"The Wizengamot herby finds Sirius Orion Black innocent of the thirteen counts of murder, including that of Peter Pettigrew, recently found to be alive. A date will be set later to discuss reparations for the 8 1/2 years worth of unlawful imprisonment with the Black Family Solicitor, though your status as an unregistered animagus will be counted against a full restitution, though I am sure the Wizengamot will be more than happy to help pay for your full recovery. This extraordinary session of the Wizengamot on the 3rd of August is hereby concluded." The loud banging of the gavel ends Director Amelia Bones' reading of the court's conclusion. While at any other moment in his life, Sirius would have been hitting on the still quite attractive Regent of the House of Bones, only a single thought keeps repeating in his head, drowning all others. "I am free. Free!"

The Aurors quickly escort him out of the courtroom, taking him to one of the many waiting areas adjoining the main chamber. The moment he opens the door, he finds himself the recipient of a decently painful hug, courtesy of a certain werewolf. "I am so sorry I doubted you Sirius! We were all so exhausted after Halloween and when we heard what happened, we thought that the Black Madness had finally caught up to you!"

For a moment Sirius felt very irritated with the scruffy werewolf, but decided to bury the feeling for now. He was free of Azkaban and the Dementors, he really didn't want to get into a fight at the moment. "It's fine Remus, we were all a bit loopy those last few days." Sirius then looks around the room and spots his brother in all but blood (second cousins sure, but James had always been a brother to him. "Prongs!"

James Potter's response to Sirius is a softer hug. "Happy to see you too, Padfoot. Lily is wondering when you would like to visit. Wormtail getting caught in our wards during the kid's birthday sorta spoiled the mood and Alice wants to get the kids settled after the shock." Sirius takes a moment to think and says, "I would love to come over soon and see Lily and the kids. How is my little goddaughter doing, she a bookworm like Lily or is she and Henry the new generation of Marauders?" Sirius planned to go further, joking about how they would finally make Minnie's hair go completely white, but James' reaction caught him off guard. The moment Sirius mentioned Halley, James tensed up into the hug. Sirius pulls away, feeling a new dredge cut deep into his heart. "James?"

"Sirius, there is a lot that happened that you-" James' response was cut off by a very loud Sirius. Maybe there was something to the Black Madness since his mind had shut out every other thought. "WHAT HAPPENED? Where is my goddaughter?" Something James saw on Sirius' face made any thoughts of delaying the inevitable just vanish. He sighed. "Something happened that night on Halloween. Dumbledore thinks that Voldemort wanted to steal Henry and Halley's magic before killing them. He... succeeded with Halley, but failed with Henry and then vanished. You saw how the cottage looked that night. Dumbledore checked Halley over and said there was nothing we could do. She lost her magic."

Sirius listened to him but refused to believe it. He remembers his little pup, her magic was strong and controlled, more mature than Henry's, there was no way she could have lost it all. She loved to change his hair into some of the most awful colours when he got stuck with babysitting duty. He never missed a single day. "So what if she's without magic? You wouldn't be the first family to raise a squib. So tell me... tell me why I feel that she isn't home with Lily and her twin?!"

Remus cuts in, trying to keep Sirius away from James, fearing that the recent resident of Azkaban might decide to come to blows with his best friend. "Sirius, the war was still going on, Death Eater raids were crazy. Your cousin and the Lestranges went after the Longbottoms and managed to kill Frank. If James and I hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened to Neville and Alicia." James took over from there. "Halley wasn't safe at home and she wasn't going to be able to keep up with the other kids. We thought it best she was raised by muggles. She's living with some relatives and we're sure she is perfectly fine."

Sirius stared into James' eyes and his heart broke. He believed. He fucking believed his pup was better away from her family. He...this wasn't the brother he left behind. He doesn't know what happened but James would never have done this. Did he forget what Dorea kept stressing over and over, the one family motto of the Blacks he actually agreed with? How could James fail at putting Family First? Sirius sighed and felt that those 9 years in Azkaban felt more like 20. "I... tell Lily I need to take some time to myself. I can only imagine the mess my dear mother left of the Black accounts and…I need to take care of a few pressing matters, my health especially."

James and Remus looked relieved, having expected to get into a far more heated argument. Eventually, James spoke up, a soft smile on his face, "Take your time Pads, we aren't going anywhere." Sirius looked at the man he had but a moment before called a brother and smiled gently. His dear mother would be proud of how sincere he made it look. "See you around, James." Sirius did his best to leave the Ministry in as controlled and dignified a way as possible. He wasn't going to find his little pup, left behind by her family like some discarded trash, by being a bloody Gryffindor. This time he would follow the Sorting Hat's advice to be the bloody Slytherin he was born to be. Halley was all that mattered. His pride as a Lion be damned.

The next two weeks were exhausting for the newly appointed Lord Black. Finding out his Grandfather, good old Artucus Black had kept him as his designated Heir had been a happy surprise. He still didn't have the nerve to go to Black Castle and talk to his portrait, though he knew that it was probably going to be a better conversation than the one had at Grimmauld Place with his mother. His ears were still ringing and his voice was rough two days later. At least he got the proof he needed. In the family tapestry, under both Dorea's and James' marks (the latter now nothing more than a black patch of tapestry) were two marks. Henry's was exactly as he remembered, though the boy in the picture looked exactly his age. Halley's, however, was a pleasant surprise. When a squib is born into the Family the Tapestry knows and the edges of the picture become wilted. Where once Halley's portrait was a perfectly healthy frame of a person in shadow, the edges showing leaves in full bloom. Even the name was missing. Wherever Halley was right now, she was alive, protected and with magic of her own. "Kreacher!"

A muttering old house elf popped into existence right in front of him. " What can Kreacher do for the mut Lord Black?" Sirius sighed at the old elf and decided to ignore the slight. It was the least insulting response in two weeks, though he spent his first week meeting up with his favorite cousin Andromeda, her husband and now his solicitor Ted Tonks, and the Goblins. They discussed everything they had to cover, from fixing the Black Family investments (no more Black gold would go to Death Eaters, especially those who claimed to have been Imperioused), bringing the Tonks into the family fully (Andromeda had been overjoyed and Ted had been very amused) and sorting out what to do with most Black Properties (stasis for now). Lastly he talked about retrieving his missing Heiress, getting the issue covered under family magic to prevent the Potters from hearing about it. Andromeda cheekily said it was about time he embraced his inner snake.

"Kreacher, as elf to the house of Black you are connected to all those of the Black blood. From this moment onwards I, Lord of House Black, forbid you from answering the calls of Bellatrix Lestrange née Black, Narcissa Malfoy née Black, Draco Malfoy, James Potter and Henry Potter. You are to alert me if any of them call out to you. Now, for the main reason I called you here. As the family elf, do you sense a bond to a little girl, the one who sits here, on the family tree?" Sirius finished, feeling more like his father in the last few minutes than in the whole of his life, as he pointed at the shadowed image. The Elf looked between Sirius and the Tapestry, before answering, "Yes, Kreacher feels a bond to a child of Black."

Sirius looked at the elf and sighed, hoping the next bit would make him more agreeable. "Kreacher said Child of Black is my Heiress and thanks to Azkaban, the future Lady Black. She is currently missing, hidden by unknown magicals. If I am to fulfil my duties to the House and Family, she must be taught how to be a Black. So please, can you locate your future Lady?"

Kreacher stared at Sirius, his face clearly surprised, his blooming smile being the sign that Sirius' words may have worked too well. "New Mistress. Kreacher would be happy to care for the future Lady Black!" His face scrunches in concentration, Sirius committing it to memory since he had never seen the like on the old bat's face. Finally, Kreacher shakes his head, his voice heavy with sadness. "Heiress Black behind heavy wards, even Elf repelling wards. Kreacher cannot reach Child of Black. Kreacher has failed Lord Black." The elf looked around, clearly looking for a means to punish himself. "Wait, Kreacher."

The elf stopped and Sirius continued. "Can you take me to the closest place, outside the wards? I can do the rest to get my goddaughter home. Just make sure we are beyond any detection wards and out of view of people, magical or otherwise." The elf looked at Sirius and smiled, a new memory Sirius would preserve for later. "Mutt Lord Black is cunning, Mistress would be proud. Kreacher can take him close to the Child of Black." Sirius pulled out his new wand but kept it hidden in his sleeve. Good thing he wore a decidedly muggle attire, though a bit more classy than a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. He would look formal out amongst muggles, but not out of place. "Lead on," were Sirius' last words as he vanished into a pop of Apparition.

Sirius found himself on a dark street in the middle of muggle London. He settled himself and began to walk forward. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, the brick and mortar houses around him bathed in a deep orange light. He moved along the streets, looking for any signs of magic, careful not to trip on any wards along the way. In a few of the houses, he felt the brush of wards, but these felt weak, most anchored to an apartment. Too weak to hide his goddaughter from him and Kreacher. He meandered through several streets, getting scattered traces of magic, but none were what he was looking for. The sun had already set and he was preparing to call Kreacher in order to pick up the search after sunrise tomorrow when he spotted a peculiar shop.

The sign read "Natural Herbs and Ointments'', its green neon light illuminating the first floor landing of the three floored, brick and mortar building. As he approached the place, he thought it best to just move on until he spotted a very specific emblem. It's Ministry policy that all apothecaries, healer clinics and other businesses, carry specific symbols on the front of the building, making them easy to identify for any Wixen out and about. While the shop didn't have any of the "recognized" emblems, that didn't mean that he was unaware of what this one meant. During the war, many muggleborn and half bloods hid their business in plain sight, just hidden from magical eyes. The cup of Aescelpos was less common than the double snakes and staff, but the version with the snake looking at a bird sitting on the cup was something that the muggleborns came up with as a way to conceal their presence. As he approached the front door, he felt his hair stand on end. The wards here were like nothing he had ever felt before. He could almost feel a presence in them, judging his intent. Apparently satisfied, the presence passed on, but the weight of the wards fealt ever present as he walked up the steps and opened the front door.

The shop was both neat and tidy, yet warm and inviting. The electric lights were a soft and warm colour, and lines upon lines of jars full of leaves, powders and mushrooms filled the walls. His observation of the shop was momentarily interrupted by a gentle and feminine voice calling out, "be there in a minute! Just don't break anything!" Sirius bit back a sigh, the voice having stirred his old playwizard instincts. 9 years was a long time without female company, and the way that voice made him feel was a bad sign. He needed to get his mind out of the gutter. He was here for his goddaughter, not for getting his libido satisfied. He turned back to the racks of materials and knew he was at a witch's shop, between the jars of powders and plants were what appeared to be glass covered advertisements, but he could feel and ignore the weak notice-me-not charms and spot real apothecary grade materials. He even saw a bit of wolfsbane with a mention of providing the potion on a monthly basis for those in need.

The shop made him smile. Places like this were the Order's saving grace back in the day. No one asked what happened, only what they needed. Almost always no names were shared, no oaths taken. Hell, a few of them worked as makeshift clinics, saving the lives of some of his friends, Mad-Eye specifically owed his life to one shop like this. Sirius wonders if they are still there and if Mad-Eye still visits. He'd have to find the old fossil and ask. He kept looking around and was surprised to see some simple rune stones. While Transfiguration had been his best subject at Hogwarts, runes were a close second. The markings on the stones were easy enough to read and the experiences across the area now made sense. These were for warding, cheap, weak and inexpensive, but likely to save a witch or wizard's life with the benefit of an early warning that something was wrong.

"Welcome to "Natural Herbs and Ointments," what can we get you?" Sirius was about to reply but his mouth just decided to hang open, and all other conscious thought ceased. The woman in front of him was beautiful. Scratch that, he can't even remember someone as beautiful and he had the pleasure of meeting, only meeting, veela. The woman's hair was a breathtaking bronze, her skin pale but with a definitive Mediterranean tone. Her clothes, clearly muggle, seemed to delight in showing every curve of her body, a clearly fit and lean body. It was when his eyes finally returned to her face that his brain decided to work again. He could spend the rest of his life looking unto her sapphire blue eyes if only said eyes weren't glowing and filled with clear irritation. Sirius' … evidence of physical arousal went down faster than under a cold shower.

Her voice, once pleasant to the ear, now carried a very clear warning tone, "Anything I can help you with, sir ?" Sirius winced, coughing into his hand, "Apologies, my lady. Didn't mean to be a bother. I recently got out of a less than hospitable living arrangement and was wondering if you have some nutrition potions, and maybe some Dreamless Sleep?" Sirius' brain experienced some whiplash as the bothered tone from earlier vanished, replaced by a bedside manner that would put Pompfrey to shame. "Nutrition potions have been a pain to make lately, the prices remaining high for ingredients. If you're willing to pay a higher than usual upfront cost, it shouldn't be an issue. How long were you under the effects of malnutrition?"

Sirius looked on as she pulled up a notepad and pen and began writing something down. "Uhm, I suppose it's been more than 8 years. I think Halloween would make 9." Sirius noticed the woman tense when he mentioned Halloween. She kept her voice steady but was clear she was on edge, his own fingers rubbing his wand, his old Auror training beginning to kick in. "That Dreamless Sleep is easy enough, but if it's something chronic, it won't help. It is notoriously addictive and you build up an immunity. You'll end up taking enough to need a trip to St. Mungos."

Sirius kept his eye on her, but she seemed to have settled down. He decided that an honest answer would probably be best. "I haven't had the best getting to sleep now, let alone the last 8 years, so I suppose chronic would be accurate." The woman keeps writing away in her notepad. "I have a few things that could help you out, but I am going to need a good idea as to why you have trouble sleeping. Chemical imbalance doesn't get the same treatment as an everwake curse, insomnia from physical pain, or just plain old nightmares. Hell, even those need to be treated separately since a few are from traumatic memories, while others are just overactive imagination. So, what's your excuse?"

Had Sirius been a bit more cautious, he would have picked his words more carefully. Instead, his Gryffindor traits kicked in and went with blunt truth. "Got anything to help with Dementor Exposure?" Both Sirius and the woman froze and in a second their eyes met. Sirius, running on instincts, raised his wand and went for a stunner, only to suddenly feel the weight of the wards come crashing down on him, slowing his movement to a crawl. The last thing he saw was two glowing blue eyes looking at him as a flash of red filled the room.