MOON AND STARS, fred weasley

zero

1981

Each of them willed for the year to be over. It seemed like they were being targeted one by one. With each attack, they became more uneasy, especially with the children at risk.

First, James and Lily, who barely escaped with their lives. Inflicted by the Cruciatus curse, they had no choice but writhe in pain. They fought all they could, only just managing to whisper the words I love you as the green light shot from Voldemort's wand to their son. They didn't know how Harry had survived the killing curse — nobody else had — but when their curse wore off and they heard the crying of their child that they never usually wished for the sound of, neither Potter could help but cry with joy. If a lightning scar meant that he was alive, they'd take it.

Then there was Frank and Alice. Luckily, Neville had been with his Grandmother at the time. He and Harry were the same age - just one. Bellatrix had taken it upon herself torture them so harshly that neither Auror could make it out with their sanity. Now, they resided at St. Mungos, and it didn't seem like it would change any time soon.

And then there were the others.

It was a rather strange household, at least to a stranger's eye. Adhara was born two years before Harry or Neville, a result of a one-night stand between Marlene McKinnon and Sirius Black before either of them had realised their feelings for Dorcas or Remus alike. Finally, the rest of their group muttered when it happened.

For all of them, the way their family worked just made sense. Of course Sirius and Marlene were her biological parents, but Dorcas and Remus were just as much so. Adhara Black had more love than she'd ever know. She was named after the star because of course. The second brightest, though if you were to ask any of the four adults, that wasn't true at all. Sirius was not the brightest star of Canis Major— they rather thought that was Adhara. One look at her cheeky grin and anyone would agree.

Sirius and Remus had just closed the door behind them after reading Adhara her favourite bedtime story when they heard muffled shouting from downstairs.

"DORCAS!" They heard a yell, which got cut off quickly. From the landing, the bright green lights were visible.

Sirius and Remus looked at each other. They needed to get Adhara and get the hell out of this house.

The murder of Dorcas and Marlene was not the Death Eater's only plan though. The moment they opened the door to their daughter's room again, Remus' heart dropped. It was like watching through a Pensieve of his own childhood. There stood Fenrir Greyback, his teeth fixed into Adhara's neck like a vampire.

"Dada!" she cried out.

"Expelliarmus!" Sirius yelled at the werewolf. "Get the hell away from my daughter, Greyback."

He couldn't pay attention the fact that there was blood falling from his daughters neck, instead rage filled his eyes at the idea of someone hurting his daughter.

"Sirius," Remus said. "They're coming."

Sirius, in that small amount of time, managed to blast Greyback out of the window and picked up his daughter, handing her to Remus. "Rem, take her to James and Lily's. It's safer there than here right now."

"What about you—"

Sirius looked to the open door. "It looks like I have a family reunion." Quickly, he pressed a kiss to Remus' lips. "Be safe."

He hesitated, but apparated with his daughter in his arms. Her safety meant more than anything, but he couldn't help but worry about Sirius. He knew what his family was like, and what they were capable of. He'd lost nearly half of his friends; he couldn't afford to lose Sirius too.

"Remus?"

Lily stood at the door as he appeared. Adhara was still crying. Lily ushered them inside, where James had stopped too.

"Moony? What happened?"

Remus began crying too, in sync with Adhara. "They got Marlene and Dorcas."

Lily gasped, her hand to her mouth. Those were her two best friends from Hogwarts.

But there was more. "Greyback... he got Adhara. And I'm not sure if Sirius is going to survive there alone, but he insisted I come here."

Once Lily took Adhara from his arms, James had crushed Remus in a hug. "Sirius'll be fine." Remus didn't know which one of them he was reassuring. "He's a trained Auror. He's fought worse. We'll just wait until he gets there."

But Sirius never returned. Instead, he was arrested with the other death eaters that infiltrated his home, charged with the murder of Marlene and Dorcas... as if he'd ever do such a thing.

But he wasn't given a trial. Not when Peter Pettigrew played spy and insisted that Sirius had been scheming with them all along.

Only 12 years later did he managed to escape the bounds of Azkaban, and another two years after that until he could finally meet his daughter again.