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

56. Father Like Daughter

Stepping forward, Eliana approached Ron and said, "Ron, please give me the rat. I promise that if we're wrong, he won't be harmed."

Ron hesitated, glancing at Harry and Hermione.

"Please, Ron," Althea said so softly he barely heard it.

Sighing, Ron said, "Fine, but only because I really don't want our friendship to have been a lie."

"I swear it hasn't," Althea pleaded, beginning to tear up again.

But when Eliana reached for the rat, Harry said, "Wait! Even if this is Peter Pettigrew and he's been hiding all these years, he's only been hiding because you-" here he looked furiously at Sirius "-were about to kill him like you killed my parents!"

"He didn't, Harry!" Althea cried desperately.

"Oh, yes I did," Sirius retorted.

"No, you didn't," Amara snapped. "And if I hear you blame yourself one more time, I'll-"

"You're just confusing them," Althea interrupted. Turning to Harry, she said, "Harry, listen to me." Glancing at the others, she added, "Stop me if I've got this wrong. Sirius was meant to be your parent's secret keeper, but at the last moment, he convinced them to change to Peter."

"I as good as killed them," Sirius said, his voice nothing more than a croak. "I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him as secret keeper instead of me...I'm to blame, I know it...The night they died..."

He couldn't resume.

With a long sigh, Amara explained, "The night they died, I saw it, I saw all of it."

"Then why didn't you-" Harry began furiously.

"She saw it in a vision, Harry," Remus interrupted. "Amara is a seer, about the only real one left. She saw your parents die."

"Sirius and I were already awake," Amara resumed. "Neither of us could sleep. Many of my visions aren't the future, but rather the present. I have some of both. I saw them die as it happened and told Sirius. We rushed there as quickly as we could, hoping it was a future vision not one in the present, but...it was too late."

Amara sniffled, fighting back the tears that had already begun to stream down her cheeks.

"James and Lily were like siblings to me, to both of us, Harry," she said desperately. "We would have died before betraying them, both of us."

"I confronted Peter after Amara and I saw the house and met Hagrid," Sirius explained. "I realized what he must have done, so I went after him."

"Enough of this," Lupin said quickly, a forceful note in his voice that made Althea think he was restraining tears.

"Give me the rat, please, Ron," Eliana said softly.

Ron hesitated only another moment before he handed the shrieking and wailing rat over to her.

"I promise it won't hurt him," Eliana added as she took him securely into her grip.

"Ready?" Lupin asked, raising his wand as Amara and Sirius did the same. "Ellie, hold on tight." When the three of them were ready, he resumed, "Right, then. On the count of three...one - two - THREE!"

Althea shrieked as, with a blinding flash, the rat in her mother's hands transformed, widening and elongating until before them stood a short, squat man who looked so remarkably like a mouse it was a little eerie.

"Well, hello, Peter," Lupin said cooly as Ron stared in shock and awe at the man who had been his rat. "Long time no see."

"S-Sirius...R-Remus," he squeaked before turning and spotting the women. "Amara...E-Elianna...? My friends, my old friends!"

Sirius raised his wand higher, but Amara gently wrapped her hand around his wrist, gently lowering his wand arm as she gave him a warning look.

Almost casually, Remus remarked, "We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed a few of the finer points while you were squeaking around down there on the bed-"

"Remus!" Peter gasped. "You don't believe him, do you...? He tried to kill me, Remus!"

"So we've heard," Remus said coldly. "But considering what he and Amara have-"

"But he wasn't conspiring with her!" Peter cried. There was a short bewildered silence that threw even Sirius off guard before Peter accused, "Why else do you think one of our number disappeared a year before they died?"

There was a dead silence as slowly, every eye moved from Peter to Eliana. She was shaking, her eyes so wide Althea thought she might be consumed entirely in her terror.

"Why did you disappear?" Sirius said slowly.

"Sirius," Amara chided quickly, looking just as scared as Eliana.

"Ellie-" Remus began.

"No!" she shouted, her voice ringing as she glared at him. "You are the absolute last person I will tolerate asking me that!"

"Mum, what's going on?" Althea asked, her voice quivering.

Amara glanced over at Eliana as she said softly, "Ellie, you have to tell them."

"No!" Eliana shouted, taking a step back. "There was a reason I never told anyone!"

Remus had fallen silent, frowning. Then, his eyes slowly widened as he looked over at Althea.

Breathlessly, he whispered, "She's...Ellie, why didn't you..."

He looked again at Althea, letting out a shocked and yet joyful breath as though the beginnings of a joyful laugh.

"Mum, what's happened?" Althea asked again, shifting her frightened gaze from Remus to her mother.

Eliana was pale and shaking.

Finally, she nodded to Amara.

"Althea," Amara said gently. "Remus is your...well, he's your father."

There was a stunned silence as Althea stared at Amara, trying to process what she was saying. Then she looked at her mother, pale and trembling. Finally, she shifted her eyes to Remus. He had a hand over his mouth, but his eyes had not left her since he had realized the truth.

"But," she said slowly, looking back to her mother. "Mum, why did you never tell me?"

Eliana was quiet a moment before she finally said in a low, hoarse voice, "Remus never wanted a child. I didn't want to burden you with the knowledge that your father didn't want you to exist."

"Ellie," Remus whispered, his voice breaking as he approached her, taking her hands into his own. "I wanted children with you. I was just scared that they would be like me. I was terrified any child of mine would be a werewolf. The thought of doing that to a child, I...I couldn't bear it."

"So...you didn't know?" Althea whispered.

"No," Remus said, approaching her. "But I swear, Althea, I would never have abandoned you. I'm happy you're my daughter."

Then, something Althea never thought would happen to her happened: she was embraced by her father, her father who had tears streaming down his cheeks. Returning the embrace, she began to cry too.