Chapter Text
Thanks for reading! I don’t own any of Harry Potter, let me know if you enjoy, this is my first fic.
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The long-dreaded final confrontation with Lord Voldemort behind them, Harry and Sirius began to ponder what dangers awaited in the days to come.
With The Dark Lord gone at last, the wizarding world had reason to celebrate yet again……a celebration that seemed all too familiar in more ways than one.
Much like the previous defeat of Lord Voldemort, the same false sense of security came with victory.
Outside of Hogwarts, Harry met with his godfather to discuss what to expect from the surviving Death Eaters.
The sun hung low in the sky over the misty hillsides.
The Great Lake glowed a vibrant orange as it stood still in the presence of the first sunset to take place in a world without Lord Voldemort.
Any other person would have been captivated, but Harry knew there was an important discussion to be had, and spared no time to take in the sights before getting to business.
“You saw how many of them fled, we couldn’t catch all of them…their numbers are still great.” Harry said to Sirius, unable to hide his concern.
“You aren’t wrong, my boy.” Sirius placed his hand on Harry’s shoulder as he spoke to ease his worry. “Alas, there are even more than we may know. Not all his followers were there that day, not all had the nerve to reveal themselves.”
Any comfort Sirius had brought was undone by this statement, yet Sirius knew he needed to be honest with Harry about the depth of the threat that grew yet again in the darkness, “I know we have to fight together. I know neither of us can do this alone, but….I am afraid to risk losing you, it so nearly happened before that I’m terrified it may come to be if we keep rolling the dice.”
It became clear where Harry’s true concerns were seated, not in the danger of dying himself, but in the danger of losing the closest thing he had to a father.
For Harry Potter, the crippling threat of loneliness loomed overhead.
“Harry, what happened in that fight with Bella was a mistake of my own doing. I underestimated her for a brief moment and it nearly cost me dearly, I won’t make that same error again.”
Though it was no secret to Harry that Sirius was more than competent and capable of handling himself, magical battles with the dark forces were different than duels.
Anything goes, even a great wizard can be struck down in a chaotic moment….but it’s a risk that Harry knows must be taken.
Harry had accepted the likely possibility that his self sacrifice for the betterment of the wizarding world had not yet ended.
That’s just part of the territory of demonstrating bravery.
“Where do you think she’s gone to, anyway?” Harry asked, as he snapped himself back into the conversation.
Sirius shook his head “That’s the problem with Bella, she is quite unpredictable. Though I’m not certain of her whereabouts, I have no doubt the remaining Death Eaters will likely turn to her.”
Harry paused to imagine the horror of Bellatrix leading the Death Eaters, at least Voldemort had a set purpose…he had been logical…one could plan around his movements.
Bellatrix on the other hand…well Sirius had said it himself, although underrated, she was truly a loose cannon if ever there was one.
“So, then where do we go from here?” Harry looked up at Sirius who gazed off into the mist-draped hillsides that surrounded Hogwarts.
“We’ve just lost so much, to make a stand now would be foolish.” Sirius turned to Harry with a look of renewed focus and determination painted on his face, “......But that doesn’t mean we don’t have what it takes to prepare.” Sirius began to slowly pace past Harry and towards Hogwarts, with hope in his dark eyes. “Loads of promising graduates in your class this year, aren’t there?”
Harry closed the gap Sirius had just made, “Well yes, but with everything that’s happened…well….many haven’t had the proper means to learn how to fight against more powerful dark arts. I have a feeling Bellatrix or any other high-ranking Death Eaters would easily overcome many graduates as it stands now.”
The confidence in Harry’s voice had audibly dropped as he progressed his statement, but Sirius quickly turned to face Harry again, “As it stands now, yes. But do we not have all the necessities to change that?”
Harry shifted his head to the side, puzzled, as Sirius continued, “The Ministry has relaxed once again, the Aurors see no threat in the remaining Death Eaters nor do they believe Bellatrix is still out there. Normally we could rely on the Ministry to tidy up, but doing that will land us in the same situation we just conquered. We have the funds, we have the knowledge and experience…..Harry….together we can put an end to this.”
Sirius waved his hands toward the open space as if he were guiding Harry through a new world…a world devoid of Voldemort’s influence once and for all.
“The School of Black….if you don’t mind, I’d like the Black family name to be known for something good, to be remembered as part of the solution. Just once, I’d like to know that I put our name on the right side of history.” Harry could hear the burning passion in Sirius’ voice. His whole life he’d been burdened by the reputation of his family name, he now knew he finally had a way to use the Black name for the benefit of everyone.
Harry was so mesmerized he didn’t interrupt.
He wanted to…no… he needed to hear more.
“Together we could fill in the gaps for those students. The School of Black would serve as a base of operations, not only would we be doing a service to future wizards and witches for generations to come, but we could help right the disservice done to this group of bright young men and women.” Sirius said.
Harry gazed in speechless awe as he wondered…...could it truly be done?
For a split second his moment of wonder ceased, he thought he could see the faint image of a doe in the distance.
When the doe vanished in the blink of an eye, Harry realized this had to be a sign.
The wizarding world needed the School of Black.
Harry stood next to Sirius, placed his arm around his shoulder as best he could, and spoke, “The School of Black it is.”
They smiled together for a moment as they enjoyed their newfound hopes for a brighter future.
“I trust you know your classmates fairly well, right Harry? Who all should we bring on board?” Sirius asked.
Harry turned his head to look at his godfather, “No worries there, that’s the easy part. The better question is, where are we going to put this school?”
They shared a laugh as the sun set on the valley between the misty hills.