The Templar

Chapter 1

As Sirius Black fell through the veil, four other people grabbed onto him, being dragged with him. Harry Potter was the first to grab on, the one who loved Sirius the most, and the one who could not lose the only family he had left. Hermione Granger grabbed onto Harry and Sirius. She loved the two of them, and saw them as her family after her parents had ostracized her for being a witch, as her grandparents had done to her uncle. Remus Lupin grabbed onto Hermione, his niece, and Sirius, his brother in all but blood. He could not lose them. Professor Sirena Snape grabbed onto Harry, the son of her childhood friend Lily Evans, and her childhood crush James Potter, though she would not admit to the later if her life depended on it. She also grabbed Sirius, because she'd been growing to like him, when they'd spoken during his confinement in Number 12. Rather than making it out, though, the veil sucked them all in, and they fell, eventually landing in a grassy area surrounded by trees.

"Ow! Hermione!" Harry growled as his best friend landed directly on top of him.

"Sorry Harry. Ouch! Uncle Remus!" She exclaimed, wincing as she assessed the damage.

"Sorry Hermione. That hurt, Sirena." He said calmly.

"My apologies, Remus." Sirena said silkily.

"Oi! I'm stuck under all of you!" Sirius bellowed. "And let me tell you, I don't like it!" Everyone sheepishly removed themselves from each other, standing up, and noticed they had changed slightly. Their wands had grown into full length staffs with designs and runes up and down the length. Their clothes had taken on a more medieval look, and they looked as if they had veela blood, but not completely. A man appeared in front of them.

"Greetings. I am one of the beings referred to here as the Valar. You have all been judged with hearts that are pure, and so we grant you a chance for a new life, here on Middle Earth." He looked at Sirius. "Your soul has had the dark taint from your years of torment removed. You will remember those years, but without the pain and haunted demeanor you had before."

"Thank you." Sirius said gratefully. The Valar turned to Sirena.

"Magic tainted you, so we removed the mark conducting it..."

"Thank you!" Sirena gasped gratefully.

"You will not survive here without a husband or brother though, so you must choose." The Valar continued. Sirena froze and looked at Harry, Sirius, and Remus.

Sirius stepped forward. "Sirena, I know we haven't gotten along very well in the past, but during my confinement in Number 12, I've started to like you a lot, and I think I might be in love with you. If you're willing, I would like to marry you."

Slowly a soft smile spread across Sirena's face, and she stepped closer to Sirius. "I believe I may be in love with you too."

The Valar nodded. "So be it. I pronounce you two married." Sirena and Sirius exchanged glances. Well that was romantic. Harry thought. The Valar turned next to Remus. "You have no family but your niece here, so you will say that Sirius is your half-brother, so you are no longer alone. And for your curse, we were not able to remove it entirely, but we have altered it. It will no longer be a curse to you, for you shall be able to take the form of a wolf whenever you wish, and you shall retain your human mind in doing so."

"Thank you so much!" Remus almost wept at no longer being burdened by his curse.

The Valar turned to Hermione. "Your parents have rejected you for your powers. My child, you luckily found a new family in your old home, and so if you chose to go into the world, a safe story for you is that your family was killed by orcs -terrible servants of the dark forces here- when you were young. You were sent to Sirius and Sirena, because your uncle could not care for a young child. When you grew older, you lived with your Uncle Remus, and see Sirius and his family often."

Hermione smiled softly at her new family. The Valar turned at last to Harry, the final one in the group. "You, most of all, were a difficult case. There was a piece of a soul, latching onto your own, leeching both magic and vitality from you. It had been removed." Harry had gone white at the mention of a soul fragment, but managed to stammer out a thank you. "You were orphaned at an early age, and should have been taken in by Sirius. Your story in this world was that after your abusive guardians were discovered, you were taken in by Sirius, a close friend to your father, as you had no other relatives. When he married Sirena, he brought you with him into his home." Harry hugged Sirius tightly.

"That's what would have happened in our home anyways, Pup, if not for my chasing Peter down. Never doubt that." Sirius held Harry tight.

"All of you are a new race, the Templar. Your magic is allowed more free reign over your bodies, giving you the immortality of the elves, the purity of the hobbits, the appearance of men, the durability of the dwarves, the magic of the Istari, and the skills of them all will be available to you, although each of you will have an affinity for certain skills. Your staffs will appear when you need them to, and you will each have a partner in life. You will take on their life span once you find them. You, Sirius and Sirena, are partners. The rest of you have yet to recognize yours." He paused. "The elves in this land pray to my brethren and me, worshiping us. We do not expect you to do the same. You may establish yourselves in a nearby town or..." He was cut off as someone fell right next to him with a staff.

"Siri!" Bellatrix Lestrange shrieked. She launched herself into his arms. "Quick, we have to go! I don't know how you got away from your mother, but it's made it impossible for any other Black to get away. I managed to but we have to hurry. My mother wants to make me marry Rudolphus and join Voldemort, and I can't refuse, but I'm only seventeen!" She gasped crying. Harry looked on confusedly.

"Ahhhhh... I felt what my brethren did as she entered. She is pure of heart, but had magic influencing her mind, making her crazy. She remembers nothing of those years. In a day or so, I will have her memories for her to remember those years, but detachedly. We are still removing the taint. Back to what I was saying. Your second option is to build a city, for there will be more arriving here. How many, we cannot tell, but there will be more." The Valar finished. Except for the confused Bella, the others were not conflicted.

"We would like to build a city here, to make it a center of magic and healing." Remus spoke for them all.

"Very well. Here is a place just off of the road to several cities. It is the year 38 of the Third Age, and it is peaceful now, but there will be a time in ages to come when evil will rise again. Build your city here. We will be in touch." The Valar disappeared, as a few small buildings appeared. Seven buildings, four homes, two storage, and one that looked suspiciously like an infirmary. Harry immediately disliked it. Sirius helped Bellatrix into one of the homes. Sirena headed for another. Remus took a third.

Hermione hesitated. "Harry?"

He smiled at her. "Go with your uncle, Mione. It's fine."

She smiled back at him and disappeared into the small, old fashioned house. He took the final one and looked around. It was bare, with a few rooms, but had a pile of sticks and a parchment. Harry picked it up.

These sticks are enchanted. You may transfigure them, and they will hold their shape until you transfigure them again. ~Good luck.

Harry wondered about his staff, and it appeared in his hand. He blinked, surprised. No longer fully holly, his staff was also mahogany and elder, with a snake coiling up the side to meet with a head of a lion. He shrugged, and picked up one of the sticks, placing it where he wanted the bed, and willed his magic to transfigure it. It took the shape of a four poster bed, and he smiled, satisfied with the result. He continued to furnish his house, creating a house that was one hundred percent his, which he'd never been allowed to do before. When he was younger, he had dreamed of having his own space, but he'd never really had the chance. Now he had the chance of a lifetime, a chance to start over with no history, and no past. He looked around his house. Most people would have thought his home would be the Gryffindor style his parents had preferred, but his home was a mix of his hidden Slytherin tendencies, as well as his lion side. When he was done, he felt almost content. He was finally free to be himself, away from the manipulations of some of those he called his friends. He felt like there was something, someone missing, but for the most part, he felt content. His home had a kitchen he could cook in for pleasure, not because of the Dursleys, and a room for him to practice his magic in, as well as a potions room. Maybe he would get better and like potions at some point. He left the house to find Hermione standing on his doorstep, her staff in hand.

Her other hand was on her hip. "Well, are we going exploring, or what?"

Harry grinned at his best friend, and she smiled back. There may not be any romantic spark between them, but the two of them were closer even than Moony and Padfoot. They were family.