Author's Note:
This chapter isn't very long, but starting at chapter five they do increase in length a bit. Hope all is well. Thank you for your support and thanks for reading!
Reviews and Comments: To camazoz: Thank you very much! To Matt9917: Remus and Tonks are definitely both right here, but it's not an ideal situation. Poor Harry was definitely shocked. Thanks for loving my Hinny, they are perfect for each other, I agree. Thank you! To mike3308: It is a lot for Harry to bear, but thankfully he has Ginny and his friends and his family. Thank you! To Nightwing2013: He really can't. Thank you very much! To Sets: The raw grief was definitely what I was going for so thank you! You think Zee should visit Sirius in his sleep? You think Hades is a puppet-master in some way or Death somehow helped because of the use of the Resurrection Stone, all interesting points. Thank you! To DudeOnMath: Wow, you only just started ASC a few weeks back, thank you and welcome to my world! I hope you enjoy this WIP! Thank you so much! To AnonymousHufflepuffWriter: It is an incredibly awful twist of fate and yes, Mina and Leo losing both their parents does make it come full circle. Thank you! To alix33: Hermione definitely deserves it. Thank you! To scrappy8: Thank you! To Zarathos Morgenstern: I cried while writing it lol. Thank you! To Guest: Remus and Tonks are upset, but also literally shocked by the turn of events. Thank you! To mischiefxmanaged0802: Yes, the chapter is heartbreaking. Sorry to have made you cry, but thank you very much!
To ITHersey: Sorry to have made you cry, but I did want to show the raw pain that Harry is experiencing. Thank you and hey, there will be happiness and Hinny sex too, just also heartbreak lol. Thank you! To Read and Fly: You want Zee to visit Harry in a dream? We will see. Thank you! To ellyann13: Sorry to make your zoom meeting full of tears! Yes, Harry needed Ginny to take care of him. Thank you very much! To MissKnowItAll: I know, poor Harry and Sorcha. Thank you! To harstonks: Sorry to make you cry, but yes, it was so hard on all of them. Thank you very much! To Shivani: Thank you! Ginny was there to comfort Harry and thank you for saying I wrote chapter three so well! To tim2604: I know, Hermione's job offer did seem kind of insignificant after everything else. Harry's pain is excruciating. Harry was definitely trying to push Ginny away there but our girl is too smart to let him do that. Thank you! To Nuno Neves: Thank you for saying chapter three was one of the saddest chapters you've ever read in any fanfic. Harry has lost a lot and he's trying to come to terms with that. Remus and Tonks want to protect him, but are confused and grieving themselves as well. Hermione knows Harry needs Ginny and of course Ginny is going to make sure she's there for him. Thank you! To Hanacide: LOL! I shouldn't laugh, but please don't cry in a corner lol. Thank you for saying the "emotion and pain you managed to fit into this chapter was amazing." OMG, the ripped your heart out (no pun intended) was a bit much HAHA! Thank you very much!
To Cristina: Sorcha definitely took the news extra hard after losing her husband in the war. Thanks for loving my Ron and Hermione. Harry's turmoil is a lot and he has a lot to deal with. Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Thank you! To LHNB: Thank you! I love that my writing motivates you to write your own fanfiction. Keep it up! You want to see how Sirius reacts to meeting Mina and Leo? We will have to see. Thank you! To Ellieoryan7447: You have no idea how happy I am to see you leave reviews — thank you! Hermione does love her job and the people she works with. It's fun showing her on her new path. Harry is stubborn and I don't think he knows how he's functioning lol. Remus and Tonks were just shocked and Remus was trying to keep Harry calm… it was a lot. Writing Harry telling his grandparents that Zee was dead was one of the hardest scenes I've ever written. Harry is a bit insecure still and of course he's worried that people won't want him anymore, the little cabbage. Ginny is there to take care of him, to be there for him, and to help him. Without her, he would crumble. Thank you very much! To Koala: Thank you very much! You think Sirius will regain his memories and Harry will have his dad back? We will see. Thank you! To Sets: Thank you! To CrazyWithABook: Thank you!
To Nan001: Sorry to have made you cry so much! I was a mess writing the chapter if that makes you feel any better. Thank you! To SuperTheDupa: Thank you so much for saying that the thing you love most about my writing is the "depth, complexity, and layers you can give to characters." Thank you very much for reading! To ThomasJAvery: I hope your week gets better! Aw, I'm glad you loved the Hermione bit. She deserves it and she's worked hard for it. Cute little Romione moments are warranted. Harry definitely received quite a shock and he doesn't know how to deal with it. Remus is completely shocked himself and doesn't know how to deal with it either, but he knows he needs to be there for Harry as much as possible. I love Hinny and I'm so happy so many people love my writing of them. Those moments between her and Harry are so important and so special to their relationship. They just get each other and that's what works. Yeah, Ginny knew where Harry's mind was going and there was no way she was going to let him attempt to break up with her for the greater good. She knows him too well. Thank you so much! To shuweet: Thank you! To AQuickRead91: Old lady Black is sassy lol. Yes, it was exactly that kind of sob! "The sob that gets caught in your chest and you feel like you are drowning and when it finally happens you feel you have just broken the surface of the deepest part of the ocean but you can't stop as you have kms to swim back to shore." — Beautifully said! Thank you very much!
To Minerva_Mcgee: Ha, no I don't own any stock in Kleenex (I wish lol). It was heartbreaking. Thank you very much! To briana_t: Already crying sounds about right lol. Will it get happier? Of course! For some people. Harry has a great support system. He just has to figure out how to lean on it a little bit more. Thank you! To MABK_Potter_Fan (A Huge Fan): Thanks for loving Zee! She was one of my favourite OC's as well. Thank you very much! To Poppy_Wild: Thank you! To pottermum: Yes, Harry is so grateful he has Ginny! Thank you! To corneliastreet_28: Thank you for saying that Ginny's support melts your heart! Thank you! To marauders_mowopapr: Yes, also poor Remus, but he is trying to be supportive of Harry here. As to why Tonks wasn't notified, it's because she worked all night and had to take a day off so they were trying to make sure she was rested. There was nothing she could do that they weren't doing so putting it off a few hours was what Atwell decided on. Thank you! To Bellmel: Yes, Ron showing up does ruin all of the positive happiness Hermione was feeling. Thank you for appreciating the rational mind of Hermione when she finds out what's going on. I thought her having this conversation with Ron definitely "lays out and details the nuances of the situation so perfectly." Sorcha's reaction tore chunks out of my heart as well, but honestly, writing Colt's made me cry. Harry is trying to hold it together and it's finally with Ginny that he really lets himself let go. He's not afraid to let his guard down with her as you see and he needs her to take care of him here. Thank you for loving my Hinny!
To abhinav_india_17: Thank you very much for saying that chapter was powerful. Yes, this chapter is a bit short as well, but chapter five is quite long (and smutty 😏). Thank you! To CorbanD17: I'm sorry it hurt you, but thank you! To Mrs_Norway: Thank you for saying it was a beautiful chapter. I agree that Harry's visit to Remus was a good choice and yes, he knows Remus is still there for him, but he did need the reassurance. Thank you for being in the audience. To Reginaphalange: More angst to come I'm afraid lol. Thank you for calling it a "stunning plot twist." Poor Harry indeed. Thank you! To katelyn453: Thank you! To CheesePuffQueen: Thank you very much! To atrelis: There is definitely more darkness to come. Zee's family is Harry's family and they love him very much and want to make sure he knows that. Thank you! To Ladylucens: Thank you! To ascfan: I do like to keep the plot thickening! Thank you! To akshutalankar: Sorry I made you too curious to ignore this story lol. But thank you for reading! A lot of good stuff is coming, promise! Thank you!
To Gigi87: I absolutely love that your fiancé helped you wipe your tears in your face mask lol (sorry but that's adorable). Hermione does think logically first and it's one of her best characteristics. Having Ron show up to tell her was very important for him as well as for her. Ginny knows that Harry needs her and yes, in the moment, he was her only concern. Yes, thank you for understanding why Remus wasn't crying over Zee. The shock of Sirius, the anger he feels, the worry over Harry dealing with it… he's downright pissed off and he has every right to be. Remus did want to go with Harry, but yes, it is a sign of how much Harry has grown that Remus knew it was something he needed to do on his own and respected him for it. It doesn't mean he won't be there for him as much as he can. No, it hasn't really hit Tonks yet, she is definitely in complete Auror mode and yes, the distraction of Sirius has definitely taken away from the shock of Zee's death. Harry doesn't realize how loved he is sometimes and those little insecurities dig at him. Sorry to have ripped your heart apart, but having Sorcha and Colt lose it, while Flo tried to hold them together I felt was important. As to Ginny, she knew exactly what he needed. She knows he needs someone to take care of him whether he admits it or not and she knows that if she asks, he will deny it. So she just does it. The fact that he doesn't try to stop her shows just what kind of place he's in. OMG, what a story! That's terrifying and hilarious at the same time! So glad everything worked out! You think Zee will come back somehow? Interesting. I love the denial. As to Fleamont or Dumbledore being of help… we will have to see. Black Cottage's blood wards will be discussed soon. Ha, my Canadian humble side lol. Thank you very much!
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CHAPTER FOUR:
The One Where They're
Accidentally Living Together
Sebastian Kane and Yeona Jin walked into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement the next day with Druella Black in custody. The woman was glaring at everyone in sight, her wrists cuffed and her mouth silenced as Jin pulled her through the bullpen and situated her in an interrogation room before closing and locking the door.
"Told you that we'd find her in less than twenty-four hours," Jin said, leaning against Baxter's desk with a smug grin. "You needed the real Aurors to do your job for you, so sad."
Baxter made a rude hand gesture as he stood up. "Did she say anything, J?"
Jin shook her head, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "A lot of heated complaining that caused me to silence her with a charm, but otherwise she's been complaining we have no right to bring her in for questioning and how she's been out of the country for years and blah blah blah blah blah."
Sebastian chuckled. "We found her on Elba. As J said, she didn't come quietly. She's waiting for you in interrogation. Any luck with the place in Sussex?"
"No," Baxter said, shaking his head. "People were definitely squatting there and from what we can tell, it was definitely Lestrange, Crouch, and Brambilla along with Sirius Black."
Sebastian's eyebrow rose. "Isn't he dead?"
Baxter let out a frustrated sigh. "Yeah, it's a shit-show up in here, Auror K. We found Zahira Zacarias as well — her heart was cut out."
"Ah, shit. I'm sorry to hear that," Sebastian said, frowning. "If there's anything else you need us to do, please ask." He turned to look at Ron. "How's Harry?"
"As good as can be expected," Ron told him. "He's taking the day off today for personal reasons. We have the autopsy this afternoon."
Sebastian nodded, understanding the need for that. Baxter thanked them and the two of them left. Ron stood up, tucking his wand into his holster.
"Are we going to talk to Druella Black now?"
Baxter gestured for him to take a seat. "After. Let's leave her to stew in there for a bit. I want her to be really riled up by the time we go in there."
Ron chuckled. "I'm sure that she's going to be."
They waited thirty minutes and by the time they stepped inside of the room, Druella Black was fuming. Baxter removed the silencing charm, but left her handcuffed to the table as he and Ron took a seat at the table across from her.
"Good morning, Mrs Black."
"It's Lady Falmouth," Druella Black hissed. "The least you can do is show me some respect after arresting me for no bloody reason!"
Baxter raised an eyebrow. "You're not under arrest, Mrs Black. We asked you to come in for questioning and I understand that there was some resistance in doing so. You're handcuffed now for our safety as well as yours."
"Lady Falmouth," she hissed again.
Baxter ignored her. "Mrs Black, I'd like to speak to you about your three daughters: Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa."
Black stuck her nose up. "Andromeda is no daughter of mine!"
Baxter raised an eyebrow. "Biologically she was yours. Unfortunately she's deceased now; murdered by Death Eaters along with her husband Edward Tonks. Your daughter Narcissa was also murdered by Death Eaters, well one Death Eater in particular, Barty Crouch Junior."
Black's lips curled, but she didn't say anything.
"And your eldest daughter, well, she's the one that we're most interested in today," Baxter said. "In fact, it was Bellatrix who killed Andromeda. One daughter killing another…"
"Andromeda was nothing but a filthy blood traitor!" Black spat. "Bellatrix's hands are clean!"
"Oh, I can assure you that they most certainly are not clean," Baxter said. "Auror Weasley, can you tell Mrs Black about the Azkaban records?"
Ron opened the file in front of him even though he knew the dates by heart. "According to the visitor log of Azkaban Prison, you and your husband visited the island in the North Sea to see Bellatrix once a week, sometimes twice a week. Is that correct?"
"You know it is," she said through clenched teeth.
"And once your husband passed, you continued those visits solo, is that correct?"
"Yes. She's my daughter."
Ron leaned forward a little. "Your daughter is a known murderess and was in fact imprisoned for murder and for torturing Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity along with her crimes of being a Death Eater."
"I know what they accused her of," Black said. "But my Bella was always a good girl! She was the only one of my daughters who ever showed any sense, who was smart enough to make her own decisions."
Baxter lifted an eyebrow. "Seems like she made some piss poor ones actually. Andromeda died saving the lives of children that your eldest daughter was hurting."
Black pursed her lips. "The blood should remain pure."
Ron's eyes narrowed. "What did you and your daughter talk about on these visits?"
"They were private conversations."
"When Bellatrix escaped from Azkaban in '93, did you see her?" Ron asked.
"Of course not," Black said quickly. "I haven't spoken to my daughter since she escaped prison."
"Codswallop," Ron said, his long fingers tapping on the table. "Your daughter was squatting at your home in Sussex."
"I wasn't there."
"But you knew about it."
Black sneered. "My family has been torn apart by this war. Members were fighting each other and those not worthy of carrying the noble Black name were put on a pedestal and made to look like heroes instead of the bloody cowards and disgusting traitors they really were. You can't prove that I've spoken to my daughter since she escaped Azkaban in '93."
Baxter cleared his throat. "Watch us."
He stood up and gestured for Ron to do the same.
"You can't hold me here!" Black shouted. "I didn't do anything!"
Baxter paused by the door. "Actually, it's our right to hold you for up to twenty-four hours. I suggest that you make yourself comfortable, Mrs Black. Auror Weasley and I will be back to talk to you again — with proof. And you can bet that when the door closes behind you in the Azkaban Crypt, you won't be getting any visitors."
Ron and Baxter left her screaming at them as they closed the door. Ron turned to look at his partner, carrying the file under his arm.
"Do you think that we can actually charge her?"
"Yes," Baxter said. "Maybe only with accessory, but that woman knows more than she's saying. How she can live with herself over supporting the very daughter who murdered her other daughter is beyond me. If you ask me, she deserves to be in prison. Talk to Higgins and see what else he and Potter accumulated before they met us in Godric's Hollow yesterday. By then the coroner's report should be in and we can get more details over how Zacarias died. We need to know everything that happened to her."
Ron nodded and hurried off to find Auror Higgins, hoping that they found some answers soon instead of just more questions.
~ TTTC ~
Theo frowned as he watched his boyfriend stand in the closet looking for his blue shirt, moving hangers around as he tried to find it. They were having dinner with Blaise tonight and Sebastian had asked him what he thought he'd should wear which resulted in his boyfriend not being able to find the blue shirt that Theo had suggested. At the moment, Theo was perfectly fine with him not being able to find his shirt since he could take his time to admire the muscles in his boyfriend's firm back and the delicious v lines that were seen above the waist of his perfectly fitted blue jeans. His man was seriously built.
"What did Ron say when you talked to him?" Theo asked, half-listening as Sebastian told him how he and Jin had gone off to find Druella Black on her Mediterranean cruise.
"Nothing good," Sebastian said, turning to look at him. "I'm afraid that Zee's dead."
Theo's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
Sebastian moved closer to him, taking Theo's hand in his. "I'm sorry to say that they found her body yesterday morning. I don't know any of the details yet but Ron said that Harry's dealing."
"Fuck," Theo whispered. "I don't even know what to say. Should we cancel on Blaise tonight and go see him?"
"No," he said. "He has enough going on right now. I think the best thing to do is to give him some space. You can reach out in a few days once things are more settled."
Theo nodded. He knew that Sebastian was right, but he couldn't help but feel sad about the news. He hadn't known Zee very well, but every time he'd ever met her she'd been nothing but warm and kind. She'd even come to support him at Macmillan's parole hearing because Harry had mentioned Theo would be alone. The woman had been lovely and Theo only wished he'd gotten the chance to know her better.
"Poor Harry," he said, thinking that he should reach out to Ginny and see how he could help.
"I know," Sebastian agreed. "I don't know the particulars of the case, but from what I can understand, it's all tied into the three escaped Death Eaters."
Theo's eyes darkened. "Lestrange, Crouch, and Brambilla. Fuck! Those three have been causing trouble since the beginning. I can't believe that they escaped the Battle of Hogwarts."
"They were lucky," Sebastian said. "But we'll catch them. They can't run forever."
Theo agreed with that, but still knowing the damage they'd already caused, it worried him. Even with Voldemort dead, it seemed that bad things were still happening. He knew that there were bad people in the world, but sometimes it was easier to blame it all on Voldemort. He wondered what Blaise would have to say about his aunt's newest crime.
"We have to go, Bas. Blaise made the reservation for seven," Theo told him, stepping up behind his boyfriend and dancing his fingertips over his tight abs. Merlin, his boyfriend had some fine abs.
Sebastian turned back to the closet. "I know, I know! Where is this bloody blue shirt you want me to wear? Have you seen it recently?"
Theo shook his head, his hands still all over his boyfriend's muscles. "No, not since we last did laundry."
"Right," Sebastian said, searching back through the hangers. "I swore it was in here."
Theo stared at the clothes suddenly realizing what he'd just said. The amount of clothing that Sebastian had in Theo's closet was almost his entire wardrobe, maybe more. Theo was always picking him up shirts or jumpers from time to time and adding them to his boyfriend's side of the closet without telling him. As he looked at the clothing on the rack, a surprised breath ran through him.
Were they living together?
When was the last time that Sebastian had even gone home?
"What is it?" Sebastian asked, turning to look at him and giving Theo another exciting view of all of those muscles and his tight abs.
"Your clothes," he began, licking his bottom lip. "Bas… do we live together?"
Sebastian laughed and tugged a black dress shirt from the hanger, giving up on finding the blue one. "Of course not. I still have my flat in Manchester. If we were living together, we would have talked about it."
"But… all of your clothes are here."
Sebastian turned back to look at his clothes in bafflement. "Um… I don't think so. I still have clothes at my flat."
Theo blinked. "When's the last time we were at your flat?"
Sebastian gave him another baffled look and then he frowned. "I… I don't know. I mean, we haven't really talked about it and… September, maybe? August? Fuck, I… I don't even remember the last time that I slept in my own bed."
"We've never talked about it," Theo began, looking thoughtful.
"We can't just be living together," Sebastian insisted, his eyes wide in panic. "That doesn't make sense. This is like an important step that couples talk about and we never… do you want me to go back to my flat? I don't know how so many of my clothes ended up here, but… I'll bring them home with me tonight."
Theo jumped into his arms, making Sebastian laugh as he caught him, dropping the black shirt in his hands to the floor. Theo linked his arms around his neck. "No!"
"No?" Sebastian repeated, wrapping Theo's legs around his waist to hold him in place. One hand held a thigh tightly while the other sat on his arse.
"I love your flat. It's cozy and you, but I don't want you there. I want you here. With me. Let's talk about it, Sebastian. Right now. Do you want to live together? With me, I mean."
"Baby, I think that I've kind of been living here for months and we didn't know it," Sebastian admitted, an amused look on his face.
"I don't like sleeping without you."
"Me neither," Sebastian confessed, biting his bottom lip. "So… are we going to do this then? Move in together? Officially?"
"I don't know," Theo replied. "You love your flat. Do you want me to move in there with you?"
Sebastian's smile was soft. "I do love my flat, but I rent it. I would never ask you to move in there with me when you have a manor, Theo."
"House."
"Manor," Sebastian teased. "And I think that I unofficially moved in here already."
Theo grinned and planted a big kiss on his mouth. "Perfect. Don't leave me. There, we discussed it. You live here now. Let's go get the rest of your stuff."
Sebastian laughed, both hands squeezing Theo's bottom. "I live here now, eh? Just like that?"
Theo slid his hands over the muscles in his chest, over each plain and groove as he nodded. "In my bed where you belong. Right?"
Sebastian bent his head to capture his mouth in his. "I want to be wherever you are, baby. Let's do it. Let's move in together."
Theo's eyes lit up in excitement as he kissed him passionately and when he felt his boyfriend stirring against him, he smiled. "Mmm, yes, and to show you why living with me is going to be awesome, I'm going to blow you."
Sebastian groaned as Theo jumped out of his arms and knelt on the carpet of the closet. "Bloody hell, Theo, we're supposed to meet Blaise in ten minutes and I still can't find my bloody shirt."
Theo's fingers were already unzipping and freeing him from his jeans. "Blaise will understand when I tell him how your cock accidentally ended up in my mouth."
He flattened his tongue and licked the head of him eagerly as Sebastian let out a shaky laugh.
"Blaise is never going to believe that."
Theo ignored him and pulled Sebastian's jeans and underwear down for better access, cupping his arse in his hands as he licked him more thoroughly, enjoying how he plumped before his eyes. "Mmm, he'll understand when we tell him that we were celebrating."
Sebastian gripped Theo's hair in his fist, making him look up into his heated gaze. "Are we really doing this, Theo? Moving in together?"
"Yes," Theo said, dragging his tongue over his balls. "Now stop talking and fuck my mouth, Auror Arsehole."
Sebastian bit his bottom lip and yanked Theo's head back. "We're going to be really fucking late."
Theo's eyes gleamed in delight as Sebastian finally gave him what he wanted. He stared up at his boyfriend's face as he took his time, sucking and licking his thick cock happily. He could stay on his knees for his Bas for weeks. He loved the feel of having his man's big cock in his mouth, tasting him. The look on his face while he pleasured him and the feel of him filling his mouth was as much a selfish act as a selfless one. He bloody loved sucking Bas' cock.
He took his time licking the tip, using his hand to hold him as he dragged his tongue over him. When he pulled him back into his mouth with a happy moan, Sebastian gripped his hair and began to rock his hips in and out of his mouth. He looked up into his boyfriend's blue eyes and thought that he was the luckiest man alive.
Theo's own cock was aching, leaking like mad in his trousers as he devoured Sebastian. He teased him with his tongue, swallowing and licking eagerly, enjoying every little drop of precum as a reward for his efforts. Sebastian's fingers gripped his hair tighter as his hips moved, those blue eyes staring into his as he worked his cock in and out of Theo's eager mouth. Theo dug his fingers into his boyfriend's butt cheeks, sliding one inward to tease his crease and Sebastian moaned, coming apart. The sound of Sebastian's satisfied growl set Theo over the edge and he whimpered while he swallowed every last drop. He released him with one last lick before he stood up, pulling Sebastian's head down to kiss him quickly.
"There's more where that came from, Auror Arsehole."
Sebastian kissed him again. "I love you."
Theo slapped his naked bottom and winked. "Good. Now put some clothes on. We're going to be late."
"Come back here," Sebastian growled, grabbing Theo's hand. "Let me take care of you first."
Theo's cheeks heated. "I'm uh, good."
Sebastian's eyebrow rose, those blue eyes moving down to the wet patch on the front of Theo's trousers. "Mmm, so you enjoyed sucking me off a little too much, didn't you, baby?"
Theo stuck his tongue out at him. "I didn't hear any complaints, Auror Arsehole."
He tugged him close and nipped at the crook of his neck. "Oh, there are never any complaints. We both know that you give the best head I've ever had." His fingers gripped Theo's chin and he kissed the tip of his nose. "But I like to be the one to make you come."
"You did," Theo teased. "Just indirectly."
"Not good enough," he insisted.
Theo grinned. "You can make it up to me later. Come on. I need to change and you need to put some clothes on before I have to use my mouth on you again."
Sebastian chuckled and bent down to pull up his boxers. "That's not the threat you seem to think it is."
When they finally arrived at the restaurant, they were over twenty minutes late and Blaise gave them a knowing look.
"You two have been together for months, shouldn't you be able to keep your hands off of each other by now?"
"How do you know that Sebastian just didn't get stuck at work?" Theo demanded, sliding into the booth across from his friend.
Blaise lifted his glass of red wine and smirked at his best friend over the glass. "Because your mouth is swollen, you tosser."
"Well, his cock fell into it," Theo said.
Blaise snorted. "Right, because that's a totally plausible thing that happens."
Theo shot up two fingers as Sebastian slid into the booth next to him.
Blaise chuckled. "I ordered a bottle of chianti for us."
"That sounds great. Thank you," Sebastian said. "Sorry we're late."
Blaise gave him a once over, the smirk still present. "No, you're not."
Theo ignored his friend and took a sip of his wine. "We were running behind. Did you hear that they found Zacarias?"
Blaise sobered. "I did. It was on the wireless this afternoon. I was sorry to hear it. She was a nice woman. Potter all right?"
"I don't know," Theo said. "I haven't spoken to him, but I can't imagine he's taking it well."
"No," Blaise agreed. "Is it true that they believe my tia did it?"
Sebastian nodded. "Part of it at least. It seems her, Lestrange, and Crouch are the three main suspects."
Blaise took another sip of his wine. "I figured. Auror Rossi came to talk to me this afternoon, asking if I'd seen her recently."
"Really?" Theo asked.
"Yeah," Blaise said. "It seems that he's worried she might reach out to me. I told him that's not going to happen. She might be my tia, but she wants nothing to do with me, nor I with her. If I do see her or hear from her, I will let the Aurors know. She's nothing but trouble and I don't need that right now."
"Good," Theo said. "I need you to be safe."
"So, that's why you were late then? Talking about Zacarias?"
"At first," Theo admitted. "And then we kind of decided to move in together."
Blaise lifted an eyebrow. "Haven't you two already been living together for months?"
"No. I mean, not officially or anything."
Sebastian chuckled and reached over to link his fingers with Theo. "We kind of realized today that we've been living together without realizing we were living together. It was a whole thing."
"So, you're both complete tossers, then?"
"Git," Theo said, making Blaise laugh.
"Seriously, it takes the two of you forever to realize that you're arse over tea kettle in love with each other and now you're telling me that you didn't even realize you've been living together for months? I thought you two were smart."
"Shut up, Blaise," Theo said as his friend laughed.
Sebastian kissed Theo on the cheek. "Let him tease us, we were tossers."
Theo grinned at his boyfriend and when Blaise started to tell them about being in the Lex Schola and what else he'd been up to lately. As Blaise spoke about the new friend he'd made, an older student named Alcide Lyon, Theo leaned into Sebastian's shoulder. It didn't matter if they were a little slow at figuring things out. What mattered was that he was madly in love with his Auror and the best part was that Sebastian felt exactly the same.
He couldn't wait to help his boyfriend move his things into the manor and make it really official. It was exactly what he needed. He listened to his friend with half an ear and wondered if he should take the time to reach out to Ginny tomorrow to check on Harry.
No, Sebastian was right. It was better to wait day or two and let him process. Theo had a feeling it was going to be a lot for his friend and he was going to need Ginny to help him get through it. The rest of his friends would be there when he needed them, Theo included. For now, he would wait.
Theo turned his attention back to Blaise with a smile, Sebastian's hand on his thigh, and thought at least there were still good things to come and being here with two of the most important men in his life was one of them.
~ TTTC ~
Sirius lit a cigarette as he took his time, washing his new motorbike down the Muggle way, humming as he did. Being back in the world and being alive again felt different than before. He didn't feel like he had much purpose and Merlin knew that he didn't sleep much. Whenever he tried, his mind was too busy keeping him awake and fitful with memories flashing around in his head that he couldn't make sense of. He spent his time going for long walks in the Italian countryside or working on his motorbike since Belladonna had brought the four of them to this house in Tuscany.
He kept making light of having to re-lose his virginity, but for all of his talk, even sex had no appeal to him and Merlin knew the blonde had offered. Twice he'd found her naked in his bed and both times he'd rebuffed her. The look in her eyes, as if he would pay for doing so, had only made him more sure of his decision not to take what she offered. There was something about her that he didn't trust and it was a feeling he couldn't quite shake.
He looked down at the paper they'd received from England proclaiming a funeral for Zahira Zacarias, the stepmother of Harry Potter. Sirius stared down at her photo in interest. The warm brown eyes, the abundance of wild curls in dark browns and golds, the big smile beneath painted red lips… she had been a beautiful woman. Without all of the bruises and abuse, he could see that.
But it was what was written in the article that had caught his attention most — fiancée of Sirius Black. He kept staring at the photo, trying to get a sense of familiarity from it, but there was nothing. If they had been engaged, why did she have him killed? Maybe Bellatrix was right and the bitch deserved it.
But that felt fuzzy too.
"You all right out here?" Bellatrix asked, leaning against the backdoor.
"Right as rain," Sirius said.
Bellatrix caught sight of the newspaper and her eyes narrowed. "That's lies."
"Is it?" Sirius asked. "So the woman from the graveyard? The one I buried, I wasn't engaged to her?"
Bellatrix pursed her lips. "She was a disgusting half-breed whore, Sirius. She used you and left you for dead. It was her heart we used to bring you back for that reason. It was justice."
Sirius let his tongue roll in his mouth as he nodded. "And Potter? If she was his stepmother, did that make me his father?"
"Godfather technically," Bellatrix told him. "And he betrayed you. I was there the day you died and Potter used you as a human shield. He basically hit you in the back. It was cowardly. It's one of the many reasons why we have to kill him. Bringing you back to do it, it will eat at him because he already killed you once."
He nodded, taking in her words. It all felt familiar and right but not at the same time. He couldn't quite determine why.
"All right," he said. "So, how are we going to do this? Potter's in England."
"He is," Bellatrix agreed. "We're going to give him a few weeks of false complacency and then you're going to strike. I want him to be afraid, Sirius. I want him to be almost mad when we finally take him out. Oh, and Crouch wants to play with him first."
Sirius winced. He'd seen the man that Crouch had taken down into the basement and he'd heard the screams. He would much prefer to not learn what the man was doing to him down there.
"All right," he agreed and when Bellatrix left him alone, his eyes fell back down onto Zahira Zacarias' photo and he stood up.
If making Potter go mad was part of this plan, then showing up at a funeral seemed like a great start.
~ TTTC ~
The next few days seemed to drag by slowly for Harry. When they finally got the report back from the autopsy, he was angry when he learned what was done to her. Not only had they beaten and tortured her, but she'd still been alive when they'd cut open her chest and carved her heart from her body. But the strange part was the potions that they'd forced her to ingest. According to King and Zane, the potions didn't make sense, but whatever it was they'd given her was preserving her body in some form of frozen state.
"What do you mean?" Harry demanded. "How's that possible?"
"We don't know," Maddox King admitted. "Without her heart, she's dead, but whatever she ingested… it's like her body is not decaying, Potter. It's like it's frozen in this perpetual state of having been tortured and… We don't know what it means, but we're going to try to break down the potions to see if we can make sense of it."
"She's dead, Potter," Skye Zane said, her eyes meeting his. "Without her heart, there's nothing to keep the brain working and her organs working. Whatever this is that's preserving her form, it's not keeping her alive, but it's not…"
Maddox cleared his throat. "It's not exactly allowing her to be fully dead either."
Harry's heart clenched in his chest. If she was dead, why would she be preserved in some way? What did that mean? Unless it had something to do with the ritual to bring back Sirius and that brought him down another path he really didn't want to think about.
"What are you saying?" Harry demanded.
"I'm saying that until we know what kind of magic is keeping her body in this state, I've asked the coroner to not release her for burial," Maddox said carefully. "Not until we understand what this is about."
"But she's dead," Harry whispered.
Maddox gave him a sympathetic look. "In theory… this is beyond anything I've ever seen before, Potter. Until I know more, I honestly can't explain it, no one can live without a heart and yet… I don't have the answers."
Harry left the coroner's office more angry and more confused than ever.
He hated that Zee'd been forced to undergo that kind of suffering and even though everyone told him that it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but blame himself.
They'd hurt her to punish him and it wasn't something that he could get over. How was he supposed to get over it when they couldn't even say with one hundred percent certainty that she was dead? But she was dead and… it made his head hurt to even think about it.
Talking to Auden McCraight did help a little. The mind healer listened, saying very little as he let Harry talk his ear off about everything. When he choked up, telling him about finding Zee, that was when McCraight finally spoke.
"You felt betrayed by Ron," he said. "Even though he was doing his job and doing what he could to shield you from it, you still feel that he went behind your back."
Harry hated that he felt that way about his best mate, but part of him was still furious at Ron for exhuming Sirius' coffin without telling him.
"I know that he was just doing his job and I know that it was important to find out, but knowing that he intended to dig up Uncle Sirius and instead we found…"
"How long has Zee been in your life, Harry?"
"Since I was eleven," he whispered. "I didn't want to like her. In fact, I was kind of a brat and tried to get Uncle Siri to break up with her. He'd never brought any witches around before and I was… jealous. I wanted all of his attention to myself. But Uncle Remus helped me pull my shit together and well, I fell in love with her."
"You thought you lost her before, didn't you?"
"Yes," he said, tears in his eyes. "Ron saved her at the Battle of Hogwarts and he… he brought her back to life. When she went missing now… I thought she was safe. I thought I'd… protected her."
McCraight's eyes met his. "Harry, sometimes bad things happen to good people. I know that's not what you want to hear. I know that it's a statement that does nothing to ease your peace of mind, but it's important for you to hear. Zee's death is not your fault. You are not to blame for her being kidnapped. You are not to blame for what happened to her."
"But they took her to hurt me," Harry insisted. "It was about me."
"I'm sure it was," McCraight said. "But it's not your fault. You didn't make the decision to hurt her. You didn't tell them to hurt her. They made those decisions on their own and Zee was caught in the crossfire."
Harry frowned, staring down at his hands.
"If Zee was here right now, would she let you blame yourself for this?"
"No," he whispered.
"From everything you've told me about her, she was an amazing woman. She was a mother and friend to you. She loved you. You were her son and she was proud to call you as such. She would want you to mourn her, not to cast blame upon yourself for something that was out of your control. Am I right?"
"Yes," he admitted, looking up to meet his eyes. "I know that it's what she would want."
McCraight nodded. "Well, that's a good start. Grief affects everyone differently. No one individual reacts the same or experiences the same things when they are grieving. Don't push aside those emotions. Let yourself go through the stages and let yourself heal, Harry. There's no rush and there's no normal time frame here. It's about accepting what's happened and figuring out how to move on."
"But this whole thing with her is just… confusing," Harry whispered. "We can't even have a real funeral because no one understands what they did to her. She's dead, her heart is missing, but Maddox King tells me that she's still here somehow… I don't understand it. I don't know what that means. How am I supposed to grieve her if I can't truly…"
"I wish I had answers for you, Harry," McCraight began. "I wish I could tell you it will all be all right, but this is some intense levels of dark magic that no one has seen before. Not in centuries. No one knows the answer to that. Right now, you just need to accept that whatever happened to Zee is not your fault."
"And my godfather?"
McCraight let out a slow breath. "To be honest, that's a lot to take in on top of the questions about Zee. As we don't completely understand everything, I can see why it's troubling you. It's troubling to me. I understand why that would cause you stress, but bringing someone back from the dead is nearly impossible. Whatever it is that has returned and is using his body or whoever this imposter is as you say, it isn't your godfather. It isn't the man you knew."
Harry swallowed. "I might have to kill him."
"You might," he said. "We don't know what the future will bring and that very well might be a possibility. Are you worried about it?"
"He's… I don't know if I can do it," he admitted.
"There's nothing wrong with that," McCraight told him. "It doesn't make you weak or incapable, it makes you human, Harry. The world has pushed the weight onto your shoulders; more weight than anyone your age deserves to carry. But you paid that debt. You rid the world of a dark wizard who terrorized our country for decades. You did that and the world is grateful. This, here and now, this new battle that has presented itself. Yes, you have a responsibility to deal with it because you took up the sword to become an Auror, to fight against the darkness, but that choice puts you on a team, Harry. You are part of a team designed to solve crimes and to put away criminals and dark witches and wizards, you are not alone in this."
Harry took in his words, knowing that McCraight was right. This might be personal and Lestrange, Crouch, and Brambilla might be going after him directly because he defeated Voldemort, but this wasn't only his fight; not anymore.
Whatever it was that they brought back, whoever was haunting him and using Sirius to do it, he would find them and he would end them. He had new tools at his disposal as an A1 and a team to assist him. There was no prophecy hanging over his head, no dark wizard hellbent on hunting him down. No, this was something else and no matter what, he would find them and he would make them pay for Zee and for Sirius.
He promised McCraight that he would be back next week and headed back to Black Cottage to help Sorcha with the funeral plans for Zee which was a whole other problem.
"I don't understand what you're saying, Harry," Sorcha insisted, her eyes on his. "Why can't I bury my daughter?"
Harry wished he had the right answer for her. "Grandmama, it's… she's still part of the investigation."
"I don't care," Sorcha demanded. "She deserves a good send off."
"I know she does," Harry told her, not sure how else to explain it. He didn't understand it fully himself.
Zee's body was being detained in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement until it could be determined why her body was in this frozen state. Harry had no idea how long it was going to take them to figure out what it was and how to rid the body of the curse so that she could be properly buried. It was a huge fiasco that he had no idea how to solve.
After four days of arguing with Sorcha and arguing with the DMLE, they finally agreed to give her a memorial until the body could be released for a full funeral. However, Zee had already organized all of it in worry that she might not survive the war and in planning the memorial, her funeral plans came with it. It wasn't lost on Harry that she'd survived the war only to be killed six months later.
A tombstone was erected next to Sirius' in Godric's Hollow on the seventeenth of November, 1998. Harry held tightly to Ginny's hand as they stood around the empty grave, listening to the words of the minister give a eulogy. Knowing her body wasn't going to be there, to be left in the morgue of the DMLE until the case was solved somehow made it harder.
But her heart had been removed from her chest and without her heart, she was nothing more than an empty shell. Her body may not be decaying, but it didn't make her alive either. She was alive, but wasn't. She was dead, but alive. It somehow made the ceremony even harder to sit through knowing it.
He let out a slow breath as he let his eyes move over the headstones belonging to James and Lily Potter, to Sirius, and now to Zee and wondered why it was that he was destined to lose his parents over and over again. The headstone he'd chosen for the only mother he'd ever known was made of the same white marble as his parents and as Sirius' and the words offered him little comfort.
In Loving Memory
Zahira Zelena Zacarias
b. 9 April 1964
d. 3 November 1998
"Time passes, but a mother's love remains.
She is woman. Hear Her Roar."
Harry stared at the date of her death, trying to wrap his mind around if it was the right date. If she was still alive but dead could the third of November be the date she died? It made his head hurt to think about.
Ginny squeezed his hand in hers and he leaned into her, comforted by her warmth. Sorcha was standing on the other side of him, silent tears raining down her cheeks. Colt and Flo were on the other side of Ginny, tears in their eyes. Colt was crying openly. The sight of his great-grandfather's tears only made it all seem more real.
He listened with half an ear as the eulogy was read, telling them about the good life she led and the people she was leaving behind. Words like "mother" and "daughter" and "friend" filtered through, but Harry was barely listening. He still couldn't quite believe that she was gone. He suddenly felt very much like an orphan in ways he couldn't articulate.
Remus and Tonks stood behind him and Ginny. Tonks was holding Teddy who was bundled up against the cold and Remus' hand rested on Harry's shoulder, squeezing gently in comfort, both had tears running down their cheeks. When Harry leaned back to rest against him, Remus put his arm around him.
When the last words were spoken and the last of the flowers were placed in front of the marble, people began to disperse, making their way towards him and his grip tightened on Ginny's hand.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Harry," Neville said, his hand in Hannah's as they both gave him tight smiles.
He said thank you dutifully as Augusta Longbottom gave her condolences and then it was a whirlwind as he listened to the words from people Zee had worked with: Goldwin Oliphant, Tripp Forrester, and more. Flowers had been sent from people like Rolf Scamander and Bura Visnjic and others who couldn't attend the ceremony. He thanked them over and over, nodding in appreciation.
He felt like he was in a daze. His eyes were constantly blurry with unshed tears and he didn't know what to say to people. He was positive that once the day was over he would remember almost none of it. He'd spent the morning sitting in the nursery with Mina and Leo as he recalled how he'd tried to explain to them that Zee wasn't coming home.
"I know you don't understand," he began, pulling them into his arms. "I know it doesn't make sense to you, but Mama's not coming back."
"Mama!" Mina exclaimed as Leo clapped his hands.
"No mama," Harry whispered. "Something bad happened to Mama and… she's never coming back. I'm sorry, Leo, Mina. Mama's never coming back. Zee's gone."
And that's when the sobs had tore through him.
He choked on his tears as he cradled the twins in his arms and they'd cried with him, not understanding any of it. It's where Ginny had found him ten minutes later, crying into their little shoulders. She's taken Leo from him, kissing his cheeks and called Ron upstairs to help her. Ron passed her Mina and pulled Harry to his feet, wrapping his arms around him and Harry had soaked his friend's shirt in his tears.
"It's okay, Harry," Ron soothed, holding him tightly against his chest. "I've got you, mate. I've got you."
Harry had a sudden flashback of holding Ron at Arthur's funeral and saying the same words and he clutched his friend's shirt as he tried to remember to breathe. When he'd arrived at the funeral, his eyes were dry and his face expressionless. Now, he didn't know how to feel.
Molly wrapped him up in her arms, kissing his cheek and bringing his attention back to the present. "It will be all right, dear. I promise it will get better."
Harry hugged her back, tightening his grip, comforted by the warmth of her hug. Then he was hugged in earnest by each of Ginny's brothers, by their wives and girlfriends, by Seamus and Dean, Theo and Sebastian, and then Luna. Luna kissed his cheek and told him to keep his head up and he buried his face in the crook of her neck.
"She'll always be with you, Harry," Luna whispered.
Harry kissed her cheek before he let her go and Luna moved to hug Ginny. Then Harry let Ron and Hermione wrap their arms around him, squeezing him from both sides.
"All right, mate?" Ron asked, pressing his lips to the top of Harry's head.
"I will be," Harry whispered. "Thanks for being here."
Hermione kissed his cheek and he gave them both a grateful look before he let go. Ian Brown, Zee's cousin, stopped to tell him that he and his sister, Jenny, were taking Mina and Leo back to Colt and Flo's place in Zee's old cottage. Jenny and her husband, Josh, were going to help Ian out so that Sorcha could have a break. Harry watched Molly wrap her arms around Sorcha as she led her out of the graveyard.
It wasn't long before everyone was gone, but Harry couldn't get his feet to move.
Ginny didn't say anything. Instead, she leaned into him, her arm holding him close and her head resting against the top of his shoulder in comfort. Harry let the tears fall freely as he stared at the stone.
"I can't believe she's gone, Gin."
"I know," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Harry."
Harry's eyes fell on Sirius' tombstone. It was still in place, looking the same, but knowing that there was no body beneath it… it made his blood boil. They had disturbed him, taken him from the earth and were using his body to… the smell of cigarette smoke wafted across the cemetery and Harry froze.
"What is it?" Ginny asked.
Harry didn't say anything, not sure how he could explain what he was suddenly feeling. Instead he looked out across the graveyard and when his eyes landed on Sirius standing by the oak tree, he narrowed them.
Merlin, he looked so much like him. The dark hair falling just so, framing his handsome face and just long enough to brush his collar. The dark stubble on his cheekbones and those dark grey eyes watched him as he leaned against the oak tree, one leg resting back against it and his arms crossed leisurely as if he didn't have a care in the world. Harry watched him exhale a stream of smoke and he trembled.
"Uncle Siri," he whispered.
Ginny turned to look at where his gaze was. "It's not him, Harry. It can't be."
The man's lips twitched and he flicked his cigarette. "Don't be so sure about that, Red. Nice funeral. Looks like you gave her a good send off. I heard there's no body. Shame about that."
Harry's eyes narrowed. "Who are you? Do you even know who she was?"
Sirius shrugged, his grey eyes gleaming in the fading light. "A gorgeous woman who gave her heart to bring me back. Really, she did a service to the world."
He let his eyes travel over Ginny who was staring at him with wide eyes.
"Maybe we'll kill the redhead next."
Harry moved to stand in front of Ginny as his wand flew into his hand so fast that Sirius chuckled.
"Calm yourself, Potter. I have no interest in your redhead. My interest is in you and making you pay for what you did to me."
"For what I did to you?" Harry exclaimed. "I didn't do anything to you!"
Sirius' eyes flickered to Zee's tombstone. "You keep lying to yourself. I'll see you around, Potter."
Then he Disapparated, leaving Harry and Ginny standing alone in the cemetery.
"Harry," Ginny breathed, her brown eyes wide as she looked up at him.
"I know," he whispered, the words coming out a little choked up. "He looks just like him. I don't… what did they do?"
Ginny shook her head, not quite knowing what to say and Harry pulled her into his arms. Once again, he was left with more questions than answers and he still had no idea if that was really Sirius or if someone or something was using him in some way.
He didn't know what was worse — the idea that someone was controlling Sirius, making him believe it was him when it was really an imposter in his body or if they'd really brought him back to life and he wanted him dead.
Harry didn't know which answer terrified him more.
He let Ginny lead him away from Zee's grave and knew that no matter what, he was going to stop him.
His godfather was dead and Harry wasn't going to let Lestrange, Crouch, and Brambilla taunt him with this imposter. No, he was going to figure out what they'd brought back and then he was going to stop him.
No matter what it took.
