The next morning, the wizarding world woke up to blaring headlines in bold black letters across the Daily Prophet:
"FIVE NOBLE LORDS VANISH – MALFOY, GOYLE, CRABBE, PARKINSON, FLINT"
The article was long and full of speculation. It laid out how five of the most prominent men in the pure-blood aristocracy had gone missing overnight, with no trace left behind. Their homes were undisturbed, their vaults at Gringotts untouched. Yet there was no sign of them anywhere in Britain or abroad.
The Prophet quilled:
"Our Ministry assures us that none of the five are dead. Their vaults remain active in Gringotts, which updates immediately upon a wizard's passing. But their owls cannot be found, and every locator charm attempted by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has failed."
The wizarding public, especially the pure-blood families, read the news with growing dread.
At the Ministry of Magic, voices rose in panic in the Atrium as clerks and Aurors exchanged rumors.
"How could five Lords just vanish like that?" one witch muttered, clutching her files tightly.
"It's impossible. Owls don't just lose their trail!" another snapped.
Kingsley Shacklebolt stood tall in the Auror office, briefing Amelia Bones.
"We've sent trackers, Minister, but nothing sticks. They're alive, that much Gringotts confirms. But there's no magical trace. No apparitions logged. No portkey signatures. They've simply… disappeared."
Amelia frowned, tapping her desk. "Not even owls can find them? That means someone's hiding them under protections older than Ministry record. And only someone with extraordinary skill could weave such concealment. Whoever is behind this wanted them erased from society, not dead."
In the private drawing room of Malfoy Manor, Narcissa Malfoy sat stiff and pale, clutching Draco to her side.
"What do you mean Lucius is gone?" she demanded of the gathered family allies. "You're from the Department of Mysteries, surely you can track him!"
Marius Burke shook his head grimly. "We tried. Whatever has hidden them is beyond our wards and scrying crystals. My own owl returned in confusion, feathers scorched, as if it struck against a wall of fire."
The Parkinsons, Crabbes, Goyles, and Flints were equally shaken, their households whispering of dark conspiracies. Some claimed it was the work of old enemies seeking revenge after Voldemort's fall. Others feared rival pure-blood families.
Meanwhile, in a dim chamber in Hogwarts, the Order of the Phoenix gathered again.
Alastor Moody slammed the Prophet onto the table. "This isn't random. Five Death Eater families, all gone the same night. Someone's tying up loose ends."
McGonagall pursed her lips. "But the Death Eaters are scattered. Their Dark Lord defeated. Who would have the motive—and the power—to remove them like this?"
Moody's magical eye swiveled wildly. "Someone who wants them silenced. Someone who doesn't want the Ministry sniffing around. And I'll tell you what's nagging me—every last one of them was seen skulking near Earling before this."
That silenced the room.
Remus's brow furrowed. "Earling… that's where Hermione Granger lives."
Dumbledore steepled his fingers, his face shadowed. "So. Whoever took them… may also be tied to the Blacks."
A ripple of unease swept through the Order.
In pubs like the Leaky Cauldron, gossip swirled endlessly.
"Mark my words, it's You-Know-Who's magic at work," one wizard whispered over his pint.
"Don't be daft. Lily Potter's alive! She killed the Dark Lord once, maybe she's cleaning up the rest of his followers now," another countered.
The more they argued, the more the magical world shifted uneasily.
For the first time in centuries, pure-blood supremacy trembled. If noble Lords could vanish into thin air, then their power wasn't so absolute after all.
The marble atrium of the Ministry of Magic had never been so crowded. Rumors of the five missing pure-blood lords filled every corner, and whispers grew louder the moment Sirius Black and Lady Lily Black appeared through the visitor's entrance, their son walking between them.
"They came willingly," someone muttered. "That means they're not hiding something."
"Look at them," another whispered, "why would they come if they were guilty?"
Even Minister Amelia Bones herself was present, standing at the front of the crowd, her monocle flashing under the enchanted torches.
"Lord Black. Lady Black," Amelia greeted curtly. "You know why you've been called here. Five men of the most influential houses have vanished. Their families claim your return, your resurrection, coincides too conveniently."
Murmurs rippled through the assembled Ministry officials, Wizengamot observers, and even a few journalists.
Sirius smirked, folding his arms. "So, because I'm alive, and because my wife's alive, you think we're collecting pure-blood lords like trading cards?"
"Do not mock this chamber, Lord Sirius," snapped a dour voice—Jason Crabbe's cousin, Damian Crabbe, who stood red-faced among the complainants. "My brother vanished! And who else has the power to erase five men without a trace?"
Wanda's eyes glowed faintly red as her chaos magic surged in irritation. She raised her hand, silencing the hall.
"You want to know the truth?" she asked coldly. "We have not seen these men. We have not touched them. And we do not know where they are."
Amelia narrowed her eyes. "Words are wind. Will you swear it before us all?"
The chamber quieted instantly. Everyone knew what that meant. To swear an oath upon one's magic and life was not symbolic—it was binding. If they lied, their magic would burn out of them forever, or worse, kill them outright.
Wanda stepped forward, her voice steady.
"I, Lily Black, swear upon my life and magic that neither I nor my husband Sirius Black have seen, touched, or hidden the five men who disappeared after our return."
Sirius followed, his tone mocking but unshaken.
"And I, Sirius Black, swear the same. We don't know where they are. We don't care where they are. But it wasn't us."
The runes of the oath shimmered gold in the air before sinking into their skin. The crowd cheered. It was done.
The Wizengamot observers exhaled audibly. No one could fake such an oath. Even the Daily Prophet journalists scribbled furiously, already composing tomorrow's headlines.
"They're telling the truth…" someone whispered.
Amelia's hard gaze softened slightly. "Very well. Your oaths stand. The Ministry accepts you bear no blame."
But Sirius's grin only widened. "Glad to hear it. But remember this—next time, write about us with evidence, not paranoia."
He swept his cloak dramatically, earning a mix of applause and glares.
The next day, the Prophet printed a new headline:
"BLACK FAMILY CLEARED – OATH PROVES INNOCENCE"
It calmed most of the public. Pure-blood families still grieved, but even they could not accuse the Blacks anymore. And not a soul suspected the ten-year-old boy sitting in his room at Highlands Manor, quietly polishing his new broomstick, who had already moved five Death Eaters across worlds and hidden them in plain sight.
Even Wanda and Sirius didn't know. They never asked Harry. And Harry never told them.
It was the perfect cover.
The following week after the Daily Prophet's revelations, owls seemed to circle Highlands Manor like it was their new roost. Dozens of envelopes bearing letters from old friends and acquaintances.
Harry picked one up curiously. "They all want to be friends now, don't they?"
Sirius snorted, snatching the envelope from his hand and tearing it in half without opening. "Not friends, pup. Opportunists. When you're branded a murderer, they scatter like rats. When you're proven innocent, they crawl back with polished words and false smiles."
Lily, sipping her tea, nodded calmly. "We don't need them. But…" she held up one parchment with a familiar seal, "this one is different. From Andromeda Tonks."
Sirius's expression softened. "Dromeda…" he muttered. He hadn't said that name aloud in years. She was his favorite cousin, the one who had cut ties with the Blacks to marry Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born wizard.
"She stood by me when no one else would," Sirius admitted, his voice quieter. "If there's anyone I'd hear out, it's her."
Lily leaned forward eagerly. "Then invite her! Didn't Nymphadora—Tonks—already come here once?"
Sirius's lips quirked. "Yes. At Harry's birthday, remember? She thought I was just some eccentric wizard. She had no idea I was her infamous cousin everyone thought dead."
So Sirius penned a short but heartfelt reply, agreeing to meet Andromeda at the manor. His hand lingered on the signature for a moment before the owl whisked it away into the morning sky.
When Andromeda finally arrived at Highlands Manor, she wasted no time on pleasantries. The wards allowed her through, and she stormed into the entrance hall with her wand still in her hand.
Her eyes locked on Sirius immediately.
"You absolute, reckless bastard."
Sirius grinned. "Good to see you too, Dromeda."
Her fury cracked, and she marched straight toward him, smacking him hard on the shoulder before pulling him into a fierce hug. "Do you have any idea how many nights I sat awake thinking my cousin died in Azkaban? And you didn't think to tell me sooner? Even my daughter came here and you let her walk out without knowing you were alive!"
Sirius winced under her words but didn't let go. "I'm sorry. I thought it was safer that way. For you. For Nymphadora. Anyone associated with me would've been dragged through the mud, maybe worse."
Andromeda stepped back, brushing tears from her eyes. "You stupid fool. You should've trusted me. Family doesn't give up on family."
Harry watched the exchange quietly, feeling a strange warmth at seeing Sirius reunited with someone who genuinely cared for him.
Lily approached gently. "He's back now, Andromeda. That's what matters. We can build again from here."
Andromeda gave her a sharp look. "And you. You're no less reckless, Lily. Coming back from the grave, letting the world think you dead—Merlin, you two deserve each other."
Sirius laughed, throwing an arm around Lily's shoulders. "That's why we got married."
Andromeda rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself. "Well… at least Harry has you both. That's more than most children could dream of."
Harry grinned sheepishly. "It's nice to have more family. Even if you all yell at each other a lot."
The laughter that followed was the first time in years Sirius felt truly at home with his bloodline—at least the part of it worth keeping.
It was a stormy evening in Highlands Manor. Rain tapped against the enchanted windows as Sirius lounged in the study, a glass of firewhisky in his hand. Harry was curled up in a chair reading one of the Asgardian books Frigga had gifted him, while Lily was sorting through parchments and old letters at the desk.
Suddenly, an owl swooped in, its feathers sleek and elegant—the Malfoy family's owl. The bird dropped a letter sealed with green wax, the Malfoy crest pressed firmly into it.
Sirius stared at the seal, his smirk vanishing. "Well… isn't that rich."
Harry looked up. "What is it?"
Sirius leaned back, twirling the unopened letter between his fingers. "From Narcissa. My darling cousin. Wife of that pompous snake Lucius Malfoy."
Harry frowned. "Why would she write to you?"
"Because I'm Lord Black now," Sirius muttered grimly, breaking the seal. "And when a Black writes to the head of the family, it's not just family business—it's law. I'm honor bound to answer."
He scanned the letter, his brow furrowing deeper with every line. Lily noticed the change and asked softly, "What does she want?"
Sirius slammed the parchment down on the desk. "Help. She's panicking. With Lucius gone—along with his cronies—her political clout is ashes. Draco's still underage, so the Malfoy name doesn't carry half the weight it used to. And Narcissa's scared. Says the knives are out for her and her son. She wants me to… protect her."
Harry exchanged a look with Lily. "But… she's still a Malfoy, isn't she?"
"She's a Malfoy by marriage," Sirius corrected bitterly, "but by blood? She's a Black. And Blacks protect their own."
He rubbed his temple, clearly torn. "Merlin's beard, I can't stand her smug, icy face. But the truth is… she has a claim. And if I ignore her, I'll be dishonoring the very title I claimed when I took back the Black mantle."
Lily crossed her arms, leaning against the desk. "Are you sure this isn't a trap? The Malfoys have never been shy about scheming."
Sirius scoffed. "Oh, I'm sure she'd like nothing better than to see me dead. But desperation changes people. She wouldn't crawl to me unless she had no one else."
Harry tilted his head. "What about Draco? He's my age, isn't he?"
"Yes," Sirius replied, his voice softer. "And whatever I think of Narcissa, Draco doesn't deserve to pay for his father's sins. That boy's going to grow up surrounded by poison if someone doesn't check it."
Lily sighed. "So what will you do?"
Sirius picked up the parchment again, staring at his cousin's elegant handwriting. "What I must. I'll reply as Lord Black—not as Sirius. She'll get my aid, but on my terms."
He dipped his quill, pausing only to glance at Harry. "Lesson for you, pup. Family, even when you hate them, is a bond you can't always escape. And sometimes… duty tastes bitter."
Harry nodded thoughtfully, watching as Sirius began to write:
To Lady Narcissa Malfoy (née Black),
As Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, I have received your petition. By right of blood, you remain under the protection of House Black, as does your son. I will extend assistance to ensure the safety and stability of your position. However, understand this clearly: any allegiance to the Dark Lord or his ideology ends now. House Black will not shield those who bow to tyrants. Should you accept this condition, then you and Draco shall be under my ward. Should you refuse, you will stand alone.
Lord Sirius Orion Black
He set the quill down with a sigh, sealing the letter with black wax. "There. Duty done."
Lily touched his shoulder gently. "Duty or not, you might have just saved her life."
Sirius chuckled humorlessly. "Or damned my own. Time will tell."
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