Chapter Three, Betrayals Revealed

It was the day before Dahlia's birthday and the tremors affecting Dahlia had finally died down enough that Sirius could safely take her to Gringotts for the Goblins to check on her scar as he noticed nobody had bothered to do that in nearly fourteen years since the attack on the Potter's cottage in Godric's Hollow which just made white-hot fury burn within him. How can Dumbledore justify the injustices done to not only himself but also his precious daughter; and no doubt others as well. The answer? They were just pawns to the old goat in a game nobody knew except for him. Well, Sirius was changing the board to make sure he and his family came out on top for once; the Black family would mean and be feared for a whole other reason when he was done.
"Is there anything we can do, Sirius?" Jasper asked, wanting to help his mate.

Rosalie was upstairs helping Dahlia get ready for the day, despite the tremors and the occasional stuttering lessening slightly it still made moving or standing for long periods of time rather difficult for his fiery mate.
"Could you make sure everything is ready for her birthday tomorrow, please? I've got to pick up one last thing while we're in Diagon Alley today." Sirius told them.
"Of course." Esme agreed readily, just as Rosalie and Dahlia walked into the dinning room with wide smiles (Dahlia's arm looped through Rosalie's so she could support her). Dahlia looked beautiful in a white off-the-shoulder jumper, blue ripped jeans, white and black trainers and her hair in a French plait with silver flowers decorating her hair.
"Morning." Dahlia greeted everyone.
"Morning Dahlia."

"Oh, you look so beautiful." Esme crooned, gently hugging the redhead.
"Thanks Esme." Dahlia laughed, a faint blush on her cheeks, which only darkened when she spotted Jasper staring at her with a dopey expression on his face.
"What?"
"You look so beautiful, darling." Jasper whispered reverently.
"Thanks Jazz." Dahlia muttered happily, a darker blush upon her cheeks as she pressed a kiss to Jasper's cheek after Sirius had helped her sit down. "Thanks Dad." She added gratefully, smiling at her father and kissing his own cheek.
"You're welcome sweetheart." Sirius replied, just as Tarak appeared in the dining room with a bowl of fruit porridge for Dahlia along with her potions, a cup of honey tea and a glass of orange juice.
"Eat up Miss Dahlia. You need your strength." Tarak ordered, bestowing a curtsy to Sirius and Dahlia.

"Thank you Tarak." Dahlia replied kindly, taking her potions with a grimace before washing them down with the orange juice. "What's the plan for today, Dad?" Dahlia asked once that foul taste was gone from her mouth.
"We're heading to Gringotts so you can get checked over by the Goblins to make sure there are no lasting nasty side effects from the Killing Curse and to see if the Goblin Healers can offer something stronger to help you. Afterwards, I was thinking we can stop at Fortescue's for an ice-cream before doing some shopping, and I've got to pick up an order." Sirius informed her, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

Dahlia nodded in understanding as she ate her breakfast and made small talk with her Dad, Remus (who had arrived last night), Jasper and the rest of the Cullens (minus Edward who had disappeared a few weeks ago and no one has heard anything, nor has Alice seen anything). They didn't know; however, their world was going to be shaken down to the very foundations with the reveal of a deep rooted betrayal.

***

Once Dahlia had finished her breakfast, Sirius and herself had used the Floo in Sirius's study (the only Floo connection publicly open to a certain few, along with St Mungo's, Gringotts, Carmen Denali's office and Amelia Bones's office), to Gozderx, Black-Potter Account Manager's office in Gringotts.
"Well met, Account Manager Gozderx. May your accounts overflow with gold." Dahlia greeted cordially, with a slight bow once she'd got her bearings having arrived via the Floo Network.
"Well met Heiress Potter-Black. May your enemies tremble at your feet and your Courtship flourish." Gozderx greeted with a bow, a minute smile upon his lips. "Well met Lord Black. May your accounts overflow with gold." He greeted, as Sirius stepped out of the Floo and sat beside his daughter.

"Well met Account Manager Gozderx. May your enemies tremble before the might of the great Goblin Nation." Sirius greeted, bowing respectfully.
"Now, I understand you finally want the Heiress checked for anything nefarious left over from the Killing Curse which we have been recommending to Dumbledore during the past thirteen and a half years. What this entails is; you'll prick your right pointer finger, Heiress Potter-Black, and place the blooded finger upon this Blood Stone." Gozderx explained, pulling out an oblong reddish grey stone from a draw in his desk. "This will then transfer the readings onto a sheet of parchment and we'll go from there. If the results do happen to show something, however, we will take you to a Cleansing Hall where we will perform the Cleansing Ritual, after which you'll sleep for a few hours in our Healing Halls for your body and magic to recover. Any questions?"

Dahlia shook her head. She understood all that was about to happen, Sirius squeezed her hand reassuringly before she followed the instructions given to her. Seconds later Gozderx was reading through the results when he suddenly started cursing in Gobbledegook; a long finger pressed to a different stone as he spoke into it, sort of like an announcement.
"What's going on?" Sirius fretted, pulling Dahlia closer to him as if he could protect her from the results of the test.
"I apologise, Lord Black but it would seem that on Samhain 1981 the wizard calling himself Lord Voldemort made an accidental Horcrux in Heiress Potter-Black. Something that Dumbledore knew about as there are also traces of his magic around her scar, hidden of course, so no one could detect it but nevertheless it is there.

This is a heinous crime committed against Houses Potter and Black and I will have the necessary documents sent to your solicitor Mrs Tonks, Madam Bones of the DMLE, Mrs Carmen Denali of the CPS of the Canadian Ministry and Lord Bartholomieu Gerard of the CPS of our Ministry." Gozderx informed them, copying the documents of the test, and the letters they had sent to Dumbledore over the years regarding this very test four times before filing away the originals, just as the door opened and in walked Griphook, Bloodclaw and the Goblin Healer Antoniq.

"WHAT?!!!!" Sirius raged, jumping out of his chair, his magic crackling around him along with Dahlia's. She may look shocked and betrayed on the outside but on the inside she was roiling in rage and her magic sang to answer her anger. "I WANT THEM DEAD, GOZDERX! I WANT THEM TO PAY!! MILK THEM DRY FOR ALL THEY HAVE, FOR WHAT THEY'VE DONE!!! I BET THERE - THAT BASTARD!!!" Sirius suddenly became angrier if that were possible when he realised something, playing back everything that had happened in Dahlia's life.

"THE PROPHECY IS A FAKE! HE WAS SETTING MY DAUGHTER UP TO DIE!!! THAT DOES IT!!! GOZDERX I WANT YOU TO  DECLARE ALBUS PERCIVAL WULFRIC BRIAN DUMBLEDORE AS AN ENEMY OF THE MOST ANCIENT AND MOST NOBLE HOUSES OF POTTER AND BLACK!!!"

"It will be done Lord Black." Gozderx agreed bloodthirsty. "Now you may know Griphook but this is our Healer, Healer Antoniq." The account manager introduced them. "They'll both be joining me and four of our brethren to remove the stain upon Heiress Potter-Black after which we will safely destroy it within a contained environment. Now that we know he has created such vile things we will be checking all of his followers' vaults to see if there are any hidden within our walls. Normally we should not be telling you this; however, as you have both been affected and one of our most valued clients you have a right to know. Also if there is any then those clients will have broken bank protocol."

"How about we get this nasty thing from you and see if I can do anything for your nerve damage." Healer Antoniq suggested, gesturing for them all to follow her to the Cleansing Halls which was a huge hall, about the size of the Great Hall at Hogwarts, and was made completely out of a mixture of grey marble and a greyish-black granite.

As the father-daughter duo looked around the hall they noticed a number of Goblins carving runes in a three tier circle, starting off small then getting larger as they expanded closer to where they were standing by the door. Due to both excelling (or excelled in Sirius's case) in Ancient Runes they recognised the runes that were being carved. There was Nauthiz for survival; Uruz for strength, endurance, courage, vigour, vitality, force and perseverance; Thurisaz for defence, challenge, danger, protection, attack and once again strength; and finally, Hagalaz for destruction, natural wrath, uncontrolled forces, testing/ change and external input.

"Please go behind the screen and change into this white gown." Healer Antoniq ordered gently. "Once done you'll need to step into the Cleansing pool through the doors to your left. When you have been cleansed enough I shall come get you and you'll need to sit in the innermost circle. Lord Black you cannot stay here. She is in good hands and will come to no harm here, I promise. If you'd like to either go into Diagon Alley and wait or you can wait in your Account Manager's office. The ritual will roughly take about thirty minutes but afterwards she will be out for about an hour or two." She explained, promising the worried father that his daughter will be safe. Seeing the terrified look in his daughter's emerald eyes tore at Sirius's heart as he took her into his arms hugging her tightly and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Who he was trying to comfort out of them he didn't know, but a small smile lifted the corners of his lips when he felt her too thin arms shakily wrap around him.
"I'll wait in the office okay, pup? I'm not leaving you, I promise, I'll never do that. It's just not safe for me to be in here during the ritual. My magic may lash out at the Goblins if you're in pain, and interfere with the ritual causing something catastrophic to happen to you and I don't want that. This is for your benefit and you'll finally be rid of the pain from your scar and the connection. It'll all be gone within a few hours. I love you, my sweet and fiery daughter." Sirius declared passionately.
"I know. I love you too, Dad. It's just hard being around people who are not you or any of the others." Dahlia whispered despondently, self loathing shining in her eyes.

Sirius hugged her tighter at that, wanting to squeeze all the pain out of his daughter as if she were a sponge so she'll be left with nothing but happiness, love, joy and all the other good emotions. He knew she's had a terrible start in life but he swore before he escaped and afterwards once he knew what had happened to her, that he'd change that. Dahlia was his number one priority and all he cared about in this world.
"It'll get easier, I promise and I'm with you every step of the way." Sirius swore, running his hand through her fiery locks soothing her as she closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. After a few minutes they pulled apart smiling softly at each other. "Go on." He coaxed. "I'll see you in a few hours." Sirius watched her until she was behind the scene, aided by another Goblin Healer until he turned and left so they could get started. He had a kill list to make.

***

"How do you feel?" Sirius fretted, once he'd been reunited with his daughter. She had been out for longer than expected; three hours in fact, due to the soul piece leaching her magic and a few blocks placed on her by Dumbledore on that very same night adding to the crimes stacking against the old wizard. Despite having wasted three hours sitting in the account manager's office, he'd put his time to good use. He had gone through each account with a fine tooth comb and created his kill list, Sirius still had things to do in Diagon Alley but he hadn't wanted to go very far in case something happened so he'd stayed put. Which in the end turned out to be a good thing as he'd found that Dumbledore had been taking money in the twelve years he'd been incarcerated.

Gozderx had promised to get every taken Galleon, Sickle and Knut back with interest added on top. It hadn't been an extortionate amount so it wasn't flagged but more than he should have taken as a self-proclaimed Magical Guardian which never should have happened. The old Potter Account Manager, Bogrod, had been brought before the Goblin King to answer for his crimes in aiding Dumbledore.
"I feel... lighter, as if a weight has been lifted." Dahlia pondered with a thoughtful frown.
"That is to be expected Heiress Potter-Black." Healer Antoniq replied. "We have managed to fix some of the damage caused by the abuse and safely removed all of the blocks on your magic so I'd advise getting a new wand.

I'd also suggest trying not to use any magic unless in dire circumstances so you do not suffer with Magical Exhaustion. The nerve damage, however, was a little tricky to fix as nerves are sensitive and easy to damage but you will get better with time and patience, that we can promise."
"Thank you for everything you and the Goblin Nation have done for my daughter on this day, Healer Antoniq, Griphook and Account Manager Gozderx." Sirius professed gratefully, his arm wrapped around Dahlia's shoulder in support and comfort.
"You are welcome Lord Black. May your enemies tremble at the sound of your voices and kneel at your feet." Gozderx purred bloodthirsty.
"May your gold overflow and your enemies fall before your fine martial arts." Dahlia returned.
Sirius nodded gratefully at the three Goblins, leading his daughter out of the bank.

"Let's get some ice-cream, Bambi. You deserve it." Sirius decided, leading the way over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. As it was a nice day they decided to sit outside in the sunshine and eat their ice-cream; Sirius had a raspberry and fudge flavoured ice-cream with hazelnut pieces, and Dahlia had mango and raspberry sorbet with almond pieces when it suddenly became bitterly cold; a cold they both, unfortunately, knew all too well. The sun disappeared behind dark clouds as rain started to pour turning to hailstones as it fell.
"Let's ge-" the words were barely out of his mouth when two Dementors suddenly appeared before them, one pinning Dahlia to the glass window of the parlour by her throat. Her lungs burned as her breath was stolen from her, her vision blurring as the deaths of her parents and the night in the graveyard both started playing on a loop within her mind.

"DAHLIA!!" Sirius shouted petrified. "Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum! Oh come on!!" Sirius hollered frustrated, moving backwards trying to put space between him and the Dementor looming over him as his Patronus never came; his own breath was being taken from him. "Thanks for the help!!" He hollered sarcastically to the fleeing wizards and witches when his daughter suddenly dropped at his feet her wand falling from her hand having just jabbed the Dementor in the side of the head causing some sparks which made the creature release her. "Pup!" Sirius gasped, stooping down to pick up his daughter's wand and quickly help her to her feet.
"Together, Dad!" Dahlia interjected breathlessly, holding his right hand tightly with her left, the feeling grounding them while leaving their wand arms free. Sirius nodded, taking a deep breath as the two Dementors crept closer, still, practically pinning the pair against the shop windows once again.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!" Sirius and Dahlia bellowed. Two powerful Patroni burst from their wands in the shape of a Grim and a Stag chasing away the Dementors in a symbolic image that mirrored a scene that was all too familiar to Sirius from long ago when he as Padfoot and James as Prongs would walk and play side by side.
"Thank you Prongs." Dahlia whispered tearfully, stroking Prongs's back as he bowed his great antlered head before he and Padfoot disappeared now that there was no longer a threat.
"Let's get out of here and get home. No doubt Moony will have Carlisle check us over and supply us with hot chocolate and a chocolate frog when he hears about this.

What our world and the Ministry is coming to I'll never know but heads are going to roll. No one, and I mean no one threatens my daughter and gets away with it. I'll get to the bottom of this." Sirius swore angrily now that the shock and the dreadful memories had disappeared slightly.
"I know you will, Dad." Dahlia mumbled, snuggling herself into Sirius's side not wanting to think about the memories brought forwards or admit how shook up she truly was. Clutching Dahlia close in an effort to calm them both, Sirius turned on the spot Apparating to the boundary of the wards of Black Manor.

Two uneaten ice creams lay upturned upon the table outside the parlour; forgotten. Finally, Aurors had arrived at the scene. The words too little too late played in Florean's mind. He couldn't cast a Patronus so he had done the next best thing and called for the Aurors. But unbeknownst to all, it would come in handy as he would soon be called forth as a witness at an unlawful trial. The only one willing to step forwards.