Rebirth {Marauders Era}

CHAPTER 15: SIRIUS: THE HEART OF THE LION

Sirius lay in bed, wondering what he was going to see tonight. But Decima wasn't there right away, and nothing could prepare him for what came next.

He was fighting in the Department of Mysteries, saving his godson. This he knew was a terrible mistake. Harry should never have had to suffer what he had, and now this, thinking that Voldemort was torturing him here when he was really in Grimmauld Place the whole time.

He was still struck with how much Harry looked like James, he might've even called him James a few times. But none of that mattered now, he was fighting Bellatrix.

"Filthy little blood traitor!" She screamed at him. He laughed at her. He saw Harry begin to run at him, time slowed as he tried to figure out why. Then he was struck in the chest. He felt life leave him, and in one fell swoop he was gone. Faintly, he heard the screams of Harry and the cries of Remus as they mourned, Remus mourning the passing of his last friend from school, and Harry for his godfather. The thought would have made him shed a tear, if he wasn't dead.

Dead.

Sirius gasped as he saw Decima staring at him, her eyes grieved. "I am sorry, I was bid to tell you this. My sister has contacted me, and told me time is limited, and action is imminent." She held up James's string. It did not look any different from before. "We have not succeeded yet."

"But why!" Sirius sobbed, deeply effected by watching his death play before his eyes. "Why must I do this?! What did I ever do to you?" His shouting was interrupted by her, though she did not shout, it was enough.

"Do not shout at me, mortal." She spoke softly, but with so much power he shivered. "You are working to free ME, remember. I am not one to make an enemy of." Her eyes were a crisp amber, and she stood to her full height, unfurling her tall frame. Her brown locks swung threateningly as the wind picked up. "I did not chose this, my damned sister did, and once we get out I am having a talk with her about choosing adequate and emotionally strong candidates!"

"I just saw my own death! How could you say that!"

"I have seen every death." Her voice grew eerily quiet. "And yet here I stand, dealing with mortals, changing things that have no consequence for me either way. My sister changed that by creating conflict, and who was she to say that? I don't care if everyone dies, thousands of innocent people will die if you fail, but it does not effect me. I have seen millions upon millions of violent deaths from the bloody nature of man. Yet you blame me, the deity who had nothing to do with it all, nothing! Find my sister. I will not visit you again until you have succeeded. But know this." Her eyes became unbearable to look at, burning holes into his form, lighting the darkness with her wrath. "The lions heart holds what you seek."

Sirius awoke, gasping and sweating. Then he had a moment of pure relief. He wasn't dead, yet. It had to be many years in the future, Remus looked much older. Then he took a deep breath, steeling himself to walk down to the common room. What did she mean by the 'heart of the lion'?

He laughed slightly, thinking of it being his last year at Hogwarts. It was true, they only had March, April, and May left until school let out. He then felt despondent. He had angered Decima, the only one who seemed to know anything about Nona. Then he remembered his brother Regulus. The poor boy was back in the Hospital Wing, though it had been nearly a month, but this time for an injury attained on secret matters that Sirius had no idea about.

He went to go visit him, sneaking up to the wing under the invisibility cloak. He swung the door open, only to spot his brother staring at the wall, his eyes unfocused.

"Brother."

Regulus broke out of it, his eyes coming back to earth, a slightly ashamed look on his face.

"I'm sorry Sirius, I didn't see you come in."

"What's been going on with you?" Sirius questioned, his eyes carefully accessing his brother's stance. Reg seemed upset, worried, afraid even. And the last time he'd seen that look on his brother's face had been when he'd discussed being a Death Eater in early February. "You're not yourself. And you've been acting mighty strange towards me as well."

"I-I think I'm going crazy Sirius." Regulus's eyes were wide in a panic. "I keep hearing...things. Seeing things too!"

Sirius approached him cautiously, wrapping his arms around his brother. "I'm sorry, Reg. What do you hear?" He was thinking Voldemort, or horrors that he'd experiencing since the start of term. He did not expect the words that came out of his brother's mouth.

"I hear a woman. She calls me little king. I followed her, to the forest, but you stopped me." Then his eyes went all unfocused yet again. "I-I saw her...that night in the Hospital Wing, she talked to me, told me to stay out the way, that she had a master plan."

"Reg, this sounds like nonsen-"

"No!" Regulus's face turned bright red with anger. "She told me she had chosen you for something! She mentioned you!"

This shut Sirius up. She had called him little king. Regulus was the star in the middle of the constellation Leo, otherwise known as the heart of Leo, which was a lion. It only took Sirius, who knew a lot of Astronomy thanks to his family, a few seconds to put this together.

The heart of the lion holds what you seek.

Regulus held what he needed. "Reg, who was it? Did she say her name?"

"Yes," Regulus said, looking confused. "But it doesn't mean anything to me. Why would anyone named Clotho be after someone like me?"

And Sirius knew he had found the key to deciding the future.