❝𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑳𝑶𝑽𝑬 𝑾𝑨𝑺 𝑵𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑭𝑹𝑬𝑬❞
in which there is a war to be fought, and two former opposites realize what it really means to lose everything.
☾
or:
in which sage fontaine and sirius black don't know how to cope with the realities of w...
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Sage hadn't gotten a chance to be alone at all on the day of the hearing; Harry had woken her up by screaming loudly in her face, and he'd cried until she'd let him sit on the bathroom floor while she took a hurried shower. By the time she'd finished getting ready, Rowan, Remus, and Maia had already arrived to provide emotional support during what was likely to be a long, draining day.
Rowan clutched her hand as the four of them walked quickly through the Ministry, and while Sage would never say it, she appreciated her presence, even though all of them were grieving the losses of James and Lily, as well as Sirius.
"The Wizengamot will now be hearing the case of Fontaine vs. the Ministry of Magic, for custody of Harry Potter." A wizard in blue robes called into the waiting room, voice high and haughty despite the fact that he was about a foot shorter than those around him.
Sage stood from where she sat, looking panicked towards Remus.
"You've got this, Fontaine. If anyone can beat the Ministry at their own game, it's you." He said calmly, and she nodded at his response.
Remus was the only living connection she had to Sirius now, and she was thankful that he was here to anchor her to the man she loved most in the world.
She took her seat at the desk in front of the entirity of the Wizengamot, shoulders back and chin up even though they looked down on her condescendingly. She was surprised but relieved to see Albus Dumbledore among them, a familiar face among many.
"We are here today to argue whether the orphaned Harry Potter should live with Sage Celeste Fontaine, whom his parents selected as the person to take him should anything happen to them, or if he should be sent to live with his mother's sister and her husband, muggles who would raise him away from wizarding society." Dumbledore said evenly and without emotion, as if he could not care less about the matter he was discussing. "Now, Miss Fontaine, would you like to argue your case for custody of Mr. Potter?"
Sage nodded, brushing any dust or other debris from her pencil skirt, and stood up. "Yes, I would. Lily and James Potter chose me to be the godmother of their son because they trusted me to care for him in case anything happened to them.
"And while I am heartbroken over the loss of two of my best friends, I would move heaven and earth for Harry. Out of all the possible people that could be considered to raise him, I am the only one that has known him since he was born. I've held him, fed him, and cared for him when he cried. I can never, ever compare to what Lily could have given him as a mother, but I can do my best to raise him right, to be kind and thoughtful and not let who he is go to his head."
The members of the Wizengamot seemed to talk among themselves for a moment, considering her words, before allowing her to continue.
She took a breath. "Besides, they chose me. They didn't choose the Dursleys to raise their son—her sister bullied her and harassed her for being a witch, and Lily never felt like her child would be safe with Petunia. If she wanted him to live with Petunia, she would have said so." She finished, taking her seat once more.
The court went into recess to discuss the case she made, and once they were out of the courtroom, Maia jumped onto Sage.
"You were brilliant! There's no way they aren't going to give you custody!" The short girl exclaimed, grinning widely.
Sage tried to smile, but her attempt failed; she hadn't been away from Harry this long since first taking him in, almost a month ago now. She was slowly becoming codependent, and she missed the little boy with everything in her; she just hoped Anna-Lee was taking good care of him.
The four of them sat in silence for a while, too nervous to speak while the Wizengamot was deliberating about where Harry would grow up.
The events of the past year—ten years, even—had made it very hard, nearly impossible, really, for Sage to be hopeful about anything. She didn't dare to think positively about the perilous situations she often found herself in, but right now, she needed all the hope she could get. So she shut her eyes, prayed to a god she wasn't sure if she believed in, and allowed herself to have a tiny bit of faith.
She sat like this, with her eyes closed and hands clasped in front of her, until the voice of the same short wizard who had announced that the hearing was beginning echoed throughout the waiting room again:
"The Wizengamot has made their ruling on the Fontaine vs. the Ministry of Magic custody hearing. Please re-enter the courtroom to hear their final verdict."
Sage exhaled shakily and reached for Rowan again, who grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.
Albus Dumbledore stood at the podium, looking down at her behind rimless, half-moon shaped glasses.
His voice boomed in the cavernous room. "The Wizengamot has decided to grant fifty-fifty custody to Sage Fontaine and Petunia Dursley. Miss Fontaine will have custody of Harry Potter for the first two weeks of the month, and Mrs. Dursley will have custody for the last two weeks."
Sage's heart was in her throat, and she forced herself to nod in agreement with the Wizengamot's ruling. Tears pricked at her eyes, and while she hated that she'd have to share Harry with the wretched shrew that was Lily's sister, it was not the worst case scenario.
At least she got to keep him. Maybe not full-time, but he was her's.
might have failed my midterm but who cares no more hiatus!
