Chapter Text
31st October 1981
Voldemort stood outside the house sheltering the trio of Potters. Why they had not used the Fidelius Charm to hide, was a mystery to him. He readied his wand, determined to make this quick & painless. Casting a silent Bombarda at the door, he stalked into the house, facing the patriarch & current Lord of House Potter: James. James glared at him, wand ready to cast. A pity then, that Voldemort did not even give him a chance to fire a spell. 1 Avada Kedavra later, Voldemort was heading to the nursery. Lily Potter stood in front of her son, Harry, who was half awake.
Voldemort whispered, "I'll make this quick & easy for you. Stand aside. You'll live."
"Fat chance." Lily was not budging.
"I warned you. Avada Kedavra."
Lily's cold body hit the floor a second later. Voldemort advanced onto Harry, noticing that the little baby had eyes the same colour as Lily. Voldemort stared into the eyes that held no fear at seeing him. A few seconds passed, but the staring contest went on. But it was those seconds that cost Voldemort. He was hit with a Cutting Curse, a Petrification Charm & a Bombarding Charm. Though they did not harm him, he still felt the impact as he was hurled onto the floor. He looked up to see a trio of young men, murder set in their eyes. He knew only one of them: Remus Lupin, a werewolf. Fenrir Greyback had bitten him when he was just 6 years old, at the behest of Lupin's mother, who had discovered that Remus was suffering from cancer. The lycanthropy helped kill off any diseases in the body, essentially making Lupin immune to anything, at the cost of a painful transformation at full moon.
He did not recognise the other two men, the shorter one of whom summoned Harry to him. He hugged the baby like there was no tomorrow. "Finish him. I will wait."
The third man had curly black hair, muscles that stretched his clothes to their seams, & a wolfish grin plastered on his face. "I've been waiting a long time for this, Voldy."
Voldemort stood up, eyeing the three. "And just who might you be?"
"Sirius Orion of House Black. Heir to the House of Black. Grandson of Lord Arcturus Black III. Brother of Regulus Arcturus Black. Cousin of Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy & Bellatrix Lestrange. Friend of James & Lily Potter. Godfather to Harry Potter." The grin turned sadistic. "And your doom."
Voldemort realised how badly he had screwed up. If not the fact that the man in front of him was a Black, it became worse as the rest of the relations poured out. He never even dreamt of taking on Arcturus Black. He knew that the Lord of the House of Black would & could put him 6 feet under, without so much as getting from his proverbial chair. And if Sirius was even a quarter of that, Voldemort was in serious trouble. He raised his wand, but the entire room twisted, as if they were on a merry-go-round.
Sirius' voice carried over, "Ever since my mother threw me out of the house, my uncle & grandfather took me in. I trained under them before you decided to court war on Britain. And so they told me, if I were to ever face you in combat, to tell you this: Sending you to Azkaban would be a mercy, killing you would be inhumane for all the lives you have taken. They showed me the way that we Blacks take revenge on our enemies. You'll be sorry you ever decided to mess with us."
The room stopped spinning, Voldemort looking at the trio again. Lupin was glowing shades of red, blue & yellow. Sirius was glowing black. The third member was nowhere to be seen. Sirius declared, "I was top of my class in Defense against the Dark Arts. Remus was top of the class in Ancient Runes. You're about to find out why." With that declaration, the duo rushed Voldemort. Hexes, Curses, Jinxes & even Unforgivables were exchanged. But Voldemort did not realise one thing: While he was certainly more powerful than the two of them, they had known each other for 7 years. They knew each other's fighting style, preferred spells, as well as speeds. Sirius was always on the offensive, with Remus shielding him & using any openings he got to fire Runic spells at Voldemort, which were weathering down the shields.
Sirius finally got a wide opening, hurling a spell of Severus Snape's creation: Sectumsempra. The cuts along Voldemort's body erupted with blood pouring out of them like waterfalls. Remus followed up with a Runic Sealing Blast, ensuring that Voldemort died without trying to take them out as well. Once Remus smelled the body going cold, they eased up. Peter had taken shelter in a house that belonged to Dorcas Meadows, who Voldemort had personally dueled & defeated, sending Dorcas to St. Mungos due to long term exposure to the Crutiatus Curse. Sirius & Remus found him there, shielding Harry with his body, wand drawn with red sparks coming out. Once he saw who it was, he lowered his wand.
"He is dead Peter. We've contacted the Aurors. Shacklebolt, Moody & my Uncle are handling things. Let's get little Harry out of here. We can take him to Grimmauld Place. The wards protecting it are among the oldest in Britain. Even Albus can't get through without a Black being there to help him."
Peter's lip quivered, "James, Lily, Regulus, Marlene. They're gone. They're really gone."
Remus crouched, looking Peter in the eyes. "Yes. Come on. Let's not cry in front of Harry."
Remus hauled Peter to his feet. They went out, nodded to Moody, who noticed the baby Peter was carrying. "Taking him to your place, Sirius?"
"Yes Mad-Eye. Until we get confirmation that the Death Eaters have been rounded up, Harry will not be seen by the public. If I have to stun them all to do so, I will."
"Right. Sorry for your loss gentlemen. I know how tightly knit the Marauders were."
The trio walked a distance away, where Sirius' bike was parked. He hopped on & started the engine. Peter went into the sidecar with Harry, Remus casting a gyroscopic rune on it for balance. He jumped on behind Sirius, & the sound of a bike faded into the night.
Moody watched them go, then turned to the Ministry forces that were present. They combed through the house, cataloging everything. Voldemort's body was thrown in a cell without care, while James & Lily were carried out carefully.
Sirius drove the bike into the garage of the house. He had no desire to return here, but considering this was the strongest Black property, in terms of wards, it was safer to keep Harry here. As they got out of the garage, into the house, a pop was heard & they saw the house elf, Kreacher sneering at them. Sirius snapped, "Don't even say anything Kreacher. I just lost two friends tonight, & their sleeping son is with us. Anything you want to say, you say tomorrow." Kreacher nodded, understanding that a child was more important than his anger at Sirius. Remus took Harry from Peter, who collapsed at the table, sobbing like there was no tomorrow.
A new voice flowed towards them. "Sirius, I see your need for subtlety is well warranted."
Sirius did not bother turning out. "Grandfather. Please do not say anything that could make the three of us snap. We are running on adrenaline & terror at this point."
"I am aware. I will administer all three of you Draughts of Dreamless Sleep, so at least in the morning you will be coherent. Remus, I see you have young Harry with you. Come with me, I have set up a room for him. I will watch him tonight."
Footsteps echoed as the two of them walked away. Sirius sat at the table opposite Peter, who had stopped sobbing, but was fighting his body's need to sleep. His wounds were superficial, Kreacher could help clean them up. But they sat in silence, unwilling to move. Sirius' godfather senses were on high alert, allowing him to feel if anything happened to Harry. But all he got as feedback was a sleeping child. Remus came down later, with Arcturus in tow. The latter held three vials of the potion he had promised to give them. He silently slid them across the table, each Marauder taking a good amount of time before drinking them. Soon, they were snoring at the table, but Arcturus did not mind. After all, he had been through a similar situation decades ago, when Grindlewald had laid siege to Europe. The young men in front of him deserved rest, even if it was till the morning. Arcturus called out, "Kreacher."
The elf appeared, looking at the old man with respect. "Yes Lord?"
"You know I am Lord of House Black. Sirius is my Heir. You will treat him as you have treated me. Walburga was a bigot who could not see past her own desires. You will treat his friends the same as me. Have I made myself clear?" The old man's eyes blazed with the fury that their House was known for. Kreacher gulped and nodded, going back to his room. Arcturus went to Harry's room, which was dark to help the child fall off to sleep faster. He set himself in a chair where he could watch the door & the crib. No one would be trying to kidnap Harry while he was around. After all, it was not for nothing that Arcturus had earned the title of best dueler in Europe for 20 straight years. He felt for the poor soul who came knocking to their front door.
Arcturus went down the moment Harry started moving, since Sirius had burst into the room with his godfather senses alerting him of Harry being awake. He watched as Remus & Peter were still snoring away, chuckling to himself. It was nearly 8 am, but the outside world had yet to rise. Arcturus let the duo be, walking into the kitchen to grab his favourite breakfast: Sausages & Waffles. Not very healthy, but Arcturus indulged himself now & again. As he ate, Remus woke up. The werewolf blinked a few times, taking in his surroundings. He bowed to the Lord of the House, but the latter waved it away. Remus then sent a Patronus message to Amelia Bones, saying that the three of them were not going to leave Harry alone, & to let him know what he could do for them while under self-imposed house arrest. Peter woke up as Remus went for a bath, Arcturus giving his condolences to him. Remus came down later, looking slightly better. Peter went in, saying that he would not come down for at least an hour. Sirius joined them soon with Harry, who was looking around at the new place. He was quite happy eating his food, but then the inevitable question came. "Mama? Dada?"
Arcturus saw as his grandson & his grandson's friend paled, both looking at each other. Remus started tearing up again, while Sirius looked like he wanted to turn the Killing Curse on himself. Recognising the situation for what it was, the oldest in the room turned to Harry, who was looking at him with big green eyes. "Harry." Arcturus spoke slowly so that Harry's attention was all on him. "Your mama & dada are in a better place than us." Harry tilted his head, almost like he was questioning them. "You had to stay here, so that you can also go there later." Harry did not say anything, but he turned back to Sirius, "Pafoo?"
Sirius wiped his eyes & faced Harry. "Yes, Prongslet?"
Harry smiled & spread his arms, " 'Ug?"
"Yes Prongslet." Sirius engulfed Harry, promising not to let him ever go anywhere.
Remus got up & went to the kitchen. Arcturus followed him. He may not have been a mind healer, but he knew that Remus needed to talk. "Remus?"
"I can't bear to look at him sir. Lily's eyes. James' hair. I'd rather cut my own heart out than do that."
"Absolutely not!" Arcturus' hand slammed onto Remus' in a second, his voice nearly thundering. "Harry is an innocent babe. I will not have you leaving him, not when you three are the closest to parents he will ever have."
Remus looked at Arcturus, with the look of a man who had lost everything in life. Arcturus glared back, almost daring the werewolf to fight him. He would be glad if that happened. Remus needed to let out that negative energy. Remus' shoulders slumped as he walked back to the dining room. All would be good for now. He took over from Sirius, who walked up to his grandfather. "Why?"
"Why what?" Even Arcturus did not know the depth of the question.
"You told Harry his parents were in a better place. Why not tell him the truth?"
Arcturus just smiled, "But I did tell him the truth. At least in the afterlife, all souls know peace. No one hunts for another out of spite, only for love & companionship."
Sirius lunged forward, hugging his grandfather tightly, "Thank you. Thank you. You have no idea what that means to me."
Peter joined them after a long while, the rat animagus having cut his long hair, shaved his facial hair & trimmed his nails. His wand hung in the holster, but his fingers twitched, as if he expected ghosts to jump out of the walls & attack them. They went through the day with Harry under their supervision. Harry was causing all sorts of accidental magic, but nothing that was harmful. It was more when he wanted something out of his reach. As he lay down for his afternoon nap, Arcturus summoned all three friends.
"I want a list of all Marauders, with their status. Alive, incapacitated, dead. It is time to surround yourself with people you trust."
Peter said, "We are in this room. Only one Marauder is dead: James Potter, Prongs."
"That's a lie & even I know that. I've seen your group. I know they were from different years as well. Make that list & give it to me."
Sirius brought in a piece of parchment, a quill & a large ink pot. He started writing.
Marauders
James Potter (Stag: Prongs) - Dead
Sirius Black (Grimm: Padfoot) - Alive
Peter Pettigrew (Rat: Wormtail) - Alive
Remus Lupin (Werewolf: Moony) - Alive
Frank Longbottom (Bear: Beast) - Alive
Alice Longbottom (Unicorn: Horn) - Incapacitated
Severus Snape (Vampire: Alucard) - Alive
Lily Potter (Petals) - Dead
Regulus Black (Bat: Chiro) - Dead
Amelia Bones (Harpy Veela: Alecto) - Alive
Dorcas Meadows (Hawk: Talon) - Incapacitated
Marlene Macdonald (Snake: Fang) - Dead
Barty Crouch Jr. (Tiger: Claw) - Incapacitated
Peter chocked seeing Alice's name, but some tension went away on seeing her status. Sirius finished the list & handed it to Arcturus, who read it carefully. He finished and asked, "I see some animagi, some creatures, a regular human. Explain."
Remus took a deep breath in. "That was because of me. My werewolf status was a trigger for Snape's dormant side to emerge. Amelia was a couple years our senior. As soon as Snape turned, her Harpy side emerged. We had known she was a Veela, but the Harpy was new. Later we learned that their more violent side is a Harpy."
Peter took over. "In our third year, James & I decided to become animagi to keep Remus company. We had discovered what he was at the end of second year. Sirius joined us as well. Frank was a year senior to us, so to make sure we were safe, he also went through the process a year after us. He had a thought that a person's Patronus & animagus form would be the same most of the time. He was correct. My animagus is a rat, but my Patronus is not. It is a dragon. Frank ended up as a bear. By the time we were in fifth year, the Marauders had gone from just us four, to the list in front of you. Most of them were in our year. Sirius wanted to include his cousins, but Andromeda had already graduated by then, Narcissa refused to have anything to do with us, and Bellatrix had as good as flown the family coop."
Sirius ended the tale, grief present in his voice. "Once the threat of Voldemort came up, we all signed up to be part of Albus' Order. All of us had our specialties. Some of us excelled at Charms, others Dark Arts, many in Transfiguration. Remus here was the only one successful at putting Runes on his body. Most of his skin is full of tattoos. Frank did the same, but with his clothing. I laid waste to the Death Eaters with both Dark Arts as well as the hand-to-hand training you & Uncle Alphard gave me. There was a prophecy that Albus received, but I believe there could have been two outcomes to it. It spoke of a person born as the seventh month dies. Only 2 children were born in July: Harry Potter & Neville Longbottom. Frank & Alice went into hiding in Longbottom Manor, while James & Lily went to Godric's Hollow. You know the rest."
Arcturus nodded as his mind wandered across possibilities. Just then, a silver hummingbird entered the room they were in, Moody's voice coming from it.
"Sirius, Remus, Peter. We've have finished canvassing the Potter home in Godric's Hollow. There are some personal effects of James & Lily we have checked for anything suspicious. I will be sending an elf with them soon. However, we need 1 of you to identify their bodies. They are in the Ministry. The funeral is scheduled in 7 days, at Godric's Hollow. I know Lily has a sister, so her invitation is at your discretion. I understand if you do not want to bring Harry for this. Once again, my condolences to all three of you. Stay vigilant."
The hummingbird faded after the last word. Remus quipped, "Who knew Moody had a heart?"
Arcturus turned his gaze on the trio. Power flashed in his eyes. "You three are going to the funeral. I will stay here with Harry. If anyone tries to get in, they have to deal with the wards. Even if the wards fail, they'll have to deal with Kreacher. After that, me."
The elf came, as Moody promised. James' trunk was filled with his pranking material, his broom, wand & Invisibility Cloak. Lily's trunk contained her notes on Charms, her theories on them, as well as her Potions work.
Remus quietly segregated all the items, labelling them. Peter had gone to be with Harry, while Sirius & Arcturus were setting up everyone's rooms. Peter had no one to go back to, his house having been razed by the Carrow twins. His parents had died while he was still in school, leaving him no living relative. Remus had been told never to return home, by his father, when he found out about the lycanthropy. Arcturus was more than happy to have them.
While they were having dinner that night, Peter spoke up, for the first time in six hours. "I will invite Lily's sister for her funeral. If she declines, that's on her."
Sirius looked up, ready to argue, but thought against it. Remus noticed, but he did not say anything, not with Harry next to them. Harry had noticed the somber mood at the table, but was still a bundle of happy energy. Arcturus smiled at him, receiving a very gummy smile in return. Once they put Harry to bed, they warded his room, his crib, with Remus placing a rune under the crib to protect him. Since it was still early into the night, not even 10 pm, Peter took his leave to inform Lily's sister. Arcturus cast a strong glamour on him, enough to last a few hours. As a precaution, he cast a few cuts on Peter's face & body. Hopefully he would not be recognised.
Peter stepped out of the wards, turning into a rat. He raced away towards Privet Drive, his stamina greater than the previous night. He let his grief drive him, shut away as it was behind his Occumelency Shields. The Blacks had a Magical Inheritance that was the shield, awakened at the age of 13. Remus' mind was immune to Leglimency, courtesy lycanthropy. Peter had learned it from Severus, & further continued under Arcturus. He'd never reach the level of a Black, but at least he was strong enough to prevent most semi-amateurs from entering his head.
He arrived at Privet Drive after an hour. He transformed out of the sight of cameras & houses, walking towards Number 4. He knocked on the door, steeling himself.
Petunia Dursley nee Evans opening the door, not recognising him. He took the chance to speak first.
"Good evening Petunia. It is my unfortunate destiny to tell you that your sister, Lily Potter nee Evans, was murdered last night. The funeral will be in 7 days in Godric's Hollow."
Petunia looked him in the eyes before replying, "I had a sister, she died at age 11. Do not ever darken my doorstep with your presence again." She slammed the door in his face, causing Peter to sigh as he trudged away. He walked a kilometre before transforming & racing away. Some things never changed. Petunia still hated her sister, that much was glaringly obvious.
Petunia went back to the living room, her husband sitting on the sofa. He asked, "Who was that?"
"Nobody Vernon. Just a man asking for directions."
"I see."
Vernon knew his wife was lying through her teeth. He'd seen it enough of times, but those were mainly things that never involved him. But this was massive. He'd heard the entire exchange. Petunia had basically told the man outside that Lily, her blood sister, was dead to her for the past 10 years. But he refused to say anything to her. Thankfully, he had an address, & a date. He would go to Lily's funeral, even if it ended up with Petunia divorcing him.
Unknown to Petunia, & everyone who had ever interacted with him, Vernon Dursley was a man blessed by Hestia. The Goddess of the Hearth & Family had blessed him when he had been in Greece as a teenager. The details were unimportant, but enough for her to take notice. Now his domain of family was asking for Petunia's blood. It wanted vengeance. But Vernon would substitute it for peace.
Petunia went up to sleep, Dudley already in his crib. Vernon joined his hands & closed his eyes in a silent prayer to Hestia. She was the only Olympian allowed to interact with mortals, but only in the borders of Greece. But answering prayers was easy enough for her. Feeling his prayer received, Vernon got up & left the living room.
Remus was in the room where Harry was sleeping. He had 2 weeks before the full moon, so he had decided to take watch on the baby. He heard Peter walk up the stairs & enter the room quietly. He nodded to Remus, who gave him a thumbs up.
Peter closed the door & went back to his room, seeing Arcturus outside. "She won't come. She said her sister died at age 11. So no one will come from her side, it seems."
"Let her be. We need to talk about you now."
Peter was startled. "Me? Why?"
"You know what it is like to be an orphan. At this moment, you & Harry are similar."
"Respectfully sir. I have memories of my parents. Harry won't even have that. We are not similar. I was an orphan for 2 years, before attaining my majority."
"Very well. What's the plan for the next few days?"
"Remus has done what he can with James & Lily's things. Some of the stuff will be left for Harry as he grows older. Some items will be taken to the funeral."
"How do you plan to care for Harry after that? None of you are female last I checked."
Peter looked a bit scared when he answered. "Andromeda Tonks nee Black. She's the closest female relative to Sirius who won't kill Harry on sight. Narcissa would have been an option since she has a boy Harry's age, but Lucius Malfoy is her husband. Bellatrix is a Death Eater, I dueled her a few times."
"And came out alive. Impressive. I will remove her from the family tree, now that you've stated she is a Death Eater. Andromeda shall be reinstated. Thank you for this information Peter. Good night."
"Good night sir."
Albus Dumbledore staggered back into his room at Hogwarts. The past 24 hours had done a number on his mind & body. The Potters were dead, Harry was with Sirius, Dorcas & Alice were out of commission for a while, Barty Crouch Jr. was with his father. He had just come back from a trial of 6 Death Eaters, three of which were the Lestranges: Bellatrix, Rabastan, Rudolphus. Two were the Carrow Twins, Amycus & Alecto. The sixth was a distant relative of the Greengrass family. All were given life in Azkaban. He had tried to get them the Dementor's Kiss, but the Ministry overruled him. He sent a Patronus message to Arcturus Black before he went to sleep. "I know Sirius has Harry. Do not allow them to make a public appearance till New Year, at the very least."
Far below him, deep in a hall where no sunlight reached, a stone that had vibrating for centuries slowed down over the course of the night, before the vibrations stopped altogether.
21st March 1981
Far to the East, under the ruins of a city that was one an empire's ceremonial capital surrounded by the Zagros Mountains, three pairs of brown eyes opened. The bodies connected to them started to move towards the surface. Once above, they turned their attention to an empty spot of land, a tremor moving out from their feet. In a pool hidden by magic, a pair of blue eyes opened in response. The water churned as a figure emerged from it, lightning pulsing across its limbs. Four pairs of eyes turned to an alcove in the ruins. A thin, white mist was curling off the stones, despite the stones not being hot enough for the air to react that way. The mist curled tighter, revealing two bodies in suspended animation. The bodies floated to the ground, where they stood ramrod straight, opening their eyes to reveal pure white. Without a word, all six of them trudged towards the centre of the ruins. There was nothing to see, but a few seconds later, a column of fire erupted from the ground. Two bodies emerged from it, bright orange eyes making contact with the other twelve eyes.
The body with blue eyes looked towards the west. A finger was lifted in that direction, followed by a raspy male voice that had not been used in 1300 years. "We march tonight."
Seven other male voices sounded in agreement, "Then lead us."
As they left the ruins, a flash of their respective elements surrounded their bodies. As the flash reduced, each male was clothed in white. A cape billowed out behind them, taking on different colours depending on the eye colour of the person. A white turban atop their heads, they pulled down a cloth that was tied just below it. Their entire face disappeared, save for their eyes. As the night dragged on, they disappeared into the landscape.