Chapter 12
"Right." Alastor Moody grunted while looking between the two Black brothers, "Take the family reunion to another room boys, Longbottoms and Shackelbot go into the cage and process the Death Eaters to cells, with their Marks visible we can get them all interrogated with veritaserum, Potter and Dawlish take statements from the Malfoys and Snape here."
Sirius Black followed his brother to a sitting room to the side, while all the Aurors called got to their tasks once Hermione Granger opened the cage for them before she followed Regulus.
"Before you get into it, I'd like to say something." Hermione said while entering the sitting room and saw Regulus sat on a armchair with his head on his hands and Sirius pacing back and forth, stuck between rage, joy and despair.
"Who the fuck are you?" Sirius barked at the woman who followed them.
"I'm Hermione Granger. I want to apologise, faking his death was my idea and it seemed like the best way forward at the time, but I am sorry for the pain it caused you. I really am." She said, her eyes pleading.
Sirius stared at her for a few minutes, trying to discern her sincerity, then he nodded, "Fine, I'd like to talk to my brother alone now."
Hermione nodded and left the room, Sirius finally took a seat in front of Regulus who still hadn't looked up.
"I mourned you." Sirius said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Regulus finally lifted his head, his eyes were swimming with unshed tears, "I am so sorry Siri, I wanted to contact you, to let you know so many times."
"Why didn't you?"
"I couldn't risk it, I couldn't explain hiding and faking my death without telling you about Hermione and her identity was too important a secret to risk." Regulus said.
"Who is this girl?" Sirius snarled.
Regulus sighed, "She saved my life."
That got Sirius' attention, "What do you mean?"
"The night I met her. I was on a sort of suicide mission, I was planning on weakening Riddle, Voldemort, but my plan was flawed and I would have died if she hadn't come at the right time. She literally saved my life, I could have left, she was right in saying the plan was her idea but I trusted her and I wanted to help her defeat him, so I followed." Regulus explained.
"I thought I had failed you. The rumour was you died on a mission for Voldemort. I'm so sorry I didn't take you with me when I left for the Potters." Sirius said with pain in his voice.
Regulus chuckled, "It was a mission against him, but I did tell mother I would be away for him to protect myself in case I didn't make it. At the time you left home, I wouldn't have come, I was too afraid."
"How could you be on a mission for him if you're not marked? We were sure you had taken it." Sirius said with a frown.
Regulus sighed and waved his wand to erect privacy wards around them, "Be warned, I'm telling you this as my brother, not an Auror." he started and at Sirius' nod, he continued, "I was Marked. I didn't really have a choice, and the day I went against him felt like the first choice I've ever made by and for myself. Following her was also my own choice. I'm free now."
"You can't glamour or remove the Dark Mark." Sirius interjected.
"I didn't think so either, but Hermione is quite brilliant." Regulus said with a smile.
"She removed your Dark Mark?" Sirius inquired.
"Yes, to make my death more believable at first, but also to grant me freedom, especially now in the aftermath." Regulus explained.
"I've never seen her or heard about her before, why would she do that for you?"
"You wouldn't have. Initially I was probably a tool for her plans, she didn't really know me but she knew enough about me to trust me a little bit." Regulus said, shrugging.
"How did she know anything about you?" Sirius asked.
"That's a long story." Regulus sighed.
"We have time, and enough privacy wards I think." Sirius retorted.
Regulus closed his eyes and sighed, "Fine. She said you could know, that she trusted you with the information so don't disappoint."
"You can trust me Reggie." Sirius swore.
"Do you know the Time Reset Ritual in the family Grimoire?"
Sirius blinked, taken aback, "Yes, I remember reading it when we were forced to study the thing."
"She did it." Regulus explained.
Sirius opened his mouth but then closed it back again, the ritual he was talking about had never been used as far as he knew and it took immense power, a sacrifice he shuddered simply thinking about and he couldn't fathom why anyone would go this far, "Why?" he finally whispered.
"She was born in September 1979, she went to Hogwarts with your godson, he was called the Boy-Who-Lived because Voldemort killed his parents but he survived the Killing Curse while defeating him. However, Voldemort came back in their 4th year, he finally killed him for good a few years later and she was by his side the whole time." Regulus said.
"When did she do the ritual?"
"June 1999." Regulus replied.
"Why? They won." Sirius said, trying to tamper down the pain he felt about who the parents of the boy likely were.
"They killed him but the cost was too great. They lost so many people, the wizarding world was on the brink of collapse. The ritual wasn't the first choice but it became the only one." Regulus said.
"Where was I?" Sirius asked, his voice hoarse.
"You died. In their 5th year." Regulus replied, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Did I raise him, at least?" He inquired.
Regulus let out a hollow laugh, "No, you went to Azkaban without a trial. Escaped 12 years later and got murdered by Bella two years later."
"Why was I there?" Sirius wondered, his eyes closed in dread.
"The parents of your godson were under the fidelius and their location was given to Voldemort, Riddle, it was assumed you were Secret-Keeper and while you went to confront the real one, he framed you for his own murder and 12 random muggles as well." Regulus said, before standing up and sitting next to his brother, his arm around his shoulders.
"Who?" Sirius asked, gritting his teeth.
"Pettigrew."
"That rat bastard. She's the one who delivered him to the Order sleeves rolled up, isn't she?"
"Yes. She hated him, he was responsible for the deaths of her best friend's parents, and the resurrection of Riddle. Technically, she could have waited until today to capture him with the others but she wanted to be sure he would rot away in Azkaban and she said you and your friends deserved to know."
"Can I ask, my godson's name? I assume you're not telling me because of the whole messing with the future thing, but I'd like to know, I won't tell anyone." Sirius pleaded.
"Harry Potter." Regulus relented.
Sirius immediately stood up and left the room, once he was back in the Drawing Room he saw Hermione standing not far, clearly waiting to give her own statement, he rushed to her and immediately enveloped her in a tight hug, "Thank you, for saving Reggie, and for taking care of my family, both present and future."
Hermione warped her arms around him, relishing the contact and the relief of seeing him alive, "Always, Padfoot."
Sirius chuckled, "We were really close, weren't we."
"Close enough, you were his only family, you broke out of Azkaban to save him." Hermione murmured back.
"Thank you, I have no idea how I'll ever repay you."
"Live a full life." She replied with a smile, her eyes glassy.
He kissed her cheek, "I promise, Kitten."
At that familiar kitten, the adrenaline of the battle and the stress of the last few months, or years really, finally caught up with her and she started crying in earnest, clinging to him.
Regulus rushed to them and added himself to the hug.
"I've missed you Sirius." She whispered brokenly.
"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered back.
"Neither am I." Regulus chimed in, staring at Sirius to let him now he wouldn't give up on him ever again, relieved when his brother nodded back.
"Right, I need to go back to Moody before he really gets angry, I still have a job." Sirius said with another kiss to Hermione's cheek and a one-arm hug to Regulus.
"Say hi to Moony." Hermione said before he left and he winked at her before leaving them together.
"Are you okay?" Regulus asked as Hermione rested her head against his chest and he drew circles on her back to sooth her.
"I will be." She murmured.
THE BLADE OF FATE: YOU-KNOW-YOU DEAD
By Barnabas Cuffe
31 October 1979
Reports from the Ministry have confirmed the man stylising himself as Lord Voldemort is now dead, the self-proclaimed Dark Lord who has terrorised our society for the last few years and declared war against the Ministry and anyone he declared as lesser beings.
His defeat came not at the hands of Ministry Aurors, but by an unknown, home-schooled witch, Hermione Granger. Dubbed "The Blade of Fate," she delivered the final, lethal blow that ended the Dark Lord's reign.
Hermione Granger, whose grandfather is the famed portioner Hector Dagworth-Granger, had been operating in the shadows until the dramatic confrontation. It was alongside an unlikely band of allies: Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Severus Snape, and Regulus Black, who had been secretly faking his death to aid her efforts, that they engaged Voldemort in a final battle.
According to sources close to the investigation, the group laid a trap for Voldemort in Malfoy Manor to execute a well-coordinated assault. What followed was an intense duel with the Dark Lord. As spells flew and curses were cast, it was Hermione Granger who dealt the final blow. Seizing the opportunity during a brief opening as the Dark Lord got weaker duelling five opponents, she threw a goblin-made dagger straight at Voldemort's heart. The Dark Lord, so often elusive and unyielding, succumbed to this fatal blow, as any other men despite his own claims towards immortality.
Alastor Moody, Senior Auror, was called to the scene by Hermione Granger herself and came quickly with his team (Kingsley Shacklebot, James Potter, Sirius Black, John Dawlish, Alice and Frank Longbottom). In the Drawing Room of Malfoy Manor, they found the bloody body of the now defeated Dark Lord, as well as a cage filled with unconscious Death Eaters, a clever trap designed by Hermione Granger and executed with the help of Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. The exact mechanisms of the trap remain confidential.
Their stunning victory over a figure many believed to be unstoppable has sent shockwaves through both the Ministry and magical society at large. Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts Headmaster/Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot/Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, refused to comment on the end of the Dark Lord, despite his previous claims of working against him.
With this victory, Hermione Granger shared all that she knew with the Ministry to aid in the process of arrests and give clarity on the Death Eater movement and its leader. Therefore, it came out that Lord Voldemort is really Tom Marvolo Riddle, the Head Boy at Hogwarts in 1944. The man grew up in a Muggle orphanage in London after his mother died in childbirth, his muggle father deserting her during her pregnancy, and Albus Dumbledore himself delivered his letter. At the Daily Prophet, we wonder how much the defeater of Grindelwald knew about this Dark Lord and why didn't act against him sooner or simply shared the information he had? The identity of Lord Voldemort, a muggle-raised half-blood would have surely helped the Ministry in tracking him down, or at the very least made his efforts to recruit blood purists difficult based on his own parentage.
Sources from the Ministry have confirmed that Hermione Granger will be awarded the prestigious Order of Merlin, First Class, an honour rarely bestowed, but fitting given her role in vanquishing the Dark Lord. Her companions, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Severus Snape, and Regulus Black, will each be awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class for their significant contributions to the battle and the capture of Voldemort's Death Eaters.
The implications of this victory are vast. The once-feared Death Eaters are now prisoners of the Ministry, awaiting trial for their crimes. With the leadership of the dark movement removed and his Marked followers captured, many are hopeful that this notes the end of the terror that has plagued our society for years.
One thing is certain: The Blade of Fate, as Hermione Granger is now known, has sealed her place in history. The dark clouds that once loomed over us have finally parted, thanks to her bravery, cunning, and the unlikeliest of alliances.
Minister of Magic, Harold Minchum, has called the defeat of Lord Voldemort "a turning point in magical history" and praised the efforts of Hermione Granger and her team. "Their courage and resourcefulness have restored hope to our community. This is a moment we shall not forget," he declared in a statement this morning.
Here at the Daily Prophet, we will make sure to keep you up to date on the aftermath of the defeat Lord Voldemort.
A few days later
"I'd like to meet her." Remus said while running his fingers through Sirius' hair.
"I'm sure we can arrange something. I've been busy processing all the arrests, and she was at the Ministry basically everyday too, as she killed Riddle so her statements took a long time." Sirius replied.
"How does she explain her sudden appearance?" Remus inquired, having been told the whole story by Sirius with Hermione's agreement.
"She barely even has to lie. Her grandfather is Hector Dagworth-Granger, and his squib son is her father, even if right now he's not. He got her late in life so it works now and because he's a squib no one knows where he is or his full name. Her grandfather died a couple of years ago, so she claims he home-schooled her, and since the man was a recluse and no one had really seen him in years, there's no one to contradict her." Sirius said, chuckling.
"She saved us all." Remus murmured, in awe of the woman he had heard so much about in the past few days. She had become a celebrity overnight, and because it was already known she had finished off Voldemort by throwing a dagger at him, she was known as The Blade of Fate. Which was really more appropriate than people knew.
"She did." Sirius murmured in agreement.
"And how did your talk go?" Remus asked in a teasing tone.
Sirius groaned, "Godric, I can't believe she made me do that, but it went as well as can be expected. We'll never be friends but he's close with Reggie so I know we'll have to see each other. He made me grovel a bit but he finally accepted my apology."
"Good. You almost killed him." Remus retorted.
"I know." Sirius sighed, he had gone to see Severus Snape earlier today and they had a long conversation where he apologised for the whole almost getting him killed by a werewolf thing, Snape had finally accepted the apology after a few hours and Sirius was now working really hard, in his own head, to call him by his name and not the nickname he had given him years ago.
Their conversation got interrupted by James Potter who walked into the room and laid down on the couch opposite them with a heavy sigh.
"How did it go?" Remus asked.
"It went okay, I guess. The wedding is still postponed, but we're taking things slow and trying to rebuild what we had, apparently she went to McGonagall after I blew up on her and cancelled the wedding, and got chewed out, which she didn't expect, it seemed to have done the trick to make her realise her opinions were wrong, she's working on it." James explained.
"Good. You also need to realise you put her on a pedestal for years, falling in love with the perfect image you had created of her but she's human like the rest of us, and sometimes she makes mistakes." Remus told him.
James nodded, "I know. She also told me Snape had been trying to explain for years that her prejudices were wrong and she kept brushing him off, she's planning on apologising."
"Good, he's clearly going to be around our circle now so we need to make amends." Remus said.
"Is he dating the Granger girl?" James inquired.
Sirius snorted, "Gods no, I can't imagine Reggie is going to let her go anytime soon."
"She's with your brother?" James asked.
"I think so. They haven't said anything yet, but the way they look at each other is undeniable." Sirius replied with a shrug.
"Good for him." Remus said.
"By the way, speaking of Hermione Granger, she gave us the okay to read you in." Remus said, while looking at James.
"What do you mean?" He asked in confusion.
"Well, it's a long story and it starts with your son." Remus replied.
A few hours later, James Potter shot up from the couch and went to the door at a run before stopping abruptly, "Where can I find her?"
"She added you to the floo when she added us, it's Dagworth Manor." Sirius said.
James nodded and went to the small fireplace in the living room of the flat, "Dagworth Manor!"
He was quickly transported into a grand but cosy library, where the woman he wanted to see was reading on a love chair, Regulus Black playing with her curls.
He went to her immediately and startled her but didn't give her time to react before wrapping his arms around her, "Thank you, thank you so much."
A few weeks later
"What are your plans now that it's over?" Regulus inquired, his arms around Hermione's waist as they stood on a balcony overlooking the garden of Dagworth Manor.
"I never did my NEWTS, so I'm going to take the next few months to relax for basically the first time in my life and study, taking them at the Ministry in May." She replied.
"What will you do after?" He asked softly.
"A mastery I think. I wanted to work for the Ministry for a long time but I don't think I ever could, I would love to do a Charms or Arithmancy Mastery instead. Maybe I'll teach at Hogwarts someday." She said with a smile, "What about you?"
"Since my father died, I was made Head of House Black and Sirius still doesn't want it even though I reinstated him to the family so I'm going to take the family seat in the Wizengamot." He replied.
Hermione nodded, "A good step for all your ideas and revolutions plans."
"Exactly." He said before kissing her softly.
While she was distracted, he retrieved a velvet box from his pocket and presented it to her, "Open it."
She looked at him in confusion, but she opened the box to find a gold bracelet with sapphires stone throughout it, "Why?"
"This is my courting gift, should you accept my proposal to court you. I would very much like to marry you one day and while I've been loving our moments the last few weeks, I want to do things properly, show the world you're mine." Regulus explained.
She looked at him with a big smile and lifted her wrist, "Put it on me, I'd love to be yours Regulus Black."
