Chapter 10 Plots

After Hydrus called him, Marius said he'd keep his gun handy, thanked him for the warning and then told him to bugger off.

Arcturus didn't want those wards added to his property, stating that the ones he had were fine. Most of the elderly Blacks said much the same. Andromeda, however, jumped at the chance to have those wards put up on the Tonks' home and business. Narcissa, on the other hand, scoffed and said that the Malfoy wards were superior, but thanked them just the same.

They even offered wards to the Weasleys, since they were cousins, and Arthur took them up on it. Hydrus gave him a discount and told him about the plans they had for the business and asked him to think about working for one of the stores he was planning on opening. He figured he was giving Arthur enough time to put together an argument against Molly's diehard thinking that the Ministry was the perfect workplace.

The orphanage was now under strong intent wards, the kind that would kill if someone wanted to do the kids harm.

The family continued to search for Walburga, but to no avail, she was well hidden. They kept trying to catch her outside the wards, by having Kreacher spy on the area, but she must have set it up so she could Apparate within the house. Sirius continued to warn them that his mum might be barmy, but she was not to be underestimated. The Black family was deep into the Dark

Arts, and they would be foolish not to remember that. Walburga had been trained since birth to inflict pain.

"Sirius," Hydrus said, one day while they were doing research, "Why don't you use your Headship to flush her out? I mean, doesn't she have to do what you say?" He always wondered about that. Noble and Most Ancient families confused him. Since Sirius never really told him how those families worked, he wanted to know.

"I suppose, I could order a meeting. She'll have to come or be blasted off the tree," Sirius answered, rubbing his goatee.

"What exactly does that mean?" the immortal asked.

"Well, when I was blasted off the tree, it meant I didn't get any more money. But, to me it meant freedom to not have to answer to that shrew, unless Grandfather brought me back in, which he didn't until Reg died," he answered with a sad grin that turned into a frown. "I offered Andromeda to be brought back in the family, but she said she was content with her life and didn't want to have to follow any of the family rules."

"So now that you are the Head, what can you do?" Remus asked, he too had always wondered about how the Houses worked. Since Sirius left the family at sixteen, they never talked about them.

"Well, I can demand meetings, give allowances, tell the family what we'll be doing politically and take people in or out of the family. Mum loves being a Black so much she married her cousin, so if I threaten her to be cast out, she might just come," the youngest Black felt it was a long shot, but he had to try.

"I thought the Heads of families were more powerful than that," Hydrus said with a questioning tone.

"No, if they were, Grandfather could've prevented all of the ones who became Death Eaters from joining against his word. It was one of the reasons he became a recluse, most of the younger generation wasn't listening to him," was Sirius's answer.

"Oh, I never thought about that," the immortal said, seeing the reasoning.

"Remember, Grandfather said he couldn't tell me who I could hang out with but could prevent me from giving you any money?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You see, I have control of the accounts, but I can't dictate what they do with their lives. If they go against the family, I can kick them out or tell them they can't live on certain properties, like Grimmauld Place, and cut off their funds, but that's it," Sirius answered, tapping his finger to make his point.

"So, wait, you can't like strip them off magic?" Hydrus asked, thinking of some of the rumors he had heard in the last timeline. However, since most of the Blacks cooperated, that never came up.

"No, I have no idea where you got that idea, but, no, I don't have that power," Sirius said, laughing at the very thought.

"I just thought of something," Lily said, running a hand through her hair. "Who is her secret keeper?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and thought. "I didn't think your mum was strong enough to cast the Fidelius," James said, putting his reader on his lap.

"Don't underestimate that mad woman, she is strong enough to cast the Unforgivables," Sirius warned with bitterness in his voice as if remembering her doing just that to him. It was the very reason he left in the first place.

"Right, who would she have talked to and do you think she's going to start a war or keep it in the family?" Hydrus said, hoping to take Sirius's mind off whatever he was remembering. Walburga was a mean and vindictive bitch of a mother and he had no problem believing she'd used those spells on her son.

"I can't think of anyone in the family that would her keeper. Most of the family has gathered to me," the youngest Black said, rubbing his goatee deep in thought. "However, the Blacks are related to most pure-blood families, she might have gotten help from one of the distant cousins."

"Kreacher," Hydrus called.

"Master is calling Kreacher?" the old elf said as he popped in.

"Do you know who Walburga was talking to before you changed owners?" the immortal asked kindly.

"Kreacher's ex-Mistress was talking to many women and a few men, but Kreacher cannot be telling yous their names. Ex-Mistress told Kreacher he was to remain in the kitchens when she had visitors," Kreacher said, pulling his ears at the thought that his ex-Mistress didn't trust him, until Hydrus shot him a look, making him stop his self-punishment.

"That's not very helpful," Hydrus all but whinged. "Thanks, Kreacher, you can go back to what you were doing," he softly ordered and the elf popped away.

"Well, we know most of the family won't help her and we can take heart that she can't get her hands on Bellatrix," Sirius added, going over the names of everyone who he could remember that would help his mother. Everyone shuddered at the thought of those two women getting together.

"Right, Sirius, you write your mum and demand a meeting," James suggested.

"I'll do that," the younger Black said, pulling a pen and parchment out of his space and composing a missive.

They waited days for a reply and what they got was a Howler telling Sirius what a disappointment he was and that she would never think of him as her Head. Sirius cut her out of the family, but she must have other funds. He did get another Howler for his actions, telling him that he'd never find her.

During all the hunting for the woman, the construction continued. The mall was opened in the middle of November with many new and inventive stores. The public flocked to the huge building, which was aptly named Marauders' Mall.

It was two stories high, right now, and seven storefronts wide; there was plenty of room to grow upwards. There were three sides filled with spaces and the entrance, where the food court was. Each wall had seven large shops, making it a nice square shape. A double magical escalator was in the middle of the atrium with the kiosks all around it; selling herbs, crafts and such. Large non-violent magical potted plants and wooden benches were dispersed throughout the center. Animated statues were added and placed between stores, mostly coinciding with what the shop was selling, like the quill shops had a statue of a man writing on a book of parchment. The ceiling was charmed to project a lightly clouded summer's day without the heat.

The outside of the mall was done in green slate, while the inside was built with drywall and paint. The huge glass windows of the shops were lit with the muted sunshine spell. It would keep the building bright and warm. The signs were the same ones used in the Alley and added a bit of ambiance to the atmosphere.

Many of Diagon Alley's businesses were more than happy to relocate to a place where shoppers would be out of the freezing weather, rain and snow. The spaces were filled with Madam Malkin's, Obscurus Books, the used broom shop, two parchment and quill stores and Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, who opened a small annex in the food court, and many more.

New businesses also taking up the spaces. There was a Muggle-born who opened a Wiccan store that sold crystals and star charts, and Frostwell opened an arcade. There were three cafés in the food court; they were trying to find a Muggle-born who would open a fast-food restaurant, but so far no luck.

Hydrus and Lily were the owners of all the same stores the time traveler had opened in the last timeline, which were all on the second floor. They kept them low-tech, for now. The entertainment/video store and the appliance store were doing great business. The other three were not as popular yet, but they were hopeful that the Christmas season would see a rise in sales.

Lily had talked to Molly and convinced her to let Arthur work in the trinket shop. Molly had only conceded because Lily was the Witch Who Vanquished, but that didn't matter to the others, if Mr. Weasley was now enjoying his work.

Mild intent wards were put on the entrance and windows, to prevent thievery, destruction and Animagi, if they were in their altered form. Hydrus was thinking it would soon be time for him to get Rita. He had been putting her off as unimportant, but now, with Mrs. Black running around, he'd better take care of her.

There were still vacant spots, but more and more people were inquiring about them. They even got a few that wanted to get out of Knockturn Alley. They were businesses that sold Greyer items and books, and the Potters and the Blacks had no problem with them. No, the problem was they didn't want to pay the set rent and were trying to haggle it down.

Lily had put Harry in the daycare they had opened on the first floor near the entrance; it was warded with Hydrus' strongest intent wards. She was running the tea/book shop and loved every minute of it. She made sure to have her emergency bracelet on at all times. Her popularity was a huge factor in the success of the shop, which was named Lily's Book Corner.

The store itself was simple. A café was in the front with a few cakes and pastries displayed, there were eleven small, white iron tables that sat two in cushion charmed chairs, which were also white iron. The large wooden bookshelves were along the walls and scattered about in the middle. The book-readers were sold or rented by the hour near the cash register and there was the ten minute charm on all unpurchased books. Now that the populace was seeing Lily daily, the fervor of her being their savior died down, somewhat.

Hydrus and the others made sure to buy up the empty buildings in the Alleys. They were going to have to get them rezoned for residential/business use. There were already many inquiries about the flats, Mr. Jasper was working on rental agreements.

The Times started circulation and was gaining subscribers by the dozens. They opened their office just outside the mall, and their reporters had to take the vow to report only what they knew was true. They were also reporting magical and non-magical news.

The Quibbler still had a small satellite office in the Alley, but the Lovegoods had relocated to France and were doing well in their new country.

The Prophet had tried to keep people from the mall by saying it was going against tradition, but The Times had given it good reviews.

The pranksters, behind Lily's back, started gambling with the goblins, using the information Hydrus had brought from both timelines.

James, Sirius and Hydrus were now starting their political careers. The first thing they did was not support Crouch Sr. in his bid for Minister, citing the man's son was a Death Eater, which Barty promptly denied stating they had no proof, which was true, but they stood firm in their stance.

They were backing a Half-blood, who was making his stand for the title. His name was, Mathew Smeller. He wanted equal rights for every magical creature. The Potters and the Blacks supported his platform. There was some grumbling in the Black family, since Crouch was family, but for the most part they backed Sirius.

Hydrus was a bit confused as to why Bagnold was stepping down; she hadn't in the last two timelines. Maybe it was because people knew that Voldemort wasn't completely gone and she said he was. Now that The Times was backing that rumor with articles and pictures, the public wasn't as easily swayed. The reporters were using Lily's victory over Tom Riddle to get the people to start protecting themselves with any spell that would cause damage. Weekly articles were run on self-defense and the paper was flying off the stands.

The two rich Marauders and Hydrus used their 'gift' vault to stop many biased laws from being passed. They were making quite a name for themselves and the politicians were starting to call them 'The Shark Trio', which made the men chuckle.

Lily had drawn up a bill that all voted in offices, including the Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump, served a term of four years, with a person only allowed to be reelected twice. The Wizengamot was still debating it.

Dumbledore approached Hydrus three times in the Ministry to try and get him to reveal the secret. He left impressed with the young man's fortitude and disappointed he didn't succeed. He had had Alastor on the case, but the ex-Auror came back empty-handed on locating the Potters. He knew they were in Godric's Hollow, but could not find the house. Albus was not giving up yet, he was still so very sure that the prophecy was about young Harry and he would do everything he could to see the boy safe.

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Everything was running smoothly, until one day, mid-December, Sirius came to the Potters for breakfast. He eyes were emotional and his face was grim. He sat despondently in his chair and in a hollow voice said, "Grandfather is dead."

Hydrus dropped his fork and stuttered out, "W…What? That's not right, he has ten years left." An overwhelming sense of guilt assaulted him. Arcturus was right; it was due to his coming back that the man was now dead, he was sure of it. He was confused with the guilty emotion; he thought for sure that he had left feelings like that behind. He would have to go and see his therapist.

"Do they know how?" Lily asked, putting her hand on the guilt-ridden man's arm.

"They said it was the Killing Curse. They thought it was me, but I have an ironclad alibi. I told them it was probably Mum," Sirius said, his shoulders sagging. He had gotten to like the old man during their numerous talks about the family.

He vowed to get his mother before she killed anyone else. He glanced at Hydrus and saw the remorseful face and was in a bit of turmoil. On one hand, Grandfather was right, on the other hand, Hydrus was only trying to keep his parents alive. His thoughts circulated and he settled on not blaming the time traveler. Grandfather knew his mum was after the Blacks, he should have taken them up on the wards.

Remus was going through similar thoughts; it was only his belief that Hydrus wasn't Dark that kept him from saying 'I told you so' that and he could see the time traveler was feeling guilty.

Hydrus suddenly stood. "I have to go," he said, looking at the worried female. "I'll be back soon." He turned to Sirius. "I'm very sorry. I know this is somehow my doing. I'll do my best to find her." He gave a subtle wink, making Sirius raise an eyebrow then realizing what the immortal meant, he gave a weak smile. Then Hydrus left.

Lily watched the byplay and had an idea what it was about. She only hoped it worked, they didn't need another Dark Lord... well, Lady and they still didn't know if she was just going to target family or take it to the populace. "Sirius, are you going to be okay?" she asked, now putting her hand on his arm.

"Yeah, Grandfather and I weren't that close. It just shocked me and all," Sirius said, giving her a small smile. "I honestly didn't think she'd start killing family. I mean, I know she vowed revenge, but I was thinking more along the lines of maiming, stealing or destroying by reputation. After all, she ranted and raved all my life how important family was. So for her to do this comes as a bit of a shock." He ran his hand through his hair. "That woman is batshit crazy."

"You had better watch your back better," warned Remus. "If she murdered your grandfather, then she will have no problem coming after you. You have not been wary enough, what with being at the Ministry and the mall all the time. Is your flat even under the Fidelius?"

"No, I'll get that set up today. Will you be my secret keeper?" Sirius asked, his eyes pleading.

"Of course, we will do it after dinner," Remus answered, putting a hand on his friends shoulder.

"Right, Sirius, sorry for your loss," James said sincerely with sad eyes. "You can stay here under the wards, and do whatever, but we have to go to work," he said, standing and giving his best mate a one armed hug, hoping Sirius didn't think he was being callus.

"Thanks, James, but I'll go home, Mum doesn't know where I live. Plus, Hydrus set up my flat with all the goodies. I think I'll take a day and relax, but I'll be ready to take on those old goats tomorrow." Sirius returned the hug and patting James on the shoulder, telling him he understood.

"Right," James said as he picked up a syrup covered Harry and took him to get ready for the day. The rest went about their own preparations and soon the Potter house was empty.

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Meanwhile, Hydrus went home and called the spirit of Arcturus. The ghost appeared and glared at the Master of Death.

"I told you that you were condemning us," the intact apparition snapped, pointing an accusing finger at the man. He was wearing fine robes, so he must have been awake when he was killed. Walburga must have taken him by surprise.

"What happened?" the immortal asked. "How did she get you? You are a powerful wizard, far more powerful than her." He didn't understand why this man let his guard down.

"I was napping when the wards went off, but they didn't give a warning, so I was not worried. I was waiting for one of the cousins. I thought it had to be him, since I keyed him to the wards for the appointment. She came in and immediately cast the Killing Curse. I didn't even have time to raise my wand. After my demise, she ranted how it was entirely my fault for ruining the Black name, by giving Sirius the Headship," Arcturus recanted in monotone.

"Wait, who was the cousin?" Hydrus asked, thinking perhaps it was that man that let the bitch in.

"It was Yaxley. He wanted to discuss if he could come back into the family now that the Dark Lord is gone," the spirit told him.

"Hmmm, do you think that he let her in?" the Master of Death asked, going over what he knew about Yaxley. He knew the man was a Death Eater, but little else.

"I do not know," Arcturus stated.

"Right, go on," the immortal said with a wave of his hand. "Why didn't you fight or at least be on guard?"

"I did not think I had to. I thought my wards strong enough. I should have known better. I knew that Walburga was after me, but I let myself believe that she would not be able to enter my house. I do not know how she did or if she had help. I did not have time to investigate, before I was brought before Death, who, by the way, is upset with you." His glare increased at the thought that he was dead ten years before his time.

"I am so very sorry. You cannot know the guilt I feel for your loss of life," Hydrus said, running a hand down his face. "I do ask that you try and prevent any other Blacks from being murdered by your daughter-in-law. Find her and haunt her, do whatever it takes so this doesn't happen again."

"She is well hidden, but I will endeavor to do so," Arcturus said with a small bow and he left, not wanting to talk to this man anymore. Master of Death he may be, but the dead Black still felt the immortal was to blame for his premature death.

Hydrus ran a hand down his face and went to work off some of the tension with some Aikido and then meditation. He practiced for an hour and then fell into a light trance. All of this lessened his guilt. He now understood, just how messed up things could be, if he didn't get them back on track. He would need to use all his resources to get her, but he wasn't above breaking the law to stop a war.

That night he went to the Potters and told them what he knew. They all sighed and got back to researching.

Sirius and Remus left to put up the charm and make sure Sirius's flat was completely warded.

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A few days later, Lily went to her meeting with the Flamels. She met them at a small tea shop in London and they sat at one of the inside tables. The French couple looked to be about forty years old. Nicolas was dapper and Perenelle was regal. Lily was shocked; the two looked similar. They both had blond hair and blue eyes, though the man's hair was a dusty blond, while the female's was light blonde. Their eyes were almost silver with the lightness of blue. She wondered if it was the stone that made them that way.

"I can't tell you how honored I am to meet you. Thank you so much for agreeing to see me on the basis of such a vague note," Lily gushed, after introductions were made.

"You said you knew an immortal that needed female companionship. It intrigued us," Nicolas said with a slight French accent, but his English was very good. His wife Perenelle sat to his side, nodding her head in agreement. There was a hint of hopefulness in their blue eyes.

"Yes, though like I stated, I can't tell you who he is," Lily said with a bit of remorse. "However, I can tell you that he did love a mortal and she was lost to him and it hit him hard." She toyed with her napkin, a bit flustered about meeting such important people. It gave her some insight on how people felt when they met her and that made her thoughtful.

"We know of a few other immortals that have suffered the same plight. Living as long as we have, we tend to run into others. We are very publicly known, so they come to find us. We also understand why having a loved one who shares the same life span is important," Nicolas said as he looked fondly at Perenelle. They took each other's hands and leaned in for a chaste kiss.

Lily was happy to see love that withstood the hands of time; it gave her hope for Hydrus. "You said you had a secret you might share with me," the redhead said, regaining their attention and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We insist on a vow zat zis will not be repeated. It truly is not a secret we share with anyone, but we feel zat it might solve one of our own concerns," Perenelle said in a wistful voice with a more of an accent.

"Not a problem," Lily said and recited a vow not to reveal anything she learned from the Flamels.

Nicolas looked at his wife, she looked at him and they had a silent conversation. Perenelle sighed and nodded; she turned her gaze to Lily and said, "We have a daughter and a son. Zey were born immortal and have no need of the Elixir of Life."

"Wow! Really!?" Lily shouted in excitement and then she blushed and lowered her voice. "Sorry. Why have we never heard of them?" she asked with a tilt of her head. This was intriguing news.

"We found out our son was immortal when he died as an infant. He regained his life within a minute. We had to wipe the memories of many people to forget him and then we went into hiding and no one ever knew of his existence. When I taught Albus, my lovely wife made sure that our children remained unseen," the male immortal said, his eyes got a sad look to them as he retold the small tale.

"I am so sorry to hear that," the redhead said.

"Yes, it was a lonely life for our son; he could have no friends and was taught at home. We did everything we could to make it better, but we did not want him to be used by the government. So we hid him. Barring his lonely childhood, he grew up well and is now a successful businessman." Now that voice was laced with pride.

"We have found him a vampire wife and he now knows all the tricks to keep the fact that he is immortal secret. We have yet to find a mate for our daughter," Perenelle took up the tale, though her voice was sad. "When we found I was pregnant again, we were so hopeful that she would not be immortal, but alas, it was not to be so." There were tears brimming her eyes over the plight of her children.

"We now prevent ourselves from having any more children. They both have led very hard lives," Nicolas added, patting his wife's hand.

"I am so very sorry that such a joyful thing like having children has caused you heartache," Lily said sincerely. "I can never understand how hard it must be for them," she added, her thoughts now racing to how Hydrus must feel. "I don't understand something though; you're immortal because of the stone, why do you pity your children?"

"We can die, all we have to do is stop taking the Elixir and zen we will go to sleep and never wake, or we can be murdered. Zey, however, will live forever," Perenelle answered, letting the tears fall.

"Will their children be immortal?"

"They do not know, for they fear to try," Nicolas said with a casual shrug, though it was something that plagued his mind and that of his wife. It was up to the children to find out the answer.

"We also know a few vampires zat are looking to mate," Perenelle said, changing the subject. "We would like to try our daughter first, of course, but zere are other options. Here is what we will do…"

And the trio set about trying to get the younger immortals to meet on the sly, without having to give up any secrets.

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While Lily was planning his wedding, Hydrus was hunting bugs. He popped to the non-magical neighborhood that Rita was in the last time. He went to her flat and knocked on the door. He waited for an answer, but none came. So he zapped the wards and entered the flat.

It looked just like it had before and he cast revealing spells for both insects and humans. The insect spell located five bugs, so he went about stunning them. He was just getting to the third bug, when it scurried out the window. He noted it just in time to realize it was Rita. He ran to the window and continued to try and stun her or add a tracking charm, but she got away.

"Dammit!" he yelled as he slammed his fist on the sill and then ran a hand down his face. He looked around and started gathering up all the papers. It took him an hour to get everything; he'd go through it all tonight. There might be information in them that he didn't know. After all, Rita knew about Pandora before they did, she might know what Walburga was plotting.

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That night, at the Potters, everyone was enjoying a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs that Hydrus cooked. Lily was sporting a smile that made Sirius, Remus and Hydrus wary. Sirius and Remus had seen that smile before and they knew what it meant. Hydrus picked up on their skittish looks and suddenly felt for his own wellbeing. "So, Lily, are you going to tell us what's got you so chipper?" the immortal asked, giving her a suspicious look.

"Oh, nothing," she answered airily, waving her hand in the air and cutting up some of the meatballs for Harry, who was making quite a mess.

"Now, Lily, sweetheart, we've seen that look before. Who's the unl… I mean, the lucky bachelor?" James said with a knowing smile. He grinned at the single men, who continued to shoot the only woman leery looks.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lily said, though that smile didn't leave her face.

The mentioned bachelors groaned. "Please, don't tell me you're going to set me up on a date," the horrified Sirius asked, remembering the last disaster Lily had set up.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," the redhead repeated, though now her smile turned to a frown as she considered her husband's best friends. Maybe she should look into getting all of these men married off. She'd have to talk to Hydrus about who they married last time. With that thought the grin returned.

Sirius groaned again and shot looks at the other single men at the table. They all grimaced at the thought of it. Hydrus, more so, since he was still getting over the loss of Grace. He really hoped Lily wasn't trying to set him up, not yet anyway.

"Well, Sirius, what can you tell us about the Blacks? Are they taking you up on the offer of the wards now?" James said, changing the subject and getting many thankful looks for it.

"Yeah, now that Grandfather has died, they're scared," the dogman stated, still a bit sad over his loss.

The funeral had been huge. Everyone that was related to the Black family had been there, the Crouches, the Flints, the Yaxleys and the Rosiers and just about anyone who had not been disowned and even a few that were, like the senior Weasleys, the Prewett twins and the Tonks. Narcissa even showed, though she kept glaring at Andromeda.

It had snowed, but the ceremony was held indoors, since Grandfather was cremated, as per his request. His ashes now sat in his former home, which two of the older cousins claimed. Sirius had been hoping his mum would sneak in, but if she did she hid herself well.

Lily patted his hand and said, "That is good news. Now they can be protected, at least in their homes. Are they going to wear the portkey bracelets?"

"Yeah, they all have one," he answered, having given them out after the ceremony.

"We should sell those bracelets," Lily suggested, thinking of the safety they would offer.

"We can't, they're slightly illegal. Until the Wizengamot passes a law that says people can make their own portkeys, they can only be used within the Black family, since they were made by a Black. Those old men will never deny pure-bloods the right to safety," Sirius said bitterly, though they were making great headway into overturning many of the biased laws, there were still something's they hadn't been able to touch, like the rights of pure-bloods.

"Oh," was the only answer.

They dropped the heavy conversation and concentrated on dinner. Hydrus volunteered to put the sauce covered Harry to bed.

"Are we any closer to finding out who your mum has working with her? My source hasn't found anything, so I'm at a standstill, though he did say that it might be Yaxley," Hydrus said as he flopped into his chair ten minutes later.

"Yaxley huh, I'll keep an eye on him. Anyway, I called a family meeting after the funeral and warned all of the people who were there that my mum has gone crazy and swore revenge. None of them seemed to know where she was or what she was doing. I questioned Narcissa and she swore that she wasn't working with Mum," Sirius answered, running a hand through his hair. It had been a hard meeting, with many of the family protesting about one of their own having turned on them.

"Judging from the brown-nosing she did in the last timeline, I didn't even think of her," the immortal confessed, which is plain stupid of him. He should doubt everyone.

"Who is your source?" Remus asked.

"Sorry, I can't tell you," Hydrus answered, holding up his hand to stop the protest. "It's one secret I can't share; I can tell you that this… person has my trust. When I can tell you, I will," he promised.

Sirius, James and Lily shared a look, which Remus didn't see; he was too busy glaring at Hydrus.

"I would think in times like this, secrets could be harmful. Were you not the one who stated that Albus was wrong in keeping things from the Order?" he accused with a pointing finger.

"You're right, but unlike Albus's secrets, this has nothing to do with Walburga, well, in so much as she doesn't know about it. I promise you that it doesn't affect you or anyone in this house," Hydrus tried to explain. "Look, Remus, you had such a hard time accepting my time travel, are you sure you want to know all my secrets?"

That gave the werewolf pause, he ran through many thoughts. He had just settled his feelings about Hydrus and there was peace in this group. Did he really want to upset the balance? "Maybe you are right, but if this secret in any way affects me in the future, I want to know about it," he said after a minute with the thought that he might just figure it out on his own.

"You have my word."