A/N: It's crunch time for my dissertation and I may be sporadically posting for the next month. Thanks all for your favorites, follows, and understanding. And to poka eternal thanks for the motivating reviews to keep posting these chapters. Not all heroes wear capes.
Chapter 14: The Misery of Uncertainty
Thursday, July 17, 1980 | Godric's Hollow
The ticking of the clock seemed to bounce off the walls of the small room. Hermione wished it wasn't so loud. Her head was pounding with pain and the beat appeared to be syncing up with the second hand. She saw the Marauders in the backyard celebrating. Everyone appeared to accept Moody's assessment that Voldemort was dead. Even though the people in the house knew there was much more going on than a simple battle in Diagon Alley gone wrong. And yet there was nothing to say Voldemort wasn't dead. The first time around, they enjoyed more than a decade of relief from the dark wizard. That should have been cause for celebration. A mysterious new threat was a change from what was looking like an unstoppable situation. She couldn't blame them for not really understanding that the newcomer was worse. Or not wanting to believe that the old threat wasn't entirely gone.
Lily and James had both survived the encounter. For now. Hermione worried. She hadn't fixed anything. Time was broken. Perhaps the end was inevitable now. Looking at the clock, she'd given Albus enough time to get to the time chamber. Releasing the back of the chair she was using to steady herself, she made sure she was strong enough to stay on her feet. She adjusted the strap of the messenger bag. After several seconds she was confident in her balance, she spun the ring on her right hand and apparated to the secret room in the department of mysteries. A hand steadied her, and Hermione was thankful to find Albus offering support as he led her to a chair. Fiona and Gilford were already in place, looking gravely concerned. It appeared Albus had done the work to douse whatever celebrations the Unspeakables might have been taking part in. Voldemort might be temporarily gone. There was catastrophically large wave of destruction bearing down on them. She placed the bag on her lap, clutching the shape of the Tempus Semita inside. She wanted to see if it would update. She couldn't look until it was copied from that side of the event horizon before placing it into time again. Her urgent need to take action was tempered by the uncertainty of what action was right. "Thank you both for meeting like this. I know it's not really the protocol."
Fiona smiled the best she could. It didn't reach her eyes. "I can't say we have a protocol for this. Albus has briefly explained. Perhaps you can elaborate."
Explaining was the action she had in mind. It was necessary. It was also an opportunity to work out the situation in its entirety. Fiona and Gilford would know it all when they consulted the tome she had from the future. Albus… well Albus was critical for her plan to ensure the future progressed as close to possible as it was intended. That thought made her sad for her friend. She was about to ask him to carry the weight of the future on his back. With a nod, it was the only way that she could see. She told them about Bellatrix and the time turner. The clone and how he was stabilized. The prophecy and what it showed her. She didn't leave a detail out. In all it took over an hour. The three people in front of her listened with rapt attention, asking only clarifying questions. It was as if she was spinning a horrible tale around a campfire. The darkness of the void around her added to the ominous feeling. Seeing the haze of the event horizon, she tried not to think about the damage it could do if it was crossed anywhere other than the waterfall door. Humphrey didn't need to know how he met his end. Yet. "Before I left the event horizon in my time, I made a Semita to track the changes Tom made to the past. I have it here. It's been protected."
Fiona's hand jerked in toward the bag. She was itching for proof and data. Hermione worried. What if the bag hadn't protected it and there was no proof. If she didn't have the witan behind her, she'd never get Tom back to a corrected future. If that happened, she wasn't ruling out bringing one of them to her present time to see the duplicated semita. It would be an incredible risk. It might be the only way if this didn't work. With a shake in her hand, Hermione opened the bag to reveal the spine. Albus reached out to help, stopped himself to get permission. She nodded and let him wrestle to book out. Fiona took it from him, stood, and put it on the central podium. With a wave of her wand the entire, terrible mess erupted. Timelines blazing like fire in the air. The colors burned so deep red toward the end, they looked like they were etched in blood. That might not be that far off from the truth.
"Merlin's beard," Gilford breathed out as he slowly stood. "All this destruction done by one wizard?"
"Or the absence of one," Hermione offered an alternative, glanced nervously at Albus. He was studying a branch on the edges. It was as if it had been pushed outward by all the change. Something that might have fit neatly in time until it didn't. Pushing herself up from the chair, she joined him and wasn't unsurprised to see it was her history.
He sensed her presence without looking at her, his arm moved inches to take her hand in his, intuitively knowing where she was. "You remember all of this?"
Squeezing her eyes tight, tears slipped out. "I do. All of it."
At the admission, his hand jerked, squeezed harder. He finally looked away from the awful events and met her eyes. There was sadness and rage in his. He kept his thoughts to himself, sensing it wasn't the time or place. He finally released her and turned toward the center of the room, walking right passed the reporting of his execution to the heart of it all. Tom Gaunt. "Will simply returning him to his present undo all of this?"
"Well, let's see what stopping him from killing Harry did," Gilford offered, copied the semita and sent the copy to the other books just inside the event horizon. With another spell, the timeline from that book was overlaid on top of the unchanged tome. It was markedly different. The colors were strange.
"I've never seen anything like this," Fiona said reverently.
"What is it?" Albus asked.
Early events were shifting between shades blue and black, some stayed red. The most damaging changes at the end of the timeline were purple. "The book isn't certain yet. It's not committing to any changes, corrections or otherwise. We need to cross reference everything. This could take a few days. Or it might not sort itself out until after the time of the change has passed. This is really uncharted territory. We won't know how a tempus tome from the future will behave in the past."
Hermione didn't feel like she had a few days. There might not be much of a choice. Between her weakened state and the cautious nature of the witan regarding time, days could be optimistic. "Would it be helpful if you knew what events I consider to be turning points in defeating Voldemort and capturing Tom in my time? The correct time."
"It can't hurt. We won't know if any of those events will matter or even be an option," Gilford said. "Until Tom is gone from the past the more damage will be done."
"Can we just go back in time to the battle in Diagon Alley and take him out?" Dumbledore asked.
"It's an option. Let us run all the scenarios," Fiona answered.
Hermione understood why that seemed like the easiest solution. "You'd only get so many chances with that option. If you failed and your actions got in the way of me saving Harry and Lily it could be all over." There were any number of changes that could be attempted in the past. "You'd risk a paradox and ruin any chance we'd have at knowing how the changes were affecting the future."
The group was silent for several seconds as they considered the observation. "If we decide to apprehend Tom and return him to his time, we'll need to do it without the ministry's help. The auror's office would never allow us to take custody of a prisoner and not explain where they went."
"We still have the Order of the Phoenix. The trick will be to get to Tom before the aurors round him up with the other Death Eaters," Dumbledore said.
"It sounds like we all have our assignments then. Should we meet back here tomorrow?" Gilford suggested.
Leaving the matter in other people's hands induced some panic. Reminding herself that it was all much bigger than her, she knew her only chance at success was going to be with help. She trusted everyone there and reluctantly nodded her consent. "I'll annotate everything I believe to be important," she said, slung the messenger bag around her shoulder, noting how light it felt with only the potions and time turner inside. "I'll see you back at the house," she told Albus and turned on the spot, returning to her small bedroom. Hermione sat heavily in the chair next to the window. Everyone was still outside, they were out in the tree line now, outside the protections. They weren't celebrating anymore and it looked like Moody was gone. Replaced by someone else. Concerned it was Peter, Hermione stood and leaned closer to the glass. The body language of the marauders was stiff and defensive. She got out her wand. If Peter was there, he knew there was fidelius charm and might be trying to get back in his friends good graces. And Tom could be right behind him. She shouldn't have left. Leaving her room, she headed for the back door.
"You're back? I didn't hear you. That ring must be silent," Lily said from a seat at the table. "Did everything go alright at the ministry?"
"I'm not sure," Hermione answered absently glancing at the ring. She had no way to know if her apparition was silent when using it. It was something to ask Fiona and may be useful information. She continued to look out the back door. It wasn't Peter. The other person was too tall, too thin. "Who's here?"
Lily looked out in concern. "It's a friend of mine. He's come to help."
"How do you know?" As Hermione asked, the man turned toward the house. "Severus."
That had Lily on her feet. "You know Sev?" she asked apprehensively, knowing the mysterious girl had future knowledge.
Hermione didn't put her wand away. Snape turned when Voldemort went after Lily. That was out of grief for her death. It was possible that all changed. Would just attacking her be enough or was he now working for Tom? "I do. How do you know he's here to help?"
The tone in Hermione's voice had Lily covering her baby bump protectively. "He sent an owl that was intercepted by a charm Dumbledore put in place. James told him to meet out there. He thinks he's meeting in a secluded location. He doesn't know he's right outside our property."
"Why are they questioning him? They should have waited for Albus."
"He's offering information about Death Eater locations as proof of his change of heart," Lily sounded like she was proud of Snape's decision after Voldemort was destroyed.
Hermione rubbed her forehead. If they shared that information with the ministry their plan might be unworkable, she'd need to convince them to keep this information secret. That could jeopardize Snape and Hermione would need him to help her with the Umbra and the memory potion. She needed him to turn. It occurred to her that she was lucky Tom hadn't convince Voldemort that Snape was a liability and had him killed. Either Tom didn't know Snape wasn't in Azkaban or he hadn't worked out what that meant.
Inside information on known Death Eater locations would work in their favor if it stayed with them. On the other hand, it could all be a trap. She wanted to know what was being said. She wanted to talk to Snape. A pop of someone apparating nearby caught her attention. It was likely Albus. It got the group's attention outside too. Hermione opened the back door, saw Sirius and James cross over the enchantments while Remus stayed with Snape. That could be a deadly mistake if Snape was there to find Lily. They just showed Severus that there were powerful enchantments in place right in front of him and they left Remus to fend for himself. Hermione's priorities were divided between Remus and Lily.
Sirius flashed Hermione a smile when he saw her. He dropped it the second he registered her concern. "What's the matter? Someone apparated nearby. Was that you?"
Hermione shook her head. "It's probably Albus. But… go back to Remus. Stay with him until we know."
The young wizard didn't ask questions, he nodded smartly and turned back.
"I think he's really shaken up. I think he's upset You-Know-Who attacked me. He wanted to talk to me. James insisted Severus talk to him first," Lily said as Hermione reentered the house and put herself between the door and Lily.
"That might be true. It was not a great idea to meet so close to the protections," Hermione said, not unkindly. She knew Lily and Severus had been friends once. Hermione's relationship with him in two timelines was complicated. She knew he had the potential to be better. His methods were often questionable. To say Hermione really understood Snape would be an understatement. Love didn't make someone act the way he had to Harry. If events played out differently, maybe he could learn the difference between mutual affection and obsessive possession. Still. He saved her life on many levels. That mattered.
The front door opened. Hermione turned to see James walking through it with Albus. The younger wizard was already telling the headmaster about Severus' visit. Hermione wished she had been there from the start to hear the entire explanation. She wanted to tell Dumbledore what she knew about Snape, give him all the information. It had been the headmaster after all that gained Snape's ultimate loyalty. It should be him to assess whether or not the information he was bringing was legitimate.
Dumbledore looked serious. She could tell he had much he wanted to say to her about their discussion at the ministry and their current dilemma. He stepped closer to her, looked at the mixed company uncomfortably. "Do you know what this is about?" he asked, motioning toward the trio on the other side of the protections.
"I know what was supposed to happen. After Voldemort's spell backfired, he turned. He was critical to our final victory. A lot has changed. Even if he isn't genuine in his offer to help, he'll have information we need." Hermione chose her words carefully. "I think he'll trust you. He respects you. Well, he will."
Albus nodded. "I'll take him someplace private. You should take your potions and rest," he told her, checking her for a fever with his fingertips on her forehead.
"Poppy had to get some supplies. I can get her sorted out," Lily offered. She seemed guarded but understood the caution.
Hermione decided she could rest and work on her task to chronicle critical milestones to preserve in the future if possible. Waiting until Dumbledore was nearing Snape, she turned and gave a reassuring smile to Lily. "He will save my life. I know he's got the potential to do the right thing," she told her, hoping to dispel any uneasiness.
A weight appeared to lift from Lily's shoulders. "The matron would like you to eat. Does anything sound good?"
"Whatever you have. My stomach has settled. Will I be in your way if I do some work at the table?"
Lily's brows knit in confusion. It was curious that a time traveler would have work to do. "If you think you'll be comfortable there, you won't be in my way."
As Hermione sat, she saw Sirius, James, and Remus huddling together in the backyard. No doubt discussing what she had said about one of their school enemies. She fully expected questions from them eventually.
~~/~~
Evaluating the sincerity of a Death Eater wasn't what Dumbledore wanted to be doing at that moment. He was forced to recognize it was an opportunity. His mind was in turmoil, thinking about the disturbing events recorded in the Tempus Semita. The removal of those memories from Hermione had jumped up significantly on his priority list. It wasn't first for the moment and he refocused his attention on the wizard pacing nervously in front of him.
"Is it true what they say? That the Dark Lord tried to kill Lily," Snape asked when he managed to still his movement.
"You weren't there?" he asked. Hermione's warning left him guarded.
Snape's chin went up in defense. "I wasn't. I was asked to deliver something."
"What?" Dumbledore didn't necessarily care what the answer was, he was more interested in whether or not Snape would answer it.
"A potion. To David Greengrass."
The name was familiar. Dumbledore understood the family was plagued by a familial malediction. Why Voldemort would bother with such matters didn't sit right. Then he understood. "Tom asked you do it."
It wasn't a question. The knowledge of Tom was a shock to Snape. "You are well informed."
"Did he ask you to make that delivery at that precise moment?"
"You mean to make sure I wasn't at Diagon Alley? Yes." The revelation didn't sit well with Snape. The implications were far reaching.
"Why?" The question was blunt. Dumbledore didn't have time to be delicate. He needed to know if Severus was already under suspicion and if his information would be tainted.
The younger wizard took a moment. It didn't appear to Dumbledore that he was trying to find the answer. He knew it. He didn't want to say it aloud. Or to Dumbledore. "The Dark Lord knows I love Lily." Once the words were out, he squared his shoulders, waiting for the ridicule.
Albus only felt pity. He hid that emotion under a disguise of compassion. "You didn't know Tom intended for James, Lily, and the baby to die."
"If I did… I would have come to you. If I had known, I would have told you."
For what it was worth, Albus believed him. Perhaps because of Hermione's assertion that he would have turned with the right series of events. Lily dying in a year was likely that event. If the timeline wasn't so damaged.
"What is it you want now?"
"This Tom. He's dangerous. I've seen inside his mind and he's evil."
"As opposed to Voldemort?" Dumbledore challenged him.
Snape was shaking his head. "This is different. There's something very dark within him. It affects those around him. He claims to be the Dark Lord reborn from another time. Not everyone believes him. Lord Voldemort did. It was enough to convince most. Now that Lord Voldemort is gone… many appear willing to follow Tom. He'll be worse than anything the Dark Lord could have done."
"You have no idea," Dumbledore said without further explanation. "James said you're offering information about known Death Eater locations. Do you know where Tom is?"
"Not precisely. I know where he could be. Lucius would know for certain. Or Bellatrix."
Neither one would be inclined to be cooperative without good reason. Bellatrix, maybe not even then. "Do you believe you are compromised? Can you go back? Earn favor with Tom?"
"I've given no reason for Tom to doubt me. I fulfilled his request as asked. I believe they did not trust me to not intervene in the attempt on Lily's life."
"Harry's," Albus corrected.
"What?"
"Harry's life. The baby she's due to deliver. He was the target."
"How could a child be a threat?"
It was clear Snape had a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation. There weren't many people with the information to really understand the danger everyone was in. "It's who the child will become."
"I can go back. If it will help protect Lily."
Overlooking Harry in the matter even after the clarifications wasn't missed. Albus decided it wasn't necessary for Snape to extend his concern from the woman he loved to the child she bore. If it got them someone on the inside, it was enough. "Go back. Present yourself to Lucius to be of service. We need to know how to get to Tom. I need to know. Not the ministry, do you understand? If anything happens I will vouch for you."
The veiled secrecy didn't sit right with Snape. He didn't have much choice in the matter. Moody wasn't going to be inclined to give the Death Eater the benefit of the doubt. Both men knew that. Snape nodded his agreement. "How will we communicate?"
"The Great Clock of Westminster. Messages can be left in the upper chamber. You're the only person to be granted knowledge of the fidelius charm. Only you and I will be able to see the room or enter it."
With the details set, Snape took a step back and apparated away. Albus hoped he hadn't just sent the wizard off to his execution. Tom had future knowledge. He may very well know that Snape helped the Order… helps it in the future. He needed to talk to Hermione. About many things. None of them pleasant. In a blink he was back inside the small property in Godric's Hollow. He knew the rest of their world was celebrating the demise of their enemy. Everyone except the small group gathered there.
His feet felt heavy walking up the pavement to the front door. The atmosphere inside the house was just as dreary as his outlook. Everyone was tired and on edge. They should be celebrating the small victory that Voldemort was gone. For the moment. They should be celebrating the coming birth of a boy to the Potter family. Remus was near the fire reading. Sirius had his wand out by the window near the dining room table. James and Lily were talking in whispers on the couch. Albus guessed they were having differing opinions about Snape's intentions.
"Lupin," Dumbledore said quietly, not wishing to interrupt anyone. He couldn't see Hermione and hoped she was sleeping in the spare room.
Remus closed his book and stood. "Headmaster?" he returned, matching his volume.
"Someone needs to update the Order of the Phoenix. They need to know our services aren't over yet and they must stay vigilant to threats. Can you do that for me?"
"I can. Wouldn't James be better suited?" he asked, resistant to appearing as if he was an authority.
"I think he's needed here with Lily for now. Tell them that the immediate threat of Voldemort may be over for now, he's not gone for good and that there is a new threat. A wizard who appears capable of taking Voldemort's place and wreaking more havoc… just leave out the bit about a time traveling girl. If you understand me."
Remus glanced toward Sirius. In response, Dumbledore looked around the wall separating the sitting area and the dining room to find Hermione sitting at the table, filling up a roll of parchment. "If they ask how I know so much more than everyone else?"
"Tell them you got it from me. I will have assignments once we know what our next move is. Oh, best not to mention Severus."
At the name, Lily turned, clearly listening. Clearing his throat, Dumbledore answered the unasked question. "Severus has returned to gather more information about Tom. He's helping me but that fact needs to stay with only us. His life could be in jeopardy if anyone suspects he's no longer loyal."
"I don't think Tom knows," Hermione said from her spot at the table.
Albus nodded at Lupin, encouraging him to do as requested, then he took a seat next to Hermione. "You don't think Tom knows Snape betrayed him... Voldemort."
She shook her head and then winced at the movement. He couldn't tell if it was just a headache or more that was bothering her. "I don't. He has Voldemort's memories and Snape earned Voldemort's trust after he returned. Tom would remember that. That Snape stayed loyal. Or so he thought. And Tom was isolated while he was in custody. He would have no way of knowing that Severus wasn't also in Azkaban. I think he'll trust him… he just didn't trust him to not intervene yesterday."
"Why?" Lily asked.
Hermione looked up as if she forgot they had an audience. Or maybe she didn't care anymore. She sat back and considered the red-haired witch. Glanced at James, and decided to choose her words carefully. "He still cares for you. Whatever choices he made, your friendship before Hogwarts matters to him."
Appreciating the fine line Hermione was able to tread without making the entire situation awkward and divulging a very private piece of information, Albus cleared his throat. "Why don't we take some time tonight and take part in the celebrations?" he said, changing the subject. "Voldemort is gone for now. That's something. I'll have Gerty bring us some food from Hogwarts."
At the idea, Sirius perked up. "We might need more provisions. Other than food."
Albus took out a small pouch of galleons from his inner pocket, handed it to Sirius. It was a small investment, required to get some privacy to discuss matters more openly with Hermione.
"I'll get some snacks started in the kitchen," Lily offered, pulling James with her, sensing there was a desire to be alone.
Hermione watched the trio go their way. "I think they could really use a night to blow off some steam."
"So could you."
Casting a look of skepticism at him, she unrolled a parchment. "I've identified the most critical events that lead to my success protection of Harry yesterday. These are the most important things I'll need you to watch for once I get Tom back to my time," she started without giving him a second to start a different topic.
The list had three major categories: the vision, the shield spell, the memory potion. "Hermione," he said once he got the general notion of her task for him. "You want me to let Tom take you back to his time in 1944 and just allow it all to play out as if he isn't the greatest threat to the world?"
"In summary. Yes. If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't have gotten the curse scars. I wouldn't have tried so hard to find the memory water we needed for the protection potion."
"You wouldn't have needed to modify a time turner to jump forward and time and then Tom wouldn't have been so obsessed with you. He'd never had tried so hard to find you," he countered.
"And so there wouldn't have been a prophecy to warn us. Or to impress upon me the need to find a way to protect Harry from the killing curse," she pressed on.
"And then there wouldn't have been the prophecy about Bellatrix at the final battle. She would have died that day. She'd never have the opportunity to clone Tom in the first place," he said, remembering every detail she had found important to share with him in the time chamber with Fiona and Gilford. He may have been at a disadvantaged in the he didn't know the nuances. For this, he didn't need to. "Hermione, what I know is that if I had removed all the students from the school the day Tom took you, we could have put an end to all of this. Now I'll be in a position to empty the school the day before. I'll extend the Christmas Holiday and he'll think his magic didn't work."
"And just like that, Tom Riddle will accept failure and move on to something else?"
"You don't know he won't."
"Yes I do," she corrected forcefully. "You can't close the school for the entire year just to protect me. These are knowns we can work with. That decision to change my past will set off a string of changes we can't possibly anticipate."
He rubbed his forehead. This wasn't a decision that would need to be made that day. He could let her lay it all out and decide what to do. "What's the second scroll?"
Handing it to him, she grimaced. "This is even less clear now. These are all the thing pertaining to Harry that I think were important to the downfall of Voldemort. We have to consider the idea that Tom had been with Voldemort long enough to tell him of all the missteps in the future. I'm not sure how much this matters now that James, Lily, and Harry's fate have changed. We can't know if Voldemort will be whole in 1981 to make another attempt. Or if Tom will try again and succeed. But we have to plan for the possibility that some of this is still important."
This was information Albus knew even less about. They hadn't spoken of events outside of her and Tom's encounters. As he unrolled it, he found the notations to be painfully thorough. "I'm going to need some time with this."
"We should cross reference as much as we can with the changes in the Semita. But, I think letting Harry destroying the diary in his second year and ultimately imbuing the sword of Gryffindor with basilisk venom will be critical for destroying other horcruxes. We can discuss the benefits of not allowing him to become a champion in the triwizard tournament. And… she stopped at the night they went to the department of mysteries to get the prophecy. Bellatrix got the time turner that night. She could try again a different night. But if they never went to the ministry, Sirius wouldn't be killed. Maybe that didn't matter anymore because Peter was already outed. He wasn't the secret keeper and he couldn't set Sirius up. It was becoming easy to see how people who tried to understand time could go mad.
"Hermione," Albus interrupted her internal battle with a touch to her hand. "This is very dangerous. I'm not sure I should even know any of this. You have to stop. I've never seen you so careless."
She pulled her hand back. "I didn't do this. I'm trying to fix it," she said, her voice raised.
He held his hands up in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "You'll be able to think clearly after the memories are removed."
"I have never been thinking more clearly than I am right now. These memories need to be preserved. We can't just destroy them. It will be another piece of evidence that our actions to save the future were done because of Tom's violation of the laws. Not ours."
"It won't be an easy process to sort them and save them. It would be easiest to use an obliviate charm," he started, saw her protest forming and hurried to continue, "We need to consult the matron. We need to make sure you're healthy enough for such an invasive procedure."
"We can't destroy them or change them while I'm taking the memory potion. The only theorized method is to remove them with the archival spell. We won't even know if that works until we try to archive a year an wait and see if they come back. I think we should archive it all. In case it does work and the only memories I have left when I stop taking the potion is from my other life. I'd rather manage both sets of memories than just hers."
Albus took a deep breath. There wasn't a way for him to really understand her internal turmoil. He also had to consider that the experiences of her new memories could be influencing her perspective on events. "Let's archive both without removing anything. Separating the memories might be tricky."
"The old memories will have a residue from the potion. It's been theorized that the spell could be modified to detect memories with that trace on it. Long term effects of the memory potion are safe, but there was no time to test the ability to maintain memories long term. I'd like to at least copy them all sooner rather than later," she explained, picked up a blank parchment and quill to make additional notes for their follow up meeting the next day. "Just in case."
It was a dismal. He got that much. She wasn't interested in debating her decision. "I'll go get Gerty then. And consult the matron," he said, standing.
"Thank you," she said quietly, not looking up.
Leaving her to her work, he stopped himself from suggesting she lie down and get some rest. He knew she was dangerously close to a cliff and he wasn't interested in pushing her over it. He needed to talk to a colleague with experience preserving historical records. The archival spell wasn't something he was very familiar with. It certainly wasn't a spell he was comfortable modifying and then using on Hermione. Entering the kitchen, he found Sirius, Lily, and James making a list of items they would need for their party.
Sirius looked up. The usual mischievous spark in his eye had an underlying concern. "Is she okay?"
"No. But I'm working on it. I need to consult with an expert and will send Gerty over. If you give me your shopping list, I can ask her to gather your items," he offered, hoping to keep Lily and Hermione secure inside the house with protection. He understood both witches could take care of themselves under most circumstances. They were both targets and they both had medical conditions to consider that might affect their response time.
"We can stay here. Get everything ready," James answered the unspoken request. He was just as concerned about the threat to Lily.
"I'll walk you out," Sirius offered, returning the galleons with the shopping list, casting a warning look at James.
Dumbledore motioned for the younger wizard to lead the way. Once they were outside the front door, he looked expectantly at Sirius, not sure he knew what was bothering him. There were too many potentials to account for.
It didn't take long for the mystery to be solved. "I want to find Peter," Sirius said, as soon as the door was closed behind them.
"I understand feeling betrayed and wanting answers. He's proven friendship means very little to him. Any meeting he agrees to could be a trap. Which I think you already know. What is it you hope to learn?"
"Why," he said, searched for additional explanation and settled on, "Just why."
"Hm. Do you think there could be an answer that would satisfy your questions?" Dumbledore asked, knowing a thing or two about disappointment.
"I guess not," Sirius said, pain clearly evident.
"From my experience, there are times when the truth can hurt more than it can heal. I'd recommend you spend some time assessing whether or not you're ready for the truth before you seek your answers."