studied the history of the dark arts for decades. He'd been a professor of the Dark Arts at Durmstrang Institute and his research had encompassed ancient civilizations, historical figures, mythological stories, and most importantly, the use and history of runes. He was renowned for his work and had been one of the foremost experts on the history of the Dark Arts in the world before being kidnapped by Voldemort and ultimately killed. It was fascinating and Harry could understand why the wizard had desired to write a book on the topic while also completely understanding why he had wanted to do it without providing the detailed subject of the dark spells.
However, it was becoming increasingly clear that Brambilla had learned some of those details as the runes they were finding were ones no one had seen in centuries. What the rune specialists did know about the runes wasn't even half of what the runes were capable of doing. Harry had a feeling that Brambilla had no only mastered the art of wielding the ancient runes, but combining them with modern dark magic and made everything that much more difficult to decipher. It was making things increasingly harder to learn exactly what kind of dark magic was performed in Godric's Hollow and putting them further behind on this case.
And it brought them no closer to finding Zee.
It was more frustrating than Harry could put into words. He just wanted answers and knowing that he had professionals combing through the evidence and no one was making complete sense of it yet… it was disconcerting and downright exasperating.
Harry looked up at the movement in the doorway and gave Kreacher a grateful look when he spotted the tea in his hand.
"Thank you, Kreacher."
"You is welcome, Master Harry Potter, Sir."
Harry was grateful for the elf and had seen Kreacher's worry over Zee every time the elf came to check on him. It only made him even more desperate to find some answers in this pile of research he couldn't fully comprehend.
When he was left alone again, he sorted through the parchment rolls until he found another one listed as graveyard runes. He wasn't sure of the context, but so far he had discovered over a dozen scrolls all detailing some form of runic spell involving a graveyard. Harry was positive that there was something about them being called to Godric's Hollow that he was missing. He just couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Tonks tripped her way into the dining room and his lips curved in amusement. She was wearing red leather tights with one of Remus' black dress shirts buttoned and tied at the waist. She wore a long black leather jacket overtop with dark purple and black ankle combat boots that she placed by the door when she entered, revealing bright purple socks with pink polka dots on them. She had a purple toque over her pink hair and her cheeks were flushed from the cold.
"Walk much?"
She shot up two fingers before she took a seat in one of the chairs next to him. "Teddy's asleep. Tell me what you need me to do," she said, pulling her toque off and tossing it on the table next to them.
"I don't bloody know," Harry admitted, dragging his fingers through his hair and making it look even messier then usual. "Althea sent all of this to Zee last year and… Dragomir was the most renowned wizard on using runes for the dark arts and the history of dark arts runes. But some of the runes he studied… there's stuff in here people haven't seen in centuries, Tonks. I reckon there has to be something in here that we're missing; something that can help us figure out why Brambilla went to Godric's Hollow in the first place."
Tonks nodded, her eyes on the scrolls. "Makes sense to me. The AIU's are speaking to curse breakers as well as rune specialists. Professor Inanna Kashif, the new ancient runes professor at Hogwarts, has been asked to step in and go over the runes in more detail. She's the most renowned specialist in the United Kingdom and actually studied with Dante Dragomir at Durmstrang. In the meantime, let's see what we can find out from Dragomir's notes."
"I know that we're off the clock now," Harry began.
Tonks held up her hand to silence him. "It's Zee, Harry. All hands on deck, all right?"
Harry let out a long breath before he turned back to the paperwork in front of him, thankful for Tonks' extra help. Thirty minutes later, Ron and Hermione came in to join them. Hermione immediately grabbed a stack and began to sort through what was there without a word. Harry gave her a grateful smile.
Hermione had been jumping in to help them go over the notes on a daily basis now, offering her awesome research skills and as well as helping Harry and Ron by talking over what they were finding in the research. Despite her assistance, Harry was disappointed that they still hadn't found anything definitive to work with.
Ron cracked his knuckles, loudly. "Did you hear back from Theo yet?"
"No," Harry said. "He said that Malfoy's in France so it might take a while to track him down, but it's been a few days."
The sound of his mirror vibrating had him jumping to his feet as he tugged it out of his pocket. The sight of Theo's face made his stomach clench, nervously.
"Speak of the devil," Harry mumbled, swiping the mirror open. "Theo, what can you tell me?"
"Sorry it took so long, Draco was trying to get in contact with his grandmother."
"And?"
"She's put herself on a Mediterranean cruise," Theo said. "Apparently she's been sailing around the Pacific and the Mediterranean on a continuous loop since she left England a handful of years ago. Anyway, the house is still under her charge. According to her, no one has stepped foot in it since she left the country. She's willing to come back to England when her cruise is done next month."
"That's not soon enough," Harry told him. "Can Malfoy come back to England?"
"Yes," Theo said. "He should be arriving in a few hours and he'll take you to the house straight away."
"Thank bloody Merlin for that," Harry replied. "Thanks, Theo."
"You're welcome. I'll have Draco meet you in Sussex as soon as he gets in."
"Thanks, Theo," he repeated, grateful to finally have something substantial to look into.
Theo wished him well and disappeared from the mirror. Harry tucked it back into his pocket before meeting Tonks' gaze.
"It might be nothing," he began.
"Go with your gut, Harry," Tonks said. "It doesn't usually steer you wrong and it's a good place to check. If Druella Rosier Black has been out of the country for all these years, it's possible her daughter could be using Black Manor. She would have access to the house as I highly doubt her mother made any effort to ban her from it."
"They might be keeping Zee there."
Ron's eyes met his. "We'll check every crevice, Harry. If she's there, we'll find her."
Despite his friend's reassurance, Harry suddenly felt like it still wasn't a step in the right direction. The problem was that he was beginning to wonder just what the right direction even was.
~ TTTC ~
11th November, 1998 — 9PM…
Crouch sat sideways on the sofa, his long legs dangling over the arm as he chewed on a liquorice wand. He kept his eyes on the tall figure of Sirius Black, watching as he moved around the manor, making comments about this and that as he blew smoke out of his mouth.
"What matters is that you do what we brought you back for, dearie."
Sirius turned, leaning casually against the fireplace as he lifted an eyebrow. "I said I'd do it. I'm a man of my word."
Crouch snorted. "You don't seem to be in much of a hurry though, do you?"
Sirius took a drag from the cigarette, blowing out smoke. "You want this bloke dead, I'll kill him. But rushing me isn't going to make it go any faster. I buried that woman like you told me to and we both know that she wasn't cold enough to go into the ground. I didn't ask any questions then and I'm not asking them now, but I want to learn Potter's weaknesses first, bring him to his knees. If he did in fact kill your master, precautions need to be taken."
"He needs to die," Crouch insisted.
"And I need to live," Sirius shot back. "You brought me back to life, gave me a second chance. I'm not going to waste that on getting my arse killed before I've had a chance to live it."
Crouch frowned. "You were in Azkaban with me the first time around, dearie, you've already had your second chance at life."
Sirius' lips curved. "Well then, the third time's the charm, eh?"
Crouch snorted. "What's your plan then, dearie?"
Sirius took another drag from the cigarette before he put it out in the ashtray on the table. "For starters, I'd like to get laid. Being dead makes a bloke randy. In fact, since I'm newly resurrected, I think it makes me a virgin again."
"If I suck your cock will you hurry up and kill Potter already?" Crouch demanded.
Sirius' eyes twinkled in amusement. "Aw, that's cute, Bart, but you're not my type."
Crouch swung his legs over the sofa. "A mouth's a mouth."
"I want a woman," Sirius insisted. "And preferably, more than a bloody blowjob. I've got virginity to lose."
Crouch swore under his breath. "We can't be hiding out here much longer. It's not safe. We need to find somewhere to lay low and start planning out how to kill Potter as slowly and painfully as possible. You having sex is not a priority, Black."
"For once, Bart, you're right," Belladonna said as she came into the room with Bellatrix on her heels.
"Mother just sent word," Bellatrix said. "Apparently Draco's been asking questions about the manor. We need to move now before this place is swarming with Aurors."
"How will it be swarming with Aurors?" Sirius asked.
"Because my little shit of a nephew is friendly with Potter," Bellatrix spat. "Just another complication we don't need. Grab whatever shit you want. We have to go."
Crouch pouted. "Where are we going to go? I'm become accustomed to this good life, dearie."
Bellatrix snorted. "Donna has a place."
"I'm sure it will live up to your standards, Bart," Belladonna said. "And if you're lucky, I'll find someone for you to play with as well."
Crouch's cruel smile widened. "Perfect."
Sirius grabbed his jacket off of the back of the chair. "I'll ride my bike, just tell me where we're going."
Belladonna's lips curved. "It's going to be a long drive. Got room for one more?"
"For you, gorgeous, absolutely."
Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "We leave in ten minutes."
Crouch clapped his hands together in excitement.
Things were starting to look up.
~ TTTC ~
12th November, 1998 — 7AM…
Harry, Ron, Baxter, and Higgins met Malfoy near the English Channel. It had taken Malfoy longer than he'd planned on to arrive in England and Harry had been forced to wait until the next morning to meet with him in Sussex. He didn't speak as he listened to Malfoy mention something about no one having lived here since Druella Black had taken off, gallivanting around the seas while the war was taking place.
"Then it won't hurt to let us have a look around," Eric Baxter, Ron's Auror superior and partner, said.
"Do you have a warrant?" Malfoy demanded.
Harry scowled. "Are you really going to make us get one?"
Malfoy glared at him for a full thirty seconds before he shrugged his shoulders. "Fine."
"Good call," Harry told him. "Lead the way."
Malfoy shot Harry a look of annoyance, but he did lead them through the warding and up to the front doors of the manor. Ten minutes later, they discovered the house was empty, but someone had definitely been squatting there.
Cigarette butts were scattered around the living room on a few plates and when Harry stepped into one of the bedrooms upstairs, he smelt forest and leather. The smell made him grip the doorpost for support.
"What is it?" Ron asked, coming up behind him.
Harry shook his head. He didn't know how to explain it. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's just… I swear it smells like… Uncle Sirius."
Ron lifted an eyebrow. "That's very specific."
Harry shrugged, grateful that his friend didn't say anything else on the subject. "I know it is and I know that it makes absolutely no sense, but he always smelt like the forest, you know, with just a hint of leather. The thing is, when I was here earlier on the shore, I swore I smelt the same thing and I felt… none of this makes any sense, Ron."
Ron looked at Harry carefully for a moment before he shoved his hands into his pockets, his gaze roaming around the room. "I can agree with that statement, mate. Higgins found proof that Crouch was squatting here. He cut open a cat and spread their intestines all over the wall in one of the bedrooms before spelling out in cat bones: Catch Me If You Can. We can only assume that Brambilla and Lestrange are with him and there are signs of another person living here as well."
"Any idea who?"
Ron shook his head. "No. Baxter's seeing what we can do with the cigarette butts. He says that there might be a way to pull a person's essence from them and figure out who the smoker is."
"It looks like we just missed them then," Harry said in frustration.
"A few hours at most," Baxter said from behind them. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that they were tipped off."
When they went downstairs, Malfoy's loud annoyed drawl echoed in the entrance hall.
"For the last time, I have no idea who was staying here. I haven't stepped foot in this house in years. Not since Christmas of first year."
Higgins crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Three of the Ministry's Number One Undesirables were clearly squatting here and yet you're telling me that you didn't let them know that we were coming?"
"No!" Draco insisted. "I've been in bloody France for months, but I can't promise that my grandmother didn't know that people were here."
Harry frowned. "What can you tell us about your grandmother?"
Draco shrugged. "Not much. I haven't spoken to her in years. Right around the time that the Dark Lord started gaining power, she took off. My grandfather was dead and she claimed that she didn't want any part of being a Death Eater or being involved in the war. She sent a Christmas card when my mother was still alive, but that's the only way we even knew that she was still gallivanting around. She never got along with my grandfather, my father's father, that is."
Higgins raised an eyebrow. "Druella Rosier Black?"
Draco nodded. "Yes."
Baxter licked his lips. "On it. Weasley, you're with me."
Ron gave Harry a helpless shrug before hurrying out after Baxter.
Draco stared at Harry. "Do you really think that they've been squatting here?"
"It certainly looks to be the case," Harry told him. "Bellatrix would have grown up here, yes?"
"Yeah," Draco said. "But when she went to Azkaban, it's not like my grandmother kept in contact with her."
Higgins tapped his fingers against his thigh. "Potter, let's check out the visitor logs on the old prison. I think that there's a lot about Druella Rosier Black that we don't know."
Harry was starting to wonder if it would be easier to start filling a file on what they didn't know instead of what they did. He thanked Draco for his help and told him that they would be in touch, but Harry didn't feel any closer to figuring out what was going on than he did before.
~ TTTC ~
Ron felt bad leaving Harry, but he knew that despite the circumstances of what was going on, he and Harry were only A1s, which meant that they weren't capable of being partners on any investigations. They needed someone higher up to help guide them and Ron had to admit, Eric Baxter was a great substitute. The man was smart and funny. Not to mention that he'd already taught Ron a lot more than he'd expected.
When they left Sussex, Ron was only mildly surprised to see them arrive in Londonderry. He followed Baxter through the main entrance of the Magical Intelligence Agency and into the Secret Intelligence Unit on the second floor otherwise known as the SIU. They walked past a few desks in the bullpen before Baxter turned left and headed towards a smaller bullpen in the back where Ron recognized Sebastian Kane sitting with a tiny Korean woman who Ron remembered seeing at the Auror's birthday party in the summer.
Sebastian's eyebrow rose. "Baxter, Ron, come to visit?"
"Unfortunately no," Baxter said, making himself comfortable in one of the chairs. "We need to track someone down."
"Aw, and you need us because we're better than you?" the woman teased.
Ron snorted and her smile widened.
"I speak the truth, Red." She extended her hand. "Auror Yeona Jin, but everyone calls me Auror J."
"Ron Weasley."
"He's my A1 partner," Baxter said. "Fresh from the academy and doing well. As to doing our job, I'd track this bitch down myself if it was within my bloody jurisdiction."
Sebastian tilted his head. "What do you need?"
"Druella Rosier Black," Baxter said. "Weasley?"
Ron cleared his throat. "She's um, the Lady Falmouth, technically. She took off in '93 to avoid the war and is now thought to be on a Mediterranean cruise somewhere. We need her back in England so that she can answer some questions about her home in Sussex."
Jin nodded. "We can do that. Any known family?
"She's the last Rosier living," Ron continued. "Her brother Enzo and his wife, Alma were killed in the first war along with his son, Ezekiel. Ezekiel had two children, Evan who was killed by Alastor Moody while resisting arrest in '81 and his sister Aster who married Thaddeus Nott and was killed in '84 in a claimed potions accident by her husband. Black's husband, Cygnus, died in '92 of scrofungulus. They had three daughters: Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Andromeda Black Tonks, and Narcissa Black Malfoy. Bellatrix is the only daughter still alive."
Jin wrinkled her nose. "It's always the insane ones who stick around. Any information on her cruise?"
"No, but her grandson will know more, Draco Malfoy."
Sebastian's eyebrow rose slightly at the name. "All right. Give us twenty-four hours. We'll bring her back to England for questioning."
"Thanks," Baxter said. "We think that she was letting known Death Eaters live in her home as recently as this morning. Lestrange, Crouch, and Brambilla are at the top of our most wanted list. If they have outside help, we need to know about it."
"Agreed," Sebastian said. "We'll bring her in."
When they left, Ron snuck a look over at his partner. "Bringing in the MIA was a good idea."
Baxter's lips curved. "I'm full of those. Atwell will tell you that I'm also full of shit, but don't listen to her."
Ron chuckled. "Noted."
"The Magical Intelligence Agency works on an international level," Baxter explained. "They are the Aurors we need to help us track criminals who leave the country. They have jurisdiction in every country in the world and this means that they can do things that we aren't able to, like go to the bloody Mediterranean Sea and try to find this witch."
"Which leaves us where exactly?" Ron asked.
Baxter stretched his arms up over his head. "Let's head back to Godric's Hollow, Weasley. There's something about that graveyard that's been bothering me. I want to reinterview the witnesses who claim that they saw Brambilla there last week. We're missing something, Weasley, and until we find it, I think Zacarias is going to stay just out of our reach."
That was what Ron was afraid of.
~ TTTC ~
Ginny was starting to really feel the pressure of taking on becoming a professional Chaser, finishing up her seventh and final year of school, and still trying to be a daughter, friend, and girlfriend. It definitely wasn't easy to juggle it all. She knew that she was spreading herself thin, but she loved every second of it.
The workouts, the practices, the flying with her team — it was everything she'd ever wanted and more. She was on the same Quidditch team as her hero, Gwenog Jones, and she was doing what she'd always dreamed of. She knew that she was insanely lucky to have been given this opportunity and she was going to do everything in her power to prove to her team that she was worthy of being their rookie Chaser.
Hogwarts was a change as well.
Seventh year classes were harder, but thankfully it also meant that her schedule was a little lighter. She was taking only four classes this year: Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, and Advanced Muggle Studies. She didn't need to push herself to take more because she was already doing her dream job and whenever she decided to retire from Quidditch, she was sure that she could find something else to occupy her time if she wanted.
Writing under the pen name of Compass for the Hogwarts Herald was fun and she loved the idea of maybe falling back on writing in some way when Quidditch was done. She loved being the advice columnist for the school paper and found it was a way for her to relax from the stress of schoolwork and keeping up on the pitch.
She missed more classes than she attended, but Professors Flitwick, Lupin, Slughorn, and Birmingham were all giving her extra credit assignments to help her stay on top of things and she was grateful to them. She spent more time in their offices than in their classrooms, but she was learning and she was still finishing her education, even if it was in a rather unconventional way.
She'd also been spending some of her limited free time helping Colin caption his photo book of the Battle of Hogwarts. Colin and the former editor of the Hogwarts Herald, Edith Carlyle, had taken hundreds of photos of the final battle. With Edie's death in the Battle of Hogwarts, Colin had decided to take it upon himself to publish a book of their photographs. Ginny thought that it was a brilliant idea and was working to help him caption each photo, to tell the story of what really happened that day. Colin was also working behind the scenes on gaining the rights to publish the photos of the people in them. It was taking a lot longer than he'd anticipated, but he was halfway done.
Ginny was also making time to help Demelza run up ideas for Quidditch practice since Demelza Robins had taken over the captain position for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She was hanging out with Luna to work on schoolwork and for her sanity and now on top of everything, she was worried about Harry.
The last thing her boyfriend needed in the middle of starting his career as an Auror was for Zee to have gone missing. It had been a week now since she'd last been seen leaving The Poison Brew in Apricity Lane with Belladonna Brambilla and Barty Crouch Jr. It wasn't a good sign and Ginny knew that Harry was working as hard as he could with his new Auror team to try to find her.
McGonagall had given her permission to come and go from the school more freely given the circumstances. Ginny had spent every night since she'd found out about Zee missing in Clevedon Court, holding Harry in her arms as he slept fitfully. She was worried about him and because he wasn't sleeping properly, neither was she and it was starting to show.
"Weasley! Get it together!" Coach Mallory Miller barked when she fumbled the Quaffle during morning practice. "Our first game of the season is in two weeks and I won't have my Chasers fumbling the bloody ball!"
Ginny nodded and tried to shut her brain off to focus on practice. When it ended, she took a long shower in the change room before finding Gwenog Jones waiting for her by her cubby.
"You okay?" Jones asked, combing her black hair.
Ginny pursed her lips. "Yes. I'm sorry, I just have a lot going on, but I'll shut my brain off. I'll be ready for the game, I promise."
Jones nodded, keeping her eyes on Ginny's for a long moment. "I heard your boyfriend's mother's missing."
"Yes," Ginny admitted. "He's been stressed trying to find her and well, I'm worried about him."
"Understandable," Jones replied. "Your team is here to support you, Weasley, in any way that we can. One of the things I pride most about the Harpies is that we're truly a family. We support each other, but we need to know when your head's not in the game. I know it's your first ever professional Quidditch match in two weeks, but if you're not ready to give us a hundred and ten percent —"
"—I am," Ginny insisted. "I've got this, Gwenog, I promise."
Jones pursed her lips and stared at Ginny for a moment. "All right. I know what you're capable of out there. You've impressed me again and again and I look forward to seeing you bring your A game in the match. See you tomorrow morning at practice."
Ginny said goodnight and watched her walk away before she grabbed her bag.
She knew that she needed to keep her head in the game, to prioritize what she was doing and compartmentalize everything else. Unfortunately, it was going to take some getting used to and she needed to work on that.
But right now she needed to check on Harry.
She headed out of the change rooms to the Apparition point, wondering if Harry and Ron had found anything new on Zee's case.
~ TTTC ~
12th November, 1998 — 9AM…
Ron followed Baxter through the town of Godric's Hollow, asking questions that came up as they took their time to reinterview the witnesses who claimed they saw Brambilla in the village. The story was very much the same, but this time they found a neighbour who swore they saw four people leaving the cemetery around one AM looking quote, "very suspicious."
"It keeps coming back to the cemetery," Baxter said, playing with his earlobe as he looked pensive. "I think that we need to go back there."
They walked around the graveyard, looking around the tombstones, looking for signs of anything.
"Walk me through the scene, Weasley," Baxter said. "What did you see then and now?"
Ron bit his lip before he spoke. "The cemetery had foot traffic but looked otherwise undisturbed. Witnesses claimed that Brambilla was here."
"What's the significance of the Godric's Hollow cemetery?"
"To Brambilla? Nothing," Ron said, remembering what Hermione had told him. "To Harry, a lot. His parents and grandparents are buried here. His godfather is buried here. In fact, the day after Zee went missing, Harry was planning to come here with her to visit Sirius' grave. If they wanted to mess with his head, this is the place to do it."
Baxter marched across the cemetery to stand in front of Sirius' tombstone. Unlike Ron, as an A3, Baxter wasn't required to wear the Auror uniform on a daily basis. Instead, he wore black trousers, a dark blue and white paisley button down with a long black cloak. A white knitted scarf was around his neck that Ron knew his younger sister had made him for his birthday. Baxter had forgotten his gloves again so his hands were shoved in his pockets as he looked at the marble headstone.
"Nice inscription. I met him once, he was a decent bloke." He crouched down, running his fingers over the scorch marks. "Did you see these last time?"
Ron nodded. "Yeah, but I thought maybe they were from the storm, but the AIU's said it was a spell backfire."
Baxter shook his head. "No, this is more than simple backfire from a spell. It's stained the marble."
"What does that mean?"
Baxter was quiet for a long moment as his eyes roamed the cemetery and then he cleared his throat. "The rainbow potion."
"What about it?" Ron asked. "We still don't know exactly what it is."
"Not entirely," Baxter admitted. "But… fuck, Weasley, I think it means that we have to exhume Sirius Black's body."
Ron frowned. "What? Are you bloody kidding me?"
"No," Baxter said. "I'm afraid I'm not. The rainbow potion left in the warehouse where Zacarias was held has been a suspicious thing from the get-go and if you add in these black marks, the runes warding us off of everything, and the significance of this place… I think it's our only option."
"Harry's not going to go for that," Ron protested.
"What Potter doesn't know won't hurt him," Baxter insisted. "If it turns out to be nothing, we won't have to worry about telling him. I'm going to get a warrant from Robards. Get a shovel while I wait."
Ron gawked at his partner. Baxter couldn't be serious. How would digging up the decomposed body of Sirius Black help anyone? But twenty minutes later, a warrant came through from Robards and Baxter ordered Ron to start digging.
"How come I can't use magic to remove the dirt?"
"Put your back into it, Weasley," Baxter ordered. "Layer by layer. And you can't use magic because we need to make sure that we're not missing anything here. I don't want dirt full of evidence flying all around us. Dig."
Doing it the non magical way took hours as he and Baxter switched off, but eventually the shovel hit something and Ron wiped sweat off of his brow. Baxter hopped down into the hole with him and together they used their hands to wipe the dirt off of the coffin and Ron's eyes widened when he saw the fist-shaped hole in the wood.
"What in the bleeding hell…?"
Baxter swallowed. "I think that we need to get Potter out here and we need to get him out here now."
Ron stared down at the hole in the wood and thought so much for it being nothing. This was definitely something and he already knew that he didn't like what they were going to find.
~ TTTC ~
12th November, 1998 — 12PM…
Harry and Higgins spent three hours attempting to unearth the recovered records from the abandoned prison in the North Sea. Ever since Azkaban prison had been blown apart and evacuated, the files had been recovered by the DMLE and stored in the Department of Files and Records. Unfortunately not all of them had been recovered so Harry decided that they finally hit a lucky break when they were able to uncover the file of Bellatrix Lestrange relatively unscathed.
According to her file, she had quite a few visitors over the years, including both of her parents. Druella and Cygnus Black had visited her weekly. Not to mention that Abraxas Malfoy and Linus Lestrange had taken the time to pop in from time to time. Druella had continued to visit her daughter up to a week before she'd escaped.
"It says here that Bellatrix often received letters from Druella Black as well," Higgins said. "They were definitely in contact and I think Bellatrix has been using the house, maybe longer than we originally thought."
"She's long gone now," Harry said, bitterly. "I should have considered it sooner."
Higgins shook his head. "No. Don't beat yourself up about it, Harry. She's using another house somewhere or their squatting someplace else entirely. But they will turn up."
"And what about the fourth person witnesses saw?"
"I don't know," Higgins admitted. "Could be no one, could be someone they've kidnapped. Until we find them, we won't know for sure."
They'd just returned to the bullpen when Auror Skye Zane hurried over towards them.
"Just the wizards I was looking for," she exclaimed, brandishing the file in her hands. "My partner and I have made headway on all of those cigarette butts you've collected."
"And?" Harry asked, taking the file from her.
Zane frowned. "Well, this is where it gets weird. Maddox and I checked them three times and every time the samples gave us the same result. The essence on the cigarette butts belong to Sirius Black."
Harry's eyes widened. "That's bloody impossible. He's been dead for almost three years!"
Zane shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, Potter. The AIU deals in evidence and facts. We leave the connections up to you."
When she walked away, Harry flipped open the file, his name zeroing in on his godfather's name, the father of his heart.
"This is fucking impossible," Harry repeated. "Higgins, this can't be right! Zane's an A1, she had to have made a bloody mistake!"
"Zane wouldn't be working on this alone," Higgins told him. "Maddox King is one of the best AIU's in the department and I'm not saying a mistake isn't possible, but if they tested it three times…"
"No," Harry insisted, shaking his head. "Something's wrong with this. They have something of his and they… it doesn't make any bloody sense!"
"Every part of this case doesn't make any bloody sense," Higgins admitted as Robards approached them. "Sir."
"Higgins, Potter. Baxter and Weasley need your assistance in Godric's Hollow."
Harry lifted an eyebrow. "Did they find something?"
"They'll fill you in when you arrive," Robards said.
Harry exchanged a look with Higgins before they both hurried out of the Ministry to Disapparate to the village. They found Baxter and Higgins in the graveyard, standing over Sirius' grave. It was only when they got closer that Harry saw the huge hole in front of the tombstone. The two Aurors were covered in dirt and sweat and Ron was leaning on a shovel.
"Mate…" Ron began.
"What the bloody fuck?" Harry demanded, anger rushing through him. He couldn't believe what he was looking at.
The last thing that Harry expected to see was his best mate and his partner digging up Sirius' grave. He moved to grab Ron and Ron's arms grabbed him tightly.
"Harry —"
"What the actual fuck, Ron?" Harry demanded. "What is this? You dug up Uncle Sirius? Why? How could you do that? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
He suddenly wanted to hit something and his fingers clenched Ron's shirt. He couldn't believe that Ron had dug up Sirius' grave. He suddenly felt like the wind had been knocked out of him at just the thought of it. His head was pounding and he swore he could hear the thundering rhythm of his own heart in his ears.
"It's not Sirius," Ron whispered.
Harry's eyes flew to Ron's face, confusion gripping him. "What the fuck do you mean it's not Sirius? This is his bloody grave, Ron!"
Ron shook his head, his blue eyes wide in sadness. "I'm so sorry, mate."
Harry's legs trembled, his heart racing faster in his chest at Ron's words, but he marched closer, his gaze moving to look down into the opening of the earth. The coffin was open in the ground and staring up at him with a gaping hole in her chest was Zee.
"No! No! No!" Harry exclaimed, stumbling backwards.
Ron grabbed him before he fell, holding Harry's back against his front. "Harry, I'm so sorry, mate."
"No!" Harry shouted, his voice echoing in the darkness.
"I'm sorry, Potter," Baxter said sincerely. "This wasn't how we wanted this case to end."
Harry felt like the air was closing in on him. His heart was racing in his chest, the pounding of it echoing in his ears. If it wasn't for the fact that Ron was holding him, he would have collapsed. He gasped for breath, trying to remember how to breathe as he stared down at the only mother he'd ever known.
"I'm so sorry, mate," Ron whispered near his ear.
Tears welled up in Harry's eyes as he furiously blinked them back. "She… why? How? How did she get here? Why the fuck did you look here?"
Baxter cleared his throat. "There was something about the scorch marks on the headstone that was bugging me. It was magic, not something from the environment and more than spell backfire, but so subtle that it was easy to miss. I was curious and I made Weasley dig up the coffin."
Higgins hopped down into the hole to examine the body alongside of Baxter. "There's a hole in the wood the size of a fist. It's splintered from the inside out."
Harry's eyes widened. "From the… no. No, fuck no! You're not… no!"
A familiar cackle echoed in the graveyard. Harry spun around, tearing himself from Ron's arms, his wand in his hand as his eyes landed on Bellatrix Lestrange. She was standing near a large tree at the other side of the graveyard. Her long black hair was in a tangle of curls, streaked in grey. She was dressed in her usual black attire, a cloak attached at her neck with a silver button, her wand in her hand.
"Did you miss me, Potter?" she teased.
"Drop your wand!" Ron ordered, his own wand in his hand. "By order of the Ministry, you are under arrest."
Her laugh echoed in the night. "Oooh, the little babies are playing grownup now. How cute. I brought you a present."
"I don't want anything from you," Harry spat.
"No?" she taunted. "You don't even want to see what we brought back with the Resurrection Stone?"
Higgins climbed out of the grave, his wand pointed towards Lestrange. "Put your wand down, Lestrange. This is over. Voldemort's dead. He's not coming back. The stone doesn't work like that."
Crouch's high-pitched giggle came from behind another tree. "Oh, dearie, you just have to find out the right recipe."
Harry's eyes moved over to where Crouch's voice was coming out of the shadows, surrounding them. "He's dead. Voldemort is dead."
"But I'm not," a familiar voice said from behind them.
The smell of leather and forest had him freezing. His eyes widened in disbelief as Sirius stepped up behind him next to Belladonna Brambilla, closing a circle around them.
It was impossible, Harry breathed, frozen in place. This wasn't real. It had to be a trick because there was no way that he was seeing what he was seeing.
Sirius Black was standing in front of him and he looked exactly the same.
His hair was perfectly tousled, the dark stubble beard on his face making his cheekbones look more chiseled. He wore dark black jeans, the familiar black combat boots, and a black leather jacket over a black vest. Harry could see bits of the familiar tattoos under his clothes.
He gestured his head towards the coffin. "Looks like you found the gift I left for you."
Harry pointed his wand at his heart. "You are not him. You are not Sirius. Sirius Black is dead."
Sirius' lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Not anymore, kiddo. Crucio!"
Harry barely dove out of the way of the spell, knocking back into Ron as they both hit the ground, taking the breath out of both of them. Ron's elbow hit his ribs and he gasped for breath. He jumped to his feet, his ribs on fire and his wand pointed at the imposter before him. Crouch shot the killing curse towards Higgins who was duelling with Belladonna and he stumbled back in his attempt to escape it and fell back down into the grave and on top of Baxter.
Bellatrix laughed again.
"I think I hit a nerve, Bella," Sirius exclaimed, his eyes gleaming in an unfamiliar way. "We're not ready for you yet, Potter. But we will be."
And then before Harry could blink, the four of them Disapparated.
It was only when Ron grabbed his hand did he catch himself.
"Fuck! I can't believe that I let them get away!"
Ron grabbed the back of Harry's neck, tugging him close to rest his forehead against his. "Fucking hell, mate. If it had been my dad, I would have froze, too."
"Was that actually Sirius Black?" Baxter demanded, pulling himself out of the dirt and reaching down to grab Higgins' hand so that he could climb out of the grave.
Harry shook his head. "It wasn't him. He's dead. He's… he's been dead for almost three years."
"Harry… they mentioned the stone," Ron whispered.
"Piss off, Ron!" Harry exclaimed, shoving Ron away from him. "No! That's not how the fucking stone works! It doesn't… it can't… he's not back! They didn't bring him back! He wouldn't… it wasn't him!"
There was no way, Harry told himself. They'd done something, some form of human transfiguration to make someone look like Sirius. He'd been dead for almost three years. Logically, Harry knew that there was no way that he could look like this. Even if they had somehow resurrected him, he would be an Inferi… dead and zombie like; not like this.
Not like how Harry remembered him.
Not so… alive.
Baxter cleared his throat. "I'll call in the AIU's to take care of Zacarias' body and to examine it for evidence. In the meantime, we'll get Hit Wizards here to trace their Apparating."
"And Black?" Higgins asked.
Baxter exchanged a look with Ron before looking at where Harry was standing frozen in place. "I don't bloody know, but Potter's right… it's not possible."
But even knowing it, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that it had happened.
Sirius Black was back and he wanted Harry dead.
Ron's arms came around him and Harry clutched his friend's shirt as he realized that he had absolutely no idea what to do next.
End Author's Notes:
I made up the Rosier family tree.
Emerson Rosier m. Drusilla Rosier
1. Enzo Rosier m. Alma Black (killed in First War)
i. Ezekiel Rosier m. Wanda Black (killed in First War)
a. Evan Rosier (killed in First War)
b. Aster Rosier m. Thaddeus Nott
aa. Theodore Thaddeus Nott — Thelonius Nott
2. Druella Rosier m. Cygnus Black
i. Bellatrix Black m. Rodolphus Lestrange
ii. Andromeda Black m. Edward Tonks
a. Nymphadora Tonks m. Remus Lupin
aa. Edward Remus Lupin
iii. Narcissa Black m. Lucius Malfoy
a. Draco Malfoy
Thank you for reading and pleas review!