August 19th, 1981

Against the dark Wiltshire sky, the Malfoy Manor stood, stately and proud, a reflection of the long legacy its inhabitants upheld. All was dark, the only light source coming from the moon, still shining brightly despite the sheets of rain that poured down.

A mangy dog huddled by the front hedges, hidden from view, its black fur matted down as it kept a watchful gaze fixated on the manor. It was careful not to approach the gates too closely, much too familiar with the security measures that had been placed to keep the unwanted out, guests and pests alike. Instead, the dog kept its distance, tensed and listening for the smallest disturbances in the night.

He had been stationed at the Malfoy Manor every night for the past few weeks, keeping a trained eye on the manor while the rest of the world slept. It was the first night of quiet. Usually, the manor was aglow, the child awake and temperamental, screaming into the night. His wails would echo into the night, often shrill enough to nearly pierce the dog's highly tuned ears. From his perch in the bushes, he would watch Narcissa pace the halls, cooing to her screaming child, her willowy figure a ghostly silhouette as she swept past each window. Motherhood fit her like a glove, the dog noticed, half-impressed and half-furious.

But tonight, there was nothing. Dark and silent, it was like watching an empty house.

Pop!

The unmistakable sound of apparating broke the stillness of the night.

A woman stumbled forward, clutching a bundle tightly to her chest. Even from a distance the dog could smell the desperation and fear on her, wrapping around her like the black cloak she wore. The rain didn't seem to hit her. Instead, it simply melted around her, as if she was sealed under an invisible barrier. The hood of her cloak had fallen as she stumbled, a dark mess of hair framing her sharp jaw, her gray eyes darting around the empty drive.

The dog instinctively backed deeper into the hedges, its hackles raised in defense. Only its eyes were visible now, to those who knew where to look. It watched silently, fixated on the stranger.

She approached the gate without hesitation, her stride never faltering as the gate swung open for her noiselessly. This marked her as someone who visited the Manor often, or at least, as someone important enough to remember. As she moved she clutched the bundle tighter to her chest, as if she feared someone was lurking in the shadows, ready to snatch it away.

Behind her, the dog raced to follow, darting through the already-closing gate before disappearing once again into the underbrush of the hedges. The woman whipped around at the sound of the bushes rustling, her eyes wide with fear. From his hiding place, the dog could see she was trembling uncontrollably, and that tears were streaming down her flushed cheeks.

Upon reaching the front door she placed the bundle gently on the doorstep and raised her hand to grab the snake-like knocker, but paused before she could bring herself to. Instead, she muffled a sob, her hands covering her mouth to muffle the sound. She knelt beside the bundle, adjusting something within it and muttering frantically, too low for the dog to make out anything specific. Before she could take a moment to reconsider, the woman stood stiffly, knocked twice on the door, and vanished as quickly as she had arrived.

Ignoring all threats of being spotted, the dog bolted forward, barely registering the icy sheets of rain as he raced to see what the bundle contained. Once closer, he padded cautiously, nudging the blankets away with his nose.

The dog found himself nose-to-nose with a baby girl. She was sound asleep, her breathing slow and deep as if she were under the effects of a sleeping draught. The tufts of hair peeking out from under the blanket were honey blonde, and a thin silver locket was around her neck, a rose engraved on the front with two small ruby-red roses on either side.

The sound of the manor door unlocking again made the hackles stand on the back of the dog's neck. It growled, prowling back to its hiding place, never taking its eyes from the small girl in front of the door.

To the dog's surprise, neither Lucius nor Narcissa appeared. Instead, a small creature peered timidly out from beyond the double doors, its bulging eyes darting around nervously. Once it spotted the child bundled on the floor, it let out a shrill squeak.

From many reconnaissance missions to Malfoy Manor, the dog recognized the house elf immediately. Dobby had always been loyal and quiet, if not permanently hunched in anticipation of being punished. So what surprised him most was that instead of bringing the child immediately inside, the house elf shut the door gently behind him and let out a guttural moan, bashing his head against the marble pillar nearest the front steps.

After a few seconds of this, Dobby glanced back at the sleeping child, as if to confirm that she was truly there. He bundled her up stiffly, an already difficult task considering she was almost half his size, and began the long trek down the drive of the manor.

The dog followed, intrigued, making sure to keep close to the shadows until the house elf reached the gate. Dobby rushed beyond and made to drop the child into the deserted street, abruptly stopping himself before his arms could release and instead, he dropped to the floor with the child in his lap. He slammed a balled-up fist against his forehead and began to wail once more.

The dog watched for another moment before making a split-second decision, one that he hoped he wouldn't come to regret. Still, under the cover of the bushes, he transformed, emerging now as the lanky twenty-one-year-old Sirius Black. He pulled the collar of his jacket up around his face and shook out his already dripping, stringy hair, hoping that the tangled strands would do enough to hide his face from immediate recognition. Granted, he had never met his cousin's house elf (he hadn't had the pleasure of actually being invited inside the manor since his youth), but he didn't want to leave any room for error.

Sirius stuck his hands deep in his pockets and, as casually as possible, as if he always enjoyed long strolls down empty Wiltshire streets in the rain, passed by the front of the manor. The elf was wheezing, on his knees now, and he scrambled back to his feet at the sight of the man.

"Here sir, please, she can't stay," the house elf panted out, exhausted from carrying the child and beating his forehead raw. He tried desperately to force the child into Sirius' arms, his long fingers clawing onto the hem of his leather jacket. "Can't stay here…Dobby won't let her, no sir, won't allow it at all…"

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, taken by surprise at how the elf was handing over a child to a stranger without any hesitation. "Who is she?"

"Won't let things go this way, no sir, Dobby won't…" Dobby pushed the child towards Sirius more forcefully. "Dobby must protect…keep her safe, can't stay here, won't be safe…"

He would've let the girl drop to the floor if Sirius hadn't swept her into his arms in time. He stiffened, immediately taken aback at how unnatural it felt to be holding a child. He had never been good with them. His thoughts raced back to watching Narcissa night after night, how gracefully she worked to calm her son as he screamed through the night. He loved children, he really did, but more when they were old enough for the rough-and-tumble activities. His blood boiled, hating the weakness he felt, like no matter what he did, he could never fully protect the fragile life in his arms. He watched as her head lolled to the side, a deep stuttering breath her only reaction to being tossed around. Definitely under a sleeping potion, he thought. That eased his fears a bit.

"Why wouldn't she be safe?" Sirius hoisted the child higher in one arm, reaching to grab the house elf with the other.

But Dobby was faster. He ducked away, his face gravely still and his eyes never leaving Sirus'. Still mumbling to himself, the house elf snapped his fingers and vanished. The gates of Malfoy Manor were closed once again, leaving Sirius shell-shocked and alone on the road, a baby he had never seen before still fast asleep in his arms.

He had never intended for this.

September 1st, 1981

Two weeks later, Sirius stood along a bare stretch of cliffs in Dorset, tapping his foot impatiently. It was late at night, somewhere in the early hours of the morning, and the young man had grown tired of waiting. He could hear the water crashing against the bottom of the cliffs far below him, but it was too dark to make out many details. Next to him, the tall and imposing figure of Alastor Moody stood silently, his nose still roughly bandaged. His dark eyes stared straight ahead, making it nearly impossible to decipher what the famed Auror was thinking.

"How much longer?" Sirius nearly whined, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He didn't care if he sounded like a petulant child, he felt as if they had been standing there for hours, and he was getting antsy.

"Quiet," Moody growled, his eyes never leaving the dark stretch in front of them. "Won't be long now."

Sirius huffed and crossed his arms, trying once again to scan the inky black for himself.

It had been exactly two weeks since Sirius had accidentally acquired a baby girl from outside Malfoy Manor. He had apparated to James and Lily's home immediately, taking advantage of their recent parental status in hopes that they would know how to better care for the child, who was slowly starting to wake from her potion-induced sleep. At the mere mention of 'Malfoy', James disappeared to call in reinforcements, and soon the house was filled with members of the Order of the Phoenix, all eager to get a look at the stolen child.

The presence of two babies (and eventually a third, counting the later arrival of Alice and Frank Longbottom with their son, Neville) brought unexpected joy to the house, much needed and hard to find in the face of the current war. But, of course, it was Alastor Moody who sobered them all once again.

He sat quietly in a secluded room and let Sirius explain the situation, his face never betraying even a smidge of emotion. There were fresh, still-oozing cuts on his face, his nose nearly shorn off from his run-in with Evan Rosier a few hours earlier. As soon as Sirius finished, Moody disappeared into the house, returning with the last two Order members Sirius had expected to see in his wake: Arabella Figg, and his former best friend, Remus Lupin. Sirius gave Remus a cold stare, which the other returned for a moment, before glancing back to Moody.

Moody explained the plan effortlessly: Arabella would house the child in the Muggle world with Remus as her guard, gathering information and protecting the child from any prying eyes. Moody would handle the rest, and only when the threat of danger for the child had passed, she would be relocated. It wasn't a permanent solution, but it would work for a time.

"Why can't we just change her name and keep her protected for the rest of her life?" Arabella had asked quietly. "I'd be happy to house her. Let her live a normal life."

"That isn't our job, Arabella, we aren't a child protection program. And besides, with her family, she'll never have a normal life. We're simply doing what we can to ensure she gets raised outside of Malfoy's influence." Moody's answer was gruff, simple, and exactly what the group didn't want to hear. "If this house elf was so determined to keep her away from them, our best bet is to hide her away with someone on our side."

Remus had opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius beat him to it, deeply offended that he hadn't been considered for defensive duties. After all, he was the one who had rescued the child in the first place, putting himself at risk by removing the little girl from the manor. He felt like he was owed the right to at least be a part of the plan, to help protect the child that he had already (if, unintentionally) risked so much for. But Moody hadn't even given him a second glance.

A soft pop sounded, snapping Sirius from his memories.

Two figures had appeared in the darkness before them, one male and one female. The woman carried the familiar bundle carefully in her arms while the man lit their way, his arm linked firmly with hers.

"Arabella. Remus." Moody's gruff voice pierced the night as the two got closer. "How'd it go?"

"Other than a bout of nasty side-along apparition, the girl's right as rain, the sweetheart," Arabella cooed, cuddling the girl to her frail frame.

Sirius peered forward at the girl, who was squirming in Arabella's grasp, fussing after what was probably an exhausting experience for her small body. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how to act upon those instincts, keeping his arms crossed tightly over his chest instead. The girl twisted in Arabella's grasp, extending her arms to Remus, whining softly "We-moo, up. We-moo…"

Moody continued, "Did you manage to learn anything useful?"

"This is Aurora Minette Rosier," Remus answered, tucking his wand back into his pocket and picking up the girl, who hummed happily. "Daughter of Evan and Amalthea Rosier, née Fawley. Apparently, she had been a spy for the Dark Lord for nearly two years now. Saw that in a news report. The same night that you defeated Evan, the Rosier Manor went up in flames and burned completely to the ground, no bodies recovered. Seems the Ministry believes the Rosier line is finished, both mother and daughter believed to be dead."

"Can't imagine how heartbroken her family must be," Arabella sighed, hand to her chest. "She and the baby had been living with them full-time, and the Fawleys didn't know a lick about it. Claimed Amalthea had always been on the side of the Ministry and she must have been under an Imperius Curse. But between you and me, she hasn't been right ever since her father died."

Remus gave Moody a meaningful look before continuing. "Even with the Ministry's ruling of their deaths, the Malfoys are still searching for her. Narcissa's the girl's godmother - Amalthea loved her like a sister."

"As expected," Moody grimaced. "Nothing can be done about that now. They can search all they'd like, that's why we took immediate action."

"Gotten attached, eh, Moony?" Sirius' tone was unmistakably flat, a stab of jealousy piercing his chest as Remus bounced the child expertly in his arms. Remus had always been the better of the two with younger children; their time spent with Sirius' own godson had proven that. He watched the girl - Aurora, he reminded himself - nestle comfortably against Remus' chest, her tiny fingers gripping tightly to the lapel of his overworn blazer. "She's not sticking around much longer, probably best to…"

"Yes, thank you, Sirius." Remus snapped, both men not missing his sharp use of Sirius' name, instead of their school nicknames they used before the war.

"Yes, she's taken quite the liking to him," Arabella chimed in, her voice dreamy. She patted Aurora's arm gently, ignoring the tension between the two silently fuming men. "It's going to be rough on Marius when she realizes that Mr. Lupin won't be around to coddle her every day."

Moody grunted in reply

"Speaking of Marius," Arabella continued, waggling her finger in Moody's face, suddenly serious. "There's a matter I'd like to discuss with you."

Despite being the only active Squib in the Order of the Phoenix, Arabella Figg held an air of authority that often made even the most formidable members stop and listen.

"It's not that I don't trust Marius Fawley with the girl. He seems sensible enough, and I know him to be trustworthy. But I don't believe we should be leaving her alone with anyone without some form of protection from the Order."

"What do you expect us to do, Arabella?" Moody huffed. "We're already leaving the girl with a blood relative that Dumbledore explicitly chose and trusts, under extreme magical protections. Anything else would result in too much direct interference."

"Give the poor girl a godfather, to combat that nasty godmother she already has." Arabella crossed her arms, a smug look on her face. She wasn't going to be talked down from this idea, her mind was already made up. She smiled sweetly at Remus. "She's already taken quite the liking to Mr. Lupin here."

"Him?" Sirius barked, startling Aurora in Remus' arms. He laughed. "The resident werewolf? In charge of a child? Him, and not me, the one who actually saved her from being raised by the Malfoys in the first place?"

"You have such a hero complex," Remus growled. But his scarred face had already flushed, betraying his gruff tone.

Moody let out a 'hrmph' of agreement, nodding to Arabella.

"Fine." He glanced at Remus, who had subconsciously tightened his grip on Aurora. "Congratulations, son. Keep all interactions with her exactly below zero."

Remus nodded stiffly, ignoring Sirius' glare. Arabella sighed happily and, with that, Moody turned and limped away into the darkness of the night. Sirius took longer steps to keep pace with him, refusing to fall back with Remus and Arabella, who was using the former as a sort of walking support.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, picking their way across the cliffside carefully. Despite the darkness not giving anything away, Moody stopped abruptly near the edge of a cliff, holding an arm out to stop the still-bitter Sirius from tromping off the edge.

"Read this." Moody fished a sliver of paper from his pocket and dropped it in Sirius' hand. "Focus hard, then pass it along."

Sirius squinted down at the curled penmanship. He didn't recognize the handwriting, but was able to make out the words:

Marius Fawley

The Cottage Along the Cliffs

Dorset, England

Sirius passed the paper to Arabella, focusing on what he had just read. Just before he could find the entire charade absolutely ridiculous, a red door appeared, followed by the rest of a grey-shingled house, almost as if it had been inflated from the side of the cliff. Sirius leaned over the dizzyingly high edge, following the cottage's frame as it opened itself along the side of the cliff like a vine of crawling ivy.

As Lupin set fire to the slip of paper, Moody approached the door, rapping against the rough redwood three times.

"Marius! Open up, it's time to meet your niece."

Oh Merlin, what has Sirius gotten the Order into with this baby? & what will the Malfoys do when they realize she's gone?

Apologies for the delayed update, but get excited folks, next chapter we'll finally meet our main character!