Sirius was still reeling from his talk with his mother and brother. Both explained to him that they had their eyes well and truly opened in regards to the Dark Lord during the final days of Regulus's life.

Walburga realized that he was killing many pureblood families, while it was merely the Death Eaters that killed muggles. She had begged Regulus to run away with her. She was planning on making amends with Sirius as well so they could all escape the madness that Britain had become. With the Potters being attacked and nearly wiped off the map, the logical conclusion was the Blacks would be next.

However, Voldemort asked to borrow Kreacher, and the little thing was never the same again. Regulus never came home shortly after that, and she wore his locket, not realizing what it actually was.

When Dumbledore visited her after a Wizengamot session, all of her revelations had been forgotten. She died of a broken heart long before her withered mind and broken body, corrupted by the Horcrux, could claim her. After coming to the afterlife, she learned the truth about everything, and she realized the bigger picture.

She realized what was actually at stake, and she sent Sirius back with all of her blessings and a vow that in her next life as Walburga Black, she was going to be the mother that Sirius and Regulus deserved. Her apologies and heartfelt sorrow burned into Sirius's memories.

After being asked to borrow Kreacher, and the little guys return home, Regulus realized the evil Voldemort did by creating Horcruxes. Upon that discovery, everything came into perspective for Regulus and he concluded that Sirius was right all along: just not in the way Dumbledore advocated.

Regulus believed that both sides of the war were wrong and that the middle road, the "Grey Road" was the better option. He acted alone because he believed that Dumbledore had control over Sirius, just as Voldemort had control over his Death Eaters, but more absolute. Be it through natural devotion, or magical means, Regulus wasn't sure. But he wasn't going to take the chance that what he was about to do got back to either of the major factions fighting the war.

For all of their "Leader of Light” and “Dark Lord” nonsense, both had more information than was comfortable for Regulus, both had means of getting information, and when both were desperate for it, no one was safe. Despite being on opposite sides of the spectrum, Dumbledore and Voldemort were eerily similar.

Sirius was well and truly ashamed at how right Regulus was. As well as ashamed that he hadn't seen it himself. Potions or no.

Sirius didn't have to explain the past lives he lived because Regulus and Walburga had already seen them. Just as they had seen the lives Ares, formerly Harry, had lived. When Mal permitted to have her lives viewed, the mother and son saw those lives as well. After viewing the younger couples lives, whatever negative thoughts or feelings remained towards the nonmagical populations vanished without a trace. Regulus and Walburga learned through those lives that evil lurked in all shapes and forms, it wasn't just limited to the Wizarding world.

Both wished beyond words could express that they could go back and help in whatever way was possible. However, Regulus had been dead for many years, and if Walburga were alive, her state of mind and being would be far too deteriorated. There was no recovery for her. She would be going back to a husk, riddled with pain and madness, for which there was only the option of a quick and painless death. So with heavy hearts, both were forced to merely express their regrets to Sirius, and offer their hope, their encouragement, but most of all, their never-ending love and acceptance in him and the man he had become.

They were offered a brief moment in time before Sirius had to leave for the mortal realm again, and they made the most of what time they were given, both with Sirius, and Bellatrix. More so with Sirius.

Sirius closed his eyes, still holding his brother and mother. Basking in love and warmth that was being shown to him. When he opened his eyes again, he was laying on his stomach in his animagus form, curled as tightly together as he could manage to retain body heat in this cold, in the filthy cell of Azkaban. The assault of the putrid smells, feeling how weak his body was, and the feeling of utter despair that saturated the air brought back all of the terrible memories of this place.

More so, he realized just how weak he was. A few seconds ago, moving had been effortless, now, movement was rather difficult, and made him dizzy.

Still, he had a job to do, and his current state of being wasn't going to stop him from accomplishing his tasks. He laid there for a long time, going over his memories to see if anything had changed from the memories he already had. He was relieved to find they matched completely. He knew that some of the others coming back wouldn't have that luxury, and this extra time to go over their memories would be needed.

When Sirius heard the approach of the guards, he knew it was the delivery of the only meal a day the prisoners got while in this place. If they were able to eat at all. The reason why so many wasted away and became nothing but skin and bone was not only the fault of the Dementors but was because the Guards would often forget to feed the prisoners for days at a time. There were even a series of a week or two before meals were remembered and distributed. It was more common than it should be.

The guards also liked to beat up on some of the prisoners. It was usually the former Aurors who were assigned here to keep them off the streets because of their past conduct. They were furious that their "great talent" was limited to these dark walls and almost catatonic prisoners.

The meal delay was often the prelude to several beatings. Usually, the two weeks without food led to several beat downs in the maximum-security wing. Emotionally and mentally beaten down by just being in Azkaban, as well as the Dementors, weakened even the best of people; Sirius was proof of that. Further weakened by lack of food made the beat downs that came rather one-sided. Not even Rabastion Lestrange, the Death Eaters best physical fighter was a match for those guards in his current state of being when they came for their "fun".

If the warden or the better guards knew about this, they never said or did anything about it. Sirius made a mental note to store all of those memories in a special place in his mindscape. Given that Sirius was in the maximum-security wing, witness to several beat downs, as well as being one of the victims on several occasions, there were plenty of memories. He planned to expose those bastards once and for all. It even might be the key to helping a few people get a second chance.

Sirius waited until they were on the floor, and several cells down from his own before changing from a dog back into a man. It was more difficult than it should have been, and a great deal more painful. That could only happen if bones were broken and healed wrong. Sirius was sporting several fractured ribs at the moment. Leftover from his beat down two weeks prior.

The guards today dropped off his food, thankfully, without a beating, and moved onto the next cell.

When the prisoners didn't immediately jump for the food like the starving mad inmates they were, the Guards would check to see if the inmate was still alive and breathing. Sometimes, the cell held no living occupant, and there was cleanup ordered for that cell.

It was this check for the living or dead that often led to the beat downs if the Guards didn't come in with specific targets. The last beat down Sirius had was because his hip was dislocated, and he had just managed to change back when the Guards were at his door, narrowly missing being caught in his as of yet undiscovered animagus form. Assuming that the Mass Murder Sirius Black might, at last, be dead, the Guards came in to check. Upon finding he was alive and that they wouldn't be receiving a payday from someone, they began to beat him. Dropped his food, then left. Going to beat on their specific target for the day, Rookwood.

Sirius jumped at the food as soon as it hit the floor and began to scarf down the meager food, not tasting it, as there wasn't much taste to the scraps that could barely be considered food. At least it was semi filling. His actions meant the Guards just moved on.

After the guards made their rounds and the food was delivered for the first time in days, and it would most likely be days till there was another delivery of food, they left that floor and Sirius was able to change back into Padfoot. Surprising the wizard that there were no beatings to be had today. He didn't get a good look at the Guards, but they were likely the good ones who delivered the food this time around. The good ones never issued a beating, never really said a word.

Laying back, Sirius couldn't deny that some of the occupants in here actually deserved the treatment they got. Such as Rookwood and the Lestrange brothers. However, this was against all protocol, it was against basic human decency; Sirius was sure many would be conflicted about this issue. He hoped that it would cause enough of a shift to occur to allow the review of a few cases, such as Bella, in particular.

Sirius eventually closed his eyes and rested. He had a long night ahead of him, and he needed as much rest as he could get this place, and enough luck from the heavens to accomplish this third escape. At least in the previous lives, his body had somewhat healed when he made his escape attempt.

When he opened his eyes between his naps, he looked at the rare window across from his cell, keeping an eye on the color of the sky. He needed the right time; the hard part was waiting for it. He opened his eyes for a fourth time to find the sky was dark, and he knew it was almost time. This time, he stayed awake so as not to miss his chance.

He laid as still as he could manage while he waited. He waited till there was no sound anywhere near him. Except for the haggard breathing of other inmates and whispers that were there yet you couldn't quite make out what was being said. It always came as a terrifying shock to realize that it was the Dementors, and they were communicating with each other.

It was a rare occasion indeed, as the Guards, several floors below, who could be heard making a ruckus at any time of day, were silent. Upon realizing that there was silence from below, did he quietly rise and slip through the bars of his cell.

Before Azkaban, Padfoot was too big to do that. He knew once he got back to the best health for his body, Padfoot wouldn't be able to do that again. So that ruled out coming back here to sneak Bellatrix out. Before turning to his left where the stairs descended to the lower levels, he veered right and went to Bella's cell.

He slipped through the bars just as easily into that cell. He knew he couldn't take her with him. Right now, he was too weak, and he would barely be able to make the trip himself. She was also another victim of the beatings two weeks prior; she was also in much worse condition than he was. If she tried to swim through the sea tonight, she would drown, and he would drown trying to save her. Best to not bite off more than he could chew.

Sirius was internally gawking at just how much he had changed over those two lifetimes, being able to remember them, and his changes from this afterlife. Before, and likely still would without his memories and gained knowledge, he would have grabbed Bella, chances and fate be damned, and escaped with her. Resulting in the previously stated fact that they would both drown.

Furthermore, she was still under contract to Rodolphus and the control of Voldemort. He needed that marriage contract destroyed before having a Merlin's chance at saving her. They would work on getting rid of the Dark Mark after that.

That was if she was even able to be saved. Before he could make any plans to rescue her, and he wanted to rescue her knowing what he did, cautiously making plans regardless, he needed to be sure that Bella had in fact changed enough to allow redemption. Even with the contract to the Lestrange's still in place.

She was laying on the cot sleeping, her breathing very uneven as he knew his own was. He kept himself against the cell door, and away from her. He knew she had come back with no memories, but her soul was whole once more. According to Mal, there was a very good chance that the guilt she carried in the afterlife would manifest even if she was still under contract. Her mind was essentially given back to her, so there would a level of sanity.

How much with the contract still in effect, Mal wasn't sure, but it should be evident enough upon looking at her.

When Bellatrix opened her eyes and looked at him, he saw the little girl who Mal helped heal. He nodded his head and backed back out of the cell. He turned and began to descend the stairs. He knew the old Bellatrix would be seething, begging to join, and when he didn't help her, she would scream to alter the guards that there was an escapee. As punishment for daring to escape and not take her with him.

His proof that Bellatrix was changed, was her silence.

He made it all the way outside, and still no one, so he kept his pace. Swimming across the icy sea to the land on the other side. He was sure he would look back on this night and have no bloody idea how in the hell he'd managed it. Though, looking back on this night, he was sure he could argue that he had the Arch Angels looking after him during this escape. It was the only thing that made sense.

He'd escaped earlier this time around. The air was still colder, making the water freezing, and turbulent. Not ideal conditions for escaping or for traveling with his body in the condition it was. The last time, summer had been in full swing the last time. The air and the water were warmer, the water was also a bit calmer. Making the escape feel more like a well-deserved bath. It had been around July that his escape was last made. Because Ares, as Harry back then, spent his birthday and the all of August in Diagon Alley before the new term started in September. It took Sirius all that time to get from Surrey to the Scottish Highlands.

Escaping now meant Hogwarts was still in session, and it was Sirius's hope he could get to Surrey before Ares got out of school for the season. The less time Ares spent with those magic hating waste of breath muggle Dursleys, the better.

There would no doubt be consequences for escaping much earlier than he had originally, but he didn't care. His godson needed him, his family needed him, and he wasn't going to wait around for the original date of his break out.

The whole point of coming back was about making changes.

What better way to start than this?

}TLCW{

The first thing Remus was aware of, were the smells of everything around him. Not unusual for a werewolf but definitely unusual to a person who had recently been deceased and couldn't smell anything. Whatever they thought they smelt in the afterlife was a fabrication. There was no smell there. Remus said nothing about that and just let the others have their imaginings.

Now, however, he could smell the wet earth he was laying on, the many trees native to Romania, and the promise of rain to come. It was similar weather to the British Isles, but with vaster and denser forests. Perhaps that’s why he came here in the first place, he mused as he simply looked around the little clearing that currently doubled as his home for the moment.

In this life, looking through his memories, he saw, that was part of it, but his trip here all started on the orders of Dumbledore to get in touch with the werewolf population. Before Voldemort returned and beat them to it. Dumbledore wanted to get as many "dark creatures" on the "light side" before the Dark Lord's inevitable return.

Of course, Remus succeeded in making contact, but he wasn't going to tell Dumbledore that fact, just as he hadn't told Dumbledore anything about his past stays here either. Dumbledore, in his infinite wisdom, just assumed the werewolves had well and truly cemented themselves in the dark. As such, they were simply waiting for their Master's resurrection to make their triumphant return to Britain.

What Dumbledore, matter of fact what all of the magical public in Britain couldn't fathom was the sanctuary werewolves found outside of the British Isles. The packs here, for instance, were peaceful unless hunted. There were equal rights and protective statues here, and in many other countries as well.

Why would the werewolf population leave their beautiful, peaceful homes and lives, for Wizarding Britain? A place where they could legally be killed for simply being what they are, and kept from owning homes or decent paying jobs?

Such was the response whenever the topic of returning to Britain came up when others sought out the packs for similar reasons.

Remus wasn't even going to bother the local packs with Dumbledore's pitiful offer. He never did with any of the "requests" of a similar nature that Dumbledore sent him on. Remus would go, and make contact with the packs sure, he would spend time with them, and learn more about his people every time. Each pack embraces different aspects of what seemed to be a vast culture, much like the Native Americans in the US. They were a proud people, and kept traditions alive for centuries.

It was truly a sight to behold.

If Remus had been stupid enough, blinded by Dumbledore's "light", in this life as he had in the past lives, he would have seen himself thrown out of every territory belonging to the packs around the globe. No respectable pack would never accept an offer made by someone like Dumbledore, and Dumbledore was deluding himself if he thought even for a moment that the werewolves would ever consider moving to Wizarding Britain in its current political state. Especially in the cases of those who had lived there before, and grew up with the racism and bigotry hurled at them every day of their lives.

The werewolves of the here and now would laugh at both Dumbledore's and Voldemort's offers considerably. That is if they were in a good mood. Most likely, as Remus concluded earlier, they would be shot down rather harshly and thrown out of the pack's territory. And if the invading wizards dared attack the packs in revenge for declining both "generous" wizards, then heaven help them because no Government in the rest of Europe, or the MACUSA, would persecute the packs. They would be seen as doing exactly what they were, defending their homes and territory. Hell, given the rest of the world's views on Dumbledore and Voldemort, the packs would probably be given awards!

These were the werewolves Mal changed with her wish. She had changed so much with just a handful of words, and the more Remus reviewed his memories, the more and more he was tempted, his mate and Ares be damned, to kiss that wingless angel full on the mouth.

Purely as a show of his, and the rest of the world's werewolves, gratitude. Because if they knew what he did, they would drop to the ground and worship her like he was already so tempted to. What she had given him, and so many others, was such a stark contrast to what Remus was used to. Best of all, this peaceful life was all most werewolves had ever known.

If these were the werewolves before Mal's wish, they would have jumped on the Voldemort train within seconds. Without Voldemort even making any offers to gain their aid. All the Dark Lord would have to do would be to show up, or have an emissary show up, and the packs would follow. All the while spitting on Dumbledore's previous offers over the years, then pissing on his grave after his inevitable demise.

Remus lifted his head as he finished going over his new memories, as soothing song filling the air. There was only one creature to produce this type of music; it was the music of a Phoenix. With a flash of fire, there was the famous golden and red bird Fawkes that Dumbledore had somehow managed to claim as a familiar. A letter was currently tied to this magnificent bird's leg. Remus could see Fawkes was utterly pissed off at playing messenger, and the music reflected that. That a great Phoenix was reduced to this for a manipulative old goat raping bastard.

Remus threw his head back and laughed as best as he could in his wolf form. Knowing that those thoughts came from Fawkes.

He changed into a man. His first of many controlled, and utterly painless, shifts from animal to man. He grinned, despite being naked in the middle of a forest, and took the letter as he gave Fawkes a friendly scratch: the poor creature needed some appreciation right now, even if it was just an affectionate petting. Remus was grateful that it was summer, otherwise, he would have frozen his balls off.

He read the letter, but he was already sure he knew what it said.

Remus, my old friend.

I hope this finds you well, though I know the plight you suffer, and I’m sure you are struggling, as always. I do wish you would turn to me more often for help, you know you’ve but to ask.

As for me, I’m afraid I find myself in that predictable end of the year situation once again. I’m in need of, yet another, DADA professor for next term. I had such high hopes for Lockhart, he was looking like a strong candidate to take next year's post! Then the accident, I was so disappointed to learn his memories could never be recovered, but I digress. The search begins.

You were, of course, my first thought all of these years when the position inevitably opened up, there is surely no one better suited than yourself, you have the makings of an amazing professor, better than myself I dare say. Alas though, I am afraid that our society is not as much of a forward thinker as I am, and have denied my every attempt to give you the placement you so rightly deserve.

Perhaps, given the situation Wizarding Britain finds itself recently, this is the time that I will finally be able to convince the Wizengamot to allow you the position; on a trial basis, of course. We wouldn’t want to press our luck and be seen as trying push through too much too soon for the more, fanatical factions of our society, shall we say, hm?

Moving on, how have things progressed with that favor I asked you some months back? I've yet to hear anything and am most eager for whatever news you have to impart.

We'll have to talk about it over tea one afternoon, soon. As much as I would like you to stay where you all, and push forward, I’m afraid I must ask you to return to Britain post-haste and must take all priority.

Remember I previously said the "current situation Wizarding Britain finds itself recently"? Well, something rather disturbing has happened:

Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban.

No reason was given, no message was left behind, there was no warning he was even considering this.

It has caused utter chaos in the Ministry and the DLME, as I'm sure you can imagine. The first-ever escaped convict in Wizarding Britain's history! The sheer scandal of it all has our poor Minister Cornelius Fudge just out of his mind. He is panicking, and as always, when he panics, he ignores my council and turns to others for advice. I have certainly tried to keep him from listening to the likes of Malfoy, but I could use some, reinforcements shall we say?

We need you to return to us.

I need you to return to us.

You were the one who knew Sirius the best; next to James that is – may he rest in peace-, and for obvious reasons we cannot call on poor Peter to aid us. You alone can offer a unique insight into Black's thinking that we here are not able to think of. I’m sure of it.

If you help us with the capture of him, I'm sure the Ministry will be more than tolerant of you and your, delicate condition, shall we say? At the very least, this will allow us the chance to get you posted as the DADA professor at Hogwarts.

On that regard, I do have some rather good news to impart; Now is the time my friend.

I know that I argued against you seeing him in the past, and I had many reasons for doing so, but I feel our young Harry could use an ally right now. One who knew his father and give him the best mental image of the man his father was. All he’s heard for the last two years have been Severus’s rants; it would do him well to hear good stories about his father.

I know you warned me this would happen, and I do apologize Remus. You were right. I should have listened to your council back then. However, there is nothing we can do about the past, only make choices in the present to change our future.

Given the times we find ourselves in, and the last two years our young Harry has endured, you would be best suited to protect the boy; without him realizing this, obviously. I would like to keep this unpleasantness from him for as long as I can. The poor boy has suffered enough on this great earth without knowing that his Godfather is the one who painted the target on the Potter’s back that night. Leaving our boy an orphan, and is currently after him as well.

I'm afraid this would break his heart, causing him to seek revenge, or he might attempt to save Sirius; believing the man's innocent despite all evidence against that statement! I know I've stood firm in the regard that everyone deserves a second chance, but Sirius Black is beyond saving. That much I believe.

Harry could, and would, get himself seriously injured, or worse, during the struggle to save his unrepentant Godfather. This cannot be allowed to happen. We cannot allow Sirius to get anywhere near our boy, Remus!

How much more will Sirius take from us before he is finally stopped? We absolutely cannot permit this evil to further plague our society!

That being said, if you would rather remain where you are, and finish with what I asked of you, I’ll support whatever decision you make. Regardless of everything stated before, it is an important job. I just thought you would like to know the situation, and thought you would have preferred the time be spent around our boy instead of creatures.

Of course, if you do decide to return to Britain, however, I’ve taken the liberty and written a letter of protection for you. This should see you returning relatively safely and any pelt hunters staying far away from you during your stay here.

I trust that you will make the right decision in the end, my boy.

Your friend,

Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

Order of Merlin; first-class, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards

As Remus folded the letter back up, he wondered just who that old man was fooling with that letter. And that protection note was a joke at best. Dumbledore had to know it only held power in Britain, as the rest of the world's stand against pelt hunters was well documented.

Those people were exactly as the name described, werewolf hunters for sport and skinned the pelts off before the werewolf was completely dead, which resulted in the body changing back.

Remus laughed with his whole being, thoroughly amused by everything, before he changed back into a large, dark grey wolf. He howled his goodbyes to the nearby pack before taking off towards the direction of home.

Oh, Dumbledore would get Remus back in England for sure, but it wasn't to a manipulative old man's presence he ran towards. He only had one destination in mind, and it was a much more appealing one.

Tonks was calling him home, and he couldn't wait to wrap his arms around her and snog her senseless.

Then they would deal with how he should approach the old man. If he did at all.

}TLCW{

Nymphadora Tonks came to in the middle of the DMLE bullpen.

It wasn't as if she'd dozed off; that wasn't safe to do in the Ministry even in her first two lives. No, it was as simple as she closed her eyes, ignorant to the reality of the world; then opened them with two different lifetimes worth of memories, her stay at Pottermore in the afterlife and all of the extra knowledge they were allowed.

Unfortunately, now wasn't the time or the place to go through and compare and contrast the difference between those two lives and this one. The bullpen, usually hosting at least a few bodies depending on the shift, was now crowded with what seemed to be every Auror in the department. Gathered in respect, or at least just to watch, as Moody announced his retirement.

Despite the Sirius Black breakout, Moody seemed hellbent on getting his arse out of there. So after two simple words "I’m retiring.”, he promptly turned, then disappeared into Amelia’s office with her. No doubt where they were working on the paperwork. Tonks had no worries in that regard, she knew Amelia would give the old man a good shake.

The remaining Auror force were of two minds, and only two minds. Those who knew that the Auror department had turned into a joke, and knew Moody's retirement would leave them in worse conditions. And those who were hot-headed and thought they could do the job better than the old man could. Happy to see him leave, knowing there was a good chance now that their more unsavory behavior and activities wouldn't be caught. Unfortunately, the first group was far outnumbered by the second.

As if to prove that point, no sooner had Moody disappeared into Amelia's office when the other male Auror's began either to chuckle darkly and sneer in her direction. This was normal treatment even in the previous two lives. This life, however, was by far the worst of them all. This time, it wasn't just the underhanded comments or the derogatory remarks when they were alone, or under their breath after the brass left the room. This time, they were bolder and louder.

"Hey there, sweetheart!" Dawlish said as he smacked her ass, "Have you had a chance to think about that discussion we had earlier today?"

Tonks merely narrowed her eyes at him, but otherwise remained silent.

"Come on!" Dawlish coaxed in a falsely sweet tone. Any idiot could recognize the threat underneath. "Don't be a party pooper, we're going to be working together for a long time now. Scrimgeour just granted my request in the shift change. We’re going to be partners now. We don’t get off on the wrong foot now do we?”

Again, Tonks said nothing. Merely kept her eyes narrowed at him.

Dawlish continued, even if someone had tried to stop him, he had much to say and wasn't going to stop.

"I mean, it's not like I'm not asking you to cast an unforgivable, dollface, I just want you to consider, well, wearing something more appropriate when we’re on patrols together, if you catch my drift. You do know you can increase that bust size a little as well, right? I mean, you’re not fooling anyone with those little buds sweet cheeks. I happen to know for a fact, that any woman born with that small of a bosom wouldn’t keep herself that small if she had the ability to increase its size.”

If anyone noticed that Tonks's hands had balled into tight and rigid fists, they didn't say a word.

"Just be natural with us, that's all I'm asking, and we'll get along great." Dawlish grinned menacingly. "I'll treat you to a couple of drinks after our shifts." Then Dawlish lowered his voice and leaned in real close. “Of course, whatever happens after that is our business. That is, between us, and whoever else we might invite, of course.”

Tonks didn't need those last words to know what this scum was planning. The lust and greed in his eyes told Tonks exactly what the situation was here. The men surrounding Dawlish, all wore matching grins. She was being threatened, no that was wrong; she was blatantly being told that she was going to be raped in the future. As far as they were concerned, she had two options; accept this and be their toy, or fight and they would punish her for it.

With the mention of Scrimgeour, she knew he was either in on the take, or being his usual self. And that would be to believe the men first, and not even give the women a chance to defend themselves, or say their version of it. What mattered to Scrimgeour was results, and if you were a man turning in the results he wanted, you went far with Scrimgeour. If you were a woman, Scrimgeour would try to push it all on the male partner of the team. However, Amelia put a stop to that and forced Scrimgeour to acknowledge the women for the outstanding Aurors that they were. Needless to say, this left Scrimgeour even more bitter towards women.

Scrimgeour didn't help in the previous lives, and she wouldn't be surprised if he was in the know about what was truly going on in this life.

It was too bad that Shacklebolt and the other decent Aurors weren't in the bullpen at that moment. Scrimgeour's orders or not, Dawlish would have been taken down a peg. As it was, all of the best people, the good people, the ones Amelia could trust to do the job as required and not take matters into their own hands, (or worse, deliver Black to the Death Eaters still roaming free), were on the special task force looking for the escaped Black.

Tonks knew if she asked, Shacklebolt would grab her up immediately, and no arguments would be had. In fact, in the past, that's exactly what happened. Tonks went to Amelia with the offer to help the special task force with her abilities, and Tonks was immediately reassigned from Scrimgeour's command to Shacklebolt's. Neither woman was going to pretend it was only because of Tonks' request that she was transferred, but they also never spoke of the real reason why Tonks was even making the request.

Twice before, Tonks had done this and was welcomed under Shacklebolt's command and protection. Allowing him to transfer out a rather annoying Auror working under him to accommodate Tonks. Twice before, that was the path Tonks walked.

Twice before, and it saw her ending up dead.

Tonks looked around the bullpen, she never did that before when Dawlish approached her, though he never said anything as bold as that in lifetimes she'd already lived. Tonks paid special attention to the other women in the room. While they may not have been nearby anymore, it was obvious they could still hear what was going on. They looked at her with either sympathy or smug looks that said: "serves you right!”.

The women with sympathy, none of them lifted a hand, or a voice in her defense, lest it be them on the end of this treatment. The smug women were waiting for her to get "broken in". Whether they were Death Eater sympathizers or simply bitter women who wanted to see the metamorphimagus taken down a peg, Tonks couldn't tell, and honestly, couldn't care.

Armed with all of that in her head, she turned and looked back at Dawlish. In the two times before, she merely walked past him to Amelia's office, waited for Moody to leave before she made her request.

Changes had already begun. Before, Moody retired before the Sirius Black escape. This time, Sirius escaped much earlier. Not that Tonks was surprised. He obviously got his memories back before she did. With that in mind, Tonks decided to make drastic changes in her life as well.

Tonks, for the first time, looked Dawlish and in the eye and smiled sweetly. "My what a generous offer you're making me."

Dawlish and his friends looked shocked for a moment before grinning hungrily at her. "I thought so as well, why don't we get out of here? We don't have our first shift until this evening."

"That is a tempting offer." Tonks said talking a step forward, resting a hand against his cheek, her body practically touching his. "But I've got a better idea!"

Dawlish was still grinning as Tonks focused a thin layer of magic above her knee, and rammed it into the offending man's constricted ball sack and his hardened member. Before anyone could react to what she just did, or Dawlish recovered from that blow, she raised her fisted hand and brought it smashing down onto his face.

From start to finish, it took three seconds. Tonks was fast, strong, and physically more powerful than Dawlish in both lives before this. She could have done this to him and achieved the same results before this life. And that was with the limiters Dumbles placed on her core.

It wasn't mentioned to Ares, but it would appear Dumbles had a habit of blocking the powers of a lot of people. Especially if they were proving at a young age that they would be more powerful than Dumbles was.

Dawlish was well and truly taken down. He was on the floor, his legs crossed, a hand cupping his abused crotch, and his face quickly bruising and bloody, with a few teeth knocked loose, one solitary tooth fell out of his mouth as he hit the floor.

As everyone else was still suffering from the shock, Tonks turned and headed straight to Amelia's office. So that by the time they recovered, she'd already be with the top brass. Not even Scrimgeour could help Dawlish now.

Tonks didn't bother knocking, just burst right in, slammed the door behind her, and glared at the two Aurors in the room. "I quit!"

Two words, but they caused the equivalent of bedlam in the office.

"What!?" Amelia and Moody shouted.

"I was just told by Dawlish that Scrimgeour approved my transfer to his command, and to be Dawlish's partner. Dawlish then, in the middle of the bullpen, with witnesses, boldly told me that I was to obey his every command, dress like a tart, and let him and his buddies rape me all they wanted. There were two options for me in his logic, accept it and be their toy, or they'd break me in till I didn't have an ounce of self-worth left to fight them off. He implied that Scrimgeour would let them do it! That he would back them all the way!" Tonks said nearly yelling. She then took a breath and stated more calmly. "So I smashed his broomstick and bludgers in before I punched his lights out."

Moody, about fell over laughing.

Amelia jumped to her feet and came around her desk, locking the door and activating all the privacy wards and charms she could think of and had available.

With the room thoroughly sealed shut, and no interruptions impending, Amelia turned and regarded Tonks. "I take it you have proof?"

Tonks took her wand, withdrew a copy of the memory and gave it to Amelia. A house-elf delivered a pensive when Amelia called for it, rather than stick their faces in, Amelia activated the ruins that allowed the memory to play for the room.

When it was all said and done, Amelia's head came forward to rest within her hand. "Well, that explains your outburst, Auror Tonks." Amelia was pissed off, and it was evident on her features. Though that fury wasn't aimed at Tonks. "Obviously, you will be filing a complaint, and demanding a transfer to someone else's command. Shacklebolt has been wanting to get rid of Ottis Talpin for ages, this will allow him to get the Auror he's been begging for and gets Talpin out of the Special Taskforce. He might be experienced, but Shacklebolt is right that he doesn't follow orders, has a big head, and puts the blames on his failings on his team members. Even if the person accusing him saw him do it too."

Amelia drummed her fingers on her desk. "What has the DMLE come to these days? Seriously?" She shook her head and looked back at Tonks. "I'll personally see to it that you are not given so much as a verbal reprimand in this, and Dawlish is properly punished. Since I can't fire any Aurors during a crisis, the shores of Azkaban are calling his name, have been for a while."

Tonks sighed, unable to hold her anger at her once and future friend. Hopefully family member. "I appreciate that I do, but I must apologize ma'am."

"Whatever in the world for?" Amelia asked bewildered.

Moody glared at her with his good eye, the magical eye looking at the door past Tonks' right.

Tonks took a bracing breath. "I realize you're about to stick your neck out for me, and I realize the opportunities provided with me transferring to Shacklebolt's command effect of immediately, but I can't."

This shocked Amelia and Moody.

"There are two main reasons why I must decline." Tonks continued holding up her fingers as she listed them off. "One, given my mother's appointment to the Black Regency, it's wildly known and accepted fact that I am now a daughter of the Black family. I will confirm this here, that yes, I am. The previous Lord Black accepted us back into the family so he could appoint my mother his regent upon his death. Appointing me onto the task force to hunt down the wayward member of my family is suspect at the very least, but in truth, it's a conflict of interest, and not a scandal the dark families would allow you to recover from Madam Director.

"Even with the dark families bribing Aurors, or using their family members on and off the task force, we have no proof. However, with my mother sitting as Regent, that's enough proof for the dark families to call your judgment into question. No other facts will be considered, only my family's connection."

Amelia slumped back, her mouth falling open. It wasn't that she had forgotten all of this, Tonks knew, it was simply that Amelia didn't think about the situation from that perspective.

"And for two," Tonks sighed, as she spared a glance at Moody, before looking back at Amelia. "With Moody retiring, all of the scum currently employed in this department are in line to assault me. Let's not play the fool and not pretend that we don't know exactly what they are planning for me. We have the proof in that memory." Tonks gestured to the pensive. "Short of removing them by force, and as you said, this is a time of crisis, further they are all supported by one member of the Wizengamot or related to one, I don't see that changing. The Wizengamot will not allow it. All my staying here would accomplish would be myself in the cell my cousin once occupied. Given my reaction to a verbal confrontation, you know damn good and well that I will not allow that scum to touch me without a fight."

Tonks lowered her hand as she looked at two of the people she'd respected most in her previous lives, and still held in high regard now. "Now, I'll freely admit, I've had to endure the worse treatment in Hogwarts, and during my training in the Auror corps, until Moody took me under his wing. I have tough skin, and Moody would be the first to tell as much. Having said that, I'm sorry, but I can't spend the rest of my life dealing with this. I don't want to go to work every day wondering which one of my coworkers is going to try to steal credit for my work or attempt to get me into a fight to get me written up.

"I don't want to go on patrols constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure that my partner isn't going to A - kidnap me, B - curse me in the back in order to accomplish A or worse, or C - rape me repeatedly. Hell Merlin No! I will not live like this! The fact that we are having this conversation because we know the type of scum that works here, and yet we can't do anything about it, should say just how far our government and society has fallen here in Britain. How the hell are we supposed to be able to protect the public when our department can't even trust each other?"

Neither Moody or Amelia had an answer for that. It was a question they had been asking themselves for years as well. They both knew that Tonks was right, and they had slowly been whittling down the scum – as Tonks called them – and assigning them to Azkaban. The reasoning was two-fold, to get the volatile people off the street, and get better working conditions within the Department.

Tonks was also right in the fact that Amelia couldn't fire them. Didn't matter if they had double the write-ups as the accuser unless Amelia had these witches and wizards on using an unforgivable, there was no way the Wizengamot would allow Amelia to fire them. Even the light side was against it because that meant if any of their family members on the force proved inadequate, then they would be next.

As good as a plan as it seemed when they started, for each Auror they sent out to the lonely island for guard duty, it seemed three more just like them popped up. Each new circle being just as bad, if not worse, then the ones Moody and Amelia already dealt with. They also knew that this plan wasn't perfect, and it would likely come back to bite them on their arses one day. But if they had to choose between the criminals in the cells of Azkaban, versus the innocent civilians, they'd make the same choices they had been making from the beginning without a second thought.

"Anything else lass?" Moody grumbled. Still keeping an eye on the situation out in the bullpen.

Tonks shrugged. "To be honest, I never wanted this job to begin with."

Moody closed his good eye for a brief moment, it was all the emotion he could afford to show. He suspected when Tonks shouted, she quit, she never would have said those words just to get attention. If she said them, she meant them. He knew before viewing the memory that the DMLE was fixing to lose a promising recruit and a person who could have helped their society for the better.

"What did you want Tonks?" Amelia asked softly, genuinely curious.

"I honestly couldn't tell you what I want for my life." Tonks shook her head. "The more I thought about it in the past, I kept thinking along the lines of following my parents. An attorney like my father, or being a healer like my mother maybe."

That wasn't actually a lie, she could give them some truth. She had thought those things in the first life. Now, she knew her future would be much different, but that was for later. Right now, she needed to plant a seed to sow discord. It was too easy, and the fact that it was one hundred percent the truth made it all the better.

"Dumbledore pushed me towards this carrier." Tonks admitted. "From the moment I began to choose my electives, I was told I didn't qualify for this or that class. I honestly wanted to study Runes more, I wanted to study potions more extensively, as well as magical creatures. But I was forbidden from doing too much of one or the other while in Hogwarts. Now I love Madame Sprout, she tried, she really did, but Dumbledore also made sure that all of my professors "knew" that I was simply destined for the DMLE."

Moody's good eye and his magical eye were both seeing red. Amelia wasn't far from that colored vision as well.

"From my third year on, everything was organized around my one day becoming an Auror, whether I wanted that or not. My course load was such that my OWLS and NEWTS results would only allow this as my career. Or the DADA position at Hogwarts, which given the history of them, is a not something I would choose in my right state of mind." Tonks breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to finally get this off her chest. She sat in the other vacant chair, sitting with the two older magicals in companionship. "I was never consulted about what I wanted. Anytime I expressed interest in something else, Dumbledore would, in his infinite wisdom, "put" me, back on the "right track". What I'm saying is, I need time, time to figure out what I want out of my life, and I can't do that while working here, especially under these conditions."

Amelia's monocle fell and laid to rest at the end of the chain just above her bosom. Her hand coming up to massage the bridge of her nose. She couldn't fault the girl for feeling that way. There were many days she wanted to quit for the exact same reason. Checking her food and drinks for potions had become such a routine thing in her life now she doubted she would be able to quit once she was retired. She wasn’t Moody paranoid, but she wasn’t naïve either.

Moody looked positively livid. He spent all that time training a recruit that was worthy of replacing him. Just one of Tonks was worth ten of the blasted dunderheads out in that bullpen. Now he didn't fault the lass, nor did he consider his time wasted. After all, it wasn't just pressure they were throwing at her; it was straight-up harassment with promises of rape, or worse if she didn't bend over obediently.

He didn't need to be convinced that her fears were founded. He didn't even need the memory she provided either. He had no proof, mere speculations on his part, but he knew several promising female Aurors quit in the past because of the same treatment, and a few because the bloody bastards went through with their promised implied actions. Those women, however, were obliviated of their time in the Aurors corps. This was something that happened before and during his time as an Auror. If he hadn't taken Amelia, Alice, and Lily by some extent under his wing, the same would have happened to them, regardless of their male protectors, and sometimes to spite them as well.

It sickened him that rape was a form of fun for the Death Eaters and their sympathizers. The fact that they used it as torture and revenge was bad enough, but to truly take enjoyment in it . . . Moody had to shake his head and stop his thoughts there. That was always a dangerous road to go down.

In truth, Moody hated almost everyone in the Auror department these days. All of the truly good and worthy ones died back in the last war. James, Frank, and Alice were all irreplaceable Aurors. When Sirius got serious, he was a great Auror as well. But the man tended to prank and laugh more than actually doing the job. In his opinion, it was only Amelia, Shacklebolt, and Tonks who were the saving graces of the department.

"What if you stayed with the Auror Corps as Amelia's bodyguard?" Moody asked. Knowing he seemed desperate, and he was. He didn't want to see his life's work in this department be replaced with incompetent idiots or Death Eater scum.

He fought for decades to defeat Dark Lords, he watched the young, the old, and the good die. Death wasn't always peaceful, the ones Moody had seen were always the stuff of horror and hell. Nightmare was just too nice a word to use for some of what Moody had witnessed. This job cost him a lot of things, a lot of people, some of the losses were too much to bear, and resulted in him becoming Mad Moody before he lost his eye.

Tonks closed her eyes and took a careful breath. Knowing exactly what Moody was thinking and feeling. Her and Amelia were probably the only ones in this room who knew the real and true Moody. He saw them as the daughters who were slaughtered in their cribs. He saw all of the people who he took under his wing as his children, but he treated the females with a hint of delicacy. It wasn't all that noticeable unless you were female. So to hear him effectively beg in his own way, was heartbreaking for Tonks.

It wasn't like she could come out say that she had lived all this before, and it was a path fraught with pain and many deaths. Her own included. Leaving behind an infant son who would never get to meet his mother, and know just how good of a man his father. She was told Ted took a lot after his mother with Remus's sense of responsibility and logical reasoning. It was for her son that she was doing this, and if Moody knew, she knew he would support her with every fiber of his being. He may grumble, whine, and complain, but it was his version of wishing her well and saying he'd be there for her, and back her every step of the way.

When she opened her eyes, her shoulder's squared ready for the first difficult face off in what was likely to be a long road of them for the foreseeable future.

"No." She said firmly. "I can't stay on even as that. As I said, I want to explore my options before I make a decision. I wish that things were different here, and I wish I could stay here, but I know in my soul that it's not the right fit for me. Now, more than ever before. If I stay it would be giving you false hope, and I can't have that. Forgive me, but I can't."

Amelia and Moody both sighed. The looks of utter disappointment and heartbreaking rejection caused tears to form in Tonks' eyes, but she held her resolve.

"You have my condolences, Tonks. This department has failed a great deal many people, and I could give excuses until I'm blue in the face. It's fact and the simple, disturbing truth that this department isn't what it used to be. A lot of the truly good recruits and candidates, like yourself, for this job are not given the proper chances because of the lack of funds and the power backing the infection plaguing this department. While I know not all of the Auror's are the problem, as we have several good people on the force, I am well aware that there are Auror's with questionable intent among its members." Amelia looked up and met Tonks' eyes. "I've no need to offer forgiveness as I do not believe that you have anything to apologize for, rather the opposite. It is us, who owe you a deep and sincere apology. I also understand this was a hard decision and one you've thought very carefully about. I will support it, and you, till I'm blue in the face from that as well. Have a good life Nymphadora Tonks, we are very sad to see you leave us."

Tonks set her credentials on Amelia's desk and stood to leave. "Normally, I would try to make this as painless as possible, but, um," Tonks looked back through the door, then sheepishly at Moody. "I take it there is still a mob out there?"

He gave a guttural growl before standing and marching to the door. Out in the bullpen, he stood nose to nose with Scrimgeour. At least the oaf had the decency to pale a little. Movement in the doorway drew his attention to Amelia, and Tonks, barely a step behind her.

"Madame Bones!" Scrimgeour yelled, but Moody let out another guttural growl taking another step forward, forcing Scrimgeour to take another step back and his voice lowered from the furious tone before, and could now almost pass as acceptable. "I must speak with you! One of my Aurors was unjustifiably attacked by that tramp trapezing as an Auror around our department! I will see justice done for my subordinate and punishment levied against this Auror!"

The room stilled, the men supporting Dawlish stood behind Scrimegour with a cold expression, but there was no mistaking the bloodlust in their eyes. All were obviously figuring they would soon be teaching Tonks her place. The women who were smug before were even more so now. Anticipating Tonks getting sacked or heavily punished. All of them of the consensus that it would be Azkaban for her, or later beaten down by her fellow squad members. Tonks would soon be punished and shown that true women still reigned supreme.

The rest, the good ones, were divide. Those who were waiting to see Scrimgeour and the rest of the lot properly smacked down and those were waiting to see if they would be smacked down, or if Amelia was forced to take their side as had happened in the past.

"What proof do you have?" Amelia asked in return using a cold tone.

The group that Tonks coined, "the rest", saw all of its members relax and join the first group of waiting to see Scrimgeour smacked down.

Scrimgeour glared at Amelia. "Is my word and the fact that Dawlish now at St. Mungo's for severe trauma and injuries because of that trollop's unprovoked vicious attack not enough for you!?"

"No." Amelia said simply, still using the same tone. "I need proof that the attack was, as you claim, unprovoked and vicious."

Scrimgeour shouted in frustration, cutting Amelia off before she could say anymore. "An Auror is attacked in the DMLE Headquarters and it's Department Head does nothing! Makes for a great headline, and I'm sure the Wizengamot will be seeking answers as well! This is not something you can ignore Bones! If Dawlish is not given justice, then there will be hell to pay! At the very least this Department will finally get a new head and no longer be considered a joke to the rest of the Ministry."

"Are you quite finished threatening me? Because I would like to finish my statement." Amelia narrowed her eyes at Scrimgeour. Scrimgeour fell silent, but the look of justification on his face spoke in volumes. As if, regardless of what Amelia said to counter him at that moment, it would be all over the Prophet tomorrow morning, painting her as the bad guy. "Now, then, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. I need proof. Meaning I will need Dawlish's memory and statement under Veritaserum, as proof of his allegations. As I just received from Auror Tonks."

This, Scrimgeour falter. "What!?"

"Yes," Amelia said with a cold smile. "Auror Tonks entered my office after she defended herself to inform me that Dawlish backed her into a corner. While using different words rather than saying his intentions outright, the meaning was clear. He said she was going to let him rape her, or he would break her in using the same method until she complied of her own free will. I've seen the memory in question, as had Senior Head Auror, Moody. Tonks has also made her statement under Veritaserum in the confines of my office before anyone could tamper with her statement or memories."

Scrimgeour's once red face was now green.

Amelia, seeing the clear demonstration of weakness, stepped forward. "As you can see, Head Auror Scrimgeour, I've followed due protocol, as had Auror Tonks. Do you have an Auror Guard on Dawlish, ready to take his statement and memory upon his awakening? Was it your intention to simply throw the book at Auror Tonks, without the following protocol yourself, or were you going to give her a proper interview, complete with dictaquill and two other, neutral party, Aurors to act as a witness and dictaquill operator?"

Nothing came from Scrimgeour's mouth. In fact, his jaw was so tightly clenched, and his lips were in such a thin line it was difficult to see that he even had a mouth.

"I see." Amelia said, her tone dropping from cold to downright freezing. At that moment, Amelia could make a dementor look cheery. "Instead of following protocol, and actually doing your job, you decided to just take the situation at face value and dispense your own ruling at justice. That," Amelia glared before snarling at Scrimgeour, "is beyond unacceptable!"

Amelia's face then calmed as she looked to Tonks, "Auror Tonks, forgive me, I realize you were about to leave this building after that shocking ordeal before we were so rudely interrupted. I do not blame you for holding your ground in my office. The floo is just there, please feel free to use it, I'm sure you're anxious to get home and tell your parents about what occurred here today. I'll be expecting the floo call from Regent Black and Attorney Tonks that's sure to come from this."

Scrimgeour seemed to stop breathing at the mention of who the Tonks' were. As if he'd forgotten their occupations and their reputations, or perhaps, he'd forgotten their existence entirely. However slim the chance, it was entirely possible he didn't know that Tonks was their daughter. Though she didn't see how, as Tonks wasn't a common name in Wizarding Britain.

With the situation well and truly handled in the bullpen, leaving behind a Director Bones shouting for a couple of Aurors to go get Dawlish's statement and to not leave without his memory of the incident if he was determined to press charges, Tonks walked past the rest of the department and flooed to her flat in Diagon Alley. She then locked it down and packed up her flat of everything it held before shrinking the items and putting them in her pocket. It was no longer safe to stay there, and given that she wasn't going to be living there much longer anyway, best to say goodbye to this chapter of her life, and turn the page for a better brighter one. Fully packed, ready for her future, and under a disillusionment charm, she walked the mostly deserted back alleyways of Diagon to their apparition point.

By continuously saying "Auror Tonks" during the confrontation, then later mentioning her parents, Amelia was laying down the law and sending a powerful message.

The first was that no woman had to put up with that kind of treatment anymore. Auror Tonks took a stand, said no more, and Amelia backed her 100%. If Amelia could back Tonks, she sure as Merlin could and would defend the others.

The second was reminding the DMLE just who Tonks parents were.

Andromeda Tonks (née Black) aka, Regent Black, was a powerhouse within the Ministry, as well as one of the top healers in St. Mungo's. Possibly all of magical Britain. The sole force behind several breakthroughs in potions and medical treatments. All of that combined with the fact that she had access to the Black family magic and secrets, pretty much terrified everyone into silence around her. She could theoretically kill a person and make it look like an accident. Only her healer's oath prevented her from doing so. However, no one wanted to take the chance that she found a way around it.

Edward Tonks, an Attorney, was also a powerhouse, and among the best in his field. The Wizarding public could count on their hands the number of cases he'd lost. All of those were back in his early carrier. Later, during a retrial, or when a different issue was levied against his once failed clients, Ted Tonks, won.

Both were formidable by their own right, when combined into a team, especially in the defense of their daughter, the accusing party, though appropriately called "the victim" by the Tonks', better run, or be prepared to be ruined for eternity.

Tonks knew there would be nothing further mentioned in the Ministry. Since she gave her memory, and Director Bones would write up an official report of the incident, Dawlish couldn't do much against Tonks' memory. He could give a statement, but without it being given under Veritaserum, there would be little stock going into his statement. Especially if he refused to provide a memory for the conversation before the assault.

She wasn't a fool. She damn good and well Dawlish would neither provide a memory or allow himself to be interviewed under Veritaserum. He would provide his version of the confrontation, and nothing else. So it was his word, backed only by his say so, against her memory, and the statement she gave.

Tonks was 99% sure that would be the last she heard of it officially, but she knew that Dawlish and Scrimgeour weren't going to go away any time soon. In fact, Scrimgeour was proving to be even more of a sexist pig in this life than he'd been in the past. Dawlish was always a problem, now it would appear rather just being a Death Eater sympathizer, and blind follower, he was an active member of that community.

She put those two names on the ever-growing shit list of people their family would have to deal with. Whether indirectly or in direct confrontation depended on the offending parties' future choices.

Even without her quitting her job, Tonks could see that things had already changed. All she could figure was the angels had rigged this world a little bit so their group would have to take action. Talk about the hands fate dealt you.

* * *

To say that Tonks surprised her parents were confused to see her there, especially since she had her own flat in Diagon Alley, was an understatement. Given during this time in the past, she was trying to avoid her parents, they were used to her keeping them at a distance. Their shock was even more pronounced when Tonks told them about what happened at the DMLE, and she quit before leaving the Headquarters. How she was going to be moving back home, and she was waiting for an old friend to arrive.

She wasn't sure how she knew, perhaps it was Mal's ability rubbing off on her, or perhaps she could feel his soul, but she knew Remus was on his way, and he was very close. He too was ignoring her flat, as if sensing she would abandon it at first opportunity.

Her parents reacted exactly as Amelia had "predicted" in the bullpen. Other than that, Tonks declined to know anything else. She would learn what happened no matter what, so she wasn't exactly desperate for the information at the moment.

The evening had barely begun when there was a knock on the Tonks' front door. Tonks ran for it faster than her parents could get up. When she opened it wide, she was beaming as she was met with an equally beaming Remus. A far less scarred, more physically fit and outfitted in better clothes. This was the Remus from the afterlife. The true Remus. This was the Remus without the negative side effects and horrible treatment in the Wizarding World globally. This was who Remus was supposed to have been all along.

"Get lost on the way here?" She teased.

He laughed. "Not all."

"When did you get back?"

They both knew she wasn't talking about his return to Britain.

"I woke up in Romania, got a letter from the old bleater that was so crazed it's laughable." Remus grinned at her. "Took me over a week to get back to the British Isles because of all of the pelt hunters. You?"

"This afternoon right after Dawlish smacked my bum." Tonks said with a grin as Remus suddenly snarled. "I then kicked him where it counts, with magic added, before decking him in the face. I went to Amelia and quit then and there. Are you by chance in need of a teaching assistant?"

He grinned as he pulled her into his arms. Before kissing her for all his worth, he growled against her lips, "I could certainly be persuaded if I do take the job."

Then they were connected. Not caring about the world around them as their mouths mated. Tonks had even forgotten all about her parents as she wrapped her limps around her mate intending to never let him go again. He would have to put up with her putting a leash on him and tying him up in the basement before she'd let him leave her.

"What in Merlin's name is going on here!?"

Tonks' insides froze, and Remus' as well. They broke apart and looked into the alcove inside the door where Andromeda and Ted were standing and staring at the couple.

Ted was looking confused: on the one hand, his daughter who was barely into her twenties was kissing on a man who was well into his thirties. On the other hand, Tonks was happier in this man's arms than he'd ever seen before. His fatherly instincts were at war with each other.

Andromeda, however, was more than little on the way to being utterly infuriated. First the incident at the DMLE, her daughter moving back in with them, now this man showed up on their doorstep!? A man, that Andromeda knew and knew there was no way in fiendfire's hell blaze that the two should even be looking at each other in the romantic fashion. Especially since if they had met at all, it would have been back when James and Lily were alive. Something wasn't right here; she could feel her magic humming agreement.

"Oh." Tonks gasped, "Bugger it all I forgot about them!"

"Forgot about us!?" Andromeda screeched, losing the last straw of her patience. "Your own parents!?"

"Well, we did have their blessing before." Remus muttered in response, hoping that Andromeda wouldn't start launching curses.

"Nymphadora Eloise Tonks!" Andromeda yelled, "You better start explaining yourself immediately!"

"Eloise?" Remus looked at Tonks amused, "Why didn't you tell me you had a middle name?"

"What are we going to do!?" Tonks hissed as she ignored his question and tightened her hold on him. "I am not going to live without you, but we never stopped and considered my parents."

Deciding to oblige her, Remus let the middle name issue drop, for now. He grinned as he whispered. "I actually asked about that."

Tonks looked at him shocked. He nodded. "Mal had a thought, and Michael didn't object to her theory. The main part of it was we could tell your parents the whole truth."

Tonks set her feet on the ground and pulled Remus into another kiss. When she let go of him there was a suction sound and a pop then she was grinning before his eyes. "Remind me to snog that girl senseless when we see her again!"

"It's currently against the law." Remus chuckled, "But you can certainly hug her."

Taking that under advisement, Tonks looked back at her parents. "Mum, daddy, this is Remus Lupin. Werewolf extraordinaire, best DADA professor you’ll ever meet, and one of the members of the Hogwarts infamous Marauders, codename Mooney. Course you already knew all of that, but what you don’t know is he’s my mate!”

Ted fell onto the nearest flat surface to support himself as his legs had given out. Of all the things he was thinking, those were not the words he expected to come out of his daughter's mouth.

Andromeda paled. "WHAT!?"

Ted nodded vehemently in agreement with his wife, his voice and quick thinking failing him for the first time in his life.

"HOW did this happen!? WHEN did this happen!? Is this at all connected to the incident at the DMLE this morning!?" Because as loath as they were to admit it, if Dawlish and his lackeys began to treat Tonks that way, and they could claim they did it because she associating with a known werewolf, then there would be grounds for immediate dismissal.

Ted nodded vehemently in agreement with his wife again.

"Okay, first of all, no. My being mates with Remus has nothing to do with why I left my job." Tonks said as she disentangled herself from Remus and dropped both feet on the ground so she was facing them directly. "The how was because of the second rising of Voldemort after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He'd rigged it all so Harry would win, and then used Harry's blood as part of a ritual. Harry being only fourteen could only do so much, but did manage to fight a newly revived Voldemort to a standstill and get back to Hogwarts alive. Damaged but alive. Remus and I both found ourselves drafted into Dumbledore's reestablished Order of the Phoenix. Oh, you hated every moment of my work with them mum. You hated Dumbledore more.

"Now, the when is a little trickier. It happened, roughly two years later, Sirius died in the DOM having been hit by the killing curse, cast by our nasty relative Bellatrix Lestrange, and falling through the Veil of Death the year prior. I'd been trying to get his attention since before Sirius's death, but after the fact, and realizing what we all stood to lose hit that much harder, and I pushed at him. Hard. Eventually, he cracked, and we became a couple. Marrying shortly after that, and right before we were killed at Hogwarts a year later, we had a son." Tonks looked at her father. "We named him after you daddy."

Both parents were pale, looking extremely confused, and even Andromeda was now sporting shaking legs. No words, not even thoughts could reach the parents' front consciousness. The story, had to be a lie because the Potter boy was still 12, and yet, Tonks had that serious look in her eyes. The one that said she wasn't lying.

"Perhaps we should take this inside Mrs. Tonks." Remus said gently, understanding the parents were very shell shocked and they needed to take this slow and carefully. He also remembered the powerhouse Andromeda was, added with her temper, she could give Bellatrix a run for her money when it came to rage-induced rampages. He wanted to avoid that at all costs. "I promise, we'll answer any questions you have once we're inside."

Andromeda's mouth formed a thin line as her eyes narrowed. One side of her wanted to throw this scoundrel out, and never let her daughter talk to him again. However, her daughter was a grown woman, and fully capable of making her own choices. As much as Andromeda wanted to gripe about the age difference, she couldn't overlook the fact that her daughter chose a good man for once.

Then there was that story that made no sense unless, . . . and there it was, that word, unless. Questions filled her mind, and only these two had the answers.

And the day had started off so promising too.

Nymphadora finally quit being an Auror. Grant it this was after she was threatened in her place of work by her male coworkers, but Nymphadora still quit. Something Andromeda was thrilled about. She hated how it happened, and she was going after the Auror who threatened her, but she was glad for her daughters change in occupation nonetheless.

As a healer, and a survivor of the last war, she was in a unique position that she'd seen pretty much all there was to see, with new horrors making appearances even in present times. Andromeda saw the battle wounds, both in the hospital and on the battlefield itself during the aftermath. She saw death. Too much of it. Young, old, fresh new life. She saw quick and painless; she saw slow and torturous. Andromeda had cleaned more blood off her hands than any Dark Lord could proudly claim.

She knew better than anyone what that job meant. Especially with society being the way it was presently. She couldn't say anything to her daughter because of her Healer's Oath, but she had seen several patients coming to St. Mungo’s in need of treatment after being raped, even if they had no memory of the event. That the victims were of both genders was no surprise.

Added to that whole shock to their system, now this. Now Remus freaking Lupin was on her doorstep, claiming to be her daughter's mate! Okay, perhaps he hadn't said the words, but he sure as Merlin's hairy ballsack wasn't denying it!

Despite her daughter's claim to the contrary, this was connected to her daughter's spur of the moment decision to quit the DMLE. It might not be directly linked, but it was linked. The question was how?

After an intense internal struggle, ending with her desire for more information, Andromeda closed her eyes and nodded as she took a deep breath to steady herself. Stepping aside to allow the two outside into the house.

She reasoned it was better to have all of the facts before she started launching curses. It would also give Ted enough time to work up her defense when she attached Remus. Though in reality, in Britain, she could probably attack him for kissing her daughter and get off with barely a slap on her wrist. She looked at her husband and he nodded. He knew what she was thinking and that she was right about her last assessment.

They all sat in the living room as the Tonks' house elf brought out tea and biscuits.

"Now, Remus." Andromeda tried not to snarl. "What the hell is going on?”

No one in the room pretended. They knew that the question was regarding the story they tried to sell the Tonks parents.

Remus merely sat forward and calmly regarded the couple before him, "Before we answer your questions, I have a few of my own, and it will see to how much details we can give you?"

This didn't shock the elder couple. Given what was said before, it was normal there would be some security with this tale. Before they could even think about asking questions or given the option to disagree, Remus plowed ahead.

"First, how good is your security here? Your privacy wards to be exact?"

Ted, seeing as this was his question to answer, finally found his voice. "I do work for Gringotts a lot of the time. They have a person they want dealt with, but can't due to the treaty, I'm called in to see what I can do for them. That's the basic idea of what I do for them, anything further I'm not at liberty to speak of. I can say, however, that they erected all of our wards, and they are substantially better than the Ministries."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Remus nodded with a grin. "My second question is; how proficient are you two with occlumency?"

"We're not the best, but our secrets stay our own." Andromeda said firmly. She had, after all, been trained by the Black family since childhood, and she, in turn, helped get her husband up to her level.

"Even against certain white-bearded old men?" Remus asked softly.

Andromeda growled. That was the second time today that bastard was mentioned outright in her home. "What does that manipulative wrinkled old arsehole have to do with this!?"

"And that answer my third question without my asking it." Remus chuckled. "You obviously hate the old goat fucker as much as I do."

"He wanted to put my daughter into a carrier that would see her raped and killed! I argued heavily against this, but my concerns then blatant rejections were shoved aside as he made sure she was inducted into the Auror Corps. He told us time and again she was safe and nothing like what I feared would come to pass. As she was threatened with rape today in the DMLE, I was right!” Andromeda shrieked.

Remus glanced at Tonks, and she nodded. "That's why I beat Dawlish down to size."

"And what do you mean you hate Dumbledore!?" Andromeda continued without noticing the exchange. "You were always Dumbledore's man! He saved you! Got you an education! You would jump through fire hoops for that man!"

"No. I wasn’t.” Remus growled back at her. “I’ll grant you that it was by his word I got my education, whatever plots he had for me are his own and I’ve no interest in playing along. However, I wasn’t, and never will be his boy/man. That just sounds wrong on so many levels, and I’m not going to touch that subject. I also wasn’t saved by him, that honor belongs to James and Sirius alone. I was, however, potioned to be loyal to him. Given how she never argued too heavily against him, your daughter as well.”

At that, Andromeda's wand was out and scanning the two of them. Both had traces of low self-esteem potions, loyalty potions, with Remus's potion having a strong alchemic component which told Andromeda all she needed to know about who came up with it and who was dosing them. When she finished her scans, she slumped down shocked.

"How?" She whispered. "You two still have the potions in your systems, they're still active, and yet you seem unaffected. In fact, I'd say they're all but neutralized."

"That leads me to my fourth question." Remus said. "Do you have a pensive?"

"Bindy!" Andromeda barked.

"What can Bindy be doing for Misses Andy?" The little house elf with floppy years, bright turquoise eyes, wearing a pink patchwork dress that looked as if it belonged on a doll, asked when she appeared.

"Please bring us the pensive."

Bindy snapped her fingers, and a large stone basin revealed the Black family crest appeared where the coffee table had been a moment before. Said coffee table was now resting against the wall on the other side of the room, and Bindy had vanished the moment the pensive appeared.

Tonks looked shocked and turned her gaze towards Remus. "You mean she predicted all of this!?”

Remus smiled and shrugged. "She theorized it was possible. Andromeda being one of the best healers in Magical Britain, and your father being a lawyer. Who better to help us, and the other members of our extended family when they are going to need it most?"

Tonks sat back, letting her brain mull that over as Remus dropped two very long strands of memories into the pensive. She was aware that the memories would be reclaimed or burned away in the pensive it's self after her parents finished viewing them.

"How long?" She asked once her parents were submerged without saying a word to the younger couple.

He shrugged. "I would say about an hour for each life. Figured I'd spare them the stuff in the afterlife for now. I'm only showing them the canon verse, as it's coined, and the last one."

Tonks shuddered. "Dark Lady Hermione indeed. Bitch better stay away from him this time around."

"I completely agree with you on that matter love, Mal is a much better fit for Ares." Remus agreed.

"What in specific are you showing them?" She asked watching her parents' heads floating in the bowl.

"Like I said, the first life completely through, then the last one. But in each life, I'm highlighting Dumbledore's manipulations, as well as the Ministries incompetence. I'm also able to shed light on the later happenings because Ares gave me some of his memories, which it's explained before his memories begin."

"When did you two work on this?" She asked in utterly confused as to when he found the time.

"While you and Mal were working on her morphing abilities." He answered with a playful grin.

Though they wanted to do a lot more, they knew now wasn't the time, so they settled for curling on the couch, with her legs wrapped around one of his, as her head rested on his chest.

Her parents would likely have a lot of questions, and the need to make them understand everything, and get their support, was all Tonks wanted. She didn't need their promises to help. She just wanted to know that they still loved her and would accept this new path she was going to walk with Remus.

She didn't think her mother would object too much when she realized that her grandson would probably be born a lot sooner than he had in their previous lives. Her father adored Remus the last time around, and she was banking on that happening again this time.

When Andromeda and Ted emerged from the Pensive, Remus moved quickly to destroy the memories and get an unbreakable vow from both elder Tonks's that they would never reveal any what they just learned. Be it through verbal telling or legimency attacks.

Any other day, with any other occurrence, Andromeda would have disagreed vehemently, but given what she knew now, there was no denying that this knowledge couldn't get back to either the light or the dark factions, or it would ruin their entire world. She and Ted knew if they were caught by either side, they wouldn’t be making it out of their clutches alive anyway. At least this way their family knew if they died, their information was safe.

It was a cold and cruel thought, but it was one that Andromeda agreed with. So she gave her vow, and Ted gave his without question, thinking the exact same as his wife.

Once the vows were given, it was time for another very important thing, a cold glass of hard liquor.

"How can we help?" Ted asked after draining his drink, there was a darkness to his tone that Tonks never heard in her father before.

"Sirius will need his name cleared." Remus said in a calculating tone, swirling his drink around as he contemplated. "I'm not sure when the best time will be to reveal this, but either way," he looked at Andromeda who had also downed her drink and was fixing to down another, "all three of us will need to be flushed of these blasted potions as soon as possible, and at the very least, Sirius will need put on a series of health potions to get him back up to snuff. That's just the three of us, I'm not sure who else is going to need your treatments this summer."

Draining her second, then a third glass, Andromeda nodded and she began making notes, as did Ted.

For Ted, it was a series of places to check on the situation of Sirius's arrest and trial, though he knew for a fact that there was never a trial, and what information there was would be minimal. He just needed to get all of this information into his hands and safely stored before Dumbledore, Fudge, or Crouch decided to cover up the whole mess and make life even more difficult for them. He was certain that the information hadn't been grabbed yet. They were only notified of Sirius's escape yesterday, there hadn't been a cooling-off period yet. Meaning the people who could hide the information hadn’t been given a chance to do so. Though that time was fast approaching.

For Andromeda, she was writing up a series of potions she was going to need on hand for when Sirius arrived and access to the others should they be needed. She wrote the list of what she was going to need for Remus to counteract that alchemic component the first time around. The fact that she even had to make such a list for her daughter made her blood boil. She also wrote a different list for another individual, she didn't write the name, knowing that his public name was about to be changed to his true name soon. She would need different potions for him, as well as access to a quick ritual that would unlock the blocks on his core if they hadn't been already. That just left the others that would come.

"What of these others?” Andromeda asked looking up at Remus. “You keep mentioning a young woman? Do I need to make a list of potions for her too? What kind of physical state is she in?”

"I have no idea. I would like to think she'll be just fine and will soon be home. As for the others, I can't say who will be joining our family until we're all reunited." Remus shrugged. "I can, however, make a few educated guesses based on the differences between the lives. Is there anything different this time around that you two noticed after viewing the memories?"

Ted nodded. "The Bones daughter in America."

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Oh yeah, I noticed that too, but it didn't stay in my thoughts for more than a second." Tonks looked at Remus and nodded. "Amelia has a squib brother who works in the muggle world. He has a daughter in America who is a witch. He married a muggle but quickly divorced after the honeymoon because of the religious situation or something. He didn't even know he had a daughter until a couple of years ago. She got a letter from Ilvermorning and her mothers family tried to kill her. An accidental bought of magic saw the MACUSA reacting and took custody of her immediately. He left to go help her immediately upon learning about her. There’s this long custody battle taking place over there with the muggles right now.”

"That would be Mal. Matches what we know from her past lives." Remus grinned. "I think we already know what the fate of that battle will be."

Tonks grinned. "We sure do! I can't wait to hug her again!"

"Agreed." Remus chuckled. "We don't have to worry about her just yet. We need to get everything here ready for her arrival this summer, and the situation that brings her and Ares together. There's going to be massive fall out from this, and we have no way of knowing just yet how things are going to come about. The contract only states that certain things will happen, not exactly how."

"First and foremost, we need to find Sirius." Tonks nodded.

"We already know where he's going to be. We just need to go grab him and bring him back here." Remus said, then looked around nervously. "What about the Aurors, will they come here looking for him?"

Andromeda shook her head. "They already ransacked the place yesterday."

"Speaking of which, mum," Tonks asked gesturing toward the pensive, "Since when do we have Black Family artifacts in our home?"

"Since Arcturus gave them to me. He gave me a lot of things to me for safekeeping before he died. This way, even before I was named Regent publicly, others couldn't ransack the Black properties looking for them." Andromeda said matter-of-factly. "He specifically didn't want the Malfoy's getting a hold of it, or the Lestrange's should they get out. He didn't say much on the subject, but he said the next Lord Black should be of better stock than either candidate that the Wizengamot believed it was.”

Remus and Tonks looked at each other and nodded. "Sirius."

"Though in all fairness to the current life and situations within, he might have been thinking of our wonder boy." Tonks supplied the alternate.

Remus shrugged, "Regardless, we know who it will be before fall."

Tonks grinned. "And so begins our new life."

Remus shared her grin. "In the spirit of a new life love, why don't you adopt the nickname Nym? You don't seem to mind when I say it, and even you can't deny that you loved it when Mal called you that."

She sighed and thought for a moment. The old Tonks would have fought against this tooth and nail. She hated the name with a passion and cursed her mother under her breath every time the full name was spoken. But that Tonks was an Auror, and died too young while fighting in a war that could have ended before it even began.

She smiled at Remus and nodded. "Nym it is."

"You two go get our house guest." Andromeda ordered. "I'm going to St. Mungo's to get a bunch of potions. Thank Merlin I'm due to start my tinkering anyway, my taking all of these potions won't even register a bat of an eye. Otherwise, I doubt I have enough favors to cover the amount and the specific ones needed. I'll need to send you, Nym, in disguise to get a bunch of ingredients for more."

"No problem, mum." Nym nodded at her mother with a bright smile. Even her mother had acknowledged this name. This life was just getting better and better.

"I'm going to the Ministry to grab the necessary documents before they disappear." Ted said standing. No further explanation was needed from him, nor was there anything to say.

The younger couple nodded at the elder before they all went their separate ways.

* * *

Ted Tonks, aka Edward Tonks; Magical Attorney, member of the board and a full-time employee of Pandora's Law Firm, was in and out of the Ministry in under half an hour. Though, in all honesty, he had a lot working in his favor that afternoon.

The Ministry officials were still in shock of the Black escape, and the Wizengamot had been in session since the moment the notice went out. Moody's retirement in the midst of all of this was also a shock to the Ministry, and not one they thought they needed right now.

Despite the fact that Moody had been saying he was going to retire this week, and been saying it for almost a whole year, the Ministry, the Wizengamot in particular, was now dead set against it. He'd already been called in by Amelia to defend Moody's retirement if necessary.

Those two were big issues by themselves, add in the situation with Tonks in the Aurors Bullpen this morning, everyone was distracted. Be it looking for news, or gossiping, no eyes were on Ted. He was able to get into the Records department, get what he wanted, and get out rather quickly, and unnoticed. Though he did spot Dumbledore heading in that direction as he left. Telling Ted and everyone else that the Wizengamot had finally closed down their session for today, whether or not choices were made, remained to be seen.

Ted was confident that his visit was unnoticed as he used one of his pseudonyms on the sign-in sheet. He also knew how to move and blend into a place without looking suspicious or drawing attention to himself. Something Dumbledore never allowed to happen, having always needed to make his presence known.

While Ted had taken the original documents, he wasn't stupid enough to leave the file empty, so he left a copy. There wasn't much of a difference, except the magical signatures. Which, having seen one of the names, Ted wasn't surprised that Dumbledore was heading in that direction with as much haste as the man could muster without being even more suspicious then he was.

He quickly headed for home to get to work and wait on his family to return to him. Deciding it was better for his sanity to work on legal matters rather than try to wrap his head around the bigger picture which was getting bigger by the minute. It would also stop him from picturing his baby girl with a grown man who could be Ted's younger brother age-wise. When a shotgun with silver pellets inside the shell casings sounded like a fetching idea, it was time to drown out the world with the dreary and monotone wording of legal documents.

* * *

Andromeda Tonks walked through St. Mungo's with little standing in her way. Someone occasionally paused her to ask questions about a patient, but otherwise, she was undeterred. She was a well-known healer in this building. Her past as a Black daughter was all but forgotten because of her marriage to Ted. Her staying in contact with her grandfather until his passing was unknown to everyone except her husband, as he worked as the lawyer for the Black family in the end.

It was well known within St. Mungo's that during the summer months Andromeda went into research mode, on potions in particular, as they were the most common method of treating patients. Not much to do in the way of tinkering with charms or counter-curses unless you made an all-new spell. Andromeda found potions easier to alter. She would find ways to alter them; to make them stronger, or dumbing down their contents enough that younger children could take them without risk. So far, she had successfully altered over two dozen potions in the last decade so that a younger demographic could have access to some of the strongest and guarantee remedy potions that only adults could take in the past.

The belief that potions worked on all ages was sheer lunacy! And she about had an aneurysm arguing with Pomfrey and Dumbledore about it in the past. Some potions wouldn't mix well with a prepubescent child. Likewise, some potions were specific to children who hadn't undergone puberty that adults could not take. The consequences for children were either underdeveloped cores or death. For adults, it affected their brain chemistry, often leading to a depleted sex drive. There were worse symptoms, but those were the most common.

Andromeda honestly blamed the drop-in power among Pureblood families because of their inbreeding, for one, but also because they refused to listen to proven facts. If it was what their family were doing for years, they weren't about to stop and took the potions that weren't regulated for their age, leading to defects in themselves as well as their children. Magic and the muggle study of genetics did play a part in the children's underdevelopment, physical deformities, as well as the squibs due to the inbreeding of Purebloods. But there was also much to be said about their traditions and not learning new things that harmed their families as well.

It was one of Andromeda's biggest issues with their society and she was working on a report that would prove her theory and knowledge, as well as a bill with Ted's help to stop the use of potions for all ages and restrict certain potions to certain ages. And would see parents fined if their children were not properly treated and were given the wrong potions.

With all of that common knowledge within St. Mungo's, when she came in a little early to gather up several potions, and began writing up requests for others that her house elf would pick up later once they were ready, the other healers just naturally assumed she was on a brainwave and decided it was best to not bother her or upset her process.

It also wasn't uncommon for her to have an anonymous patient that was willing to be the guinea pig to test these altered potions. She liked to get them as healthy as possible before they tackled the real issue. Which explained the several healing, nourishment and muscle correction, Skele-Gro, and magic stabilizing potions she requested.

So although she was fixing to heal up an escaped convict, and a greatly abused child who was a "well known" celebrity, no one could see anything unusual about her behavior. Thus, her true objective was accomplished, and she went home satisfied she would be undisturbed all summer other than her occasional shifts at the hospital.

* * *

Ted was home before Andromeda, and he was sitting going over the documents at the dining room table when she came in with all of her potions and began to gather parchment for notes and other things while she worked. Bindy was called and told the be on the lookout for a summons for more potions if Andromeda didn't send her for more before then.

Ted sat back and sighed setting down his quill.

"That bad?" Andromeda asked a little concerned.

"The names involved are shocking, and the lengths they went to, all to ensure that Sirius never saw the light of day." He shook his head, "As if that wasn't bad enough, on a hunch, I also grabbed the Potter's file, and, what it contains it sheer madness, Andie. Sheer madness. I can't believe the world is so fooled by this one man." He sighed and rested his head back. "I'll need more time to sort it all out and figure out what can be done. Regardless, this is going to become bigger news than anything about the Bones daughter or the day that Dark prick fell."

"I doubt that." Andromeda said. "From what I saw in those memories, as well as what little tidbits I managed to snag from the young couple who left here when we did, I'd say the media is in for a run of Head Line stories that will grip this nation and have them on the edges of their seats for months."

Ted, after thinking it over, nodded in agreement.

Then they both sighed, tentatively approaching the subject neither really wanted to discuss.

"How do we handle this?" Ted asked softly, his hands linked behind his head.

Andromeda kept her eyes on the parchment in front of her as she twirled her quill in her fingers. "I'm conflicted." She said just as softly before falling silent again. Ted merely let her work it out in her mind and let her talk when she was ready. When she did, she didn't disappoint. "On the one hand, I want to curse the ballsack off Remus and shove the offending appendage down his throat for even looking at my daughter! But then, I see how happy she is with him, and I am forced to realize he's not the boy I remember. He's a man and a soul who has suffered more tragedy than a person should have to." Andromeda sighed and as she sat back smiling softly. "I saw our grandson in those memories Ted, and he was perfect. I decided to put aside my petty grievances in regards to Remus's childhood, as well as his age, and just let them have their future. Seeing what they endured, and knowing why, I can't help but feel they deserve this, and I should support them."

"I wanted to buy a shotgun with silver pellets in the shell casing." Ted admitted. Seeing his wife's incredulous look, he laughed. "I was of a similar mind as you in the beginning, but I wanted mine to be a little more bloody and painful. I started work to calm down and reached, more or less, the same conclusion as you. Tonks is no longer my baby girl, and yes, it hurts to admit that. Then I remember seeing my grandson in those memories, I never got to meet him. I want to meet him; I want to hold him and see him grow up with his brothers and sisters. I know it hurts you that we couldn't have more or a son for my name. But it never hurt me. I looked forward to our grandsons and granddaughters. I just wanted to believe my daughter was an eternal virgin forever, regardless if she pops out a brood like the Weasley's."

Andromeda shuddered, "Anything but that!"

He nodded. "Yeah, I can't see that ending well either."

Andromeda hung her head for a moment, when she raised it, she was sniffling back tears. "Lily was such a dear friend, and Sirius was family. First, we lose Lily. All we were told was she was killed by Voldemort. Nothing else! We also knew we were among the guardians chosen to raise Harry. Regardless of the situation with my womb, you should have still had a son to raise. Yet we never knew what became of him.

"Then there's Sirius! We knew how much he loved James and Lily, we knew that Peter was a weak man and a spineless coward, even in petty arguments. It makes sense that Sirius in a fit of rage would go after Peter while blaming himself for the deaths of the Potters. Yet we never defended him! We never asked questions Ted, and that's what we do for a living! We never asked! We never even bothered to check in on the son of our dearest friends! How could I, you, us, turn a blind eye to all of this!? It's not like us!"

Ted had a feeling and knew this needed to be asked, but also knew his wife's temper. He got up slowly, came around the table, and began to rub her back and shoulders. "You scanned our daughter and the werewolf once and future son in law; did it not occur to you to scan us?"

Andromeda's guilt turned into shock as she stared at her husband for a moment. Then it turned to determination as she scanned herself and him. He was right; from guilt, to shock, to so pissed off even the Devil and Morgana herself would have run away in fear of his wife at that moment.

Ted decided then and there to step well out of the way when they saw Dumbledore next and be ready to defend his wife to the best of his ability because even he wasn't daft enough to try and stop his wife. He vastly preferred being able to shag her when they felt like it and sleeping in his bed.

Andromeda, with slow and careful movements, rose up from her seat, walked out of the dining room, deliberately leaving her wand on the table beside her quill.

The next several minutes were filled with noise. Lots of noise. He heard his wife screaming in utter fury, as well belting out several curses, and actual curses – the magical kind, that would even have made the Dark faction of their society pale. All the while there was a series of smashes, the shattering of various glasses, and other such items, then it all went quiet.

She came back in and sat down taking a deep breath, and then another, and another.

"All things be fixed now Misses Andy." Bindy said as she briefly popped in before popping out again.

"Thank you Bindy." Andromeda sighed, knowing the little elf could hear her wherever she was.

Ted sat back down himself and took his wife's hand. Deciding he already knew what the answer was, he just needed to know to what extent. "What's the damage?"

"Same loyalty potions, but to a lesser degree which is why it was never caught. I did a deep scan fearing that might be the case. There was that, as well as several compulsion charms that wouldn't allow us to ask questions despite our doubts or straight up being against it." She raised a hand over her eyes, a headache starting to throb in her temples. "No wonder the boy said both Dumbledore and Voldemort were terrible evils that cannot be allowed to live for much longer. If we were victims of this, how many more are there, Ted? How can we possibly counter this without causing hysteria? St. Mungo’s and the Ministry can’t possibly deal with this as they currently are.”

"We'll think of something. As Nym said, this is just the beginning. Things always look daunting at the start. All we can do is deal with situations as they come, and slowly chip away at the rest of the problem until we catch a break." He promised as he rubbed the back of her hand. "Regardless, he will pay. Take comfort in that love. Might not be by our hands, though I will certainly give it my damnedest, he will pay."

"I'll drink to that, later though." She said as she pulled her notes and various potions to her again. "Once I confirm that the charges coming under my care soon are one hundred percent healthy and can do what we cannot. I've already canceled the charms put on us, I'll start us on the same reversal and preventative regiment as the others for the loyalty potions before bed."

There was a series of cracks that indicated apparition and they rushed to the front door. Standing just inside was the young couple and a very dirty, frail, haggard-looking Sirius Black in thin and failing prison fatigues.

"Bindy has bath all ready for mangy dog." Bindy said with a look of disgust at Sirius as she held her nose, and her face slightly turned away from the party. This was reaction was not caused by Sirius's person and legal situation, rather it was his state of uncleanliness that Bindy couldn't bear.

"Thank you Bindy, dear." Andromeda heartfully crooned at the elf.

Remus and Nym both had one of Sirius's arms thrown over their shoulders. They hefted the tired old dog up the stairs and into the bath that Bindy had ready for him. Said house elf immediately began cleaning up after them all so the house was still immaculately clean. Taking the prison fatigues only to burn them without actually touching them. Remus had never seen a house elf with OCD before, and he looked forward to seeing Ares's reaction to the little female elf.

Nym left the bathroom shortly after Sirius began to strip, as that was not a sight she wanted to see and went downstairs to be with her parents. Remus stayed to get Sirius into the bath.

Nym found her parents working at the dining room table. It was a normal scene in the house, as both rejected the idea of private offices, so they could work in the same room, at the big table. They already spent their workdays apart from each other, even if they were still working, they at least wanted to be in the same room. Something Nym always found equally annoying as well as comforting in the past. Now, she understood it better, and it was comforting and charming that after all this time, they still wanted to spend as much time together as they could.

Though the contents of their work were new.

"You two are coping rather well with all of this news, I must say." Nym grinned at them.

They both looked up at her, but they weren't smiling. There was a look of anger and a hint of betrayal in those looks.

"What's wrong?" Nym asked, doing her best not to panic. Mal's visions or "theories" as she called them, hadn't been wrong yet. Nym put all her hope into Mal not leading her wrong here. And she was not disappointed, as it wasn’t her, or the situation with Remus that had her parents upset.

"We've discovered that we've been potioned as well." Ted told her as he sat back. "I'm sure you know by whom."

Nym growled. "I'm going to strangle that white-whiskered arse with his beard!"

"Not if I beat you to it!" Andromeda growled herself. Then she waved a hand. "But given what we saw in those memories; we know it won't be any of the Tonks family that will rip that beard of his off."

Nym sighed defeated as she took a seat. "True." Then she giggled. "I can just see Mal getting so pissed off at him, and him being none the wiser, and her just marching up and ripping that beard of his off!" Nym then threw her head back and laughed before looking at her parents amused looks. "Trust me, you haven't met her yet, but Mal is one amazing girl. She's kinder than Sprout is, but when she gets angry, she's worse than Lily or Molly Weasley."

"How's that?" Ted asked unconvinced, remembering Lily's legendary temper, and trying not to shudder remembering the recent rant Molly went on.

Nym just grinned viciously. "Mal rarely shrieks. She'll raise her voice, she'll yell, but mostly, she gets even. I've seen her go after powerful beings when she's angry." Nym shuddered remembering one afternoon while training with Ares under the angel's guidance. "Trust me, Death Eaters would be crying if they had to face her."

Andromeda also got a scary smile. "I look forward to meeting her then. She sounds like a wonderful addition to the Black daughters."

Bindy appeared and announced dinner was ready, and all work was put into the shelf space that were labeled for Andromeda and Ted's work and would be put back on the table once dinner was finished. Remus came in to find the dining room table being set rather meticulously by Bindy. He sat down as he had many times before and began helping himself to the lamb chops, potatoes, and various vegetables on the table. But the butter baked bread was his favorite.

Oh, how he missed home-cooked meals. The afterlife didn't have food. It was a mortal thing. In his opinion bowel movements were worth being able to eat and taste great food.

"Sirius able to clean himself?" Andromeda asked with a skeptical look.

Remus chuckled. "He wasn't doing so well there when I got him stripped and into the bath, but as soon as that water hit him, he realized what was happening and woke up."

"It will be a cold day in hell before I let you wash my privates." Sirius barked as he came into the room. "Didn't stop you from waiting outside the door though."

Remus just chuckled.

Sirius was wearing fresh clothes, cleaned up from all the dirt and grim, a towel hanging over his tangled wet hair. Feeling like a million galleons already just from being able to bathe properly. Before he sat down to help himself to wonderfully smelling food, he looked at the elder couple. "I take it that you two are in the know?"

They nodded.

"Are you okay with this?"

Andromeda stood and pulled Sirius into a tight hug. "Not only are we okay cousin, but we are also determined to help you and the rest of our growing family in any way that we can."

"What she's not saying, and I should warn you about so you don't do anything stupid, like try to stop her, is we were potioned and compulsed to forget and move on with our lives without question." Ted said looking at Sirius with a friendly smile. Sirius on the other hand, already figured out who did it and was furious. Then looked mortified realizing what he wasn't supposed to stop when the time came. Ted was satisfied that his message got across. "Eat, rest, and take the time to get healthy. I'm working on your case to get your name cleared, but I'm sure as you know, we have to wait for the right time."

Sirius nodded as he sat down and began to build his plate. He wanted to gather up as much as possible so he could wolf everything down like the starving creature he was. Going back for seconds and thirds before stopping. But, knowing from previous experience, it was better to take it a little at a time and let his body tell him when to quit.

So he made a decent plate and ate everything at a slower pace. Relieved that he was at least able to get seconds on the rolls and lamb chops before dessert was served. A delicious homemade apple pie with vanilla ice cream. He only managed one helping of that before his stomach felt like it was about to burst.

No words were spoken during dinner, they just ate their fill. Only Andromeda and Ted were surprised by Sirius's silence, calm demeanor, and careful eating. If there was ever proof of the changes taking place, it was right there. Sirius, ever the man child, was acting mature and level headed. Even in the two lives they were shown, Sirius was ever the man child, and it led to his death. Grant it, likely outside factors were exasperating the problem, but the fact remained, Sirius was never the responsible one.

* * *

Remus and Nym left the room as soon as dinner was finished. They made claims of being knackered, and they certainly looked it, but Sirius wasn't going to comment on what else he suspected they would get up to. He knew better than to make such comments in front of Andie, even before his deaths. He also knew Ted also had a protective streak and temper when it came to his daughter’s safety and person.

Sirius's personality had undergone a drastic change in the afterlife. Oh, he still loved pranks, and thought the world needed a better sense of humor; but in no way shape or form was it alright to provoke the father of a daughter who was a grown woman and making grown-up woman decisions.

Nym, Lily, Mia, and Mal, took the time to drill into his head what would happen if he didn’t quell those parts of his personality. The women were bad enough, but Remus, James, Monty, Gabriel, Michael, Satan, and Julian, with Ares leading the pack, all voiced their sentiments which echoed the women’s.

All forcing him to realize to really change the future, Sirius needed to be level headed and calm. If he was going to get a leg up in society again, if he was going to fool Dumbledore and get out of from under the old man's crooked thumb, Sirius would need to be what he had dreaded becoming. He would need to be cold, cruel, and ruthless, just as his grandfather had. Just as any Lord Black needed to be. It was the only way for him to be taken seriously in the difficult times that lay ahead and sway the public and dark faction to the side of the gray. Against Dumbledore and Voldemort.

They showed Sirius, the other option was to keep denying that part of himself and end up dead like before. Because in his desperation to not be a Black, he opened himself to be controlled then easily manipulated. Sure, if they sat down and thought it through, there were other ways, but as Mal and Ares pointed out, they had neither the time or the freedom to sit and come up with a better strategy.

Now the old Sirius, and likely any who witnessed or knew what they said in the afterlife, would think that they were trying to push Sirius into not being himself. He understood now that it was the opposite. They were urging him to not deny that part of himself. He was smarter, stronger, and more capable than the lives he lived led others to believe. He knew there were a time and a place for pranks and teasing. He also knew the lines that he shouldn't cross with various people.

How many times had he crossed that line the past? The fact that there were too many to count, brought home the realization that Sirius needed. They were right.

Already he could see, and feel the benefits. Rather than ignore Nym and Remus to see Ares with his own eyes, he trusted his godson and came to a safe location before Dumbledore or his lackeys found him. Which they would have, and he realized this. He was far weaker in this life than he'd been in the last two because of the beatings he endured.

Another thing was how he ate his meal. Patiently and with care, allowing others to see him as he was. A weak and sick man freshly escaped from prison. Where before, he would do all he could to play up the brave face and go as far as to break his leg to prove he was fine.

His silence was also one. Rather than be spitting mad, and asking questions, making threats, and plans to go out and get revenge before getting his godson back, Sirius was silent. He sat still, allowed Andie to scan him thoroughly before going over his treatments with her and why certain ones were needed. Before he could do anything, Sirius needed to heal his broken and battered body, and he acknowledged that.

As Andromeda was going over the medical aspect of Sirius's situation, Ted set to work on Sirius's case, working on the best way to approach this and was even considering going to the Goblins to get some more information and hopefully some answers to questions. Though there was always the chance of walking away with more questions than he did answers.

Andromeda was busy working on the potions for Sirius and everyone else. It was a relieved Sirius who found out from her that Remus didn't need anything in the way of health potions. This new werewolf thing was working better than either of the old Marauders realized. The only thing Remus needed was the flush of the potions in his system that would make him Dumbledore's slave even in the wake of the old man's death.

Sirius however, was in for a long summer. He was fine with that though. As Ares said, first, they needed to get themselves in fighting condition, then, they would begin tackling the bigger issues.

There were no words that could describe how happy he was as he laid into bed to sleep not long after the examination. He was sleeping in an actual bed, after being bathed for the first time in years. He was safe with his family, and it would be expanding sooner rather than later. He was far safer here than he had ever been back when he was being "helped" by Dumbledore.

As he drifted off to sleep, he smiled.

Things were already changing. Big changes. His personality changes didn't even register on the map by comparison. And their enemies weren't even aware of how significant these changes were. For the first time in his mortal lives, Sirius had hope.

He grinned realizing he probably wasn't the only one who felt this way either.

}TLCW{

Narcissa Malfoy woke with a gasp, jumping up in her bed, soaked with perspiration. The nightmare she just had was far too vivid to be simply that. Before she could even catch her breath, she felt something stirring next to her. She was always alone in her bed in the past, that something was there now was not a good sign. More than a little fearful she looked down, expecting an enemy, but instead found a small body in the bed next to her. Carefully removing the blankets, she saw a beautiful baby girl with her pale blonde tresses, but falling in soft spiral curls that could not be found in any Black or Malfoy daughter.

Bella might have been the exception, only her hair was magically altered after she married Lestrange. He didn't like straight hair apparently, and thick wavy hair the Black daughters tended to have wasn't up to his taste. He preferred curly hair for whatever reason, and it was never explained.

Looking around with sleepy eyes, Narcissa saw the baby girl had piercing ice-blue eyes. She had never seen such eyes in Wizarding Britain before and was started by them. She was startled by the whole situation in general. Where had this child come from, and why was she in Narcissa's bed?

When the baby girl looked up at Narcissa, she smiled brightly, a smile full of love and trust. A smile that children always gave their mothers, and one that Narcissa had seen many times before, but only one soul ever aimed it in her direction: her son, Draco.

"Mama!" The baby girl's voice giggled. Soft toned, but full of life, love, and happiness.

Narcissa could only stare back at the girl in shock and confusion, there was no denying that this girl was her child, but how?

"Mama?" The girl asked confused, and again, Narcissa couldn't move.

Tears filled the girl's eyes, and her lower lips trembled, “Mama?”

Still, Narcissa was frozen. It wasn't until the girl began to cry heartbroken that something clicked in Narcissa's mind. A lump formed in her throat, as tears fell from her own eyes.

Without hesitation, Narcissa snatched the child up and hugged the tiny thing very close to her heart. The baby, did the same in return, tears turning into sniffles before stopping completely, snuggling in close, whispering "mama, love you," over and over before falling back asleep.

All the while seemingly unaware of Narcissa's breakdown.

Though, perhaps the child's whispers were meant as a form of comfort. Perhaps the child had been aware of Narcissa's inner turmoil, stranger things had happened where magic was involved.

This child, was one year old Zelena Juliet Malfoy. Narcissa’s daughter; carried under her heart for nine months before being born bright and healthy. Born at dawn after a full day and night of painful labor, Zelena was born as the sun shined into the room, bathing Narcissa’s soaked weak body and the newborn, as her wails echoed in the air.

Narcissa almost named the girl Aurora because of that, but the name was far too light side for Lucius to ever allow. Zelena however, was derived from Selēnē, which meant "the moon". It wasn't a constellation, but it was still a part of the cosmos. That, Lucius had no problem with as it fell along the lines of the Black family tradition of naming their children after constellations. It skidded the line a bit, but it passed.

Along with Draco, Zelena was the brightest light and source of hope for Narcissa in these dark days. They were both the only things that gave her the strength to get up in the morning.

Only, Zelena wasn't Lucius's child.

Three life time's worth of memories were in Narcissa's head. Memories of two previous lives had appeared as nightmares before she woke, and caused Narcissa's rather rude awakening at three in the morning. Disturbing Zelena's sleep, and what caused Narcissa's momentary lapse in remembering she even had a daughter.

As she moved to the rocking chair, wrapping one of the many baby blankets laying around the room onto Zelena to keep her warm, Narcissa sat in the old rocking chair in front of the window and rocked her baby gently. This had become routine for her back when Draco was young, and now it was a habit again with Zelena. When Narcissa couldn't sleep but needed to think, she rocked in the chair watching the sky change. It also allowed her to keep her baby close to her heart as she did.

Narcissa used this time to go over the memories that were in her mind.

Immediately, Narcissa moved the memories behind a special barrier that no one could get past unless they were trained by a Black in occlumency. Her husband, for all of his power, could never master the skill or its counterpart Legimency. So she was safe in the knowledge that at least for the time being, all of her secrets and these memories were hidden and would not get back to the darker forces of Magical Britain.

In the first lifetime, she had been a willing Death Eater and supported the cause avidly right up until her son was put on the chopping block because of his father's many mistakes. Draco, not seeing the task for the trap that it was, foolishly and willing bet his life on its succession or failure. Nothing Narcissa said could stop the deal, and Lucius, the coward and rotten bastard that he was, refused to help his son. Choosing instead to save himself for the time being and come up with a plan that would save his life should Draco fail.

As time went on, realization dawned on Draco that he could and would die if he failed, saw the systematic breaking her precious son. He was tortured many times for not getting the job done fast enough, he was beaten, and her life was threatened on more than one occasion because of that mission.

Even then, Lucius kept his silence in the presence of the Dark Lord, only helping so far to lend the funds necessary for the assignment because he was ordered to. Narcissa was the one that helped their son get the books and the materials needed to do the job and get it done right. Not that her boy ever knew. Lucius, of course, took credit for her work.

Even before that point, Narcissa had already done the unthinkable and betrayed the Dark Lord by way of an unbreakable vow with Severus to finish what Draco could not before Draco even left for Hogwarts.

After that, it came as second nature to her, and she committed even more betrayals against the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. Going so far as to make sure that Potter escaped from their manor. She also warned whoever she could about the impending Death Eater raids. She also allowed several muggleborns safe passages to the muggle side of London. Not that they knew it was her, and the Death Eaters were never the wiser about her treacherous actions.

Once Draco's life was put in danger, her motherly instincts kicked in. There were no lines she didn't cross, she did whatever she felt she had to in order to protect her son. Saving any child, she could along the way.

She damned Bellatrix, and anyone else, who got in her way. Mostly though, it was Bellatrix. Who claimed long and loud that if she was lucky enough to have a child, she would have made certain that said worshipped the Dark Lord as obsessively as she did. She would have encouraged her child to die for the cause if that’s what the Dark Lord demanded.

How any mother would encourage that was beyond Narcissa, and she was grateful that Bellatrix never did have children. The way she encouraged Narcissa to praise Draco and let him eventually die if the Dark Lord commanded infuriated her. If Molly Weasley hadn't taken the bitch out, Narcissa certainly would have. Gladly.

When the war was over, Narcissa willingly threw Malfoy under the ax and let him take the fall for everything. Suffering in Azkaban was better than killing the bastard outright.

The second lifetime, she hadn't taken the mark. Apparently having learned her lesson from her first life. She also, again having learned from the first life, didn't hold to the Pureblood bigotry, but she also wasn't stupid enough to say so when surrounded by those of the Dark factions.

All she had wanted to do was protect Draco and hoped that he would become a better man than Lucius. Although the boy was a little clone of his father after he became a teenager. Narcissa's actions during that war were the same, but more pronounced in the fact that she saved more lives than she had before and also warned Dumbledore of the impending attack. Only for the man to do nothing to stop it.

She didn't learn until after the war, while her son was in St. Mungo's, exactly what lengths Lucius went to ensure Draco was on Lucius's side through it all. Ultimately twisting their brilliant and beautiful son into a clone of his father. It might have worked too if Draco hadn't been fighting against it his whole life. The persona that Lucius instilled in Draco's mind went against everything that Draco was. It was Draco's internal struggle that caused the boy to be loud, obnoxious, and fail at every task he was given.

Through the use of Occlumency done by a mind healer, the spells were reversed, and Draco came back into himself.

Lucius had tried to kill the boy that was her son. He knew it and didn't care in the slightest. Just like marrying her for was money and power, not love, he didn't care about the son he was raising. He wanted the Malfoy family legacy to carry on as it was, as Lucius has from his father. He wanted an heir that was exactly like him, a clone of Lucius as Lucius had been a clone of Abraxas, Lucius's father. Lucius's thoughts had been, if Narcissa couldn't birth him one (as she had been poisoned into being sterile not long after Draco's birth), he would alter the one they had to ensure he got the son he wanted.

All of this happened before Lucius could be arrested and sent to Azkaban for his crimes against magical Britain. She killed him before the DMLE could levy the charges against him. She willingly went to the prison for her crime, in a minimal security wing, and was out in under five years. Draco was left to deal with the mess that was left behind, and he did so with grace. Showing proof of his father's crimes, proof of what was done to him, and confessing to his own. He paid the fines, and due to the nature of the murder and the reasons behind it, Narcissa was given a light sentence. Allowing her to be there when her grandchildren were born.

This lifetime, however, wasn't playing out like the others. Already there were key differences.

She never took the Dark Mark as she hadn't in the second life. In the first life, Narcissa firmly believed and joined the Death Eaters cause. In the second life, she still held onto the traditions leaving out the bigotry but left her skin unblemished by the mark so she could still walk around society without being scrutinized by light extremists. In this third life, she held no love or respect for the way Wizarding Britain was currently. She had firmly come to believe that people were people, and traditions were nice, but when people clung to them so narrowly that those traditions dictated how they lived their lives with no room for change, they missed out on so much.

Narcissa was now similar to Andromeda's and Sirius's beliefs. But beliefs like that were hazardous in the Black household. A prime example being Sirius and Andromeda and what happened to them when Walburga found out. So Narcissa, in fear of being hurt, or worse, killed by Walburga, never said a word about her true thoughts.

In this life, Lucius never required her to put on airs, unless it was to impress the Ministries higher-ups or other members of the "upstanding citizens" of the Wizarding World. Meaning, unless they were in front of the people Lucius had power over or wanted to have power over, she was to be silent and leave him alone.

In the first life, it hadn't exactly been a marriage of equals, but she had willingly gone to bed with him. But there was mutual respect between the two of them and they cared for each other's wellbeing most of the time. She would have birthed him more children, but they were never blessed with another. Until the Dark Lord returned, then all of that changed. Down spiraling into the end she'd already gone over.

In the second, she hadn't been forced to marry Lucius, she chose him. The lesser of two evils as the saying went. She was still a dutiful and loyal wife, as the old ways demanded, and did as he commanded, most of the time. Though, when Draco was born, she had nothing to do with him physically. The "poisoning" had been of her own doing, rendering her sterile so she wouldn't have to have Lucius in her bed ever again.

In this life, it would seem that she wasn't the only one who got smarter. In this life, she didn't want Lucius and fought to marry another man. But her father wouldn't sway from his choice. In the end, Narcissa was bound by contract to give herself to Lucius at least once a month, unless he said otherwise. Further, she was not allowed to take potions that would hinder or alter her ability to bear children. It wasn’t specified whether or not that child had to belong to Lucius, just her ability to conceive, carry, and birth a child.

It was inconceivable that a pureblood witch such as Narcissa would have an affair. Which is why they didn't bother making the contract specific in who the father of her children should be. It was just accepted that Lucius could be the only possibility.

Other than official events, where she was supposed to walk in on his arm, and the monthly visits to her wing in the Malfoy manner for her "wifely duty", she hardly ever saw her husband other than at the table for breakfast and dinner. Lucius was often so busy with, whatever he was doing all day, that Narcissa was able to do as she pleased a lot of the time. She was able to go out, go shopping, even work a little in some places where she was permitted to by her husband.

It was this little freedom, that allowed Narcissa to create a fund with the Goblins in a secret account, that she labeled her "running away" fund.

She'd taken to having incursions in the muggle world. If she denied Lucius his rights to her body, or put it more simply, if she ran away and never looked back; the marriage contract would have her magic stripped from her. Meaning she would have to live as a muggle, possibly move out of the country even.

She had planned that when it inevitably happened, Draco, and eventually Zelena, could attend a school that wasn't dominated by the children of other Death Eaters, or manipulative old men that labeled them as such, pushing them towards that life before they'd even reached puberty. She would teach them magic from home if it came to that.

It was this little bit of freedom and trips to the muggle realm when she met someone. As a squib from Magical Britain himself, he immediately spotted that Narcissa was close to a breakdown stemming from the culture shock and complete lack of knowledge on how to handle all of it, he kindly offered his assistance. He became a quick and good friend to have. She enjoyed his company a great deal. More so than any other male she'd ever been around. He was a nice man, rather handsome in a rugged sort of way. Though he still wore suits at times, she preferred him in his denim pants and button-down shirts, with that warm smile on his face.

They would sit for tea or coffee, allowing her to ask her many questions after their walks through town, or the ones she obtained after reading several books. He would answer each thing patiently, and with that easy smile, helping her gain the necessary knowledge she'd require to live as a muggle. He even helped her enroll in culinary classes as well, so she could learn how to use the muggle appliances, as well as learn about the different utensils, and what they used for.

One day, many months after their initial meeting, they had sat down for a quiet picnic in a park, and he asked what was Narcissa Malfoy, Pureblood Queen, doing wandering around muggle London.

In a fit of tears, she broke down and told the truth. The whole truth. He understood immediately and began helping her figuring out the muggle world that much faster. So when she ran, nothing would be a surprise. She would be able to navigate and do what she needed to do without issue.

She had already fallen in love with him before that, though she never professed it. Their inevitable affair was brief, but it filled her heart in ways it had never been before. She was loved, and she loved back with everything she could. She was so lost and helplessly in love with the man. She began to imagine taking her son and running away to be with this man.

But magic had other plans.

He had a situation come up that required all of his time and attention, and she told him to go, giving him her blessing. She didn't regret their love, and she didn't regret letting him go. He was needed somewhere else and were she in his shoes, she would have done the same.

Reluctantly, Narcissa went home to Lucius. She kept on her schedules and kept learning more about the muggle world. Now visiting libraries, and studying there. Realizing she'd have to use magic to create everything they'd need documentation wise before she left, or they'd never get anywhere in life.

Perhaps if she had lost her magic by then the Goblins would assist in the endeavor for a little extra gold. She was given a monthly installment from both the Black and the Malfoy vaults. Malfoy took the Black gold while she kept the lesser amount of Malfoy gold. She had taken to putting that into her fund as well recently. She'd use an installment of that to get what she needed if she couldn't create it herself.

Despite her extra time with her lover, she kept up with the demands of the contract. Lucius had come to her each month, as per the demands of the contract. She had put up no fight, no struggle, just let him do his thing and leave. Going behind her occlumency barrier and remembering her time with her lover rather than her husband. It was horrible, she knew, but it got her through what had become marital rape in the eyes of muggle law. Contract or no, that's what it had become. So however much she might have wished otherwise, she had been with both men. Her lover a lot more than her husband.

A few months after her lover's departure, she couldn't ignore the changes in her body any longer and cast that dreaded spell. As she feared, she was pregnant. Of course, Dobby had been ordered to inform Lucius if Narcissa cast that spell, or gave any indication of pregnancy, and he knew mere seconds after she cast the spell. Bursting into her room demanding to know the results.

Lucius had been so pleased when she gave him the positive results. He had all but abandoned Draco in his excitement for another son. He actually did a happy dance that mortified Narcissa in more ways than one.

Narcissa tried, she did, to convince herself that the child was Lucius's, it had to be. But, given the time of conception, it was extremely unlikely to be his.

To know for certain, Narcissa arranged a private meeting with a Goblin healer shortly after the pregnancy was public knowledge, paid for out of her "running away" account, so she could learn the paternity of the father. She provided blood she'd taken from Lucius in secret and the sample that she took in secret from her lover.

Many would say what she did was evil, and the highest level of betrayal, but she had her reasons.

She had stolen from Lucius to test the paternity of the baby. He couldn't know the truth obviously, but she needed to know. She'd taken a sample of her lover's blood the day they became lovers. It was for a measure of safety. She did it so she could add it to the Malfoy Manor wards, which Lucius had no understanding of, so should her affair ever be found out and brought there, the Ministry would be alerted immediately of the kidnapping. What was left, she kept as a jewel in her locket, a memento of the man she loved.

The day she arrived at the bank; she cursed her foolishness. In hindsight, she should have at least suspected this possibility, but it never crossed her mind that she would have to use what was left of his blood this way.

She was told many things that day by the Goblins:

The gender was female.

She was growing well and was perfectly healthy as far as their scans could tell.

She had a strong magical core, even in the womb. Meaning this baby was going to be a very powerful witch.

The baby was not Lucius's child.

When Lucius brought Narcissa for her checkups in the future, she told the healers at St. Mungo's she didn't want to know the gender, as Pureblood tradition states. Everything they told her after that was what she'd already been told by the Goblins. Hearing that the baby had a strong magical core saw Lucius whooping for joy and dancing around like a loon again.

As she expected though, the peace was not to last, and neither was Lucius's good mood.

When the labor pains began, and Lucius was by her side every minute, excited to hold his second son. The private healer, another pureblood, perhaps even a Death Eater for all Narcissa knew, shared in Lucius's shocked and angered reaction to the realization that the baby was a girl.

For the following few days, Lucius sneered at the baby with utter disgust and loathing. A daughter shouldn't have more power than a son. Women were good for breeding, and in some families were welcomed. But when a family had so few males such as the Malfoys, sons were demanded.

Narcissa had been terrified of what Lucius would do to her precious baby girl from the day she discovered the truth. Her daughter was conceived and born out of love, not power, or political gain. She wasn't going to allow Lucius to harm her baby. So Narcissa had the nursery moved into her room the second night of Zelena's life, and had all kinds of wards placed on her bedroom door.

Dobby confirmed that a week after Zelena's birth, Lucius had gone into the nursery and was rather upset that the room was empty. He had tried to get into Narcissa's room, but her wards were more powerful. While Lucius could penetrate the first ones to the second layer, which would alert Narcissa to the attempted break-in, he couldn't dismantle those wards. Thus his attempt went unnoticed until Dobby’s report.

Narcissa burst into tears in the present. Zelena's life was in danger. Every minute in Malfoy Manor was spent under Narcissa's watchful gaze. When Zelena started to eat solid foods Narcissa had Dobby teach her what to do, even though she already knew how, she had to play as if she was clueless, so she could make certain that her baby wouldn't be poisoned.

One good thing did come out of her husband's anger; Lucius hadn't slept with Narcissa since Zelena was born. His orders were simple, move the girl into her own room, or they wouldn't have a married couple's night again. Lucius looked rather proud and smug when he said that to her. As if he believed Narcissa would bend over backward to be assaulted by him again.

When she refused, rather immediately, happily, and it was obvious that she was, Narcissa was banned from going to balls, or on outings with friends. She was confined to the halls of Malfoy Manor until she caved to her husband's demands. Yet she'd taken each punishment with grace, never complaining.

Lucius grew more and more agitated, the longer Narcissa rejected him, the fouler his mood became. He threatened she would never leave the house again if she didn't obey him. She shrugged and said there wasn't an obedience clause in their contract, and it couldn't be altered now. Still, she'd give Lucius this courtesy, and obey him on this matter.

Oh, that had infuriated Lucius, reminding him he didn't have absolute control over her. Furthermore, her obeying him was merely because she chose to. Calling it a courtesy made it all the worse. Better yet, Lucius couldn't say or do anything about it as the Minister was currently in the next room.

It had been a secret, what was happening between them, and with the public well aware of the Malfoy daughter, it was expected that they would be seen. People at first just thought that Narcissa and the baby wanted to stay at home until they were certain that the baby was strong enough to handle being around strangers and not get ill. However, weeks went by, then months, and still no Narcissa.

After four months, Lucius was questioned as to why his wife wasn't being seen around like normal. By this time with Draco, his picture had been all over the Prophet and everyone had seen him in Diagon Alley. What was happening the Malfoy household to make things different this time?

Lucius answered them politely at first, then rather harshly, before he stopped answering them at all. He began receiving all kinds of questions about the health of his wife and daughter, he was even asked point-blank by the Wizengamot members, from all faction at that, if they were alright. Lucius held his ground. He would not cave to the public or let his wife win. He was the man of the manor, the Lord. A woman would not best him, certainly not his wife.

In the end, he didn't have a choice. The Prophet printed a scathing article, written by Rita Skeeter, and that was the only time in any of the three lives she'd lived that Narcissa wanted to kiss the harlot. Lucius's past as a Death Eater was once again brought to life, as was his sexist views, calling into question that perhaps he'd killed his wife and daughter. Very few facts were provided, and what was provided, only went to emphasize Skeeter's words and accusations.

Skeeter had done what she does best and had written the article like she wrote all of her articles, to publish dirty laundry, to cause drama, and hook readers for more publicity. Even the Dark Factions feared her articles as she wasn't in it for anyone but herself and a story.

Lucius was prepared to fight this, it was his family, private matters, and he would not dignify anything that was said. He held his ground stubbornly, refusing to admit defeat.

For the second time, the Wizengamot called him out on the lack of sightings of Narcissa, and the as of yet to be seen daughter. He was prepared to argue, but when he was threatened with the invasion of the DMLE to check on the well being of his wife and daughter, he was forced to admit defeat internally. The home arrest was lifted and Narcissa was able to venture out once more.

It went without saying that during those brief outings after Lucius gave his permission, that she always took Zelena with her, and he always looked so furious when she did. She knew he wouldn't kill the girl right away, but he always had something up his sleeve, and he needed access to her daughter to do it. She wasn't going to give him that power.

As a result, from all of her worrying and outmaneuvering Lucius, Narcissa had to wear a glamor at all times. She was in a permanent state of exhaustion, and it showed under the glamor. But if Lucius knew, he would realize he had the upper hand, and Narcissa would lose Zelena. She was determined to not fail as a mother again.

The sun had risen by the time she was done musing, and Narcissa knew she couldn't stay here anymore. With her condition, and with these two life time's worth of memories, she knew what was coming in Draco's future. She had to leave now, this very day, or it would be too late. It would take some trickery, but she could do it. She had just enough energy, and cunning left for this.

She went down when the call came for breakfast, Zelena close to her at all times. A house elf that was on loan from the Nott's served them, and Narcissa discretely scanned everything before helping her daughter eat as she'd banned from the kitchen. The loaned house elf informed Lucius that Narcissa prepped Zelena's meals, and he hadn't taken that knowledge well.

"Lucius," Narcissa said gently as breakfast went on, "I was thinking about going to stay with Andromeda for a little while, before and after getting Draco off the train. A week, perhaps two at the most. I'm hoping that by spending time with her, and our children getting along, I might be able to convince her to see reason. To agree with your offer."

For the sake of her daughter, Narcissa kept Zelena out of any and all conversations with Lucius.

As for the situation with Andromeda, that was a little more straightforward, and a lot less complicated to understand: Andromeda was in control of the Black Estate, Vaults, and other holdings. Arcturus died a short time ago, and when his will was activated, he had brought Andromeda back into the family, but for one purpose only, to name her Regent. With this, she had the power to sit in the Wizengamot, as well as name and train the next Lord Black.

In the will, it was stated that Narcissa was passed over for the role because of Lucius's blatant greed. If Narcissa became Regent, it was the next logical conclusion that she would name her own son the next Lord Black. Through Draco, Lucius would control and manipulate the Black's fortune and influence to suit his own purposes. It would appear, despite the persona that Lucius projected, Arcturus was well aware of the same things Narcissa was.

Narcissa knew for a fact that Lucius would use everything the Black's had to fund his Pureblood Agenda, and from there, support the Dark Lord upon his return. It was the whole reason he married her after all, there were plenty of other beautiful pureblood witches he could have had on his arm. Far more loyal and willing witches too. Yet he picked Narcissa because she was a Black daughter, and the Black’s were the second richest family in Britain, possibly the world.

The first didn't even need to be said. And the name was worse than a taboo in a Death Eater's home, it was blasphemous.

Bellatrix was passed over because of her incarceration in Azkaban, and because the Lestrange's would do the same as Lucius.

He had tried, for years he had tried to get close with Arcturus so that either himself or Narcissa would be named Regent Black upon Arcturus's death. He had thought he succeeded, and yet Lucius was left looking like an over-excited child the day the will was read, only to have it all pass to the last person they expected.

Each attempt that Lucius made in the past to spend time with Arcturus to curry favor ended in a failure that was felt throughout the whole manor. Those nights, Draco could be found curled into his mother sobbing in utter terror. That was when she had started her "running away" vault in this life.

Narcissa wasn't sure what happened to make Lucius believe that he'd get the Regency, but he believed it so firmly that he'd convinced the other Death Eaters of the same. Arcturus's will embarrassed Lucius in a rather unforgivable way.

Narcissa had no proof, but she was certain there were wards that prevented any marked Death Eater from entering the Tonks's home. It would also explain why her sister was still alive as Lucius made no secret of his attempts at having her assassinated. At least under this roof.

The last "hired hand" to attempt it, if she remembered right, was nearly rendered infertile. She couldn't remember if his bits had been cut from his body then had to be reattached/ regrown, or if it was a curse that damaged the bits; but the result, due to the extensive treatment needed to fix the situation, there was an eighty/twenty percent chance that the “hired hand” wouldn’t be able to reproduce ever again. The eighty percent being the possibility that he’d be sterile.

Since then, all of the Dark families refused to go against Andromeda personally, or anywhere near her unless they had to. Added to that, all of them had some connection to the Black Family, thus any one of their children could be named the heir. Better to get on Andromeda's good side than try to kill her and have the Goblins lay claim to everything.

Narcissa sat back and focused on Zelena, letting her husband work it out in his mind before saying any more.

Lucius had a marriage contract between Andromeda's daughter Nymphadora, and Draco. Giving the two children the hyphenated name of Malfoy-Black. Even using the Aurors in the DMLE that were sympathetic to the Dark Lord's cause to harass, working up eventually rape Nymphadora so Lucius could swoop in and "save" the day with his contract to Draco.

Narcissa held no doubt that it would still happen and hoped she could somehow spare Nymphadora from that fate just as she was working to save her children. The girl was her niece and family. Even after 3 different lives, it was sickening to know that was common practice for the more vile pureblood males to organize a rape of a prospected betrothed to get a better deal, and/or robbing the family of the girl blind because they failed in "protecting the goods". Narcissa had seen this happen with Pansy Parkinson's mother, as well as a couple of others.

Narcissa fought back tears hoping she wasn't too late to save her niece. If she knew about this and sat on it without informing Andromeda all this time, and Nymphadora was already hurt when Narcissa arrived, then there would be nowhere to turn in the magical world where Lucius would not find her to take his revenge.

Speaking of, Lucius, when she spared him a glance, was deep in thought, she could see it on his face. A passive Legimens prob gave her access to the forefront of his wondering.

That contract was his final play, everything was hinging on its success; there no option for failure. He was working and throwing everything he was into this tactic. He had plans, then back up plans for those plans. It was all written up, with little clauses hidden in fine print that would see to Lucius's victory, and all Andromeda had to do was sign it.

Honestly, if he could marry the metamorph himself and get away with it, he would. Narcissa was already two years remit in her wifely duties, Lucius would have used the prostitutes about Knockturn Alley, but he wasn't into disease, and he couldn't risk his reputation being tarnished by such acts should he be caught. The creature would make a fine bedroom slave for his every whim, he'd thought about altering some things in the contract so he could still get a piece of her.

However, appealing the idea of marrying Nymphadora himself was, he knew Andromeda would never allow her daughter to be a second wife. And it wasn't like Lucius could kill Narcissa to get another wife either. If he did, he would lose all connection to Andromeda and likely be in for more trouble than the satisfaction he would get at ending his pathetic wife's life.

He'd tried everything in the past. Blackmail, assassination attempts, and more, nothing was working. Eventually, he had to stop or lose the Black Fortune forever. Andromeda was a cunning woman, and it was so vexing his fingers itched to grip his wand and curse her for the trouble she caused. If she ever got wind of what he was orchestrating at the DMLE, he could kiss his manhood and arse goodbye. Both his wife and sister in law would make sure he was well and truly de-manned and he could only defecate through a tube. If he survived the encounter at all

He needed that fortune to keep his place as number one among the freed Death Eaters. They had somehow amassed more fortune, and the Malfoy vaults were slowly ticking down as Lucius bought opulent things to prove his wealth and standing to the others when they showed off. He needed that fortune to replenish and raise the standing of the Malfoy vaults, there was also the case if the Dark Lord did return. He'd need that money to appease the Dark Lord and fund the missions he'd planned; else Lucius would be facing a fate worse than death.

His only connection to all of that, however, was his wife. Without her, he'd have nothing left to use as communication to Andromeda, and if anything happened to that creature she called daughter before the initial contract was signed, then it would be his door she broke down first. After a fake contract was signed however, he would swoop in with the real contract, and offer his protection to his future daughter-in-law, and that’s when he’d win. He’d have to remember to warn the Auror’s to lay off the girl until after the deal was made. Though if Andromeda kept refusing, he might join those fools in teaching both of those women a lesson.

Narcissa pulled back and looked to Zelena knowing he was about to give his answer. Everything in his mind she already knew, and she wasn't surprised by any of it.

"Leave." He said not looking at her, obviously still plotting.

Narcissa fought down her relief, as well her nerves that were bursting at the seams. She was using all of her skills at occlumency to keep calm. "I'll pick up Draco, as I said. Having him around Nymphadora would endear the girl to him. I hear she has such a hard time getting a date." She picked up Zelena and turned so Lucius wouldn't be able to see much of her. "This will also give you the chance to work in peace. I know the Wizengamot work is piling on these days."

He nodded in agreement. "Do so. If things go well and Andromeda wants you to stay for longer, send an owl. I do not wish to be disturbed by floo calls. Whenever you return though, tell Draco come visit me in my office immediately upon his entry into this manor. I must have a serious discussion with him.”

Lucius refused to meet his wife's eyes. She was proficient in occlumency, and as he learned, it was a short jump from there to a Legimens master. He didn't need her to see what was in his mind. He had a plan to make the boy see reason. It was time to take his role as a scion of the Malfoy family seriously. His childhood was over, it was time that Draco be a man and know what side he stood for. Should the welp prove unwilling, he had a foolproof plan in place to get Draco where he wanted the boy to go.

Narcissa didn't need to look in his eyes to know what he was thinking and planning at that moment. As she walked out of the room, her knowledge from the past two life time's echoed her mind, yes, she already knew what he was going to do. She would fight with every last breath she had to make sure that Lucius never touched their son again.

Locked in her room, she took out a seven-compartment truck, five compartments already packed. Two were to be filled with money, one with galleons, and another with muggle money once she managed to get into Gringotts. The other three were already filled clothes for each of her children, one full of books and toys, the last compartments she loaded her things, clothing, jewelry and the like, along with the last of Zelena's things. In the last, she put all of the documents and other information she had been gathering for years against Malfoy, this manor, and other Death Eater dealings.

The trunk came preinstalled with several expansion charms, feather-light charms, and shrinking charms. Which is how she was able to pack everything into one trunk. She activated the shrinking charms and put it into her pocket feeling only a little weight from it. She then turned and left the room.

She immediately went to the floo and checked to make sure that Lucius and that blasted elf were nowhere near before saying The Leaky Cauldron, and stepping through the flames. Not that Lucius would stop her, he'd likely think that she was getting a present or something to appease Andromeda before arriving there. He'd just monitor the Malfoy vaults to make sure she didn't spend too much.

The floo travel caused Zelena to be cranky when she arrived, but Narcissa managed to calm her easily enough as she made her way into the alley and up to Gringotts. She quickly spotted a free teller and was grateful to recognize the Goblin. Zorm Shieldbreaker was one she'd been working with for a while, as he was the brother to Kearx Shieldbreaker, her account manager of her "running away" vault. A quick word with him saw her going down to the vault in question with Kearx.

"I take it it's time then?" Kearx asked softly once they were safely in the vault.

Narcissa nodded as she took out the trunk and packed up both forms of currency in the proper compartments. "Things have changed, and I can't stay there a moment longer."

"I wish you well Narcissa." Kearx nodded. "I'll do my best on this end to make sure that Lord Malfoy never finds out about this. I've also taken the liberty to examine the marriage contract between the two of you. If there's an escape clause or an out that sees you keeping your magic, I'll find it."

She smiled at him. "Thank you Kearx. You're a wonderful person."

Kearx gave her a friendly grin and a wave as she left him at his office.

She was about to back to the floo in the Leaky Cauldron but thought against it. Andromeda might deny her access with Black's recent escape, which was much earlier than ever before. If Andromeda was harboring the innocent Sirius, the last person she would want showing up there would be Narcissa Malfoy on behalf of Lucius.

Instead, Narcissa left Gringotts and quickly made her way to the apparition point in the Alley. When she arrived at Andromeda's front steps, Zelena was screaming. She didn't like apparating, in fact, the girl hated all form of magical travel. It confused and scared her. While using the floo made her cranky, apparition always resulted in this reaction. Narcissa only used it when she had no other choice.

The screaming immediately brought Nymphadora to the door, with Remus Lupin at her side. It was all the proof Narcissa needed to tell her she wasn't the only one with different memories floating in her head. The physical difference in Remus was even more proof. Gone were the scars and gaunt look; here was a healthy-looking man who took pride in what he was. Not shame, and broken, as the Remus Lupin she'd known.

"You're in danger Nymphadora!" Narcissa already knew this was the first thing she needed to say to get Andromeda on her side. Seeing her niece again, and the woman she was now, Narcissa wanted nothing more than to save her. "Lucius is paying off a bunch of Auror's to harass and eventually assault you!"

Nymphadora snorted. "Should have known it was something along those lines. Dawlish seemed to be a little too eager, and trying too hard." She looked back at Narcissa. "I quit yesterday. Rest assured whatever plots that ponce Malfoy has won't succeed."

Thank goodness. Was all she could think before Narcissa broke down, falling to her knees sobbing like her daughter in her arms. “Please! Please! You have to help me! Draco’s in danger!” Zelena’s screams became worse as Narcissa broke, drawing the couple’s attention to the baby. “This is Zelena, my daughter, Lucius has been trying to kill her since the day she was born! Please! Even if you don’t help me, please don’t condemn my children to death!”

"Mum!" Nymphadora called before rushing down to help Narcissa inside.

Andromeda took one look at Narcissa's state, and the wailing child in her arms before rushing forward herself. Sirius and Ted stood up as the company came into the living room while Andromeda was issuing orders to the house elf.

Sirius stared dumbstruck at Zelena. Nymphadora took the child and began to soothe the baby as the house elf appeared with calming droughts.

"Zelena can't take that! She's barely a year old!" Narcissa shrieked as Nymphadora took one dose for the baby.

"It's a diluted version for babes." Andromeda said patiently to her sister. "Zelena will be perfectly fine, I swear it on my magic."

There was a flash as magic recognized the vow that Andromeda just made. It was enough that Narcissa stopped fighting, she took the potion and watched with a keen eye as Zelena was given hers. She took a few moments to orient herself after the potion took effect and her body begged her to sleep. While she knew she could trust these people when it came to her safety and her daughters, there was still much to be said.

"Remus, Sirius!" Nymphadora gasped. Both men rushed to her side. "Look!" She ordered as she looked down at Zelena, who stared back up at everyone in scared confusion. She'd never been around so many people. "Tell me those are not the eyes I think they are."

Sirius picked up the babe and looked at her for a long moment. Little tears came from her eyes as she whimpered.

Remus took her then and laid her down in his arms as he rocked her back and forth. "There, there, now little angel, it's alright. There's no need to be scared. We're just surprised to see you is all."

"Who's her father?" Sirius asked hastily as he sat down across from Narcissa.

"Darren. Darren Bones." She said as tears rolled down her cheeks as well. "I've been planning to leave Lucius for years, even if it takes my magic. So he helped me learn how to survive as a muggle. We had an affair. We tried to deny how we felt, we really did. But one day there was a storm, and we got soaked, and then, one thing led to another, and,” Narcissa looked up at Zelena before looking back at Sirius.

"I would have left Lucius for him, but he got a call from America. He wasn't even aware he had a daughter till his call. She was greatly abused so he went there to take care of her. I would never have dreamed of stopping him. I just wish I'd grabbed Draco and gone with him when I had the chance! Now he doesn't know that he has another daughter back here! I couldn't risk telling him incase Lucius intercepted the message, and found out Zelena isn't his. He's already been trying to kill her since she was born! I couldn't risk my baby's life on my selfishness!"

"Besides," Narcissa broke down even more, "I feel like I'm no better than Darren's first wife, keeping this secret from him, but I have no choice! Even knowing he'd come running to be with Zelena and me, I couldn't, wouldn't have him abandon his other daughter for us. He deserves so much better than me!"

Even with calming draught in her system, she was still to the point of hysteria.

Thanks to Remus's quick actions, and Nymphadora's that followed, Zelena had fallen asleep in his arms. So the girl was unaware of her mother’s state.

"Tell us everything." Andromeda said sitting beside Narcissa, taking her sister's hands in her own. "Don't leave anything out."

So Narcissa did. She bared her soul. About all of the lives she remembered, the lessons she learned in each one, and what she knew was coming. Lucius's plots, as well as her own actions. The reason she was acting so crazy now was for Zelena's safety as well as Draco's. His fate was worse than Zelena's impending death at the end of Lucius's wand.

From there, she was told about what was happening by Remus and Sirius; the newly dubbed Nym was taking of Zelena in the meantime. Narcissa listened intently and took in all of the information she was given. She took the same vow as Andromeda and Ted did before her. Even if it meant she died, she would protect their secrets, and she would protect her expanding family.

She knew what side she was going to choose, and had no qualms making it publicly known.

"What can I do to help?" She asked eager to be of use.

"Take care of your daughter." Remus said handing the now awake, squirming, begging for mama, Zelena back to Narcissa. "I have a feeling you're going to be reunited with your lover very soon."

As Narcissa looked down at her daughter's eyes, remembering that Darren had them too, she smiled. "I hope so. I really hope so. I don't deserve it, but I hope."

She looked up at Ted, taking her trunk out of her pocket. "In the first compartment, you'll find all of the information I've been able to gather since I've been married to Lucius."

Sirius grinned vicious, causing Zelena to cower into Narcissa. "Oh, Cissy dear, you have no idea how happy that makes all of us. But I have a feeling, that information is not meant for Ted here, wonderful though he is."

"Then who?" Narcissa asked confused.

"You said his name is Darren Bones, and that he was a squib. Any relation to a certain head of the DMLE that we know of?" Remus grinned as Narcissa's mouth dropped. He then chuckled as Zelena giggled. "I think your information is destined to stay within the family, so to speak."

Despite the situation, Narcissa managed to rest and sleep that night. With Zelena sleeping in her own bed for the first time, that Bindy brought in for her. Before Narcissa could explain that Zelena slept with her, Bindy had the bed all set up, and Zelena wanted to sleep in her "pretty bed". It was still in the same room as Narcissa at least, which gave Narcissa peace of mind.

Feeling safe for the first time since her early childhood.

Over the coming days, Narcissa rested and took the potions that Andromeda gave her so she could heal her body. Nym and Remus practiced for their impending years as parents by taking care of Zelena so Narcissa could recuperate. Time passed quickly, and soon, Hogwarts was ending for the summer and the train was on it’s way back.

}TLCW{

Amelia finally sat down in her chair and rubbed at her temples. Resisting the urge to break out the fire whiskey so early in the day. And what a day it had been. It started with Moody's retirement; them working to make sure all of the paperwork was filed properly before he left with the necessary documents that assured him his pension would be paid on time and his Auror reserve paperwork, only to be called in if the situation met his specifications.

They sat to enjoy a leisure conversation after he announced his retirement in the bullpen. Said conversation was then interrupted when Nymphadora Tonks burst in and shouted she quit.

Shocked, didn't cover Amelia's reaction. Heartbroken, didn't cover Moody's reaction.

Auror Tonks wouldn't have quit so suddenly, there had to be something serious going on for her to quit. What they learned both from her memory, and what Tonks said as well, it would seem that her quitting was inevitable. Moody's last student and the most promising Auror that Amelia had seen in ages was forced into this position, and the treatment she endured was horrid.

She knew the girl had suffered abuse while here, she thought it was because of her natural abilities and people's bigotry. To learn such blatant criminal activity was going on in the DMLE was sickening.

As if that wasn't bad enough, she learned yet another boundary that Dumbledore had overstepped. It wasn't his job to push carriers; it was the professor's jobs to help students' study what they wanted and help them find a carrier that matched their skill set. Susan had written home how Dumbledore was already attempting to do the same with her and Neville. Even though Neville was a natural Herbologist.

Amelia had always known what she wanted to be, and despite Susan's assurances that she was looking into her options, Amelia knew that her niece wanted the same carrier as Amelia. At least for a little while. If she couldn't become an Auror, she wanted to become a lawyer. It was just a matter of using these years at Hogwarts to figure out which one she would prefer.

To have a career forced upon you, one that you didn't want, Amelia was furious with Dumbledore. Forcing a person to be an Auror was just as bad as forcing Amelia to accept candidates for the DMLE that had no business being there because of who they were related in the Ministry and/or Wizengamot. It was infuriating that the DMLE was being dragged down to this level. They could blame Amelia all they wanted, but she was the only thing that kept this department from falling into utter chaos.

Utilizing the situation, Amelia proceeded to tear Scrimgeour, who was after her position and made no secret of it, down to size. His attempts at blackmail and humiliating her failing completely as she wielded her weapons of truth, and evidence. Okay, perhaps she hadn't 100% truthful, but it wasn't like Moody wasn't going to admit that the later documents of Tonk's statements were slightly forged in the fact that Tonks hadn't been interviewed under Veritaserum, but unlike Dawlish, Amelia trusted that when Tonks said something, it was the truth. It helped that her memory backed everything that Tonks said.

When Dawlish was finally roused from the sleep, they had to put him under to treat him, Aurors were guarding him. Dawlish mistakenly had thought they were there to protect him from the bitch that attacked him. When Amelia herself came in, he demanded Tonks be arrested for attacking him.

Amelia surprised him by slapping magical suppression cuffs on him. He was shocked, and as expected, outraged. Then Amelia explained about Tonk's memory admitted as evidence, and her statement. Dawlish paled and paled the more Amelia said. She couldn't fire Aurors during a crisis unless she could prove in the Wizengamot that they committed a crime. She had more than enough evidence now.

He barely managed to say Scrimgeour, when Amelia shut him down saying that he was forced to back down when presented the evidence as well as the fact that Regent Black and Attorney Tonks were Tonks parents. They'd already been in contact and demanded that Dawlish be dealt with. Was there anything he wished to say on his behalf?

Amelia managed to have it all before the Wizengamot before they left for the evening. Dumbledore didn't even question it. He allowed Dawlish to be fired. Amelia didn't mention that Tonks had quit. She decided she'd confirm it when it was discovered and she was questioned about it.

The day ended with Moody's leaving the DMLE, Tonks quitting, and Dawlish being fired.

With those issues resolved, Amelia raised her head and looked over the information regarding their current priority case: The escape of Sirius Black.

She did her best to ignore the pain in her heart, and the engagement ring that was sitting in her jewelry box under a Notice Me Not charm on her bureau back at home. He was a mass murder, the betrayer of the Potters, the reason they were dead and Harry was an orphan.

It was a widely accepted fact that he escaped to go after the young Potter heir, to finish what his Master started. Dumbledore was the one who made the claim, Fudge and the Wizengamot merely echoed it. There was no doubt for everyone else, Dumbledore's word was golden, if he said it, then it was true. Even if there was nothing in the way of proof

Sirius Black was going after Harry. No if ands or buts about it.

But something about that line of thinking bothered her.

Why now? After all of these years, why now?

Black was in the unique position in the Potter's lives to have more information than any of the Wizarding World did. He would have known where the boy ended up. If that was the case, Black would have escaped Azkaban while he was in far better health and gone after the boy when he was but a babe in his crib. Far easier prey than a boy of nearly thirteen with two year’s worth of education under his belt. No contest to be sure, but there would still be a struggle. One that Ministry could detect and track.

No, that wasn't the angle. Amelia was sure of that. So why escape besides the obvious? And why only him?

He had Bellatrix Lestrange just one cell down, as Voldemort's strongest and most lethal supporter, she would have helped him immensely. They could have escaped together and go hunt down the remains of their former master. Either resurrecting him or continuing his work.

Yet, Bellatrix remained. Unusually silent these past few years, and being a pureblood, Amelia couldn't question the witch under Veritaserum. Getting information out of her proved fruitless.

So how did Black escape? Why didn't he take help if he was a Death Eater? Why wasn't he getting help from his fellow Death Eaters?

If Black was among the Death Eater ranks, and he escaped, he would be more valuable alive, as he would have more claim to the Black Estate than Andromeda. The Dark side could drain all of the wealth from Andromeda and the Goblins wouldn't assist the Wizengamot in finding out how.

Dumbledore even allowed the Dementors to leave the Island Azkaban and approved the kiss on sight order if captured.

Both Light and Dark sides wanted Black dealt with. Which never happened, unless one side knew something the other didn't. Usually, it was the Dark side wanting a threat to them taken care of, and the Light side unwittingly gave them what they wanted.

Yet Black was public enemy number one all the way around.

So many why's, how's, and more, but no answers that Amelia could find. No matter how long she sat on it, no matter how many decanters of fire whiskey she drank.

There wasn't even a note or a hint. Nothing that warned them of this, or his plans.

The last time they at least had him saying "He's at Hogwarts! He's at Hogwarts!"

"Wait . . . last time?" Amelia whispered as she followed that line of thought.

Her eyes went wide, she jumped to her feet only for her body to convulse as she fell to the floor. She laid there for several moments shaking uncontrollably as memories entered her mind.

She got the feeling, if she just stopped struggling and trying to analyze the influx of memories looking for an intruder, she wouldn't be in this position. But she wasn't built like that, so she fought.

Her first thought was a Legimens attack, but there wasn't another consciousness connected to her own. There wasn't another being flowing all of this into her mind from another place in the Ministry.

As the influx ended, she waited for commands from an invisible master and the feeling of euphoria one would expect from an Imperius curse. Her last theory as to what just happened.

Nothing. Just her, on the floor, and those two life time's worth of memories.

Realizing she wasn't being attacked, she got up carefully, very aware of the tenderness in her limbs and joints. She locked down her office for the second time that day. She would need the privacy for protection and to settle things in her turmoiled mind.

Sitting at her desk once more, all of the Black case was set aside as fresh parchment, ink, and a quill found their way into her grasp. She then wrote. Anything and everything she could think of. The two different lifetimes. The dark Forces in each. The future occurrences that were unavoidable.

She had no way of knowing in that moment in time that she wouldn't be the first to do so or the last.

After all of that was finished, she wrote about her memories from this life and everything it entailed.

Then, she began to analyze the differences between the two past lives, and the current one she was living.

She and Susan weren't the last of the Bones family anymore. She had a squib brother, and he had a daughter who was as much of a witch as her and Susan.

Amelia couldn't help but smile as tears threatened to fall with great happiness. She wasn't alone anymore, Susan wasn't alone anymore. They had more family.

Amelia's, Edgar's and Darren's parents wanted him to have the best chance at a decent life, as he was a squib, the magical world was very limited, even denied him in a lot of places. So Darren went to school in the muggle world, while Amelia and Edgar attended Hogwarts. Though Darren still insisted on learning everything about the magical world he could. He learned the most from their parents, with Amelia and Edgar adding to it when they could.

When Darren was finished with the mandatory schooling in his childhood, he decided his time and energy were better spent in the muggle world for work. With Magical Britain's work for squibs being non-existence/ pitiful, he stood a better chance at a worthwhile career in the muggle world. So with full family support and funding, Darren went to muggle university where he pursued a field called programming or was it coding? Or something else altogether? Whatever it was, he was very successful in his chosen field and in a span of a few years, he'd amassed the same amount of the wealth on his own that the Bones family had taken generations to amass.

He was picked up by a firm right out of university and worked there ever since. His work, and being such a valued employee, he was able to work from home, the office, or anywhere in the world, he wanted. Darren only had to show up for the mandatory meets. Darren joked it was the only job he knew of where he could get paid for working while at the beach sipping on a pint. The wealth was nice, but her brother enjoyed the fulfilling work and freedom his job allowed him.

Darren had done very well for himself over the years, and before their deaths, Amelia knew their parents were very proud of him. He was far better, and happier, working in the muggle world than he would in the Wizarding World. Magical Britain, especially the Purebloods, would never believe how well Darren was doing unless they saw it for themselves. Even then, there would be denial, and screaming that Darren's earnings should be taken from him and given to the Wizengamot.

Translation: a squib can’t be seen as being more successful than a Pureblood in any world, and the Dark Family’s wanted more money, they didn’t care if they had to steal it. Squibs had next to no rights, so it wouldn’t be stealing in their minds.

Something that filled Amelia with even more pride in her family.

The Bones family, unlike many other Pureblood families, didn't kick Darren out upon discovery he was a squib. Nor did they wipe his memory and deposit him in the muggle world to fare for his own. They kept him, they raised him. They let him experience both worlds and allowed him to choose for himself what he wanted. It wasn't a hard choice for Darren in the end, and their parents supported him, visited him, and celebrated his accomplishments with him. They were there for him when he fell and helped him rise again.

Amelia loved her brother very much. Tears ran down her face as the feelings and memories with this brother played through her mind and her heart. How they grew up together till she parted for Hogwarts, how he was always excited and happy during the summers they spent together. The visits they made as a family to the muggle world, then Amelia alone to see him when she missed him. It was very real, just as the other memories were real. So far, she much preferred this life. If she was to embrace one of the lives with open arms, it would be this one, with her baby brother, and second niece.

During the last war, their parents urged Darren to take that position in America when his company was opening up a branch there. As a child of the Bones family, a squib especially, he was a prime target for the Death Eaters. Everyone wanted Darren safe, just as he wanted them safe. Reluctantly, he went. One, it was a great job opportunity, and two, he realized his family was right. Darren couldn't really fight this war or protect himself against the magic the Death Eaters wielded, but his family could. If anything happened to them, it would up to Darren to keep the Bones family name alive.

Because Darren was going the muggle way and living as a muggle, there was no need to alert the MACUSA, except to tell them that he was there. Amelia's parents used a friend in the MACUSA to get the information on file and the status approved, but otherwise, no notice went out and no one in magical Britain was aware there was a squib son of the Bones family in America.

Darren lived in America relatively content, and didn't even have to come back to Britain for the business meetings, they were able to do all of that from America's headquarters. But in Darren's letters, he wrote how he missed home and his family. He returned when their parents were killed, to help with the funeral arrangements and grieve with the family. Then again when Edgar and his wife were killed. The glares from the other purebloods and free walking Death Eaters didn't go unnoticed and were largely ignored. After the war was over, he moved back home, and never looked back at America again.

Until recently that is.

During his time in America, Darren had a brief marriage to a pretty muggle woman. Amelia had attended the service and wished Darren all the best in the world. However, the woman turned out to be crazed and from a family that were religious fanatics, as Darren put it. The way he explained it; they were the kind of people that put witches to the stake to burn.

This was discovered after the honeymoon when Darren eventually told his wife the truth about his family, and the potential for any of their children to be born magical. His wife had a violent reaction and the MACUSA had to step in and obliviate his wife and her family members of the truth of magic before it got out of control. Darren promptly left her the next morning and filed for divorce. The wife fought the divorce in the beginning, as it was against her religious beliefs. However, after a few months, the divorce went through and was finalized rather quickly.

Darren argued that he had to leave for his own safety. Something Amelia didn't fault him for, even to this day. They wondered why his ex-wife was suddenly okay with the divorce, but they never asked, and they didn't find out until almost two years ago. His ex-wife had since claimed that she never told him or the lawyers about it because she was afraid that Darren would take her daughter and disappear as he had shortly after their marriage without an explanation.

When it all came to light, and he was notified about his daughter, Darren immediately left for America again. Upon finding out from the muggle authorities and the MACUSA that his daughter had been abused, Darren had been fighting for custody ever since.

There was no way to simply take the girl and obliviate everyone who knew of her. There were far too many people involved, and by the time Darren was notified about his daughter's existence, it had become a very public case. So they had to do things the muggle way for this one. It was a slow, painstaking process as the crazed muggles with their deadly religion were fighting to get the girl back.

Apparently, the muggle system in America allowed abusers to keep trying to get custody of their child until they eventually won. Claiming they were changed, and that they truly loved their child or children that were taken from them. There was more but Amelia would lose what little stomach contents she had if she kept with that line of thought.

Amelia was assured by the MACUSA that it was only, the cult as they coined the crazed muggles, trying to get the custody. The mother didn't really want her back. Given what they already knew about what happened to the girl, that's the part that worried them the most.

To keep the girl safe, and to be fair during the trial proceedings, the MACUSA currently had custody of the girl, and they admitted that they completely refused to give the girl over to the cult. Darren was the only legally parent the MACUSA recognized. Until it was all over, however, they had to keep her: so they wouldn’t be seen as playing favorites, even if that’s actually what they were doing; and so the cult wouldn’t gain temporary guardianship through the muggle system and disappear with the girl.

As a result, Darren spent most of his time over the last couple of years in America to be near his daughter. He wanted to get to know her and let her know that she had a father who loved her very much and give her all of the things he hadn't been able to before.

The MACUSA were closely monitoring the situation and helping wherever they could. Even though this was a muggle case, they were manipulating things from the shadows to make sure the muggles weren't granted back custody of the girl during the trial proceedings, but that was all they had been given clearance for. The muggle system and a few compulsion charms on the judges kept the case open and needing to be revisited after a period of time.

Today was supposed to be the day that the courts made the final decision in regards to Amelia’s other niece.

Up until Black's escape, which Amelia now realized was inevitable, she had been helping Darren as much as she possibly could with his case. Much to her surprise, then her deeper realization that it really wasn't a surprise, Fudge and the Wizengamot had been helping as well. She beseeched them almost two years ago to help the MACUSA with their case about her niece. Yes, it exposed her squib brother was still alive and well, when most believed he hadn't survived the war, but it was for the sake of her niece.

They had surprisingly, overlooked the squib brother for now, and focused all of their attention on the girl. It was several days before Amelia realized why that was. It was yet another daughter to the Ancient and Noble House of Bones. Amelia was already bombarded with marriage contracts begging for Susan in various ways. Many of them dark families as well as wealthy light families, a few from the gray faction surprised her, but she declined them all in the end. Another Bones daughter would see them all seeking betrothal contracts more eager than ever.

All of that, combined with the work on the Black case, is why Amelia was left alone today. It was also why Moody's retirement paperwork was filed without a complaint or a silent call to Fudge or Umbridge. All of the attention was focused on two things: News about the escaped Sirius Black, and the final results of the custody battle for her niece, Mallory Anne Bones. Or Mal, as the girl preferred to be called.

Still, the sheer amount of support and space Amelia was being awarded today, especially with the priority case, astounded her. She was grateful, as she was able to use this time to wrap her mind around everything.

She began to tap her foot in anticipation.

If Darren won, they were going to disappear within the MACUSA's custody for a time before bringing her niece to Magical Britain. The Wizengamot was so keen to get this result that they even offered the use of Minitrial funds if necessary, so the girl could be "returned" to them and her own kind.

Fanciful stories were flying through the media about her niece, and someone, she was pretty sure it was Skeeter had snapped the first picture of the girl after the news came to the Wizengamot that Mal existed and featured it on the front-page news of the Prophet. With long dark hair and bright eyes, the Prophet was calling her the prettiest witch of her age. Amelia wondered if they knew how true that was. Amelia had certainly never seen a more lovely girl.

The picture showed Mal answering a call from someone behind her, causing her to turn and hair to fall over her shoulder as she did. Smiling brightly at the camera before the image replayed the scene. Of course, when questioned, the two guardians revealed they didn't even know the Prophet was there, and Mal certainly didn't know she'd been photographed by the press. Still, Amelia had the original picture framed on her desk with the ones of Susan and other family, along with other pictures Darren managed to get during his time over in America.

By some miracle, they even had a few baby pictures that were simply adorable. Amelia had cried many times realizing her nieces could have grown up as sisters. Everything that was robbed from them because of other people was almost crushing Amelia's soul.

As much as she wanted to, Amelia couldn't break down now. She quickly burned everything she'd written since the influx of memories, then went back to work waiting as she patiently as she could to hear from her brother. A realization dawning on her as she did before the week was out, she'd have to speak with Fudge. Even if she had to commit treason, it was worth it to prevent that chaos happening a third time.

}TLCW{

Darren Bones, formerly known as Terry, woke up on the plane as the stewardess told the passengers that the flight was fixing to take off and to please fasten their seatbelts. He was heading back to America after a short trip in Britain for a meeting, and to double-check on a few things. He'd been up for almost three days straight at this point. There was a lot to do and very little time to see it all done.

As he stared out the window, all former exhaustion was forgotten. He remembered. He remembered everything.

He remembered marrying Lauren twice before this last time. He remembered being arrested shortly after each divorce.

He remembered being taunted with knowledge about his children by Lauren's family. Being sent pictures, and letters. To any other person, they were simple, homely letters written by a former family member who just wished to keep the convict updated. In reality, they were saying, we won, and this what we're doing to your children. They are going up hating you, you know?

In the first life, he received news that his son, Andrew, was dead. Not even three years later, he received notification that Mal had died as well. Darren had done the only thing he felt a father could do in his position, he'd committed suicide, hoping to reunite with his children.

But he didn't find himself in the embrace of his children.

He found himself in Purgatory, standing face to face with the big bad devil himself, Satan. Satan looked at him morosely, they sat for a long time, talking about their children. Satan helped him come to terms with happened before sending him back to mortal life.

Darren had turned to Satan confused, "Why?"

Satan shook his head. "No father could fault you. Especially after what you went through, were I in your shoes, and all of my children had been murdered by their mothers, I can't say I would have done anything differently, to be honest." He met Darren's eyes. "I will not punish you, this time. I generally give a pass on the first suicides depending on the circumstances behind them, as I’m sure you’re aware of cases where I will punish a suicide victim.”

Darren immediately thought about suicide bombers and all the people who killed themselves to escape justice.

"You're spared, but should you do that again, I will be forced to punish you." Satan assured Darren, then proceeded in a gentler tone. "Do try not to do it again."

So Darren was sent back. He lived the second life, the difference this time, there was no Andrew. He was divorced from Lauren as he was in the first, and he went to jail as he did the first. He got out and moved far away. He firmly believed that his daughter well and truly hated him and grew up to be just like her mother.

However, Mal got in contact with him. She'd been free of the cult for a little while and was working as a stripper to survive.

Darren wasn't sure how he died, wasn't sure what else happened in that life. All he knew, was the one minute he was going to answer Mal's email, and the next he was in Purgatory again. Standing before him this time, was an angel named Gabriel. He explained the situation with Mal, and how her previous guardian angel made him stop answering her and got him hooked on drugs so much that his mind began to melt. He couldn't remember who he was, much less that he had a daughter who needed her father.

Gabriel walked with him and assured his weary soul that Mal didn't hate him. She loved him dearly and would need her father in this next life.

Terry, no, he was Darren this time. It was so much easier to think of himself as Darren; as Terry Chance and Darren Bones were two entirely different people.

Darren Bones was a decent and wealthy man, just as Terry was supposed to be before he met Lauren and got entangled with her and the cult she belonged to.

Darren had risen above the cult, where Terry's life had been consumed and ruined by it.

Without angels working against him in this life, there was no smearing of his name, or getting him arrested. The cult could try, and they certainly did try, but they didn't have the power they had before, and they were seen as the villains that they were. Be it Divine intervention or the thorough work of the MACUSA, he couldn't say, but he still sent a silent prayer up as thanks.

Darren was heading back for the last court date. He was going to reclaim his daughter and they would be free of the cult once and for all. They were then going to quit America and go home to Britain.

That was another thing working in his favor this time around. He had help. More than just the angels working on his side. He had family, and they had magic. He was a part of the most Ancient and Noble House of Bones in magical Britain. His sister, Amelia, was the head of the DMLE, the magical equivalent to Britain's police force. They had resources there and in the MACUSA that Darren wouldn't have thought possible before.

Terry had been a loner and an orphan, and other than Lauren, there was no one to testify that he was a good person, or do anything on his behalf.

Darren had endless support, access to the money necessary to make sure that Mal was well provided for during the time he fought for custody. He also made sure he had funds on both sides of the coin. Anything magical she needed, he paid for. Anything muggle wise that she wanted or needed, he got for her.

When Lauren found out about this, she tried to play sweet and get back together with him. He dropped her like the dead weight she was and swore he would get their daughter away from her. Like she claimed in court she feared he would. That's when she really started to fight against him in this life.

It was in the middle of the flight that he opened his briefcase to get out his cellphone and his writing tablet when he saw a simple, thinly braided, pale gold braided men’s chain. It was a gift from his last girlfriend.

No, that was wrong. They'd been lovers.

She was married.

She was a married witch.

She was a married Pureblood witch!?

That wasn't like him at all. That was yet another difference between Terry and Darren. Terry never would have even considering sleeping with another woman after Lauren! Darren, while similar, felt sorry for the beautiful woman and wanted to help her find her means of escape when the timing was right. So he went out of his way to help this other woman, back before he knew about Mal. He knew about the situation in magical Britain, which is why he helped his lover, and why he intended to raise his daughter in muggle England and discuss the alternatives to Hogwarts over the summer with Amelia and his niece Susan.

When he learned of Mal, he immediately went to his lover and said he had to leave for America immediately to help her. His lover gave him the golden chain in thanks for his help, but she too felt it was time to end it before her husband found out and killed them both. She gave him a heartfelt smile, a sad kiss goodbye, and wished him well. Telling him to go save his daughter.

Looking at the chain in his hand now, his heart ached, and his throat developed a lump. He loved this woman, with every fiber of his being, he loved that woman. Still did, a great deal. None of it had diminished in the slightest, if anything, over the past two years, his love for her only grew. He held no illusions as to who she was, or their situation. He knew they could never be.

It was odd, Lauren had wanted to be the one woman to have all of him, then when things went sour, she wanted to break him completely so he couldn't/ wouldn't ever get over her. It was odd that, that despite all of Lauren's effort and what he felt for his ex-wife, it was Cissy. Cissy who had all of him, whose separation had broken his heart, and the one who he could never get over no matter how hard he tried. And she didn't even put any effort into it, she was simply herself, and loved him as he loved her.

Maybe it was the way she ended things with him, amicably, never asking for more, never once using him up then tossing him to the side. Honestly, he had no idea what the cause was, only that he woke up one morning and knew he was in love.

No, there would never be another woman like Narcissa Malfoy. And he was fine with that. While he would mourn the loss of her, miss her, he didn't have time to dwell on what was in his heart for her, and he knew she understood. He needed to focus on saving Mal before the cult got their wish and killed her again.

}TLCW{

Ragnok came out of his battle meditation, his enemy down on the floor. A contester to the throne, who attacked him in the throne room, was laying on the floor of the said room. Dismembered and disemboweled bleeding out. The battle meditation that Goblins mastered would not allow the Goblin to stop until the opponent was dead. It was for this reason that battle meditation was only used in the pit, or life or death situations. Such was what Ragnok had just endured. It was kill to keep his crown or die and the crown would go to the contester.

Obviously, Ragnok wasn't going to allow that.

As he returned to his rightful state of mind, he realized there were a series of memories that hadn't been there before. Sure, they were his own, but they hadn't been there before his battle meditation. It was, curious. Most curious.

He cleaned off, then went into his office alone. Sealing the door behind him. As he did this often when working on bank or kingdom business, he wasn't disturbed.

He pulled out his Goblin pensive, pulled up some parchment and quills, and got to work. Viewing each memory, noting down what he saw, observations, questions, and more. For hours he did this. After the viewing, he destroyed the copied memories, then sorted his various notes, and reread them all several times. Thinking over all of it as he went.

As he sat back, finished with it all, he knew when the time came, he would do the unthinkable, and pick a side in the war. He chose the side with the young Potter-Pendragon leading the way, not old men. Even if he had to kidnap the lad and create that side for himself this time around.

In the first life, they stayed out of the war, and things remained as they had been. With Goblin lives being given a low priority, and their way of life eventually being forgotten. In the second life, the Goblins were raised in standing for a time, after the execution of the Dark Lady Hermione and the death of Harry Potter, the Goblins were systematically slaughtered.

Ragnok couldn't fail his people a third time. For the sake of his people, they couldn't afford to not take Potter-Pendragon's side. It was evident that with either Dark Wizard, Riddle or Dumbledore, the Goblins weren't in for the best of the stakes.

With Riddle, they were doomed to die if that side won the war. As the purebloods who supported Riddle wanted anything but Purebloods dead.

With Dumbledore, they'd long since known if they agreed to anything with the old wizard in regards to the war, they would later face persecution for "killing upstanding citizens" and Dumbledore would deny any involvement with them. Dumbledore would attempt to gain Ragnok's alliance by playing on the worry Ragnok had for his people, and get him to join the fight. After the fact, Dumbledore would orchestrate that the Goblins be killed because they would prove to be "too violent" towards witches and wizards. If Ragnok denied him after first promising to help then get cold feet, Dumbledore would have them killed because they refused to aid the poor witches and wizards because of their hatred towards them.

Without specific contracts in place, Dumbledore was too much of an enemy to side with. Ragnok had always believed that.

There was also the situation with the inevitable Dark Lady Potter (nee Granger), he would leave that for the wizard to deal with. As it was his problem, his destiny, what have you.

Yes, he would side with the prophesized one, provided the boy answered all of Ragnok's questions honestly, and Ragnok liked what he heard. With the world resting on his shoulders, the young wizard couldn't answer with half-truths, empty promises, or excuses. No, he needed to be strong, honest, and have an unwavering support system.

Which Ragnok was more than willing to provide if the boy had no other support. They had so much to gain by supporting the boy, and he was willing to take the benefits of helping the boy as payment for their services.

He would take on the whole of the Wizarding community for the future that this boy could bring to them all. He had justification that the ICW would side with them.

With all of that decided, some things worried him.

They had a Goblin traitor in their midst, likely reporting whatever they could back to the wizard they spied for. Ragnok had no doubts as to who that wizard was, given there was only one wizard who seemed to know the workings of Gringotts almost as much as a Goblin raised within her walls did.

The questions being, just how much did that old fool know? Was it a whole clan that turned traitor, or just an individual? Most importantly how far was this traitor willing to go?

In this life, the contesters to the throne, even the assassination attempts, seemed double what they did in the two lives he just relived. And it was certainly no coincident that it paired around each time a certain wizard attempted to gain access to things he shouldn't or preceded a visit from said wizard.

Ragnok was not known for being stupid, he saw so many potential problems. So yes, he worried. He worried for his people, for their way of life, for their very lives given how wrong this could go. Not even the babes in their cribs would be spared. He worried for this boy, who had to accomplish so much and had little in the way of help. With several others keeping secrets or straight-up working against him with fuller decks than the boy possessed.

Ragnok closed his eyes as a single tear fell down his cheek. The only show of emotion he could allow himself, and even that was kept in private.

Most of all, he worried about his son, who was so far from home.