The next day, when Aurora visited her father in the early morning with Harry and the Tonkses, he was awake, holding a somewhat confused conversation with a Healer. But just the sight of him moving made her heart soar, and she rushed over to his bedside with a cry, tugging Harry behind her.

"Dad!"

"Aurora!" His face lit up as he took both of them in. "Harry! Come here, the both of you!"

It was the best hug Aurora had ever had in her life, and she didn't even care that she shared it with Harry Potter. Her dad was warm, he was soft, he was alive, and the tension that had been grappling in her chest for days lifted when she felt him and knew that they were safe.

"I thought," she started, and stopped herself — this was not the time for questions. This was the time to close her eyes and crush herself against her family and hold and tight and not let go.

"You're both alright," her dad said, "that's what the Healers said — are you?"

"Bit banged up," Harry said in a thick voice, "but, yeah. We're alright if you're alright."

"Well. I'm in a hospital. But I'll be alright." She could hear the grin in her father's voice. "Bet I gave you both a right scare, didn't I?"

"Yes," Aurora snapped, hugging him tighter.

"I promise I won't do it again."

"You'd better not," she mumbled into his shoulder, and he let out a pained bark of a laugh.

"We do have tests still to run," a Healer reminded them in a clipped tone. "I'm glad you've had your reunion, but we have to do our job, and putting pressure on an injury won't help Mr. Black."

Aurora stepped away immediately. "I didn't know you were injured there!"

She hadn't been able to see his wince of pain. Harry straightened too, looking upon Aurora's dad with worry. "It's fine," he said dismissively. "Everybody's awfully fussing over me."

"You could have died," Andromeda said from the doorway. Aurora had half-forgotten they were there. "You deserve a bit of fuss."

"Nah," her dad said, looking away with a distinct look of discomfort, "no point in it. I'll heal, won't I?"

"Yes," Andromeda sighed, "because we've all been fussing."

"Come on, Mum," Dora said, and Aurora could practically hear her rolling her eyes as she bounded over. "Sorry, Sirius, I'll have to stop fussing soon and leave you to this lot — work's mad — but hey, you're alright! And that scar on your chin's going to be really cool for short people to look at."

Her dad scowled, with a note of laughter behind it, and Aurora managed to find it in her heart to smile as Dora wound an arm around her and the other round Harry. "Told you two," she said, "absolutely fine, your dad."

"You're off to work?" he asked Dora with a frown. She nodded. "Kingsley going to be there?"

"I suspect so," Dora said, arching her eyebrows, "given he is my boss. He's been promoted, see — Scrimgeour's Minister."

"Fucking hell."

"Oi!" Ted said. "Mind the kids, Sirius."

"They've heard it." He forced himself to sit up, despite the protestation from his Healer. "So, Kingsley's Head Auror? Brilliant. Has he been by?"

"Yes," Aurora told him, recalling the distinctly odd conversation they had had out in the hallway. "He was here when I came first, he — he tried to comfort me, I think. It was weird." She must have made a face, because her father's face turned in amusement. "Nice, I suppose. But weird."

"He's a good man, Kingsley," her dad said, words firm and somehow fond. "Good in a crisis — how is the... Everyone. Has anyone heard from Dumbledore? If Scrimgeour's been made Minister, does that mean Fudge..."

"We've a lot to catch you up on."

"You can do all that later," the Healer said sternly, having plucked a vial from the table. "You need to lie down, rest, and take your potions. And there are too many visitors."

"I'll go," Dora said quickly, giving Aurora's dad a quick fist bump. "Gotta get to work soon, anyway. And if, uh – if Remus comes, tell him I need to talk to him, alright?" Her father frowned, but nodded, and Dora gave everyone a quick round of hugs before leaving, hair turning back to a joyous shade of bubblegum pink.

"You really should rest, mate," Ted said as Aurora's dad took his potion with a grimace. "All this can wait."

"Yeah, yeah." He sounded weary as he said it, lying back down. Aurora slipped into a chair at his side and grabbed ahold of his hand. Harry crouched down beside her, leaning on the little bedside table.

"What do you remember?" Harry asked, but the Healer cleared her throat loudly.

"You should not distress the patient. Now, I'll leave this potion here and give you some time with family — but no more than four visitors at a time, do you understand? And for goodness sake, let the man rest!"

With that, she put down yet another potion bottle and left the room, carrying a clipboard in her arms. When the door closed, Aurora's father sighed. "Fussing," he muttered, "can't bloody stand it."

"That's her job," Andromeda reminded him, coming round the other side of the bed with Ted.

"Well, I hope they pay her well for it, then. Tell me, now, truthfully — what the fuck is going on?"

Aurora and Harry exchanged wary glances. How did they even begin? Her dad was too happy at his own alive state to already know about Hestia, she was sure. And she did not know how to tell him, or reveal that Lord MacMillan had died, or explain the way the world seemed to have completely unravelled over the past few days.

She looked to Andromeda on panic, and her elder cousin stepped in with a gentle touch. "There's something you should know, first. Presumably the Healers haven't told you, and I imagine many of them are rather too upset to want to discuss it..." Her father's face clouded, wary of the shadow of death dancing in the conversation. Aurora held her breath even though she knew what was about to be said. "Hestia... Hestia Jones was killed, at the Ministry."

Her father looked stricken. The life seemed to go out of him too then, as he deflated against the mattress. "No. No, Hestia — Hestia can't have died. It couldn't be her."

"It is. She was fighting."

"Yes, I know that," her dad snapped, eyes flashing. "I — sorry, Andy, I — Hestia." The silver of his eyes seemed to melt into tears, and he shook his head. "Merlin, I... I don't even know what to say. Does Remus know? Is that what he's up to?"

"I don't know, actually," Andromeda said, "he hasn't spoken much. He's grieving."

"Right. Yeah. Grieving." The words were empty, like her father had forgotten their meaning. "God, I... We never thought it'd be Hestia."

He did not electorate on this, just stared into the empty white space between Aurora and Harry's heads.

"Lord MacMillan died, too," Aurora said quietly, hoping to get it out the way. Her father barely reacted. "He was leading some of the Progressive faction, and some Aurors, into battle. Leah had gotten a message to him, to help. It seems some want to join the Order but, no one really knows what to do without him to follow, so." She let the words hang in the air, unfinished. Harry tensed beside her.

"Hestia was really nice," he said. "And I — I'm really sorry, Sirius."

"If I hadn't been so stupid," Aurora's dad said, "getting myself captured like that... And how did you even know?"

"It's a long story," Harry said, with a wary glance at Andromeda and Ted opposite.

"You can say what you want in front of them," Aurora told him, "they're family."

"We can go," Ted offered. "I understand your secrecy."

"I don't," Andromeda retorted shortly. "I'd actually rather like to know all this myself, along with why the children feel they can't tell us."

"Andromeda, dear, you know why."

"My little cousin is in a hospital bed, and my sister put him there, and nearly killed his child, too. My other sister almost certainly knows the full story. I deserve to know, too."

"I'm tired," her dad said suddenly, lying back to rest his head on his pillow. Aurora squeezed his hand tightly. "I would tell you if I could, Andy, but I don't even know half of what's just gone on and frankly... I don't think I can get it in my head anyway." His voice was fading slightly and it filled Aurora's heart with dread.

"Do I need to get a Healer?" she asked, voice rising. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, it's alright, sweetheart." He patted the back of her hand. "Don't worry. Just need a bit shut-eye; all these potions, you know..."

"Don't go to sleep." The words were frantic and left her before she could stop, or think about them. "Don't, you — you don't know what'll happen if you do."

"I'll be alright."

"You don't know that!"

"Aurora," Andromeda cut in gently, "why don't we go and speak to one of the Healers, get an idea of what's going on?"

Aurora stared at her, harsher than intended. "No."

Andromeda and Ted exchanged glances. Harry coughed uncomfortably. There was little to be said still amongst all four people here and now Aurora felt, a hideous, dark gulf had opened up between her family that she could not heal.

"Could you two just give us a moment?" her dad asked in a soft, tired voice, taking the energy to turn to Andromeda and Ted.

Andromeda folded her arms. "I want to know what's going on, too. I've a right."

"Come on, love." Ted patted her on the shoulder, standing up. "We'll get all this later. Sirius needs to be able to speak to the kids."

Andromeda scowled, and Aurora could not really fault her. But still, she felt some relief when they left, and they could speak freely.

"What really happened?" her dad asked. "From the start?"

Borh Aurora and Harry looked at each other, not knowing what to say. "You were on a mission somewhere," Aurora started, "right?" Her father nodded. "You were captured?" He nodded again. "You're not allowed to tell us where, or why, are you?"

"No. But, it is only you." Her father took in a deep sigh. "I was supposed to be trying to negotiate for wider support for the Order's causes abroad. Obviously, our own Ministry was doing nothing, so we figured at some point, having an ally abroad would do us some favours. I tried Norway, France, Belgium, the states... Some were more receptive than others. But the issue behind Voldemort's cause, as we know, is not a new phenomenon. It will exist with it without him."

"And did you get any support?"

"Some from France — I know quite a few people there, but almost all are purebloods. Luckily, the purebloods I associate with are generally those like me, who turned their backs on their families. You know my mother wanted to send me to Beauxbatons for a while — thought Hogwarts would ruin me, with Dumbledore in charge."

"I almost went to Beauxbatons," Aurora said, though she did not know why. Her father gave her a wan smile.

"And that's why. But anyway, I was trying to track down this old French family — we've got a lot of connections over there," he added to Harry, who looked confused, "people take heritage very seriously when they think their blood's the most precious thing about them. There's this woman, a couple of years younger than me, Gisela Reisen — you'll have heard of her family, I'm sure."

Aurora blinked. "Yes. One of the most foremost in French society."

"Yes — never quite too close with our family, but what with our French connections, they were regarded as acquaintances, at least, even if their views weren't quite to my parents' tastes. Gisela's the niece of the current patriarch. They're a business family, but all very powerful, magically, and she's no exception. Lives out near the Spanish border. Very powerful witch. There's a group of them... Well, I've probably said too much by now. But we have some support. What to do with it, we don't know. My brother was close to the Reisen family, back in the day, and... It was a personal adventure, too." He let that linger in the air. Harry stared uncomfortably at the ground, and Aurora hugged her knees to her chest.

"I don't know how the Death Eaters found me, but they did. Next thing I knew I was in the Ministry, and, you know the story from there."

Silence fell amongst them again. "I'm sorry," Harry said eventually, "it's my fault they took you."

"No," her father said, voice quite even, "it's not. None of this is your fault — either of you."

"I know you know about the prophecy," Harry said, looking Aurora's dad in the eye as his face paled. "You didn't tell me."

"I couldn't."

"So you knew it's because of me my mum and dad died?"

"Hey, no — Voldemort made that choice. You did not do anything."

"But it's still... So many people could die for me, Sirius. And I don't..." He glanced sideways at Aurora, so had been staring at him for some time and found herself unable to look away. "I don't want anyone to die. I thought you were and I couldn't stand it, I don't know what I'd have done if you were and — I don't know what to do."

"Hey." Her dad's voice was soft as he struggled to sit up and get that bit closer to each of them. "You don't have to think about that. I'm alright now. We're alright."

"We might not be forever," Aurora said, shivering at the look Harry sent her. "Dad, any one of us could have died."

"I know. I know, sweetheart, but we didn't. And as for me — I made my choice to join the Order now, and many years ago. I know what that entails. Everyone in the Order knows what they're getting into. War is never safe, or fair, that's the point of it all. People will die. That's a reality we all have to get used to. But they die for a cause. They don't die just because of you, Harry."

"No one should have to die," Harry muttered. "None of this should be happening."

"But it is. And maybe it always would have." Her father sighed, leaning against his pillow again. "It's going to be alright, okay? I'm not going anywhere. I just need a little more sleep. You can tell me everything else later, I'm sure there's plenty."

"Should we get a Healer? Are you sure you're alright?"

"I feel fine. Just tired. But by all means, if you're worried, fetch someone. I'm going to be okay, Aurora. Just try to believe me."

-*

Harry returned to Hogwarts later that day, after her father had woken again, long enough to talk over all they were willing to say in front of company. Aurora refused to go, and for once, no one tried to force her. They all just let her be, and she did not feel so buffeted between people's own opinions.

In the early evening, Andromeda and Ted went to meet Dora in the reception, and Aurora was alone with her dad again. He was tired, still, but awake.

"So," he said, once the door was closed and all other footsteps fading, "you haven't told me how you're holding up, sweetheart?"

"It doesn't matter, does it? You're fine, so I'm fine."

"Hm." He raised his eyebrows, squeezed her hand. "It doesn't really seem like it to me. And I've a hard time believing anyone could come out of that just being fine."

She shrugged and looked away. "You're the one we all thought was dying. Focus on not doing that."

He was quiet for just one moment, and Aurora glanced back at him, to see the contemplative expression on his face. "I was worried about you," he reminded her. "You easily could have been the one in this bed."

"Well, I'm not."

"And I'm very grateful. But that doesn't mean I can't still worry about my own daughter."

"I'm fine," she said. "Really. It's... There's some curse residue, but it's alright. It's just a sort of background pain."

"Pain?"

"From the Transmogrifian curse," she clarified, and his face hardened in anger.

"She went after you? She hurt you — again?"

"It was going to happen at some point. And I'm sure it's going to happen again. I really should get used to it."

"Absolutely not," he said sharply. "Don't resign yourself to this, Aurora. No, if I get the chance, I'll kill her before she can so much as look in your direction again."

He said it with such conviction that it twisted her heart into gratitude, and she knew that he meant it, and though it shouldn't have been, it still somehow felt monumental. "There's something else," she told him. "I think, somehow, I managed to utilise this spirit to protect me. The spirit of our ancestor, Castella. I've been speaking with her for some months, and I believe the cursed ring I have was once hers and she — she protected me. Something happened to her, something has kept her... Not quite dead. A similar enchantment I think, to the one my Uncle Regulus used to protect me... But I'm not sure. All I know is, I felt her spirit and it gave me power and it protected me."

"The House of Black looks after its own," he said, tone grim. "All are bound to serve the lord — or lady — of the house."

"Even in death?" He raised his eyebrows. "Bellatrix is not bound."

"She does not acknowledge you as Lady Black. But you are. Perhaps that means more than we want it to."

Aurora let that sit with her for a moment, before her dad said, "Don't tell anyone, but I wasn't just helping the Order out in France."

"No?"

"No. Like I said, Reisen knew Regulus. I thought perhaps, if I could follow the trail of his life, and his death, I might be able to find out what he did to protect you, like you think he did, and I can figure out how to keep protecting you. I tried interrogating Kreacher — that didn't work, he's furious with me, screamed the place down about how he has to keep Master Regulus's secrets even in death—"

"He knew where you were." It hit Aurora suddenly, the magnitude of the betrayal she had not wanted to acknowledge. Her father blinked, confused. "Kreacher, he... He told them."

"He knew what I was trying to do, yes. Who did he tell? The Death Eaters? Voldemort?"

"Narcissa, I think. Most likely. I don't know, I haven't — I can't bring myself to speak to him."

Her dad paled. "Never should have trusted him. Should have killed him when I got the chance."

Her stomach turned. "No. No, he... He helped raise me."

"And?"

"And — I hate him. I hate him but I don't know if there was something I could have done, something that I didn't see and — fuck, I don't even know anything, Dad! What — what did you find out about Regulus? Anything useful?" Her dad shook his head.

"Gisela tried to help, but we both hit dead ends." A cold, humourless laugh. "Wherever Regulus went, whatever he was doing, he didn't want anyone to know."

That emptied the hope from her, and she sat back in her seat, defeated. She tilted her head to rest on the back of the chair, watching her dad carefully. "I didn't think you cared about him."

"I don't," he said, a little too forcefully. "But I care that he protected you."

"I see."

"That's a debt I'll never be able to repay him. He made his own choices, was his own man — but he was also not that much older than you are now, when he died. And I look at you and I think, someone could have stopped him. Someone could have tried. I've been wondering, if he really left just because he was scared or if he changed — if he protected you because he cared, because he grew a spine, or if it was still just because he wanted the Black line to continue, if he feared for his own life." He sighed, closing his eyes. "He was stupid, and he was horrible. But without him, you wouldn't be alive today. If that wasn't the case, maybe I wouldn't care. I wouldn't owe him anything. But I can't stop wondering. I wonder if maybe I should have seen he wanted out, and helped him, but maybe he wouldn't have changed. Maybe he was too scared to be a killer, but still wanted his victims dead. Or maybe he never wanted it at all." He took in a deep steadying breath.

Aurora squeezed his hand. "Don't upset yourself," she told him, "it'll get in the way of your recovery, stress."

"I know, sweets. And it doesn't matter. I'll never know who Regulus turned out to be, if he turned out to be anyone worth knowing. It's just been on my mind, and I never thought it would be. But the important thing is you. And I will keep you alive, no matter what."