***TW: descriptions of murder; major character death.

From the playlist:

Walk Through The Fire - Zayde Wølf (continued)

Ashes - Claire Guerreso

Hò Bha Mi, Hé Bha Mi. - Julie Fowlis

Ch 46 - The Pearl in the Embers

Remus sent three Patronuses straightaway: one to Mad-Eye, one to the Potters, and one to Peter. James was there within minutes (probably against Dumbledore's wishes), and a team of Ministry Aurors led by Alastor arrived within the hour. Peter straggled in sometime after that.

The McKinnons' beautiful, Edwardian home was reduced to a blackened skeleton of its former glory. Once the fire had been extinguished, the Aurors got to work searching the ruins for any sign of the family. No less than four Aurors had to be assigned to corral Sirius, who continually tried to dive into the wreckage to find Marlene himself. James had the task of holding him back from a brawl with the investigators. When he wasn't doing this, he stuck faithfully by Sirius's side with his arm around his shoulders and tried to remain composed. Remus paced behind them, and Peter sat by himself in the grass, staring at the ground.

Still covered in soot from the fire in Godric's Hollow, Emmeline was being questioned by a stern looking Auror in a gray cloak.

"And you're positive you heard Lucius Malfoy's name?" she asked, peering up at Emmeline from her notes.

"Yes," Emmeline insisted, having been asked some version of this question twice already. "I heard them say Malfoy." She began to pick at the bandage Remus had cast over her burn.

"But you didn't hear Lucius, just the surname Malfoy," the Auror clarified, scribbling something else down.

"Considering that Marlene…" She choked back her tears. "...three days ago, we were involved in an operation which resulted in Lucius being summoned for an inquiry at the Ministry. I'm going to assume they were talking about him and not his second cousin twice removed, yes," she retorted, beginning to lose what little temper she had.

"Implicating someone in this is a serious matter, so I just want to be sure you have your facts straight."

Emmeline's frustration grew past the point of restraint. "My facts?"

"I'm only trying to say-"

"If you'd just been through the morning I had-!"

"Easy, Vance," snapped Alastor, who'd been listening nearby. He hobbled up alongside her and laid a hand on her shoulder, softening his tone. "Easy does it." He then turned to the Auror and got very close to her face. "This young woman has fought off more of Voldemort's fanatics than both you and I can count on all our fingers and toes, so I suggest you show her some respect, McCoy."

"Y-yes, sir."

"Take a walk. She'll answer your questions later."

McCoy looked as if she wanted to say something apologetic, but decided against it and went to help with the search in the house.

Alastor turned back to Emmeline, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "How're you holding up?"

She thought she would cry again if she tried to answer him, so she ignored his question. "Have they found anything?"

"Not yet. They've just cleared away the fallen debris, so-"

"Moody," another Auror called as he approached. He was holding a folded handkerchief and some wooden fragments. Emmeline recognized the Auror as Kingsley Shacklebolt, a Hufflepuff four years her senior at Hogwarts.

"Vance, go wait over there with Lupin."

"No," she said firmly. "I want to hear this."

Alastor grumbled in the face of her disobedience, but he did not push her.

"Four bodies," Shacklebolt reported remorsefully. "Their wands were mostly destroyed, but we have some pieces that may be identifiable."

Emmeline tried to stand strong to hear the rest of what he had to say, but felt herself beginning to unravel again. Including Marlene, there were four members of the McKinnon family. Angus was eighteen years old.

"The bodies," Alastor began, equally anxious to find out the family's fate. "Are they recognizable at all?"

"No, they're...too burned." Kingsley's eyes flashed sympathetically to Emmeline. "The healer determined there were two men and two women, likely dead before the fire started. We recovered these," he said, unfolding the handkerchief.

Inside the cloth lay two gold wedding bands, and a delicate necklace bearing a single, soot-covered, freshwater pearl.

Emmeline's hand flew to her mouth to muffle an agonized sob.

Marlene was dead.

And Emmeline had been the reason they were spotted in Knockturn Alley.

She'd sealed Marlene's fate.

She might as well have been the one who lit the fire.

Oh God, her family.

She'd gotten their entire family killed.

As soon as he saw her react to the contents of the handkerchief, Moody gripped Emmeline tightly in a sudden hug, holding her head against his shoulder. Emmeline hung limp in his arms, retreating into shock.

This was entirely her fault.

Alastor released and steadied her, then gently lifted the necklace from the handkerchief and held it out towards her. "You should be the one to tell him…" he said with a sudden gentleness.

"No, I shouldn't," she thought, unaware of herself as she took the pearl in her shaking hands. She was the last person who should have the right to inform Sirius; yet somehow, without her prompting, her feet carried her toward him.

When Sirius saw her approaching, he threw his body towards the blockade of Aurors once again. James wasn't quick enough to catch him this time. "Padfoot, wait-!"

"LET ME THROUGH-"

"Settle down, or I'll make you settle down!"

"Let him pass," Alastor called, watching dismally from a distance. Warily, the Aurors let go of Sirius, who shoved them off of himself before racing up to Emmeline with James and Remus close behind. Peter stayed behind the line of Aurors, watching.

Wide-eyed and mute, Emmeline remained petrified where she stood as silent tears streamed down her cheeks. When Sirius reached her, he was not really looking at her, but looking past her, waiting for the moment Marlene might miraculously emerge from the rubble.

"Where is she, Emmie?" he softly implored.

Emmeline stared into his eyes, her jaw moving up and down in silence. How could she tell him? How could she possibly explain that she'd killed her?

"Em-...Emmie, where-..." Sirius's voice broke, and he took hold of her shoulders. "Where's Marley?"

But Emmeline's speech had been stolen by grief and regret. She could only shake her head.

It hit James before it hit Sirius. His hands flew to his head like he was about to rip out his hair, and he shuddered as he began to cry. He had been holding onto hope that Marlene wasn't among the dead. Remus knew she was gone when he saw the dark mark; yet even now, he broke down into tears, and grabbed onto James.

Sirius simply stared at Emmeline. He didn't believe her.

"N-...Don't tell me that," he begged, barely above a whisper. "Don't tell me that…"

Slowly, Emmeline reached for Sirius's hand. With as much care as she would have afforded the crown jewels, she laid the pearl necklace in his palm.

Sirius stared down at the pearl in horror.

Then, he began to scream so forcefully that everyone in the vicinity's stomach dropped.

The weight of his heart breaking inside of his ribcage was too much to carry; it dragged Sirius down to his knees where his whole body shook with roaring sobs. James flew to his side and threw his arms around him.

In her mind, Emmeline began spewing words - telling Sirius that she was to blame; that he should take out his wand that instant and kill her as recompense. In reality, none of these things made it all the way to her mouth, and she was as silent as before.

"I should have been here with them!" Sirius moaned.

"No," James cried, grabbing Sirius's face in his hands. "Marley wouldn't've wanted that. You hear me? Don't you say that..."

But Sirius only repeated it, over and over. "I should have been here, I should have been here…"

Emmeline couldn't ever face Lily again. Not after this.

Remus came up alongside Sirius and knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder-

"GET 'IM OFF ME!"

Remus fell back on his hands, bewildered.

"...Padfoot, I only-"

"Get him away before I-"

"Moony just- just give him some space," James warned, moving to the other side of Sirius to put himself in between them.

Several feet away, Peter cried silently to himself.

…

Crack.

Lily shot up off the sofa.

She'd nearly picked her own fingernails off while she waited.

But she took one look at James's tear-stained face and sank to her knees, bawling.

"I'm so sorry, love. I'm so sorry," James whimpered, getting down on the floor and pulling her into his lap, rocking her back and forth like he would've done for Harry.

"I want to see her," Lily wept. "I want to say goodbye-"

"Lily, I'm…I'm so sorry. You wouldn't be able to recognize her."

The smell of the smoke on him made her shudder. "I want to see Emmeline-"

"Mad-Eye's sending her and Remus to a safe house for the time being," he sniffled.

"Oh my God," she moaned. Sharp breaths punctuated each sob. "Sirius."

"Wormtail's going to stay with him tonight."

"He'll never be the same, oh my God-"

James shook as he began to cry again.

"He needs you."

"I can't leave you by yourself."

She sucked in a breath. "Then let me come along. We can get Harry up from his nap-"

"I can't risk it. I can't risk you both." James held on tighter. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Lily…"
She sat up out of his embrace. "Then you have to go back."

James looked between her eyes. "…Are you sure?"

"He needs you," she repeated.

"You need me…"

She stood and helped him to his feet. "Go, James."

He wiped his face and studied her, then pressed his lips to her forehead. "You send a Patronus if you need anything, and I'll come running."

"I know," she sniffled.

When he disapparated, she trudged up to the nursery, trying desperately not to wake Harry with her tears as she sat by the crib. When he stirred, she held him and did not let him go until it came time to put him down for bed again.

She cried all night.