951A bang filled the air and not even an afterimage remained of the gaudy triple decker bus. So close yet so far. He had stolen a glimpse of the single most important thing left in his life. Yet that was all that he had managed. He had missed an opportunity to get closer to his godson. Yet it was enough to give him hope, despite the anger he still felt after observing how his charge was being treated. He would protect his charge from the rat, even if it cost him his life . . . his very soul. Harry would be protected.
He slunk from the shadows that hid his black canine form. It was pointless but he wanted to savor the scent of his recently-present family, an indulgence that. if he had ever dared dream of it, would have been sucked away by the prison guards. Like so many of his happy thoughts, the memory of how the pup smelt had been stolen from him. He was so absorbed in sniffing the ground, eagerly taking in the meager offerings presented, that he wasn't aware of the man walking up behind him until he spoke.
"Good, you're here," the heavily-built man wheezed, causing the dog to yelp and scuttle forward a few feet with his tail between his legs before turning to face the interloper.
Growling deep in his throat, the large emaciated grim that was Sirius Black, took another couple wary steps backward.
"Don't go." the man said, practically collapsing as he sat down hard on the sidewalk. His abrupt action caused the paper bag he was carrying to crinkle loudly, drawing attention to the accessory. Sirius' ears perked up as he sniffed the air, well aware of what the bag must contain.
"Yeah, I got burgers," the man said, still wheezing. "I figured you'd like a meal while we wait for the cab."
Instead of being lured in by the promise of food, Sirius took another step backward.
"Don't run," the man pleaded. "I'm here to help. Um, I vow I plan to do no good. No, that's not right. I vow I'm up to no good. Bloody hell, I should have paid more attention."
That was just about the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back, Sirius turned, getting ready to make a run for it.
"Blimey!" the man stage whispered. "I'm from the future and I'm here to help. Get your arse out of the street and get over here and listen."
Sirius froze like a statue, still eyeing the man suspiciously.
"Harry said you would trust me when I told you that phrase. Er, I solemnly vow that I will do no good? Not that it doesn't sound counterproductive to me, telling someone you want to trust you that you plan nothing good." There was incredulity in the man's voice now. "Listen, we don't have time for games. This is going to kill me soon, so you need to keep your mouth shut, get over here, and make sure the world doesn't go to hell. I've got a list of things for you to do. So, are you going to . . ." The man stopped talking to take a deep, pain-filled breath. "My name is Dudley. Hermione figured out that you can't send someone with magic back in time. Don't ask me why, but the fact they sent me should tell you just how messed up things are going to get."
Sirius continued to stare at the man, undecided.
"I need you to protect your godson," Dudley said as a last-ditch plea. That was the magic phrase as Sirius came forward to sit a few feet from the man, still wary, but attentive.
"Good." Dudley unfolded the bag still in his grasp. "The most important thing I have to tell you is don't trust Dumbledore. When I left, they were still arguing over whether his intentions were good or not, but they all agreed that following his lead was the stupidest thing they have ever done. He will let countless innocents suffer and die, something, you cannot afford in a war of attrition. They did a lot of bickering on the subject, but they all insist not to trust him."
Sirius gave a warning growl, neither liking nor believing what he was hearing.
"Don't bite the messenger." Dudley pulled a paper-wrapped burger from the bag. "I never knew the man, so I haven't got an opinion, but from what I understand, there are a lot of things he did wrong and whatever his plans were, Harry's best interests were at best a distant concern."
Sirius woofed darkly at Dudley even as he watched the man unwrap the burger.
"I'm not arguing with you on the subject." Dudley rolled his eyes. "Secondly, don't go after Peter yourself. If you do, he will get away and bring back the Dark Lord. Then, we'll all suffer." He grunted, dropping the burger to hold his head between his hands. Closing his eyes and leaking tears he said, "I'm a time traveler; I'm changing things. When I do, it hurts, and it will kill me. You need to listen. You need to save my daughter; I've lost her once already."
Sirius watched Dudley flop back onto the sidewalk with another grunt. The dropped burger was devoured before the next words were spoken. "Write a letter to Mrs. Bones, then wait a couple days before writing open letters to your newspapers, magazines, and wireless stations. You're sure to protect Harry that way, instead of waiting around for your chance to swoop in and play the hero."
Sirius pulled his head out of the bag, with another burger in his mouth. "Wuf!" was his answer to the suggestion.
"Don't be a dumb arse," Dudley said, still lying on his back.
"Woof?" asked Sirius.
"No, I can't understand you, but we both know that sentence still applies. I'm here to tell you the smart things to do that'll work with the least risk."
"Woof!" The menace transcended languages.
Weakly, Dudley pointed at his own chest. "Messenger. Remember? Third, you are to take out Umbitch by any means necessary, even if you're not exactly being legal about it. Fourth, you are to find the bones of Tom's father and douse them with the potion that constantly drains his magic. For that ask Harry and check your library you'll have the time."
"Woof." Sirius said around a mouthful of burger that wasn't exactly devoid of paper.
"Talking hurts." Dudley grunted. "Next, you need to be a lord. Drag Andromeda and her daughter back into the family using the 'I'm protecting them whether they like it or not' thingy and immediately invoke something or other to marry the daughter to Harry."
"Woof?" Sirius had finished off the burgers.
"Contract." Dudley winced. "It's getting hard to think. There's a contract. Being his wife means she'll be his guardian and there is nothing what's-his-name can do about it . . . Magical guardian. She can get Harry away from my parents. Don't hurt them, by the way. I know they seem like they deserve it, but . . . just don't hurt them."
Sirius' only reply was a deep growl.
"Consider it my last request," Dudley said in a defeated tone.
Silence prevailed until a car pulled up to the curb. "Oi," the driver called. "Did you call fer a cab?"
Groaning, Dudley sat up. "Yeah, that's me," he said before dragging himself onto his feet.
The cabbie eyed him cautiously. "I hope yer not planning on letting that mutt shed all over my back seat."
In response, Dudley pulled a wad of bills out of his pocket. Without looking to see what he was doing, he peeled off two fifty-pound notes and tossed them through the open window. "You'll get the rest when we are in London," he said, opening the rear door to let said mutt clamber onto said back seat."
Frowning, the cabbie pressed his luck. "This here ain't no zoo. I don't carry filthy animals."
Dudley sat down next to the dog. "I'm not in the mood. Don't make me let him eat you; I'm also not in the mood to drive all the way to London."
"I don't take kindly to no . . ." the cabbie started but was cut off when the large dog let out a snarling growl. Noting just how yellow the animal's teeth were, the cabbie thought of a better argument. "That's a long trip; you have to pay fer both ways, since I have to drive back afterwards."
"Well get to driving." Dudley leaned back and closed his eyes.
"Right gov, it's yer money," the cabbie said, defeated.
"Speaking of money." Dudley addressed the dog. "You need to call in all of the loans your cousin has authorized against your accounts. Every one of them is in default."
The dog whined at him.
The ride had been one for the record books. The cabbie wasn't sure what the man was on, but it was a damn sight more impressive than alcohol. Either that, or the man had aspirations of being an author, not that the cabbie had engaged the man in conversation. No, the idiot was lecturing at his dog, almost nonstop. Surprisingly, the animal was trained to give a small bark or whine at all the right places. What's more, it appeared to be as disturbed as he was by the dystopian picture the man was painting.
"Remember, you cannot give second chances to people who torture and kill children. There is only a slim chance that they will reform and become productive members of society. The more likely outcome is that the first chance they think they can get away with it, you'll end up with more tortured and dead children."
"Wuf."
"Don't give in to that 'being better than them' rot. Innocent people are more important than moral high ground."
"Wuf."
"Some people forfeit their right to be part of society by their actions. They need to be put down like dogs."
"Arf!"
"Sorry, poor choice of words. They need to be exterminated like the rats they are."
"Wuf."
"I thought you'd like that better. It needs to be said that they don't see worth in other people, just look at the way they treat the g . . . er, bankers."
"Wuf."
The cabbie decided to interject into the conversation at this point. "I'm going to have to agree with them on that point. Bankers ain't exactly people, crooks the lot of them."
"Bankers are people, too," the man in the back stated. "They have families and loved ones; besides they don't go 'round killing indiscriminately."
"When was the last time you talked to a banker?" the cabbie quipped before directing a question at the dog. "Isn't that right boy?"
"Arf!"
"Did your dog just make a so-so gesture with its paw?"
"No."
"I can only see parts in my rear view, but that sure looked like a so-so gesture to me."
"It was your imagination."
"Why are you defending bankers, anyway?"
"I was trying to make the point that some people don't see value in anyone but their limited circle of peers."
"Can't argue with you there. I'm just saying you might want to choose something else besides bankers fer that analogy."
"It got my point across," the man said stubbornly.
"I'm not sure it didn't muddy it horribly. The way I see it, the only ones worse fer that example would be solicitors."
"Wuf."
"That was a so-so gesture. Don't think I didn't catch it that time."
"He's just messing with you now."
The cabbie looked in his rear view and could have sworn the dog was grinning at him. "Um, here's your stop gov. I can't say it hasn't been entertaining."
Unlike their muggle counterparts, goblins did not hold to bankers' hours. Or rather, their banking hours were when there wasn't an interesting battle going on somewhere nearby. In other words, the doors of Gringotts did not close when the neighboring shops shut down for the evening. This was a fact that Dudley took advantage of when he staggered up to a teller's counter well after what anyone would have considered a reasonable hour.
The goblin behind the counter watched the large human stumble closer, helped along by a large dog. Sneering, the teller asked, "How may Gringotts help you today?"
"Good evening, please get Sawtooth and have him meet with us immediately; it is urgent."
The teller did not miss the fact that the human had said 'us' and assumed the dog was a familiar. "Why should I waste the time of one of our senior account managers?"
"Save us both the headache. You and I know that Sawtooth is on constant call for certain transactions, and you do not want to be the one responsible for delaying the reactivation of certain accounts."
The teller leaned over his counter to take a closer look at the canine standing patiently next to the man before staring the human in the eyes. He quickly came to a decision. "Follow me," he said gruffly; there was too little business at this hour to justify having a runner on call.
Not looking over his shoulder to see if he was being followed, the teller set a slow pace into the back of the bank. He wasn't about to humor the clearly injured human but it would be a waste of his time to backtrack when the invalid fell behind. In short order, he led the pair into a lavishly decorated office. "Wait here," he commanded before hurrying away.
After the goblin had left, the man groaned, walked over and collapsed into one of the chairs sitting in front of the opulent desk. "You might as well change," he said to Sirius. "It'll make things easier on everybody."
The dog shook itself before standing up as a crazy-looking man dressed in filthy rags. "It's going to get bad," he stated unequivocally.
"That's what I'm here to prevent. Harry doesn't want your death on his conscience this time around."
Sirius thought for a second before responding. "I won't fail my godson again."
"Then, you need to think before you react. Don't hold back your resources just because Dumbledore tells you it would be wise; you're just handing the enemy the advantage that way. And, they won't hesitate to do you harm."
"You really don't like him, do you?"
"Never met him. I've only heard of him in passing. Hermione despises him while Harry idolizes him but admits it's not a good idea to go along with his plans."
"You've mentioned that name before. Who's Hermione?"
"She's the one who has always been there for your godson. I can tell you I trust her judgment more than my cousin's. She's right more often than not."
"I don't know if I can trust her if she doesn't trust Dumbledore," Sirius admitted.
"You'd be better off choosing her over Dumbledore any day of the week," Dudley countered. "You are sadly mistaken if you think Dumbledore cares about you in any way."
"Like you said, you don't know the headmaster."
"I've heard stories. When you get the chance, ask Harry about his time at Hogwarts. He's only had a couple years at this point but trust me, it gets worse. Hermione says it was always Dumbledore's plan for Harry to die."
"I can't believe that." Sirius shook his head.
"You are to look at his actions and lack of actions while ignoring his words."
"I'll keep that in mind." Sirius took the seat next to Dudley. "You know Andi is going to be furious if I do what you told me to do."
"Let her be what she wants." Dudley sighed. "She'll be happier for it because her daughter will survive this time."
"Little Nymphie died?" Sirius asked, aghast.
"Alongside Remus."
"Bloody hell," Sirius said. "What about Peter? Please tell me I at least got the rat before I died."
"No, you didn't," Dudley said seriously. "Because you rushed in, Peter was almost the death of Harry."
Sirius' face darkened. "I'll kill the bastard."
"What did I just get done telling you? Do it right, and the Ministry will take care of him for you. Otherwise . . ." Dudley let his last word trail off.
A few minutes of silence let the message sink in before Sirius said, "Harry must trust you a lot sending you back like this. You must have been close growing up."
"No, the choices were limited. It boiled down to me or Dean's younger sister. Rosie was almost the one to be here with you. She would have been too, if she still had her legs. There was a fear that mobility might be an issue." Dudley sighed. "I used to be someone nobody could like. I could lay blame elsewhere, but the truth is undeniable."
"You have regrets."
"More than a plateful. I don't think I can ever fully make amends."
"I can relate."
"We'll do what we can to be better," Dudley said.
"You have my word on that."
"That's all I can ask."
Silence reigned for a while.
"The goblins have healers, I'm sure they can do something, you don't have to die."
Dudley sighed. "No, they can't. I knew how this would end before making the trip."
More silence.
"Thank you." Sirius finally said.
"Just save my wife and daughter."
"Wife?"
"Dean's eldest sister; she didn't make it."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. A lot of people didn't make it. That's why I'm here."
Sirius raised a questioning eyebrow at the other man.
Dudley sighed. "I never deserved her. She was wonderful. She deserved so much better than me."
"You do realize if you never got together, your daughter would never have been born?"
Dudley was saved from answering as the door to the office opened and a well-dressed goblin strode in. Originally, there was a scowl on the goblin's face but as soon as he caught sight of Sirius it turned into a fierce grin. Without a word, the small creature marched behind his desk and took his seat. As soon as he was settled, he said, "I am pleased to see you Mr. Black. There is much we need to discuss. Do you want privacy or is your companion to stay in the room?"
"He can stay, Manager Sawtooth," Sirius said.
"Before you get started," Dudley interrupted, "Grindsand made me promise that as soon as I saw you, I was to tell you that in two years' time you are to take the Far-gul-an-a-tha to level red." As he spoke this sentence, the look of increasing pain spread across his face and his hands were holding his head by the end.
For his part, the look of shock spread across Sawtooth's own features and the goblin fell out of his seat. "Do you realize the significance of the words you just spoke?" The goblin defied stereotypes and sounded shrill as he made the demand.
"Not really," Dudley said. "I'm just a messenger. Grindsand wanted to get me to memorize some gibberish but in the end said that the authorizations were generated procedurally and with time travel being involved there was a chance I'd invoke the cleanup procedures instead of properly completing the task. He may have also made some disparaging comments about my lack of ability to remember important phrases."
"I can vouch for that last part at least," Sirius said.
Sawtooth's head popped over the top of his desk. "Time travel? Wait don't answer that, of course with Grindsand it would be time travel. Stay here and don't move." With those words he rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind himself.
Sirius looked at the man clutching his head in agony. "Are you okay?"
"No; this bloody hurts."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No."
"You should know, I've never heard of a goblin acting like Sawtooth just did. That has to be worth something," Sirius said.
Dudley just groaned as he nodded.
"Um . . . I never did thank you for the food earlier. I know it's not really significant on top of everything else, but it was the first decent meal I've had in a long time."
"Uh huh," Dudley commented.
"I think you just wacked a hornet's nest."
"Uh huh."
"You're likely to get a mention in Binn's class for starting the next goblin war," Sirius clarified.
"It'll be worth it if we can sic them on the pureblood bastards."
"I don't think they will be that picky with their targets," Sirius said. "They don't fight children though, so I don't have to worry about Harry."
"Sirius." Dudley's voice was pain filled.
"Yes?"
"I'm sure there is blank paper on that desk. Why don't you get started on that letter to the Bones woman?"
"Yeah, I'll do that."
He was more than halfway finished when Sawtooth reentered followed by another younger goblin.
"Grindsand." Dudley perked up, but didn't leave his seat.
"Shut up," the second goblin said, producing a pendent which he held out and started studying intensely.
"I can't," Dudley said. "You died protecting my family. I need to tell you that I got your son to your brother like you asked. You died honorably and I name you friend as you once did me."
"I said shut up," Grindsand snapped. "Every word you utter changes the past, our present. You only have so much potential to do so; don't waste it on personal trivialities."
"But."
"My friend," Grindsand said in an almost formal voice, "I understand; now be quiet."
"Well?" asked Sawtooth.
Still looking at his pendant, Grindsand said, "He's authentic; he even has my magic on him. This was only theoretical this morning."
"We need to get the chief. He'll want to be awakened for this." Sawtooth grunted.
"No." Grindsand ignored Sawtooth's disapproving look. "We need to inform him of what happens here, but we also need to minimize this human's interactions with influential individuals. Having him talk to Ragnarok would be an immense drain on the time he has left, something that may be better spent elsewhere."
"He is dying then?" Sawtooth asked.
"No; he is ceasing to be as his future becomes less likely. I would have had no part in this if it were not critical that I do so." Turning to Dudley he asked, "You were sent with a list of tasks to be completed?"
Dudley nodded.
"I am going to assume that individuals more intelligent than you compiled that list."
Dudley frowned but nodded again.
"Those tasks are the reason that Mr. Black is here today?"
Dudley nodded.
"Good; you can remember to remain quiet." He turned to the other human in the room. "Mr. Black, you need to write down anything this human has told you to do. The weight of the nation shall be put behind any objective he has set for you."
"He said the first thing I need to do is become a lord," Sirius said, "which is going to be hard since my mother kicked me out of the Black family."
"That will be easier than you think," Sawtooth said, producing a box that he had taken the time to retrieve while out of the room. "Your grandfather never disowned you and in fact had named you his heir." He opened the box to reveal a heavy silver ring bearing the Black family crest. "This was already on the agenda for the evening."
Sirius eyed the ring with more than a little distaste. With a sigh, he reached for the proffered piece of jewelry. "I'm going to have to rewrite my letter to Madam Bones from scratch."
The woman snuggled closer to her husband as she tried to ignore the sounds of tapping on glass. It was much too late to be receiving messages, and she did not want to leave her warm bed.
"It doesn't seem to be willing to stop anytime soon," Ted Tonks said sleepily.
"You get it," Andromeda suggested.
"You're closer," Ted countered.
With a sigh, Andromeda threw back the covers, pausing only to put on some slippers before making her way toward the bedroom window.
"Gah!" Ted gasped. "You didn't need to let in the cold air."
"If I have to suffer, so should you." Andromeda smirked, opening the window to let the owl in. "It's a Gringotts owl," she informed her husband.
"That explains why it was so impatient," Ted grumbled, sitting up. "For me?"
"No." Andromeda used a lumos on the tip of her wand to examine the envelope the owl had just delivered. "It's addressed to me."
"It must be important to come so late; the owl doesn't seem willing to wait for a decent hour."
"I can't imagine what they would want with me that couldn't wait until morning." Andromeda echoed the sentiment as she opened the envelope. A few seconds later a soft gasp was heard.
"What is it?" Ted's voice was tinged with worry.
"Sirius somehow managed to take the lordship of the House of Black," Andromeda said. "How'd he manage that? Convicted criminals can't claim headship!"
"He did what?"
"He's now Lord Black," Andromeda reiterated. "The Minister is going to throw a wobbly over that."
"Do you realize what this means?"
"Heads are going to roll." Andromeda nodded her head as she continued reading.
"That's putting it mildly." Ted shuffled out of bed to stand behind his wife.
"He's called us back into the family," Andromeda said. "My dowry is already in our vaults."
"How can he do that?" Ted asked. "He'd need your acceptance."
"Apparently not if he has our safety and wellbeing in mind when he does so and magic accepts it." Andromeda said, searching her being and finding her connection to the Black's magic right back where she had last felt it. A sad smile crossed her lips as she felt the warmth she had thought lost to her forever. "It's there," she whispered. "I'm a Black again."
Ted closed his eyes, thinking of the upheaval this news was going to stir. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he failed to notice his wife had gone back to reading the letter.
"Ted?" Andromeda asked after a minute.
"Yes, dear?"
"Do you remember what the reward was for capturing Sirius?"
"I can't remember offhand. Why?"
"Because I am going to kill him, and I figured I might as well get paid for doing it."
"It can't be that bad." Ted frowned
"It is, and I need to hurry and find him before Nymphadora does or there won't be anything left of him to show my displeasure on."
A/N: Here we go, the start of a new story. Yes, I know I should concentrate on my main project, but sometimes you need to branch out a bit and explore different outlets for your imagination. SO, instead of taking up cross stitching, I've decided to publish a short little series with maybe seven chapters. On that note, when we get to chapter twenty, don't be surprised when I come back here and edit this bit out.