Power

Chapter Nine

"With great power comes great responsibility."
It was an accurate quote.
"All actions have consequences."
Another accurate quote.
Lord Voldemort discovered both the hard way.
If he had obeyed orders, he would have been successful.
If he had listened to his wife, he would have come out alive.
"Don't harm James or Lily Potter." She'd said.
What had he done?
Killed them both.
That bastard! Seraphina screamed.
It was aimed at Tom, but he was dead, and so there was nobody to hear it.
He had killed the Potter boy, and now her nephew was sobbing in her living room.
Seraphina had wanted to have Vivian get Athena, but that hadn't worked as planned.
Sirius had showed up at her door. She had, of course, invited him in.
He'd sat on the couch, and broken down.
Athena had run up to him and jumped in his lap, hugging him while Seraphina watched.
Sirius wrapped his arms around his "favorite cousin" and sobbed.
Sirius, darling. What's happened? Sera asked.
"James... James... Lily... James. James..."
James what, Sirius? She asked calmly.
"He's... He... They're dead." He looked up at her desperately. "Voldemort killed them."
How do you know? It came out demanding.
"I went there. I went to Peter's... he wasn't there, and so I went to J--James and Lily's... Peter. Where the fu--" he cut off, remembering Athena was there. "Where is Peter, Aunt Seraphina? I know that you know. Tell me."
I don't know. Why do you need him?
It wasn't a lie. She didn't know where he was.
Why should she?
He was expendable.
"So I can kill him." Sirius says bluntly.
"Bubby, don't kill people." Athena said meekly, curled up against him. "It isn't nice."
Sirius didn't respond. He put his face down in her auburn hair and made a few choked noises before looking back up to his aunt. "Do you think I'm an idiot, Aunt Sera? I know who you are. I know who Uncle--I know who Tom was. I know what you do. I know. You're right. I am an idiot. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have stuck around with you. I don't know what I was thinking--"
How do you know? Sera asked.
She felt something that a normal person would have described as their heart breaking.
But Sera wasn't a normal person, and she didn't know what it was.
She sat down.
"Tom talked to me. Told me I'd be a 'valuable asset.' I don't want to be an asset, Aunt Sera--Oh, Merlin, I messed up with Moony... Oh God. Oh no. Oh shit."
Slow down, darling.
"I'm going to kill Peter if it's the last thing I do. So you can tell me where he is or not, but either way I'll find the bast--jerk."
Don't ruin your life over this.
"Life!" He scoffed. "I don't have one. I'm alone in the world. What the fu--What do you want me to do?"
"You aren't alone, Bubby. You have me." Athena kissed his cheek. She was crying.
The poor child was frightened, but, then again, who could blame her?
Sirius closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.
"To be clear," Sirius said, "The only reason I'll ever contact you again is to see Athena."
Sirius, please be rational--
"Rational! What part of this isn't rational? I'm sitting here having a rational conversation with you. I've rationalized enough. I know what I'm doing. Prongs, Moony, me... We would have died rather than betray Peter. He had the indecency to join you." Sirius spat. He spat out Peter's name, as if it were filthy.
Sirius, you don't understand--
"What's there to understand, Aunt Sera? He killed my brother. He killed my godson's mother. He killed my family. He's killed my friends. What the fuck else is there to understand?"
I know you're upset, Sirius. I understand that. But that doesn't mean you should act rashly--
"I'm killing Peter or killing myself. Take your bloody pick. It was my fault anyways." He ended with a sharp gasp.
Athena kissed his cheek with the timidness of a frightened child who wants to help.
The poor child had no idea what was going on.
Fine. Kill Peter. I still don't know where he is, though. Come back here afterwards so that I can protect you
"I don't want your protection, Aunt Sera. I want to die." He kissed Athena's cheek and put her down, standing himself. "I'm leaving, Aunt Sera. I'm sorry I made the mistake of thinking you might have actually loved me."
Sirius, stay for a bit. Sera stood up, stepping towards him. She held out her arm. Please, Sirius. I'm frightened. I do love you.
As we've mentioned before, Seraphina Nott could play the damsel in distress quite well.
Seraphina Riddle hadn't lost that ability.
She widened her eyes and worked up a few tears. She furrowed her eyebrows and gave him a pleading look. Come here, Sirius. Just for a moment.
The thing was, this time she was frightened.
Her little boy was going off to ruin his life, and she disapproved.
He believed her fright.
She manipulated him just as she'd always manipulated everybody.
He walked into her arms and hugged her, dropping his head onto her shoulder and starting to cry again.
She wrapped her arms around her nephew and kissed his head as she would her daughter's. It's okay, dearest. Everything will be fine. I do love you. Regulus loved you. James Potter loved you. Remus Lupin loves you. Athena loves you. You aren't alone. You aren't unloved. You're never alone, my darling. I will always be here.
"Thank you, Aunt Sera." He said quietly, not lifting his head. He shook like a leaf.
She said nothing, just smoothed his hair down and spoke softly in his mind until he calmed down.
"I'm unhappy, Aunt Sera." Sirius said, stepping back.
Athena tugged at his leather jacket.
He bent and picked her up.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
I know, darling. I'm sorry. I wish I could make it better.
"May I borrow some parchment? I need to write my friend."
Of course, darling. Athena, why don't you let him go so he can go about his business.
"No Mummy."
"She's fine." Sirius said, bringing her with him to write his letter to Remus.
As soon as the two of them were in a different room, Athena began sobbing normally instead of silently. She clutched onto Sirius.
"It's okay, Athena." Sirius said, setting her down on the table he planned to write on. He took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. "What's the matter? Don't cry."
"You don't cry, Bubby. Why are you sad? Who died? What happened? Bubby?" She asked as he wrote.
He wrote. He didn't answer.
He rolled the parchment up and sealed it, then looked at his cousin. "It's okay." He said.
She repeated all of her questions.
"James was my brother." He said. "He was great. He had this messy black hair and Merlin, he never shut up about Quidditch. He was... yeah." He smiled. "He married this Muggleborn named Lily. Her hair was bright, bright red. And she had green eyes."
"Was she pretty?"
"She was beautiful, just like you." He smiled. "And really smart." He booped her nose. "Just like you."
She grinned up at him. "Keep talking."
Sirius smiled. His eyes burned and his throat felt raw. "James was constantly chasing her, but she wanted nothing to do with him. But he wore her down and she agreed, and then they got married, and they had a little boy named Harry."
"Babies are cute." Athena said.
"Yeah. Harry was adorable."
"Was I adorable?"
"Of course." He smiled.
"What happened to Harry?"
"Well, his Mummy and Daddy died today."
The little girl's eyes welled with tears. "What about Harry, Bubby?"
"Harry?" He sounded hopeful for the first time that night. "He's--He's dead." He tone went back to how it had been: broken and hollow.
He knew his aunt was listening.
He knew she knew what was on his mind, but he tried to protect his godson anyways.
And he succeeded.
Seraphina didn't even get a whiff of the information.
The papers the following day would take care of that.
"What about Reg-u-lus?" Athena asked.
"What about him?"
"I thought he was your bubby."
"Oh, he is."
"But James is your bubby too?"
"James is... Adopted. Well, he adopted me."
"You didn't like your bubby?"
"No no. That's not it. I love Reg. See, you know how your Mummy and Daddy are nice to you? And how they love you?"
Athena nodded.
"My mum and dad weren't like that to me."
"How come?"
"They didn't like me very much."
"I like you lots."
"Thank you. I like you lots too."
"Are you okay, Bubby?"
"Yes. I'm okay."
Seraphina caught the lie in that one.
"I love you, Paddy." Athena said.
"I love you too, kid." He kissed her forehead as he lifted her off the table and put her down.
She slipped her hand into his and let him lead her out.
She loved her Mummy, and she loved her Daddy, and she loved Aunt Vivvy and Grandmummy Nott, but she didn't love any of them as much as she loved her Bubby.
Stay the night, darling?
"No thank you. I... I think I wanna be alone. Thank you. I'm sorry I was so disrespectful."
It's all right, darling. I understand.
"Bye, Aunt Sera." He said, hugging her with the arm his little cousin wasn't clinging to. He whispered in her ear, "Don't expect Tom home."
"Are you leaving, Bubby? Bubby? Don't leave." Athena said, wrapping her arms around his leg and sitting.
Sirius picked her up and knelt down. She threw her arms around his neck. "Don't leave, Bubby." She started sobbing again.
She'd cried quietly in front of her mother, sobbed with her cousin, calmed down during his story, and now she had no reservations.
"I have to. I'll see you later, okay?"
"No, Bubby! Don't go! Don't go!" She sobbed into his shirt, his jacket still around her. She had that childhood instinct that something bad would happen.
"I have to, sweetie." He kissed her head. "I'll see you later. Be good for Mummy, yeah?"
She nodded.
"Don't cry, okay?" He wiped away her tears. "Be a big girl." He smiled. "You're okay."
"I love you, Bubby." She hugged him again.
"I love you too." Sirius stood up.
Don't forget your jacket, dear.
"Let her keep it." Sirius said.
He didn't plan on coming back.