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July 3, 1993

"Your little hands wrapped around my finger
And it's so quiet in the world tonight,"
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Before Clover could make it to the staircase, a spell shot out at her, sticking her feet to the ground. She tried to lift her feet off the floor, hands grabbing at her legs to help. The footsteps from behind her got louder and louder the closer they got.

"My kneecaps? Really, of all things?!" His voice said, now feet away from the girl.

"Mu-" Before she could finish yelling, a silencing spell was cast over her.

"Merlin, stop yelling," He said as he rounded to face her, "Now, who are you? What are you doing at my house? And how did you get in?"

Clover leaned back a bit to now fully see him. Her eyes widened as she again tried to walk away, her feet still stuck to the floor, causing her to tumble back and land on the ground.

"You see, we wouldn't have this problem if you listened to me," Achlys decided to let the girl fend for herself on this one as she drifted off to the back of her mind. Clover weighed her options A) try and punch the man in front of her when he got closer, or B) play dead.

She went with option B. Her eyes closed as she dropped her arms, legs falling to the side. The man stopped walking and stared at her.

"Kid?" He nudged her with his foot, "Hello? Fuck, what did I do?" He knelt next to the girl and shook her shoulders, "Now they can actually charge me with murder,"

Beside him, footsteps had begun to make their way down the stairs. He pulled the wand from his sleeve and pointed it as the person came into view.

"Sirius?" He asked as his brother's wand lowered a tiny bit.

He entirely dropped it now, "Regulus?"

And she took this chance to make her escape. With one swift movement, she grabbed the wand from his hand, pushed him back with her other so he fell, and undid the charms he cast over her. She threw the wand back at him before racing up the steps, arm thrown around Regulus' wasit.

One hand went around her as the other reached for his wand. Behind the two, Mary and Lily had come running down next to them as well.

"Mum!" Clover cried and went into the woman's arms instead. "I did what you said and went for the knees,"

"It's okay, love, it's okay," She held her daughter's head close as Regulus went down the steps, facing his brother.

"How are you here?" Regulus grabbed the wand that had been discarded and tossed it up to Mary. "Why are you here?"

"Me?! What about you? Last I heard, you were dead!" Sirius stood up and dusted off his hands. He looked behind his brother, finally seeing Lily, "Same with you! I saw James' dead body, I assumed-"

"You assumed wrong. I escaped that night," Lily held on tighter to the girl, "How did you get out? You're supposed to be in Azkaban for killing Peter,"

"Killing Peter?! No, he framed me for killing you," Sirius threw his hands up as he ran them through his hair. "Wait, how are you alive? And who's the kid?"

"Faked my death," Both Regulus and Lily said, "We're together for the same reason you were put in Azkaban,"

Mary walked down the steps and stood next to Regulus, "Dumbledore,"

The three grown-ups shared a look, all realizing there was something bigger going on they didn't know of. Clover loosened her grip on her mum and looked back at the man.

"Clover," She said, "My name is Clover,"

Sirius stared at the girl as if she was the sun finally shining on the darkest day.

To him, she was.

He felt so stupid at this moment because there in front of him was a part of James he thought he'd never see. Because this child, this little girl, had his light. The light that saved him all those years ago was now back to save him again; they'll just have to wait and see it.

"Well, Clover, I am so very sorry about giving you a fright,"

"Sorry about hitting you in the knees," She bit the inside of her cheek, "If I had known it was you, I would have aimed for the eye,"

Regulus tried his best to stifle his laughter as the girl gave him a big smile, knowing she was doing it right this time.

Lily smacked Regulus on the back of the head, "Are you kidding me? You taught my kid this shit?"

Regulus had a proud smile on his face as Clover fist-bumped him, "I would never,"

"Well, anyone fancy a drink? I need one about now," Sirius turned away from them and descended the stairs.

They all watched him as he descended. Regulus looked back over his shoulder at the three. He looked at the youngest, who was already looking at him. She nodded and ran out of her mother's grasp and into his. He picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and they went down the staircase as well.

Lily and Mary accepted defeat and joined them, wanting more answers but knowing they won't get them if they were all sober.

Sirius had stopped on the way to the living area in front of an old dusty painting of a man who didn't look that far off from him. He felt around the sides of the frame until it finally clicked, popping off. He sat it on the ground as he looked at Regulus.

"Care to uncloak it? Don't have my wand, and this one's fu-" Clover glared through the crack of Regulus' arm, "Messed up. Since when were you good with kids?" She brought her head down to rest on Regulus' back.

Regulus pulled out his wand and waved it over the area, making the wallpaper disappear and replace it with an open hole, "Walburga always did say her brother drove her to drink,"

"And look where it got her," Sirius joked as he grabbed two of the bottles from the hole, "From what I was told, not even magic could heal her liver,"

"Bet she was proud of you before she went," Clover started to tap his back, "Because you were arrested for murdering my family,"

Regulus sighed at the girl's words, "I can't get mad at her; she's not wrong,"

"She's driving me to drink," Sirius pointed at her as he walked backward through the archway. "You sound like my old professor,"

Regulus put the girl down, turning her by the shoulders and shoving her into the room. Sirius quickly lit the fire and plopped down on the couch with the bottle already pouring into a glass he pulled from a cabinet near the wall.

Clover went over and sat in front of him as Regulus sat on the opposite side of the couch from him. When Mary and Lily walked in, they sat on the other couch as Sirius passed drinks around.

"Am I dreaming? I mean, this all feels very dream-like," Lily took a quick sip from the glass, "You're alive; you say Peter framed you, my son's somehow alive, and I'm back in London," She downed the rest of the glass, holding it out to be filled once more.

"If it makes you feel better, I thought all of you were dead. Didn't even know this one could've existed,"

Clover lay down on the floor by Sirius' feet, "If it makes you feel better, I killed my mom to be born,"

"Is she okay? Brain damage or anything?" He kicked her hands away as they kept trying to untie his shoelaces.

Mary laughed at him, "She's just a little special... and you charmed her to be quiet, which makes her not like you already,"

"I like to talk wolf-man." She glared at him through the slits of her eyes and slowly lowered her head back down as she finally got his laces tied without him seeing.

Regulus and Lily looked down as Sirius glared at them. He sighed as he put his glass down beside him.

"Look, there's a lot none of us know right now. Let's go around and ask questions needed to be answered. I'll go first," He turned to face his brother. "How are you alive? Last I heard, you were dead somewhere in the ocean,"

The girl on the floor crawled over and rested her head on her uncle's legs as her arms wrapped around them. "That's because I did. I was on a mission I knew I wouldn't return from. I was almost gone, under the water and all, when someone pulled me out and brought me to a hospital,"

Regulus ruffled the girl's hair as she stared at him, "Who was it?"

He thought for a second, but her eyes had that gleam that told him not to tell, "I have no idea. Woke up, and Dumbledore was there,"

"It all leads back to him," Mary leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees, "He's the one who placed Regulus with me. The one who told Lily Harry was dead and that she should 'stay' dead. He told me that I couldn't grieve my friends because we had a war going on. And you-" she looked at Sirius one last time before it clicked in her mind, "Oh shit,"

"What?" Lily put her drink down and moved closer.

"He's known this whole time," She could feel her heart breaking for everyone she's ever known, all the people she's lost to the ones in the room, "He could've helped us. He could've helped you!"

They were all staring at her wight wide eyes, not yet knowing what she was saying.

"He knew Sirius didn't do it," Clover said.

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Sorry I've been busy the past week and haven't had much time to publish this. Also, after this chapter they will all start to be from Clovers POV and not 3rd person