The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part One

Prologue

October 1981

The clock chimed midnight as Amara lay awake, her eyes wide open as she stared at the wall, oblivious to the blankets wrapped tightly around her. She jumped slightly as she felt a hand slide around her waist. Turning, she found herself face-to-face with her husband. Sirius Black wore his hair long at age twenty-one, but despite his youth, he appeared tired and worn. He had clearly just woken.

"Sorry," Amara whispered, turning to face him.

"Can't sleep?" he asked, his voice low and gruff.

She shook her head as he wrapped both arms around her. Burying her head in his chest, she tried to sleep, but as she did so, her fingers brushed against the thin chain from which hung a small charm around Sirius's neck, a gift years ago from James to him. Instantly, Amara drew in a sharp breath.

"Amara?" Sirius said in concern, backing from her just enough to see her face.

Her jaw had fallen slack as her eyes turned white. He scrambled to his feet as she floated onto her back, her hair floating in the air around her as though suspended in water. Sirius was breathing harshly, waiting for the episode to pass.

Amara's mind had instantly flooded with a vision. Hazy images floated before her eyes before it suddenly came into full focus.

James was standing in their house in Godric's Hollow. Lily was standing before him, Harry held protectively in her arms. They both looked scared.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" James urged.

Quickly pressing her lips to his, Lily gave her husband one last, emotional look before she dashed up the stairs, holding Harry tightly in her arms. With hardly more than a moment's fight, James fell to the ground, his eyes open but completely vacant as Voldemort stepped over his body, climbing up the stairs toward Lily and Harry.

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!" Lily cried desperately, shielding her son from his view.

"Stand aside you silly girl," Voldemort ordered. "Stand aside now."

"Not Harry! Please...have mercy! Have mercy! Not my son! Please - I'll do anything!"

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort shouted.

Lily collapsed to the ground, her eyes just as vacant as her husband's as Voldemort approached the child, tilting his head slightly as he observed Harry begin to wail and cry. Then, without another moment, there was another flash of green.

Amara screamed, falling back onto the bed as she shook, gasping for breath as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Amara!" Sirius cried, rushing forward, but before he could try and comfort her, she had jumped to her feet.

"He's found them, Siri," she gasped, her cheeks shining with tears. "We need to go! We need to go and see-"

Without another word, both dashed from the room, not stopping for an instant as both already had their wands on them. Slipping on shoes in less than two seconds, Sirius rushed outside, his wife hot on his heels, not even bothering to put on her shoes on all the way as she climbed behind him on his flying motorcycle. Instantly, it roared to life as they flew into the air, high above the villages below as they made their way toward the house. Neither felt steady enough to apparate.

The moment they landed, Amara gasped. The house they had helped James and Lily move into a year ago lay in ruins. Just as the two broke into a run, however, a huge form appeared from the ruin.

"Hagrid," Sirius called, his voice trembling nearly as badly as himself.

"Sirius, Amara," Hagrid said, his voice thick with tears. "Lily 'n James...they're-"

"We know," Amara said as more tears fell before he noticed the bundle in Hagrid's arms. Instantly, she went from pale to ghostly. "Hagrid is that..."

"Harry," Hagrid whispered mournfully.

Amara stepped forward, moving aside part of Harry's blanket to get a better look at the crying child within. Across his forehead was a large scar from which he was bleeding.

"He's alive?" Amara whispered breathlessly. "How-"

"I don't know," Hagrid admitted, watching mournfully as Amara tried to clear away the blood.

"Give him to us, Hagrid," Sirius said, standing next to his wife and watching little Harry, still held in Hagrid's hand. "We're his godparents. We'll look after him."

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Hagrid said. "He's to go to his aunt and uncle's. Dumbledore's orders."

"What?" Sirius and Amara exclaimed simultaneously, instantly looking from Harry to Hagrid.

"You can't be serious, Hagrid," Amara retorted. "His aunt and uncle? Petunia and whatever that idiot she married's name is? Dumbledore's barking-"

"It's what he said," Hagrid interrupted angrily.

"Hagrid," Sirius argued. "Surely he can't mean-"

"I've got my orders and neither of you can stop me followin' 'em," Hagrid insisted.

Looking helplessly from each other to Harry, Amara and Sirius looked more lost than Hagrid had either seen them.

"Let me come with you, Hagrid," Amara said softly. "At the very least."

He nodded, shifting his gaze to Sirius as though to see if he was going to insist on going too, but he suddenly had a very peculiar expression on his face.

"Sirius?" Amara said gently.

As though just remembering they were there, he looked up and said, "There's something I need to go do. I'll find you as soon as I can, Amara."

As he turned to leave, Amara called, "Wait, Sirius. What are you going to do?" She was now looking as pale as she had when she first arrived.

"Take my bike," he said, not turning around.

"Sirius!" Amara cried.

Turning back to look at them, Sirius, still looking paler and angrier than Amara had ever seen him, said, "Amara, I love you."

"Wha-" she began, but with a pop, he disappeared.

Still shaking, she turned helplessly to Hagrid, who seemed to have not been listening much.

"Here," she said. "I'll hold him while you fly."

Nodding, Hagrid handed over the small, still-crying child. Taking him into her arms, Amara climbed behind Hagrid onto the bike, steadying herself with her knees against the sides. Then, with a roar, they flew into the night.

"Shush," Amara whispered softly to Harry, her eyes welling up with tears as she carefully wiped away the rest of the blood, leaving behind a lightning scar.