Dumbledore gives boxing tips
Sirius Black , Hogwarts Castle, Scotland
I barely registered the sensation of Apparition before my boots hit solid ground. My head was spinning, my breath ragged. The cold night air slapped me in the face, but it wasn’t enough to ground me.
Jasmine stirred in my arms, letting out a faint, tired whimper. I clutched her tighter, my heart hammering against my ribs.
And then I remembered exactly where we were.
Number Four, Privet Drive.
I turned to Dumbledore so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash. “Tell me this is a joke.”
Dumbledore did not, in fact, tell me this was a joke.
Instead, he just stood there, all calm and unbothered, like we weren’t standing outside the house of Petunia bloody Dursley.
“What the hell—” My voice cracked because it had been a long night and I had zero patience left. “Dumbledore, why in Merlin’s name were we outside Petunia’s house?”
Minerva let out a small, pointed cough. "That was my question as well, Albus." She did not look pleased. In fact, she had the distinct expression of a woman seconds away from transfiguring something into a particularly angry cat.
Dumbledore exhaled slowly, adjusting his glasses as though I had asked him to explain the meaning of life. “A remnant of a plan that no longer serves its purpose.”
My eye twitched. I was running out of ways to yell at him.
“What. Plan.”
He hesitated. And tried avoiding my eyes like a child caught red-handed in the cookie jar. And that set my last nerve on fire.
“I had… intended to leave Jasmine with them,” Dumbledore finally admitted.
Everything stopped. The wind, my breathing, my ability to remain a functional human being.
“You what?”
Beside me, Hagrid choked on his own spit. “Yeh planned to leave Lily ‘n’ James’s little girl with them?” His voice rose with every word, shaking the ground beneath us.
Dumbledore, ever the picture of unbothered wisdom, simply nodded. “She would be protected by her mother’s blood.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to say, Kidding! April Fools! You should see your face!
He did not say any of those things.
Instead, he looked serious.
Which was funny, because I was about half a second away from committing murder.
“You were going to leave James and Lily’s daughter,” I began slowly, “with Petunia Dursley. The woman who once told me she wished Lily had been ‘normal’ so she wouldn’t ‘taint the family’?”
Minerva looked at Dumbledore, scandalized. “Albus.”
Dumbledore sighed. He sighed. Like I was the unreasonable one here.
“Sirius, Jasmine is in grave danger,” he said, ever the wise, mystical leader. “She carries the weight of a prophecy. She—”
“She is a baby!” I interrupted, very much done. “She is James’s baby! And you—” I sucked in a sharp breath, trying to suppress the absolute rage bubbling up. “You were going to dump her with a family that thinks magic is a disease?”
Hagrid made an angry, spluttering noise that I think was supposed to be words. McGonagall muttered something that sounded suspiciously like Scottish swearing.
Dumbledore, to his credit, looked the tiniest bit guilty. Good. Sanctimonious bastard.
“I believed isolation would protect her,” he explained, in that patient tone that made me want to throw something. “That keeping her away from the wizarding world, from fame, from expectation, would shield her.”
I let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Oh, Shield Her? Shield Her?” I almost shrieked. “And what about the fact that Petunia once slapped Lily across the face because she floated a spoon when she was six?”
Dumbledore blinked. “Did she really?”
“YES!”
“Well, that is… concerning.”
“CONCERNING?!”
Jasmine let out a sleepy murmur, and I immediately shut up.
Dumbledore studied me for a long moment before speaking again, his voice softer. “Sirius, do you know why I changed my mind?”
I crossed my arms, still very much not over this. “Please, enlighten me.”
“Because I saw you tonight.”
I squinted at him. “Yeah, I was there. Fantastic observation, Albus.”
Dumbledore’s lips twitched, but he pressed on. “You swore on your magic for her. You steadied Minerva when she doubted you. You are not the reckless youth I once knew—you are a man who has suffered, who has lost, but who still loves.”
My throat tightened.
"You know what?" I said, utterly fed up. “This is exactly why James, Lily, and I decided not to tell you about the secret swap.”
I watched as Dumbledore’s face whitened.
I turned to walk away.
Dumbledore started to speak in a quiet voice. “I have made this mistake before, Sirius. Once, I thought isolating someone I loved would protect them. I was wrong then. And I nearly made the same mistake again.”
Something about the way he said it—about the way his voice wavered, just slightly—made me hesitate.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“My sister, Ariana.” His voice was quiet, barely louder than the wind. “She was different. Vulnerable. My family hid her away, thinking it was for the best. It destroyed us all.”
I inhaled sharply.
“That’s no bloody excuse”
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling through my nose. I looked down at Jasmine, at the way she had curled into me despite the cold. My heart ached.
I had nearly lost everything tonight.
And Dumbledore had nearly stolen the last piece of James and Lily I had left.
I turned around and I swallowed hard. “So… what now?”
Dumbledore’s eyes softened. “Now, my dear boy,” he said with a small smile, “you go home.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
He gave me an expectant look.I looked at Jasmine, then back at him. “Right. And, uh… where, exactly, is ‘home’?”
Dumbledore’s smile faltered. “Ah.”
“AH?!”
He gave a sheepish grin.
Jasmine let out a tiny, adorable coo.
I groaned, rubbing my face. “Dumbledore, I swear on Merlin’s purple polka-dotted pants—”
“Those do not exist.”
“They do in my mind, and that’s what matters,” I grumbled. “Look, I appreciate your great epiphany about not abandoning Jazzy to a family that would probably make her sleep in a broom cupboard, but I still have no bloody idea what I’m supposed to do now.”
And then the Floo turned green and out-tumbled Remus.
Remus, bless him, did not notice me, Hagrid, or Minerva. “Headmaster, I have the report on the werewolves. They seemed to have backed off for some stran—Sirius, what are you doing here?”
I, however, was too consumed by anger.
I strode to Remus and transferred Jasmine to him.
“Sirius, wha—?”
WHAM.
My fist flew and socked Dumbledore in the face.
McGonagall gasped so hard she sprouted whiskers.
Hagrid shouted, “Merlin’s BEARD, SIRIUS!”
Dumbledore staggered back, rubbing his jaw. “Ah. I… suppose I deserved that.”
I seethed. “WHY? Is it not enough that Lily and James are gone? You even want Remus gone? How many more should die for your stupid cause, because you keep looking at the bigger picture and forget that smaller pictures exist?!”
Silence.
Remus, who had been looking at me, at Jasmine, and at Dumbledore with growing confusion, suddenly went very still. His eyes widened.
“What… what do you mean Lily and James are gone?”
His voice was barely a whisper, but it shattered the night like glass.
Remus Lupin, Hogwarts Castle, Scotland
No. No, I must’ve misheard.
I turned to Sirius, my throat suddenly dry. “What do you mean?” My voice came out weak. I hated it.
Sirius swallowed hard, looking at me like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world. Like I was a bomb about to go off.
“Sirius.” My hands trembled as I clutched the tiny, warm weight in my arms. Jasmine. James’s daughter. Lily’s daughter. A living, breathing piece of them.
He wasn’t answering.
I took a step forward, shaking my head. “No. No, that’s not— I just saw James last week. He was laughing. He—he said he was thinking of growing a beard.” My voice broke. “Lily told me I looked like a scruffy dog, and James said he’d grow one just to match—”
Sirius squeezed his eyes shut. His hands curled into fists.
Dumbledore, still rubbing his jaw (which was starting to bruise, I noticed with grim satisfaction), exhaled. “Remus, my boy…”
I whirled on him. “Don’t.” My breath hitched. “Don’t you dare say it. Headmaster you have done enough.”
Hagrid, silent until now, sniffled. His massive shoulders shook.
McGonagall turned away, her fingers pressed to her lips.
It was real.
I clutched Jasmine tighter. “How?” The word barely made it past my lips.
Sirius swallowed. “Voldemort.”
A sharp, strangled sound left me—part sob, part broken laugh. “Oh. Oh, well, of course.” My voice was shaking now. I couldn’t stop it. “Because why would we ever get a happy ending?”
Sirius flinched. I barely noticed.
I needed to move. Needed to do something, fix something. My brain was screaming at me that this was wrong, impossible—James and Lily shouldn’t be dead, they had to be—
But then Jasmine let out a tiny, drowsy murmur against my chest.
And suddenly it crashed like a rogue wave on me.
I staggered back, breath coming in short, gasping bursts. I felt like I was drowning.
Sirius reached for me, his face etched with grief. “Moony—”
I jerked away. “Don’t.”
He froze.
I sucked in a sharp breath, my whole body trembling. “You… you were their Secret-Keeper.” My voice was hoarse. “You promised me they’d be safe.”
Sirius inhaled sharply, and for the first time, I noticed how wrecked he looked. His hair was a mess. His eyes red and dried tear tracks. His hands shook at his sides.
“I—” He looked away. His throat bobbed. “It wasn’t me.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “It wasn’t me, Moony.”
Something cold curled in my gut. “Then who was it?”
Sirius’s jaw clenched. He stared at the ground like he couldn’t bear to look at me. “Peter.”
The world tilted again.
Peter. Peter Pettigrew.
Our Silly Peter.
The one James had trusted.
“No.” I shook my head, taking a step back. “No, that— That doesn’t—”
Sirius finally looked at me, his gray eyes burning.
“It was Peter.” His voice was raw, cracked open like a wound. “He sold them out. He betrayed them.” His breath hitched. “It should’ve been me.”
I stared at him, my entire body cold.
“I can attest to that, Mr. Lupin,” McGonagall confirmed. “He swore an unbreakable vow.”
Hagrid muttered, “Tha’ little rat…”
Dumbledore bowed his head.
And me?
I could only stand there, Jasmine’s warmth pressed against my chest feeling like I was in a horror movie Lily showed us. Except it’s not a movie, is it?
James and Lily are gone.
Peter was the traitor.
Sirius. Sirius—who had looked at me like I was the traitor—standing here, broken, telling me it should’ve been him.
I felt sick.
Jasmine whimpered softly against my chest, tiny fingers curling into my robes. I clutched her tighter, like holding onto her could somehow ground me. Could somehow make sense of this nightmare.
I turned back to Sirius, heart hammering, trying to make sense of the war playing out in his storm-grey eyes.
“You—” My voice came out rough, unsteady. “You thought it was me.”
Sirius flinched.
That was all the answer I needed.
My breath shuddered out of me. “You—” I let out a short, humorless laugh. “You switched Secret-Keepers. And you didn’t tell me.”
Sirius exhaled, jaw clenched tight. “I—”
I laughed again, sharp and bitter. “Merlin, Sirius. Did you even consider telling me? Or did you just assume I’d run straight to Voldemort?”
His lips parted—maybe to argue, maybe to apologize—but I wasn’t done.
“You let me think it was you,” I whispered, voice raw. “You let everyone think it was you. Why?”
Sirius exhaled sharply, looking away. “Because I deserve it.”
My stomach twisted.
“Deserve what?” My voice shook. He was always like this .stupid maschosistic , self serving Bastard.
His hands balled into fists, his entire body taut like he was barely holding himself together. “Everything. The blame. The punishment. All of it.” He took a step closer, eyes desperate. “Because if I’d been smarter, if I’d been less paranoid, I would’ve seen it.” His breath hitched. “I would’ve saved them.”
Silence.
McGonagall let out a soft, broken sound. Hagrid sniffled into his sleeve. Even Dumbledore looked old, so very old.
I stared at Sirius, my throat tight. “You don’t deserve it,” I said finally, voice rough. “You don’t deserve Azkaban. Peter does.”
His expression crumpled. “Moony—”
I shook my head sharply. No. He didn’t get to call me that anymore.
I exhaled shakily. “You do deserve to know what it feels like to be doubted.” My voice was cold. “To have someone you love look at you and assume the worst.”
Sirius inhaled sharply. He looked like I had just punched him.
Good.
I swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in my throat.
“We need to figure out where we’re going,” I muttered, looking down at Jasmine.
Sirius blinked at me. “What?”
I let out a shaky breath. “We can’t stay here. You punched Dumbledore. McGonagall looks five seconds away from cursing Albus. And Hagrid—” I glanced at the half-giant, who was still sniffling into his sleeve. “—is going to flood the damn castle.”
Hagrid gave an apologetic shrug. “’S a lot ter take in.”
Sirius, to my mild surprise, huffed out a soft laugh. It was barely there, but it was something.
I met his gaze. “Where are we going?”
Sirius hesitated, eyes flickering between me and Jasmine. Then, slowly, he squared his shoulders.
“Home,” he said firmly.
I raised an eyebrow. “And where’s home?”
Sirius looked me dead in the eye. “Wherever she’s safe.”
Oh, now he chooses to trust me. He would tell me later.Not in front of Headmaster.
For the first time in hours, the overwhelming weight of grief loosened, if only just a little.
Sirius Black , Hogwarts Castle, Scotland
As we stood there, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife, Dumbledore suddenly cleared his throat.
“Ah, Sirius,” he said, rubbing his jaw where I’d punched him. “I must say, your right hook has improved since your Hogwarts days.”
I blinked. “What?”
He gave me a small, almost mischievous smile. “Back then, you were more of a left-hook kind of fellow. I see you’ve been practicing.”
I stared at him, utterly baffled. “Are you… are you giving me boxing tips right now?”
Dumbledore shrugged, his eyes twinkling. “One must always be prepared, my dear boy. Even in the face of tragedy.”
McGonagall let out an exasperated sigh. “Albus, for Merlin’s sake, this is not the time.”
“Quite right, Minerva,” Dumbledore said, nodding sagely. “Perhaps we should adjourn to my office. I have a rather excellent stash of lemon drops that might help soothe our nerves.”
I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I can’t believe this. I just punched the most powerful wizard in the world, and he’s offering me candy.”
Remus, still holding Jasmine, let out a small, incredulous laugh. “This is the most surreal night of my life.”
“Seconded,” I muttered.
Dumbledore clapped his hands together, as if we’d all just agreed to a lovely picnic. “Excellent! To my office, then. And Sirius, do try not to punch anyone else on the way. I’m afraid my jaw can only take so much.”
I rolled my eyes. “No promises.”
As we made our way to the castle, Jasmine let out a tiny sneeze, and Hagrid immediately whipped out a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth.
“Bless yeh, little one,” he said, dabbing at her nose with the utmost care.
I couldn’t help but smile, despite everything."Thanks Hagrid"
He nodded, his eyes misty. “Anytime, Remus. Anytime.”
I looked at Remus walking ahead with Hagrid's arm on his shoulder.And for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt a glimmer of hope.We were a mess—broken, grieving, and utterly ridiculous—but we were together. And maybe, just maybe, that would be enough.