Peace Treaty

Chapter 25

"Dad, how are you?" Lyra ran towards him. She was resting the whole day as Marvolo said he will wake her up if something happens. She slept trusting him even if she knew that he won't disturb her sleep for anything. "Are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere from yesterday? Are you in any sort of pain? Is it fine for you to come here to have breakfast-"

"Bambi, I'm perfectly fine and healthy." Sirius grinned at her and kissed her head. "I was just about to come and fetch you for breakfast."

"Are you really fine?" She asked worriedly. "You swear?"

"I do." Sirius sighed and hugged her tightly before letting her go. "I'm really really really fine, Bambi. I swear."

"Alright. I believe you." She nodded slowly. "I'm afraid."

"Of what?" Sirius frowned. He paused mid step towards the dining room. "What's wrong, pup?"

"Yesterday, the minister, Dumbledore and all of them tried to publicly attack our people." Sirius wasn't surprised to hear the word 'our people' from her as he knew she started referring everything related to Marvolo as her own. "This means war, Sirius. Marvolo is going to prepare for a war. I don't want anything to happen to him."

"Nothing is going to happen to him, pup." Sirius assured her.

"I want to fight with him." She said determinedly.

"I thought you didn't want to fight in the war at all. You wanted to be left out of all these." Sirius said cupping her cheek lightly. "Bambi, you don't have to do something that you don't like or don't want to do. No one are forcing you. We only want you to be happy and safe."

"I can't be happy even if I'm safe when something happens to you or Marvolo or anyone in this manor sitting at dining table right now." She said to him angrily. "I can't be happy knowing I didn't even do something to save you even if I know I could."

"Bambi." Sirius sighed and looked at her for a long moment. "I- We don't want you to be in danger at all."

"The feeling is mutual, dad." Lyra said to him choking slightly.

"Why don't you think again about this and we will talk again in a few days?" Sirius stroked her hair gently. "I won't tell anyone about this. Think it thoroughly and tell me what you have decided about fighting in the war."

"I love you and I love Marvolo too." She said and he sighed.

"Oh baby." Sirius let her cry into his chest. He knows the feeling of fear of losing someone you love. He lost his brother that he loved so dearly. "It's ok, I'm here. I'm not going to leave you again. I swear I'll do my best to not die in the war that is going to start soon."

"I'm so afraid." She sobbed into his chest. Sirius was glad that none of the others came out to see why they aren't coming to eat yet. He held her as she cried out her fears into his chest.

"Better?" He asked when her sobs reduced to occasional sniffles.

"I'm sorry for being a cry baby." She said and he just kissed her head lightly. "I want to do something and not just sit at home and do nothing."

"I understand." Sirius nodded. "As I said, think about it for a few more days. I'll think about it too. Alright?"

"Ok." She nodded her head and he smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"Why don't you go back to your room and wash your face? I'll wait for you. We don't want anyone seeing you like this and thinking that you were crying." Sirius said and she nodded going back to her room.

"I don't want her to fight." A voice said from the shadows as soon as she left.

"I was wondering why you aren't out yet." Sirius chuckled as the man came into the light.

"I can't lose her." He said with determination in his voice. "I can't."

"I-" "Not after finally feeling loved by someone. I never knew what love is. This is a very foreign feeling to me, Sirius. I'm still trying to adapt to it and if something happens to her, then I don't know what I might do. I might turn back to the monster that I once was." He continued not letting Sirius speak anything.

"Can you say no to her?" Sirius asked him. "She is going to feel guilty if something happens to you and she is sitting home not at your side."

"We need to change our plans, Sirius." Marvolo said clenching his fists. "We can't declare a public war. I can't afford to lose her, not after everything we went through."

"What do you suggest?" Sirius asked feeling slightly afraid of the aura that is surrounding the man. It is the darkest and scariest magic of all times. Grindelwald might not even have half of this darkness within him. How did he not see this man's true potential and was foolish enough to join Dumbledore during the first war? He should've noticed it and even convinced James to join dark or at least stay neutral in the least.

"I don't have anything on my mind at the moment. We need a new plan that involves deaths of each and every order member no matter their age, gender or blood purity. I don't want any of them alive as long as they support Dumbledore or on ministry's side." Marvolo became the Lord Voldemort that everyone fears. "I-"

"What's wrong?" Sirius looked confused when he stopped and his whole aura calmed down instantly.

"She is coming. I'll go inside. Don't let her make rash decisions, Sirius." Marvolo said looking vulnerable as he met Sirius' eyes shocking him. This man can kill thousands of people without even lifting his wand and yet he is afraid to lose a small girl who he loves with his whole heart, if Sirius is not wrong.

"I swear." Sirius said and Marvolo nodded relieved before going inside.

"Shall we go?" Lyra held his arm bringing Sirius out of his thoughts.

"We shall." Sirius nodded and led her inside sighing in his heart. Both of them love each other so much already. They are afraid for each other and don't want the other to get hurt. Dumbledore, Sirius thought angrily.

-

"What happened?" Dumbledore frowned when Molly came to him the next day looking anxious.

"Albus, the blood is missing." Molly said and Dumbledore stood up from his chair angrily.

"What do you mean by missing? I thought you kept it safely at the burrow. How can it be missing?" Dumbledore roared at her.

"I don't know. I kept it in a highly warded drawer of my closet. No one, not even Arthur opens my closet and he wouldn't even go close to that drawer after seeing the number of wards that I've put." Molly said freaking out. "The twins are not even coming back to the Burrow as they are angry for what we did to that stupid Potter girl. Bill is as usual living with his girlfriend and Charlie didn't even visit once from a long time. You know Percy doesn't even stay for long time when he visits and he only stays in the living room if he visits."

"Then how can the blood go missing?" Dumbledore asked her getting angry by each second. "Do you know how precious that blood is to us? Do you know what we could've done with that blood? Do you even know what you lost, stupid woman?"

"Albus, how can you-" "Shut up!" Dumbledore shouted at her making her cower in fear at his tone. "You don't even know or understand what you did by losing the girl's blood."

"Why can't we call her and give her something to drink. Make her unconscious and then take some more." Molly suggested to him.

"Do you think it is that easy? Do you think Black is going to let her come near you again after knowing what your planning to do with her?" Dumbledore sneered at her.

"Albus, Black is not her father-" "Just because you say it doesn't mean he is not. Black blood adopted the girl when she was one day old and James Potter trusted Black to be the girl's father if something happens to him." Dumbledore snapped at her. "Do you even know the bond between the girl and Black? You should be thankful that he didn't kill you already for trying to think of harming the girl and looting her when she is married to your son."

"But-" "Don't you understand basic english, Molly?" Dumbledore asked exasperated. "Black is the girl's father, you like it or not."

"He is not-" "Don't make me do something that you won't like, Molly." Dumbledore cut her off angrily. "I'm already pissed off because of your stupidity of not able to keep a single thing safe."

"But Albus, I don't even know how it went missing." Molly said to him.

"Let's go and see if we can find anything around the drawer. Magical residue of the person who stole or something." Dumbledore said leaving towards the floo. Molly rushed to follow Dumbledore to Burrow through the floo.

"Albus, wait!" Molly said but it was too late as Arthur was standing in front of him in their bedroom looking at Dumbledore and then at Molly with shock and suspicion in his eyes.

"What are you doing here, Albus?" Arthur asked him. He wouldn't have thought much if Albus was at Burrow in the middle of the night, but he is in the master bedroom of Burrow and Arthur didn't think Dumbledore needs to come to this room at any time of the day.

"Arthur, I can explain." Molly tried to come forward, but he glared at her. He isn't talking to Molly from the day he knew about her plans regarding Lyra and Ron's marriage to steal from Lyra.

"Is this why you were eager to send me off today?" Arthur asked her angrily.

"Arthur, my boy-" "Don't, Albus." Arthur raised his hand to stop the man from saying anything else. "I guess I should be glad that I forgot an important file to take back to work. Else, I wouldn't have found what you do in my home on my bed after I leave for work everyday, Molly."

"Arthur, how can you-" "How can I what, Molly?" Arthur asked her. "Isn't this enough proof for me to say what I just said?"

"This is a misunderstanding." Dumbledore said to him. "You are just misunderstanding, my boy."

"Then pray tell me what you are doing here, Albus?" Arthur asked him and they couldn't think of anything to tell him at the moment. They can't even tell him about the blood of Lyra that they extracted secretly from the letters she sent. "I thought so."

"Arthur, please try to understand." Molly begged him. "I see Albus as my mentor and someone-"

"Molly, either you tell me the truth or don't speak at all." Arthur said harshly. "I trusted you to be loyal to me and as we still have two children studying at Hogwarts who are not yet off age, I wanted to try and talk to you. But I don't think it is going to be of any use."

"Arthur-" "I don't think I can even look at your face without feeling disgusted. I regret not listening to the children and for still thinking about giving you a chance to redeem yourself. I should've just filed for divorce the day I knew about your true face. I loved you, Molly. I loved the Molly Prewett who doesn't care about money and only wanted love. But this, you are just a gold digging woman now. You only care about money, money and money. You don't even care about our children. You don't even ask how they are when they come home for holidays. All you are worried about is why they left their jobs to come home and losing their salaries for taking leave. I'm done, Molly Weasley, soon to be Prewett." Arthur said leaving the room.

Neither Dumbledore nor Molly can stop him as he left and they just looked at each other in shock. Molly fainted as soon as her mind registered every single word that Arthur said to her. Dumbledore rolled his eyes at the woman at his feet and went to check the drawer where the blood was kept to check for any magic around it.