Hey everyone,
So, what has Lily been up to while James is learning about his beloved pup's state and waiting to see if his plan worked?
Let's find out,

Venquine1990

Chapter 16
An Appetizer Of Anger

24th of June 1995
Quidditch Pitch, Hogwarts
Lily's POV

I won't deny that I'm both curious and disappointed.

For quite a few years now I have been imagining how Sirius might react when he finally finds out that his feelings for us were returned.

I had expected relief that he would be able to stop hiding, pain and anger that we kept quiet on how we felt, a returned sense of affection to respond to our own declarations.

Never in all my fantasies and dreams had I expected the man to look defeated and to walk away from us and what we were offering him.

Yet after four years of dating and later being married to James, I know Sirius well enough to know that it'll be easier for my husband to get the truth out of our mutual friend than for me.

Not to mention that I have always felt a stronger sense of anger and annoyance over everything Dumbledore has been doing and has done to my son and my beloved pup.

And now that I'm back alive, I can practically feel that anger simmering and bubbling underneath the surface of my skin, my core and my heart.

And I know myself well enough to know that, if I don't vent a bit of this rage right now, it will come out later and ruin my reunion with my son.

Yet while I keep a tight but loving hold on my son, I turn us both to Minerva and Dumbledore. It really doesn't surprise me that the two, alongside Filius, have come to walk over to us.

I smile at Filius, whose only fault of the past four years is that, sometimes, he was a bit too distant for my liking. My smile is slightly tighter when it's aimed at Minerva as I can't get the image of her letting Dumbledore dump my son on a doorstep out of my head.

And my smile vanishes completely when I turn to Dumbledore and ask:

"Let me guess, you forgot."

The sweet as cake tone of my voice really doesn't hide the anger that simmers underneath.

Dumbledore falters in his tracks and I growl: "Six meetings. We had six meetings between June and early October in 1981.

And in each and every one of those meetings you tried to convince us to pick Sirius as our Secret Keeper. And what was our answer each and every time?

No, Albus. We won't pick Sirius for Secret Keeper. Think man, it's a war out there. That monster is as much after us as he is after our son.

Sirius is Harry's godfather. That's a safety net that only few people can enjoy and appreciate these days. We can't risk that.

You already know that Sirius has a target on his back, thanks to dear old Bella. We're not going to make that target bigger or let that monster do so.

The answer is NO!"

By now everyone around me is almost as silent as the grave. And thanks to Lord Hades' presence, that comparison makes me hold back a snort.

"And then what happened? We got betrayed and killed and you were all like: "Oh no, they gave in and that was a mistake on their and my part. I need to fix this."

The notion that we might have stuck to our guns really didn't occur to the Great Albus Dumbledore, who is always right and always knows what's best and who will always fix things if he accidentally, heaven's forbid, made a mistake.

No, the idea that two people, one of whom was a Marauder and the other who was a Prefect and Head Girl, might be strong enough in their character to have their own ideas and stick to those – that's just inconceivable, isn't it?

Oh, wait, you've known that you were wrong, that we did stick to our guns and that we didn't pick your choice for Secret Keeper for an entire YEAR!

And back in that Hospital Wing a year ago, you had the golden opportunity to prove your worth and your strength of character to both Fudge, Snape and my son and his friend.

How? By admitting your mistake. Yes, I know what happened and yes, I understand that it had to happen.

But you could have easily convinced Fudge not to send the Dementors after an innocent man, reassured Harry and then send him and Hermione on their adventure while Fudge was busy keeping Sirius' soul safe from being sucked out.

You had a golden – no, make that platinum chance to own up to your mistake – and you blew it."

I level the man with a deadpan stare and give him a very sarcastic applause as I say: "Congratulations, you must feel so proud of yourself for how you've been treating our family all these years."

And silently I wonder if the man realizes that I mean his treatment of my son as well as his abandonment of my beloved partner with that.

I turn from Dumbledore, who seems to try and not look around in horror at the fact that I just aired his dirty laundry like this, to Minerva and Filius.

And both look equally horrified, though it's obvious that they feel horrified for different reasons. They obviously just cannot believe that their boss did such a thing to Sirius.

I look at Harry after this and while I had expected him to share in the staff's sense of shock, he only blinks his widened eyes in shock as he looks at the man.

Again I am reminded of the fact that my son has a secretive side to him that I never even noticed, even with the Viewing Orb and that he knows more about Dumbledore's schemes than he let on.

It fills me with a sense of pride, even as I feel a hint of curiosity when, from the corner of my eye, I spot James guiding Lea into the changing room from before.

Ten minutes later

For the most part everyone has been focused on how Filius and Minerva are ripping Dumbledore a new one and constantly questioning him and how he could be so callous to someone who has always been loyal as a dog to Albus and the Order.

I'm not sure if Filius is using that term as a joke or because he just can't think of a better comparison. Yet it's somewhat irrelevant to me and I am just paying attention to all this to keep my mind occupied and away from worrying over Sirius, who has yet to leave the changing room.

Yet then suddenly, as if the man can hear my thoughts, he bursts out of the room and rushes past all of the students, some of them stepping back in shock as he dashes past them.

I merely want to smile at his approaching presence, yet the next minute I am right where I always wanted to be; in the arm of the man I have loved as much as I love James.

And while Sirius' face is still quite rough from his years of lack of care, I'm not bothered by this when he firmly plants his lips on top of mine.

I just moan, wrap my arms tightly around his neck, bury my fingers in his wild, mangy curls and return his kiss with vigor and love.

Sirius seems desperate to make up for lost time and I don't blame him as I have been wanting to be in this position for the past 18 years.

Yet neither of our desires stand a chance against our bodily needs for oxygen. Yet while we part, I instantly pull Sirius as close as possible. And Sirius makes everything even better as he whispers against my shoulder:

"I love you."

"I love you."

I respond back.

Sirius pulls his head back up and pecks my lips yet again. Even just this small sign of affection makes a huge smile grow on my face as I beam at him with all the love in my heart.

Then someone wraps an arm around Sirius' shoulders and I notice James smiling at the both of us as he loudly says:

"It's all been cleared up, Lils. It was the effects of those fiends in Azkaban. Apparently our Siri can still fall victim to those effects if his emotions become too much for him to handle."

And while, thanks to having lived with James in Elysium for years, I know that he's only telling a half truth, I understand why and nod in understanding.

I turn from my husband to the man who I hope to be bonded with sometime soon (preferably sometime this year) and ask him if he's willing and ready to be with us.

Sirius beams at me, which makes his face look years younger and almost makes me able to ignore that it's still full of signs that are meant to remind me of his time in Azkaban.

"I am. I want it more than almost anything in my life. Though, all things considered, I – I think a Betrothal contract might be for the best."

And because James and I both know that, in either the near or distance future, there will be a certain someone else who will, hopefully, join our bond, we both agree with this.

And then Cornelius Fudge makes everything even better. He steps up to stand next to us all and, with a grin that could almost be considered worthy of a Marauder, he says:

"Well, you can't exactly get arrange a Bonding or meet with Gringotts without a little something now, can you. So just let me. Ahem.

I, Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic of Magical England, hereby officially declare that all crimes previously pressed against Sirius Orion Black are to be transferred onto Peter Pettigrew and that the same is to count for his sentence upon getting caught.

So I swear, so mote it be."

And Amelia just puts several delicious cherries on top of this wonderful, yet also unique bit of ice cream, as she beats Dumbledore to the punch and repeats Fudge's final words.

And with this wonderful woman and her brilliant actions, everything that I ever hoped would be done for my beloved pup – has finally happened.

And now that Lord Hades has revived me and given me this second chance, I am beyond determined to make all my family dreams come true.

And maybe a few of revenge as well.

Uh oh,
Looks like a few people who have wronged either Sirius or Harry – or others – are going to have to be careful and watch their backs. They've got a vengeful redhead on their necks.
Watch yourselves,

Venquine1990