Storytime with Rachel F Hundred

“It makes no sense!”

James watched as Lily paced a few more steps across the parlour at Potter Hall. She looked as beautiful as the day that they’d married. Her red hair was loose, swirling around her shoulders like a copper whirlwind. The green sundress she wore matched the striking emerald eyes James had fallen in love with the second he’d met her on the train to Hogwarts.

“It’s a complete load of nonsense!” Lily asserted, throwing her hands up, turning around and pacing back.

“Prophecy usually is until it isn’t,” James said quietly.

Harry looked up from playing with his magic blocks on the frankly ugly patterned rug James’ own mother had chosen for the room. He was barely a year old but he offered Lily a block as she paced past him trying to comfort her.

James smiled at his son proudly.

Lily stopped abruptly and spun around to look at James. Her face was pale under her freckles and he could see the fear in her eyes was the same as the fear making his heart ache.  

James got up from the sofa and took the few steps across the room to pull her into an embrace. She resisted for a moment but softened, relaxing into the hug and returning it. For a long moment, they just stood there holding onto each other.

“Dada!”

Harry’s call had them both turning to look at their son. He had abandoned the colour blocks and was holding both his little arms upwards in a silent demand to be picked up.

James eased away from Lily and stooped to gather Harry into his arms. He kissed Harry’s forehead gently.

“Sorry, little man, I didn’t mean to exclude you from the Potter family hug,” James said, standing up, and bussing Harry’s cheek. The faint scent of baby power filled his nostrils.

Harry gurgled his delighted chuckle, his chubby hand patting James’ cheek.

Lily slid her arm around his waist and cupped the back of Harry’s head. His black Potter curls were wilder than usual. Harry leaned into her maternal touch and looked back at his mother with the same emerald eyes.

James leaned over to kiss Lily lightly. “I think we should get this little one to bed and talk over Albus’ plan.”

The leader of the Order of the Phoenix and their former Headmaster had called just as James had returned from visiting the potions factory. His parents’ patented potions were the source of the Potter wealth and James took care of his family’s legacy, even if potions were not his favourite type of magic.

He glanced at the clock. It was past Harry’s usual bedtime and their usual dinnertime.

“Just us or do you want to invite the boys over too?” asked Lily, plucking Harry from James’ hold and nestling him close.

“Just us,” James said firmly.

He didn’t want to admit that the only Marauder he trusted without question still was Sirius.

Remus was away with the werewolf packs in Europe, ostensibly spying for Dumbledore, but he seemed to grow more distant with every mirror call, his world full of werewolves who could relate to him in a way the Marauders never could, no matter how close they had been as schoolboys.

They’d rarely seen Peter since Harry’s birth since the quietest Marauder had apparently made friends with a few of his colleagues in the Department of Magical Transportation. James didn’t like Travers and Fawley because both openly supported a pureblood traditionalist agenda. He was certain at least one of them was a Death Eater. He knew Travers Senior definitely was, but Peter had dismissed James’ concern and James was less inclined to trust him as a result.

Lily leaned over and kissed James softly. “I’ll take Harry up for his bath. Can you talk Madame Pollock into something simple for dinner.”

“Beans on toast?” James joked.

Lily sent him a chiding look, although her lips curved into a grin which rather gave away her true feelings as she turned for the door.

James watched her leave the room. He stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets and stared moodily out of the large window. The summer sun was still high in the sky despite the late hour.

He pushed a hand through his hair. He’d cropped it short trying to keep it looking somewhat professional but the Potter trait was very strong. He pushed his black frame glasses up his nose.

He had no idea what to do with the information Albus had dumped on them. He was inclined to agree with Lily that prophecy was a lot of nonsense, but he knew that Divination was a true magical gift and skill. 

To be fair, James mused, Albus had been clear that he personally thought the prophecy had been a complete fabrication by Sybil Trelawney in her bid to secure a teaching position, but as someone had overheard part of it and told Voldemort…

It was truly frightening to know that the dark wizard knew of the prophecy and believed it in some kind of fashion. Or maybe did not believe it, but was going to act to make certain it would not happen.

“Sir.”

James glanced over his shoulder to find Mister Pollock, the elderly squib, who had been the butler at Potter Hall for decades, hovering in the doorway. He was still a broad and tall man but his hair was completely white, his skin covered in wrinkle lines, and he needed the cane he used. His smart butler’s outfit was pressed to perfection with his buttons gleaming and his shoes shining despite his age. James felt underdressed in his grey trousers, button-down white shirt, with a grey tie with a stripe which matched his Gryffindor red waistcoat.

“Sir, Madame Pollock would like to enquire when you and Lady Potter will be ready to dine?”

James glanced over at the clock on the mantel. “Lily just took Harry up, so perhaps an hour? She said to keep it simple.”

“Of course, sir,” Pollock limped away.

James sighed. He should have really retired the elderly couple, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. They were as much a part of Potter House as his own family, and the loss of his parents still cut deep. He was all too aware that he and his small family were the only remaining Potters.

Lily had also lost own her parents earlier in the year. It was a terrible thing to have in common. He would have wished for Marigold and Bertie to have lived a much longer life. The cause of death had been a gas explosion but after Albus’ visit, he suspected that the Evans’ might have been the victim of a Death Eater attack even if they hadn’t claimed it.

If James remembered rightly, Alice Longbottom had also lost her father and brother around the same time in a freak Floo accident. James wondered if that had also been arranged somehow since Neville was the other option for the damned prophecy.

He felt hunted.

A shiver shot through him and he whirled away from the window. He needed to get out and get some fresh air, clear his head. Maybe being Prongs for a little while would help still all the circling thoughts in his head.

o-O-o

Lily cuddled up to James in the dark of their bedroom. They’d left the curtains a touch open and moonlight spilled through the room and over the end of the bed.

James tucked her closer to him and she rested her hand over his heart, feeling the steady thump of it under her palm.

She sighed, tiredness dragging at her mind even as her thoughts raced.

“If we believe Albus, that monster is hunting Harry,” Lily said quietly. “It’s infuriating, James.”

James’ hold tightened for a moment. “I know.” He rubbed her upper arm almost absently but the motion soothed her. “Do we believe Albus?”

“I don’t think it matters if we believe the prophecy is real or not,” Lily admitted regretfully. “Clearly the idiot dark wizard who should know better is going to act on it so we can’t afford not to discount the danger it brings to Harry, can we?”

“No, but you’re right that it doesn’t make a lot of sense,” James replied. “I mean, ‘neither can live while the other survives’ is a nightmare contradiction just on its own.”

“This is why I hate Divination,” Lily said dryly.

James hummed. “Is that why you almost failed it?”

Lily poked him gently in the ribs.

“I mean, came top of the class as always,” James teased lightly.

They both knew she had only ever managed mid-way in the class rankings for that subject, and mostly that had been down to her theoretical knowledge. Amusingly, it had been Sirius who had topped the class, but then the Black bloodline was lousy with seers.

She smiled briefly before her mind returned to the problem. “What do you know about this Fidelius spell Albus wants us to cast?” She had never heard of it.

“Not much,” James admitted. “It’s an old charm. It was used when the wizarding world first began to hide itself from muggles before runic warding became more popular. People don’t really use it these days because any magical artefact like a ward stone or my invisibility cloak could disrupt it.”

“So, we couldn’t lay a Fidelius on Potter Hall?” asked Lily.

James sighed. “It would be impossible unless we destroyed the ward stone and removed all the magical bits and bobs from the house. I also think the larger the property the more powerful the caster needs to be too.”

“We’d definitely have to move if we went with the Fidelius then,” Lily murmured.

“I figure that was why Albus suggested we go back to the dowager cottage,” James mused.

They had lived in the small cottage in the nearby village of Godric’s Hollow when they’d first married. Potter Hall had needed some renovations and repair. James’ parents had been elderly and had never modernised it. They’d left the Pollocks to oversee all of it and had only moved in at the beginning of the year. Lily loved Potter Hall, but she had enjoyed the cosy intimacy of living in the cottage.   

“I think we need to know more about the Fidelius,” Lily said sighing. “Albus might think it would offer us the best protection, but I want to make that assessment myself.”

“You are the Charms whizz between us,” James acknowledged. “I think the reason Albus believes it will work is because once it’s cast, the location cannot be shared by anyone except the Secret Keeper. It is protected even in their minds so it can’t just be plucked out by leglimancy. A piece of paper with the location becomes nonsense to anyone other than the person the Secret Keeper gave the paper to in the first place.”

Lily shifted her position to meet James’ eyes in the dimly lit room. “It makes a target of the Secret Keeper.”

“Yes,” James said sadly. “If people can guess who it is, then they’d be a target for certain.” He cupped her cheek with one hand. “The myth is that they are meant to be unable to answer under duress, the charm knows if they are being forced.”

“So, if our Secret Keeper was captured, they could be tortured for a long time and be unable to share the secret, presumably until they died and the charm fails anyway,” Lily grimaced. “I hate the idea we’d paint a target on someone’s back but I guess we could be our own Secret Keeper?”

Probably Sirius. He was the closest to them of all of James’ friends. Her closest friend, Alice, was in the same boat because Neville was the other potential prophecy child.

“I don’t know about that,” James murmured. “I seem to vaguely recall that if you are protected by the secret, you cannot yourself hold the secret.”

Lily grimaced. She shifted back down, and James rearranged them a little so she could lie on her back with her head on the pillow beside him. He lay on his side, his body curving around her like a protective wall, an arm over her waist.

“I’ll research the Fidelius but I don’t think we should use it,” Lily said quietly. “It sounds like we’d have to live with minimal magic and hope our Secret Keeper doesn’t die from being tortured for it or simply killed to destroy the charm.”

James sighed. “It’s a good idea to research it, but I agree, I don’t think it’s the right plan.”

“Hiding feels like too much of a passive move,” Lily thought out loud. “I mean, I know the bastard is too powerful for a direct confrontation. When we faced him in that fight at the Bones’ last year, we only ran him off because Albus turned up to aide us.” She sighed. “But…hiding away feels like we’re just waiting for him to find us and then we’d have to fight him anyway.”

James shifted to kiss her. “Let’s sleep on it. Maybe there’s a different way to handle the threat he poses to Harry.”

Lily tugged him back towards her for a longer kiss before they snuggled into sleeping positions.

Perhaps things would look different in the morning.

o-O-o

Sirius bounded down the stairs. Playing with Harry was the best thing in the world and he would defy anyone who claimed differently. Harry loved Padfoot and Sirius loved Harry.

He all but skipped into the library where James and Lily had been buried for the last few hours researching something. They’d looked downright shifty about the whole thing when Sirius had arrived to babysit for them as requested so he was assuming it was Order business.

He was surprised to find them both still at the oak table in the centre of the room, stacks of books surrounding them. Lily was scribbling away on parchment and James was glumly reading a huge book which looked ancient.

Sirius breathed in the familiar scent of old books and the faint scent of fresh flowers from the vase on the table. He slid into the chair beside James. “Harry’s out like a light.”

“Thanks for coming over and watching him, Pads,” James said, his attention still on the book.

Sirius frowned as he glanced at the tome’s spine and realised what book James was reading. “Why are you reading Applebright’s Theorem of the Fidelius?”

James and Lily looked at him as though surprised he could read. He felt a little insulted.

“You do know that you’d need Merlin himself to make it anchor to Potter Hall, and even then, you’d need to strip out the ward stone, obliterate any runic matrix, and move out anything magical?” Sirius continued, completely confused about why they might be considering the spell. “Not to mention that the Secret Keeper can’t be anyone who lives within the walls of the location?”

James groaned. “How do you know this?”

Sirius shrugged. “My great-great grandfather preferred the Fidelius to warding. He changed out the warding in most of the Black properties, but when he got to Castle Black, the Fidelius failed because he wasn’t powerful enough. My grandfather uses it as a cautionary tale. His father reinstituted all the runic warding along with some highly illegal blood wards.”

Lily threw down her quill. “This is a waste of time.”

“I’d agree,” Sirius said, still wondering why they were even contemplating it. “It’s not exactly foolproof either.”

“Because if you can identify the Secret Keeper, you can kill them and the spell is broken,” Lily recited the words as though she’d read them in a book.

Sirius shook his head. “Killing the Secret Keeper only sends the spell into a state of limbo until it can be re-anchored in a new Secret Keeper.”

“So, theoretically, you could disrupt the charm and transfer the secret to a new Secret Keeper?” asked James.

“Yes, I mean you could,” Sirius replied, “I guess you could have a decoy Secret Keeper but that doesn’t stop the flaw.”

“Which is what?” pressed Lily.

“That the Secret Keeper can certainly be tortured into giving it – the idea that you can’t torture it out of someone is an old witch’s tale – and the Secret Keeper can end the spell at any time of their own volition. Not to mention if the caster is not the person hiding, they will also know who the Secret Keeper is and what the secret is,” He waved his hand at them both. “Why are you even looking at the Fidelius? Did Albus give you this as an Order mission or what?”

“Or what,” James said. He exchanged one of those married looks with Lily that irritated Sirius and made him envious all at the same time.

Sirius waited, tapping his fingers impatiently on the tabletop.

Lily shot his fingers a pointed glare and he stopped. “You might as well tell him, James.”

Sirius felt a rush of warm satisfaction as James immediately shifted in his chair to look at Sirius.

“Albus came round yesterday,” James said. “He says he has a spy in the Death Eaters and they reported a credible threat to us and the Longbottoms. He wants us to go into hiding and suggested the Fidelius.”

Sirius frowned. “He has a spy?”

“I know,” James pushed his hand through his messy hair sending the curls into even more disarray. “It was news to us too.”

“I think it’s a recent thing,” Lily said.

“I would hope so,” Sirius muttered, “otherwise I’d be asking why we didn’t know about the recent attacks on the Bones’ and the Meadows.”

They’d lost Edgar and Dorcas. If there was a spy and they could have done something…

“Not to mention Fabian and Gideon,” James added.

The Prewett twins had been killed just after Easter.

Lily sighed, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. “It’s possible the spy forewarned Albus and he decided it was too risky for the Order to respond. Maybe he thought it would give away his spy.”

Sirius wrinkled his nose at the idea. “Sod that! He could have gotten the spy out and we could have saved them!”

“Or as we suspect, it is probably more likely that this spy is a recent acquisition,” James stated, gesturing towards Lily. He grimaced. “I’d rather think that than Albus arbitrarily making decisions about who to protect.”

Lily nodded slowly. “Me too.”

“Me three!” Sirius said, holding his hand up as though they were back in school. He dropped his hand back down as he registered the rest of James’ original statement. “So, this spy has told Albus that there is a credible threat to you guys and the Longbottoms? What kind of threat? I mean, apart from the usual.”

“Apparently, the Dark Git thinks our babies are his doom because of a nonsense prophecy,” James replied.

Sirius’ eyebrows shot up. “What?!”

“Albus was told a prophecy saying that a child was being born at the end of July who might be able to defeat the Dark Lord,” Lily said. “Someone overheard some of it and told the bastard. The spy thinks he’s coming after the children to eliminate Harry and Neville who meet the ridiculous terms of the prophecy before they get old enough to be a threat to him.”

Protectiveness rose up in Sirius like a furious tidal wave. Voldemort wasn’t getting anywhere near Harry if Sirius had anything to say about it.

“Albus thinks we should go into hiding with Harry,” James repeated. “He thinks that’s the best solution.”

“Until when?” Sirius retorted. “Is he expecting you to stay in hiding until the kids are adults and able to fight for themselves or what?”

James sighed heavily and looked over at Lily. “We haven’t even considered that.” He turned back to Sirius. “I don’t think Albus has even thought that far ahead.”

Lily suddenly shot to her feet and slammed her hands down on the table. “That demented old bastard!”

Sirius shot James a questioning look but he shrugged before smiling nervously at his wife.

“Lily?”

“Albus is staking us out like a stalking goat to the slaughter!” Lily paced over to the window and back. Her hands gripped the back of her chair tightly. “He sends Alice, Frank and Neville into hiding, and us into hiding, and…”

“Sees who the dark git targets,” James completed grimly.

Sirius’ eyebrows shot back up his forehead. “Surely he wouldn’t…”

“Wouldn’t he?” snapped Lily. “There is no way that Albus hasn’t considered the next five steps. He wants to see the fallout!”

“But then he would have to assume that the Secret Keepers will give up the secret,” Sirius said.

James suddenly froze. His eyes sought his wife briefly before they landed on Sirius. “Or he gives away who they are to his spy.”

Sirius swallowed hard at the terse suggestion. It seemed so impossible to think Albus could sacrifice one of them like that, and yet…it was also too plausible.

“Well, damn,” Sirius muttered. “I always knew he really didn’t like me!”

o-O-o

Lily kissed Harry’s forehead and lay him down in the cot next to Neville.  Beside her, Alice gently touched her son’s rosy cheek. Neville had inherited her colouring; wispy dark blond hair and chocolate brown eyes. He was slightly sturdier than Harry who had inherited James’ lean frame. 

The cot was in the largest nursery Lily had ever seen. The Longbottom manor was twice the size of Potter Hall and twice as ornate; it screamed Old Money. The nursery lacked the primary colours of Harry’s and was decorated in a subdued pale beige. An antique rocking horse sat in front of a large bay window to Lily’s right. It was in the same polished chestnut of the cot, the rocking chair, and a chest of drawers which made up the furniture in the room. There was thankfully an open trunk of toys near to the door which contained a mess of colourful modern toys.

“They look so innocent,” Alice murmured. She pushed her hair back behind an ear. A year after the birth, she was back to her athletic figure in a way Lily envied. She still carried some of the weight she gained around her hips and bust – not that James had complained about the extra curves.  

“They are,” Lily said firmly. “They are entirely innocent in all this.”

“I don’t want to believe you about Albus,” Alice murmured, “but I can’t deny that this whole thing just doesn’t make sense.”

Lily sighed. “I don’t think Albus is acting from a place of maliciousness. We all know the war is not going well for our side. We’ve lost a lot of people in the last six months and we know the Death Eaters have infiltrated the Ministry.” She kept her eyes on Harry. “Albus is thinking as a general leading a side of the war, not as the genial Headmaster of our school.”

Alice straightened and shook her head. “Does it matter what his motivations are? He is setting our boys up to be murdered!”

“And us,” Lily pointed out dryly, “and our Secret Keepers.”

Alice grimaced and wrapped her arms around her torso, pulling her pink blouse taut.

“I mean, at least you and Frank are Aurors so you might stand more of a chance of surviving an attack,” Lily shook her head at the disbelieving look Alice shot her. “I know, I know, I just…this whole thing is horrible.”

There was really no way to sugarcoat it.

“We should go back down,” Alice suggested tiredly. “Maybe our menfolk have come up with something while we’ve been putting the babies down.”

Lily nodded and followed her back down to the ground floor and along to a small sitting room.

Frank got up to greet his wife with a kiss. They sat down together on the sofa to the left of the fire. Frank was the quintessential aristocrat; thin brown hair, sharply handsome, and dressed in expensive understated clothes.

Lily joined James and Sirius on the sofa to the right, taking the empty seat closest to the hearth. James slid an arm around her and she leaned into him.

“Well,” Frank said with false cheer, “I never thought I’d spend my Saturday night plotting against Albus Dumbledore.”

Lily could hardly believe it herself.

Sirius raised his half-empty glass of Firewhiskey. “My grandfather would be laughing himself silly if he knew.”

“Honestly, we might need to consult with your grandfather because we’re not doing all that great in the plotting arena,” James said, raising his own glass.

Frank chuckled. “Isn’t your grandfather still holed up at Castle Black, Sirius?”

“He is,” Sirius shook his head. “Actually, he did reach out to me last week for the first time since Gram died. He wants to do some kind of memorial thing for Reg, asked me to visit him so we could talk about it.”

“Your brother is definitely, uh…” Frank floundered.

Sirius grimaced. “Dead.” He nodded. “It really looks that way. I can’t see my grandfather suggesting a memorial if he didn’t know. We have a few family tapestries and parchment trees which would have updated if one of us died.” He looked away to the other side of the room and a picture of an old Longbottom ancestor dozed in their frame. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t go to a memorial – I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t leave the room alive.” He gulped down the rest of his drink.

“Not if your batty cousin is there,” Alice agreed.

Lily grimaced. Bellatrix Lestrange was a complete nightmare and one of Voldemort’s most loyal followers.

Sirius raised his empty glass at Alice and set it down on a side table by his elbow.

“Getting us back on topic, where did you get on the plotting while we were putting the kids to bed?” Alice asked pointedly.

“I suggested leaving the country,” Sirius piped up brightly.

James pinched Sirius’ side making him jerk away from him.

Lily’s lips curved at their antics. “Don’t joke,” she muttered, “it might actually be an option at this point.”

James smiled at her. He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked over at their friends. “Setting aside the idea of running abroad, we have three options.” He raised one finger. “First, we go along with Dumbledore’s insanity with the full knowledge that we’re likely putting ourselves at risk and trust that the old boy has some kind of plan to help protect us.”

Everyone pulled the same discontented face and Lily knew it wasn’t her first choice.

“Second,” a second finger rose to join the first, “we refuse to go into hiding and challenge Dumbledore openly on what he was planning to do. That still leaves us coming up with something else to protect ourselves because the Dark Idiot will likely target us anyway.”

Lily could see that they were all equally unhappy with that option too.

“Our last option,” James raised a third finger, “is to come up with a way of taking the Dark Idiot down once and for all, eliminating the need to go into hiding.”

“Don’t you think Albus would already have taken him down if it were that easy?” asked Alice.

“I don’t know, darling,” Frank said softly, “Albus doesn’t think about attacking so much as he thinks about defending. Even the Order missions are mostly defensive – we respond to an attack or information. We rarely seek out the Death Eaters and take the fight to them.”

Alice nodded. “I don’t see how us going on the offensive now will make that much of a difference. If Albus thought he could win against him, I still think he’d have used one of the attacks where they’ve met to take him out.”

“But that’s the problem, isn’t it?” Lily said out loud, her mind racing. “Dumbledore can’t defeat him alone so maybe he needs to test out if this prophecy is real after all. Maybe he’s hoping that Neville or Harry do have some kind of power to defeat him.”

They all stared at her.

“Well, bollocks to that!” Alice declared fiercely. “Maybe any one of us is incapable of defeating the bastard, Merlin only knows what archaic rituals he’s used to strengthen his magical power, but maybe if we all work together we can bring him down.”

“A conclave,” Lily suggested. “We build a conclave and destroy him in ritual.”

“There hasn’t been a conclave in Britain in decades,” Sirius said thoughtfully. “It wouldn’t be something either of them expect.”

“A conclave works best with a magical number,” James jumped in, “seven, thirteen is more traditional…”

“If we went with seven, we’d only need two more people,” Alice said. “Would Remus and Peter not join in?”

James winced. “Remus is abroad and he’s very, very loyal to Dumbledore…”

Sirius snorted.

“And Peter?” asked Alice again.

Lily looked at her husband and read the conflict in his hazel eyes. “You’re worried about Peter?”

“Really?” Sirius blurted, surprise written across his expressive face. “I know he hasn’t been around as much lately but it’s Peter.”

“I don’t like the company he keeps these days,” James admitted. “It’s nothing concrete but…”

“But enough to rule him out of the conclave,” Frank completed firmly as Sirius looked ready to argue. “I don’t think we should invite anyone who we are not one hundred per cent certain is able to keep a secret from Dumbledore and who wants You-Know-Who dead.”

They all nodded their agreement.

“Your mother might be a possibility, Frank,” Alice said thoughtfully. “Augusta is a powerhouse and she absolutely loathes Albus.”

“I’d ask Minerva, but I think she is too close to Dumbledore,” Lily admitted. “Filius Flitwick might be an option, but I think he’s probably a wild card.”

“If we wanted a complete wild card, we’d ask my grandfather,” Sirius joked, chuckling. “He hates Dumbledore and the dark tosser!”

James stared at him.

Sirius’ laugh faded as he registered the way James was looking at him. “What…no! It was a joke!”

“He really hates You-Know-Who?” asked Frank scepticism coating every word.

Sirius nodded. “Before Grams died, he ordered everyone in the family to remain neutral in the war, not that any of us listened to him. He agrees with traditional politics which favour purebloods, and he’s a complete snob, but he’s never agreed with the methods the Death Eaters use. He says killing any magical blood weakens us all.” He cast a look around the room. “We’re not seriously considering him, are we?”

“I think all the options for the seventh member are wild cards,” Frank admitted. “If Fabian and Gideon were still alive, I’d have had no problems including them, as it is I’m not certain that any of the other members of the Order would keep it from Dumbledore…”

Lily was almost amused by the panicked look on Sirius’ face.

“Let’s set aside the conclave membership question for now,” James proposed, sitting forward suddenly. “I think I have an idea for how to trap our enemy and fool Dumbledore.”

Lily inwardly sighed at the bright mischief in her husband’s eyes. It was the same glint he’d always had when the Marauders had played pranks. No doubt James’ plan would be brilliant, but trapping Voldemort was only half the battle. They needed a ritual that would banish him…

Lily started smiling as she remembered the book she’d found in their library.

“Uh, Lily?” James said nervously.

Lily patted his knee absently. “You know how we can trap him? Well, I know how we can banish him.”

There was a long beat of silence.

“I think I may need more whiskey,” Sirius said.

“Me too!” Frank proclaimed and summoned the bottle.

o-O-o

Castle Black was located along a remote coastal road. It was perched like a gargoyle on the cliff edge, the ocean breaking against the sharp rocks below. It was the traditional home of the Ancient and Noble House of Black.     

Sirius had rarely visited as a child. Both his parents had preferred their London townhouse at Grimmauld Place. After he had run away to the Potters he hadn’t visited often and had mostly communicated with his grandparents through letters, including the one he’d received with his grandfather’s edict to stay neutral. He had burned that letter and joined the Order of the Phoenix.

He took off his helmet and dismounted from his motorbike. He took a deep breath as he looked up at the foreboding castle. He had a mission, Sirius reminded himself briskly. The others were relying on him to convince his grandfather to help them. Harry’s future, his godson’s life depended on Sirius not being an idiot with his grandfather.

Sirius resisted the urge to turn into Padfoot. His animagus form was his go-to for comfort. Sometimes he thought life would just be easier if he was Padfoot all of the time, but then he wouldn’t be able to hold Harry or look after him, and he couldn’t imagine a world where he didn’t get to hug and take care of his godson.

He took the steep steps up to the front door. It opened automatically for him showing him without words that his grandfather still had him in the ward matrix.

An elf popped into the hall as soon as he closed the door behind him.

Maggy had been with the family for decades; the tuft of hair on her green head was dyed a bright yellow which matched the floral design of her pristine pillowcase which had the Black coat of arms embroidered over her right shoulder. Her ears waggled as she held out a hand and Sirius’ leather jacket disappeared from his body and draped itself over her arm.

“Maggy,” Sirius greeted her solemnly.

Maggy sniffed. Her bulbous rheumy eyes raked him up and down. He tried not to feel underdressed in his tight dragonhide trousers and button-down floral shirt.

“His Lordship be waiting for yous in the drawing room, Master Sirius,” Maggy said imperiously. “Second room along the corridor to yours right.” She popped away again.

Sirius headed off down the corridor ignoring the murmurings and mutterings of the paintings on the walls. He gave a short rap on the door and entered at his grandfather’s call.

Arcturus Black had been a handsome wizard in his youth, but he looked aged; his dark hair and beard peppered with grey, lines carved furrows in his face. There was a thinness in his frame undisguised by his black mourning robes with their high stiff collar and small buttons all down the front. A black cane hung off the arm of his chair by the window.

He waved Sirius over.      

Sirius closed the distance and gave a short perfunctory bow of his head. “Grandfather.”

Arcturus hummed. He got up, limped a step forward, and cupped Sirius’ right cheek as his gaze scoured over him. “You look well, Sirius.”

“You too,” Sirius blurted out. “I mean, you look well.”

“I look awful,” Arcturus huffed. He took a careful step back and sat back down. “I miss your grandmother every day, but the cards say that it is time that I rejoined the living.” He waved Sirius into the second chair by the window.

“I didn’t realise you still did tarot readings,” Sirius murmured. One of his favourite childhood memories was a summer holiday at the castle without his parents. Arcturus had read the cards every day and taught Sirius the art.

A tea service appeared on the table between the chairs and began to pour.

“I’m rarely moved,” Arcturus said, “but I dreamed of a reading and so when I woke, I read the cards for the first time in a while and…the message was clear.”

“Is that why you want to hold a memorial for Regulus?” asked Sirius as he picked up the perfectly prepared tea. “You want us all to move on from our grieving?”

“In truth it was an excuse to get you, and only you, here,” Arcturus said. His silver eyes caught Sirius’ surprise and he huffed. “I’m an old wizard, Sirius, and without your grandmother…” he sighed. “It is time for me to prepare to hand over the reins of the House to my chosen heir.” He looked pointedly at Sirius.

Sirius’ cup rattled in the saucer he held. He gently put it down on the table and took a deep breath. “I was disowned.”

“Your mother is a hag,” Arcturus said bluntly, “and she does not have the power to remove you as my heir. Only I ever had the power to do so and I have never disowned you, Sirius.”

Sirius picked up his tea and drank down the whole cup. He set the cup back down. He had always known deep down that his grandparents had never gone along with his mother’s disownment. The letters and the fact that he had been invited to visit with them even occasionally had been the biggest clue.

“The rest of the family will never accept me,” Sirius pointed out.

Arcturus grimaced. “There are not many of us left, Sirius. After your grandmother’s death, I changed the wards here to only accept the two of us. I have already prepared paperwork to bar any who carry the mark of that abomination from inheriting anything from the Black vaults. I will need a robust and willing heir to join me in a ritual exorcism of those same individuals from our family magics.”

Sirius was dumbfounded. “I don’t agree with your politics at all.”

“Don’t you?” Arcturus said, leaning back in his chair. “Do you not want a vibrant and stable magical world?”

“I meant I don’t care about the whole pureblood nonsense!” Sirius shot back. “If I took over from you in the Wizengamot, I’d pretty much vote in the opposite direction from you on every single issue!”

“So be it,” Arcturus said, raising a hand from his teacup. “You know our motto was always about purity of magic not about blood.”

Sirius looked at his grandfather and just felt completely bewildered. “I don’t understand.”

“I drew the Tower and Death,” Arcturus said dryly. “Change, transformation, a complete upending of the world.” He gave a small shrug. “Perhaps it is time. If our House is to survive, we need a new path forward.”

Sirius peered into his teacup as though it could offer up answers.

“All I ask is that you do not follow anyone blindly,” Arcturus continued.     

“Well, if you mean Dumbledore, I wouldn’t worry about that,” Sirius muttered.  

Arcturus tilted his head as though he was an inquisitive parrot. “What has happened?”

Sirius sighed and rubbed his forehead. “You’re certain this place is secure?”

“Yes, of course,” Arcturus stated firmly. “I stripped the place of listening charms and artefacts when I redid the wards. Maggy assisted to ensure we got them all.”

“Did you ban the others’ elves with the ward change?” asked Sirius bluntly.

Arcturus shook his head and frowned. “All the elves are sworn to the House of Black.”

“But not only to your service,” Sirius said. “My mother regularly orders Kreacher to do things which harm the other members of the House of Black and he does it.”

Arcturus pushed himself out of the chair. There was a simmering fury banked in his eyes. “All the Black elves to me!”

Immediately, elf after elf started to pop into the drawing room. There was a dozen elves spread out across the Black family. Sirius was not surprised that his mother’s elf was one of the last to appear.

Sirius slowly got to his feet and moved to stand next to his grandfather.

“From this moment forward, I command your first loyalty is always to myself and my heir, Sirius. Orders which are counter to this must be disobeyed without self-punishment. If the Black you serve asks you to do something which may go against that, such as spying on us, or if you are unsure, you should come to us for guidance. All previous orders they may have given are you rescinded. You are to cook, clean, and maintain their properties and household so they are in good repair, and that is all.” Arcturus waved a hand. “Maggy, ensure there are no new listening devices within the castle and its grounds. Prepare a letter for me so I can inform all the relevant Black family members of this new security policy.”

Maggy waggled her ears and popped away.

The other elves bowed and started to depart – all but Kreacher who stayed. The old elf was dressed in a dirty pillowcase and looked haggard.

Sirius had never seen him look so bad, but he didn’t feel any sympathy for him. Kreacher had tortured Sirius in the past on his mother’s orders.

“Kreacher?” Arcturus frowned at the elf.

“Master Regulus’ last order,” Kreacher stuttered out, pulling at his ears. “I must obey Regulus’ last order.”

Sirius exchanged a startled look with his grandfather.

“I command you to tell me his order as Lord Black, Kreacher,” Arcturus said forcefully.

Kreacher whimpered and closed his eyes. He held his left palm up and a locket appeared. “The Dark One borrowed Kreacher, made him help him hide this. Master Regulus went back and got it, but he was very sick from the potion he had to drink. He ordered me away and told me to destroy it.”

Sirius closed his eyes briefly. Poor Reg. At least he had done the decent thing in the end. He opened his eyes.

The locket called out to him and he forced himself not to rush forward and grab it. “There must be some kind of compulsion on it.”

“Yes, I feel it too,” Arcturus hummed. His wand slapped into his hand and he sent a diagnostic spell towards the locket. His brow lowered at the arithmancy that appeared above the locket. “Horcrux! That maniac has split his soul!”

Sirius took a step back from it, nausea rising in his gullet. “That’s a piece of His soul!”

Arcturus waved his wand and the locket rose up from Kreacher’s palm. “I need to contain this until we can destroy it.”

How could they destroy it?

And as suddenly as he had thought the words, Sirius felt Padfoot flood over him in a rush. He leaped for the locket, teeth closing around it and electricity snapping like lightning as he chomped down and…

There was an unholy shriek as Death claimed the soul shard.

Sirius spat out the crushed locket onto the rug. He transformed back.

Kreacher stared at him as though he had never seen him before.

“You’re a Grim?!” His grandfather spluttered.    

“Not important,” Sirius waved the discovery away. He conjured a box and used his wand to pick up the locket and put it into the box, closing the lid with a snap of magic. “What’s the betting he only has the one?”

“Unlikely,” Arcturus sought his seat and sat down with a thump.

Sirius glanced at Kreacher. “Seek healing, Kreacher. You’ve been damaged keeping that thing.”

Kreacher bowed and popped away.

“This is going to complicate things,” Sirius murmured.

“What things?” asked Arcturus.

Sirius looked at his grandfather. “We have a plan to take him down. It’s what I wanted to talk to you about and why I’m not particularly happy with Dumbledore anymore. We need your help.”

“Then you shall have it,” Arcturus said. “Tell me everything.”

Sirius took a shaky breath as relief flooded through him. He retook his seat. “It begins with a supposed prophecy Dumbledore heard…”  

o-O-o

James had been the strategist in the Marauders; the one who came up with the idea. It had always been Sirius who had devised how to make the idea a reality. Remus had been the muscle, the one who did the physical work of getting things done. James knew people always assumed the opposite; that Sirius was the brawn to Remus’ brains. Peter had been the lookout; the quiet one everyone ignored; the sneaky one.

Trapping and banishing Voldemort was the ultimate prank.

At least that was how James wanted to frame it for his own sanity.

Now that they were in the middle of it, James was second-guessing himself every other minute.

Step one had been to seemingly go along with Dumbledore’s plan. Both families worked with him to cast a Fidelius over their supposed hiding places. However, Dumbledore had not been told that no-one was actually going to live at the locations chosen.

They had all moved into Castle Black as Arcturus had agreed to give them sanctuary. With the wards adjusted to repel anyone with a dark mark and orders given to the elves to keep them a secret, they were safe.

James’ lips pressed together. Sirius was grieving his brother fully in the wake of the revelation about the horcrux. James figured that Sirius would eventually find some measure of comfort in realising Regulus had changed sides and done the right thing, but until then…his best friend had thrown himself into their plan as a way of coping with the pain.

Sirius had assumed the role of the Secret Keeper for both families and they had told Dumbledore that he would also go into hiding albeit without the benefit of the Fidelius to minimise the risk of the Secret Keepers being targeted. Dumbledore had tried to argue against it but had ultimately accepted the plan on the basis that he would know where Sirius was hiding. They had given in assuming that Dumbledore would tell his spy.

Frank had offered up an old hunting lodge in Scotland for their plan. They had built a runic ward within the large entrance hall which would act as the trap. They just needed to place the final rune when their enemy came for Sirius.

Which brought them to the final step which was for the conclave to banish the dark bastard…

Augusta and Arcturus had both proclaimed themselves too old. They had suggested that they look after the children while the five of them formed a conclave with the runic ward based on a pentacle. That also worked as they had used the locket to discover that Voldemort had made four other horcruxes – including his actual physical body, there was five remaining parts of his soul remaining in the world.

Sirius, Lily and Alice had spent hours going over the arithmancy and runic designs. Frank and James had helped when they could and James was satisfied that it was going to work.

A week had passed since they had ostensibly gone into hiding. They had all spent the last seven nights playing cards and waiting…

But that night, it was All Hallow’s Eve and James just knew that Voldemort would not be able to resist attacking on the most magical night when the veil between the living and dead became thin…

There was a crack of apparition outside the Lodge.

James’ heart pounded in his chest.  

Alice flew through the open window in her animagus form of a crow and transformed. She was outfitted in the same white ritual robe that they all wore.

“He’s here with Snape and Peter,” Alice said brusquely in a low voice. Her brown eyes flashed with anger in the dim candle lighting.

James shot a look to his wife first. Her lips trembled a touch before firming in a resolute line. She gave him a sharp nod.

Sirius looked devastated at the news of Peter but he also rallied. Determination hardened his silver eyes into flint.

Frank suddenly winced. “He’s laid down an anti-apparation ward of his own.”

“Places,” Lily ordered.

Frank took the anchor point on the pentacle nearest the door. He owned the land and the property. Alice and Lily stood to the left and right of him on the next points which left Sirius and James to the bottom points, James taking the one closest to Lily and Sirius the one next to Alice.

Frank grimaced. “They’ve discovered the Dark Mark ward.”

That would keep Snape and Pettigrew – and he was Pettigrew now in James’ mind – at bay.

“He’s crossed the ward,” Frank whispered.

James threw on his invisibility cloak. Everyone but Sirius disillusioned themselves. Sirius was going to stay visible given he was expected to be there.

The large wooden front door was suddenly yanked away with a bang.

Voldemort stepped through the doorway and into the lodge.

James hoped that the wizard would only see what they wanted him to see. They had left the hooks to the side of the door, one of Sirius’ old jackets hung there. His dragonhide boots were discarded underneath haphazardly. The rest of the hall was empty.

Sirius stood in front of the hall hearth, a low fire burning behind the ornate gold guard stamped with the Longbottom crest. His wand was in his hand. He had covered the ritual robe with a black day robe in honour of Regulus.

“Sirius Black,” Voldemort sneered as he took a few more steps into the room. “I will give you one chance to join me. Your cousins have already bowed to me.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Why would I, the heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, join a weak-blooded son of a potioned muggle?”

James winced at Sirius’ tone which embodied the full aristocratic arrogance of any of the pureblood heirs of their childhood.

Voldemort snarled. He barely moved his wand and a spell leaped out of it in a flash of purple.

James’ heart felt like it would leap from his chest as Sirius batted it away almost dismissively.

Sirius offered Voldemort an insolent smirk. “How pathetic. Bellatrix must have taught you that curse. It is a secret of the House of Black. Did you honestly think you could use it against me?”

Voldemort took another step and the pentagon lit up in gold across the wooden floor as Lily completed the final rune and trapped him.

Magic swept over the room and through them leaving James breathless.

Voldemort growled and shot another spell towards Sirius. It slapped into the runic ward and disappeared in a shower of sparkles.

Sirius smiled sharply at Voldemort. He tapped his outer robe with his wand. It melted away revealing the plain white ritual robe underneath.

James discarded the invisibility cloak as Lily, Alice and Frank all ended their own invisibility spells.

Voldemort’s eyes widened at the sight of them. He whirled and tried to fire another spell at Lily, only for it to disappear in much the same way as his previous attempt.

Lily’s smile was almost identical to the sharp humourless curve that Sirius had offered. She nodded at James.

He cleared his throat and met Voldemort’s red-eyed glare. “Hear me, Death, for I am James of the House of Potter, a son of the House of Peverell.”

A cold breeze swept over them all.

Voldemort tried another spell which failed, fizzingly away like a damp firework.

“Hear me, Death, for I am Lily of the House of Potter, mother to a son of the House of Peverell,” Lily said strongly.

Voldemort attempted to apparate, his body popping away only to bounce off the trap and reappear near to Frank, still within the confines of the pentacle.

“Hear me, Death, and answer the call of one who would name you an ally in this work,” Frank intoned.

Alice repeated her husband’s words.

“Hear me, Death,” Sirius growled, “for I am Sirius of the House of Black, of the House of Potter, and I carry the soul of a Grim.” He transformed and howled…

James blinked at the move. They hadn’t talked about Sirius doing that!

Everything went still.

Cold pervaded the lodge, ice running across the wooden floor and over the walls.

The ghostly figure of a beautiful woman with the universe in her eyes appeared in the centre of the room, in the middle of the trap, right next to Voldemort who flinched back from her.

For a second her features blurred and James could have sworn it was his own mother…

Lily bowed her head. “We are honoured you answered our call.”

Death hummed. “You seek to avoid Fate.”

“No,” Lily answered, “we seek to meet it. We are the power Voldemort knows not.” She waited a beat. “The power of a parent’s love for their child.”

“Do you think his mother did not love him?” asked Death, flickering a hand towards Voldemort who had retreated to the farthest place he could get from her.

“His mother loved him,” Lily answered, “she carried him and birthed him, but he knows her not. She died before she could hold him, kiss his hurts, teach him to be a good man.”

“You speak truly,” Death acknowledged. She turned to James. “What say you, descendant of my friend Ignotus if I told you your death tonight was due?”

“I say there is no greater power than the love of a parent for their child,” James stated clearly. “I would give me my life for Harry, if that is the price to pay.”

“Me too,” Frank said, drawing her attention.

Lily and Alice echoed the words. Sirius howled again, adding his voice to theirs.

Death smiled. “As Ignotus before, you all would come to me willingly.” She whirled around to face Voldemort. “Unlike this worm! Did you really think you could hide from me forever, Tom Riddle?” She raised a hand.

Voldemort gasped and dropped to his knees, his hand reaching for his throat.

Objects shimmied into view.

James saw a ring in front of him. He glanced up and found Lily staring down at a diadem. Across from her, Alice was blinking in shock at the sight of a gold cup. A diary sat in front of Frank. Lastly, the locket Sirius had already taken care of appeared in front of him.

James swallowed hard. All of the pieces of Voldemort’s soul were in the trap with Death.

With the exception of the locket, a black goo began to pour out of the objects. It ran across the floor towards Voldemort who cried out as the streams of goo reached him and travelled up his body and into his mouth and eyes.

James grimaced, nausea swirling in his belly.

Voldemort began to melt, his body slowing turned to a puddle of black goo which Death swiped away with a wave of her hand.

He was gone.

The dark wizard who had brought the wizarding world to its knees was gone!

Death walked slowly across the room and stooped in front of James to pick up the ring. “I shall take this cleansed Hallow for it should have returned to me long ago and I will take two lives for those I have let live. You will all live knowing that the two who die tonight, die in your place.”

Lily’s eyes filled with tears. James wanted badly to reach out and comfort his wife, but he couldn’t move.

Death crossed to Sirius and placed a hand on his head. “You will join me in the hunt, Sirius Black, just as you hunted the first part of Tom Riddle’s soul, but not today. For the rest of your mortal life, I bind you to the protection of the boy you love, he who is the future Master of my Hallows, the child of Peverell.”

James’ mouth dropped open and he snapped it shut again hurriedly. He took a deep breath.

“We thank you for answering our call,” Lily said solemnly.

“The House of Peverell remains your loyal friend,” James added.

They all bowed their heads.

Death smiled and disappeared.

Lily took a tremulous breath. She swept her wand from left to right and the runes of the trap glowed softly before fading away.

James immediately went to her, gathering her up and into his arms. He looked over to where Frank was hugging Alice.

Padfoot sat by the fire, his tail wagging madly.

James gestured him over.

Padfoot bounded across the room, transforming into Sirius just as they reached him. They tugged him into their embrace.

James let himself hold his loved ones, be held in return.

Sirius cocked his head. “I’ll check outside.”

“We’ll come with you,” Frank and Alice chimed together.

James watched as they left.

Lily kissed him gently. “Come on, let’s go. I want to get home to Harry.”

James summoned the cloak and stowed it away in a pocket. He held her hand as they walked out of the lodge. They found the others staring at the prone forms of Snape and Pettigrew.

Sirius rose from his position checking Pettigrew’s condition. “He’s dead.”

“Same here,” Frank declared, gesturing down at Snape.

Lily gave a soft cry. James shifted to hold her, his arm around her shoulders, tugging her into the shelter of his body. Snape had once been a friend to her, just as Pettigrew had once been a friend to him.

James knew that they’d grieve for both, be angered at their betrayal, but in that moment all James felt was relief it was over.

“We should call the Aurors,” James rubbed his head, “Merlin knows how we’re going to explain this.”

“Veritaserum and Pensieve projections,” Alice said briskly.

James was about to say something when there was a crack of apparation.

Albus Dumbledore appeared on the path just in front of them. He stared down at the bodies and back up at the five of them. “What have you done?”

James met Dumbledore’s gaze firmly. “What we needed to do. We protected our sons.” He gestured back at the house. “Death came for Voldemort and took him, and his minions.” He waved at the two bodies on the lawn.

Dumbledore huffed and took a single step towards the lodge. “I should…”

“Do nothing,” Frank stated brusquely. “This is a matter for law enforcement now, Albus. It is not a matter for a Headmaster, not even the leader of a vigilante group.”

“Although perhaps you might explain how they knew where to find Sirius?” asked Lily archly.

Dumbledore looked at them and realisation at their distrust of him broke across his face. “Perhaps I trusted too much in the wrong person.”

“There is a lot of that going around, Albus,” Frank stated with enough disgust that James felt the echo of it in his own mouth.

“As you have this in hand, I will return to Hogwarts.” Dumbledore spun on his heel and went with another loud apparation crack.

Lily squeezed James’ hand. “Come on, we’d better send for the Aurors and get this over with.”

James nodded. He watched as she conjured a Patronus message and looked away back towards the lodge.

He didn’t regret a single thing, James realised. Voldemort was dead. The people who had betrayed them were dead. Harry was safe. That was all that mattered.

Epilogue

In the corner shadows of the makeshift nursery in Castle Black, a silent figure watched as the Potters returned a sleeping Harry into the nearest cot. Beside him, in the second cot, Neville Longbottom slept on.

Lily Potter stroked a hand over Harry’s head of black curls. She kissed her fingers and pressed her love into his small forehead. “Sleep tight, Harry,” she whispered.

The Potters left, closing the door on the nursery.

Atropos, the third Fate, the one known as Death for she was the one who cut the thread, moved to the side of the cot and looked down at Ignotus’ descendant. He was a beautiful child.

Her sister, Lachesis, emerged from the moonlight that spilled through the window. Her long silvery hair swirled around her as she crossed the room to join her.

Lachesis frowned as she curled her hands around the cot’s side. “You interfered.”

There was a sigh and they both turned to look as the flowers in the vase by the door rose up and floated down to form their oldest sister.

Clotho seemed to glide over to them; her dark hair was braided into an intricate pattern of the flower petals. Her dark skin gleamed in the minimal light. “I was the one who gave the Potters a nudge in the right direction, Sister.”

“You changed his destiny,” Lachesis complained.

“Did I?” asked Clotho with a raised eyebrow. “The prophecy was met, was it not?”

“Not the way I originally weaved it,” Lachesis sniffed.

“The weave is stronger this way,” Atropos pointed out. “The Potters will be a force for good.”

Clotho hummed. “I saw the way it would play out when I spun the thread, Lachesis. It was not a good future to bend so much to the old wizard’s machinations. They all deserved better.”

Lachesis sighed and nodded. “I can’t say I’m sad to see Riddle’s thread cut earlier than I had planned.” She poked Atropos. “Harry will not meet his destiny of being the Master of the Hallows if you do not return the stone.”

Atropos smiled. “He will find it when he needs it and he will Master the Hallows in time.”

“I would question her more on her acquisition of a pet,” Clotho proclaimed cheerily.

“I’ve always wanted a grim,” Atropos replied lightly.

“It is better than him falling endlessly beyond the Veil,” Clotho agreed.

Harry Potter opened his bright emerald eyes and yawned.

The three sisters cooed in unison.

Harry blinked up at them sleepily before closing his eyes again, falling easily back into dreams.

“My work here is done,” Clotho smiled and faded away.

Lachesis hummed. “He still destined to save them all.”

“Of course he is,” Atropos agreed.

“Then I am satisfied,” Lachesis stepped away and disappeared into the moonlight.

Atropos smiled softly down at the sleeping child. Her sister may have been the one to act, but she was very satisfied with the outcome.

She moved back into the shadows and went on her way.

She and the Master of her Hallows would meet again, no matter the new tapestry of his life being spun. There were some fates that even dedicated parents could not change.     

fin.

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