Chapter 16:

Silent

5 April 1981

Sirius, Anwen, Walburga, Arcturus, Regulus and Alfie – who was conveniently asleep in his great-grandfather's arms – visited the grave of Narcissa Black to pay their respects on the anniversary of her death. A death that gave life to the little boy, but it was just one of many deaths that the year had included. They were quiet for a few minutes, taking in the beautiful pond just beyond the edge of the hill where Arcturus had interred Narcissa to the ground.

"I haven't been over to see where you'd put her," Anwen said. "It's beautiful here." Cissy was under a tall, graceful willow tree with a blanket of narcissi and daffodils covering the ground around the tree. A small bench was there too so her family could sit and reflect.

"It was one of her favourite places to visit," Walburga explained. "Before Andromeda and her family went into hiding, she would come and visit, and we'd sit here with her sister. I come alone now, except when the weather is too cold for me. Her own mother has turned her back on the girl, I feel it's my duty as her aunt. She cared for me so graciously. And she gave me my first-born grandson." Walburga reached for Alfie and Arcturus willingly handed the baby over. He was getting a bit too big for Walburga, so Sirius stepped up to hold his mother while she held his son.

"I knew Cissy the best," Regulus said. "She was nice when we were little."

"I remember," Sirius said. "She always got us a second dessert."

"Always did think with your stomach, brother," Reg teased back, and it broke the solemnity of the occasion.

"Well, it's nearly time for supper," Arcturus said. "Perhaps we should retire to the house?" The family was eating as just the Blacks tonight, although Dorea and Charlus were too frail to come join them. Anwen stayed behind for a moment. When Sirius stood to turn and go to her, his brother shook his head, instead going to her side.

"Penny for your thoughts, that's the Muggle saying, right?" he asked.

"It is," Anwen confirmed with a half-smile. She'd tried to teach the three boys the Muggle things she remembered, but not being very old, many of her memories were in fragments from her explosions of magic, there wasn't much to share.

"Come on, you've been very quiet, even at Alfie's party a few days ago. What's bothering you? It's making my brother barmy, and I have enough barmy down on the islands," Regulus said.

"I had lost patients at the hospital, when I was in A and E, but Cissy was the first patient that I couldn't save. She didn't want to be saved and gave up on being alive. This week has brought up some hard memories," she said quietly. "I wish she'd lived. She would have found so much joy in Alfie, I know I do."

"We all do," Regulus confirmed. "Your kids, as opposed to the bevy of infants I'm surrounded by, are fun. They do things other than eat, poop and sleep. Oh, and the babies scream. There is always a baby screaming."

"Well, there are fourteen children living on the islands now," Anwen said. "We are just about ready to move them all to the French apartments we procured. Each mother and child, except for those who chose to live with someone else, will have their own space. You'll have quiet for a while."

"Thank Merlin, Anwen, I can't take much more." Anwen looked away but didn't move.

"Come on, we're going to celebrate Cissy." Regulus wrapped his arm around her shoulders and directed her to the house.

"You know, for most of her life, Cissy looked down at me for my heritage and the family that adopted me," Anwen said with a chuckle. "Then she became like a big sister to me. Without Lucius she was a decent person."

"Yes, well Lucius was never decent, so his indecency rubbed off on her. Grandfather didn't want the marriage to be dumped on Cissy. He tried, as head of the family, to give the money back on Cissy's behalf when 'Dromada ran, but the Malfoys wouldn't hear anything of it. They trapped her and warped her. I'm glad you became friends in her lifetime. You both always thought of others and wanted to protect them."

"Thanks, that's very kind of you to say."

"Come on," he said while he tugged harder at her back and shoulders, "Alfie is probably wondering where his mummy is," Regulus said, and he finally got her moving at a relatively normal pace.

Dinner was a happier affair, as it always was when family gathered. Alfie's antics with his food – his uncle had convinced him to shove his peas up his nose – made everyone relax. Regulus also learned that you don't teach a toddler stupid tricks if you don't want to upset his mother.

A

A few days later, Anwen bolted upright in bed. Her eyes took in the room, and while nothing appeared out of order something didn't feel right. She grabbed her dressing gown from the bedpost at the foot of the bed and went out into the hall. She ran into her brother at the central staircase.

"You feel it too?" James asked her.

"Yes, but I don't know what it is," Anwen said quietly. "Could there be someone in the house?"

"Not without setting off the alarms," James said. "Everything is enchanted. Wilken, Elba, Peng," he called the elves. The three came to stand at the Potter Lord's feet. "Do you feel anything?"

"It feels as if the power of the wards is being drained," Wilken said. "But it's slowly, oh so slowly."

"Enact the safety protocols. Gather everyone from the houses and bring them here. But do it quietly, we might catch whoever this is," James commanded, and the elves were gone before his next breath. "Sis, can you get me ready?"

"Of course," Anwen answered and with a wave of her hands James was in his battle gear. They could both hear Lily let a little 'yawp' release from her lungs as Elba moved her to the panic room in the keep. Anwen took two steps, her nightwear changing to her own battle garments as she returned to get her husband up. Within minutes, Alice, Frank, Remus, Anwen, Sirius and James were gathered in the marble hallway on the ground floor.

"Where are they?" James asked Anwen.

"I can't pinpoint it, but I can do a fly over," she said before she changed over and flew out the owl door near the rear of the house.

"One of us really should track her from below," Sirius said, heading toward the door. James put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"You're not going to catch her. Stay here, then we make a plan and move out. As of right now, we aren't in any danger." Sirius huffed, but knew his mate was right. It wasn't more than five minutes before she was back.

"I can't get a read on who it was, although I've seen the magical signature before. They're at the old gate, near the rear of the property. The only thing over that way is the disused farm," she explained. "One of them is a tracker, though. They were casting around the area."

"Over where the barn we use for Order meetings?" Alice asked. Anwen nodded.

"There aren't many that could track days old magical signatures," Frank said. "Our last meeting was on the third."

"Someone like me might be able to," Remus said. "Especially if they were tracking a scent they knew well.

"I don't like this," Anwen said. "It's too…Voldemort is all about the power. He overwhelms his opponents. This is methodical and meticulous." The foundations shook and a boom was heard.

"What was that?" Frank asked.

"That was the second level of enchantments," James replied. "How did the first go without us knowing?"

"We need to check the ward stone," Anwen said. "And then we need to counterattack."

"Wait for me," James said as he took off for the lowest level of the house.

"Alice, Frank, wait for James. Tell him that the guys and I went to do more surveillance," Anwen said and was changed over and out the owl door before Alice could stop her.

"We have to go," Sirius said to Remus and the pair were gone.

12 April 1981

"She's too still, James," Sirius said to his friend come brother-in-law.

"I know."

"Madame Pomfrey doesn't know what that curse was. She should be in St Mungo's but I can't take her there because we don't know who is in charge of hospital."

"Yes, we do," James answered pessimistically. "Tom is in charge, and all the proper healers have been killed or gone so far underground that even Poppy can't find anyone to come consult. Unfortunately, in a case like this she'd probably call Anwen."

Each of them was holding a patient's hand in a darkened section of the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. It was the only safe place they could take their patient, as the outer enchantments on the manor house at Linfred Hall had somehow been dismantled without anyone who was brought into the family knowing about it. Even Frank and Alice had been given access to the powerful ward stone in the lowest basement level of the property. Their blood would always allow them access. Only those who almost never left – Claire and Jeffrey, Aurora, the babies – were not part of the enchantments.

"He knew she was a bird," Sirius said about his wife. "I don't know how he knew. Minerva, Albus, Professor Flitwick, us – who else knew she could turn into a bird?"

"She did demonstrate for her NEWT class," James reminded him.

"There were only thirteen in her class," Sirius said. "And we knew most of them. No, someone gave away information that they shouldn't have."

"Agreed," James said, looking at the sickly form of his sister.

Days earlier, Anwen had arrived at the rear gate before either Sirius and Remus and had landed in a tree. Sirius only arrived in time to see a bright blue spell headed at his wife while in bird form. It cut through her shield and hit her in the chest. She changed back while falling and hit the floor with a sickening splat.

In response, Sirius began firing spells at the man who was a bigger thorn in his side than Tommy was. Lucius Malfoy didn't even attempt to disguise himself, although his time in Azkaban had not been kind to him. His head was shorn with hair only an inch long. The man had lost weight, and his face was gaunt but mostly it was his eyes. They no longer looked a healthy blue, but rather a dim, defeated blueish black.

The barrage that the Hit Wizard and his werewolf friend were able to send at the attacker proved to be too much, and he quickly retreated, promising to regain custody of his son. When he was gone, Sirius fell to the ground and cradled his wife to him.

"Sirius, don't move her until I can get a stasis spell on her neck, it could be broken," Remus said, casting the spell to hold her head steady and then Sirius did the DMLE basic medical scans on his wife. "I don't understand, she has a few broken bones from the fall, but I can't get a reading on her magic."

"What do you mean?" Remus asked, noticing her shoulder was out of place. He added another stability charm to her.

"I mean, Anwen is breathing, her heart is beating, but I can't find her magic."

Now, six days later her husband and brother awaited some sign that Anwen was awakening, although none had appeared. Poppy had done what she could, healing her bones and the torn cartilage in her shoulder. The crushed patella had been regrown and even the small cut on her forehead was fully healed, but Anwen was still and every scan anyone performed on her showed her to be without magic.