Kapitel 102: Difficult Decisions
Any further discussion was interrupted when Dora returned with her parents in tow.
Sirius got up from his spot at the table and pulled his cousin into a hug and shook hands with Ted. "Thank you for coming on such short notice." Turning to look at Andromeda, he said, "Do you have the guardianship papers for me to sign?"
Andromeda pulled a piece of parchment from her robes and said, "I do." Concerned, she asked, "Do you think that this is necessary?"
Gesturing for everyone to be seated, Sirius said in a calm voice, "Voldemort has returned." He ignored the gasps and continued speaking, "It is more important than ever that we have everything set up as quickly as possible. We don't want Dumbledore, Voldemort, or that idiot Fudge, to make a move to have Harry legally removed from my guardianship."
Andromeda's heart was pounding; her worst fears were coming true. The last war had taken a huge toll on the Blacks. Pulling out a quill, she quickly signed the form and passed it to her husband for his signature. Looking up at Sirius, she asked him, "Do you think that you should adopt Harry into the Black Family as your son? I know that he is already distantly related to us, but an adoption would definitely remove another of the potential legal sticking points."
Sirius' voice was full of emotion when he spoke, "I had planned on asking Harry if he would like that in the morning." Very quietly, he added, "I've always wanted children and this is probably my best chance."
Andromeda reached across the table, clasped hands with Sirius, and gave him a smile of understanding.
Ted Tonks was a practical man; he knew that assuming guardianship over Harry Potter in the magical world would bring some issues, even if he were adopted into his wife's family first. The question before them now was would it bring the attention of Voldemort too? Concerned, he asked, "Do we need to go into hiding too or just place our home under the Fidelius Charm?"
Remus and Sirius both looked over at Dora for an answer.
Sighing, Dora said, "Mum, Dad. I know that you two can take care of yourselves, but this will make you a target. I would feel better if we placed your house under the Fidelius Charm on top of a whole bunch of other protections."
Nodding in understanding, Ted signed the parchment and slid it across the table to Sirius.
Relieved, Sirius signed his name and said, "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me. Harry will be protected from any legal issues by having you as his guardians in the Wizarding World." He passed the form back to them and grasped his cousin's hand in thanks.
"We have some more bad news to share unfortunately. Mad-Eye Moody is dead. Barty Crouch, Jr. killed him." Remus said into the pause in conversation.
Dora quickly supplied, "Barty Crouch, Sr. is also dead. He was killed by his own son. Before you start asking questions, we have Barty Jr. in a cage in the basement and we questioned him under Veritaserum."
Shaking his head in sorrow, Ted's deep voice rang out, "What are we going to do about Barty, Jr. then?"
Remus, Sirius, and Dora all shared a look before Dora turned her attention back to her parents, "We don't think that we can turn them over to the Ministry. There are too many Death Eaters in high positions amongst the Wizengamot and in various other positions. We think that we should try them ourselves and go from there."
Andromeda and Ted shared a quiet conversation with a glance. When she spoke, her voice was full of regret but a hint of strong resolve as well, "Count us in. What are the plans for the ones that we feel don't warrant death?"
Seeing the looks upon the three people sitting across from him, Ted realized that they hadn't gotten that far yet in their planning. He suggested, "What about Obliviating them? We could remove all knowledge of the Wizarding World or simply erase their minds."
Andromeda gave her husband a look of outrage, heatedly, she said, "Why can't we imprison them?"
Remus answered her question, "Because we don't have the facilities, manpower, or time that it would take to incarcerate a bunch of Death Eaters for an extended period of time. Our resources are thin as it is and our manpower even thinner."
"I agree with Ted." Sirius supplied; his voice calm. Looking at everyone present, he continued speaking, "I think that we should vary the level of Obliviation depending upon the crime. I suggest that we use the people we Obliviate as examples for potential Death Eaters. Drop them in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade with their Dark Mark showing for everyone to see what happens to people that support Voldemort."
Andromeda was gazing intently at the tabletop, lost in her thoughts about her two sisters that she was sure were Death Eaters.
Ted reached over and put his arm around her shoulders, he knew exactly what was bothering his wife. As children, they had been very close, but when she defied her parent's wishes and married him, they disowned her. Quietly, he said to her, "I know, dear. I know. I promise that what ever happens with them, we will make it quick."
Tears flowing down her face, Andromeda nodded in acceptance of her loving husband's words.
Having a very good idea about what was going through his cousin's mind; Sirius asked her, "Would you like me to reinstate you into the family? That would officially bring Dora into the family and through marriage, Ted."
Andromeda's head snapped up at Sirius, the look of longing and sorrow on her face was plain for everyone to see. Very slowly, she nodded, yes.
Grinning back at her, Sirius proudly said, "I, Sirius Black, welcome Andromeda Tonks back into the Black Family as a member in good standing." There was a slight discharge of magic as his oath took effect.
Everyone was a bit teary eyed as they happily watched the scene unfold in front of them. Remus broke the silence when he warmly said, "Congratulations, Andromeda, Ted, and Dora."
Andromeda pushed back from the table and walked around to the other side where Sirius had also stood up. When he opened his arms, she practically flew into his embrace and hugged him back just as fiercely as he was hugging her.
When they separated, they both were crying openly. Sirius had gained a bit of his wish for family and Andromeda had been welcomed back into hers.
While the Black's were having a tearful family reunion of sorts, Rita Skeeter was practically drooling at the letter clutched in her hands. It was from Bathilda Bagshot with a request for an in depth interview about Albus Dumbledore tomorrow morning. She went to bed that evening with visions of writing a tell all book about the life of Albus Dumbledore, the 'Great Manipulator.'
Something had awoken Hermione from her pleasant slumber and it took her a few seconds to figure it out. Reaching her arm out, she discovered that Harry wasn't in bed. Looking around the moonlit room, she saw his silhouette next to the window.
Silently, she padded over to him, wrapped her arms around his chest, and leaned her head against his shoulder. Softly, she asked, "Are you okay?"
.....
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