THE WEREWOLF CUB PROLOGUE
She ran. There was nobody that could stop her in her decision. She didn’t care if she was only nine years old, without money, without food, just she, Moony – her stuffed wolf, and seven Harry Potter books. They threw her out, so who was she to stay at that awful orphanage. She didn’t know how long she ran, she just knew she ran. She was just like a butterfly, only without wings. She didn’t even notice she had run into a city she once lived in. Oxford. She finally collapsed from exhaustion and looked around herself. Her eyes grew large when she took in the area.
“But…” she stammered, “I must have run for only a few minutes, how could I have run all the way here?”
It was strange, she ran from London for Christ’s Sake! She hugged her plush wolf to her anxiously. Then, she caught a glimpse of a newspaper sticking out of a bin nearby. She looked closer and what she saw made her gasp.
It was year 1989!
“But…” she stammered again, “it was year 2010 when I ran away!”
She stood up and looked around herself. The city hardly changed from when she left it when her adoptive parents died, at least from what she remembered. She never knew her real parents – they both died in a plane accident when she was a year old. At least, that’s what they told her.
She went over and sat on a bench and glanced in the air. There was a low rustle in the tree branches and a squirrel showed itself in its full glory. The girl smiled slightly and started to hum softly. A voice interrupted her trail of thoughts.
“What are you doing here, all alone, little girl?”
She flinched slightly and turned around to see who spoke to her. It was an elder woman. The woman sat herself next to her and repeated the question. The girl hugged her Moony tighter and answered, “I ran away.”
The woman looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and the girl recoiled.
“They threw me out anyway, so why stay there?” she said stubbornly. The woman looked at her again, then said, “It just surprised me; you’re such a small girl. How old are you?”
“Nine,” she replied, “I’ll be ten next month.”
The woman smiled and said, “How nice. By the way, my name is Perenelle.”
The girl giggled, “That’s a silly name.”
Perenelle chuckled too, and then said, “Yes, it is. And what is your name?”
The girl smiled brightly and answered, “My name is Fianna! Fianna Finchley!”
Perenelle smiled at the girl happily.
“Then you are just the person I waited for, for so long.”
Fianna looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Really?” she asked sceptically. Perenelle laughed and said, “Yes, Fianna. I waited for you.”
“Why?”
“Let me tell you a story first, what do you say?”
Fianna nodded and stayed quiet. Perenelle began, “A few years ago, it will be nine next month to be exact; a girl was born to a werewolf and a witch. They were desperate to hide their only child, as it was forbidden for a werewolf to have children.”
Fianna couldn’t help herself, “A werewolf? A witch? I thought they only existed in stories!”
Perenelle shook her head and answered, “No, sweetie, they exist, because I am a witch myself.”
“Prove it,” was Fianna’s reply. Perenelle chuckled and pulled a stick out of her pocket. Fianna’s eyes were in danger to fall out of their sockets. She curiously asked,
“Is that… a wand?”
Perenelle looked at her in surprise, but nodded nonetheless.
“Can you do the Wingardium Leviosa spell?” Fianna eagerly asked. Perenelle was now absolutely shocked.
“How did you know of that spell?” she asked with a tremble in her voice after she performed the spell.
“I read about it. I think the spell is listed in Standard Book of Spells, Chapter Seven, written by Miranda Goshawk,” Fianna started to realise something. Perenelle was now definitely white.
“But how did you know? I didn’t tell you anything yet!”
Fianna smiled happily, “So you were telling me I’m a witch? And that my parents were a werewolf and a witch?”
She was quiet for a second, and then said, “I’m not stupid, you know.”
Perenelle chuckled weakly, “Yes, I can see that. You are absolutely right.”
Fianna smiled brightly, and then asked, “So, did I travel back in time too? I know it was 2010 a few minutes ago, and now it’s 1989!”
Perenelle nodded and said, “Not only that, but to a different dimensioned world too. Your parents made an enchanted time-turner to save you. They sent you twenty-one years in the future and in a dimension where there were no witches and wizards, to protect you.”
Fianna asked, “Are they still alive?”
Perenelle smiled sadly and said, “Yes, your father is still alive, your mother, however, died a year after you were gone.”
Fianna was stunned for a minute, and then asked in a small voice, “Who is my father, then?”
Perenelle took her breath and said, “Remus Lupin.”
Fianna’s eyes were again in danger to fall out of their sockets.
“Remus Lupin!?! He’s my father?”
Perenelle looked at her strangely, “Yes, you know him?”
Fianna stood up distraught and said, “Kind of. I read about him. He was one of the Marauders at Hogwarts! They called him Moony! He was best friends with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew!”
Perenelle was now gasping for breath. That was all correct!
“How do you know all that?”
Fianna shook her head, “Can’t say, sorry.”
Then something clicked, “Your name is Perenelle?”
Perenelle nodded.
“Perenelle Flamel, the wife of the famous Alchemist, Nicolas Flamel, the only known maker of the Philosopher’s Stone?”
Perenelle almost had a heart attack right there.
“Yes,” she said shaken to the core. Fianna’s eyes started to twinkle dangerously as she just realised something. It was almost as she was living the Harry Potter stories! They were true. She didn’t know how, but it was true.
“Can I see my dad?” she asked tentatively.
“What? Oh, yes!” Perenelle stammered. In her six hundred and fifty-six years, she still hadn’t experienced something like this. Fianna practically jumped up and down with her Moony in her arms and her small backpack ready.
“Well, what are we waiting for then? I wanna see my daddy,” she whined pathetically. Perenelle chuckled at her antics and stood up.
--- --- --- ---
The Lupin Cottage was still a fairly young house. It was built after Remus Lupin graduated from Hogwarts and married his love, Rose Finchley. The first floor had three rooms: a large living room with a big fireplace, a few comfortable couches and one part of it was a library, a kitchen with all the necessary equipment and a dining room with a long table and benches alongside the wall. His friends often visited him for dinner. The second floor had four equally big rooms: one for Remus and Rose, one for Lily and James, one for Sirius and Peter, and one a guest room which was later made in a nursery. The basement had three parts: a room for Remus’s transformations, a room that held all of Marauders prank stuff and the last one was the room that held all stuff of his baby girl. He missed her so much! There wasn’t a day that went by without him thinking of her and how she faired in the future, or if he’ll ever see her again.
--- --- --- ---
Perenelle quickly made a Portkey and she was just about to tell Fianna what to do, when Fianna said, “How much time, until it activates?” which shocked her again. She chuckled to herself and said,
“Fifty seconds, and I’ll have to get used to your knowledge of the Wizarding World. One day, you’ll tell me everything.”
Fianna giggled and nodded. She touched the Portkey (which was a newspaper from the bin) and waited for it to activate. When it finally did, she felt a strange pull on her navel and she was lying on the ground in front of a small but nicely looking cottage. She looked at Perenelle, who whispered, “That’s Lupin Cottage, your father’s home. I still don’t know how you got back here, but I’m glad I got this feeling. I can’t tell you how pleased I am to meat you, Fianna. We’ll meet again someday, I don’t know when, but I’m sure we will.”
She paused for a moment, and then said, “This is also the place where I must leave you. I did everything I had to do.”
With that she disappeared with a crack. Fianna smiled, realising she just disapparated. She walked around the house on the backyard and saw a familiar swing. It was the swing her daddy made especially for her. She remembered how she watched him with interest from her cushion nest on the grass. She walked there as in trance and sat on her. She still clutched Moony to her chest when she started to swing slightly. The swing made a squeak and Fianna smiled. She was home. Maybe she made some wandless or accidental magic, like Harry Potter did when he vanished the glass in the Zoo or suddenly found himself on the school roof when he tried to jump across the garbage bins. Maybe she wanted to be somewhere where she was loved so desperately that she travelled back.
--- --- --- ---
There was suddenly a squeak outside and Remus glanced up from his book. He looked through the window and his eyes opened wide. A girl was sitting in the swing he made for Fianna. He stood up quickly, not hearing the book falling on the floor with a thud. Remus walked out in the backyard as quickly as he could. He rubbed his eyes. She was still there, entranced in her own thoughts with a stuffed wolf in her arms.
A stuffed wolf?
He gave a stuffed wolf to Fianna the day she was born. She called it Moony or ‘Mooey’ since she couldn’t speak that well yet at the time. He was just about to walk over there and ask the girl where she got the toy, when the girl in question jumped off the swing and laughed happily.
“I’m home! I’m finally home!” she laughed. Remus cleared his throat quietly and almost smiled when he saw her stop abruptly and stare in the direction he was standing. She stood there rooted to the spot when she saw who was standing at the door which led in the house.
She clutched Moony at her chest and gulped slightly, then summoned all her courage and marched towards her father, Remus Lupin. She stopped in front of him and looked up in his eyes. He was watching her wearily. His face expressionless, but she knew better. She giggled softly and looked down at her wolf, muttering, “Just as I imagined him to be, don’t you think Moony?” and looking back at Remus. The man’s eyes showed the shock, he just received, and Fianna noticed that his hands shook slightly. As he still didn’t say anything, she sighed and said, “I knew you were quiet and calm in your school days, but I didn’t realise you were mute too.”
This seemed to shake the man out of his stupor. He chuckled and finally said something, “I’m not mute, as you can see.”
Fianna’s eyebrow rose as she said, “And that’s all you have to say? No questions like: Who are you, where did you come from, what are you doing here, how did you come through the wards, et cetera?”
Remus’s lips twitched again and he said, “If you want to, I can ask.”
Fianna thought for a second then replied, “Nah. Too complicated to tell.”
She smiled at him as the corners of his mouth twitched again. He felt strangely at home as he listened to the girl’s jokes. She really was something special. But he still couldn’t make himself ask the most important questions. She seemed to see his inner struggle as well as his glances at her plush toy, and she said, “This is Moony, my best friend. My daddy gave it to me the day I was born, as he told me when I was a little girl.”
Remus’s knees buckled and he staggered to stay on his feet.
“What?” he huskily said. The girl continued as if she didn’t notice his shock.
“He said that this is the only thing that will remind me of him when he won’t be there for me. That Moony will be the only thing that will tell me how much he loved me.”
Remus’s knees now definitely didn’t work. He slumped on the floor and his eyes filled with tears. Those words were almost exact words that he told his daughter when he had to send her away. He felt someone’s hands encircling his neck and the girl hugged him tightly, shaking with sobs.
“I’m home, daddy,” were her last words as she started crying. He hugged her back and clung to her as if there was no tomorrow. He couldn’t believe it. His little girl had come back to him. He pushed her away slightly to look at her face and asked, “But how, you were supposed to stay in the Future Dimension forever.”
Fianna’s eyes were still brimmed with tears as she said, “I just wanted to go home, and I guess I did some accidental magic, just like Harry.”
Remus’s eyes went wide again.
“Harry?” he asked. Fianna sniffed and said,
“Harry Potter, you know him. He lives at the Dursleys in Little Whinging, Surrey.”
His insides went cold, “How do you know about Harry?”
Fianna made herself comfortable in her daddy’s warm arms and said, “I just know. I don’t know how, I just know everything.”
“Everything, you say,” chuckled Remus. Fianna giggled too,
“Well, almost everything. Go on, ask me anything!”
Remus left go of her and said, “First, we should go inside, it’s getting colder here.”
Fianna smiled at him and grabbed his hand in hers and guided him inside. Remus let himself be dragged inside and had just enough time to close the door behind him as Fianna made herself comfortable on the hearth-rug. He sat in his armchair, picking the book that he dropped earlier and asked, “Are you sure?”
Fianna looked at him as if he grew three heads.
“Do I have to sign it to you?” she giggled. Remus’s mouth twitched again, and he said,
“Okay, you asked for it. What is a Dementor?”
Fianna laughed at that.
“That’s not tough, daddy. Dementors are guarding the Wizarding prison Azkaban; they are dark creatures that suck all happiness out of you. They make you relieve your worst nightmares, or memories. The only thing that can repel a Dementor is a patronus. You call the patronus with the words Expecto Patronum and if you have a really happy memory, a silver mist comes out of your wand tip, the happier the memory, the more shape the mist has. A patronus is unique to each person and it represents the closest thing to the person that casts the Patronus Charm,” she finished proudly. Remus stared at her in disbelief. She was absolutely right. Fianna stood up and went over to Remus and sat on his lap.
“Don’t ask, daddy, I already told you I don’t know. I just do.”
Well, at least what is in all the Harry Potter books, she thought slyly. And that is an awful lot.
--- --- --- ---
They still sat in the armchair after an hour, just enjoying each other’s company when Fianna asked, “So, will I go to Hogwarts too, when I’m eleven?”
Remus smiled and said, “I don’t see why not. You’re a witch, and I know since Minerva personally told me, that you were listed in the roll of kids that are to go to Hogwarts that year.”
Fianna smiled, “I hope I’m in Gryffindor, like you daddy.”
Remus smiled too, and said, “We’ll see. Now I think it’s time for little girls, such as you, to go to sleep. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
Fianna yawned and nodded.
“Goodnight, daddy,” and she was gone. Remus chuckled to himself as he brought them both up and walked out of the living room and up the stairs. He was just about to open the nursery room, when Fianna murmured, “Don’t wanna sleep alone,” and opened her eyes briefly.
“Wanna sleep with you.”
And she was gone again. Remus smiled gently and turned around and walked in his room. He pulled the covers down, placed the sleeping girl on the bed, pulled off her shoes and the backpack, and pulled the covers back up. He put a small kiss on her forehead and went to the other side of the bed, where he did the same, except there was no backpack and he changed in his pyjamas too.
He spent a few short hours just looking at his daughter. It was still unbelievable that she was here. It was also strange that she seemed to know things that she couldn’t have learned about in the dimension they sent her to – it was a magicless dimension after all. Sighing softly, he decided to just go with it and when Fianna decided to confide in him, he would be there to listen to her.
--- --- --- ---
Fianna opened her eyes and snuggled deeper in someone’s chest. The person chuckled and hugged her closer, not wanting to let her go.
“Daddy?” Fianna’s sleepy voice called.
“Yes?” he asked.
“I forgot to tell you something yesterday,” she whispered as she recalled what happened yesterday. She knew that she had to do something about it. She didn’t care if she changed what the books had written in them, she knew enough to know how to handle the changes. It wasn’t important how much she changed, after all – the horcruxes were the most important thing. She knew she’d have to tell someone about them someday, but she wanted to have some fun before that and get to know her father better. She hoped that she could introduce him to Tonks sooner and that she’d get a little brother sooner than in the books. She knew that her voice was slightly shaking and that was enough for her father to pull himself up and Fianna did the same. She couldn’t look him in the eyes as she said, “I know this is going to hurt you, but I have to tell you!”
She was a little hysterical now, and Remus did the only thing that he thought right. He hugged her again and whispered comforting words in her ears, until she calmed down enough to continue.
“It’s about Uncle Paddy.”
That was unexpected and he almost dropped her. How did she know about that? She felt him stiffen and quickly continued, “He didn’t do it, daddy!”
“Do what?” Remus hoarsely asked.
“He didn’t kill Auntie Lily and Uncle James and the Muggles and Peter.”
Remus was having a really hard time understanding all that.
“What do you mean by that?” he asked her rather coldly. She shrank away from him and stood up of the bed. She should have known that springing the topic of Sirius on him like that would end up with him being suspicious, but it still hurt. Finally, she looked at him with pleading eyes, “Please, you have to believe me! He didn’t do it! I know where the real culprit is! He’s still alive!”
Remus was standing too. His fists were clenched and he willed himself to calm down. He asked, “Who was the culprit?” still not believing her.
“Peter Pettigrew,” Fianna told him quietly.
“I can prove it to you!” she yelled at him when he still didn’t look her in the eyes. That gave her an answer.
“What?” Remus shakily asked, “You can prove it?”
Fianna trembled a bit and shakily smiled and nodded. She turned around and went to the chair near the bed, picked up Remus’s clothes and gave them to him. She was about to act Hermione for a while. All bossy and smart. It should be fun, if her daddy would allow her to play.
“Dress up and come down. After breakfast we’re on our way to save Sirius.”
She quickly picked up her backpack and Moony and ran downstairs. Remus stood there transfixed. Then he shook himself and pulled the robe over his head, tightening the waist band. When he came down, he could smell bacon and eggs. He quickly entered the kitchen and scolded his child, “You are not to go near the kitchen-range, you might burn yourself!”
Fianna shrugged and said, “Okay, but I did it for five years already, I don’t know why stop now. And I like cooking.”
Remus stared at her.
“You had to cook when you were four years old?”
Fianna shrugged again.
“Yes, we all had to learn that.”
“All?”
“Yes, the children in the orphanage.”
Remus slumped on the nearest bench.
“You were sent to an orphanage?”
Fianna sent a small smile to Remus and said, “Yes, after my adoptive parents died; but don’t blame yourself. You couldn’t possibly know what will happen when I arrived there.”
Remus returned the favour and sniffed the air again.
“It smells really nice.”
Fianna smiled again and put the plate with eggs and bacon in front of him and another on the other side of the table. They ate in silence and when they finished, Fianna grabbed Remus’s hand and said, “We are going to Floo, daddy.”
Remus nodded, letting her guide him as he didn’t really know what he should do. She noticed this and giggled.
“How you survived without me, I still don’t know.”
Remus laughed at this, “I didn’t, that’s what.”
Fianna was touched at that and gave him a huge hug before grabbing some Floo powder from the mantle and yelled, “The Burrow!” before disappearing in the green flames. Remus followed after he was sure she was there. He landed on his bottom in the living place of a house, he didn’t recognize.
“You can look around later, daddy, we have to find Mr and Mrs Weasley now,” his daughter chided him. He chuckled and pulled her up in his arms. After making herself comfortable, Fianna called, “Hello! Is anybody here?”
There was a moment’s silence and then the doors of the kitchen opened and a small redhead girl looked at them.
“Hi Ginny,” smiled Fianna, “are your parents home?”
Ginny looked at her in confusion, but nodded nevertheless. She went inside of the kitchen again and after a few minutes returned with Mr and Mrs Weasley in tow. Fianna smiled at them and nudged Remus to put her down. He complied and she ran to the two other adults.
“Hello, my name is Fianna Lupin, and I came here today with my daddy, Remus Lupin,” she introduced them. Mrs Weasley smiled kindly at her and asked Remus,
“What can I help you with, dear?”
Remus shook his head, “It’s not me that needs help, Molly. My daughter is the one.”
Fianna smiled up at him and said, “I just wanted to know if I can see Scabbers for a few moments, I have to prove my daddy something.”
Mr Weasley was confused.
“Scabbers?”
Fianna nodded, “Yes, him. Is he here, or is he with Percy at Hogwarts?”
Mrs Weasley shook her head and said, “You’re lucky. Percy just got home yesterday for Easter holidays. I’ll fetch him.”
Fianna nodded and said, “Thank you Mrs Weasley, just make sure that he has a firm hold on Scabbers, please.”
Mrs Weasley nodded again and disappeared up the stairs. Fianna smiled at Mr Weasley and said, “I can’t wait to go to Hogwarts. Ron and I are going to be in the same year.”
Mr Weasley smiled back and motioned for them to sit down. Fianna giggled and said, “I think daddy will need to sit down after he sees this.”
At that moment Mrs Weasley returned with Percy in tow. She saw the rat that he was holding in his hands and quickly whispered to Remus, “Quick, stun it!”
Remus looked at her in disbelief, but complied. Percy looked shocked after this and said, “I demand to know why you did this.”
Mrs and Mr Weasley looked like they wanted to know this too. Fianna just smiled at them and said, “Everything will be clear in a few minutes. Could you please call Professors Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody?”
They all looked at her as if she was sprouting wings.
“Please,” Fianna pleaded to Mr Weasley, who couldn’t say no to her puppy dog eyes (she wasn’t a Werewolf’s daughter for nothing…), she was giving him. While he was shuffling with the fireplace, Fianna put a napkin she took with her when they left the house, and put it over the stunned rat and pulled it firmly from Percy’s hands, ignoring his protests.
Just then, the fire roared green and the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, stepped out of the fire. He cleaned himself with the simple wave of his wand and looked up. He saw Remus and Fianna and smiled, “Hello Remus, I haven’t seen you in a long time!”
Remus smiled back and said, “Nice seeing you too, Headmaster.”
He petted Fianna on the head and said, “This is my daughter Fianna and the one responsible for this call, I’m afraid.”
Just then the fire roared again and the Transfiguration teacher, the Deputy Mistress of Hogwarts came out. She cleaned herself too and asked, “What’s wrong, Albus?”
Dumbledore answered, “We are still waiting for Shacklebolt and Moody to come. It seems that Remus’s child, Fianna, has called us here for a meeting.”
They all chuckled at the ridicule this sentence made. Fianna pouted, “You’ll see it was worth it after I’m finished.”
Remus pulled her in his arms again and said, “We’ll see.”
Fianna stuck her tongue out and the occupants of the living room laughed again. The fire roared again and the Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt came through. Fianna exclaimed, “I forgot something!”
She jumped off Remus’s arms and ran to the Auror, “Do you have some Veritaserum with you?”
Shacklebolt nodded silently and looked over to the Headmaster with a raised eyebrow. Fianna noticed that and stomped her foot, “Don’t look at him, he doesn’t know anything yet!” as the fire roared green for the last time and Mad-Eye came out. Fianna smiled again and said,
“Now we’re all here, right?”
Moody grumbled something, but his magical eye stared at the child in front of him. She stared right back, not in the slightest disturbed with his stare that pulled many off their feet.
“If you’re done staring at me, I would like to begin,” Fianna grinned. Remus felt his heart swell with pride at his daughter and he caught Dumbledore’s eyes that were twinkling dangerously.
“Okay,” Fianna clasped her palms together.
“What do you know of Sirius Black?”
There was a moment’s silence, and then Shacklebolt said, “He was at Hogwarts, Gryffindor, best friends with the Potters, Remus here and Peter Pettigrew. He’s a Death Eater, the Potter’s Secret Keeper; he killed thirteen people with a single curse and killed Pettigrew also. Currently he’s in Azkaban.”
Fianna sighed. She knew all of this already.
“Some of it it’s true, some of it it’s wrong.”
There was silence again.
“Oh, for God’s sake!” Fianna exclaimed, “I know that his family is thought to be all dark, I know all about The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. But do you remember this – they were all Slytherins, none were in Gryffindor! Besides, there’s still Andromeda and Nymphadora Tonks. Sirius’s mother disowned him and burnt his name off their family tree tapestry at Twelve, Grimmauld Place, because he was placed in Gryffindor. He ran away when he was sixteen and spent the summer at Uncle James’s place. They even had a bet going about naming Sirius’s first kid Elvendork. It’s unisex, you see?”
There was still silence, but a shocked one.
“Okay, now that we got this established, tell me what you know of Peter Pettigrew.”
Shacklebolt sighed and said, “He was a Gryffindor, best friends with the Potters, Remus and Black. He was murdered by Black and we gave him the Order of Merlin, first class, post-mortem.”
Fianna nodded and said, “That’s almost all true. Now, I want you to tell me: what was left of Pettigrew?”
Mr Weasley seemed the only one to understand where this was going.
“The biggest part of Pettigrew was his finger,” he said wearily as he glanced at the rat that was covered with a napkin. Fianna smiled at the redheaded man and said, “Exactly.”
She looked at her father and saw a strange look on his face. She didn’t acknowledge it, and continued, looking right in Remus’s eyes, “What you don’t know about James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, is that they all became Animagi in their fifth year at Hogwarts.”
Remus was gaping now.
“Uncle James was a stag, Uncle Sirius a big black dog, and Pettigrew a rat.”
She pulled the stunned rat out of her pocket and Mrs Weasley sucked her breath, “You mean?”
Fianna smiled sadly at her, “Yes, Mrs Weasley, I’m afraid it is so.”
She turned to look at her father and walked over to him, put the napkin with the rat on his lap and pulled the napkin off. Remus gasped and stared at the familiar rat in his lap. He started trembling and Fianna quickly withdrew the rat and showed it to Moody.
“Do you notice anything strange on the rat’s aura?” she asked the man. Moody turned his magical eye on the rat in her hands and said, “This rat isn’t a rat, it’s a wizard.”
Fianna nodded her thanks and said to Shacklebolt, “Change him back,” with such force that he complied within seconds. She put the rat down and looked at Remus, who had his head in his hands.
“Daddy?” she asked softly. Remus looked up and saw his friend, still stunned, on the floor of the Burrow. He whispered,
“You’re amazing.”
Fianna smiled mischievously and said, “I know and I expect you to tell me that every time I do something like that again,” to everyone’s amusement. Then she turned back to Shacklebolt.
“Give the man Veritaserum. Professor McGonagall, I want you to record everything it is said in this room now.”
McGonagall gave the girl a stern glance but conjured a Quick-Quotes-Quill and a piece of parchment. Fianna now stared down at the rat-faced man.
“Enervate him,” she said to Shacklebolt.
“Enervate,” the Auror hissed. Peter Pettigrew opened his eyes and squeaked when he came face to face with the Auror. Fianna grinned in her hands. She stepped over and motioned to McGonagall to start the Quick-Quotes-Quill.
“Hello, Mr Pettigrew,” she said sweetly. The man looked at her, while the Auror moved back, his wand trained on the animagus.
“W-What d-do y-you w-want,” he stammered. Fianna smiled sweetly again,
“Oh, nothing. I just want to get some answers.”
Pettigrew tried to move and she said, “Nuh-uh, Mr Pettigrew, you stay right where you are. Answer me this, are you an illegal Animagus?”
Peter’s eyes glazed over as the Veritaserum started to work.
“Yes,” he said in a monotone.
“Were you in Gryffindor?”
“Yes.”
“Were you best friends with James Potter, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black?”
“Yes,” Peter replied, still calmly.
“Is Sirius Black a Death Eater?”
“No.”
Remus’s eyes widened.
“Are you a Death Eater?”
“Yes.”
Shacklebolt’s eyes widened.
“Was Sirius Black the Secret Keeper of the Potters?”
“No.”
Albus’s eyes were wide open now.
“Were you the Secret Keeper of the Potters?”
“Yes.”
McGonagall’s eyes were also wide open now. And I really should stop it with the wide opened eyes... XD
“Did you betray them to Lord Voldemort?”
The whole room gasped at the mention of the forbidden name, except Dumbledore. His eyes twinkled again.
“Yes.”
“Did you frame Sirius Black with the thirteen Muggles that died on 1 November, 1981?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“He was just about to hex me, when I yelled at the street, how he could betray them. I had my wand hidden behind my back. I used the blasting spell and there was an explosion. Then I used a cutting spell to cut off my finger. Then I transformed into my rat form and ran in the sewers.”
Fianna smiled to herself.
“Thank you, Mr Pettigrew.”
The man’s eyes cleared and after he realised what happened, he started whimpering. Shacklebolt quickly cast the Petrificus Totalus spell and bound the fat man. There was a silence in the living room. Fianna smiled at the four witnesses, and then said, “I called you here today to prove that Sirius Black is an innocent man. I know you want to know how I knew this, but I can’t tell you. Not yet. Think of me as a Seer if it makes you feel better.”
She glanced to the Headmaster and said,
“Don’t even think about Legilimency, professor Dumbledore, or I’ll have to learn Occlumency.”
He stood up and said, “I only have one question. Two really. Why didn’t you request for the presence of Minister of Magic?”
Fianna smiled and said, “I didn’t want Minister Fudge to come here, because he would try and deny all of it. Even with the proof that lies here. He wants nothing to happen to his precious popularity. And I say this now, and I’ll say it later. He’s a coward.”
With that said she ran over to Remus and plopped herself in his lap and kissed him on the cheek, then whispered, “Don’t worry, Uncle Sirius is okay. He knows who the traitor is; he’ll forgive you for doubting him.”
Those were the words Remus needed to hear so badly. He stared at the little body of his daughter in amazement. This little girl just told the truth to the best people she could choose.
“Please, try and get Sirius out as soon as possible, and please return Mr Harry Potter under his care. He is his godfather, isn’t he? Harry will be the best help that Sirius can get at the moment he’ll be out of Azkaban.”
Dumbledore started to say something, but Fianna interrupted him, “I know about the blood wards over number four, Privet Drive. However, they are extremely weak since Petunia, Vernon and Dudley Dursley don’t treat Harry as family, but more as a slave. Harry doesn’t see the house as his home.”
“Actually, I had another question,” Albus said with twinkling eyes. “Anyone want a lemon drop?”
--- --- --- ---
They made an agreement: Moody and Shacklebolt would go to the Ministry and arrange everything for Sirius’s release, Dumbledore and McGonagall would go to Azkaban to retrieve Sirius and take him to Hogwarts, Remus and Fianna on the other hand were to go and fetch Harry. Fianna thought this was for the best. When they came out of the Burrow, they walked a bit until they came to the end of the wards. Remus then pulled Fianna into his arms again and hugged her close to him, as they side-apparated to Surrey. When they landed, Fianna smiled and looked around. This was Privet Drive. She jumped off Remus’s arms and ran to number four. She knocked on the doors and waited for them to open. It was Harry that opened them and she said, “Hi, my name is Fianna Lupin.”
Harry smiled slightly and said, “I’m Harry Potter; can I help you with something?”
Fianna smiled back, “Yes, you can. I need you to take all your things and go with me.”
Harry’s smile disappeared, but Fianna continued, “Your dream is coming true, Harry.”
“What dream?” Harry stammered.
“The dream where a distant relative comes and saves you from the Dursleys.”
Harry was gaping at her.
“Well, it isn’t a relative, but a friend of your parents.”
Harry smiled brightly at that and quickly withdrew in the house and shuffled through the cupboard. He emerged a moment later with a blanket in his hands. Fianna grimaced slightly, but didn’t say anything. She motioned him to follow her out and he said, “What about the Dursleys?”
“The Dursleys?” Fianna asked with a gleam in her eyes, “Why would you want to say goodbye to those poor excuses for humans?”
Harry grinned at her.
“Oh nothing, forget it.”
Fianna giggled and grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her and ran to Remus who was waiting for them at the other side of the street. She said, “We’re here, daddy! Meet Harry Potter!”
Remus smiled at the two kids and said, “Nice meeting you, Harry.”
Harry smiled too and said, “The pleasure is all mine, sir.”
Fianna giggled, “Come on, we best be going.”
Remus nodded and took out the Portkey that he always had with him for emergencies (it was tiring enough to apparated with another person, but with two...), and motioned for the kids to grab hold of it. Fianna grabbed Harry’s hand and put it on the Portkey. She said, “Whatever happens, don’t let go off me.”
Harry just nodded glumly and waited. Remus withdrew his wand and said, “Lupin Cottage,” as the Portkey activated.
--- --- --- ---
They landed in Remus’s backyard and Harry let out a ‘wow’. Fianna smiled at him and said,
“We should go inside and I’ll tell you everything I know.”
Remus raised his eyebrow but didn’t say anything, as he knew she was right. She knew more than he did, obviously. He chuckled at that thought. And there he was, thinking that he was an intelligent person. They sat down in the living room and Remus fetched some pumpkin juice for the children and a glass of wine for himself. Fianna began, “Did you ever do something that would be called strange, Harry?”
Harry blinked at her and said, “Why do you want to know?”
“Just answer, Harry.”
Harry thought for a minute and then said, “Yes, I think I did. One time I turned my teacher’s wig blue, or my Aunt tried to give me Dudley’s old jumper which was maroon with orange tufts and it grew so small that it would fit only on a doll.”
Fianna smiled at him, as did Remus.
“Do you believe in magic?” she asked him next. Harry’s eyes bulged.
“There’s no such thing as Magic!”
Fianna giggled, “Those Dursleys tell you that?”
Harry nodded, and Fianna continued, “Well they’re the worst sort of Muggles imaginable! They detest everything that isn’t as normal as they are.”
“Muggles?” Harry asked.
“Muggles are a kind of people that don’t have any magical powers. There are also Squibs, that are magical, but can’t do magic, there are Witches and Wizards, that’s us, and Sorcerers, which is professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts.”
Remus smiled proudly. His daughter really knew her stuff.
“So, you’re saying that magic exists and that I’m a wizard?” Harry asked with a small smile.
“Exactly,” Fianna smiled at him, “and we’re both going to Hogwarts when we’re eleven.”
Harry grinned happily. Fianna hugged him and whispered in his ears, “You’re never going back to those Dursleys!”
That made Harry grin even more. She returned to her spot on the floor and said, “Well, now that you know you’re a wizard, you have to know something else.”
Harry’s grin faded slightly, since her voice changed from cheerful to serious.
“What did your relatives tell you about your parents?”
Harry shifted slightly and murmured, “That they died in a car crash.”
Fianna sighed and said, “They didn’t die in a car crash. A really, really, really, really bad man killed them.”
She hugged him again and continued, “I’m sorry to tell you this, Harry, but you have to know. Both of them were like me or like you. They fought that really, really, really, really bad man. But they didn’t make it. You were the only one that survived that night, the night of the All Hallows.”
“Who was that bad man?” Harry whispered. Fianna sighed and replied in a quiet voice.
“His name was Lord Voldemort and that night he was gone. You somehow defeated him, but he’s not gone I’m afraid. He’s still out there somewhere, too tired to go on. But he’ll be back someday,” she finished gravely, “and it won’t be pleasant.”
Remus was shocked, but Fianna ignored him and smiled shakily, “But there is still some good news about all that… You have a godfather.”
Harry’s eyes were in danger to fall out of their sockets.
“His name is Sirius Black and he’s at Hogwarts at this moment. He’s not exactly healthy, but I believe you’ll cure him more quickly than Madam Pomfrey with her coddling can.”
Remus chuckled, “I gather you want us to go to Hogwarts to see Sirius.”
Fianna glared at him mockingly, “You don’t want to see him?”
Remus held his hands up in surrender, “I do want to see him!”
“Well you didn’t sound like it,” Fianna threw at him sarcastically. Harry laughed at that. Remus rolled his eyes and got up.
“You go first Fianna, as you obviously know where you’re going and we’ll follow.”
Fianna smiled and went and hugged Remus and Harry quickly before taking a pinch of Floo powder and yelled, “Hogwarts, Great Hall,” before she threw the Floo powder in the ashes and disappeared in green flames. Remus followed with Harry shortly afterwards and Fianna was waiting for them at the entrance doors. She said, “Unfortunately, daddy, you’ll have to take us to the Hospital Wing. I know where something is in Hogwarts, but I don’t know how to get there.”
Remus rolled his eyes with a smile and offered his hands to the two kids he was accompanying. They let him grab them and he led them towards the Hospital Wing.
--- --- --- ---
It was so cold. The Dementors had just left him with his memories and he sighed.
“I’m so sorry, Lily, James!” the prisoner whispered brokenly. There was a creak and the doors to his cell were opened. Sirius Black looked up at the visitor. His eyes widened when he recognized Dumbledore and McGonagall, two of his favourite people at Hogwarts. He stood up shakily and said in a hoarse voice, “What are you doing here?”
Minerva started sobbing and she threw herself at Sirius who had just enough time to catch her before they both went tumbling down on the cold floor. He looked at his former professor in wonder, when Dumbledore said, “We are here to retrieve you, Sirius.”
Sirius was shocked. Had they found out about Peter? Albus answered the unasked question, “Yes, we found Peter, or should I say, Remus’s little girl found him.”
He paused for a moment, and then said, “I’m sorry for thinking you were the one who betrayed Lily and James, Sirius.”
Sirius smiled slightly and patted McGonagall’s head softly, then said, “Everyone was to think that I was their Secret Keeper, and I knew they were going to think I did it.”
Minerva pulled herself together and said, “You are coming with us. We are taking you to the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. At this very moment your innocence is proven at the Ministry and your stuff is taken out of Ministry vaults. Here is your wand. I saved it after they took you to Azkaban and I didn’t allow them to snap it.”
Sirius looked in wonder at the stick she was giving him. He took it gingerly out of her hands and looked at Dumbledore, who smiled and pulled out a small empty flask, tapped his wand on it and said, “Portus.”
Sirius and McGonagall both put their fingers on the Portkey and they were pulled in the air. There was a shriek when they landed in the Hospital Wing and McGonagall quickly explained everything to madam Pomfrey who was just about to hex the living days out of Sirius. After the explanation, the matron changed drastically. She fussed over Sirius and pushed him in a nearby bed, checked him and gave him some nasty flavoured potions. Sirius smiled slightly and the Nurse’s antics and closed his eyes.
He was just about to drift off to sleep, when the doors to the Hospital Wing opened and a girl came running in and plopped herself on Sirius’s bed. He stared at her and didn’t acknowledge the other two visitors. The girl giggled and hugged Sirius tightly and whispered in his ears, “Welcome back, Uncle Paddy!”
Sirius’s eyes became misty. That was what Remus and James always called him in the presence of their kids. God, how he missed being called that. He heard a small cough at his feet and raised his eyes to look at the intruder. His eyes went wide as he took in the man and the boy who looked at him with smiles on their faces.
“Moony?” he whispered, “Harry?”
Remus couldn’t help himself. He threw himself on top of Sirius and hugged him so tightly that Fianna had to pull him off before Sirius suffocated.
“Daddy, please, let him breathe!” she admonished the werewolf. Remus just shook his head, but let go of his friend, who was turning blue from lack of air. When Sirius drew in a deep breath, another person plopped himself on the bed. Sirius looked around him and smiled at them.
“Nice to see you all, guys,” he chuckled. The girl pouted, and he corrected himself quickly, “and a girl.”
Fianna smiled at him and said, “Well, We’ll let you to sleep now that we saw you. I know you’re exhausted…”
She peeked at Remus and said, “You two can talk later, daddy, he’s not going anywhere.”
Remus nodded and wiped his eyes. Sirius smiled at his friend and said, “You’ve got yourself a smart kid, Moony.”
The werewolf smiled and pulled Fianna in his arms again and said, “You don’t know anything yet. She was the one that found him.”
He didn’t have to say anything; Sirius understood who he was referring to.
--- --- --- ---
Sirius slept for a good part of that day and the whole night. When he awoke next, he felt more refreshed as he did in years, which wasn’t so surprising, as he wasn’t in Azkaban anymore. He heard a soft snoring on the bed next to his and turned his head to look at the person who snored. He chuckled quietly as he saw Fianna. She was sprawled on the bed in a strange position. Her legs were on the pillow, her arms were on the both sides of the bed and her head was hanging off the mattress. He heard someone come in the room and said, “Someone better change the girl’s sleep position or she’ll have a headache when she wakes up.”
Remus chuckled as he moved Fianna to a better position – on his lap. She let out a loud snore and went quiet as she snuggled in Remus’s chest.
“I didn’t think I’ll see Fianna again… or you for that matter,” Sirius softly said. Remus nodded and replied,
“I didn’t think so either. But I’m glad that it all turned out that way.”
He pushed some hair off Fianna’s face and looked up in Sirius’s dark eyes. Sirius smiled and said, “I missed you, Moony.”
Remus smiled back at him and returned the words, “Same here, Padfoot.”
There was a small pause, and then Remus said, “When you’re well to go, you’re going to live with us. I already prepared your old room and I gave Harry the room where his parents slept when they were visiting.”
Sirius smiled gratefully and replied, “I’m glad I don’t have to go to Grimmauld Place again.”
Remus chuckled at the memory, but Sirius remembered something, “You said it was Fianna that found him? How? She wasn’t here.”
Remus frowned slightly at the sleeping girl in his arms and said, “I don’t know either. She just said she knows, but she said she didn’t know how.”
“You don’t think she’s a Seer, do you?” Sirius joked weakly. Remus scowled at his friend,
“No, I don’t think she is.”
A small voice reached both their ears, “You can stop talking about me as if I’m not here, you know.”
They both looked at Fianna, who rubbed her eyes, before Remus said, “We didn’t know you were awake, honey.”
Fianna just grumbled sleepily and said, “You had better check the next time you talk about me when I’m in the same room then.”
Sirius laughed slightly, “You’ve got yourself a very cranky morning person, Remus. I can remember someone who was also like that.”
Remus chuckled at this and said, “Yes, well, how could I not be, if you dripped cold water all over my bed every week?”
Fianna giggled at that.
“I have to try it someday,” she decided.
“Don’t even think about it little missy,” Remus jokingly chided. Fianna ignored him and said to Sirius,
“You can help me, since I don’t know the spell and I can’t do magic without a wand and until I’m of age.”
Sirius grinned broadly and they shook hands in a silent pact. Remus rolled his eyes at their antics and said, “I see you’ll get on just perfect.”
Fianna showed him her pretty tongue and said, “Of course we are, he’s my favourite Uncle!”
Remus raised an eyebrow at her and she explained, “Well you always said that he’s my Uncle, didn’t you?”
Remus nodded slowly.
“So, who am I to tell him he’s not?”
Sirius laughed, “She has a point there, Moony.”
Remus chuckled and ruffled her hair. She swatted his arm away and said, “You don’t have to ruin my hairstyle even more than it already is, daddy.”
The two men laughed at this as Fianna giggled and ran out of the room after kissing the both of them on their cheeks.
THE END
