Harry Potter and the Warlock's Coven

January 12, 1996
11:03 PM
Grimmauld Place, London

Two women walked quietly down the dark London street. Looking at them, you would never guess that they were related, let alone mother and daughter. The woman on the left was tall, almost six feet. She was dark-haired, with deep blue eyes and a very patrician carriage and was wrapped in a cloak of dark royal blue with a black fur collar. It would be difficult to guess her age, but looking at her, anyone would recognize that she was a mature woman, somewhere between her late 30's and early 50's.

The woman to her right, on the other hand, was a very different matter. Much shorter, perhaps 5 foot 4 inches, and a good bit younger, she looked to be somewhere in her early twenties. She had bright purple hair, electric pink eyes, and seemingly boundless energy. She didn't walk so much as bounced in a forward-moving manner. The best description of her clothes would be tatterdemalion. Tie-dyed jeans, a bright blue tee shirt emblazoned with the name of a band, black leather boots, and a coat that looked as if it was as much patches as fabric.

Walking silently along the street, the women passed a number of shabby houses. While these houses had, apparently, once been rather stately townhomes, both the houses and the neighborhood had clearly gone to seed. Some of the houses were empty, some appeared to have been broken up into apartments, as there were scattered lights in various windows. Clattering noises and rather unappealing smells permeated the area crowning the overall impression of decay.

Continuing past these houses to the end of the street, the two women stopped at a pair of gates set in a high wooden fence. Beyond the fence was what appeared to be an industrial area. Large sections of flat pavement were interspersed with peeling and decaying warehouses. Patches of grass growing between cracks in the pavement, and peeling paint on the sides of the buildings, showed that it had been many years since this area had been in use.

The older woman looked around, wrinkled her nose, and turned to her daughter. In a low but rich voice, she said, "Nymphadora, are you certain this is where your cousin said to bring me?"

The younger woman winced at her given name, but clearly saw no point in making an issue of it with her mother. Obviously, she had lost that argument too often in the past. She simply nodded and said, "This is it, Mum. He said, down to the end of the street and wait by the gates. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine."

A rattling noise from the gate made both women jump slightly. The younger pulled what appeared to be a wand from her coat pocket, and stepped in front of her mother. Looking around her, she finally found the source of the noise. A large black dog had squeezed its way out through the gates, and was now sitting on its haunches looking up at them. As the dog made an odd wuffling noise, the younger woman dropped her hand onto his head, and ruffled his ears.

"Wotcher, Padfoot. So, finally decided to join us?"

Padfoot looked up at her, and yipped several times, a strange sound coming from such a large dog. Nymphadora's brow wrinkled in thought, and then her face cleared in apparent understanding. She muttered a couple of indecipherable phrases under her breath and made a few quick motions with her wand, which left tracks of green and yellow sparks in the air. Staring at the patterns for a moment, she then turned and looked back down at the dog.

"All clear, Siri. No one else on the street, no traces of magic beyond the normal background noise for London."

The dog shifted slightly, and then suddenly there was a man standing where the dog had been an instant before. He was tall, thin, with grey eyes and long black hair. He was not dressed for the cold January night, wearing only a dark shirt and trousers. He looked at Nymphadora and smiled, a slight twinkle in his eyes. "Hello, cuz, thanks for bringing your mum 'round. I hate to greet and rush, but would you mind heading straight back to Hogwarts?"

Nymphadora pouted. "Hmph! So that's all I am tonight? Cab and guide service?"

Sirius grinned and swept her into his arms. "Now, Tonksie, no need to be like that. You know I'm always delighted to see you." He let her go and stepped back, his face falling into a more solemn expression. "I know I haven't told you as much as you'd like, but I'm asking you to trust that I have my reasons. I'm sure you have a good idea why I want you back at the castle, though."

Nymphadora grinned back, her mood changing as swiftly as her cousin's. "I've got a good guess, Siri, and I'll do my best to keep an eye on him for you. With that… woman," she made a face like tasting something rotten, "there, I don't blame you for worrying. He and his friends got in safely earlier today, but I'll pop in and check up on them before I head back home. Mum, I'll see you later." She waved to them both, and then disappeared with a small pop.

Sirius then turned his attention to Nymphadora's mother. "Hullo Andy, it's been a while."

Andromeda Tonks looked at Sirius expressionlessly for a moment, and then a slight smile quirked around the corners of her mouth. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Siri, you little rogue, what on Earth are you doing dragging me out here at this time of night? And why here? Wouldn't up the road have been a bit more sensible?"

Sirius just grinned at her. "All shall be revealed, my most favourite cousin!"

Andromeda snorted. "Favourite cousin! Considering my two darling sisters, that doesn't exactly enthrall me. It's not like my competition is anything to speak of!"

Sirius' grin fell away. "Unfortunately, they are one of several topics we need to speak of, none of them the most pleasant of choices for conversation. However, first things first." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. Handing it to Andromeda, he said, "If you'll read this, I'll see about getting you those explanations you deserve."

Andromeda looked down at the parchment in her hand. In her cousin's typical scrawl, it read: Black Manor can be found at Number One, Grimmauld Place, London.

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Looking up from the parchment, she could see that the area behind Sirius had completely transformed. Where the wooden fence and gate had been, an intricate and beautiful work of wrought-iron stood in its place. Through the iron gate, she could see a torch-lined drive wending its way through immaculate lawns. At the top of the drive, a brightly-lit Georgian mansion stood.

She started to speak, only to have Sirius press a finger to her lips. Opening the gate, he motioned for her to precede him. As she passed, he turned and followed, closing the gate. Once they were both through, he took her arm in his and led her up the drive. When they reached the top of the drive, he led her underneath the porte-cochere, and up to the front door. Opening the door, he gestured grandly for her to enter. "Welcome, my dear cousin, to Black Manor."

Andromeda entered, followed closely by Sirius. As he closed and locked the door, she looked around her. She was standing in a grand entry hall, with mahogany-paneled walls and marble flooring. Lit by a grand chandelier, she could see a staircase on the far wall across from her. It rose halfway up the back wall, splitting into two wings, left and right, leading to the house's upper levels. The decorations in the hall were elegant but understated, showing that taste rather than expense had ruled in the decoration. Where Number Twelve was shadowy and oppressive, Number One was austere, but with a hint of warmth.

She turned to Sirius and asked, "Where are we?"

He just smiled at her and said, "I already told you, Black Manor."

"But I thought Black Manor was at…"

"Number Twelve, currently being used as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix?"

Andromeda just nodded. She was well aware of the Order, as she and her husband Ted had been members both during Voldemort's first rising, and now at the beginning of his second. Their daughter Nymphadora had been only 7 at the end of the first war, but had been recruited by Albus Dumbledore when he revived the Order the previous summer. She stopped her musings and turned her attention back to her cousin.

"Come now, Andy, you know how little love there was between my grandfather Arcturus and the woman that bore me." Even now, years after her death, Sirius disliked any references to his mother. Some wounds ran deep. "You don't really think the two of them could possibly have lived in the same house, do you? Number Twelve is the Dower House, where my parents lived after their marriage. This was my grandfather's house, left to me along with his other possessions."

Andromeda was now thoroughly confused. "But I thought your mother had disinherited you? I've seen the family tapestry, with both of our names burned off of it."

Sirius laughed. "No, what you've seen is an exercise in my mother's delusions of grandeur. Come with me."

He led Andromeda off to the left and down a hallway. As she looked around her at the decoration, seeing woven tapestries, landscape paintings, and small statuary, she was struck by something which appeared to be missing.

"Siri, there are no portraits here."

"No, there aren't," Sirius replied as they walked down the hall. "From what I've read in Grandfather Arcturus' journals, he had an intense desire for privacy. The only portraits in the Manor are found in the Hall of Ancestors, in the east wing. It seems that he was actually responsible for many of the portraits placed in the Dower House, as a way of keeping tabs on the occupants."

Near the end of the hall, Sirius opened a door on the left. They entered, and Andromeda found herself in a huge library. The room spanned two floors, and was larger than the school library at Hogwarts. There were large chandeliers, huge windows with burgundy drapes, and tables and chairs scattered around the main floor. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases lined most walls, with library ladders, and a walkway with a rail on the second level, and spiral staircases between the levels in opposite corners of the room.

Sirius walked with Andromeda towards the left wall where there was an open space between the bookcases, and two great windows. Between the windows was a huge formal desk. On the wall behind the desk was a large tapestry, showing a family tree. Sirius led Andromeda around the desk, and up to the tapestry.

Andromeda looked up at the tapestry in front of her. Like its counterpart at Number Twelve, it had the family name, motto, and coat of arms at the top. There, the resemblance ended. This tapestry was much larger and more ornate. It showed many more family members, going back over a thousand years. And unlike the tapestry at Number Twelve, there were no scorch marks in place of names.

Catching her breath, Andromeda's eyes followed the family lines down the right-hand side of the tapestry. There, between her sisters' names, was her own. Andromeda (Black) Tonks. A double line of gold embroidery connected her name to that of her husband, Theodore Tonks. Below both of their names, a single golden line led down to the name of her daughter, Nymphadora Cassiopeia (Black) Tonks. Andromeda just stared for a moment, then turned to Sirius. "How?"

Sirius just shrugged. "My mother disowned me from her family when I ran away, just as Uncle Cygnus did to you when you married Ted. What no one ever seemed to take into account, was that neither of them were from the senior line of the family. During and after both actions, the Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was Arcturus, my paternal grandfather. Apparently, he disagreed with both of his cousins' actions, and refused to uphold the banishments. He also seems to have regarded your marriage as legitimate, and accepted your daughter as a legitimate Black heir. What you've seen at the Dower House is my mother's fit of pique at a copy of the family tapestry. The original hangs here, and she and Cygnus never had either access, or the authority, to make their pronouncements stick."

Andromeda just looked dumbfounded. "When did you discover this? And why does everyone believe the other house is the Black family home, and that tapestry is accurate?"

"Let me answer your questions in order. I discovered this last summer, when I made my way to the Glasgow branch of Gringotts after Hogwarts let out for the summer. I was transported to the London branch by the Goblins, and referred to the Wills and Trusts Department. As you may remember, my grandfather Arcturus died in 1991. At that time, Bellatrix and I were both in Azkaban, and you hadn't spoken to anyone in the family for years. Narcissa, bless her black little heart, had tried to claim the Family Trust for that ferret son of hers, but Arcturus' will denied her. According to Bonecruncher, the Goblin in charge of the department, it scorched them both, burning their greedy little fingers," Sirius chuckled in remembrance.

When I appeared in the department, Bonecruncher had me try to open the will. I'm not sure which of us was more surprised when I succeeded. I would have thought he'd have blocked me from the will as well, being imprisoned as a Death Eater and traitor to Lily and James. It wasn't until I read his journals that I found my brother Regulus had ranted too much to Mother at the Dower House about my refusals to join Voldemort. He left me the benefit of the doubt, and let the Family magick judge me when I approached the will. In any case, the will was read on the spot, and I found myself sole heir to Arcturus."

"Apparently he never approved of the hobby some of our family have had in the past of backing various Dark Lords, and had an absolute disgust for Voldemort, at least according to his journals. The old man was neither Light nor Dark, but very definitely Grey. Consequently, he left the lot, the Trust, properties, and the Family, to me or my heir, with the proviso that you and your family be taken care of. I think he was secretly proud of both of us for standing up to our parents. Regardlessly, I obeyed his wishes when I accepted the inheritance. The next time you or Dora check your vaults, I think you'll be very pleasantly surprised."

Andromeda just gaped at him. "You mean…"

Sirius raised his right hand, the back of it facing towards her. There was a shimmer on his forefinger, and a heavy silver ring with a carved black stone appeared on it. Andromeda had no problem recognizing the Black Family Ring, and immediately curtsied to the ground, her head bowed. "My Lord."

Sirius grabbed her arms, pulled her to her feet, and roughly embraced her. "None of that nonsense, cousin, at least not between us." He grinned again. "I can think of a few of our relations I wouldn't mind doing that to, however."

Andromeda laughed. "I imagine you could give both my sisters, and their bastard husbands, collective apoplexy if you told them. If you ever do, make sure I'm there, or at least have a chance to see the Pensieve memory!"

Sirius laughed along with her, and then turned more solemn. "Before I answer your second question, and we move on to other matters, there's something I have to ask of you. I hate to do it, Andy, but there are lives on the line, ours among them. I need your solemn vow to keep the matters we are about to discuss secret."

Andromeda stood looking at her cousin for several minutes. She'd always been closer to him than anyone else in her family, despite the difference in their ages. She had been the one that he came to when the words or actions of his parents cut deeply, or when he was punished for failing to conform to their expectations. And it was she, already planning her elopement with Ted, who had advised him in his sixth year at Hogwarts to abandon his family, after their Uncle Alphard died and left Sirius with enough money to finish his education on his own. All her life, he had loved and trusted her. Her decision, she found, was easy.

Kneeling, she took his right hand in both of hers. "I, Andromeda Black Tonks, swear on my life and magick to keep all knowledge imparted to me by Sirius, Lord Black; confidential, except under such circumstances as he may allow. I furthermore pledge him my full and unqualified allegiance, as Lord of my House."

Sirius smiled down at her. "I, Sirius, Lord Black, accept the oath of Andromeda Black Tonks. There, now that's done, let's have a seat." He raised her to her feet, and then seated himself at the desk. Andromeda walked back around and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

Sirius folded his hands in front of himself; he looked every inch the head of one of the oldest and most powerful families in the Wizarding world, the family tapestry behind him simply adding to the aura of power and authority. "To answer your second question, at least in part, when Arcturus died, Black Manor fell under a Goblin ward that he'd arranged with Bonecruncher. Apparently it's their version of the Fidelius Charm and as you'd expect from the goblins it's even more secure in certain ways. As soon as the ward was raised, everyone forgot not only where the Manor was, but that it even existed. They all believed, as I did then, that the Dower House was the family home. I didn't learn otherwise until I put on the Ring, at which point the Secret passed to me as the heir."

Andromeda nodded. "All right, I understand that. But why haven't you told the Order?"

Sirius sighed. "Explaining that is going to take a while. Before I can, I need you to look over these." He picked up a small pile of folders from the desk and passed them to her. "Once you've read them, then we can discuss things further." Sirius leaned back in his chair, and stared aimlessly at the ceiling. Andromeda opened the folders, and began to read.

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A little over two hours later, Andromeda closed the last folder and set it back down on the desk in front of her. For a while she just sat and considered everything that she had just read. Then, she looked up at Sirius and cleared her throat.

"Well, I now more or less understand the answer to the rest of my second question, but it's a lot to take in. I begin to see where you're going with things, but are you sure this," she picked up the scarlet folder from the pile, "is such a good idea?"

Sirius shrugged. "In what way? The options are limited. You know the requirements of Harry's position that will come into play on his sixteenth birthday. Whose choice would you argue with? James'? That bond was formed when Harry was still in the cradle. You saw it yourself. Lily's? The girl's mother was her oath-bound sister, Harry's godmother, and possibly the strongest Seer since Ravenclaw. I don't know about you, but I was never fool enough to argue with Fire and Ice when their minds were made up! Mine? I realize you don't know the girl at all, but trust me when I say that in some ways she's a better match than the other two combined."

Andromeda sighed. "I know, I'm just afraid." She looked Sirius in the eye, her fears written on her face. "Is there any hope for happiness for any of them in this, let alone all of them? They're being forced into exactly the kind if situation that you and I ran away from. This is exactly the kind of thing I promised myself I'd never do."

"Harry doesn't run from his problems, he faces up to them. Little beggar has more courage and character than I have now, let alone what I had at his age! As for happiness, there's more hope than you might think. Remember, I've watched three of them interacting for the past several weeks now. There's an ease there, a familiarity that's almost frightening in its subtlety. As for the fourth, you'd be surprised. From all I've heard and seen, there's far more to her than anyone realizes."

Andromeda just nodded. "I'll have to take your word for this, as I've not had the opportunity to see any of them together. So, all this leaves me with is one final question. Why are you telling all this to me, Siri? There's nothing here that you can't handle on your own…"

Sirius just looked down at his hands folded in front of him. After a time, he looked up and met Andromeda's eyes. She almost recoiled at the haunted pain that she saw in them.

"I've seen the Grim, Andy," he said barely audibly.

Andromeda's hand flew to her mouth, covering it. "Siri, no!!" She leapt from her chair, flew around the desk, and dropped to the floor at his feet, taking both his hands in hers. "I thought that family curse had skipped you. How long now?"

"Since Azkaban. I think being exposed to the Dementors for all those years either increased my sensitivity, or weakened the walls between me and its world. It's been lurking at the edges of my dreams for years now. Since Christmas, though, it's gotten much worse. The Grim stands like a wall between Harry and me in my dreams. I see it every night. I don't think I've been able to hide my mood shifts from Harry, though I doubt he knows the cause. From the other elements in the dreams, I won't see another holiday season. In fact, I doubt I'll live to see his next birthday."

Andromeda just buried her face in Sirius' lap and wept. Her favourite cousin, her little brother in every way that mattered, the only member of her birth family she loved, was doomed. Sirius said nothing, just stroked her hair with one hand as she cried. As her sobs died away, he reached down, and raised her head with one hand beneath her chin.

"I'm sorry to dump all this on you so suddenly, Andy, but I don't have any other choice. You're the only member of the Family who has the necessary experience that I trust. So," the tone of his voice became more formal, "Andromeda Black Tonks, I call upon you as Lord of House Black to fulfill your oaths to me, my heir, and our Family."

Andromeda wiped her hand across her eyes. Her back straightened as she knelt at his feet. Her eyes blazed with a fierce pride. She looked every inch the scion of an old and powerful family. "Command me, My Lord."

Sirius smiled. "I will not command, only request. Andromeda Black Tonks, I ask that you accept the burden of Regent of House Black, with all the duties and responsibilities that that rank entails. Will you accept this task?"

Andromeda smiled back at him. She took his right hand in both of hers, and raised it to her lips, kissing the back of it. "With all my heart, My Lord and love, I accept."

Sirius raised her to her feet. Reaching down, he opened a drawer in the desk and removed a small box. From it he took a ring, similar to his own, but slightly smaller. He placed it on her right hand, where it shimmered for a moment, then disappeared.

"The House and I accept your Oath, Andromeda, Regent of House Black. Guard our House and Family in all duty and honour."

"Upon my life and my magick, I so swear." A bright aura fluoresced around them both, and then faded, signifying the oath sworn between them.

Sirius pulled her to her feet, and into a tight embrace. After a few moments, they split apart. He grinned at her.

"There, that's done with now. I suggest that you and Ted move in here within the next week, and you begin to familiarize yourself with the house. Your ring will act as a portkey here, just use the phrase, "Toujours Pur". He reached into the same drawer the ring had come from, and removed a list on parchment. "This is a list of books you'll need to at least review, in preparation for the tasks ahead. You'll find them all here in the library. I'll come and see you when I can, without raising suspicions. Thank you, Andy, you've taken an incredible weight off of my mind."

She leaned forward, kissing him gently on the cheek. "For you, Siri my brother, anything." She set her hands on her hips and a mock frown on her face. "Now, exactly how am I to get home? My husband is likely to be quite irked with you, keeping a married woman out so late with no chaperone."

Sirius guffawed, the first true rolling belly laugh she'd heard from him since James and Lily died. "Oh Andy, don't ever change!" He picked up a quill and handed it to her. "Here's a Portkey to your home, I assume you're still in the same house?" At her nod, he said, "The key is "Home".

Andromeda leaned forward again, kissing Sirius once more. "Take care of yourself Siri." With a small smile, she whispered "Home", and disappeared from the room.

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Authors' Notes

Wolf:

Wow, almost 4500 words for the prologue, that ran a bit longer than I expected. For those who are interested, this will be a Harry/Hermione/Luna/Tonks pairing. I don't know how often this will update, but I'll try to make it at least once a month. I'm going to try to work on only one primary story at a time, but can't make any promises. My twisted little mind tends to run off on its own tangents, with little or no control on my part. If you don't believe me, just ask Rose. :)

Rose:

Hey! I'm primarily the beta on this story. That and a little cattle prod when Wolf starts running off on other tangents and plot bunnies. :-)