Chapter Eight, Plans and Heartache

-Moony's Cottage, The New Forest, Britain, September 1st 1991 –

Self-hatred was Remus Lupin's constant companion as of late and he had no one to blame but himself. For nearly a decade, just shortly after James and Lily had died and Sirius had cut him off from him and his cub Persephone (not that he would ever blame Sirius for that), he had cut himself from Dumbledore and had avoided him and all those loyal to the old man like they were Inferius. No doubt much to the man's ire but Remus didn't care anymore!

Because of him and himself he had lost all of his pack, possibly for good as all of his letters to Sirius begging for forgiveness had returned unopened which could only mean one of two things: one, Sirius hadn't even bothered to open the letters from him which stun like hell, but he could understand why, but no less caused Moony to rip into him each and every Full Moon; second, he and Persephone were behind some serious wards on a Black property and the owl couldn't enter.

Both were extremely likely and made Remus wonder where they were as he knew they weren't in Britain given the Evening Edition of The Daily Prophet that he had received half an hour ago which wondered where Sirius had taken her, producing some ridiculous theories which Remus could now see that Dumbledore was behind, as she hadn't attended Hogwarts. Which she wasn't forced to attend as parents were well within their rights to allow their children to attend a different school, especially if they didn't live within the British Isles. For the past ten years everyone had been trying to find out where they had gone and it disgusted Remus, it was all because she survived that dreaded curse.

He knew she was the only one to do so but he knew his friends; they would have gone to the ends of the earth to find a way for their daughter to survive in the event that they were betrayed by Peter and HE found them, even if they were killed in the process. It was the catalyst that caused him to separate from Dumbledore (beforehand he had been questioning everything as the old man had tried to convince him that Sirius wasn't safe for him to be around nor for his cub to be around, no doubt trying to enlist his help to find them which he failed at). He had been disgusted that Dumbledore had been convincing everyone that Persephone was the Girl Who Lived.

Encouraging everyone to celebrate HIS downfall instead of mourning and heralding Lily and James as the heroes they were, allowing the tragedy that befell his pack, especially his cub, to turn into some propaganda for his and the Ministry's personal use – including swiping their house from Persephone, so Remus had taken himself to the cottage in The New Forest that James and Sirius had brought for him in their last year of Hogwarts, which no one knew about outside of the three of them and Lily and had stayed there ever since.

Remus looked away from the newspaper on his coffee table to the photo in his lap of a newborn Persephone, the only one he had he hated to say as he nursed his cup of tea that had chilled during his musings, muttering an apology to the photo as his self-hatred rose to new heights as he didn't know what his cub looked like now, what she liked or disliked, what her personality was like. He wished he could have the chance to fix things, to get to know her when there was a sudden knock at the door causing his deceptively frail body to go on an instant alert. No one should know where he was and Sirius wouldn't come find him here, so who was it?

Wand slipping into his hand from the wand holster on his inner right forearm, Remus rose from the sofa in such a rapid fluid motion you would think that Moony had taken over as he pointed the wand at the front door.
"Who is it?" He demanded, voice hard not moving from his spot behind the sofa. He wasn't taking any chances, the war and all of the ridiculous missions he was forced to undertake for Dumbledore a decade ago had instilled that into him.

"Mr Lupin, I'm Franrakz." A guttural voice spoke from the other side of the door. "I'm the Account manager for the Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses of Potter and Black at Gringotts bank. I was asked by the Late Lord and Lady Potter in their Wills to come speak to you the evening that Heiress Potter-Black attends any school of her choosing."

During the goblin's speal Remus had moved closer to the door until he cracked it open at the end of his speech.
"May I come in to speak to you on what it is regarding?" Franrakz requested, an eyebrow arched.
"Of course." Remus agreed, feeling stunned and confused, the feelings waring with each other leaving him feeling like he was lost at sea in the midst of a storm. "Come in. Can I get you anything?" He asked as he saw the goblin to the armchair before the lit fireplace.

"No thank you." Franrakz denied, pulling out part of a Will from his pocket. "Down to business, Mr Lupin, Lord and Lady Potter have bequeathed to you a large sum of money into the Noble House of Lupin vault, replenishing it after the debts your father had racked up, as they know that due to the stigma you face as a werewolf you are unable to find work.

There is enough money now for the next century along with some rather rare books that they had found for you and left in the vault for you to pursue at your leisure. The only stipulation for this, and why you are bequeathed to you a decade after their passing was this:" The Account manager cleared his throat and read from the will.

"'Remus will only bequeathed the contents we have left him if he has seen the error of his ways and separated himself from Albus Dumbledore and all he stood for at least for a decade so we know it will stick. You have screwed up big time Remus! You've lost all of your friends, your cub, your pack I hope it was worth it! However, if he is still choosing Dumbledore over Persephone he will never receive the contents we have left and nor will he ever see Persephone, I will protect my baby girl from even an old friend, Remus! But I do hope you come to your senses. So is my Last Will and Testament as Lady Lily Jane Potter nee Evans.'

'I do not want that vile man anywhere near my princess and even though at one stage Remus had been my best friend and listened to us and our concerns - and though my Lily-flower and I suspect he will eventually see the error of his ways - my princess comes first, and it is with that the stipulation is put into place. If by the time my and Sirius's daughter, Heiress Potter-Black starts the school of her choosing that Remus is still separated from Albus Dumbledore then he may receive what we are bequeathing him and leave it in the hands of our Account Manager Franrakz to distribute at his discretion and know the country they reside in but everything else is up to Lord Sirius Black the third.

You have screwed up big time Remus! However, if by that time that he has either not separated from Dumbledore or has gone back to him then all monetary and items bequeathed to Remus John Lupin will be absorbed back into the Potter Family account and the books will go into my Heiress's Trust Vault. So is my Last Will and Testament as Lord James Fleamont Potter.'"

As the will was read out Remus couldn't help but feel terrible, way worse than he did half an hour ago; especially when the comments were read out that his friends had left, how disappointed they had been in him and how they had put motions in place to protect Persephone from even him.

'No Lily.' Remus thought sadly to himself. 'It certainly wasn't worth losing all of you and now I will never be able to make things right with you and James and I will forever regret that until my dying breath. I just hope that I can make things right with Sirius and can get to know Persephone if Sirius will let me. Merlin knows how protective and cautious he was even before the war, he had to have been growing up how he and Reggie had.'

"Now," Franrakz said in a firm voice as even he was judging Remus, which he was as the Potters have always been Goblin Friends, not giving the werewolf to dwell within his thoughts he continued. "As you have completed all stipulations of the will you may receive the contents within the vault along with a new Account Manager as your vault has been reopened with this generous gift from the late Lord and Lady Potter who shall contact you in due course for a meeting to receive the new key that WILL be linked to your blood and you WILL accept this generous financial aid as to not do so will be a slight to the Potters and the Goblin nation as the Potter family have always been Goblin Friends. If it were up to me you would not be receiving a Knut for what you've done, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sir." Remus nodded to the goblin slightly, and rightfully so, afraid of angering the goblin. The least he could say for himself is that he learned from his mistakes unlike most wixen.
"Good." Franrakz nodded, returning the will to the safety of his person. "What I am about to tell you is not only under the Fidelius Charm but also under the strongest protection charms known to the Goblin nation and any attempt to divulge what I am about to tell you without express permission from Lord Black will be met with force." At Remus's nod the goblin continued.

"Lord Black and Heiress Potter-Black reside in France with Lord, Lady, Heir and Master Lestrange. I shall pass on to Lord Black what has happened tonight and what the Lord and Lady Potter bequeathed to you and then it is up to him whether he chooses to contact you and involve you in his Heiress's life. Good night." With that the goblin left leaving Remus to his thoughts and a cold cup of tea.

***

-Black Chateaux –

Sirius couldn't help but smile when he saw Hedwig flying towards the open window in the family room where they had all waited for the letters arrival no matter how late it got. They wanted to make sure that Persephone was well before they retired for the evening as it was the first time she would be away from home, away from them for a long period of time; she had stayed at her friends' houses multiple times throughout the years, but this was different.
"Thank you Hedwig." Rodolphus greeted the bird with scratches to her breastbone as Sirius relieved her of the letter before giving her some food and water.
"Is she okay?" Sirius asked his daughter's second Familiar, clutching the letter like it was a lifeline.

'Okay, maybe I'm not dealing with my daughter being away from me, from here but who could blame me for that. She has a deranged old man and the no-nosed freak after her! Most importantly she's my baby!' Sirius thought to himself only being pulled out of it by a comforting hoot from Hedwig before she flew over to the perch to fill up on food and water and have a bit of a rest. Sirius breathed a sigh of relief at that and opened the envelope just as his great-great grandfather Phineas Nigellus Black entered his portrait which only ever meant one thing: Dumbledore!

"What now?" Rabastan groaned, feeling incredibly angry and frustrated over this old man. Why couldn't the British Ministry do their job and bring Dumbledore in for questioning and then arrest him and throw away the key!
"What does the little Heiress say?" Phineas Nigellus asked instead. "I wish to know how her first night went." More than used to his great-great grandfather being besotted with Persephone, everyone who had a heart and a brain were, it just who his sweet daughter was, Sirius cleared his throat and read the letter aloud.

"' Dear Daddy, Papa Rodo, Falco, Vinda and Batsy,

I miss you all so much but I'm happy and made a new friend on the way here. Her name's Audrey Blanchet and she's a Nymph like Cami!

Mila and I were sorted into Papillonlisse; Océane and Dominique are in Ombrelune and  Camille and Audrey are in Bellefeuille. The best part.... My common room and dormitory is PURPLE!!! We have two towers, one leading to the first to third year dormitories and the other to the fourth through to seventh year dormitories.

Upon entering the door for first years you come across a common area with multiple desks and bookcases for homework and multiple doors around the room as it's two to a dormitory.

I'm both excited and scared for the classes tomorrow.

I love you all and miss you all so much!

Love

Persephone
Xxxx'"

Everyone had a smile on their face as Sirius finished reading the letter from Persephone. They were so glad that she was happy despite missing them and had made a new friend but couldn't help but laugh at how excited she was at having a purple common room and dormitory.
"I'm so glad she's happy." Vinda smiled, settling against her husband more after accepting the cup of decaf tea from Falco.

"Indeed." Falco smiled, a relieved grin on his face. Over the last decade he had grown to care deeply for the little girl; she was family, and he had a feeling that his youngest son Rabastan was her mate and even if he weren't it would change nothing for any of them. He couldn't help but laugh at Rodolphus's stupid grin when she called him 'Papa' even after all these years.

"I hate to say this as I was once Headmaster but already it sounds better than Hogwarts, especially as all the classes that Persephone can take at Beauxbâtons was once a subject at Hogwarts." Phineas Nigellus sighed shaking his head despondently with a wince of embarrassment clouding his visage.
"Speaking of Hogwarts, what is it you wanted to tell us, grandfather?" Sirius questioned hesitantly; he was getting really sick of having to deal with Dumbledore.

As the portrait of his grandfather opened his mouth to reveal what he had found out this time a hawk flew through the still open window with a letter clasped within its beak putting everyone on edge as they knew hawks only delivered letters from Gringotts and none of them were expecting anything from the goblins.
"One problem at a time." Falco the voice of reason stated before any of them could truly worry. "Phineas, what happened?" The elder man asked the Black ancestor.

"Dumbledore. He's getting more unhinged and reckless, as time passes and his plans not coming to fruition. He announced for the whole office to hear how he wished he had killed Lily and James and how he wishes he could kill Sirius so he can get the little Heiress under is thumb so it would be easier to kill her once she reaches seventeen all because she is extremely powerful, and he hates that more than anything. The rest of his plans were nothing but mumbles but when he's not in the office I shall try to subtly covert the portraits to our side so when I'm here there's always someone there listening, but after this it shouldn't take much." Phineas Nigellus explained.

"It's a good plan." Vinda agreed, thinking over what to do and how they can get the British Ministry to speed things along, get him arrested. She has no idea what could possibly be taking them so long as they have more than enough evidence to send him to either Azkaban or even Numenguard unless he's bribing them. OF COURSE!!! "He's bribing them. That could be the only reason why they haven't arrested him yet."
The four men and the portrait scoffed rolling their eyes as the obvious explanation slapped them in the face.

"I'll speak to Armand Delacour and see if there is anything we can do to expedite things." Falco mused thoughtfully, resting his chin in his hand. "It may bring about an emergency meeting with the French Wizengamot at the very least."
"And I'll talk to Daniel Durmont," Sirius added, "see if he or our supervisor, Auror Ferdinand Moulin, knows of anything."
"It's worth a try love." Rodolphus agreed, kissing Sirius's forehead as he wrapped a comforting arm around the Animagus's shoulder. "Thank you Phineas for once again bringing this to our attention." He bowed his head respectfully towards the portrait.

"You are welcome Heir Lestrange. Blacks stick together. I shall take my leave and report any findings I can." With that Phineas Nigellus Black turned and left his portrait on the left-hand side of his gilded frame heading back to Hogwarts. While the others penned their letters to Armand Delacour and Daniel Durmont before sending them off with Kreacher.
"Now that's sorted," Rabastan stated, passing around new cups of hot beverage to his family once Kreacher had left with both letters, "let's see what Gringotts want." He added, passing the letter back over to Sirius to open. Flicking open the letter Sirius took in the contents with a soft frown as his eyes darted across the high-end parchment rapidly.
"Well?" Vinda inquired, sipping at her tea delicately.

"It's from Franrakz," Sirius replied, taking in the contents of the letter a second time. "Apparently Lily and James had left Remus a sum of money and rare books if he had been separated from Dumbledore and all he stands for going on a decade. Which he has apparently as Franrakz has just bequeathed the contents to him and let him know the messages they left him along with that we're in France but leaving it up to my discretion whether to contact him and allow him to see Persephone or not. Do you think I should? At least talk to him myself and assess whether I have my friend back or not before he is within ten feet of my daughter?" Sirius asked his partner, Rabastan, Vinda and Falco.

"That is up to you, love." Rodolphus soothed. "But I think you should meet him a few times before he comes anywhere near OUR daughter." He added, emphasising 'our.' Sirius just laughed and kissed Rodolphus's cheek. He loved the possessive bastard.
"Perhaps even meet him in a neutral place to begin with like Café Abringer in Place Cachée." Falco suggested.

"Although I believe he has changed and seen the error of his ways otherwise he would never have been bequeathed the books and monetary."
"True," Rabastan agreed with his father, but he also had to instil caution. "But better to be safe than sorry." They all agreed with that and agreed, as Sirius wrote a short missive to Remus, that they would all be in Place Cachée when Sirius met with Remus alone in case he needed backup.

***

-September 3rd 1991, Café Abringer, Place Cachée –

As Sirius sat at an outside table waiting on Remus to arrive he couldn't help the anxious buildup of emotions causing his left leg to bounce with his anxiety. Fortunately for Sirius he didn't have to wait much longer as Remus arrived dead on ten o'clock, ambling up to the table Sirius sat at rather awkwardly.
"Sirius." Remus muttered as he sat on the edge of his chair as if preparing to run while accepting the coffee (that was under a preservation charm) that Sirius pushed towards him. "I'm so sorry." He muttered sadly before Sirius could so much as greet him; although Sirius wasn't exactly sure what to say to his old friend.

"Remus, before you say anything I want you to know that Persephone is the most important person in the world to me, and that includes her health, and happiness. I'm also with Rodolphus and have been for a few years now. Persephone calls him Papa Rodo and he gets this silly stupid grin on his face every time he hears it." Sirius told him, a grin appearing upon his own face at the thought. "I just wanted you to hear it from me as I know during sixth year we dated for a year –"
"-but decided we were better off as best friends. It's fine Padfoot. I'm glad you found someone who makes you so happy. That you and Persephone have people who truly care for you both; like I do but I screwed it all up." Remus interrupted with a sad sigh, but a reassuring smile never left his lips.

"I really am so sorry Padfoot." Remus apologised sadly. "I realised nearly a decade, just shortly after James and Lily had died and you had cut me off from you and my cub, not that I could ever blame you for that, I had cut myself from Dumbledore and had avoided him and all those loyal to the old man like they were Inferius. No doubt much to the man's ire but I didn't care anymore! Because of me and the old fool, I've lost all of my pack, possibly for good. I can never make things right with Lily and James, hearing that they were disappointed in me and took measures to protect Persephone from me in the messages they left in their wills hurt more than I can say!

I realise now that he manipulated me into doing his bidding as he made me feel like I owed him everything all because I was the first werewolf allowed to attend Hogwarts. When in actual fact I owe you, James, Lily and Mr and Mrs Potter everything for all you did for me and I can't believe I was so foolish, so idiotic. I don't even know what my cub looks like now, what she's like, what she loves, hates, anything and I am so incredibly ashamed over that! I regret everything I've done Sirius! Because I chose that man over my best friends. I've lost my best friends, my family, my cub, everything and I have no one to blame but myself!

But I swear to you Padfoot, on my life and on my magic that I have cut him off for nearly a decade, that I won't go back to him and will do anything to earn back your trust. I just hope you can forgive me." Remus finished rambling with tears running down his cheeks, a gold flash surrounding him as his vow took hold.

Sirius sat in silence for a moment as he digested all that Remus had said. He couldn't deny that he was still so incredibly angry with him but a part of him also wanted his best friend back, but he was also wary of having him anywhere near his princess for the time being, however, if he did what was suggested to him earlier by Rodo, and even having the meetings with himself and all of the Lestranges then they could truly gather if Remus was telling him the truth or not. His gut was telling him that Remus was telling the truth, but it was better to be cautious.

"I will give you one last chance Remus." Sirius said firmly. "We will meet like this a few times just you and me, relearning our friendship and then Rodo, Rabastan, Vinda and Falco will join us before you even meet Persephone, she's at school anyway so you would have no choice but to agree." He added with a shrug leaning back in his chair. "I understand he manipulated you, Moony but you hurt us when you disregarded us, our friendship and your pack for him. That wound will take time to heal."

"I know and I am so very sorry for that, Sirius, you have no idea how much I just want to take it all back, but I will make it up to you and prove to you that I'm telling you the truth." Remus apologised. "What's Persephone like?" A wide beaming smile stole across Sirius's face as all the tension bled out of him. Talking about Persephone was his favourite thing to do.

"Oh she's amazing! So smart, kind, and cheeky. Brave, no-nonsense kind of girl who doesn't want to hurt others, sweet but will handle herself in a fight if need be with a fiery temper. A mentor to one of her friends' little sister, and she's also like a big sister to the little girl. She's mischievous, courageous and soft like silk and sweet like honey." Sirius explained as he delved into the never-ending well of information on his daughter.

How proud he was of her was clear for all to see as Remus soaked up each and every last bit of information he could. His mind turning over exactly how he could make things right with Sirius and Persephone and the family they had built with the Lestranges. He was so incredibly grateful that he had been given this chance, a chance he knew he didn't deserve, and was determined to not screw this up.

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Author's note: DO NOT ask me to update in any way shape or form. There are other ways of telling me what you thought of this.