Author's Note:
Well, Ellie, I hope this chapter is what you were hoping for! This one is for you!
Reviews and Comments: To darkhk: Patience my young grasshopper. Patience. Thank you! To scrappy8: Yes, it was the time Harry and Ginny needed and I was happy to have Ron and Hermione finally talk. Thank you! To Sets: Ron and Hermione are slowly getting back to each other. We do miss Misha. It is hard for Harry and the twins, but it's something they needed to discuss. Harry and Ginny will talk more as well. Thank you! To Stilly24: No, Ron and Hermione are in the process of making up. As to Sirius and Zee, we will have to see what happens. Thank you! To Nightwing2013: Thank you! Harry and Ginny were definitely lucky no house elves were lurking around, but also, he doesn't keep them around full time (and I'm sure they would have taken off as soon as they heard some noises lol). Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you! To alix33: Happy to have made you laugh with Ginny's comment about what she rode last night LOL. Thank you! To MrsHJSnape: Ron and Hermione are getting back on track. Thank you! To charmshield7: Thanks for enjoying the Hinny time and yes, Ron and Hermione are trying to figure things out. Thank you! To Nan001: You're welcome for bringing back Romione. I loved having Ginny's teammates tease her. Thank you!
To Nuno Neves: Thank you! The smut time with Harry and Ginny was something they both needed, I agree. Yes, practice does make perfect and we can't say Hinny don't practice lol. I love showing Harry and Ginny both taking control of each other in different ways. Yes, the kids seeing Zee like that was devastating, but I felt like it was important. Romione is back, yes. They really needed to talk. Jean is a great mum and she's very much all, stop procrastinating and go talk to your man lol. Thank you very much! To princesss144: Thank you! I'm glad you were pleased to see Ron and Hermione make up and yes, the Hinny steamy scenes are always good. Thank you! To Irina Mckenzie: No, I'm sorry. I do not. Thank you. To EnigmaticEmperor: Yes, that was the rug burn lol. And nope, they didn't notice flipping the table over at all. Much too involved in each other to care. I like to think the Harpies are like a family. A good team is and I wanted to show that Ginny is starting to fit in a bit there. You think Mina and Leo are the key to waking Zee up? Interesting. Yes, Jean is asking Hermione the questions that Hermione has been too afraid to ask. Thank you for saying that "encapsulated Hermione brilliantly here. She likes things planned out and doesn't know how to cope otherwise." This is very true. Thank you very much! To ellyann13: It was a very good night for Hinny, yes. As to Harry taking the twins to see Zee, yes, he did tell McCraight what he wanted. This is an unprecedented situation for everyone and the twins are really too young to understand what's going on. Yes, the Grangers love Ron and Hermione together and want to help with that. Thank you.
To AQuickRead91: Aw, I'm sorry to make you cry, but if it helps, I teared up a bit writing that scene. They do need a shag carpet (pun intended) LOL. I don't have any plans for when this is done. Probably take a break. Thank you! To neumann: Yes, a few resolutions. I like having Jean come in and be such a good mum who can show Hermione what she needs. Hermione definitely needs her lol. Ha, don't get any ideas… well… just kidding haha. Thank you! To Poppy_Wild: Thank you! To SiriusLover93: Sweating eyes, eh? Understood lol. Ha, yes, my Friday posting depends on my work schedule. If I work afternoons, it's posted in the morning; if I work days, it's not posted until the evening. I love that my story is something your addicted to thought, thank you! I'm sorry you had a similar story as Romione that didn't work out. Ron and Hermione will be all right, but things take time. Ha, sex on the stairs is so not comfortable but they loved it haha. We will catch up with Sirius very soon! Thank you! To Belle: Yes, Romione is back! Jean Granger is kind of awesome, isn't she? Thank you for finding the Zee moment with the twins heartbreaking, it's what I was going for. They are too young to understand what's going on and just want their mama — and yes, does Harry. We will catch up with Sirius soon. Yes, Ginny and Harry both got a much needed and deserved break and catchup with each other. Yes, Ginny did stop helping Demelza co-captain and quit the Herald. Yes, they don't use their Animagi much but honestly, it's hard to just write it in without a reason. Thank you! To TatiRena: Hinny is life! Thank you!
To HarryGinnyLove88: Four chapters behind? Welcome back! Thank you very much for believing I'm a good writer and appreciating the hard work I do writing this story. Sometimes it really is hard. I'm happy that Ron and Hermione made up as well. Hinny will always keep going strong haha. I do love Theo, so thank you for loving him. As to Sirius and Zee, we will see what happens. Thank you! To c_thru_the_looking_glass: It was a lot of stress relief — much needed 😉. Thanks for being so happy that Ron and Hermione are back in action! Thank you! To katelyn453: Yes, that's why the chapter was called the one with the rug burn lol. Ron and Hermione are back together! Thank you! To Love this3: We will catch up with Remus soon. Thank you! To Bellmel: Ha, Harry definitely should thank Theo for giving him the idea he very much needed — he should send him another fruit basket lol. Thanks for loving seeing Ginny's teammates take the piss out of her. I think they are becoming friends and showing that teasing, that beginning of a relationship between teammates is important. Ginny really did need that relief, that break so she can get back on track. She is in a good place and she's enjoying it. I know, Leo and Mina visiting Zee in St Mungo's was emotional to write so I'm happy to see people having responded to it. They are a tricky age, but they don't understand what's happening. It is another weight Harry has placed on his shoulders, but I think he also knows that letting Mina and Leo see her is a comfort in itself. Molly is loving working with Hannah! Yes, Ron and Hermione did need to have that argument. They needed to talk things out. Thank you very much!
To Gigi87: Harry was very smart to listen to Theo and nope, no permission. Just left Remus a note and took Ginny home! I love them not wanting to stop kissing or touching each other and nope, didn't even notice they knocked over the table lol. I love how intense and passionate they are for each other so I appreciate it when others also enjoy it. Yes, exactly! Just being with each other, holding each other, and just breathing each other in was the exact de-stresser they both needed. The sex was just a bonus. Ha, Ginny definitely had to roll up the sweats at her waist and her ankles lol. Harry may owe Theo a fruit basket haha. As to both Harry and Ginny being good at dropping those sassy comments at the end of conversations, it's one of my favourite things about them! Yes, Harry bringing Mina and Leo to see Zee was so heartbreaking. I loved writing them just snuggling her. Harry definitely wouldn't mind sacrificing the three bitches to save Zee. Things have been intense for Hermione for a while and I think she needed this time to reflect back, but she also needed her mum to give her a kick in the ass. LOL. Hermione was having a bit of trouble concentrating when Ron was shirtless so yes, I suppose Ron did follow Charlie's advice of "seduce her." I think Hermione did need to hear that Ron wanted the baby as much as she did just so she knows where he stands. Thank you so much for leaving a review (even though you're feeling like a walking zombie lol). As to not forgiving me if I let Sirius and Zee die, good to know. I will keep it in under advisement. Thank you!
To ThomasJAvery: Yes, there was a lot of Hinny goodness, thanks for loving it! It was the best decision that Harry could make, to visit Ginny and whisk her away. They needed that time together. The Harpies are a cool team and I like showing how Ginny is bonding with them and bantering with them. Yes, having them all united as a family around Zee's bedside is important, but it was very emotional. Jean is an amazing mum. I love having Ron get some brotherly advice (some more helpful than others lol). Thank you for saying that I "perfectly capture their relationship as well as their dynamic." Thank you very much! To Ellieoryan7447: All reviews are loved and valued (even the short ones). Thank you for saying the Hinny scene was not only hot and steamy and funny. I love writing them just being themselves and sometimes, it is funny. Harry knocking the table over, stumbling over taking off his sock while trying not to stop touching Ginny lol. It's fun. The rug burn is rough but yes realistic. Ha, "the woman could him over with a car and he'd still look at her with a dopey puppy dog face." Well, I guess it depends on whether he thought he deserved it or not lol. Ginny is really starting to befriend her team and ha, yes 10/10 on the Ginny quote — thank you! No? You didn't think there was a need for Harry to wipe a tear with his mother's hand? Huh, I thought it was perfect LOL. Sorry to break your heart. I love the idea of Ron and Hermione both going to their mums in their hard times. Yes, I suppose Harry not having that does make you sadder for him, but Ron and Hermione are figuring things out and getting back together. Thank you very much!
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
The One With Being Brave and
Stupid in Equal Measure
Ron and Hermione talked for hours. About everything and about nothing. Molly came home and found them curled up on the living room sofa, chatting, and she left them with a smile. When she woke in the morning, the two of them were still sitting there, lost in conversation.
They went to work, both tired, but feeling better, and they met for lunch to talk some more. They both agreed that moving back in together wasn't a good idea just yet, but they made plans to hang out that night and go on a real date which seemed like a good idea.
When Ron left Hermione's department and headed back up to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after lunch, he felt like he was walking on air. He plopped down into his desk chair in his cubicle across from Baxter and the Auror wiggled his eyebrows at him.
"You look like you had an extra special lunch?"
"It was perfect," Ron said. "Hermione and I are finally talking again and we have a date planned for tonight."
"Ah, young love," Baxter teased. "Glad to see you won't be moping around here anymore. Here."
Ron caught the file that Baxter tossed at him.
"We have a new case. Get your arse up and let's go."
"Where are we going?" Ron asked, grabbing his cloak.
"Brighton," Baxter said. "A house fire has a victim and it's been deemed arson by the fire broomgade. Looks like it might have been a murder."
Ron hurried after his partner, his eyes wide. "It was intentional? I mean, they knew someone was inside when they set the fire?"
"Dunno yet," Baxter said. "That's why we call it investigating, Weasley."
Ron rolled his eyes and snorted. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Ten minutes later, they were standing in the middle of the burned out bedroom on the second floor of a small home, eyeing the damage that the fire had caused.
"We believe the cause of the fire came from over here," Lieutenant Fire Flyer Grant said, pointing his finger towards the corner of the room. "There's a clear burn pattern up the wall here, beginning from that patch on the carpet. Not sure if there was an accelerant used or just a charm, but that's where it started."
"And the body?" Baxter asked.
"My newbie found the body," Grant declared, gesturing another fire flyer over. "Fire Flyer Finnigan, tell them about the body."
Ron grinned when the helmet came off and revealed Seamus' sandy hair. "Hey, mate. What did you find?"
"Ron and I went to Hogwarts together," Seamus said to Grant when his lieutenant noted the exchange. "As to the body, it was tied to the bed here; all four limbs were tied to the post with thick ropes. The fire began in the corner and as you can see here, there's a trail that leads straight to the bed."
"So, they were intentionally setting someone on fire," Baxter confirmed. "Ouch. Not the way I would want to go. I think I'd much rather freeze to death over being burned alive."
Seamus nodded. "Certainly seems that way, yeah. Victim hasn't been identified yet, but the house belongs to a Curtis Rutherford and he's outside. According to Mr Rutherford, no one has any access to his house other than him and no one was currently staying with him."
Ron lifted an eyebrow. "Hmm, that does pose a question on who the victim is."
Grant rubbed a hand over his chin. "All right, we'll keep you updated on what we find out about the fire. Good luck identifying the body."
Baxter wrinkled his nose. "Weasley, head outside and interview Rutherford yourself. I want to know where he was when the fire started. Someone has access to this house other than him."
"On it," Ron said as Seamus followed him out.
"Finding a body was the last thing that I expected when I got in here," Seamus said as they headed down the stairs. "It was clear he was dead when we got inside, but it didn't make it any easier to leave him here and get ourselves out safely."
"I can imagine," Ron told him. "How's life as a fire flyer otherwise?"
"Brilliant," Seamus said. "I love every second of it. How's life as an Auror?"
"Definitely keeps things interesting," Ron replied. "Arson and murder today, who knows what tomorrow will bring?"
Seamus grinned. "Look at us, working our adult jobs like professionals or something."
Ron snorted. "Or something indeed."
"We still on for drinks this Saturday?"
"Absolutely," Ron said. "It's my birthday weekend as well so I expect you lot to buy my drinks."
Seamus laughed. "Noted. Hey, how are you and Hermione doing?"
"We're all right," Ron assured him. "We have some things to work out, but we're doing all right. You and Dean?"
Seamus shrugged. "We hit a rough patch for a while, I'll admit, but I think we're doing all right too. Who knew being adults would put such a strain on our relationships? Shouldn't it be easier now that we're living together and life is good with no war and shit?"
"You'd think," Ron said.
"Ah well, we'll figure things out as we go as per usual then."
"That might really be the problem," Ron said making Seamus laugh.
"Ha! Maybe. I'll let Dean know you said hi."
"Thanks."
Seamus slapped his back when they stepped outside and promised to catch up with him later as Ron made his way over to where Curtis Rutherford was standing with two officers from the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol Unit. He held up his badge as he approached.
"Officers, Auror Weasley, I'd like to speak with Mr Rutherford for a moment."
The officers nodded and stepped aside as Rutherford shoved his hands into his pockets.
"I can't believe that my house caught on fire!" Rutherford exclaimed. "And there's a body in there! I swear I don't who it is, Auror Weasley."
Ron nodded and pursed his lips. "We're going to work out who the victim is, Mr Rutherford, but in the meantime I need you to answer some questions about your whereabouts today. What time did you leave your house and what have you been doing since you left?"
Rutherford's eyes widened. "You don't think that I had anything to do with this, do you?"
"I think a dead body was found in your house, Mr Rutherford. Now, what time did you leave today?"
Ron pulled out his notebook as Rutherford began to yammer on about his daily activities and took notes. He had a feeling that it was going to be a rather long afternoon.
~ TTTC ~
While Ron and Baxter were dealing with an arson in Brighton, Harry and Higgins had caught a case in Diagon Alley. A man in Potage's Cauldron Shop had come in to sell the owner a new batch of cauldrons which were enchanted. The seller had somehow gotten his hand stuck inside of a golden cauldron which had then melted around his skin. He'd been rushed to St Mungo's to try to save his hand, leaving the owner, Mr Donal Coplin, with a mountain of enchanted cauldrons which he was (rightfully) afraid to touch.
"Mr Coplin, can you tell us if you've ever worked with Mr Dennis Kidd before today?" Higgins asked.
Coplin shook his head vigourously. "No! I've never even seen him before! He just walked in off the street, yammering on and on and on about these amazing cauldrons that he had to sell me. He claimed that they were the best made cauldrons in the whole bloody country and the next thing I knew, the blasted thing was melting into his skin and my customers were screaming. It was a bleeding mess!"
Harry cleared his throat. "And why did you call the Aurors in, Mr Coplin? Do you suspect foul play?"
"There was foul play!" Coplin bellowed. "What am I supposed to do with all of these wonky things? I can't sell them!"
Higgins lifted an eyebrow and asked a few more questions before promising Coplin someone would be by to handle the cauldrons. When they stepped out into Diagon Alley, Higgins rolled his eyes.
"Some people, I tell you."
"This isn't really a case, is it?" Harry asked. "What are we even looking for?"
"Oh, it's a case all right," Higgins said. "It's just not ours. I'll send someone down from the Office for the Detection of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. They'll know what to do about this. It sounds like Kidd was trying to sell faulty cauldrons and got caught up in his own scheme. They'll handle it."
Harry sighed and rolled his shoulders. "Guess that means it's a bust for us."
"That's all right, it means that we have more time to work on the case of Sirius Black," Higgins assured him.
"Has something new come up?" Harry asked.
Higgins shook his head. "No, not new exactly, but I did get more information on soul magic from a source. If we're serious about trying to give Black back his soul, we need to figure out every possible way that this can work or go wrong."
Harry swallowed. "You really think that we can do it?"
"Honestly, Harry, I have no bloody idea. This case is way above my pay grade, but magic has a way of surprising us, doesn't it?"
Harry thought Higgins had a point about that. They still had a lot to understand about the human soul, including how they were even going to obtain it. Knowing it was possible was one thing, but figuring out how the hell they were going to do it was another.
"Are we going to talk to the Arcanums some more?"
"I think that we have to," Higgins said. "They know the most about souls and soul magic unless you have a better idea."
Harry started to say no before he paused. There was actually someone he knew who seemed to know a lot about souls or at least, how to work with soul magic to some extent.
"Actually, there might be someone we can talk to, if you're up to making a trip to Scotland?"
Higgins raised an eyebrow. "We've got time. Let's do it."
It took them forty-five minutes to get the Office for the Detection of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects down to Diagon Alley and to go over the case with them before they were able to leave. When they headed up the bridge to Hogwarts, Higgins grinned.
"Bet you'd never thought you'd be coming and going from here so much so soon after leaving, eh?"
Harry chuckled. "No, I didn't, but my girlfriend still goes here."
"That's a bonus, I suspect. I certainly never expected to need help from so many professors. It's not usual for our cases that's for sure," Higgins said.
"That makes sense," Harry replied. "But as we've been saying, nothing about Sirius' case has been usual."
"You can say that again," Higgins agreed.
They headed inside the castle after being admitted by a reluctant Filch who was muttering under his breath about Aurors needing to mind their own business. Harry led the way up the stairs to the Headmistress' office where McGonagall was waiting for them at the bottom of the statue.
"Auror Higgins, Auror Potter, what do I owe this visit?" McGonagall asked.
Harry smiled warmly. "Sorry to bother you, Auntie Minnie. We were hoping to actually have a word with Dumbledore's portrait."
McGonagall lifted an eyebrow. "Of course. I'm sure he'd like that. Anything else that I can help you with?"
Higgins shook his head. "I don't think so, Professor. Thank you."
She gestured them up the staircase of the griffin and Harry and Higgins headed up to the office of the headmistress. When the griffin sealed behind them, Higgins elbowed Harry.
"I can't believe that you call her 'auntie.' She's a scary woman."
Harry chuckled. "Nah, she's a big softie. You just have to be on her good side."
Higgins shuddered. "I don't think I ever saw her good side. She was a brilliant professor, but stricter than my uncle Paul. I did not want to be on her bad side. I tried to stay somewhere in the middle of neutral."
Harry grinned. "Her bark is bigger than her bite."
They stepped into the office and Harry blinked around at some of the changes she'd made since the last time he'd been in here. He noticed the one shelf had been updated to include some new photos of Mina and Leo from the holiday and he smiled at the sight of them. He pointed to the photos and looked back at Higgins.
"See, softie!"
Higgins didn't look convinced.
Harry marched across the office and up the steps to McGonagall's desk. Nyx, the huge tiger/zouwu mix lifted her head from where she was perched. Harry reached over to pet her as Higgins watched in amusement.
"That's a big cat."
Harry chuckled. "She's a good girl, aren't you, Nyx?"
Nyx purred under his ministrations before she settled right at his feet. Harry left her alone and leaned back against the desk and looked up at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, the former headmaster of Hogwarts.
"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore."
The portrait of Dumbledore blinked, the head turning to examine Harry curiously.
"Good afternoon, Harry." He turned to look over at Higgins and smiled. "And hello to you, Rexford. I'm glad to see that you're doing so well as an Auror that you're training young Harry, here."
"Thank you, Professor," Higgins said. "And sometimes I think Harry's training me. He was made for this job."
Harry's cheeks flushed a bit under the praise and Dumbledore smiled.
"That he was. I always knew that he would make an excellent Auror one day," Dumbledore said, turning his attention back to Harry. "And what can I help you with today, Harry?"
Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest as leaned against the desk. "Professor, Higgins and I were hoping you could help us with a case we're working on."
"The Sirius Black case?" At Harry's eyebrow, he nodded. "Yes, Minerva has spoken about it quite a bit. Sirius was always special to her. She considered him more than just a student; he was like a son to her. This has been hard on her, watching you try to figure out how to deal with everything. What's dead should should stay dead, should it not?"
"Usually," Harry agreed. "But I think you can agree with us that in this situation, there are a lot of extenuating circumstances that need to be examined and addressed."
Dumbledore nodded. "I imagine that's true. How can I be of assistance?"
"What can you tell us about souls?"
"Souls?"
"Yes."
Dumbledore blinked, carefully examining Harry's face as if he was contemplating how to answer. "What are you looking to know?"
"You know a lot of things about a lot of things," Harry began. "You were one of the most brilliant wizards of the century, Sir. I think you have a lot of answers for questions that people haven't even asked yet."
Dumbledore's lips curved. "You give me far too much credit, Harry."
Phineas Black's portrait scoffed. "Just answer his questions, Dumbledore! It's like you wait for praise!"
Dumbledore ignored the other portrait and Harry cleared his throat.
"No, Sir, I don't think others give you enough. When we spoke about Voldemort and what he'd done in his efforts to fight death, we spoke a lot about love being the ultimate weapon and the power of the human soul."
"Yes, we did," Dumbledore said. "And love won out, didn't it?"
"More or less," Harry said. "But what about the power of the soul?"
"What about it?" Dumbledore asked.
"How powerful is it?"
"Powerful," Dumbledore said. "A human soul contains more power than most magic. A human soul has the potential to keep a castle as big as this one lit up with power if they so desired to use it. That's how powerful it can be. That's why breaking the soul or splitting it apart is so dangerous. It's not only a danger because you're destroying part of something, but because of the power it contains. Weakening the soul might weaken the magic, but it doesn't stop the power behind it."
Higgins frowned. "What do you mean? If it's weakened, doesn't that mean it has less power behind it?"
"Yes and no," Dumbledore said carefully. "It's weakened in the sense of what kind of power it has, but in terms of power it has a stronger sense of being overcome and exploding. A human soul is often like a nuclear reactor and if you poke at it, it can burst like a well placed bomb."
Harry adjusted his glasses as he looked up at the portrait. "All right, let's say that someone is missing their soul — their complete soul — how would one go about returning it to them?"
Dumbledore looked down at Harry over his half-moon spectacles and pursed his lips. "Very, very carefully. Returning a soul is a nasty business, Harry."
"Nasty how?" Higgins asked.
"As I said, a human soul is like a nuclear reactor. It's why it's so powerful and it's why people strive to control and fight for it. Using part of our soul in magic makes it more powerful than anything anyone can imagine. That's why soulmates are so unique and so powerful because it's a combination of true love and soul magic merging together to create a powerful bond that nothing can truly break. There are souls who find each other and find comfort and happiness together and then there are souls who are destined to find each other no matter what and it's those rare ones that exude the most power once they meet. True love and soul magic often balance between dark and light because of it. Soul magic is frowned upon for that reason and often considered dark because of the sheer consequences it entails. Most spells involving soul magic result in the castor being killed or worse, obliterated. One touch in the wrong way and the castor will implode from the inside out. Souls are very tricky beacons of power to deal with."
"All right, even knowing how tricky they are and how difficult they are to control, what would you say the possibility is of taking someone's soul and returning it to their body?"
Dumbledore looked pensive for a moment before he spoke. "I would say there's a ninety to ninety-five percent chance of the person getting their soul back and then imploding on impact. Not to mention the difficulties there would be in procuring it. Holding a soul is like holding a bomb in the palm of your hand. You would have to find a way to courier it properly."
"Courier it?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said. "Thinks of it as a package that needs to be tightly sealed until the last possible moment. You can't just hold it out in the open because it's almost as if the oxygen in the air causes a spark that ignites it. You need to keep it safe in a protective barrier of a sort."
"Like what?" Harry asked.
"An object is possible as you know, but containing a soul in an object without dark magic is almost impossible and to do so with dark magic means you would have to tarnish the soul which I'm assuming is not an option?"
"No."
Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Well, then I would say the only option would be to work with a Reaper."
"A Reaper?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes."
"As in the Grim Reaper?"
"Well, one of them," Dumbledore said. "There's not only one Grim Reaper because can you imagine how hectic that would be? How can one man reap all of the souls in the world by himself? No, no, there are many reapers who assist in this task."
Higgins frowned, exchanging a look with Harry before he spoke. "How do you even begin to go about finding a Reaper?"
"Oh, it's quite difficult," Dumbledore said. "They're invisible, unless you're dead, of course, therefore finding one when alive is very difficult and rather tedious work. I suppose you could ask a ghost for help, but even then obtaining one is even harder as if someone is roaming the earth as a ghost it's because they didn't go with their reaper when they appeared so they aren't much help in that way anyway."
Harry frowned. "Then how do you find one, Sir?"
"There have been rumours floating around for decades that the Department of Mysteries has Reapers that work for them."
Higgins' eyes widened in surprise. "Blimey! That can't be true!"
"I can't say whether it is true or not," he agreed. "But if you're going to find a reaper, I would think speaking to the Department of Mysteries is your best bet."
"They're not exactly the most cooperative," Harry said. "It was like pulling teeth to get even two of their workers to talk to us."
Dumbledore nodded. "Alas, I cannot do much from in here, but speaking to that department might be in your best bet. This is about Sirius Black, then?"
Harry's eyes met Dumbledore's clear blue ones in the portrait. "It is, Sir. We're trying to give him back his soul."
"Harry, that is a very brave task that you seek to do."
"I can't let him die without his soul intact, Professor," Harry told him. "I have to find a way to save him even if it's only to lose him again."
"We understand that there are risks involved, but letting this man roam around without his soul outweighs the majority of them," Higgins said. "Of course, we're not entirely sure that we can return his soul to him and as you can see, we still have a lot of questions about the process."
Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled. "There is something else I heard… a long time ago and I cannot be sure of the truth of it."
"Oh?"
"It was something Gellert had once told me. He said that human souls can be carried over from one world to the next through a human vessel."
Harry's eyes widened. "A human vessel?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. In example, if someone were to go into the land of the souls, they could potentially carry the soul they search for back with their own."
"Like a piggy back ride?"
"Exactly," Dumbledore said. "And we both know that two souls can exist in the same vessel. It just doesn't always work out very well."
Harry closed his eyes as he remembered how Xander Papakonstantinou had helped remove the piece of Voldemort's soul that had been trapped in his scar. He had died in the process and had to be brought back to life. Yeah, he knew exactly how two souls in one vessel worked and it wasn't ideal..
Higgins frowned. "That sounds dangerous."
"Everything about soul magic is dangerous," Dumbledore cautioned. "It's why souls are so powerful because they give meaning to life in every way."
Harry licked his bottom lip, a pensive look coming over his face. "Professor, is it possible to travel to the land of the souls?"
Dumbledore's eyes met his. "With the help of a Reaper to guide you, it would be."
"Why do you need a guide?" Harry asked.
A long finger reached up to scratch Dumbledore's nose in the portrait. "Because only a Reaper can lead you to the right soul. You wouldn't want to go over into the land and return with the wrong soul now would you?"
Harry looked contemplative, exchanging a look with Higgins before turning back to the portrait. "But you're saying it's possible?"
Dumbledore gave Harry a rare smile. "Harry, as you know, anything's possible if you put your mind to it. Just because an idea or situation happens in your head, doesn't mean it's not real. It doesn't mean that you can't make it a reality. That's the power of a human soul merged with the brain — infinite possibilities."
When he and Higgins left the castle ten minutes later, he was feeling a bit more sure of himself.
"Do you really think that we learned anything from that outside of the fact that soul magic is extremely dangerous and there's a good chance of death if we attempt it?" Higgins asked.
Harry looked over at his partner with a skip in his step. "I learned that there's a really good chance that we can actually do it, Rex, which is more than we knew an hour ago. And if Dumbledore is right and we can use a Reaper or whatever, we're going to figure out how do it."
"And then what?"
"And then we're going to return Sirius Black's soul to his body."
"He'll die," Higgins told him.
"Yeah," Harry replied. "But he'll finally be at peace and for that alone, I'd be willing to name my kid after Dumbledore if it actually worked."
Higgins chuckled. "Anyone ever tell you that you're incredibly brave and stupid in equal measure, Potter?"
Harry grinned. "All the bloody time, mate."
Higgins laughed as they Disapparated from Hogsmeade to London and when they stepped into the Ministry of Magic, Harry felt half a step closer to figuring out something to do with the Sirius Black case.
And that was half a step closer than he'd been this morning and that was more than enough for him.
~ TTTC ~
Ginny's match had gone well, but practice over the next few days and the day of the following match revealed that she still had some bruises in some strange places. Some she knew very well had come from Harry's hands and fingers, where he had held her tight while they'd joined, but others she truly couldn't remember if they were from the stairs, the wall, the living room floor, or somewhere in between.
But every one of them brought a smile to her face that she couldn't hide and the teasing from her teammates had increased because of them.
But Ginny loved it because it really was starting to feel like she was one of the team. The women knew that she had a lot on her plate and they were all jumping in to assist her in ways that she hadn't even imagined they would.
Matilda and Gwenog were adamant about her finding time to do her homework and if practice ran over, they often helped quiz her on topics while they were in the air. If Ginny had a big assignment or essay due, they made sure to finish early and to give her time to get it done, and after every match, they took her out for a drink to check in with how things were going. If it looked like she had too much to do, they sent her off after one and if it looked like she needed the break, they kept her longer.
Ginny was extremely grateful to all of them for their help. She had even finally taken Theo's advice and spoken to Colin about her column in the Hogwarts Herald.
"I wondered how much longer you were going to keep insisting you could do it," Colin admitted. "I love your writing and having you at the Herald with me has been some of the best parts about Hogwarts, but you're playing professional Quidditch, Ginny. You need to take a little breather on some things. I hate to say that writing as Compass is one of them, but we both know it's for the best."
They agreed that she would finish the one she was working on and then they would see about getting someone else in to take it over. Ginny was sad over losing it, but the idea of having a bit more spare time to breathe won out. Then there was Demelza, sitting her friend down and telling her that she couldn't keep working as a kind of co-captain for the Gryffindor Quidditch team had been hard, but Demelza had understood.
"You play professionally, Ginny, I get it! We can handle it from here. I promise."
Ginny knew that they would, but still, handling over the reins completely still felt a little strange. However, with those few changes, she had more free time to get her work done. NEWTs were still almost four months away and if Holyhead kept playing like they were, they still had three months left until the playoffs which if they managed to reach, would mean another full month of Quidditch.
It was one of the reasons why she headed to Remus' office that afternoon before dinner to try to catch her professor and head of house before he headed home to Wrexham for the evening.
Remus smiled when he looked up from his desk, a sleeping Teddy in the cot next to him. "Ginny! Come in!"
"Hi, Remus," she said, closing the door behind her. She pointed to Teddy, but Remus shook his head.
"No, he's fine. He should be waking up soon anyway. We had a late nap today and he was cranky."
Ginny chuckled at that. "You know the students think that you're a rockstar with that adorable baby, right?"
Remus blushed. "Oh, don't be silly."
The fact that his cheeks were a bit pink told Ginny that Tonks probably teased him about that fairly often. She took a seat in the chair across from him and crossed her legs, taking in the man before her. She noticed he seemed to have added quite a bit more silver to his light blondish brown hair and silver flecked stubble on his chin. In fact, he had more silver in his hair than the light blondish brown as of late. It suited him.
"I was wondering if we could discuss my schedule."
Remus leaned back in his seat, his whisky-coloured eyes on hers. "You need to reduce it even more?"
Ginny sighed. "Not quite. Professor… Remus, I've been in this weird place where I attend school here in the sense that I'm here, but I don't attend all of my regular classes either. I know that my Holyhead schedule prevents this to a great extent and you and Professor McGonagall have both been amazing at accommodating me."
Remus nodded. "We've been doing our best. Having a professional Quidditch player in our midst is an amazing opportunity for us as well. We're all very proud of you, Ginny."
"Thank you," Ginny said.
"How can I help you?"
Ginny sighed again. "Well, I want to write my NEWTs with my classmates, but I'm starting to feel like I won't be able to get them accomplished."
Remus stared at her for a long moment. "You're an intelligent young woman, Ginny. You're driven and you learn things quickly. Honestly, I believe you could write your NEWTs tomorrow and do well enough on them, but I can see your concerns."
"My assignments have been great, but I'm worried I'm still missing too much on the topics I might need to know for my examinations."
Remus nodded. "All right, let me speak to your other professors and we'll see if between the four of us, we can put together some workbooks to help prepare you for your NEWTs. Is that what you're looking for?"
"That would be amazing, Remus. Yes, that would help ease my mind a lot. Thank you so much."
"Of course," Remus said. "And how are you handling everything else?"
"Honestly, one day at a time," she admitted. "And trying to see Harry through it all is making it even harder. I'm just worried about him with everything that's going on."
"You and me both," Remus admitted. "I hate not having him underfoot where I can keep an eye on him. I have to keep reminding myself that he's an adult now and then I make myself feel better by remembering that he reports to Dora."
Ginny chuckled. "He's doing well as an Auror, isn't he? Despite it all?"
Remus smiled. "He's doing exceptional. He's intelligent and resourceful and he knows how to find out what he needs. From what Dora's been telling me, Higgins has really talked him up. He loves having Harry as a partner. Despite his age, he has experience in ways other new recruits do not."
"That's true," Ginny admitted. "I just worry about the whole Sirius and Zee situation. With Zee being guarded and watched at St Mungo's and now with Harry researching how to restore Sirius's soul… he's so strong and so resilient and I know that talking to the mind healer has greatly benefited him, but this whole situation… forcing him to choose who to save… I'm worried that it's not going to end well for Harry."
"Me too," Remus said in concern. "Saving Zee is what makes the most sense because Sirius has been dead for years, but Sirius is alive and well, despite the loss of his soul while Zee is frozen in this holding pattern… none of it makes any sense. We just have to hope that they can figure it out."
Ginny sighed. "I'm used to helping him solve the problems, not watching him work with the Ministry to do so."
Remus chuckled. "Yes, the tables have turned, haven't they? This is his job, Ginny, and we have to trust him to do it. No matter what the outcome."
"No matter what the outcome," she agreed.
She discussed a bit more about her classes and assignments with Remus. She only had the four classes this year: Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, and Advanced Muggle Studies. But any potential assistance Remus could get her on her NEWTs would make her feel better and maybe help her be less stressed over it all. She kissed and snuggled Teddy when he woke before she thanked Remus and headed to the library to get started on one of her assignments.
Ginny was finally feeling a little less stressed over everything and that was a good start. She would get her work done tonight and go to bed early so that she would be refreshed in time for hot yoga and practice in the morning.
It was exactly what she needed.
~ TTTC ~
Crouch was getting fed up with the lack of anything happening. With their safe houses all being watched by Aurors, they were constantly moving, trying to find a safe place to stay and it meant that any activities that he might want to partake in were on a time limit.
Crouch hated time limits.
How was he supposed to effectively torture someone if he only had so much time to do it? No, he wanted more than hours or days, he wanted weeks to sate his needs and he hadn't been getting that since he'd left the two Muggles in Tuscany.
The front door slammed of the Muggle house that they had broken into. The Muggles in question were on holiday and they were squatting until they returned. It seemed that was the only way that they were able to stay hidden as of late.
Bellatrix stormed into the room, her eyes flashing. "She's alive!"
Sirius looked up from where he was perusing the newspaper. "Who?"
"The bloody whore!"
Belladonna came out of the kitchen at her words. "It was only a matter of time until they figured it out."
Bellatrix's eyes bulged. "What the bloody fuck does that mean? I cut out her heart!"
"Ah, Zacarias then," Sirius said as if he were bored. "You call a lot of people whores, Bella. I need specifics."
She shot him a look that if she'd possessed Medusa's powers, would have turned him to stone.
"I killed her to bring this ungrateful tosser back! Why the fuck is she alive, Donna?"
"She's only technically alive, if they figured it out properly," Belladonna said. "Doesn't mean that they'll be able to bring her back proper, only that she'll die slowly while they watch."
Bellatrix looked pleased by this.
Crouch wrinkled his nose. "When can I watch someone die slowly?"
"Bart, I've already told you! We're lying low! You can't go around torturing people!" Belladonna insisted.
Sirius leaned back in his chair. "Maybe it's time I take another crack at Potter."
Crouch snorted. "If you'd just murder the bastard already we would be free."
Sirius ignored him. "As you always say, Bart, keeping him on his toes is the best part."
When he walked out the front door a few moments later, Crouch turned to Belladonna.
"I don't trust him. He's taking far too long to do this. All we do is hide! This isn't a life! I want to be free to torture people! I don't want to stay cooped up while we wait for the tosser we brought back to life to kill the man who killed our master! I want justice!"
"And you'll have it," Belladonna insisted. "But until we get rid of Potter, we'll never be free, Bart. You know that, right?"
Crouch scoffed. "What if he turns on us?"
"I've been putting the potion in his food, his memories are being pushed down. As long as we keep them pushed them down, the madness should keep," Belladonna assured him.
"And if we don't?" Crouch asked.
Bellatrix licked her lips. "Then we'll have a soulless madman on our hands."
Crouch wasn't sure that was any better.
Belladonna shook her head. "If the madness comes before he kills Potter, we'll put him down. But right now, he's the best chance we have of getting to Potter."
Bellatrix bit her lip. "I agree with Bart, Donna. The longer this takes, the riskier it is. I don't know if trusting my cousin is really the best course of action."
Belladonna's gaze bounced between the two of them. "It's me who's kept the two of you from getting caught by the Aurors. It was me who had the brains to brew this potion and to work the runes to bring Black back in order to gain revenge on Potter. It was me who came up with this plan. What have you two brought to the table?"
Crouch pouted. "We miss our master."
"And he's gone!" Belladonna hissed. "I'm in charge now and I'm tired of listening to the two of you whine! Black will kill Potter and when he does, we'll be able to live the lives we want to live, but until then, you two will do as I say."
"And if we don't?" Bellatrix demanded.
Belladonna tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Well then, good luck not getting caught without me."
When she turned and walked away, Bellatrix kicked over the poker by the fireplace and Crouch wrinkled his nose.
"She's right. Without her resources, we never would have been able to stay hidden like we have."
Bellatrix spun around to glare at Crouch. "It doesn't make her in charge, Bart! She's not our master! She cannot replace the Dark Lord!"
"No," Crouch agreed. "But she's right and right now, she's our only chance of not ending up in Azkaban again. Unless you have a better idea?"
Bellatrix licked her lips. "I'll let her call the shots for now, but if my wanker of a cousin doesn't get his arse moving towards murdering Potter, I'm going to start killing the other people on my list."
"Oooh, can I help?"
She laughed. "Yeah, you can help, Bart. We're going to kill my niece and her half-breed husband."
"What about their baby?"
Bellatrix's cruel smile gleamed. "Oh, we'll kill the child in front of them to start. Then we're going to work on Black's kids. My list is long."
Crouch giggled. "Can there be torture?"
"As much as you want," she promised.
Crouch's smile was almost boyish. "I can't wait, dearie. When can we start the hunt?"
Bellatrix looked back towards the doorway where Belladonna had disappeared and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Soon, Bart. Very soon."
~ TTTC ~
Sirius was well aware that they were giving him a potion in his food. He wasn't stupid and he also knew how to trick them into thinking that he was taking it. No, his memories had been trickling in and out like a dream for weeks now. Patches and flickers like a faded movie where he didn't know the plot. What he did know was that Potter had the answers, — not Bellatrix — and until he got the answers he wanted, he wasn't going to murder Potter.
Not yet.
He Apparated to London, slipping among the throng of Muggles easily as he pretended to read a newspaper near the entrance to St Mungo's, keeping his eyes peeled. Despite the shock of Bellatrix discovering that Zahira Zacarias was alive, Sirius had already known. In fact, he'd known almost from the moment that Harry had discovered it weeks ago. Stalking Potter was fast becoming one of his newest favourite things to do. It was how he knew that Zacarias was being kept in a private ward of St Mungo's hospital and had been for the last two and a half weeks. He knew that Potter visited there multiple times a week and he knew that today was one of those times. Sure enough, thirty minutes later, Potter strolled out of the hospital — alone.
Sirius fell into step next to him and he startled. "Good evening, Potter."
"What are you doing here?"
"Talking to you, clearly. I thought you were smart."
Harry rolled his eyes and ducked into an alley.
Sirius followed, smirking when he saw Harry's wand raised. "You're not afraid of little old me, are you?"
"What are you doing here?" Harry demanded.
Sirius leaned back against the brick, lifting one boot to rest back against the wall before he casually crossed his arms and examined his fingernails.
"Wanted to talk."
"So talk," Harry spat, his wand never leaving him.
"Heard you have someone inside St Mungo's?"
When Harry didn't answer, Sirius smirked.
"Cat got your tongue?"
"Do you want your soul back?"
Sirius faltered, actually stumbling in his gait. "Excuse me?"
"Do you want your soul back?" Harry repeated, green eyes shining like emeralds boring into his.
"What I want, Potter, is for you to give me answers."
"The woman you love is in a coma because of your psychopath of a cousin and her deranged followers decided they needed to hurt me and bring you back to life after almost three years of you being gone," Harry exclaimed. "Now, Zee's lying there in this frozen time capsule, unable to live and be here for her children and yet unable to die either because they used her to bring you back."
"And I should care about this because…?"
"She's the woman you love," Harry repeated. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Sirius pulled a cigarette from his pocket, eyeing Harry carefully as he tapped his wand. "Just need a light."
He touched the tip of his wand to the cigarette to light it and then tucked his wand back into his pocket as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"Sorry, you were saying?"
Harry scowled. "The woman you love is in fucking limbo!"
Sirius shrugged. "Don't remember loving her. Though I do remember that she knows how to suck a cock like a fucking pro. I seem to recall waking up to blowjobs being a regular thing. But love? Doesn't seem right."
"You met her when I was a first year," Harry said, his eyes focused as if he was hoping to convince Sirius of something. "Her panther attacked you."
"That seems like she's mental."
"You fell in love," he continued. "You were together for five years and you asked her to marry you. We asked her together. You gave her a cathedral star engagement ring because —"
"—I'm a star," he finished, a sudden memory of kneeling in a brightly lit sunroom coming to mind.
"I want to give you more. I love you. I can't imagine my life without you. I don't want to have a life without you. You are everything to me; to Harry — to us. I want to make it official. Marry me."
Zee stared at him, her eyes wide in surprise. "What? Be serious."
"I am Sirius, Sirius Black."
She rolled her eyes at his joke. "No, you... you said that you weren't ready yet… we… Harry, is he kidding?" She turned back to Sirius, her eyes wide. "Are you kidding?"
"Nah, not even a little. Let's do it, Zee, let's get married."
Harry opened the ring box as he spoke. "Zee, he's totally serious, I mean, he did buy this and all."
Zee gasped. "You have a… oh my… is that an engagement ring?" She whipped her eyes back to Sirius and they widened even more when she saw that he was down on one knee. "Siri..."
Sirius took the ring from Harry and held it in the palm of his hand. "I love you, Zahira. I want to be your husband. Harry wants to be your son. Wanna stop living in sin and do this thing already?"
Tears welled up in her eyes as she laughed. "Yes! Yes! A million times, yes!"
Sirius slipped the ring on her finger before Zee gripped both of them, hugging them tightly to her.
"You daft boys! You are my son, sweetie! And you — you're my husband in my eyes already, I don't need a ring to make it real! I love you both more than life!"
Harry kissed her cheek. "I love you, too. But that ring looks damn good on you."
She smirked as she looked down at the ring, really taking it in. "Merlin! I can take someone out with this thing!"
Sirius picked her up and spun her around, kissing her deeply. "It's a star, to remind you that you're marrying one."
"Oh, brother," Harry muttered.
Sirius shot him a look before he turned back to Zee. "I had it engraved. Look inside the band."
She gave him a look before she slid the ring off of her finger to look at the engraving inside, reading it aloud before she smacked him in the arm. "You prat!"
He grinned and kissed her. "It's perfect, right? I do really love to shag you as much as I love you."
Zee slid the ring back onto her finger and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're perfect. This was perfect. I love you."
His gut churned as happiness soared through him in a not unpleasant way before it vanished as quickly as the memory had appeared. But when he licked his lips he swore he could taste the woman on them.
"And then you killed me," he said, pushing the memory away.
Harry's eyes darkened. "No, Bellatrix killed you. She tortured Zee. She murdered you. She hates you. The only reason she even brought you back is because she hates me more than you."
"She says you murdered a great man."
Harry snorted. "If by 'great man' you mean the arsehole who terrorized the magical world for decades, murdered hundreds of people, brought war, and blew up the Ministry of Magic then yeah, sounds like a great man. And yes, I killed him because he wouldn't stop until he killed me."
Sirius took a step towards him and Harry's wand pointed at him again. "All right, I can see how you did a good deed. The bloke sounds like an arsehole."
"He was," Harry stated.
Sirius stubbed out his cigarette. "You have answers for me."
Harry frowned. "What do you want?"
"I've been told your death."
"Told?"
Sirius hesitated. "I don't know what I want, but I do know that I want answers."
"To what?"
"Everything," Sirius said.
"Harry!"
Harry turned as Remus peeked his head into the alley. He started to say something, but Sirius' wand moved quickly and he flung Remus sideways into the wall.
"Don't touch him!" Harry exclaimed, his own wand out as he hurried to check on Remus. "Uncle Rem? Uncle Rem, are you all right?"
Remus pulled himself to his feet, his own wand in his hand. "I'm fine. I saw you leave the hospital and then when you didn't come out of the alley I… Sirius," he whispered, paling at the sight of him.
Sirius slowly licked his bottom lip, his eyes taking in Remus with interest. The whisky coloured eyes were narrowed in his direction in shock and anger and he suddenly realized exactly who he was. "I know you. You're the wolf."
Remus' wand pointed at his heart. "Stay away from my son."
Sirius laughed, leaning casually against the wall. "No can do, Wolf John Wolf. He has answers I need."
Remus paled even more at the name and it pleased Sirius. He had managed to get under this man's skin and that was a good start.
"Answers about what?" Remus demanded.
Harry stepped in front of Remus, lowering his wand with his hand. "Look at me, not him. You just that said you wanted to talk, Sirius. Let's talk. What do you want to know?"
Remus' rage was quivering behind Harry and Sirius relished in it. The man was clearly looking for a fight and Sirius wondered how long it would take before he snapped. Sirius stared at Remus for a moment, watching his eyes narrow before he turned his attention back to Harry.
"Let's start with this woman I supposedly loved… why her?"
"Why did they try to kill her, you mean?" Harry asked.
Sirius crossed his arms in front of him again. "Me and her… we were your parents?"
"Yes," Harry said, green eyes meeting Sirius' grey ones. "In every way that counts, yeah, you are. The three of you are."
Remus reached out to touch Harry's shoulder. "He's our son. He's an Auror and I'm so bloody proud of him. You should be as well."
"Wasn't talking to you, Wolf John Wolf," Sirius said.
Remus' eyes narrowed again at the name. Harry reached back to put a hand against Remus' chest and Sirius thought it was adorable. As if this young Auror was somehow willing to stand between the two of them and stop them from fighting if necessary.
"Uncle Rem, I got this."
Sirius snorted. "Yeah, Rem, he doesn't need his pretend daddy to fight his battles for him."
Remus' wand pointed at Sirius' heart again. "You touch my son and I will end you; right here, right now, Padfoot."
"Oooh," Sirius taunted, waving his fingers in the air. "I'm quaking in my boots."
"What do you want to know?" Harry demanded, keeping one hand on Remus' chest as he stared at Sirius.
Sirius' tongue was in his cheek before he spoke. "What were you going on about before? About my soul?"
Harry hesitated. "It's not inside your body."
"Well, blimey, I had no idea! I'm aware of that, you tosser," Sirius said. "I also know that makes me dangerous. I only have so long before the madness takes me over or so they say."
"What if I could change that?" Harry exclaimed. "What if I could give you your soul back and prevent the madness?"
Remus held his breath and Harry's fingers clenched his father's shirt under his hands. Sirius thought it was funny to watch.
"Why?" he demanded.
"Why not?" Harry asked. "It would make you whole again. It would… you'd remember everything and it would fix everything."
"I highly doubt it's that easy," Sirius said. "Ask the wolf, he thinks I should be dead."
"What's dead should stay dead," Remus said. "But this… this is unprecedented, even I know that."
Sirius scoffed. "Well, I'm alive and who should be dead is the one you're calling your son."
"Touch him and I will end you," Remus repeated, his voice so cold that Sirius swore he saw Harry shiver at the threat.
"Listen, arguing isn't going to solve anything here," Harry insisted. "Your soul, Uncle Sirius… I'm willing to try if you are."
"No," he said half a second before he lunged, transforming halfway through and the jaws of the big black dog locked on Harry's wrist. Harry howled and ripped his wand out of his hand with his other and shot Sirius back across the alley, his breathing heavy. Sirius rolled and then dived towards Harry again.
Remus was faster.
Harry fell to the ground as Remus shot forward and grabbed the dog by the neck. With one throw, Sirius was thrown against the wall of the alley hard enough that he whimpered. Remus took a step towards him and Sirius transformed back to himself, his wand in his hand and his neck aching from the grip that the wizard had held on him.
"Well, well, well, looks like the wolf wants to play," Sirius taunted.
Their spells crashed in midair and Harry ducked to avoid the spells, his own wand in his hand. He tried to intercept them, but spells were flying between them at lightning speed. Remus ducked to avoid each spell, throwing a shield charm up in front of Harry.
Harry swore as he attempted to tear down the charm, but Remus was determined to keep him in place. It amused Sirius, watching the wolf try to protect his pup. He dodged a spell, watching as Harry tried to work around the shield the wolf had thrown into place. But the shield stayed up, until Sirius hit Remus with the torture curse.
Remus fell to his knees, crying out in pain and Sirius twisted his wand. He saw Harry stumble as the shield went down and then another shield flew in between him and Remus and Sirius was the one to stumble, crashing back into the stone wall of the alley as Harry jumped between the two of them, his arms outstretched.
"STOP!"
Remus gasped for breath as he climbed to his feet. "Harry, stay away from him!"
Sirius laughed. "I'm not afraid of you, Lupin."
Harry's wand flicked and Sirius went flying back into the wall again, hitting the ground with a loud 'oof' before Harry stepped forward, his wand pointed. "Don't move. Either of you."
Sirius' lip was bleeding as he looked up at Harry with a sly grin. "Aww, is it too much to watch your daddies duelling over you?"
"Fuck you," Remus spat.
Sirius winked. "You wish."
Harry's shield kept Sirius from attacking, but Harry narrowed his eyes at the both of them. "I won't have either of you hurting each other."
"He was going to hurt you!" Remus bellowed.
"Uncle Rem, leave it!" Harry ordered.
Sirius laughed. "Oooh, ordering daddy around now. Kinky."
"You leave it as well," Harry demanded.
Sirius licked blood off of his bottom lip. "Whatever. Listen, I don't want my soul back, Potter, but I do want you dead."
"Over my dead body!" Remus exclaimed.
"That can be arranged," Sirius shot back.
"Your threats are getting really old," Harry said. "I don't really think that you actually want to kill me."
Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. "Don't be so sure."
Then he Disapparated before either of them could stop him.
When he arrived back at the house, Belladonna pounced on him.
"Well, what happened? Did you find him?"
Sirius nodded, wiping the blood from his lip. "I did. We had words. He wants to return my soul to me."
Belladonna's eyes widened to saucers before she shook her head. "No, he can't!"
Sirius lifted an eyebrow. "I'm hearing a lot of shit about Potter and I don't know what to believe, Donna, but I do know that he was dead serious about the soul bit. He said it would stop the madness."
"No, you don't understand, Sirius," Belladonna exclaimed. "Returning your soul to you… it will kill you! As in you'll explode. Addio per sempre! You will cease to exist. Putting a human soul back into a body once it's been removed… it's like putting a live bomb in there."
Sirius frowned. "All right, that sounds less fun, I'll admit."
Belladonna reached out to touch Sirius' arm. "I know that this is a struggle for you. I know that us bringing you back and the lack of memories has made it hard for you to figure out who to trust. Potter was important to you at one time, Sirius, I won't lie to you about that. But he betrayed you. He betrayed you and left you to die. Then he killed our master. He's not a good person. He's evil and he needs to be killed and I truly believe that you're the only person capable of defeating him."
"Why me?" Sirius demanded. "Why can't you or Bellatrix or Bart do it?"
"We told you," she whispered. "Because he'll never see you coming."
"But why?"
Belladonna stared at him for a long moment before she spoke. "Because love is weakness, Sirius, and no matter what's happened, Potter still loves you. That's why you have to be the one to kill him. You have to be the one to take revenge on him for what he did to you, for what he did to us. It has to be you because he'll never see it coming."
Sirius nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "All right."
"All right?" she repeated.
"All right," Sirius said. "No more messing around. I've got him on the ropes as it is. The next time I'm face to face with Potter, I'm going to kill him."
"You better stay true to that, Sirius," Belladonna warned. "Because if he was sincere about the soul thing, you're in trouble."
Sirius licked his lips. "No, I'm a Marauder, Donna. Don't worry, I'll kill him before he kills me. I can promise you that."
When he headed up the stairs to find his room, Belladonna smiled widely behind him.
"Finally," she whispered before she turned to find Bellatrix and Bart and tell them the news.
Potter's end was nigh and she couldn't wait.
End Author's Notes:
(Italian) addio per sempre = goodbye forever
Thanks for reading and please review!