Rumors of a Runaway
Sirius POV
He sat quietly in The Room alone now.
Regulus had magically sent off a note earlier that slipped into Narcissa's room she had brought them to several hours later, after ensuring Sirius's Mauraders had changed back with no (seemingly) side affects. The five had then gone their way back to their daily schedule. Each coming up with excuses for their absences.
They had all collectively decided Sirius would be kept separate until cleared by Euphemia herself.
He wasn't a fan of this, but he could concede in the intellectual part of the plan. The plan? Sirius had disappeared. Had up and left the hospital wing without the other three, and just vanished. James, Remus, and Peter would head off to Minerva and beg for a search immediately saying he had run out of the hospital wing distressed by his tail. Regulus would confirm he had spoken to his brother on the third floor while walking to his class, thus being delayed enough Reggie had decided to go to the library after and skip History with Binns. Narcissa conjured the story that she had seen Sirius while in the Owlery. He had then stuck her feet to the floor and ran off. It had taken her some time to get the right anti-charm to work since she had not thought he'd use a darker version of the curse from their family libary and thus would head to the hosptial wing for a pepper up since she was exhausted from the ordeal. They would not find him til he wished to be found. Narcissa had disillusioned the door upon her leave after explaining how the room worked.
Thankfully Regulus and Narcissa had no idea that the Mauraders had a map, and thus, it was difficult to hide his amusement at the idea of them ever losing one another while in Hogwarts but the castle still had its secrets yet undiscovered so perhaps not all that impossible. But he refrained from mentioning that.
James would come back on Saturday, miraculously "find Sirius" and in the interim... the Potters would approach the Blacks with a formal marriage proposal. In the meantime, he just had to wait for Mrs. Potter to return. The fireplace was blazing merrily and he had redressed himself into a clean set of clothes the room had provided and the underwear he had been gifted.
They felt fantastic. Clean. Magic dispersed the blood immediately and he was fairly sure that there were charms of some sort in place to ease his cramps. As they had been steadily getting worse before he had gotten dressed.
He took several calming breaths. He was going to tamper down the hope trying to flurry in his chest. Because while he believed in The Potters... he also believed in the capability of the Blacks bringing him nothing but Misery. He had known his Great Aunt had married into the Potter family, but he and James had never discussed it. It was simply an arbitrary fact. He had never met Dorea, and James uncle Charlus had not been around since his very early years.
He sat staring into the fire trying to remember why, but again - it wasn't discussed much if at all and so no memory came forth. He had no idea Euphemia and Dorea had been girlhood friends.
He wondered if she had struggled with her identity after discovering her status with puberty. He had learned to keep those thoughts boxed up under his occlumency shields. He might not have been great at the mind magics his father had tried to teach him, but certainly he had grasped enough of it to take this Trauma Topic and shove it deep down. Locked away.
So he continued to stare at the fire. And distracted himself with daydreaming about James. He had done his best to hide those feelings, best he could. But here he was now with the understanding James had shared those feelings all along.
He was sure Lily wasn't just a passing fancy though. And he was unsettled in the idea that James might eventually wish he had never chosen Sirius over her. Heirs were considered amongst the pureblood the Absolutely Most Sacred part of cultivating bonds between families. Lineage of the Lords had been drilled into him since before he could talk.
Without a child, you were worthless. The very thought he could doom James, kill off his family line, terrifying.
He would have to talk to Lily. See if she would prefer he step aside. He would if she asked, for James sake.
If you asked anyone in this school if the word selfish fit Sirius Black, they'd say yes, in a heartbeat.
He would agree. But when it comes to James Potter, he would die for him first before putting him in harms way.
The flames burned green, interrupting his thoughts before Euphemia herself was talking with her head in the fire. "Sirius, darling. Come through the floo to Gringotts. Simply say "Wrathclaw's Office" before stepping through. I think we have our answer!"
He took a breath. Said clearly his destination and walked through and into the office to see Euphemia, Fleamont and two strangers. Though the woman was so achingly familiar it was like looking in a mirror that had magically aged him up 40 years. And put him in a dress.
Which was bloody weird, frankly.
Her long black hair was put back in a French braid, and her dark purple robed dress was silky and framed her physique in a fashion that Sirius had never seen before. His Mother would have most definitely called it immodest despite her being definitely covered by every definition of the idea of modesty (no ankles, no chest, no hint of skin despite the face). She didn't look at all her age.
Their staring contest (sizing each other up) was interrupted moments later "Incredible. He is the spitting image of you, mon cher!"
Sirius looked over and saw none other than a someone who didn't look like Fleamont, or James, but certainly must have been Charlus by deduction. "This is my brother, Charlus."
"How come you two don't look a bit alike?" Sirius asked bluntly... immediately distracted from his Aunt.
"I'm the bastard love child of our father and a muggle barmaid." Charlus said happily. "I'm the reason our family never made the sacred 28 list. Father kept my heritage secret, but a very loose lipped secret. I was born just a day before Fleamont here."
Sirius gaped. "He cheated!?"
The brother's waved their hands dismissively. "No. He got drunk, so drunk he says he didn't remember a thing that happened. Mum forgave him because he was weak when liquered up and would often be consumed as if another person entirely. He did not drink again after he realized he was capable of siring without memory. My conception occurred on Father's stag night an eve before his wedding, he went back to the same bar some years later with some friends of his and she handed me off to him. Said she didn't want to be saddled up with his demon spawn. I was doing accidental magic by then which freaked her out." Charlus laughed "Thankfully I don't remember a bit of that." His brown eyes were the same as Fleamonts but his skin was a much darker olive to his brothers peachy tones. Where Fleamont had a messy birds nest sort of dark brown hair - Charlus had a well done mess of black curls. He was also standing two heads taller than his brother. "But if you're the older one...?"
Monty shook his head "The Potter lineage laws dictates no child born bastard or from wedlock can be made heir."
Sirius nodded. Most Ancient and Most Noble Families had such stipulations. "Why don't we get to business?" Euphemia piped up, getting the topic back to the matters at hand.
"We have found a contract, with a clause which dictates duties unmet, that may suit your needs." Wrathclaw said, though his gobbledook accent was so heavy Sirius had to sit on that sentence and run it back through his mind several times before it made sense. Understandably he was confused about it all when Wrathclaw was already explaining further "-e situation, if called forth by the Potters, would warrant the current head of family to be sent to Azkaban for a minimum of 13 years should it be unmet. The contract doesn't expire until it's fulfilled. It was the same contract created that the Blacks tried to fulfill through your marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Charlus Potter. The stipulations originally stated as follows:
Year 1126 - Cernunnos Fearghal, Pritani Prince of the Le Fay House (The Ancient name presiding before it's current moniker - Black), has made the Timeless Oathe to one Brochfael Cadwr, Knight of Pritani and Lord of the Glenshire Cove (now known as Loch Ness) following the death of the Lords Heir, during a hunting incident involving the Prince, he states, 'On our enemies eye, I part ye this oathe. You my Brother in all but Blood - Brochfael the Lord of Glen, I owe ye a life debt and yet by my own hand this incident fells ye eldest son. To ensure my life nay forfeit this moment, for the injustice of my slip of hand, I swear to you a bonding between our future kin. If not ye have any sons of morrow, to marry into mine, then may my oathe stand aside the sands of time and end my line. May my royalty fall to your name. May we see this enemy mastered by our natures magicks. I grieve with ye, and so, only til our lines have ties binding us by blood will this oathe be complete. So mote it be.' Overseen by Godric Gryffindor, whose bloodline later intermarried into Cadwr's, and downwards through the Peverall's. When the Peverall line became absolved through inheritance of another name, that branch (inserted and magically updated as) *currently: The Potters, must then be the next attempt at completing The Oathe."
Several moments of silence passed while the adults watched Sirius (they had already been read the contract, and Dorea was familiar with it as it was signed by herself and Charlus just a few decades before.
"Let me set this straight," Sirius finally spoke after some long minutes went by where he sparsed through the heavy accent and what he could understand, "Basically... My ancestor promised a life for a life, through a marriage between his line and that of this Cadwr fellow because he accidentally killed the guys kid...right?"
"Correct." Fleamont nodded.
"But because he owed a life debt, he also enabled a curse on the family in order to save his own hide instead of allowing Lady Magic to forfit his life since it was by his hand the kid died by... right?"
"Yes." Euphemia simply said.
"We are in the past the 19th century! How has my family not died off or whatever yet?"
"It's believed that this is the source of the Black Madness." Dorea murmured... "The theory is our family magic attacks the mind because our bloodline has strained itself in attempting to evade becoming extinct. Each marriage between a line between the families, each generational pairing, has been met with stillbirths, fertility issues, or ... marriages between those who are barren... or one of the is likely to be barren. We don't know yet your status. It was believed I could birth a baby. Yet here I am. I have had so mich loss, which I have hardened my heart and have stopped risking future attempts. I can not grieve the losses anymore. I have enough to grieve over for multiple lifetimes. I sat in your very same seat and argued endlessly that Charlus and my own marriage would not complete the oathe because we are not the Heirs. I was a spare sister from my branch of the family tree, also not a direct line. Charlus a bastard. It made no sense to pair us off, when Fleamont easily could have been betrothed to Lucretia."
Fleamont sighed. "She was. We were."
"Then what happened? Why...?" Sirius looked between the four adults.
"I demanded I marry Effie, or enact the rites of self separation from the Potter family." Fleamont looked Sirius in the eye and sat up straighter. "I mourn for my brother and sister in law, that they were not able to fall in love naturally or perhaps with others better suited. But I am a selfish man."
Charlus sighed. "Dorea and I eventually developed a romantic nature to our marriage, and moved to France to seek better Healers in the hopes to fulfill the oathe perchance through a child."
Sirius let that sink in.
"But, both lines will end with us. I won't be able to... I'm a guy. Regardless of my circumstances. If I had been able before, that damn Healer... he... I won't be able..." His breathing became labored, and suddenly a potion was shoved under his nose.
"Calming draught, Sirius. Drink."
Dorea brook no argument in her tone and so he did as ordered.
A rush ran through him like a cool breeze against his itchy skin, a dash of ice on his labored lungs. He took a steadying breath.
"There have been developments, more successful for younger bodies. I've been told by multiple muggle Healers, called Doctors, that if I had been seen to earlier at a younger age... I might have strengthened my body better to suite having a viable pregnancy. More advancements are being made. I became a healer myself to advance the Healers community with what I've learned from the Muggles healing methods. Let us help you. There are ways."
Sirius took a deeper breathe... the let it out slowly with a nod.
"Perfect." Euphemia clapped happily.
"The Contract has only the need for a signature of the Black family member that is to be bonded. Magic will then pick the Heir of the Potter line chosen by said Black (simply think their name) and it will fill in their magical signature. From there, the binding is completed. You are for all intentions betrothed until the marriage is consummated with either a wedding ritual or consummated intimately."
"Should I be warned of anything else before I sign?" Sirius asked.
"None that we are aware of." Wrathclaw stated.
"Alright. Quill?" He held out his hand and a quill floated into his palm, the scroll floating in midair waiting for his signature. He looked at the immensely long line of black inked names that had come before them, bit his lip, and flourished his best pompous swirl of ink in his full name while picturing James expression earlier.
Magic flared, and in Gryffindor red their names were in bold ink at the bottom of the papyrus. A simple glance and back to his and James names (the latter's signature a perfect replica to the one he knew was his best friends) told him he wasn't the only one to notice the difference between them and those before them. Everyone (even the goblin) looking at the scroll in with various emotive expressions.
"Uhh... is that good thing then?"
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A/N: All names of OCs are completely made up and so is the blasted family tree. You wont find this on any fandom wiki. I looked up dates and whatnot and did some verifying so I hopefully didn't accidentally reference anyone even remotely real (the Glenshire Cove is totally made up too, but based on some vague hints at real concepts to the Loch Ness names of past). So. Yea. Bunch of fiction added to the fiction. It's half-assed honestly. Might edit later. Probably won't. Dunno. See ya next chapter.
***and did you notice I hinted at something there in the Oathe? *Nudges you obnoxiously* Let me know in the comments if you caught onto where and how I hinted at Harry's destiny.