Holy Hannah, this chapter took an exceptionally long time to write! My creative muse has been extremely hard to find these past few years. Not only has real life been challenging, with work, illness and trying to launch my youtube channel with some difficulty, but I have recently lost a dear friend and fellow Potterhead, quickly and unexpectedly. This chapter is for my lovely friend Maria. Wands up sweetie! Say hi to Alan for me. Lol

To Serve the Noble House of Black

Chapter 13

January 1969

He felt like he was being watched. It wasn't the ambivalent stares of the portraits, it was the stare of another being, another elf. Reaching out with his magic and opening his old eyes, he met the stare of a younger elf, not much younger, only about three decades younger than himself. Not yet stooped by age and failure to protect his house. His eyes seemed clear and looked intelligent, and his uniform was clean and pressed.

"Yuse are me?" Squeaked the young elf before him.

"Yes, I is you." Croaked the elder elf.

"It happens then, the end?"

"Yes"

"We is the only one left?"

Looking around Kreacher sees that the other family elves have entered the drawing room where he had been conversing.

Feeling more ancient in the currently Noble and Proudly Ancient House of Black, he shook his head, yes.

He felt the collective magic of the family's house elves seem to hold its breath while wondering what had happened to them and their charges.

Ensuring that there was no one around to overhear him, he addressed the clutter of elves.

"Our houses and families have fallen." He croaked "We's failed our duties and the babies of the House of Black." "We's come back from 2001 to try and save us all."

He saw the looks of fear and sorrow on the faces of his family, his allies that he saw fall, that he lived with their heads mounted on the wall, their eyes accusing as he was left as the last one standing. He would not live to see that happen again. He would ensure that they defeated the evil that stalked their family. The madness that lived within his glorious mistress, that would doom them all if allowed to fester and grow and spread.

Resolutely he made himself stand taller and looked squarely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters.

"We's will not allow this to happens again. These wizards that want to take our babies and hurts them will not! We is the Black family elves and we's be protecting our babies and our houses. We's be taking cares of the one that came back with me, she's been chosen by all of the stars that guides us. She be's saving us."

Seeing the resolve in their eyes, he caught his younger self's attention and proceeded to leave the room to meet with his mistress. It was time to inform her of what has become of the family, of her babies and her life and death.

WBWBWBWB

She had felt the shift in the wards. It had happened so quickly that it might have been imagined, but she did not think so. When the shift happened again moments later, she knew that she had not imagined it.

She had walked the house looking for the source of the disruption. There were so many things going on in their world right now, amongst their family, amongst their houses.

The boys had been sent to their rooms that evening after being disruptive where they should have been seen but not heard. The two miscreants knew better than to misbehave when in the presence of adults. She knew it was not them. The magic she had felt invade their home for those few moments had been unusually strong. She stumbled upon it in stronger concentration in the hall to the manor. Who had been pulled into their wards in those moments and who had brought them through?

About to summon an elf to get her husband for her, she was stopped abruptly by the appearance of her personal elf Kreacher, correction. She was stopped abruptly be the appearance of two Kreacher's. One that was young and spry as he had been gifted to her when she married and the other, looking far older than he ever should.

Understanding what she was seeing, but not wanting to believe, she turned abruptly and headed towards her study, her most loyal elves following quietly behind her.

Approaching the windows that faced out to the street, Walburga tried to regain her composure, scared to face her worst nightmare. What had happened? Was their family decimated in the future? Was all hope really lost?

"Kreacher, who sent you back?" Walburga asked, still looking out of the window.

"Youse did, mistress," croaked the older elf.

"I was unable to return with you?"

"Youse was already dead mistress; it was your portrait that commanded me."

Turning abruptly, she faced her most loyal servant. Aghast she dropped down onto the settee, unknowing that this was the same piece of furniture that would hold the broken body of Hermione Granger in the future.

"Why was it my portrait that commanded you elf?"

"Were my children dead?"

"Were Cygnus and Druella's girls dead?"

"Orion?" She whispered, her hand going to cover her mouth

"Theys all be gone mistress" the old elf said, his ears drooping to the floor now as he voiced how the elves had failed their babies, their house.

Not seeming to grasp what the elf was saying, she felt her magic surge to the surface, rippling and searching out to her husband and her children, assessing their health and wellness as only a wife and mother could. They were safe, they were safe.

"Kreacher, how did you return on your own? The magic requires two to travel according to our family magic, did you return with one of my grandchildren?" Walburga asked looking at her hands folded on her lap, willing the shaking to stop.

"Mistress there was not a Black to return with, they's all be dead mistress." Explained Kreacher, wringing his hands, not sure how to explain whom he had brought with him and how she fit into the narrative.

"But Kreacher it would be impossible for you to return without the assistance of another, was there someone from one of the cadets branches able to travel with you? Where did you leave them? We must see to them." exclaimed Walburga moving to stand and looking towards the elf.

"Mistress everyone, but the one was gone. All the Blacks, the Longbottom's, the Bulstrode's, everyone was gone. Magic was almost gone, but few. Only the One was strong enough to travel by your request, by Master Cignus, by Master Nigellis and Mistress Cedrella's request. I was unsure if theys would survive the travel, but theys be strong and powerful. Theys be's the only one that can fix this."

"The one? Whom is the One that you speak of?"

"The One marked by the Stars, the one that was loyal, that was strong and much too stubborn to die. The One that they lied to and made to forget, the one that was meant for our family."

"The One that was meant for our family? Marked by the stars, by, by which stars Kreacher?" Walburga asked with a slight stutter.

"Mistress, she be marked with Canis Major, by Regulas and..."

"And Orion, the One that the seer spoke of." confirmed Walburga resigned. They all knew the prophecy that had been spoken of when her parents and Orion's parents were younger. They had all taken it with a grain of salt, there was no sense in putting all your beliefs into a prophecy at the risk of triggering it. If it foretold something wonderful, then maybe it would be worth it, but how often did a prophecy foretell something good?

"Where is she Kreacher?"

"Mistress, I left her with the Potion Master's family, likes youse told me to." croaked Kreacher.

"The Dagworth Granger family? Why would I tell you to leave her with them?"

"Nots that family Mistress, youse had me leave her with the Snape."

"The Snape, I do not recall the name Snape, Kreacher. Are they a mudblood family?" asked Walburga, wondering why she would direct the elf in such a way.

"He is only but a Half-Blood child as of right now, but he's was of the Prince family, he was made to do bad things, by the bad Dumbles mistress and you thought to help him." said Kreacher

Her brow, wrinkled as she considered what the elf had said, questioning, she turned to him. "The Bad Dumbles?"

Thinking for a moment, Kreacher pieced together where in time he is and who is currently running Hogwarts.

"Headmaster Dumbles Mistress, he be the bad Dumbles. For many, many years, he hurts our family, our babies, tries to kill The One, many, many times, works hard to make her forget, to make her hate your boy, the dog one, to make Kreacher do terrible things, to make Mistress scream and yell and make Master Sirius cry and try to escape again, to drink, to rage at Kreacher."

"Where was Regulus? Where was my other son when this was happening?"

"My perfect Master was dead Mistress, he dies before 1979."

Shocked, scared, and unable to grasp that in less than ten years, her son, her baby was dead. Her first born was being tortured and the Headmaster of a school had helped to destroy her family. This would not stand!

Looking down at the being before her, who was growing less substantial by the moment, she asked..

"Kreacher, in 1979 where were I and Orion, did we die while the boys were in school?"

With tears in his eyes, he looked to his beloved mistress before time fixed the two Kreachers and whispered. "Mistress, the family madness took you long before the babies finished school. Youse hurt the babies and those around you. Youse hurt Master Orion."

As the old and broken elf seemed to be absorbed into his younger self, Walburga felt herself fall to the floor as she took in the enormity of what had been said and what she was afraid she still needed to learn.

Her family, her lovely Orion, her beautiful babies were dead in a not far off future and she would succumb to the madness that had chased her family for centuries.

The One that was meant for her family, to save them, hopefully to love them and take care of them when she could not. She needed to be protected until she could protect them and fulfil the prophecy that had sent her back into the past to save the future.

Looking at the one Kreacher that stood before her, she saw the wizened and tired elf in the eyes of his younger self and commanded him once again.

"Tell me everything!"