(A/N): I can't believe this hit 900 follows & 450 favs in just six chapters! I never thought it'd be half this popular, thanks everyone and keep those Reviews and Favorites coming! Anyway, for those who didn't see the updated author's note in the last chapter, Morgana in this story is supposed to look like Katie McGrath's portrayal of her in the BBC's "Merlin". Seemed a good fit.

Also, very sorry about the few month hiatus. While I was hospitalized for a chunk of August, really I just got distracted by and interested in other things. I started a short story post-DH about Harry having trouble readjusting to life after nearly entering the afterlife (please check it out, titled "Phantom Pains of Paradise"). Anyway, I'm back on this and my other side projects. Hogwarts starts next chapter, no delays!

(December 21st, 1988, Night of the Ritual)

"I'm ecstatic about not being chucked into a sacrificial fire and all but if I may be so bold, why would they go to all the trouble of establishing a Covenant with you? I don't see this family suddenly getting the urge to patch things up," Sirius observed.

Shocked as he had been to have a newly minted goddess appear before he and his unconscious uncle Cygnus, his extended stay in Azkaban quickly diminished his reaction just as it had done to everything else about him. He could barely stand to see his own reflection, dominated as it was by his now pale, sallow skin and haunted gaze. He'd saved himself from the total madness the Dementors inflicted, but he couldn't get him off his mind as a result.

Morgana twirled the glass of firewhiskey Sirius had poured for her as she pondered his question. "Your kin seek my power to protect themselves from their enemies. This much is obvious, no?"

"It just seems too grand a method for only that, there must be something more, a bigger play they're making. The Blacks have always had the best defended homes. I don't think I've heard of any of us being successfully attacked within our family homes, we've always let our paranoia convince us to use every defensive enchantment imaginable and then some," Sirius said in a dubious tone of voice. Number 12 was a prime example of that truth. His father Orion, had, if anything, gone off the deep end to ensure no one but himself or his heir could enter the home without issue, much to the chagrin of their family. Sirius doubted Voldemort himself could enter it without considerable effort, assuming he could locate the place. He wasn't keen on testing that theory, however.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to piece together what was going on. Amelia hadn't said much more about what the Black witches were doing besides the obvious - they were calling on divine assistance - before she ushered him to the attic of the cottage to hide until they were finished. Unless things had significantly changed while he was in prison,there were only a dozen confirmed true covens in the world. The only one he really knew anything specific about was the one in France which wielded considerable influence over wizarding France's politics and culture. Wait...

Just as he realized his family's plan, his head began to ache intensely. He found himself short of breath, nearly wheezing. Everything was going black...

He was standing in the road of Muggle London, grabbing the shirt of that goddamned man.

'Sirius, betraying James and Lily... how could you!'

'What the hell are you talking about, you rat!' Sirius yelled. 'I'd never, not for anythin-'

'Help me, please! He's trying to kill me!' the short man screamed at the top of his lungs.

Before Sirius understood what was happening, he found himself on the receiving end of a surprisingly powerful Exploding Curse. He managed to erect a decent Shield Charm around himself to escape the worst of it, but that left the surrounding Muggles completely helpless as they were consumed in the fiery blast that took out the entire street.

As the debris cleared, Sirius scoured the spot Peter had been. He waved his wand to move aside as much rubble as he could, desperately hoping Peter had honor enough to end his own life for what he'd done. The street had been blown to bits. Metal from broken cars and infrastructure had been thrown around, even some of the underground piping had become exposed. But much worse were the bits and pieces of people that had been blown off by the reckless spell. At least ten were dead, many more injured. It might have been worth it if…

All he could find was one finger. One lousy finger which had clearly been cut off intentionally. He'd escaped…

All around him he saw the result of what he thought had been cleverness. He'd lost his best friends because of it. Even innocent people had perished because of it. Because of him.

'What… what have I done…' he said quietly. 'It's all my fault, what the hell did I do?!' Sirius shouted, not having heard the sounds of Apparition behind him.

Suddenly, Sirius shook off the old nightmare and tried to catch his breath, having drawn his wand in his panic. He had to find Peter, he needed to kill him like it was the breath of life. Anything less and he had no doubt he would go mad like many Blacks before him.

"There was a time when men would pay the utmost attention to me, just hoping to curry a little favor, or even just a bit of titillation," Morgana said in amusement. "Much has indeed changed over the centuries if I can't hold your focus for five minutes."

Sirius - barely - managed not to snap at her, as he reassured himself that he was free of the Dementors. "Don't take it personally. I was trapped in my nightmares for so long. I'm… I don't... know how to do this anymore. Normal conversations, I mean. I can't stop thinking about that bastard, and how much time I've missed out on with my godson."

Morgana looked upon him pitiably. She didn't need to use Legilimency to see the man's mind was damaged. Maybe too much for any witch to heal, even if she was a healer without equal. She nearly slapped herself for forgetting the obvious.

She was no garden variety witch - not that she'd ever been that. She was a goddess now, and while that came with its own peculiar limitations she could at least act on this.

Morgana stood from her seat and walked over to Sirius. She placed her hands on both sides of his head, causing him to flinch at the contact.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked nervously.

"Fear not. I am a goddess of healing as much as I am one of dark magic. Some wounds take time to heal, even when magic is at play. Those of the mind are particularly prone to this," Morgana explained. As she invoked her Animentic magic upon his mind, her eyes flashed gold briefly. "But with my newfound status, I can at least stop the intrusions you're experiencing. The rest will be up to you and your delightfully devious family."

The best way Morgana could describe it is she halted the sporadic flow of his memories surrounding certain traumatic and awful events, preventing them from suddenly invading his conscious mind in a debilitating way. They were still there, they'd always be, given that they had lead to an obsession on Sirius's part. Obliviating the memories might work, but that could have many consequences that would make it worse in the long run, it was just too much time to wipe away from the mind. No, the healing would take a concerted effort of the part of the Blacks. He'd have to confront those memories, accept them on some level, or there was nothing anyone could do about it, divine or not.

As she finished her work, Sirius's eyes glazed over. He took a deep breath and the ever-present tension in his shoulders left as he fell into a deep sleep. Sirius seemed more peaceful, if only a little.

Morgana put her hands on her hips and grinned. "Am I good or what?"

All that greeted her was the snore of the other unconscious Black family member who had been left on the ground of the porch before her summoning. Cygnus, Sirius had called him.

"They could have at least sacrificed this one to me," she complained. "I've always wondered what that does for the gods. Maybe they just have a strange sense of humor." Shrugging, she decided New Avalon couldn't be put off anymore. Though she was only part-fairy (the only one, as a matter of fact), her kind had made her their queen in her mortal life. That title had passed onto the daughter she bore for Merlin, but she didn't know if she had any descendants who still held the mantle.

It was time to see home.

Hours later, Sirius slowly awoke in the bed of one of the guest rooms of the cottage his family had built on the Isle of Black. For the first time in years he'd awoken from the light of the rising sun after a restful sleep, as opposed to the intermittent naps and fitful nights that had become his norm.

Rubbing his eyes, Sirius groaned and stared at the ceiling. "And on with the day. Christ this is going to be awkward," he said, assuming his family had found him asleep outside the previous night and moved him to a bed.

"Hi Mister Uncle Sirius!" came an unfamiliar, excited voice from beside the bed.

The sight of his godson watching him from a chair propped up beside him caused Sirius to freeze up. He hadn't seen Harry since a week prior to Voldemort's attack on Potters's home. But even so, the boy's near identical appearance to his father was as fascinating as it was a sobering reminder of what had been lost and how much time he had missed. He did inherit Lily's striking green eyes, which objectively were better than the brown eyes James possessed. They were nice to see again.

"Did you fall back asleep?" Harry asked after Sirius didn't respond to him. He was a bit unnerved how the man hadn't stopped staring at him for twenty seconds straight with his scary eyes.

Sirius shook his head to regain focus. "Sorry about that. It's just… I haven't seen you since you were a baby. Rather surprising how big you've gotten. And I'm not your uncle, Harry."

"But you're older than me, you're not my brother and you're a boy in the same family. That's an uncle, isn't it?" he asked in confusion. He was pretty sure he didn't have any brothers.

Sirius chuckled and said, "That's not quite how it works. No, I'm… I'm your godfather."

If Sirius expected Harry would be angry with him he was sorely surprised. Instead, his eyes lit up like Christmas and his hair turned blonde as if to signal his excitement.

"Are you like Lady Morgana? Oh I can't believe we have a family god and goddess!" he said in excitement. Harry pointed at the Triskelion mark on his hand and said, "Are you going to give me one of these too?"

Upon seeing a Mark of the Chosen on his hand, Sirius was bewildered. As Amelia was the High Witch he didn't understand why Harry was given the ability to directly communicate with their family deity. Had something gone wrong? If so, Morgana hadn't bothered to mention it.

"That's - No, Harry I'm not a god." Not outside the sack, anyway. "A godfather is someone who becomes your new parent if your birth parents die." He grimaced at his own words.

Harry's excitement died down. He realized what Sirius was saying, and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. He was still upset his aunt Minnie had left him with the Dursleys, but she was trying so hard to make up for it that he would feel ungrateful if he voiced it.

"How come you were gone?" Harry asked quietly.

Sirius's jaw clenched as he explained, "I was trying to catch the man who betrayed your parents to Voldemort. But he… got the better of me, he tricked everyone into thinking I betrayed your parents, so they put me in prison."

"You mean Azkaban? Draco told me that's where the Dementoids are."

Sirius, for perhaps the first time ever, nearly laughed about Dementors, but he knew he needed to be serious for a little longer, uncharacteristic though it was for him.

"Yes, the Dementors are the dark creatures who guard of Azkaban. But I escaped after I saw the news that you got hurt, I couldn't waste away there when I heard about it."

Harry blushed in embarrassment at recalling how that story about him ended up in the Prophet. His aunts - Lyra and Minerva in particular - planned on getting back at them, somehow, for running that piece on him.

"Wait, if Dementors are so bad how did you get away?" he asked, briefly looking confused but fading with a realization. "You used some cool kind of magic, didn't you?"

Sirius smirked and asked, "Have you ever heard of an Animagus before?"

After likely regaling Harry for over an hour about his (mis)adventures with his father, and after hearing a strange barking from time to time, Lyra and a few of the coven's other witches felt apprehensive as Orion's named heir walked into the living room after directing Harry outside to play with the rest of the children. It wasn't long before Sirius was on the end of a succession of hugs and kisses. Andromeda didn't hold back with hers, leaving Sirius looking winded in Lyra's opinion. It was to be expected however. The two had been each other's favorite cousin.

"How did you sleep, Sirius?" Lyra asked in a worried tone. Azkaban had left him practically emaciated; his previously sleek black hair had prematurely dulled and the bags under his eyes were very noticeable. Cygnus had done a bit to help when he sheltered him after his widely publicized breakout, but it was a striking difference to the vibrant and handsome cousin she recalled in her school days, having gotten to spend much time with Sirius and James when her father took her to visit her aunt Dorea and uncle Charlus.

The corners of his mouth inched up slightly. "Better than in ages. Now does anyone want to tell me what this is all about? Not that I had any aspirations to leading this family, but humor me."

Narcissa and Minerva ended up taking that responsibility after breakfast plates had been made, as they had been involved in the affair longer than the rest. From discovering Harry's departure from Lily's family to Narcissa and Lucius planning where to go moving forward, Sirius was given all the information he asked for. When they had finished, Sirius exhaled at all the information. "So basically everything went to hell in a handbasket, so you all decided to make Britain your personal chess board with a secret Queen in play?" he asked in amusement. "Lily's relatives better watch their backs or I really will be a murderer."

Having referenced the elephant in the room, Lyra brought up the topic everyone else had been thinking over. "Sirius, what happened that night? It's impossible for me to believe you'd give up James and Lily to You-Know-Who but the Hit Wizards said you were confessing and everything."

"It was my fault, but not the way you think," Sirius began. He explained his secret plan to switch Secret-Keepers, leaving Peter to be the one who held the Potters' secret. Even if Voldemort had threatened to hurt Andromeda or Tonks, Sirius wouldn't be able to hand them over, no one would. Provided Peter stayed hidden and loyal to his friends.

By the end of the story, Andromeda wasn't the only one in tears around the table as both Minerva and Narcissa had tears glistening in their eyes.

"I knew it, I knew it," Andromeda whispered. Unable to resist, she walked briskly around the table to give her cousin another rib-cracking hug and a kiss atop his head.

"I think I should be suspicious my wife is kissing another bloke," came a voice from the back door. "Luckily he's far less good-looking than I."

Sirius's eyes lit up. "Ted! You smug arse, I wondered where you'd been," he said loudly. He got up and they engaged in their silly, complicated handshake which ended with Sirius being bent over as if he were Ted's dance partner, feigning being swooned by the man.

"Get a room you two," Lyra teased.

Ted winked and said, "Just showing Andy what she'd be missing. I'm the total package, Sirius is only in the eight-out-of-ten range, poor chap." The woman in question rolled her eyes at their antics.

Having collected herself, Minerva asked, "How are we going to fix this? If Pettigrew is still out there in his Animagus form, he'll be highly difficult to track down. Common garden rats are everywhere."

With the return to serious territory, Sirius said, "We can narrow it down. Peter is an opportunist, that much is clear to me now. He'll want to be somewhere just near enough to the action that he might be of use to Voldemort for information on Dumbledore's movements and allies, but just far enough away to remain undetected."

Minerva regarded him doubtfully. "That's rather vague. Something concrete is needed."

"He'd worm his way into or around the home of someone Dumbledore trusts. He's the main Voldemort has to fear, so Peter would want to place himself where he could gain information on his enemy."

"But the question is where? Albus has many friends all over Britain, much less elsewhere."

"Couldn't you just scry for him?" Ted suggested.

"If it were that easy don't you think the DMLE would've found me?" Sirius replied dryly. "Assuming we even had a proper Diviner on hand, Peter knows to cast Masking Spells to avoid being detected from a distance. Short of being a Seer, to scry you need a personal connection with your target - friends, family, personal value if it's an object - so I'd be the only one who could do it. And lemme say, there's a reason I dropped the subject fourth-year."

Ted sighed. "I always thought I was a dab hand at Divination. Dora never could figure out how I knew what she was up to." At Sirius's confused look Ted elaborated. "She impersonated Andy using her Metamorphmagus powers last year. Tried to convince me she should be allowed to go to a concert with some boy she met."

Amused, Sirius asked him to continue. "Well she was doing pretty well mimicking Andy, telling me what a good idea it was to let Dora go. But I couldn't shake the feeling the lad was bad news; three nose piercings really is the limit, let alone six. So I rigged together a passable psychomanteum to find Dora… He was getting very grabby very quickly when the image came into focus. I'd Apparated there to hex him but she'd already busted his lip. She got that arm from me you know," Ted said proudly, flexing his bicep in demonstration.

Sirius howled with laughter, while Minerva seemed torn between doing the same or chastising them for getting off track. The latter groaned a few moments later however, having realized the best solution to their issue.

"We'll have to ask Sybill for help then. Barmy as she is, she's the only Seer I know who… well, trusting Seers isn't a good idea in general, such terrible gossips. But Sybill will keep things on a need-to-know basis," Minerva said firmly. "She flaunts her Divination so much I wouldn't be surprised if she knows our plan going in."

"That shouldn't be a problem, as once we have Pettigrew...," Narcissa said gleefully. "Oh boy, Fudge will be livid. His testimony was crucial in having Sirius's court case skipped in the first place. Assured the Wizengamot Sirius had explicitly admitted guilt and everyone on the court was out for blood."

The group agreed and began formulating a more concrete plan of what to do once they discovered Pettigrew's hiding place. However, it would be up to Lucius, Amelia and Bartemius to lead the political battle to solidify their growing power. But as nine o'clock came and McGonagall had given Sirius and Ted the greenlight to see Sybill, the backdoor to the small house was pushed open quickly, followed by a familiar head of messy black hair. He had an upset expression on his face as he ran up to McGonagall and hugged her.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Minerva asked worriedly, rubbing his back to calm him down. As he calmed down, Narcissa's son walked in the same way he had.

"Draco said Mitchell and Gwen are dirty, and shouldn't come to Christmas party since they don't have magic."

"Your friends can come to the party Harry, you don't need to worry about that."

Draco withered under the looks his mother and McGonagall were giving him. "That's what Papa was saying," he defended, giving Harry a slight glare for telling on him.

Frowning, Narcissa said, "Oh he did, did he? I think your father will be sleeping on the couch until Christmas. Nargle infestations give grown-ups bad ideas, Draco. You wouldn't want me to catch them too, right?"

Her son nodded as if he understood, though his bewildered expression made it clear he just wanted to avoid more trouble. Narcissa knew she had a lot of work to do to undo the damage she and Lucius had done in raising their son to uphold the prejudices they were brought up in. But she knew she owed Andromeda that much, not to mention her son.

"Aunt Minnie, can I invite someone else to the party too?" Harry asked finally, evidently nervous. When she asked him who, he answered, "I want to invite Hermione. Her letter yesterday said her father had to cancel their holiday trip. I thought maybe she and her parents could come here instead. Said she'd never seen, um, what did she call it? 'Familial cultic practices', whatever those are.."

McGonagall looked questioningly at Lyra, whose home was where the party was being held at. "I don't see why not," she said while patting Harry's ever-wild hair. "Gilderoy usually invites one of his Muggle cousins over for holidays, it's quite alright."

Before agreeing, McGonagall asked Harry, "Did you perform your morning libation and prayer?"

The boy nodded his head quickly. "I asked her which she liked better. She said the honey is her favorite, but it just smelled weird to me. Do goddesses have broken noses?"

Ignoring Lyra's laughters, she continued, "And the prayer?"

"Does it count if I asked her to tell me her snake's name since I gave her honey? He won't let me call him Mister Scales."

McGonagall made a mental note to explain the purpose of prayer to Harry soon. "Never mind Harry. Miss Granger can come to the party."

Harry gleefully thanked his aunts and stuck his tongue out at Draco before running back outside to play. Draco bore a scowl that looked very much like his mother's as he followed Harry out back.

Andromeda laughed softly at the two boys. They reminded her a little of James and Sirius in their earlier school days. "You'll have your hands full with those two, Minerva. Morgana preserve us, let's hope it's not the classic Gryffindor vs. Slytherin."

"Harry's magic doesn't seem very Gryffindor-ish to me," McGonagall said, thinking over how Harry's magic manifested. "I think we might have another case like Nymphadora."

Lyra looked confused, but Andromeda seemed to be in agreement. "So, him being a Metamorphmagus gives him an inherent advantage in Human Transfiguration but his accidental magic usually skews towards another branch entirely?"

Lyra caught on, saying, "You're thinking he'll be a Hufflepuff? I've not seen him accidentally use any nature or earth-based spells."

McGonagall shook her head. "Neither have I. It could be any of the other houses. Being a Parselmouth might indicate Slytherin is where he'll be, but I haven't seen him conjure anything outside of elemental spells."

"Draco's a cert for Slytherin," Narcissa said proudly. "Can't tell you how often he gets upset when he doesn't get his way only for him to magic what he wanted into being."

"Anyone care for a wager?" Lyra chimed in. "Whoever guesses the wrong house Harry is sorted into will have to help clean up the rune slab after rituals for remainder of that year."

"With magic?" Narcissa asked warily.

"By hand. And let's just say Gil and I will be making frequent use of it," she said menacingly.

Andromeda enjoyed her younger sister's paling face a little too much and ended up just voting the way Lyra had. If Lyra was setting the terms of the bet, she figured she must have a clue about the result.

"... and so I told him if you get an -ology, you're a scientist," Sybill Trelawney said.

"Alright, we get it. Enough about your troubled nephew, are you ready to help us or not?" Sirius asked brusquely.

Ignoring or else blind to Sirius's impatience, Sybill said, "You're really asking me to use my prodigious prophetic abilities to scry… for a rat. A rather uncommon request, I must say."

McGonagall had informed Sirius and Ted about Trelawney's ability see a full minute into the future whenever she felt like it. Something she apparently used to annoy the daylights out of McGonagall frequently, made all the worse her habitual reminders of how great a Diviner she was and her alcoholic aroma. Now that they were visiting her small home, that aroma was all-encompassing; fortunately she didn't seem offended by the Bubble-Head Charms Sirius and Ted had cast.

"Not quite, we're looking for an Animagus who takes on the form of a -"

Suddenly Sybill looked at Sirius in shock, finally recognizing him; her hand twitched toward her wand before dropping to her lap. "You're lucky Minerva told me not to curse you. Now I see why she was so insistent about a discrete need my of services."

"Please. I was framed. The rat I'm looking for is Pettigrew. It's the only way I can clear my name." Sirius had gotten on his knees to grovel, fearing Trelawney would refuse to help now.

Sybill scoffed. "Oh off the ground, I was only spooked for a moment, you look like hell. I can see that I won't be annoyed at you in the near future so I might as well get on with it now."

She stood from her couch and led the two men to a room at the end of a small hallway, passed her bedroom and bathroom. The door at the end of the hall was rather ornate, made out of a dark, stained wood with carvings of disparate symbols. Suns, snakes and generic women adorned it in various patterns of some religious significance, though neither Ted nor Sirius paid it any mind.

The room behind the door was bereft of decoration as a psychomanteum ought to be. It's only contents were a plush chair facing a rectangular mirror that was suspended from the ceiling by a pair of ropes. Behind the mirror was an unlit candle atop a large candlestick. Before she closed the three of them in the room, Trelawney lit the candle behind the mirror with a simple charm by passing her hand in front of it. The three walked around the mirror and watched as Sybill sat upon the chair, facing the mirror. Despite the lit candle behind the mirror, once Sybill sat down the room was drowned in darkness once more; there was an ominous feel to the room now.

"Enchanted this mirror myself," she said proudly. "Not that you can see its beauty right now, but the best scrying mirrors are made by its intended user, not those cheap knock-offs Galloglass has been pumping out at the Alley." She seemed prepared to go into a tirade about the owner of the popular enchanted mirrors store but settled for a few brief insults. "Now, describe Pettigrew for me, personality as much as looks. The Eye can See but it helps to narrow its focus if time is of the essence." She closed her eyes and began to chant softly in another language. Sirius figured it was Greek given the imagery on the door.

"R-right," Sirius said nervously. He began thinking about his old friend about and wasn't surprised how angry he felt as he did so. "Peter was… a coward and a sycophant. A no-talent hack who wouldn't know honor if it bit him in the ars-"

Ted grasped Sirius's shoulder. "Mate, this isn't the time. If you want to catch the bastard we need to do this right. The longer he knows you're out of Azkaban the more likely he is to find another hidey-hole."

Not happy but no longer desiring to rant, Sirius started over. "Peter was complicated. Sometimes you'd wonder if the Sorting Hat was having a lark when it put him in Gryffindor, scared and whimpering as he often was. Other times he'd damn near jump in the fire to save a friend…"

Sirius trailed off momentarily, lost in his memories before Ted prodded him gently, so he continued. "He was always somewhat shorter than average, always made him feel self-conscious and looked down on in more ways than one. Didn't have much going for him looks-wise. After he became an Animagus, he did seem a bit more… rodent, outside the transformation. His buck teeth didn't go away till he Transfigured them, then there was -"

"I've got him," Sybill interrupted. Her eyes opened, revealing their bright green glow reflected in the mirror.

Said mirror clouded over with a green mist, which swirled around its surface like fog before quickly dissipating. The image was slightly blurred, though a it cleared when Trelawney muttered a Grecian incantation while pointing her wand at the hanging mirror. The mirror showed a tall house, if one could call it that. It was seemingly constructed by a mad architect, floors sitting atop the one below it at crooked angles and some were even lopsided, leaving the structure standing in defiance of physical law.

"He is at this house," Sybill said confidently. "Clearly he's cast some set of spells to obscure directly seeing him from afar, but that's almost pointless when dealing with a skilled Seer. Only the divine can truly block our Sight. Do you know this place?"

Sirius was about to frustratedly say he didn't when Ted spoke excitedly. "That's Arthur Weasley's home. Sirius, we've got him!"

"So, Mum. Did you stop by for any particular reason?" Arthur asked nervously. She had abruptly requested to Floo in just before noon and sent Percy to retrieve something from his room while the rest of his kids were playing in the snow outside. She did happily play with the children briefly, and even tolerated Molly, but she seemed intent on something or other in the house, as she would occasionally glance at the staircase.

Pouting in a way that did not befit her age, Cedrella Weasley said, "Can't a grandmother visit her grandkids on a whim? I did not realize I was so unwelcome. I suppose I'll just go home and waste away, alone…"

Crossing his arms, Arthur said, "Layin' it on a bit thick, aren't we?"

"Oh alright, Arthur. I did come for some urgent business. But I need to ask, you've still got an Anti-Disapparition Jinx warding the house and property, don't you?"

Nonplussed, Arthur said, "Yes, but why d'you ask?" The serious look on his mother's face left him feeling anxious.

"Because I've been informed of something rather disturbing today by a relative. I need to make sure they can't get away."

"Who?"

"You've got an Animagus hiding here, son. A criminal."

Arthur's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. As Arthur was sputtering "who"s and "why"s, Cedrella simply said, "Percival's rat."

Before Arthur could storm up to his son's room, Percy returned downstairs. Cedrella breathed a sigh of relief that her grandson had done exactly as she had instructed and brought the rat down within the glass jar she charmed to be unbreakable.

"Gran, I brought Scabbers. Why does he need to be in a jar?" Percy asked. He sat the jar on the dining room table, leaving the rat within scurrying around in confusion. Cedrella removed the top of the jar and Stunned the rodent, leaving it unconscious as she levitated it out and onto the floor.

Pulling the worried Percy close to her, Cedrella pointed her wand ahead and said, "I'm sorry Percy but that's no rat. Homorpho!"

For a brief, infinitesimal moment, Cedrella imagined nothing happening and how mad she would look to her family if it were actually a common garden rat. In reality, her Homorphus Spell began undoing the Animagus transformation. The rat's form bulged, twisted, shed fur and grew until there was an unconscious, dirty man upon the floor.

Arthur paled at seeing proof that they'd allowed some unknown to live on their property for five years, none the wiser to it being a man who could have hurt his family at his leisure. He watched as his mother, who bore a look of unrestrained contempt and loathing, proceeded to walk up to the man. When he saw her lift her leg up, he covered Percy's eyes just in time to stop the boy from seeing his grandmother break the man's nose with her foot. The sickening crunch was heard, however.

"This complete and utter… well, 'rat bastard' is too on the nose, isn't it?" she asked to herself. "I haven't thought up a strong enough word to describe this filth."

Percy was incredibly shocked. Shocked to see he'd been having a person faking being his pet, shocked to see his grandmother - who was usually as nice as could be, if a bit cutting in her remarks to his mother - be so cruel to the man on the floor. He was shocked that he wasn't as disturbed by the violence as he would have expected. He found himself more curious about what his grandmother would do to the man if left to her own devices.

"Gran, just who is that?" Percy asked curiously, hoping he wasn't in trouble.

"A murderer, Percy," she replied. Turning towards her son, Cedrella said, "Arthur, this is Peter Pettigrew. Yes, that one. Faked his death after betraying James and Lily. Call Amelia Bones, she's expecting your mirror call."

A few minutes after ringing her, Amelia came through the fireplace once Arthur opened his Floo connection to her. She brought two Aurors along with her. At her command, Dawlish and Gibson bound and arrested Pettigrew, and Flooed him back to the DMLE to be placed in a holding cell.

"Thank you for handling this quickly, Cedrella. I wasn't sure if Pettigrew had set up some sort of detection charms to warn of us coming," Amelia said apologetically. As if in cue, there was a startling screaming sound that caused everyone present to shiver in spite of themselves. "Yep, there goes a Caterwauling Charm."

"Think nothing of it. I took pleasu- well, um, it felt good to get a bit of work out of these old bones," Cedrella said embarrassedly to the younger witch.

Smiling, Amelia said, "Sirius turned himself in to me just a bit ago. It's a good thing Minerva sent Ted along with him, otherwise he'd have probably blasted his way in here and made a mess of things."

After sharing a laugh with her Head Witch, Cedrella asked, "Are we ready to begin?"

Amelia nodded. "I sent word to the rest of the court this morning that there would be a mandatory session in the afternoon. Once Sybill had verified the location, Crouch and I agreed we should strike while the iron's hot. It begins in two hours, we should head that soon."

Arthur had barely followed the conversation, confused by the sudden events. "Hang on, what's going on here? First Pettigrew is alive and you've caught Sirius Black, and now you're just going to leave without further explanation?"

Cedrella patted her son's head affectionately. "Don't trouble yourself about it dearie, I'll tell you about it later. Just be sure you get Percival a proper familiar this time, would you?"

After the two witches exited through the flames, Percy asked his father, "Can we visit granny more often?"

(Ministry of Magic, Courtroom Ten)

"All present and accounted for, Minister," Dolores Umbridge said in her typical simpering manner.

Amelia had to consciously suppress the urge to roll her eyes dramatically. How Fudge thought positioning Umbridge as his Senior Undersecretary was beyond her. However, the woman was quite correct. For the first time since March the entire Wizengamot was in session within the eerie, dark stone of Courtroom Ten, all seated in the two levels of benches looking down at the pair of men seated at the floor of the court - one was awake and nervous, the other unconscious and unaware. Both were shackled to their chairs by the enchanted chains built into them.

The forty court members of the so-called Lower House - those elected every seven years - were seated on the lower level and clothed in their puce robes and bore a silver "W" near their left breast. Amelia was unsurprised to see the occasional member glance ever so briefly - and nervously - in Lucius's direction among the Lower House. The man collected blackmail material like others did Chocolate Frog cards. She noticed Augusta, whose seat was beside Lucius's, smile anytime this occured. Those of the Upper House - members who occupy from high-ranking Ministry positions, usually appointed by the current Minister - were dressed in their dark blue robes on the row above the Lower House. Several of the older members who had persisted across different administrations insisted on wearing the traditional biretta on their heads. Amelia found them much to silly and swore to never wear onex Bartemius was of the same opinion as he continued to refrain from them. Only Dumbledore seemed capable of pulling the look off.

In the middle of the semi-circle of court members were three raised seats for the most important members of the court-the Minister himself, seated in the middle and with the Chief Warlock and DMLE head to his sides. Members of the press and the public had finished filing into the stands behind the the two men at the base floor of the courtroom. Amelia spotted a number of her coven sisters filling in with the crowd, all wearing their Triskelion necklaces; Verona Selwyn was chatting amiably with Cassiopeia Black - Harry's great-aunt - likely about their upcoming power grab. Augusta's mother, Callidora, looked as if she was barely interested in the proceedings, though Amelia knew her well enough to know she was very excited by their bid to restore religious observance to wizarding Britain. To ensure a lack of outside interruptions, one of the court members had cast a Screening Barrier Charm to keep out all external sounds while allowing those watching to still be able to hear them clearly.

After thanking Umbridge, Fudge nodded at Dumbledore to begin the proceedings, though he was quite obviously dreading the coming trial. The Chief Warlock pointed his wand at Pettigrew and muttered, "Rennervate." Moments later, the dumpy, wispy-haired man began to awaken groggily. He looked back and forth, initially not seeming to comprehend his location. However, once the chains of his chair tightened to prevent him from getting up, his eyes opened widely as he determined his circumstances and began looking back and forth wildly but unable to stand.

Dumbledore slightly enhanced the volume of his voice magically and began, "Murder trial of the 22nd of December, 1988, regarding offenses purportedly committed by Peter Pettigrew of-"

"It wasn't me - Sirius betrayed James and Lily to the You-Know-Who!" he screamed.

"-to be undertaken with an administration of Veritaserum as a precaution given the extraordinary circumstances, as made legal by this body some sixty years prior. If you would, Dawlish," Dumbledore said to the Auror, completely ignoring the interruption. He was giving Pettigrew a look of anger few had ever seen on his face.

Once the Auror in question had magically forced Pettigrew to consume the clear potion and Sirius had willingly taken it, he returned to guarding the entryway to the chamber. Several quick camera flashes from the members of the press occurred just then as a look of calm forced itself on both Sirius and Peter due to the potion.

Looking Pettigrew in the eye, Dumbledore said, "Interrogators, Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore, DMLE Head Madam Amelia Bones, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, and this assembled body. You are Peter Pettigrew, born December 13th of 1959, correct?"

"I am."

Dumbledore had several papers before him with the details of the case but he apparently had memorized them. "Peter Pettigrew, you stand accused of high treason of the Ministry by means of aiding the dark wizard and terrorist, Lord Voldemort." He paused to allow the expected wincing and muttered curses at speaking the name before continuing. "You are further implicated in the mass murder of a dozen Muggle bystanders when Sirius Black cornered you in London several hours later. After interviews of Sirius Black conducted this morning by myself and Madam Bones using an intense combination of Legilimency and Veritaserum, we concluded there was ample cause to bring this before the full court once your continued presence was made known to us."

Interrupting him, Fudge quickly asked, "This was all rather sudden, Dumbledore. Just how did you determine where Pettigrew was alive so quickly? You and Madam Bones claim to only have apprehended Black this very morning."

"We had Black make use of the services of a Seer once his story showed merit. She scryed Pettigrew's location so Madam Bones and her Aurors arrested him quickly," Dumbledore said cooly, causing Fudge's mouth to close tightly. It was an open secret that the DMLE would turn to Seers whenever they hit roadblocks in major cases. However, their efforts were rarely publicly acknowledged so that the Ministry would save face.

Turning his attention away from the Minister, Dumbledore asked, "How did you escape notice the intervening seven years since your faked death, Pettigrew?"

"I'm an Animagus, I learned how to become one while at school. I'd hidden myself as a pet rat in the home of a wizard family," he said it a flat tone.

Amelia was thankful Dumbledore skipped over the matter of whose home he had hidden in, as he pressed on, "What was your intent in doing so? Why not simply leave the country? You had hoodwinked everyone into believing you had been killed. No one was looking for you."

"I was afraid," he admitted. "Even if the Dark Lord had gone, his supporters were very much alive here and abroad. Some of them knew I had given him the Secret that lead to his body being destroyed by Harry Potter. And if he came back, I-I thought staying near wizards might give me useful information to present Him. I didn't want to die."

Fudge had apparently not finished yet and decided to try and turn things in his favor. "Black. You admitted to causing the deaths of the Potters in the early morning hours of November the 1st, 1981 correct? I distinctly heard you say this upon my arrival with the Hit Wizards."

In the same serene state as Pettigrew, Sirius answered, "I caused their deaths, yes. But that was because my idea to keep them safe backfired. I'd have never worked for Voldemort, I'd rather've died."

"Then why the hell were you screaming that it was your fault? Were you trying to mislead the investigators? A misplaced sense of guilt to save your remaining friend, perhaps?"

Seeing that the incensed Fudge was prioritizing his own hide as Lucius had predicted, Amelia interjected with her own magnified voice, "Pettigrew, what plan is Sirius referring to?"

"Sirius believed that making me James and Lily's Secret-Keeper would throw off the Dark Lord's forces. He thought they would go for him immediately without even considering me."

"And did you betray the Potters to Voldemort? Did you give him the Secret that allowed him access to their home beneath the Fidelius Charm they cast?"

"I did."

At that admission the camera flashes seemed endless; the barrier thankfully kept the sound outside from reaching their ears. Many of the court members were up in arms, hissing indistinct words at the drugged man before a banging sound came from Dumbledore's outstretched wand, quickly restoring order to Wizengamot.

"As for the matter of the murder of twelve Muggles soon afterwards, Pettigrew?" Dumbledore asked icily.

Fudge interjected, "It was clearly Black attacking in a fit of rage. Muggles who survived the curse report seeing Black be the aggressor in the confrontation. While admirable in a sense, this court cannot abide mass murder as a means of revenge."

"I killed them. Blew them up with a Blasting Curse after trying to frame Sirius for it," he admitted matter-of-factly. "I used the moment to escape as a rat before Sirius could capture me, and left a severed finger behind to implicate him."

Amelia was glad Fudge finally shut up at this statement. His assurances to the court after his capture of Sirius helped solidify his fledgling support after Bartemius's chances to become Minister were diminished.

"All in favor of charging Pettigrew guilty on all discussed counts?" Dumbledore asked while glaring at Pettigrew.

All hands raised simultaneously.

Dumbledore waved his wand to undo the potion's effect on the two wizards and waited briefly for them to come out of the trance-like state it left them in. "Peter Pettigrew, you are sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. May the gods have mercy on your soul, for none present have any to offer." Even Amelia was surprised, though perhaps not so much. Dumbledore had been particularly fond of the Potter family.

Augusta addressed the court, saying, "There's still the matter of what to do with Black. He did break out of Azkaban."

Thinking he'd gotten the opening he sought, Fudge gleefully said, "Yes, yes, Longbottom's right. Black may not be the murderer we believed but it's still illegal to break out of prison."

"And time wrongfully served will suffice as punishment," Crouch said abruptly.

"Ye-what?"

Crouch regarded Fudge with an air of disdain. "Minister Fudge, we surely don't wish to send the message that in our own lawbreaking we shall punish the victim? As the then-current head of the DMLE, I accept my responsibility in this for refusing Black a trial. Can you do the same?"

"I-of course", he said too quickly.

At that, Dumbledore called it to a vote with nearly everyone raising their hands at pardoning Sirius, to the renewed excitement of the audience. As the court prepared to end the session, however, Lucius Malfoy stood tall and got everyone's attention.

"There's another matter we ought to settle before we leave today." He looked at Fudge with cruel smirk. "After embarrassing the community with the Soviet Ministry, failing to find Harry Potter - again, making us a laughing stock to other nations- and the obviously self-interested adjudication on display today, it's become clear to myself and many other court members."

"What are you on about, Malfoy?" called out an unidentified member.

Instead of answering, he flicked his wand at the paper in his hand and cast a mass Doubling Charm, causing dozens of copies of the document to appear on the laps of the wizards present.

Made queasy by Lucius's expression, Fudge grab his copy and read it with haste. His eyes shot wide open when he reached the end. "A vote of no-confidence?You've gone mad, Malfoy!

"Have I? Not only have you reduced our prestige in the world, the goblins are getting vocal about you, leading to those rather nasty rumors."

"Who the bloody hell take The Quibbler seriously?" he seethed angrily.

"I suspect I speak for everyone that I enjoy unencumbered access to my bank vault. I ask the court, is this the image we wish to project to wizards worldwide? A childish man who speaks without thinking and is more interested in protecting his own prospects than that of Britain and Ireland?"

Many heads nodded in response and there was a great amount of whispers between various members and the press members still in attendance were snapping photos repeatedly, leaving Amelia with the desire to cast a charm to obscure them. However, numerous wizards began to raise their wands, signalling their agreement with Lucius's proposition. A signalling Amelia joined in, leading to a look a betrayal from the Minister.

Forty-five members of the court had their wands raised. Fudge stormed out of the courtroom shamefacedly. It was a rare thing for a Minister for Magic to get the sack and Fudge knew it. His ugly expression was captured on camera for posterity.

Dumbledore had voted for Fudge's removal, though he was highly suspicious of the seemingly coordinated nature of the proceedings that led to it, but he couldn't see the connection between the members. Amelia, Bartemius, Lucius, Augusta; nothing came to mind. He glanced around the chamber briefly and noticed a few audience members that got his mind turning.

"I suppose you'll be nominating yourself as Cornelius's successor, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked warily.

"Quite the contrary. There are a number of worthy candidates whom I would pale in comparison to, not the least of which is you. But there's one who is everything we need from our Minister. A good reputation here and abroad, high public support and a strong record in the Wizengamot. I nominate Crouch to take Fudge's place."

That drew a number of eyes. Amelia was sure that even the members being blackmailed into compliance assumed Lucius was attempting to take the seat of power himself. But Crouch and Malfoy didn't have any particularly good history with each other. Many recalled that Crouch had been adamantly for throwing Lucius into Azkaban without a proper trial before it came to light that the man had been bewitched. But none could deny the quality of the candidate.

"I second Lucius's nomination," said Richard Greengrass. "Bartemius is the man of the hour."

Members of the Wizards National Party attempted to suggest their own candidates, but none of them gained more than about ten supporting members.

"All in favor of Bartemius's nomination?" the Chief Warlock finally asked.

With a 42-to-15 for and against confirmed, Crouch stood and said, "I will endeavor to do this office justice. The times ahead will be tough but with a firm hand we can become the beacon we should have been. I accept this court's decision."

Ignoring the excitement of those watching, the members of the Black coven quickly left the courtroom to convene outside.

"That went even smoother than I expected," Lucius said, looking rather pleased with himself.

Amelia nodded. "We're lucky. The WNP couldn't have thought Picknesse would garner enough support to defeat Barty."

"They were desperate," Crouch said. "Thus far we have managed to keep our backroom planning from being discovered. As I will be in the spotlight, that should allow us to continue this way a little longer as the attention is off anyone else."

"Albus is onto us," Augusta said seriously. "I kept an eye on him the whole time. His gaze swept from us to our sisters in attendance."

Lucius seemed annoyed at this news. "I'd hoped to keep out of the loop until we'd unveiled ourselves. Too much to hope for, clearly."

"Indeed it was, Lucius," came an unexpected voice. A figure that had been invisible faded into visibility: Dumbledore was looking at the four of them with a cautious expression. "Considering how long the you must have been planning this I'm surprised you'd be so careless as to meet in this hallway. Your exit did tip me off."

"What is it you want, Albus?" Crouch asked bluntly.

"I simply wished to know what was going on," he replied, eyes twinkling. "I know that the Black family is related to nearly every other family. But so many of you who aren't so distantly related, all appearing at today's session? I have an idea about what you're planning on doing but humor me."

"If you already know do we need to say it?"

Ignoring the question, he became deadly serious. "Consider the consequences of unleashing a new, unpredictable deity on the world; the Black Death comes to mind. Even Perenelle and Nicholas have had their fair share of trouble with the commands Aphrodite has given them on occasion."

Looking at him sternly, Augusta said, "We are not children you need talk down to. Brilliant as you may be, you aren't the only wizard with a bit of knowledge of history. We chose our idol well."

"You've already performed the deification ritual?" he said in shock. As he recovered from it, he began to emit a tangible pressure on the four of them, a nearly visible aura of power seemed to exude from the man's body. Amelia felt as if the air had become very thin and drew her wand, thinking Dumbledore was going to attack them in broad daylight. "A word of warning then. Should your number seek to use your power Irresponsibly or for ill, know that I will do everything in my power to bring you to your knees. Covens have been broken up and destroyed before. Remember that."

As the elder wizard walked off, the four looked at each other nervously. He really was the last person they needed to find out about their scheming.

(Christmas 1988, Lockhart Residence, Winding Hollow)

"Daddy, come on!" Hermione said anxiously as she and her mother quickly made their way up the steps of the Georgian house at the end of the otherwise Muggle area. "Harry's expecting any us minute now."

Daniel Granger had the unfortunate job of carrying the stack of wrapped books and other oddly shaped packages his daughter had gotten the boy for a Christmas present. He knew this Harry had saved his daughter's life, but absconding with her in the process led to the longest, most frightening hour of his life. But bad mouthing him would probably result in him being in the doghouse with both his wife and daughter so he didn't say anything about it.

Huffing a bit in the bitter December air, he said, "Just a moment, these are heavy. What books did you get him?"

Delighted to discuss books as she always was, Hermione said, "Oh he'll like them for sure. He was telling me he didn't know anything about the gods his family worshiped, so I asked Mum to purchase the classics. You know, the Odyssey and Hesiod's Theogony."

"Anything from this century?" he asked hopefully.

"Dan, don't worry. Hermione and he have been sending owls back and forth every other day since they met," Emma said. "She and I picked some fun games as well. Besides, she asked for the nicest thing."

When Dan asked what it was, Hermione pulled a heart shaped pendant from her neck. It was the sort that split down the middle to be shared with a friend.

"Um, you're a bit young for that," he said.

"It's just a friendship pendant, honestly Dan. It's cute."

As the trio reached the front door, they noticed the light fixture outside the house was in the shape of a figure with three connected bodies and holding two torches. Daniel was pretty sure that was Hecate's usual depiction.

Daniel looked a little uncomfortable at the sight. "They really are pagans. If I see any blood altars or magical gateways to the underworld, we're not staying."

Emma chuckled a bit but made a mental note to keep an eye out for them; who knew what religious wizards were into. She rang the doorbell and several seconds later a good looking younger woman with jet black hair answered the door.

"Oh you'll be the Grangers, yes? Harry has been talking about your daughter here for days."

Hermione smiled and asked, "Is Harry here yet?"

The woman smiled and said, "He's inside playing with his cousins. Do come in, we've been interested to see Harry's little friend here."

As the Grangers entered and hung some of their winter clothing on an empty coat rack, Emma said, "You've a lovely home, Miss…?"

"Lockhart. Lyra Lockhart."

Hermione's eyes grew wide in excitement. "Are you related to Gilderoy Lockhart, the adventurer?"

"So young and already a fan of my husband?" Lyra said in amusement. "Oh he'll love to know how well he's doing with the youth demographic."

"Did he really defeat five trolls single handedly to save a small Muggle town?"

"It was three trolls, but his publisher likes to encourage Gil to embellish things to sound more impressive." She sighed tiredly. "It's going to his head, I can see it clearly."

As Lyra led them into the large dining room, the Grangers were impressed by the lengthy table, not to mention the magically expanded room that allowed for it. Seated were dozens of witches and wizards of various sorts, either chatting with each other or else looking at them curiously.

"Hermione!" someone called out.

A small, bespectacled boy with messy black hair was making a beeline for Hermione, looking just as excited as their daughter.

"Harry!" she quickly gave him a hug in, leaving the both of them a bit embarrassed as a numbers of adults chuckled in response. Despite his reservations, even Dan had to join in.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione!" he said happily.

"Thanks for the invitation. I've never been to a wizarding home before." Hermione had been looking everywhere, hoping to see something obviously magical in the home. But aside from the magically enlarged room, nothing looked very magical. "Will your family goddess be here?"

That stopped Harry in his tracks. "I'm not sure. Let's try it out!" He brought his left hand up to his face, letting Hermione see the odd tattoo on the back of his hand. "Lady Morgana, are you there?"

Next chapter: A Black Christmas

(A/N): Whew, finally. Again, super sorry about the unnecessary delay. Next chapter will be released in a week or two. It's only going to be a short chapter detailing the Christmas party and the Blacks making contact with a foreign coven that has been mentioned a couple of times. Hogwarts will properly begin the chapter after that one, chapter 9.

I think I've made Hermione into a bit more of a child prodigy than she was in canon. Oh well, it wasn't that bad was it?

Tell me what you think!