Fallout
December 28th, 1989, Sirius-
Sighing for what felt like the millionth time Sirius sagged in his chair. Cas was asleep still in his bed at St. Mungo's. Ernie had woken up briefly terrified and squeezing poor Loki. Personally, he felt it was a miracle Loki hadn't escaped. Or snapped and bitten little Ernie. As a cute cuddly animal himself, he understood how uncomfortable it was to be squeezed. Ernie didn't know him by looks but by name. He managed to coax Ernie into telling him what had happened. And he couldn't believe what he'd heard.
According to Ernie his dad went 'nutters' and shot a green spell at his uncle. Sirius had to dig his nails into his palms to stop the panic from setting in. He'd just found Caspian and he'd nearly died by mere inches. Ernie said the black and white niffler jumped and shoved his uncle down. At that moment Ernie said he started sweating and his skin started burning it became hard to breathe. He heard a crash and saw his mother fall. A brown niffler had sprung out of nowhere after his uncle had fallen. It jumped on him and shoved something in his mouth. The niffler held his lips closed, as his struggle for breath left him the only option to eventually swallow. He then saw the black and white niffler pick up the tea tray. It threw it at Ernie's father as he stood over his uncle with his wand ready. The tray had hit his father in the face. After that Ernie had been too scared to get up. He watched his uncle struggle to get up and move. Ernie said he didn't remember much after. His uncle had scooped him up and he'd fallen asleep with the brown niffler in his arms. When he woke up his uncle told him not to mention the nifflers when asked what happened.
That horrifying picture explained why the kid was clinging to Loki. The little niffler had saved him from poisoning and kept him on the floor to avoid spell fire. And Thanatos had saved Caspian and incapacitated Archimedes. Which Sirius was incredibly grateful for. If what Ernie said was true, Archimedes was standing over Caspian with his wand out. Sirius didn't even want to know what that man was planning to do to Cas. But the most pressing question is what the hell is up with those nifflers?
One minute they were normal and the next they did something strange. How did Loki know to bring a bezoar let alone know what a bezoar was exactly? Animals didn't use medicines like humans did. Thanatos was a whole other story completely. The half and half critter had way too intelligent eyes. Like more intelligent than an animal should be. It had briefly crossed his mind that it was an Animagus. He'd even commented to Harry about how smart the critter was. Harry had rolled his eyes and assured him that Thanatos wasn't a witch or wizard in disguise. Harry had mentioned a Percival rather often, but this Percival was never seen anywhere. Sirius had to wonder if this Percival was Thanatos in disguise. He took Harry's word for it, but it just wouldn't leave his mind. Now said creature was tackling people with enough force to knock them down? Nifflers don't weigh enough to off balance a full-grown adult. Then instead of stealing the shiny serving tray. The questionable niffler, manages to throw said heavy tray to precisely hit someone in the head? And it had to be precise or instead of knocking Archimedes out. The tray could've cause brain damage or decapitated him depending on force alone. Which circles back to how unnatural the events in question were.
He was just glad he'd listen to his feelings and been nearby. Sirius had taken Harry's portkey to Gringotts and then gone to the bistro he liked. The one he'd been to with Caspian. So, the owl had found him rather quickly. And he'd been glued to Caspian's bedside. He had Thanatos in one of his pockets sleeping. And Loki was being cuddled aggressively by Ernie. So, he didn't have to worry about Harry's pets at the moment. The real question was how the hell were they going to liberate Loki? Sirius had sent a message to Gringotts knowing Harry had a mailbox through them. He hoped Harry got the letter soon. He needed to pick up his furballs. Yes, it was a little unsafe to do so. But Harry had different looks now as well as a new name. And Harry couldn't stay hidden forever, could he? Sirius wasn't an expert in children. But even he knew isolation wasn't good. Harry couldn't be afraid to live his life. If not now, then in the next year and a half. Harry had to go to school eventually.
"Siri..."
He turned to meet the sleepy blue eyes of Caspian. Sirius framed Caspian's face with his hands.
"Hey, this might be a dumb question. But how are you feeling?" Sirius asked, intently.
He kissed his forehead and gave Cas some breathing space.
"Well, my head feels a lot better now. Emotionally not so much."
At least Cas wasn't in physical pain. Thank Merlin for that very small favor.
"How did you get here so fast it can't have been more than a few hours?"
"I couldn't shake that horrible feeling from earlier. So, I decided to go to that bistro we went to last time. I figure proximity would have to be enough. I didn't want to smother you or prevent you from seeing your family. You're a competent wizard. But you have no idea how hard it was to watch you leave. With that horrid feeling that something was going to happen. I tried to tell myself I was being irrational and anxious. But I can count on three fingers the last time I felt like this. And I ignored those feelings, and I regretted not doing or saying anything. Once was when I was still an Auror, a friend and I were supposed to investigate an abandoned building. Deatheaters had been sighted going in and out. So, we did surveillance, we went to raid it when we thought it was mostly empty. I was with Greyson, and we were supposed to go through the backdoor. None of us had spared a thought about checking for wards. We should've.... we should've done a lot of things that day. I couldn't shake the foreboding...Greyson was older and more experienced. He decided to go first.... I will never forget what happened. His body was cut to pieces like he'd been hit with several Diffindos. The blood...there was so much blood. We lost Anderson at the front door from the same thing. We later found out the wards were inactive until entry. Keyed to the darkmark specifically killing anyone else who tried entering. It was a storehouse for illegal potions ingredients. The second time I felt that feeling and ignored it. My brother Regulus went missing. We don't know what happened to him nor did we find a body. But I knew he was dead...I couldn't explain it, but I knew. And the third time I ignored that feeling was the night Harry killed Voldemort. Of course, back then I thought the Potters had perished. That same night I made the biggest mistake of my life. Then ended up in prison. It was in Azkaban that I promised to never ignore that weird feeling of dread again." Sirius replied, morosely.
Merlin he probably sounded like a complete nutcase. He dared to glance up at Caspian who had been silent. Only to see the man giving him a weird look.
"Sirius is it possible that the Blacks have seer blood? It sounds like premonitions."
Sirius blinked premonitions?
"I mean no seers have been mentioned officially in our family history. My family was plenty pretentious, so they definitely would've shown off seer blood. But if a family member were to marry in and have it. I wouldn't be horribly surprised if they kept the knowledge to themselves. The Blacks were big on secrets, and they hoarded them as viciously as everything else they owned. But our special bloodline traits went dormant nearly a century ago. Tonks was the first in generations to be a Metamorphous. Even then I thought it had more to do with the new blood. The family motto isn't, 'always pure', for nothing. Inbreeding was commonplace. But that wouldn't be the case for me, I mean my parents were first cousins. It's a small miracle I'm not a squib all things considered. Taking all that into account, possibly or plausible to premonitions. I can't believe I didn't think about it sooner. We were taught about Divination since we were young." Sirius said, thoughtfully.
"And it's always been feelings? No visions or dreams?" Caspian asked, sitting up.
Sirius shook his head.
"No, just bad feelings and sometimes nausea during it. It's almost always sudden...but I get...vibes from people sometimes. Like with my brother...I just knew. I didn't have to see the family tree or go to Gringotts. The same for your brother.... every time you mentioned him. I always got really uncomfortable. But that doesn't explain why I never reacted to Dumbledore or Pettigrew. I don't know why it works only sometimes. I would say maybe it was because the other two directly affected me. But again, that discounts the other two which makes no logical sense." Sirius trailed off.
"Any ability that falls under divination never really makes sense to the logical mind. Maybe you didn't react to Dumbledore or Pettigrew because when you met them, they weren't a threat. Maybe it only works for imminent danger." Caspian said.
"It's possible, I guess. Ernie woke up and told me what happened. I owled Harry so he can come get his furballs. Though I don't know how he's going to liberate Loki. Ernie seems quite keen on keeping him close." Sirius replied, nodding at Ernie.
Ernie was sitting up in his bed. A child's fairytale book propped against his legs. He had Loki held against his chest with his left arm. While he turned the pages with his right. He belatedly realized Ernie had been reading to Loki. Sirius hadn't noticed as the boy's voice was soft. And he was having a conversation with Caspian. The quiet serenity didn't last long as the door opened. A medi-witch had backed into the door. She was pulling in a trolley with food. He saw Ernie cover Loki with some of his blanket.
"Ello dearies! Healer Grigori will be in to check you two in a little while. We're a tad busy lovies. But barring any issues we should be able to discharge you two soon."
The medi-witch set up their trays and left the room briskly. Ernie was really happy that lunch came...no wait it seemed he was happy there was a salad. Loki himself looked happy to see the dish. The poor thing looked ruffled. Like he'd been in a wind storm all night and hadn't slept.
Harry-
Harry hadn't even been awake yet when the mailbox from Gringotts started pinging. He'd been trying to catch up on some sleep. Groggy and annoyed he peeked out from under his covers. He hissed at the sunlight streaming through the windows. Shaking his head and yawning he got out of bed and walked over to his desk. Opening it he found a letter from Sirius. Blinking in confusion about why the man would send him a letter. Because why would he they live together now.
Dear Puppy,
Something happened at Caspian's brother's house. It was bad and... I don't know how or why. But your nifflers are involved and I really need you to come and pick them up. I'm at St. Mungos with Caspian and his nephew Ernie. Ernie hasn't put poor Loki down since the incident happened. He saved Ernie from poisoning and his father. You have to hear this story to believe it. I don't know how you'll get Loki back. Ernie has become rather attached to him.
See you soon Pup.
-Padfoot
Blinking Harry face planted on the desk. Seriously what the fuck! Death had one job...well two. One: reap souls, Two: make sure no one suspects he's anything more than an animal. Plain...simple...no way to misconstrue anything. And yet this.... WHATEVER IT WAS that happened! Was it too much to ask for? Why didn't Death tell him he was planning something? Why didn't Death talk to Harry over their mental link? And to make it worse both Caspian and Sirius Saw. They saw behavior that isn't typical of animals. They were going to ask so many freaking questions. He doubted that they would conveniently be distracted. Dragging himself out of the chair he went to the bathroom to freshen up. While brushing his teeth Harry mentally poked the bond with Death.
("Yes, little master?")
("What the hell did you do? Why didn't you tell me something was going on?" Harry asked, annoyed)
("One of your human's humans was in danger. I simply intervened stopping a tragedy from occurring that wasn't supposed to. There is more at work here than we know. You were also tired physically and magically. So, I made the call to intervene. I can't go against Fate, but you and Loki can. I just had to set it up to where Loki could assist me. So long as I don't intervene myself Fate can bite my undead ass!")
Harry snorted.
("Why didn't you guys return though? I know you could've brought Loki back.")
("The tiny human was scared and Loki while not thrilled is comforting the child. But you might want to get here. Loki's patience isn't infinite and he's being uber-cuddled." Death replied.)
What the fuck was uber-cuddling?
("The kind where you can't escape and are squeezed repeatedly. Personally, I would've bit the kid by now.")
Harry winced knowing animals weren't keen on restrictive cuddles.
("I'll be there soon, don't let Loki bite anyone! They are going to ask me so many damn questions! This better be worth it you undead furball!" Harry said, annoyed.)
He finished dressing and fixing his hair before grabbing his Gringotts portkey. International portkeys super sucked, and he certainly voiced it with a string of curses upon landing. A nearby passing mother glared at him as she tugged a little girl along. Going up the steps of the bank Harry side stepped the lines and headed for the side door. After a trip to see Goldaxe, Harry used his floo system to get to St. Mungos. Harry bit back yet another curse as he tumbled out through the floo. Blast it all to hell why could he never land on his feet? Was it too much to ask for to not land on his ass looking ridiculous? Ignoring the curious gazes of the others in the reception area. Harry approached the desk to find out where he was going. After a brief conversation with a very rude male receptionist. Harry made his way to the McMillan room. He kept to the edges of the hallway. To stay out of the way as much as possible as well as being on the fringes. Easy to ignore and easy to slip away at any given moment. As soon as he felt a little less run down. That undead furball was teaching him shadow walking. It was just too annoying to be reliant on portkeys. And there was no way Sirius or any other adult would teach him apparition. Besides Shadow walking had its benefits. Like stripping away any tracking spells upon being immersed.
Harry didn't have to knock when he found the correct room. A medi-witch came out of the room carrying a tray with empty dishes. Sirius saw him first and scooped him up into a hug.
"Pup you made it! You've got to hear this, your furballs did something crazy." Sirius said, excitedly.
Harry sat on the end of Caspian's bed. The blond man in question was sitting up staring at Harry intently. A blond boy with wide blue eyes was looking at him as well. He could see Loki clutched to his chest. Loki looked grumpy his eyes flashing dangerously. Ahh, the uber-cuddle was not appreciated it would seem. So, Sirius told Harry about what had happened at the man's brother's house. Harry closed his eyes doing his best not to groan. Of course, Death couldn't be subtle or stealthy. No, they had to do it in such a way that it was entirely suspicious. Sirius had already suspected Thanatos of being an Animagus. The truth was infinitely worse in comparison. But there was no way to explain the behavior away. Perhaps he could try for a partial truth? No, maybe a misdirect? But if he was going with that, he'd have to use something more distracting. Which if Harry was being honest with himself, was really personal and he didn't want to talk about it. Not to mention it might change the way both men regarded him. Misdirect it is. Caspian's eyes were still boring into him. Sirius was still talking, and Ernie was petting Loki. But Caspian's attention never wavered off of him. It was a little unnerving, though not nearly as unnerving as Death. Death's habit of sneaking around, popping out of dark shadowy places, and watching Harry through the thin veil of reality. Well, Harry was used to being watched. He no longer jumped when Death popped up out of nowhere. All of that and it was the gaze of the man adjacent to him that unnerved him, not as much but still.
Harry's greatest advantage was that he would constantly be underestimated. As a child people saw him as a non-threat. But Caspian wasn't looking at Harry like he was an innocent child. He looked at Harry like he knew Harry was deceiving them. Like he knew something more was afoot. As smart as he was even Harry knew that Caspian had been playing the game a lot longer than him. One wasn't a good lawyer if they couldn't detect lies and misdirects. But Harry was only going to admit the truth if he had to. Sirius himself wasn't a slouch, but he was out of practice reading people. Given his feelings towards Harry. He was all the more likely to believe Harry rather than be suspicious. This was as much of problem as it was an opportunity to practice his weaseling skills. First thing is to start the misdirect the second phase was to liberate Loki. So, Harry got up moved all of two steps and sat on the end of Ernie's bed. Harry gathered his thoughts quickly and nearly flinched when he felt something on his leg. He put everything he had into staying relaxed. Thanatos's head popped up over his knee. Death also had a habit of crawling on Harry when he least expected it. Personal space was not a concept that stuck with the entity. Death merely climbed into Harry's coat pocket and disappeared.
"Hi, I'm Harry I see you've met my friend Loki."
Ernie frowned as he looked between Harry and Loki unhappily.
"He saved my life too you know." Harry said.
He could see out of the corner of his eye Sirius stiffen. Ernie merely looked at him confused yet curious.
"He did?" Ernie asked, his voice barely a whisper.
Ernie was clutching at Loki again much to the nifflers discomfort.
"Yeah, he helped me escape my abusive family." Harry said.
He shut his eyes and clenched his hands.
"My no-maj family hated magic."
Harry would've continued but Ernie looked confused. Which probably had to do with phrasing more than anything.
"No-maj is what the American wizards call non-magical folk or what British wizards call muggles. My relatives treated me the same way some wizards treat their house-elves. One of my earliest memories was of me cooking breakfast for them. I couldn't have been more than four or five. Even with the step stool I couldn't always see the top of the stove. This was before my aunt gave me glasses. I didn't get those until I was eight. So back then I was pretty much blind. Everything was so blurry that I didn't notice I'd burned the food. Blurry or not I made sure never to burn it again. My uncle held my wrist over the open burner."
Harry stopped as outraged gasp and cursing happened in Sirius's direction. The man had known small things about the Dursley's just not everything. Harry didn't want to talk about it. He breathed in and out trying to get a hold of his rampant emotions. He thought he could handle talking about this at least a little. Harry didn't even have nightmares anymore about it. It wouldn't have mattered secrets always came out eventually. Harry was surprised that Sirius hadn't hunted down the Dursley's with Caspian's help. They most certainly would've found out then anyway. At least this way Harry had control and could control what information was made aware and which stayed buried. They would still ask about Percival no doubt. But Harry would rather let Percival's secret go then Death's. There was only so long Harry could go before he couldn't hide anything from them.
"They often gave me long lists of chores that I had to complete by a certain time. And if I didn't complete them, I would be punished. Most of the time they just wouldn't feed me. Or they would lock me in my cupboard room for a long time. I honestly preferred that compared to the more physical abuse. My uncle wasn't kind and anything that triggered a violent response. Often ended with a lot of pain...."
He could hear chocked gasps from behind him sounded. And a threat of torture for his ex-family was exclaimed.
"Then one day while I was doing chores, I met Percival and his baby niffler Loki. He told me I was a wizard and that he'd help me learn magic to escape. That night after my relatives went to bed. He started to try to teach me wandless magic. He talked me through finding my magical core. It took a little over a week, but I finally made enough progress to learn more. Percival taught me plenty including how to avoid angering my uncle. He often told me about magical creatures. Loki was the first magical creature I ever met. Anyway, I got a good enough grasp on using my magic that I finally managed to unlock my cupboard door. That was the first night I started sneaking food at night. Percival told me if I wanted to escape, I'd need supplies and a plan. So, we came up with a plan and Loki was essential. Loki's ability to get in and out of places. Helped me steal muggle money and some other valuable items. My relatives were leaving on a small holiday, and I wasn't welcome. They left me alone and I took what I could, and Percival directed me. I had never been farther than my school or the library. So, it was scary because I knew if the muggle police caught me. They would take me back to them. Percival helped me get to a train station and I took a train to London. Then he told me where to find the Leaky Cauldron. The rest as they say is history. Loki kept me company and comforted me when I felt alone and scared. There is no doubt in my mind that Loki saved me. Because my uncle would've beaten me within an inch of my life if he'd caught me. And it wouldn't have even been the first time either. So, I know how you feel about Loki." Harry said, his voice shaky.
Ernie looked at him like a deer caught in headlights. The silence behind him was also rather telling.
"Loki belongs to Percival as his familiar. He stays with me because Percival can't care for him right now due to circumstances. As much as I understand your attachment to Loki, I need him back."
Ernie's eyes looked a little wild with mild panic. So, Harry pulled the Loki stuffed niffler he'd received for Christmas.
"I'll trade you my Loki stuffy for the real one."
Ernie looked uncertain for a moment. But after an accessing look to the real life niffler in his arms. With a trembling lip he released Loki from the tight hug. Loki didn't waste any time either. Loki hopped up and ran at Harry. Loki dove into the same pocket Thanatos had disappeared into. Harry couldn't blame Loki in the slightest. He handed the stuffed toy to Ernie who immediately crushed it in his arms.
Caspian-
Caspian was still rolling Harry's story around in his head. He'd suspected that Harry was keeping more secrets than his friend Percival. And some of those secrets circled around those nifflers. Harry didn't talk much about his ex-relatives. Some parts of the story were vague. He didn't think Harry was lying...at least not about everything. But the part of the story about meeting Percival was vague. And he suspected that Harry might be misdirecting them. Using his very true story about the abuse from his relatives. To overshadow and obscure the nifflers and Percival.
The question is why? What was so special about the nifflers? They didn't always act right, and they were far too intelligent. And then there was this Percival again. The way Harry had made it sound like Percival had been with him the whole time. Which brought a whole new set of questions. Like why didn't the muggles react to Harry's clearly magical friend? Was Percival young? Old? Did he live near Harry? And if he did live near Harry, how did he have a niffler? Nifflers were a highly controlled magical creature. It had to do more with the critters abilities than any danger they posed. Their innate magic allowed them to bypass wards, locks, and other security measures to steal shiny things. Most shiny things tended to be expensive. Hence why someone would need special permits to own one. Which means this Percival character had to have a permit unless he had one illegally. Something for him to look up when he had time. He wouldn't ask for help from his contacts. The less attention he drew the better. Either way Caspian would soon find answers.
The pain in his hand finally became unbearable. Sirius was clutching his hand in a death grip. Cursing under his breath he started to calm Sirius down. Soft words and reassurances slowly brought Sirius back. The man mumbled an apology to him as his hand was released. Despite his efforts Sirius seemed to withdraw into himself.
"Sirius it wasn't your fault. We've been over this before it was out of your hands." Caspian said, softly.
He rubbed soothing circles into the top of Sirius's hand. A shaky breath was exhaled.
"It wouldn't have happened at all if I'd just stayed with him that night." Sirius replied, brokenly.
"Sirius I really don't think it would've mattered. They wanted control of Harry, and you were in their way. We can't change the past, but we can change the future all we want." Caspian said.
"No wonder he wouldn't talk about them often...and I thought my mother was bad. But at least she never starved me or shut me away in a cupboard. Nothing I can do will ever make up for that night."
Merlin be damned whatever Harry's secrets were they had better be good. Because he'd opened the slowly healing wounds that Caspian and Healer Brown had worked hard to close. And now Sirius was back to blaming himself for events he couldn't control. Though in a very small way this had been good. Sirius had talked a small bit about his mother. Which was a topic that was off limits to everyone including Harry. Perhaps Harry's courage to talk about his experience would help Sirius talk about his. To someone that wasn't his healer. He had long forgotten about the other occupants of the room until someone cleared their throats. Near the door stood Madame Bones smartly dressed in a royal blue robe that made her look delicate yet powerful.
"I'm glad to see that you're both awake and with visitors no less." She said, walking to the end of his bed.
Her eyes stayed towards Harry curiously but there was no recognition. She was in charge of Harry Potter's missing person case. And here he was unrecognizable sitting right in front of her. She returned her attention to Caspian. No doubt writing off Harry as a friend of Ernie's.
"I came to check on you both and update you to the situation. Let me start with Archimedes, he hasn't woken up for questioning just yet. There was bleeding in his brain from the trey. You threw it rather hard. We were able to ascertain that he isn't under the influence of spells or potions. We've also searched the manor with discretion. We found a journal and a diary. The picture that's being painted isn't a good one. The coroner from St. Mungos is finished examining Ismerial. So, you can make preparations for her burial at any time. We've released the crime scene and checked the wands. Yours is clean and you can have it back." Amelia finished.
She held out his wand for him to take. He was a little disquieted as Caspian hadn't even noticed it missing.
"If Archimedes doesn't wake up by tomorrow, we'll revive him with a spell. I believe it would be best to contact Gringotts about closing the property. We don't have the full picture about what happened. And we don't know all of Archimedes associates or friends. For all we know he could've had help. Caspian do you mind if I ask Ernie and you a few more questions?" Amelia asked.
"If it will help and get this taken care of once and for all then yes. I don't want to traumatize Ernie any more than what's necessary." Caspian replied.
Honestly if it wasn't for Loki, Ernie more than likely would've had nightmares. Caspian knew Ernie his whole life. But this was the first time he'd been charged with a child's safety. He'd....oh Merlin he'd have to raise a child. Something that hadn't sunk in just yet. Caspian should've thought about that much sooner. Given that Sirius had Harry, but Harry was so self-sufficient that it honestly didn't register.
"Ernie, did your dad ever have visitors to the manor?" Amelia asked, gently.
Ernie looked at her curiously while clutching his stuffy.
"No... daddy didn't like having outside people in our home. He didn't even like having Uncle Caspian over." Ernie said, meekly.
He wished that he was surprised by that revelation. But Caspian had known for a while that there was a dissonance between them. A chasm that Caspian just never knew how to fix.
"Ernie, did your daddy ever hurt your mommy? Or did your mommy ever seem injured?" Amelia asked, gently.
"I didn't see mommy being hurt until last night. But they would fight a lot when I wasn't in the room. Mommy warned me to not draw attention from daddy. She said daddy was sick and we needed to make it less stressful for daddy." Ernie said, biting his lip.
He looked at Caspian then back to Amelia.
"And why didn't you or your mommy tell your uncle about your daddy's sickness?" Amelia asked, softly.
She smiled at Ernie reassuringly.
"Mommy wanted to tell Uncle Caspian. But daddy got really strange he wouldn't let mommy use the floo. And we couldn't go anywhere without him. He even yelled at the elvsies to not take messages to anyone let alone Uncle Caspian. Mommy started being weird too." Ernie said.
He was all but crushing his stuffy to his chest. Little fingers were white against the dark fur. Merlin how could he not have noticed?
"Ernie, how was your mommy acting weird?"
"She started feeling sick all the time. And she made me promise not to talk about the vials."
Ernie had to be referring to the vials of bezoars that Ismerial had mentioned.
"Ernie, do you know what was in those vials?"
"Bezoars and level three poison dissolver. Mommy said that if she got too sick to get out of bed. I should find one of the vials and give her some." Ernie replied, tears falling down his cheeks.
Ernie got up out of bed and climbed into Caspian's. His head was tucked under Caspian's chin as he rubbed Ernie's back. A soul wrenching sob sounded as Ernie cried loudly. Amelia frowned as she absorbed what she'd learned from Ernie. Amelia to her credit stood patiently as she waited for Ernie's cries to subside.
"Caspian, did Ismerial mention anything about what Ernie said?" Amelia asked.
He shook his head.
"No, I didn't find out about it until just before the incident. Though Archimedes has been distant and volatile towards me for a while. I had no idea why he was acting the way he was. But it wasn't an instantaneous change. One day it seemed like he was cross with me. I had no idea why, and slowly he seemed to get progressively worse. We got into a fight not long after Sirius's release. I started suspecting that something was very wrong. I'd been so busy that hadn't visited often enough. So, when I came over for Christmas, I noticed Ismerial seemed sick. Things were tense when Archimedes was with us. But he left shortly after eating. Before the incident I asked Ismerial why she hadn't tried to tell me during Christmas. She was afraid that Archimedes hadn't really left. She told me she suspected she had been poisoned. Ismerial had tried to hide bezoars, poison nullifier, and phoenix tears around the house. But she said they had vanished recently. Archimedes had been keeping the wards locked down as well as the floo. Ismerial even said that he'd been reading her mail. She also mentioned that Archimedes had been talking to himself recently. The most common phrase according to Ismerial was "They're watching". Ismerial never found out who 'they' are. She sounded so afraid of him.... she was so worried about Ernie." Caspian said.
The look of horror mixed with rage on Amelia's face was scary.
"All right I will contact you again after we question him. And I will notify you when a trial is set Cas, I'm sorry for your loss." Amelia said, her face softening.
Caspian nodded as she swept out of the room a woman on a mission.
Percival-
Percival hummed as he relaxed into the water. He'd made good use of the tub and now he was soaking. Harry had brought Loki back and had updated him on what happened. He felt sorry for little Ernie having to witness what his father did. Loki had jumped through the vanishing cabinets and tiredly ran at Percival. Harry had mentioned how brave Loki had been saving that little boy. Loki was now asleep on Percival's chest.
His limp little body starfished half in the water. He was so proud of his tiny troublemaker. And Harry had been emotionally drained as well. He told Percival that he'd revealed how life was with his ex-family. If only to draw attention away from Loki and Death. Percival had reassured Harry and offered what little comfort he could. In the end Harry went to bed with Death's tiny furry form in his arms. Merlin be damned he wished he could do more.
He couldn't help the people he cared about. When they needed him the most.