The New Marauder

Thirty two

    "I don't think the Bowtruckles will like living in a marsh," Mr. Scamander says, nudging the smelly muck with the toe of his shoe, while Groot chatters in my ear, sounding like he agrees with Newt.
    Letting out a sigh, I run my fingers through my short hair and swallow my frustration. "I meant for it to be a replica of La Push beach," I mutter, looking around the swamp I created.
    "It's no problem. It's amazing that you were even able to create this. I haven't heard of someone so young wielding the talent you have," he grins, patting my shoulder with a proud smile on his face.
    "But what about—"
    "No," he cuts me off, not allowing me to criticize myself or my work. "What you must realize is this here, something you created at eleven years old—"
    "I'll be twelve in a couple of weeks," I huff out, staring at my feet, causing him to laugh.
    "Irregardless," he says, kneeling the best he could in front of me to meet my eye. "What you have created, it's something most adult wizards can't do. The talent you have, if used properly, can fulfill your wish of being the best witch you could be, probably better than Professor Dumbledore," he smiles, lifting my chin. "So let's go back up there and try again."
    "What about this place?" I ask, gesturing around us.
    He offers me a simple shrug while taking my hand. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep it, just in case I find some creatures that require a place like this."
    Giving the boggy swamp another look over, I nod my head. "Yeah, you can, so long as you write to me about what you find," I grin back.
    "Deal," he says, standing to his feet, leading us to the thin midnight veil that separates the fishbowl and his workshop.
    Once the warmth of magic wore off, I sit back down on my stool and help Groot back to the table where his bowl of woodlice was waiting for his return. "One more try?" I ask, hoping he didn't hear my flash watch chirp, announcing the late hour.
    "One more, then I have to escort you back to your common room. I fear Professor McGonagall will not be happy to know you have been out this late," he answers, giving me a pointed look.
    Beaming with happiness, I pick up my wand as I turn back to the last bowl and picture the Reservation.

    ~*~*~*~ Forks Police Station ~*~*~*~
   
    The atmosphere in the Forks Police Department crackled with tension as the first punch landed. By the time they managed to separate the two brothers, their chief sported a bleeding head wound and a split lip, while the strange British man's nose was almost flattened at an odd angle between two semi-swollen eyes.
    "Feel better?" Anna asked, guiding her husband to his office while officers attended to Sirius.
    As Anna closed the blinds, Charlie settled in front of his desk, holding a towel to his forehead. "A bit. I still can't believe he had the nerve to show up like he's done nothing wrong."
    Anna sighed, pulling out her wand. "In his mind, he hasn't done anything wrong," she said, running the tip across the small gash, watching his skin mend itself.
    "You're defending—"
    "No one. I'm defending no one. However, what helped me through this ordeal is that his appalling actions brought you Ori, and then Theo and me," Anna said, smiling as she kissed the tip of Charlie's nose. "Without Sirius doing what he did, we wouldn't be a family. And now he's here because an innocent woman who lost her firstborn without even knowing it needs our help."
    "Well, when you put it like that," Charlie mumbled, a blush creeping over his cheeks. "But he deserved it."
    "Oh, I'm not saying that he didn't. Honestly, I thought your boys pulled you off too early. If it were just us three here, I would have at least let you have a few more minutes of your anger management session before separating the two of you," Anna winked, standing up. "I have the tent set up in the backyard for them to stay in tonight. I was planning on taking Joanna and the kids home so they can settle in a bit before their appointment this afternoon. I also think you should take some time and talk to your brother for Orion's sake."
    "What do you mean by that?"
    "They're kids, your niece and nephew will be attending Hogwarts in a few years and will probably join Ori in Gryffindor," Anna said, hoping Charlie would understand that hostility toward their father might affect Orion's relationship with his siblings.
    "Oh, I guess you're right," Charlie said, looking out the window, contemplating the two children his brother brought along.
    "Though I have nothing to say to him, so we can head to the house together if you want."
    "Okay, but he's still riding with you," Anna smirked, leading the way to where Sirius was being attended to, Charlie following closely behind.
    "You," Charlie pointed at Sirius, his officers taken aback by his expression.
    "Chief, I know you're the boss, but I don't think you can just go beating people up," O'Riley stepped in front of Sirius, attempting to defend him.
    Instead of getting angry, Charlie turned to his brother. "You didn't tell them who you were?" he asked incredulously. When Sirius didn't respond, Charlie let out a bitter laugh. "Boys, meet Sirius Black, my brother."
    "Black?" O'Riley furrowed his brow.
    "As in—"
    "Orion?" The three deputies looked to Charlie for confirmation.
    "Yup," Charlie smirked, noting his brother's discomfort.
    Instantly, the deputies stepped back in shock, realizing the man who abandoned his child was standing before them. Over the years, while Charlie worked a lot, there were a few times when Orion would come into the office when either Sue, Harry, Billy, or Sarah were busy, or when Orion just wanted to spend time with him or the other officers. There were many times when she was younger that they would come to work, and Orion would set up a fake crime scene. Dressed in the costume Charlie had gotten her, she would try to solve it. Often, she would drag them into the singular interrogation room to face questioning. It was a fun way to waste time when not on patrol. Since then Orion had become an honorary member of their department, and they were fiercely protective of her. Safe to say, they weren't too fond of anyone hurting their deputy/niece, and the man in front of them had hurt her in the worst way possible.
    "You want us to run to the store, Chief, I see you missed a spot there on his chin?" O'Riley offered, glaring at Sirius.
    "No, it's okay. Just wanted to make sure introductions were made before we head out," Charlie said, taking his wife's hand. "O'Riley, the Thompson case is on my desk. Make sure to fax it over to the Seattle PD before seven. Other than that, I'll see you guys in a couple of days."
    "You got it, boss," O'Riley responded, not moving his gaze from Sirius as he walked towards Charlie's office while the couple exited the building.
    "Oh no," Anna shook her head when Sirius started to walk back to her car. "You're riding with your brother," she said, answering the question blooming on his face with a grin before climbing into the driver's seat. "Who wants to sit up front?" she asked the passengers in the back seat, who were staring at the bruises forming on Sirius's face.
    "I will," Joanna said, hoping Anna would explain what happened, while Anna secretly hoped one of the children would take the seat to avoid the inevitable questions.
    "So, my husband walked into that building perfectly fine, yet walked out looking like he needs to visit with a healer," Joanna said as soon as the car hit the small highway.
    Feigning ignorance, Anna shook her head while clutching the steering wheel. "Really? Are you sure he didn't look like that?"
    "I'm sure," Joanna responded dully. "Look, I know that he can be eccentric, but I'm sure whatever happened in there couldn't have warranted him ending up like that."
    "Oh, you would do worse if you knew," Anna mumbled under her breath, keeping her eyes on the road as she started driving faster.
    "What was that?"
    "Oh, nothing," Anna tried to brush it off, but cracked under the pressure of Joanna's unsettling gaze. "It was really nothing. You know, brothers being brothers. One's British, the other American. I believe something about not being over the whole tea in the harbor, you know, all that," she rambled, saying the first thing that came to her mind.
    A bit confused, Joanna shook her head. "Tea ? Harbor? What in the name of Merlin's—"
    "Oh look, we're here," Anna shouted, pulling into the driveway, then doing her best to get out of the car as fast as she could. "I know you guys have been traveling all morning, so I can whip up a quick lunch while you settle in," she hurried out as she unlocked the front door, then led them into the house. "So, living room is through there, kitchen is straight down the hall, and the bathroom is up the stairs, second door to the right."
    While Anna made her way into the kitchen to start on lunch, the children looked around the house, realizing it was their first time in a muggle home. It was weird at first, looking at the unmoving pictures, the odd plants that just stood still, with flowers that minded their business without singing or trying to latch onto them.
    Joanna, on the other hand, inspected the many pictures that decorated the walls intently. She couldn't explain it—like an internal alarm was blaring in her head, urging her to look at every single one of them. Maybe it was the guilt of knowing Orion was growing up away from them. To be honest, she wouldn't mind having the vibrant girl over for the summer holidays so she could be closer to her cousins. However, the more she inspected each picture, the more she saw how happy her niece was here, with a family of her own that Charlie and Anna built together.
    "That was the first time she rode a bike," a husky voice said over her shoulder, making her jump. "Sorry. Thought you heard us come in." Turning around, she was met with the sight of a gruff man who was staring at the picture in her hand. "Name's Charlie," he continued, offering her his hand.
    "Joanna," she replied, taking it. "You wouldn't be the brother who hit my husband, would you?"
    "That's a complicated answer," Charlie laughed awkwardly. "Anna in the kitchen?"
    "Yes, she said she was making lunch," Joanna nodded. "I'm going to check on Sirius. He's a talented wizard, but medical work is not his forte."
    "I'll take your word for it. He's up in the bathroom. It's up—"
    "The stairs, second door to the right. Anna told us. Thank you," she nodded, heading up the staircase that had even more pictures hung all over the walls. She continued to inspect them until she saw a cracked doorway that led into a light blue room.
    She tried not to investigate, tried to erase the small glimpse she caught from her mind, yet she couldn't. Joanna needed to see for herself—maybe to see that Orion actually existed beyond pictures and words. A small shiver ran through her as she stepped over the threshold beyond the cracked door. Then, that internal alarm went off, blaring that something wasn't right, that she was missing something. Joanna had to know what it was that felt severely off about this room, so to ease the noise in her mind, she searched.
    She took in everything about the room—the wall of colorful dinosaurs driving mini versions of Sirius's old bike, the spaceship bed with a bookshelf full of worn books, even the sight of a lopsided Quidditch hoop with a net hanging off it and a big square hanging over it brought a smile to her face. Yet Joanna was getting more confused, and it was infuriating. It was like waking up in St. Mungo's all those years ago again—her heart going through grief, and her brain, the one thing she could rely on, was abandoning her.
    "What am I missing?" Joanna whispered, unaware that her son, who had come up the stairs looking for her, heard her. Giving in to the urge to escape, Joanna started to turn around but froze at the sight of a baby blue blanket sticking out from under the bed. Normally, she wouldn't have given it any thought, but it was what was on the specific corner that was sticking out.
    "Orion," the name slipped past her lips as she bent down with trembling hands and took the soft material in her hand—the same material that Lily used when she made Jamie and June's blankets, even the small stitching of Quaffles and big black dogs that ran along the edges, she knew her sister-in-law had done.
    Joanna's heart went from a hard thump to a frantic beat as the only question storming through her aching head was why this blanket even existed. Sirius had been adamant about his hate toward his brother and family when asked about them, so why would his brother's child have a blanket made by Lily the wife of the best friend he abandoned his family for?
    Joanna's eyes darted around the room desperately, as if the answers were out there taunting her. That was until her eyes landed on a picture of Anna and Charlie sitting by a Christmas tree in ridiculous pajamas with a small child sitting on their lap. The only problem with this picture was that the child didn't match the ones in the many pictures downstairs. In fact, it looked like one of the ones that her mother and father had hung up long ago, with the only differences being it wasn't;t her parents and James wasn't sitting beside her. The moment her eyes met the blue ones captured in the frame, a sharp pain seared through her head, and the next thing she knew, her head was spinning, and the floor looked like it was coming up to greet her.
   
   
    ~*~*~*~ Hogwarts ~*~*~*~