Author's Note:

Happy Long Weekend to my fellow 🇨🇦Canucks!🇨🇦

Reviews and Comments: To briana_t: Yes, it was a lot of emotions. Minnie and Sirius' reunion was much needed, thank you! I do think the sacrifice thing is super interesting, I hope it continues to be. Yes, Hermione does tend to be the genius most times. Thank you! To Hinny4Always: Thank you! To marauders_mowopapr: Hugging the fictional babies is necessary. Glad it left you with lots of thoughts to theorize. Thank you! To Maari: Wow right back! Thank you so much for binge-reading my trilogy. I'm sorry I made you cry so many times (and made you hate me), but also you're welcome. Thank you very much! To katelyn453: Thank you for liking the reunion between Sirius and Minnie. Thank you! To Mrs_Norway: Don't worry, my vain author's brain says say it again lol. Thank you for enjoying my Harry/Herimone moments. I really haven't given the two of them enough moments just them. Hermione will definitely try to help. Thank you! To Kathythomas: Thank you! I love that I've made you laugh, cry, and get furious — you're welcome! Thank you very much! To Dfndnfyx: Wow! Thank you very much for reading my whole trilogy in the last bit and for saying "it is a fucking work of art. Unbelievable storytelling, it's a damn rollercoaster ride with incredible few plot-holes." (I do my hardest not to have plot-holes, but it's almost impossible. Thank you very much! I'm honoured to know I've surprised you more than once and thanks you for saying that "there were many parts that were incredibly deep and touching, comedic relief in-between with the right amount of smut." This is exactly what I am going for. Thank you very much!

To TatiRena: Ha, Hermione does deserve some praise! Thank you! To Bellmel: Ha, thanks for loving Harry's little gem over "officially" dying lol. Yes, McCraight is a bit concerned with that. Thank you! It was nice to see Minnie and Sirius reunite as well. Thank you! To minerdude: Thank you! Hermione is trying to break down what it means, but they haven't really figured it out yet no. Thank you! I hope you enjoy the final bits of this trilogy as much as the first (if not more). Thank you! To Tmrpotterhead250: It is a bit sad that it's coming to a close, but I think it's time (well past even lol). Yes, Donna did want to brag and Sebastian and Durant knew she would once they got her going. Harry definitely doesn't realize how flippant his thoughts were over death, but thankfully he has McCraight to help him. You think Sirius will remember where Crouch and Bellatrix are staying or that the two evil Death Eaters left will force a confrontation? Interesting. Harry does need to listen better lol. Thank you! To akshutalankar: Yes, the sacrifice wasn't made willingly. Brambilla is intelligent and cunning for sure. Thanks for loving the reunion with Sirius and Minerva. I hope I have a few more twists up my sleeve for you. Thank you! To Cassiopeia Anastasia Black: Yes, what will happen next? Stay tuned to find out! 😉 Thank you! To alix33: Thank you! To MrsHJSnape (Carrie): Ha, sorry, not uploading two a week just yet lol. That sounds like a great birthday present. I'm glad this chapter made you happy. Thank you very much! To scrappy8: It was nice to see Sirius with his kids and with Minerva. Thank you!

To Nightwing2013: Thanks for loving my Sirius/Minnie byplay. Hermione can be a bit cryptic when she's trying to explain things, this is true. Thank you! To Read and Fly: I agree, Sirius bonding with his babies was beautiful! Harry is dealing with his trauma here (or starting to) and McCraight is going to help him do that. Am I going to kill Colt and Flo? I can't say. Belladonna is definitely insane and she was so fun to write. Sirius and Sebastian will meet at some point, though I don't think I've written a scene of them first meeting. Sirius is definitely a DILF lol. Thank you! To Hanacide: I understand the waiting for chapters does suck, but I do try my best not to keep you waiting too long. Thank you very much for saying you applaud my writing and how I've "written existing characters as well as created interesting and complex new ones." Thank you! To AlorianAruka: Welcome to my world and thank you very much! I'm so happy to hear you think my created characters are amazing. Thank you very much! To Chelsea Greenwell: Sirius and Minnie are so sweet, I agree. Worrying about Tonks seems fair. Thank you very much! To Sets: I don't think Minerva needed to tell Sirius about Hermione's scar. She's a friend of Harry's and of course, Sirius knows her, but it's not like the woman he has children with, loves, and is engaged to. That's her story if she wants to share it. Thank you. To Nan001: I'm happy to hear the chapter has you all excited over what's to come. Harry will definitely be fine! As to everyone else, well, we will see. Thank you! To vampireprincess141: Thanks for loving the part with the interrogation. Hopefully they can gain more cures about Zee's condition. Thank you very much!

To Charlottr: Yes, queer as "strange or odd." Yes, Brambilla definitely killed a lot of people! It took a lot of charting to make sure I had it right lol. Thank you for saying my "incredible detail and continuity is bloody amazing." Thank you very much! To EnigmaticEmperor: Harry should definitely be there for all of Ginny's games (and he will certainly try). Harry doesn't think about his own life like he does others, it's something he needs to work on. Thanks for loving the Sirius and Minnie scene. Sirius doesn't really have a choice — Harry is working in his career, he's finished school, he's moved out. No argument between Harry and Sirius any time soon, I don't see a need for it. Sebastian and Durant definitely handled the interrogation better but yes, Harry was a bit more personally invested which made it harder. Thank you! To ThomasJAvery: Thank you! Robards does understand Harry, but I also think he knows how to handle him well as well. Harry is getting better and talking to McCraight shows that. Thank you for saying it's "super impressive how" I "write these conversations… so deep and almost psycho-analyis." Thank you! Minerva is the mum Sirius never had and she loves him. Thanks for loving seeing them together and with the twins. Durant is a fun side character, thanks for appreciating him. She did still value her own life over her daughter and she is clearly a bit insane. We'll catch up with Bellatrix and Crouch soon (just not yet). Thank you!

To Gigi87: Yes, Sirius wanted to stay with his kids (as well knew he would). Of course Harry's right and if he goes down on Ginny it's a guaranteed win lol. Harry and Ginny know how important it is for both of them to be each other's strength. We'll find out more about Ron and Hermione later on (including living situations). I do think Mina will be a daddy's girl lol. Sirius does wish he'd been around to protect Harry, but he's proud of seeing how he's done without him. Yes. During the chapter with the breakdown, Harry told Sirius absolutely everything. Absolutely, the interrogation didn't go well for Harry because Belladonna knew how to press him until it hurt. Dolohov is still alive, but he's in prison and will be for the rest of his life. As to why Belladonna killed so many people, she was jealous of her sister and definitely a sadist and a psychopath as well. You think Colt will willingly sacrifice himself to save Zee? Interesting. Thank you very much! To Ellieoryan7447: Thank you! I do think Harry and Ginny are each other's strength in so many ways. As to the Auden scene, he does understand how to get through to Harry, how to get him to open up. They make a good team and I think it's slowly showing how well it's working for Harry (slowly, but it's coming along). Sirius with McGonagall and his kids was so nice to write too! Roll credits… haha, okay, we can end the story here lol. Thank you very much!

My posting schedule: Weekly.

As always, thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you for all of your continued support!


CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
The One With the Cognitive

Theo's hand was clasped warmly in Sebastian's as they walked into Spencer and Sadira's house for their usual Sunday dinner. Since both Soraya and Selene were not in the country, Theo expected it be a warm and quiet dinner between the four of them so he was surprised when he saw two women sitting on the sofa. One had short dark hair cut to her chin and the other had black hair that flowed just past her shoulders.

Sebastian seemed to be surprised as well because he stopped in his tracks and then did a double take. "Auntie Dee?"

"Surprise!" The woman with the short hair exclaimed, standing up to hug him.

Spencer came out of the kitchen with a glass of whiskey, passing it to the woman. "It was a surprise for us as well. She showed up this morning completely out of the blue."

"I just decided it was time to come back for a visit. I missed your face, Spencer."

Sebastian laughed. "Now that's just a lie, Auntie. No one misses Da's face."

Spencer cuffed him across the back of his head and then kissed Sebastian's cheek. "Such a brat!"

Sebastian chuckled as he reached out to hug the woman whom Spencer was teasing. "Ow! See, look how Da treats me, Auntie."

The woman smiled warmly. "Nice to know things haven't changed much here. Is this handsome bloke the infamous Theo I keep hearing about?"

Sebastian blushed as he reached to take Theo's hand in his. "It is. Theo, this is my aunt, Deanna Kane. She lives in Australia and almost never comes to visit. Auntie Dee, this is my boyfriend, Theo Nott."

Deanna Kane held her hand out with a wide smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Theo. I've heard lots about you."

"It's lovely to meet you, too," Theo said, accepting her hand. "You're the one who loves to surf."

Deanna laughed. "That would be me. I have my own little surfing school on the Gold Coast."

Spencer urged them all to sit. "Sadira might be a bit late. She received a call from the hospital and had to go and deal with something there. But Deanna showing up was certainly a nice distraction."

"Come now, Spencer! I'm much more than a distraction."

Spencer's lips curved. "Well, yes, but saying you're a pain in the arse seemed rude."

Deanna let out a loud laugh. "Ha! I have missed you, Spence!"

"Good. It's been much too long since you've come home, Deedee. You've been missed."

Sebastian cleared his throat. "You have been missed. Auntie Dee hasn't been back home to Ireland in oh… five years?"

"Six," Deanna admitted. "I know it's terrible. I really must make the time to come home more often."

"Yes," Sebastian agreed.

Theo smiled. "It's really nice to meet you, but I'm afraid I don't know your friend?"

Deanna's eyes widened before she turned to the woman sitting next to her. "Oh goodness! I'm so sorry! I was getting too caught up in hellos! Michelle," she said, reaching out to take the woman's hand. "This is my wife, Michelle."

"Your wife?" Spencer exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Since when?"

"Three months ago," Deanna admitted. "I know I should have written, but it just kind of happened. We decided to just do it and had a small ceremony just at the Cabinet of Magical Affairs. I love her, Spence."

Spencer's eyes softened. "Well, that's just lovely of course, but I would have liked to see my little sister get married."

Deanna smiled. "Why? You were there the first two times and we both know how well those went."

Michelle chuckled. "She's kidding."

"Am I though?" Deanna said, making Theo smile.

Spencer brought out some appetizers that Sadira had prepared and drinks were passed around as Theo learned more about Spencer's little sister, Deanna. It turned out that Sebastian's aunt had moved to Australia after finishing Hogwarts in 1978, having attended school with Theo's biological father, Thelonius. She'd decided to see the world after finishing school and had fallen in love with an Australian tour guide named Tai Johnson when she was in Melbourne. They'd had a whirlwind romance and Spencer and Sadira had gone to Australia to see her marry him the following year. Deanna worked alongside of him as a tour guide for almost a decade before she'd discovered that he was a serial cheater and divorced him. She'd married again in 1992 to her surf instructor, a man named Logan Hogan. Her second marriage had barely lasted a year before they decided they were better off as friends. They stayed the best of friends and the two of them opened a surfing company together on the Gold Coast.

"Logan and I still love the company and we make such great business partners. We were always such great friends and the divorce was so amicable, really I think we're even better friends now than we were before. I met Chell three years ago through Logan. If you remember, he set us up on a blind date and we just… clicked. "Meeting her was like filling in a missing piece," Deanna admitted. "She makes me very happy."

Michelle beamed at her wife before she pecked her on the lips. "I can say the same."

Theo soon learned that Michelle Ly was American. She had been born in Hanoi, Vietnam, but her parents had immigrated to Brooklyn, New York when she was two. Michelle had taken a teaching job overseas in Australia and loved it so much, she decided to stay. Two years later, she met Deanna Kane. There was ten years between them, but despite Michelle being a great deal younger, the two were very clearly in love. It made Theo smile to watch them share those little touches and looks.

By the time Sadira arrived, they'd finished off the appetizers and Theo was passing around photos of Arlo and Armani cuddled up with Oliver.

"Oh my gosh, they're so precious!" Michelle exclaimed. "We should get a kitten, Dee."

Deanna rolled her eyes. "We already have three dogs, Chell."

Michelle shrugged. "What's one more?"

Dinner was full of discussions over Theo's classes, while Sebastian shared stories about his and Jin's mixed martial arts classes as well as bits about his job that he could. Sadira told them more about her new role as hospital administrator when she arrived halfway through dinner, explaining why she'd had to run out and about her new responsibilities. Then she immediately began to pepper Deanna and Michelle hundreds of questions about their wedding and their home.

"I'm beginning to think Soraya will never settle down. That girl has the wanderlust gene, Dee," Sadira said. "But we have Theo, mon rayon de soleil. He makes our Bastian smile and look at the life he's brought back into his eyes."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Maman!"

Theo smiled behind his wine glass. "Bas makes me smile as well. I've never been happier."

Sadira beamed at them. "So when will I hear wedding bells then?"

Deanna chuckled. "Sadira, leave them be! They're young yet."

Theo blushed at her words and Sebastian kissed his cheek.

"You and Theo will have to come out and stay with us," Deanna said, changing the subject to stop their embarrassment. "We have more than enough room and Sebastian, you haven't been to visit me since you were a child."

Sebastian helped himself to some more roast chicken. "I know. Work is busy, but I definitely will have to make time."

"I've never been to Australia," Theo admitted. "It would be nice to take a little holiday together, wouldn't it, Bas?"

He nodded. "Yes, it would. Maybe when you finish your classes, before you start your internship at St Mungo's we can squeeze in some time away."

Michelle beamed. "Australia would be a great choice!"

Sebastian smiled. "We'll keep it in mind, Auntie."

Michelle's eyes softened when he called her by auntie. "That would be wonderful."

Spencer and Sadira filled Deanna in on how Soraya and Selene were doing. When Sadira explained that Selene was pregnant again, Deanna beamed.

"Oh, that's wonderful news! Chell and I are going to stop in France to visit them. I want to see my great-nieces!"

"It's too bad Soraya is so far away," Sadira said. "That girl is always travelling and buried in ancient relics."

"She has the heart of a gypsy," Spencer replied with a smile.

"Bas, you should bring Soraya with you when you and Theo come to visit," Deanna insisted.

Sebastian smiled. "I'll see what I can do, Auntie. But I think if Theo and I take a holiday together it would be for us, not to hang out with my big sister."

Deanna laughed. "Oh, very right you are at that."

Dinner continued full of laughter and old stories. Deanna shared one about Sebastian when he was three, stowing away in her trunk when she tried to leave.

"Tai and I found him when we arrived in Melbourne. Poor boy vomited everywhere during the portkey. Sadira and Spencer were worried sick about him," Deanna said. "We ended up keeping him with us for a week before we sent him back home. I had to travel back with him in my arms and when he saw Sadira, he beamed and yelled, 'Maman! I went to Oh-stay-ya!' You were as cute as a button."

"I remember you taught me to swim in the ocean," Sebastian said.

"I did," Deanna said. "We also went to see some animals and you took one look at the kangaroo and told me you wanted to leave. 'No, ka-roos, auntie. I don't wike'em.'"

"Oh, goodness," Sadira laughed. "I loved it when everything was wike. He didn't wike this and he didn't wike that."

"And he really didn't like kangaroos," Deanna teased. "Even a photo of them made him cry!"

Sebastian cleared his throat. "Well, I think those are enough memories."

Theo grinned. "Aw, no, I want to hear more about what you didn't wike, Bas."

By the time dinner finished, Deanna and Michelle retired to the living room with Spencer and Sebastian, but Theo stayed back to offer to help Sadira clean up. She smiled warmly, patting his cheeks.

"Such a sweet boy! Go, sit with your man, mon rayon de soleil."

"Are you sure?" Theo insisted. "It doesn't seem fair that you cook and you clean up."

Sadira smiled. "All right, you wash the dishes and I'll dry and put them away. You can tell me what you like most about your classes."

He grinned, sneaking a look over at the dark haired woman. He had truly come to cherish these Sunday dinners with the Kanes. Sadira Kane was one of the kindest women he had ever met and she was always so welcoming. Outside of Molly Weasley, no one else had ever taken such a kind interest in him.

"I love them. I don't know if I can pinpoint one specific thing. I always seem to have about a million questions, but the professors don't mind. I'm excited to start helping people."

"It's doing you a world of good," Sadira said. "You light up when you talk about it. You've found your purpose in life and that's wonderful. I'm so proud of you, mon rayon de soleil."

His cheeks flushed when she called him her ray of sunshine. "I'm proud of me too. Is that weird to say?"

"Not at all," Sadira assured him. "If we can't be proud of our own accomplishments than what's the point?"

Theo kissed her cheek and she smiled. "Thank you for believing in me, Sadira."

"Thank you for making my boy so happy," she said. "Ever since you two officially moved in together he's just been glowing. Have you noticed?"

"We've been living together for months now."

"And the glow hasn't waned," Sadira said. "Keep making each other smile, all right?"

"We can do that," he said as she hugged him again.

"Good. Then we can talk about wedding plans."

Theo blushed. "Sadira…"

She winked. "All right, all right. I'll let you boys move at your own pace. Come on, let's bring dessert out. I made Deanna's favourite when she arrived — chocolate cake."

Theo took the cake to carry into the dining room with a smile. "You had me at chocolate."

Sadira laughed as she grabbed some plates and Theo couldn't keep the smile from his face as he headed into the dining room. This place had always felt like home from the first moment he'd arrived and when his eyes met the gaze of his boyfriend's from across the room, he knew it was all because of him.

I love you, Sebastian mouthed and Theo's cheeks heated.

I love you, too, he said back.

Spencer placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ah, chocolate cake! You're now my favourite son, Theo."

Sebastian snorted. "Of course he is, Da."

And it was moments like this that kept him smiling. Sebastian made him happier than he'd ever been and his amazing family was only a fraction of that. Life was pretty good.

~ TTTC ~

Sirius went with Harry to drop off Mina and Leo at their nursery school. He introduced himself to the two men who ran the school, Philip and Edward, and then he clenched his hands nervously as he watched his children run off to play.

"They'll be fine, Uncle Sirius," Harry said, placing his hand on his shoulder. "They love it here."

Sirius nodded. He knew that the small nursery school in Polperro had been vetted by both Harry and Zee, but the thought of leaving his children there for a whole day after he'd just found them, terrified him.

"Come on," Harry said, nudging him along. "Healer Galibrath is waiting for you at the Ministry."

It had been a week and a half since Sirius had been given back his soul. In some instances, it felt like no time had passed and in others, he felt like it had been years. He knew that the Aurors had more questions for him and he knew that Harry had let him put it off as long as he could. Now, he needed to get a full physical and emotional examination by Healer Galibrath and then he needed to sit down and be interviewed by the Aurors once more.

The problem was, he didn't really know what he was supposed to tell them.

His memories of living without a soul were still mostly blank, but the nightmares he'd been having were making him wonder if that was entirely true. He woke drenched in sweat with the feel of Zee in his arms as he watched her body fall into his own coffin again and again. He'd have a hot shower and then he'd find himself standing in Mina and Leo's room, just watching them sleep. It calmed him and reminded him that he was very much alive.

Now he just needed to figure out how to get Zee back with him.

Sirius visited her every day since that first day, holding her hand and talking to her while she lay in a coma in the private ward of St Mungo's. Seeing her calmed him while simultaneously making him feel enraged. He knew if he ever came face to face with his bitch of a cousin, he would kill her.

And Merlin help him — it would not be quick.

After knowing that Bellatrix had scarred Zee (and Hermione), he took in the tattoo she had gotten to cover it up, tracing it with his fingers. Zee was a brave woman and he knew that. She deserved so much more than what life had dealt her. He kissed her fingers and told her he loved her, feeling guilty every time he left her there.

He shook the thoughts from his head, focusing on Harry as they arrived at the Ministry of Magic together. Sirius let out a slow breath as he followed Harry over to the lifts. A few people looked his way in surprise and he wondered just what the world was being told concerning his reappearance.

"Do they know?" he asked, suddenly, turning to Harry.

"Does who know what?"

"Does the world know that I'm back?"

Harry shoved his hands into his pockets of his Auror robes. "We've kept it pretty under wraps, only our close family and friends were aware of it, but I imagine that won't stay that way much longer. Robards and Kingsley released a story about you being in hiding in America for the last few years; faking your own death."

"Do people really believe I would go off and hide?" Sirius demanded. "That I would take the cowardly way out and fucking run and leave you to-to… no!"

"Doesn't matter what they believe," Harry said. "We can't exactly tell them the truth now, can we?"

Sirius started to argue before he bit his tongue. Harry was right. It wasn't exactly like he could explain it. It would cause nothing but trouble and potentially cause more harm. But the thought of people thinking he'd run away… that was going to be touch to swallow. The idea of him walking into the Ministry now, out in the open, was bound to stir the potion then. He followed Harry into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Harry squeezed his shoulder in reassurance.

"I can't go any further, Uncle Siri."

"Yeah," he said, letting out a slow breath. He gave his son a reassuring smile before he turned and followed Auror Higgins down the hall and towards one of the interrogation rooms. Higgins ushered him inside and told him that someone would be with him shortly.

Sirius took a seat at the table, his fingers tapping methodically on the table. It only took him a few moments for him to realize that he was tapping the beat to "Smoke on the Water" and he snorted, relaxing a bit. He waited about ten minutes before the door finally opened and in walked Kingsley Shacklebolt and Gawain Robards.

"Wow, bringing out the bigwigs," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair. "I must be a big fucking deal or something."

Kingsley's lips curved into a smile. "I don't know about a big deal, but you sure are a sight, Sirius."

Sirius stood up to shake Kingsley's hand and was surprised when the man embraced him. He patted his back before he pulled away. "It was a surprise for me too."

Robards snorted. "Yeah, I can imagine that. Sit down, Black."

Sirius did, watching as Kingsley and Robards took the seats across from him. "Harry said you'd want to talk to me or well, someone would. The thing is, I don't really know what I can tell you."

Kingsley nodded. "We understand that. You've already spoken to some of the Aurors running the investigation, but due to the personal nature of this case, Gawain and I thought it was best for the rest of your case to be handled by us."

"All right," Sirius said, leaning back in his chair.

Robards cleared his throat. "Potter has kept us updated on your progress. I understand that you've been getting to know your children and have moved back into your old home?"

"Yes," Sirius said. "It's been great and a bit of an adjustment. Not to mention I'm warded from entering my own home unless Harry or Remus is with me."

"That was for for safety," Robards said. "When you showed up at your home and threatened Auror Potter, he had no choice but to change everything over. However, I'm sure that they would be willing to fix the wards now that you're back."

"Yes, but I told them not to. Not yet. I just… not yet."

Kingsley frowned. "Is there a reason why you don't wish to be given those privileges again?"

Sirius hesitated. It wasn't that he didn't think he should be given access, but part of him was still unclear on everything. It worried him.

"I don't remember things, King. There are things… I guess maybe part of me doesn't quite trust that my soul is back for good."

Kingsley pursed his lips. "I suppose that's a fair assumption. A re-soulling is a rare thing to see and for it to work successfully… that's even more rare in itself. But it did work, Sirius. It worked and you are alive and whole once more, no matter how unbelievable that may be."

Robards ran over his beard as he spoke. "It's about what you can't remember that we'd like to start off with."

Sirius lifted an eyebrow. "Not sure how that's going to work if I'm honest. I mean, logically the memories are there, but it's not as if I can bring them forth if I can't find them."

"Have you ever heard of a cognitive interview?" Kingsley asked.

Sirius shook his head.

"Basically it's an in-depth interview that helps us relax you, relax your mind, and hopefully jog your memory in ways that a regular interview can't," Kingsley said. "It takes more time, but I think it's worth it."

"Whatever you need," Sirius said. "If there's anything that I can do to help, I want to help."

Robards cleared his throat. "All right. King's going to start asking the questions and while he does so, I will be using a form of Legilimency upon your mind. Do you agree to this?"

"Yeah," Sirius said. "As I said, whatever you need."

Kingsley gave him a reassuring look before he folded his hands in front of him. "All right, let's begin."

Sirius signed the files that Robards thrust in front of him giving the Aurors permission to break into his mind with magic. Legilimency wasn't technically illegal, but no one who worked for the Ministry of Magic was allowed to use it on anyone without express permission from the suspect. It was extremely rare to use it for a case, but Kingsley and Robards explained how Sirius' case was unique and they decided it was one of the only ways they thought they could break into his memories. Sirius agreed it was for the best.

Kingsley's warm brown eyes met his. "All right, Sirius, I need you to close your eyes. Lean back in your chair, sit comfortably, and close your eyes."

Sirius did as he was told, letting his eyes fall closed as he listened to the deep, calming voice of his old dorm mate. He took a deep breath in, then out; in and out, in and out, until he felt himself relaxing inch by inch. When the questions began, Kingsley took him back to the day he'd died.

"We knew that Voldemort was going to try to break into the Ministry of Magic," Sirius said as the memories unfolded. "We'd discussed it with Scrimgeour and he was going to keep the Terra Troops on standby in case Voldemort did make a move. We were planning to send a small team into the Department of Mysteries to keep watch. We were going over the specifics of the plan when Moony started going on about heartbeats…"

"What are you on about, Moony? There's just the nine of us plus Kreacher, which makes ten."

"No," Remus said slowly. "I hear twelve."

Zee's hands automatically went to her stomach.

"Zahira?" Sirius asked hesitantly, pulling her aside into the hall as Kingsley broke down the plan with Bill, Fleur, Percy, and Moody.

Remus and Tonks followed them, closing the door to the kitchen behind them.

"You... two? I mean…" Zee whispered. "I... I suspected this morning when I got sick again after all of the other symptoms from that flu have been gone, but I didn't..."

Sirius continued to stare at her. "The pheromones…"

"They must have interfered with my contraception potion," she told him.

Sirius took a step towards her and placed his hands on her flat stomach. "We're going to have a baby?"

Zee bit her bottom lip as she looked up into his eyes. "I know that we didn't plan this. We've never even really talked about it. Are you upset?"

Sirius cupped her face tenderly in his hands and kissed her deeply. "I love you." He rested his forehead against hers for a long moment before he froze. "You can't come to the Ministry."

Zee raised an eyebrow at him. "I can and I will!"

"But... you're pregnant!"

Harry's Patronus came galloping into the hall at that moment. As Harry's words echoed around them, Sirius and Remus exchanged identical looks of horror and Zee grabbed her fiancé's arm.

"What… they were kidnapped?" Zee asked.

"Get to Hogwarts, Rem. Now! Stop him from leaving," Sirius insisted.

Remus nodded. "If Ginny's really been kidnapped we might already be too late. He's not going to wait around."

Sirius swore aloud and pushed the door open to the kitchen, eyes on Kingsley. "Finish the plan. Once we have everyone back safely, I'm going to ground that boy until he turns fifty! Harry's on his way to the Ministry!"

"You better hope Nott doesn't hurt Ginny then, or we might actually get to see what kind of power Harry really has," Tonks said softly.

"Ginny?" Bill and Percy said simultaneously.

"Harry just sent word," Sirius told them. "Thaddeus Nott has kidnapped both Ginny and Theo. Tonks is right, Harry isn't going to sit back for this."

"Not if Ginny's in danger," Zee agreed.

"We'll get them back safely. Zee —"

" — No," she exclaimed, her eyes on her fiancé. "He's mine, too! I'll be careful — but I won't stay back! I'm barely pregnant as it is!"

"Pregnant enough for heartbeats!" Sirius shot back.

"Sirius, we're going to have two babies! Twins! I know that this wasn't planned. I know that it wasn't something we wanted right now, but it's happened, and if something were to happen to Harry tonight and I could have been there to stop it… what kind of mother does that make me?"

"Fuck!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes on her. "You bring Lady Godiva, do you understand me?"

"I promise."

Sirius grabbed her and pulled her close, cupping her face as he kissed her over and over and over again. "I love you and I already love these babies. Be careful."

Zee's expression melted as she placed his hands over her stomach. "You too, Daddy."

His eyes lit up at the word and he gently rubbed her flat stomach in amazement before he kissed her again, not moving his hands. "Star names, it's a whole family thing that I actually kind of like and... if it's a girl, I want to name her after Minnie, but make it unique."

Zee stood on her toes. "Sirius, we can worry about that later. I love you. Now let's go get our son." She slipped her fingers into Sirius' hand and turned to the Order. "Wait for the signal and be ready. Sirius, we have to make a stop to get Lady G. We'll meet you lot there."

Remus nodded, his eyes on his best friend. "The panther's a good idea, Padfoot, but… Zee's carrying your babies. Are you really sure that she should —"

"— I'm going," Zee growled. "And if you try to stop me from helping my son so help me, Remus Lupin."

Remus only stared at her nodded. "Noted."

Sirius wrapped his arms around Zee, pulling her close as he kissed her temple. "She'll be careful, won't you, love? Because if Severus was right about even half of it, Moony's right — we're going to need all the help that we can get."

Zee stood on her toes and kissed him softly. "Trust me."

Sirius tilted his forehead down to hers, his grey eyes locked onto her brown ones. "With my life." He placed his hands over her stomach, a small smile on the curve of his lips. "And with theirs."

Remus put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Get the panther, Padfoot. We have to go."

Zee squeezed Sirius' hand and nodded.

"What happened when you arrived at the Ministry?" Kingsley asked.

"Scrimgeour didn't want to send the Terra Troops in," Sirius said. "He was right when he said that we had no definitive proof that Voldemort would be there, but we knew that Nott had kidnapped his son and Ginny and that alone was going to bring Harry there…"

"Send word to the Order members," Sirius told Bill. "Nott can't be in this alone, even if Snape's word is false. We need everyone to get to the Department of Mysteries as soon as possible."

Zee's eyes were wide in horror as she absently rubbed Lady Godiva between the ears. "He won't let anyone hurt her."

Sirius knew that was true, but it wasn't what worried him most. Harry was too much like him in that sense; self-sacrificing to save the ones he loved — and he knew that if it were Zee who had been kidnapped — he'd move hell or high water to get her back.

He glanced at the clock. It had been ten minutes since Harry had sent the Patronus. He just hoped that he wasn't too late already.

"Harry and his friends were in the Death Chamber by the time we arrived," Sirius said. "They were surrounded by Death Eaters and had clearly done well holding their own. They were alive and I knew it wasn't only because they were trained by Remus, but also because Harry was holding the prophecy in his hand and none of the Death Eaters were willing to risk losing it when they knew Voldemort wanted it. You remember it, King, we immediately jumped into help. I tried to get to Harry, to protect him and he was fighting Antonin Dolohov…"

Sirius rammed Dolohov with his shoulder and sent him flying out of the way when he saw his wand was pointed at Harry. The prophecy flew to the tips of Harry's fingers, but he'd managed to cling to it. Now Sirius and Dolohov were duelling, their wands flashing like swords, sparks flying from their wand tips —

Dolohov drew back his wand to make the same slashing movement he had used on Harry and Hermione. Springing up, Harry yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!" Once again, Dolohov's arms and legs snapped together and he keeled over backward, landing with a crash on his back.

"Nice one!" Sirius shouted, forcing Harry's head down as a pair of stunning spells flew toward them. "Now, I want you to get out of —"

They both ducked again.

A jet of green light had narrowly missed Sirius. Across the room, Harry saw Tonks fall from halfway up the stone steps, her limp form toppling from stone seat to stone seat, and Bellatrix, triumphant, running back toward the fray.

"Now, what the hell are you doing here?" Sirius demanded. "I told you to stay at school!"

Harry glared at him. "They took Ginny!"

Sirius grabbed his shoulder, ducking behind a statue and pulling his son with him. "You and your stubborn arse should have — where is Ginny?"

"She and the others are in the other room. They're injured!"

Sirius let out a slow breath, his eyes on the orb in Harry's hand. "Is that the prophecy?"

Harry nodded, moving closer to Sirius to hide behind the statue. "Yes. As long as I have it, they won't hurt me. They're afraid it will smash. I'm worried that —"

"— I'm worried about you," Sirius interrupted, ducking his head lower and pinning Harry against the statue to keep them both low. "You can't be here! Get yourself and your friends out of here."

"I want to help!" Harry protested, his eyes on the battle around him. "I can fight!"

"Not today. Get back to school where you will be safe!" He leaned in and kissed his forehead. "We'll talk about this later. Back to school, Prongslet."

"But Uncle Siri —"

" — No," Sirius said sternly. "Back to school. Get your friends and go! Apparate them to Hogsmeade. We've got this."

"I left Harry there, knowing that he would try to save his friends and I turned back to fight the Death Eaters that I could. Everyone was fighting and there were spells shooting in every direction when I found myself fighting my cousin."

"Bellatrix?" Kingsley asked.

Sirius nodded. "She was laughing manically… she's batshit and Merlin, I could see the madness in her eyes and the rage when I kept blocking her spells one after another. She always hated to loose, even when we were children. I was trying to keep an eye on her, but I was also aware of my surroundings, trying to make sure that Harry got away safely. Remus was duelling Dolohov and I could see Zee fighting a woman and Rabastan Lestrange. Lady Godiva, her panther, was there by her side. I think the panther bit Goyle and you… you were fighting Parkinson and Greengrass."

"Yes," Kingsley said. "Then what do you remember?"

"Harry… he was trying to help Neville stand. There was something going on with his legs… a spell, I think? Malfoy attacked them, trying to get to the prophecy. I was still fighting with Bella and then Pettigrew…"

Sirius swallowed. He remembered it clearly… the killing curse flying towards the woman he loved and he watched as Wormtail knocked Zee out of the way, taking the curse full on.

"Pettigrew was killed saving Zee. Bella called him a foul name, but we were still duelling. The more spells I blocked, the more furious she became and the more furious she became, the more fouler her mouth got. She called me everything under the sun and called Zee even worse, but she didn't let up and then Dumbledore showed up. That certainly stopped most of the battles. People always pay attention when he walks into a room. I could see the battle was winding down as Death Eaters tried to run, but Bella… she wasn't letting up…"

Bellatrix sent one spell after another flying in his direction and the more he dodged, the angrier she became. Sirius couldn't help himself, a laugh escaped him when he evaded another curse.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

The second jet of red light hit him squarely in the chest.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

Sharp pain soared through his chest and he turned in surprise, his eyes meeting Harry's horrified green eyes as blood filled his mouth. Then he was stumbling back as his vision dimmed and pain shot through his head as he fell; smashing his head against the stone steps of the dais.

Bellatrix's triumphant scream echoed in the chamber and he was vaguely aware of the sight of Harry running towards him, dodging the spells that continued to fly around him.

"Uncle Sirius!"

His chest and abdomen seemed to be caving in. Blood was escaping so quickly that there was no way to stop it. Harry reached out with his hands to try anyway as blood escaped through his fingers. Sirius coughed up blood, his shaking hand rising to cup Harry's cheek.

"You're the — best thing I ever — did. I'm so proud of — Harry…"

Blood spurted from his nose and bubbled from his mouth as he spoke.

"Uncle Siri," Harry whispered, shaking his head in denial. "No! We can… stop it."

Sirius visibly swallowed as more blood bubbled. "I love you… Prongslet. Tell Zee… love her…"

"And then I was standing over my own body," Sirius said. "I tried to let Harry know that I was there, that I was all right, but he…"

He watched as Harry shook him desperately. "Uncle Sirius! Uncle Padfoot!"

But Sirius' grey eyes were no longer full of the laughter and love that Harry was accustomed to. They stared blankly ahead, dim and frozen in death.

"Uncle — Dad!" he cried out, tears in his throat. "Dad, no! Dad! Dad!"

Arms grabbed his waist, pulling him back. "There's nothing you can do for him, Harry —"

"Bill, he's —"

"He's gone, Harry," Bill said quietly in his ear. "Get out of here! Go!"

"I wanted to comfort him," Sirius whispered. "But there was a woman…"

Sirius tried to walk towards Harry, to assure him it would all be all right, but a beautiful woman with dark hair had touched his arm.

"It's time, Sirius. Come with me now."

"But my son… he needs me."

The woman smiled. "He will be all right, Sirius. Come with me. All you have to do is take my hand."

He looked back towards where Harry was hurrying off before his gaze fell on Zee.

"My woman —"

"Will grieve you, but they will have each other."

"Yeah," he whispered. "They'll take care of each other."

Then he put his hand in hers and white light engulfed him. It blinded him a moment and when he opened his eyes, the beautiful woman was gone, and James Potter was embracing him.

"James Potter?"

Sirius nodded, tears rolling down his cheeks. "He pulled me into his arms…"

The feel of James' warm embrace made him shudder.

"I'm here, Sirius," James whispered into his neck. "You did so good. You raised him to be a good man and Lily and I couldn't be prouder that he called you dad. But it's over, Siri."

"He needs me, Jamie. I can't leave him. I can't leave Zee. She's pregnant."

James framed Sirius' face in his hands. "They'll be okay, Padfoot. They'll be okay."

Then he held out his hand. "Come with me."

"I took his hand," Sirius whispered. "We walked together into this white light and suddenly I was… home. Fee and Monty were there and Lily and Marauder and… I was home."

He wiped at the tears running down his cheeks.

"I was happy," he continued. "I was at peace and I tried to watch over Harry when I could. It's not… I wanted to do more but I was dead and well… I tried to visit in dreams when I could get through. To show him that I was all right and to make sure Zee was all right. It's not an easy thing to do and even when you do, it doesn't always work the way you think it will. I think it comforted them when I did manage it, I don't know… I hope it did. I was happy. It… time felt different. It felt like I was only there a few weeks and then I saw Zee and… Radio Gaga."

He could remember the song blaring from the radio as he and James sang along, hear the music clearly in his head.

"Saw her how?" Robards asked.

"She appeared before me, bloody and crying," he remembered. "I was singing with Jamie and then I was alone and she was just there…"

"I'm sorry," Zee whispered, her voice echoing as the music stopped around him. "I tried to stop them."

Sirius reached for her, but just as he touched her, his hand passed right through her. Before he could contemplate the vision before him, something punched him right in the chest. It hit him so hard that all of the breath was knocked out of him. He felt like his chest was caved in; that every rib was broken and stabbing him somewhere different. He gasped for breath, his eyes on Zee flashing in and out before him.

"It was like I was dying all over again… the pain was unbelievable and I was trying to focus on Zee, but she kept disappearing. I… I called out for her…"

"Zee? Zee, where are you?" he demanded, but she flashed again and vanished before his eyes.

"Sirius?" Euphemia asked from the doorway. "Are you coming, dear?"

"Fee…" he whispered, blood bubbling at his mouth.

"Sirius?" she called out, seeming to stare right through him. "Darling, are you in here?"

Euphemia stepped right past him as if she couldn't see him. Sirius started to speak, unsuccessfully attempting to reach for her when suddenly, hands sprung out from the ground and tightly gripped him by his ankles. He tried to shake them off, ventured to jump away, but the grip was too strong. He reached for Euphemia again, his eyes wide before the hands around his ankles yanked. His boots sank into the ground like quicksand and he was abruptly pulled into the earth.

The scream tore through him so loudly that it scorched his throat and Zee's terrified face flashed before him.

"Zahira!" he cried out. "Zahira!"

He was dragged through the mud; falling and rising like he was clawing his way to the surface, but the surface of what he didn't know. He swallowed the earth; dirt in his eyes, in his nose, in his mouth. He could hear voices calling him and then there was nothing but the earth and the pain in his chest.

Pain unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

Sharp, searing pain that made him taste his own blood.

Pain like something was being ripped apart inside of him; something that he tried desperately to hold onto to, but no matter how hard he fought, the more it ripped and tore free.

And then there was only blackness.

"It felt like I was dying all over again," he repeated. "I could taste my own blood, feel my chest caving in like it had in the Department of Mysteries and then I tasted the earth and those who were with me couldn't see me or hear me… it was like I was being ripped apart from the inside out and then… there was nothing."

He felt the nudge on his mind as Kingsley continued to ask him questions. The prodding grew bolder as he explained how he could smell the snow in the air, the dampness of the earth, and the copper of the blood.

"I woke up in my own coffin," he whispered. "I was buried alive."

His fingers clenched the table's edge as his breathing grew ragged. He could feel the fear lodged in his throat as he forgot how to breath, the pain in his hands as he tried to find a way out.

"I punched a hole in the wood and… they were there, waiting for me to come out."

"Who was there?" Kingsley asked.

"Barty Crouch Jr, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Belladonna Brambilla. I didn't know them. I didn't know anything."

"What did they say when you crawled out of your grave?"

Sirius swallowed, his eyes staring off into the distance as he spoke. "They called me Sirius and they told me that I was going to kill Harry Potter. Then they told me to get rid of the whore."

"Who was the whore?"

"A woman," he whispered. "I didn't know her, she was… beautiful and covered in blood…"

Sirius' eyes moved back over to the woman: The whore. Her violent death had obviously been an important part of bringing him back. He knelt over the woman, taking in her curvy form and long curls. She had clearly been beaten, he noted. His eyes roamed over her naked chest and the gaping hole where her heart should have been. He picked her up bridal style, his eyes catching his name tattooed under the blood on her chest.

She had his name tattooed on her.

"Who is she?" he asked, staring down at the tattoo, curiously.

"The bitch who killed you," Bellatrix declared. "We took care of her for you; to bring you back, Sirius."

Sirius looked down at the woman once more, his eyes finding the tattoo on her chest again. He couldn't make out the rest, but he saw that it was more names. Leo. Mina. Harry. He frowned; trying to decipher it made his head hurt. He carried her over to the grave he'd just risen from and dropped her into the coffin. The sound of her body hitting the bottom, a bone cracking loudly in the silence, only made him wrinkle his nose. When he looked below, he saw his wand lying in the casket and he hopped down, careful not to step on the woman as he pulled it out from beneath the woman's limbs before he closed the lid.

"It was Zee," he whispered, his eyes rising in horror. "It was Zee and… I buried her alive," he choked out and then he vomited all over the table.

Kingsley reached out to touch his arm. "Robards, get some water."

Sirius wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Oh gods, King! I did it! I put her in that hole without a fucking care in the world!"

"No," Robards said, sharply, surprising Sirius. "You were a tool to them and nothing more. What you did after you climbed out of that grave you cannot be held accountable for. It wasn't you."

"It was me," Sirius replied. "It was me and I… how do I come back from that?"

He accepted the water that Robards passed him and drank deeply as Robards spoke.

"By helping us find the evil sons of bitches who did this to you, Black. Drink up. We have a lot more ground to cover."

Sirius finished off the glass of water and rubbed a shaking hand over his aching temples as Kingsley cleaned up the vomit.

"We'll take a short break," Kingsley said. "Why don't you go to the loo and clean yourself up?"

Sirius nodded, grateful for the break. He did as Kingsley suggested, splashing cold water on his face and rinsing his mouth. When he looked at his reflection in the mirror, he stared for a long moment.

"It was me," he whispered. "And even if I did it without my knowledge, it was me. I'm going to save you, Zahira. I have to."

Then he let out a long breath and turned to head back into the interrogation room.

They had a lot more to discuss.

~ TTTC ~

Ron spent his afternoon going over case files in evidence about the previous history of a thug named Dekker who had been accused of stalking a young woman in Diagon Alley. After placing a restraining order on him, the witch named Melinda Samuels, claimed Dekker was still following her. The case had been bumped up to Ron and Baxter when Dekker was found dead in his flat, stabbed through the heart, and Samuels was in the wind.

"Even if she did it, it seems like the bloke provoked her," Baxter said. "But running off like she did… nah, this is something else."

Ron didn't know what to say on that. He and Baxter were still working on a few other cases involving the missing house elves and some tie-ins from the arrest of Fletcher Fleming, not to mention the arson victim from the fire in Brighton, but this was the first big case they'd been given otherwise in quite some time and Ron was anxious to sink his teeth into it. With everything that had been happening with Sirius and the still missing Lestrange and Crouch, it was almost nice to get into a more normal investigation. Nothing that involved reanimated corpses and mad Death Eaters.

When Baxter dismissed him for the day, he stopped by Hermione's department to see how she was doing.

"I'm going to be a few more hours," she told him. "Barnaby and I just have so many things to work on for this gathering."

Ron nodded and kissed her quickly. "All right. Mirror-call me later then?"

Hermione smiled. "I will."

Harry and Higgins were working late as they'd run off to a crime scene only an hour before and Ron had seen Sirius leave a few hours ago, looking pale and shaken up. He didn't know what had transpired during the interview, but he imagined it hadn't been pleasant on Sirius to relive things.

Ron didn't feel like heading home so he decided to head out to Berwick-upon-tweed to see his brother and his new nieces. Fiadh greeted him warmly at the door when he arrived.

"Ron, what a lovely surprise!"

"Hi, Fiadh. Hope you don't mind me just popping in."

"Not at all," she assured him. "Come on in. Fred's with the girls in the living room."

Ron headed into the living room and found his brother on the floor with his twin daughters lying on their stomachs on a blanket. Finley was chewing on a blue ring that changed colour when she gummed it while Felicity was banging her little hands on a water mat beneath her, causing coloured charmed fish to swim where her hands went.

"Hey," Fred said. "Look at you, looking all official and shit."

Ron grinned and moved to sit on the floor near his nieces. "One of us has to look respectable around here."

Fred snorted. "Percy does enough of that for all of us."

"Ha," Ron said.

"Wotcher?"

"Nothing," Ron said. "Hermione's working late and Harry caught a case an hour ago. Didn't feel like going home."

"Ah, so I'm third choice… not bad considering the options," Fred teased.

"Technically I came for these angels, not you," Ron said, scooping Felicity up into his arms. "Hi, darling. Did you miss your Uncle Ron?"

"As much as one misses a nightmare," Fred assured him.

Ron stuck his tongue out at his brother and then kissed Felicity's chubby cheek.

"How's Harry doing? I saw the press finally caught wind of Sirius' resurrection."

Ron grimaced. The media had definitely picked up on it and the papers this morning had been full of questions. Sirius had spent the last two days at the Ministry of Magic being questioned by Kingsley and Robards before talking to the Arcanums from the Department of Mysteries. His presence had been noted and the media was all over the story. A swarm of reporters had even been waiting in the Ministry lobby when he and Harry arrived at work that morning.

SIRIUS BLACK BACK FROM THE DEAD?
WAS HE REALLY IN HIDING THIS WHOLE TIME?

HARRY POTTER AND SIRIUS BLACK:
VILLAINS OR HEROES?

CHOSEN ONE'S GODFATHER RISES FROM THE GRAVE!

IS POTTER USING DARK MAGIC TO RESURRECT THE DEAD?

IS POTTER THE NEXT DARK LORD?

Each one was more ridiculous than the next and Ron couldn't imagine what was going through his best friend's head.

"He's dealing," he said. "The headlines are bogus."

"Oh, I got that. Though I rather liked the one I saw on Witch Weekly that claimed him to be a new dark lord who is bringing back loved ones."

Ron snorted. "Yeah. Funny, how it all falls on his shoulders. He's part of the investigation team, but the media hears Potter and suddenly he's the guilty party."

"Well, if he wasn't such a hot mess, they wouldn't flock to him."

"Haha," Ron said.

Fred lifted Finley into Ron's arms, watching his brother adjust to the two babies before he spoke. "If he needs anything, he knows I'm here."

"He knows," Ron assured him. "Having Sirius back has been… a mind fuck to be honest. He's back, you know? We still don't fully understand how it works, but the Department of Mysteries is looking into him. I mean, he's back and he's good, but no one has survived getting their soul restored in centuries. It's a big deal."

"I'll say. Mum's been anxious to have him round to dinner."

"Course she has. Won't be anytime soon. He has enough on his plate with Mina and Leo and with Zee. Sirius is just as determined to save her as Harry is."

"What do you think?" Fred asked. "Do you think there's a chance?"

Ron pressed his cheek against Finley before he shook his head. "If you would have asked me before all of this went down, absolutely not. But now… fuck if I know, Fred."

Fred nodded as Fiadh came into the living room. She passed Ron and Fred each a beer before she took a seat in the chair.

"Will you stay for dinner, Ron?"

"I'd love to, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Fiadh said with a smile. "I'm not much of a cook, but I'm learning."

"Fifty percent chance of food poisoning," Fred teased. "You in?"

Ron laughed. "Sure, why not?"

Fiadh kicked her boyfriend. "I'm not that bad, Fred Weasley!"

"She's getting better," Fred admitted. "Princesses don't learn to cook, you know."

Fiadh stuck her tongue out at him. "Mum offered us some of the staff, but… that's not for me. I've always been more interested in my bow and working. Learning to cook is a new challenge."

"For both of us," Fred said. "Good thing Mum made us all learn."

"Fred's an asset in the kitchen, that's true. But tonight I just made an Irish stew."

"That's worth it," Fred said. "She makes a mean venison stew."

Ron smiled. He liked seeing how easy his brother was with Fiadh. They did make a good team and he loved seeing his brother so happy.

"Sounds great."

Fiadh took a drink of the lemonade she was drinking. "How are you and Hermione doing?"

Ron turned to look at his sister-in-law in surprise. "Good. I mean, I think we're all right. We talked everything through."

"Not living together again though, are you?"

Ron shook his head as he passed Finley back to Fred so that he could drink his beer. "No. We never really outright said it, but I think we've both agreed that's one of the things we're going to wait on. We're taking it slow. I'm mostly moved back in at the house with Harry as I'd rather him not be alone, but Hermione's staying with her parents. Some nights she does stay over though."

"Living together can be an adjustment," Fiadh agreed. "This one snores like a bloody dragon."

Fred wiggled his eyebrows. "Well, when I'm hung like a dragon…"

Fiadh laughed. "You wish."

"Oooh," Ron said with a grin. "Burn."

Fred rolled his eyes. "She loves me. I'm the best she's ever had."

"It's important to our relationship that he thinks that," Fiadh said.

Ron snorted. "How are you two doing anyway? Big adjustment with two kids?"

"And then some," Fiadh said. "But I think we're doing all right."

"Me too," Fred agreed, reaching out for her hand. "Caragh and Mum are around once or twice a week to help out as needed, but Fiadh and I are handling things well. The girls are definitely a handful. I swear they time it so that as soon as we get one of them down, the other wakes up. And bloody hell, Felicity flies right into Finley's cot most nights. First time I found her cot empty I almost had a bloody heart attack."

"Fae magic?"

Fiadh nodded. "Definitely part of it. These two are going to keep us on our toes."

"George was here yesterday. We kept swapping the babies back and forth and watching them look between us in confusion," Fred said with a grin. "Felicity figured it out first, but Finley was just as quick. My girls know their daddy."

"Merlin! I never even thought about that," Ron admitted with a laugh. "Identical twins to babies must be so confusing!"

"Yeah, and it's not like they take in the fake leg."

"I suppose not."

Fred took the girls to the joke shop a few hours in the morning to give Fiadh a break. She would come pick them up just before lunch and bring them home. It was working for them and they had come up with a good system between them.

They put the twins in the portable cot so that they could eat and Ron dug into the stew with gusto. It was fantastic.

"Fiadh, this is incredible."

Fiadh beamed. "Thank you. It's an old family recipe."

Ron was on his third bowl when Fred cleared his throat.

"You know, mate, George and I were talking about you and Hermione and living at Harry's the other day."

"Oh?"

"We know that come June, Ginny's going to be moving in full time and with you and Hermione living apart, we wondered what the plan was."

Ron lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we assume you won't want to stay with Harry and Ginny. I mean, those two can barely keep their hands off of each other as it is," Fred said. "Living with them… mate, you might see things you don't want to see."

Ron snorted. "That broom sailed long ago, but you have a point."

Fred laughed. "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. So anyway, George mentioned the flat over the shop and we kind of thought maybe you and Hermione might want to take it."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Fred said. "It has a private entrance up the back so you don't have to come through the shop and the space is just sitting there since Fiadh and I bought this place."

Ron leaned back in his seat as he reached for his drink. "You know that might be perfect. I don't know if Hermione will want to move back in with me just yet, but come the summer once Ginny's moved into Clevedon, I might take you up on it."

"Great," Fred said. "Let us know when you do."

Ron helped himself to more stew, taking in his brother's offer and thought it was exactly what he needed. He would definitely be thinking about it.

~ TTTC ~

The media was seriously getting on Harry's last nerve. Over the years, the papers had written about him time and again from his Chosen One title to mentioning him as taking on the title of Somerset. It had gotten worse in the last year since he'd defeated Voldemort, calling him The Man Who Defeated Voldemort, a god of lightning and thunder, and other ridiculous monikers that he tried to ignore. Now with Ginny playing for the Harpies, his name was linked with hers even more often than not, but now… he was really getting annoyed.

It had been a week since the media had learned of Sirius returning from the dead and there was no where he could go that he wasn't immediately accosted by journalists. It had become so bad over the last two days that Higgins had put him on desk duty so that he could do the field work without being hindered.

Three journalists had been arrested for interfering in an investigation in hopes of trying to get to Harry and yet nothing seemed to deter them. The more he shouted out "no comment" the more wrong the news seemed to be.

POTTER CLAIMS BLACK'S BEEN IN HIDING FOR YEARS!

SIRIUS BLACK'S RETURN FROM THE DEAD
KILLED MAGIZOOLOGIST ZAHIRA ZACARIAS!

JUSTICE FOR ZACARIAS!
RETURN BLACK TO HIS GRAVE!

POTTER HAS BECOME THE NEW DARK LORD!
IS A NEW WAR BEGINNING?

IF POTTER GOES DARK, WHO CAN WE TRUST?

POTTER USING DARK MAGIC AS AN AUROR QUESTIONS THE
INTEGRITY OF DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT!

HARPY'S NEWEST SUPERSTAR ACCUSED OF USING DARK MAGIC TO BECOME A PLAYER!

HAS GINNY WEASLEY SECRETLY BEEN WORKING FOR VOLDEMORT FOR YEARS?
NEW DEATH EATERS ON THE RISE!

THE MARQUESS OF SOMERSET ABOVE THE LAW?
WHEN IS ENOUGH ENOUGH?

It seemed that he was being accused of everything from being too rich to being the cause of Ginny's success to being the downfall of society and Harry honestly didn't know how to take it. If he wasn't talking to his mind healer on a regular basis he was starting to fear that he might have snapped.

McCraight assured him that it would pass and he knew the man was right, it always did, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with. Dealing with Sirius was also getting both harder and easier.

Sirius still didn't fully remember what he'd done when he didn't have a soul, but Robards and Kingsley had been able to ascertain enough information to dig up some possible hiding spots for Lestrange and Crouch. They had Aurors looking into the places and as much as Harry wanted to be on that team, he knew his celebrity status for the moment would only hinder those searches. So far nothing had turned up, but the team was positive it wouldn't be much longer.

Sebastian and Durant had continued to interview Brambilla along with Higgins and Baxter. Harry spoke with her a few more times as well and once she started talking, she didn't stop. She knew that she had nothing left to lose. The ICW alone had enough evidence piled against her for multiple life sentences. She was going to die in prison and she knew it. She spilled more crimes at the feet of Lestrange and Crouch as well, but so far even with Brambilla's intel, the two were still in the wind.

In between his interviews with Robards and Kingsley, Sirius worked with the Arcanums in the Department of Mysteries under Healer Galibrath who ran tests on his body and on his soul. Since he was the first person to survive the process of a re-soulling in centuries, he had agreed to let them use his story as part of their research. Galibrath had given him a full clean bill of health and as relieved as Harry was to know it meant that Sirius was truly back for good, part of him was still worried.

And that worry all had to do with Zee.

Harry knew that Sirius felt guilty over Zee's situation and as much as he knew his godfather wasn't to blame, he also wanted to pass the blame his way. If Sirius hadn't been resurrected, Zee would still be alive. But if Zee hadn't been kidnapped, Sirius would still be dead. It was a conundrum that no matter which way he looked, part of him questioned everything.

The healers looking after Zee had St Mungo's were keeping him informed of any changes, but so far the frozen state had yet to decrease which was a sign they still had time; Harry just didn't know how much. Everything they did know was based on so much theory, but as Ron assured him, if Sirius could come back from the dead, nothing was impossible.

As to Sirius being home again — it was amazing.

Mina and Leo were thriving under having their "dada" home and their little faces lit up at the sight of him. Harry spent every night over having dinner, some nights with Sorcha, Colt, and Flo present as well. It felt like old times and when Remus and Tonks showed up with Teddy, it just felt right.

If only Zee could be there too.

"It's normal to feel guilty, Harry," McCraight assured him. "It's a normal feeling when one is grieving."

"I don't know if grieving is the right term."

"Perhaps not, but it is part of what you're doing," McCraight said. "Even though your mother is alive in a physical sense, she isn't with you. You're grieving her absence as much as you're thriving under the return of your father."

Harry knew McCraight was right about that.

He was dealing better with things and the three times a week sessions were helping. They talked about life with Sirius again, about the investigation, and about how Harry was dealing with the press. He always left feeling exhausted but less anxious and stressed. Talking to McCraight was definitely a life saver. It was why he insisted on Sirius doing the same thing.

"I'm glad it's helping you, Harry," Sirius said after they'd put Mina and Leo to bed for the night. "But mind healers aren't for me."

"I said I wouldn't push, but I'm going to," Harry insisted. "You came back from the fucking dead, Uncle Sirius. You need to talk to someone other than me and Uncle Moony."

"I'll think about it."

"No," Harry said. "I've already set you up with someone. You have an appointment tomorrow at half past eleven."

Sirius frowned. "Harry, I won't be forced into this. I've been doing nothing but bloody talking since I came back!"

"Yeah and you need to talk to someone who can help you heal. With everything you have going on in your head, how are you supposed to help save Zee?"

Sirius scowled. "Talking to some mind healer isn't going to miraculously help save her."

"No, but it might help you to stop blaming yourself."

Sirius let out a frustrated breath before he agreed to keep the appointment. McCraight had agreed to take Sirius on himself since he was familiar with the case and the background and Harry was sure that Sirius would benefit from talking to the man.

And he did.

After three sessions, Sirius reluctantly agreed that he was feeling better after talking. Harry didn't press for more, but he hoped that his father kept up the sessions.

Work kept him busy and after a week, the media frenzy finally cooled down enough that he was able to get back into the field. He and Higgins solved a case of a potions addict who was found dead in Knockturn Alley and another that brought another charge against Fleming. Ron and Baxter had found Melinda Samuels hiding out in Dorset and she'd been arrested for the murder of Dekker. Samuels was claiming self-defence and Ron told Harry he was pretty sure she'd win that argument. Ron and Baxter had also finally closed the arson case in Brighton. The victim had been an ex boyfriend of the homeowner Curtis Rutherford and despite Rutherford's alibi, he had proven to have killed the man. Rutherford had tied his ex, Corbin Young, to the bed and then lit the place on fire. He claimed Young had cheated one too many times. Ron and Baxter had arrested him while he screamed that Young had deserved it.

Life as an Auror was definitely interesting.

Meanwhile, Higgins helped Harry go over some of the things he needed to study in order to write his A2 exam next month and he was starting to feel like life was going back to normal. He managed to attend five out of Ginny's eight matches, cheering his girlfriend on loudly in the crowd and snogging her senseless after each match (even catching her before the match to give her his usual good luck kiss).

He'd even managed to get her alone after the last one and the two of them had shagged like animals against the wall of the entranceway in Clevedon Court, not even bothering to undress properly.

Harry kissed the back of her neck as he finished, holding her waist as she leaned against the wall, his trousers at his ankles. Her skirt was bunched at her hips and her knickers were stuck at her knees.

"Merlin, you're gorgeous," he murmured.

Ginny snuck a look over her shoulder, her eyes dazed in pleasure and her cheeks flushed. "Mmm and you're still inside of me."

Harry kissed her. "Can't move."

She wiggled and he groaned, reluctantly slipping out of her body. Ginny turned in his arms, linking her arms around his neck.

"You know, we're getting awfully good at this."

He grinned and kissed her again. "Yes, we are. Come on, let's go shower. I want you spread out on that bench so I can properly feast on you."

Ginny's eyes twinkled. "You always know exactly how I want to celebrate my wins."

"Abso-bloody-lutely," he said before he tugged his trousers back up and then scooped her up into his arms.

Ginny laughed when he lifted her over his shoulder. "Put me down, you fool!"

Harry ignored her and slapped her naked bottom. "After."

Then he carried her up the stairs as she shrieked in laughter and into the master bath. They kissed as they undressed and when Harry walked her backwards into the shower, closing the glass door behind her, she settled herself back on the warm bench and spread her legs.

"I need you, Harry."

Harry licked his lips and knelt on the floor as the hot water rained down on him. He slid his hands up over her thighs, spreading her wider and then with a devilish grin, bent his head and took what he wanted.

Ginny's fingers clutched his hair, her knee lifting as she rode his tongue and fingers shamelessly. Her moans echoed on the tile and Harry lapped at her, his free hand working his erection desperately while he tasted her. When she came, he buried his tongue deeper to taste every bit of her and then he pulled her to her feet, bent her over the bench, and slammed into her.

It was fast and hot and she came again as they both cried out, panting and shagging without abandon before they slid down to the floor, clutching each other breathlessly.

"Mmm," Harry murmured, kissing her shoulders. "Fuck, you taste so bloody good."

Ginny turned to press her mouth against his. "I love you."

Harry kissed her forehead. "I love you."

They cleaned up and it was only once they were both wrapped in towels did Ginny slip her arms around his waist and tilt her head back to look up at him. She watched him shove his glasses back on before she spoke.

"Harry? You're still taking the potion, right?"

Harry's face must have shown his startled thoughts because she ran her hands up his back.

"I'm not pregnant, Harry. I just… I want to make sure that we're both still being safe."

Harry's hands fisted in the towel wrapped around her. "I am. You?"

She nodded. "Yes. I know that it's not one hundred percent guaranteed, but… we aren't exactly being abstinent here and after Hermione's scare…"

Harry leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. "Are you worried?"

"Not worried," she whispered. "I know that we're being cautious and safe, but it doesn't hurt to double-check. With how well the Harpies are going I just…"

"I know," he said, kissing her cheek. "I love you, Ginny. I'm still taking the potion, I promise."

"I trust you," Ginny assured him before she let her fingers loosen the knot on his towel. It fell to the bathroom floor and she licked her lips. "Oops, let me get that."

Then she lowered herself to her knees, her hands moving to touch the towel while her tongue dragged across his balls and he groaned.

"Gin…"

Ginny licked him again before she smiled and then her mouth wrapped around him.

"Gin…" he repeated on a moan when she began to suck on him.

Harry rested his hands on her head, watching her mouth work him. It hardly took any time at all for him to be hard again as her mouth kept working him until he was sure he was done for. His knees felt weak when he finally pulled her off and up to her feet.

"Enough."

Ginny licked her lips. "I wasn't done."

Harry pulled her into their bedroom and pushed her back onto the bed. "Yes, you were."

Then he crawled on top of her, his cock sliding against her and her nails dug into his back.

"Fuck me, Harry."

He dragged his cock against her again and again and Ginny scowled. Then she was shoving him off and over, tackling him to the bed. She pinned his arms up above his head, straddling him before she bent her head to suck a nipple into his mouth. He moaned and she reached between them to pump him.

"Always making me do all the work," she teased.

Then her hand was gripping him as she lowered herself down and took him deep inside of her. Harry made to move his hands and Ginny slammed them back down above his head.

"Don't move, Harry," she demanded.

Harry kept his hands up and watched as Ginny rose up over him and rode him into the mattress. Her red hair was wet as it tickled her breasts, flowing over her back, water droplets flicking out to land on his chest and arms, on his thighs; he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Ginny was a goddess. Pale skin shimmering in the low light as she rose above him with her breasts bouncing, perky tight pink nipples taut and desperate for his mouth. He sat up to take between his lips, feeling the burn in his abs as he did so and Ginny only bounced faster. He sucked on the peak, basking in the sweet taste of her before he flipped them, pinning her to the mattress in a move so smooth he didn't even leave her body. Ginny gasped and Harry sucked harder at her breast, moving in and out of her in a fast tempo that made them both yearn.

Then Ginny was on top again and he held her hips, watching her take him with her head tipped back as she came and he thought that he would die a happy man if this was the last vision he ever saw.

When she collapsed on top of him, breathless and sweaty, he kissed the top of her head.

"Feel better?"

Ginny snorted against his chest. "You'll do, Potter."

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, too, Gin."

They cleaned up before snuggling close in the big bed and Harry thought that no matter what the media said, this woman was going to be by his side through it all. She was his everything and maybe it was about time they really talked about what that meant.

He kissed the top of her head again and then let his eyes close, a soft smile still teasing his lips.