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It was at dinner on Halloween that Sirius’s head began to hurt. Not a simple tension headache that he was prone since the war had started, though he jaw did ache from being clenched. The pain started behind his eyes and it felt like his head was going to split open. His mind was cloudy suddenly and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Anna had told him that she had had these feelings before — especially before he left for Order missions — she complained that she felt something terrible was going to happen for weeks before the Prewett brothers had been killed. She had a similar sentiment around the Holidays a few years ago and James had nearly bled out in their living room. She stopped speaking about her bad feelings after Fabian and Gideon were killed.
There was just a moment that Sirius considered mentioning it to Anna. She was sitting across the table: red curls pulled back out of her face, circles under her eyes, attempting to feed their three year old daughter dinner. The dark haired toddler with thick curls had a particular distaste for peas and carrots this evening. Sirius’s mother would’ve skinned him alive if he had thrown his food all over the floor, Anna just kept doing that face where she puffed her cheeks out in frustration. Sirius couldn’t remember when his wife had started resorted to silly faces instead of anger. Sometimes the two would just stare at each other before Elle gave in with giggles. Sometimes he wondered how much he was missing out on his own daughter’s life.
There was no doubt that the little girl was a Black from her greyish blue eyes and the jet black hair, but she still somehow favored Anna. Her voice still had certain tones that were strictly American, she’d switch between ‘mummy’ and ‘mommy’ (because Anna did the same), her face had faint freckles that looked like they were delicately painted onto her doll-like toddler face. He’d noticed that sometimes during the sunny summer days those dark curls were almost auburn in the light — similar to how Regulus had strange blond hairs through his own hair that had faded as they’d gotten older.
“Is something wrong?” Anna’s voice snapped Sirius out of whatever thought he’d be trapped in, but his head still throbbed. Anna’s brown eyes blinked at him, her head slightly tilted as she waited for an answer.
What was he supposed to say? He’d tried to do what he could to give Anna insight to what was happening at the Order meetings. He knew it was hard for her to get away from the house — not that she couldn’t, she just felt guilty being away from Elle for long periods of time even if it was just a few hours for a meeting — and she wanted to know. But he could still see the worry in her eyes, the fear, the unsaid things that she was biting back.
She’d become a different person since the war had started. They both had. He could see it in her eyes when she looked at him how much she worried. He was tired of causing her to worry. He wanted to send her to live with her Grandmother, he’d mentioned it to Aly a few weeks ago and Aly — being the infuriating human being that she was — turned it into how he thought that Anna couldn’t handle herself if something happened.
Could any of them? Entire families were being slaughtered for the hell of it.
He wasn’t afraid that she couldn’t handle herself, he was afraid that he couldn’t protect them. Anna and Elle. James, Lily and Harry. Remus. Peter.
Regulus. He hadn’t been able to protect his brother. He couldn’t lose James. He couldn’t lose Anna or Elle. They were killing children. Voldemort was hunting Harry. He was afraid and it was starting to show through the walls that he had built. Cracks were starting to form and she was seeing right through them. She always did so well at reading him when she tried.
“Sirius…?” His name lingered on her lips, concern all over.
He swallowed and answered her, “I don’t know. Just have a bad feeling.”
“James and Lily?”
“Dunno.” He paused and Anna looked unconvinced by his answer. “I hope not.”
“Go see them, I’ll be fine,” Anna’s voice shifted in a way in her response, over to the tone that she turned on when she was trying not to worry. Monotone. Cold. Off. “There’s a bag of goodies for Harry by the sink if you want to go. I was going to send the owl but if you’re going over there… C’mon Ellie, take two more bites for mum.” The shift was gone when she spoke to Elle, taking their toddler’s discarded fork and stabbing another small bite worth.
“I’ll go after Elle goes to bed,” Sirius said even though his wife’s attention had shifted to the toddler who was turning her head to the fork.
“I’ll take her to bath then,” her plate was still half full and she was chewing between sentences. She followed Sirius’s eyes to her plate, “I’ll warm it up later when she’s asleep.” A soft shrug and she stood from the table and grabbed Elle’s plate and put it beside the sink. “Can you grab some pyjamas?”
“I can do bath if you want to finish—“
Anna had scooped Elle up into her arms before Sirius could fully stand, “It’s fine. Go see James, Sirius. I’ll be alright. She settles down easier when you’re not—“ she shut her mouth quickly, her face colored with shame. “I didn’t mean it—“
“It’s fine.”
“Sirius—“
“It’s fine. You remind me all the time that I’m not here enough.”
“You’re not.” Her reply was sharp, and he clenched his jaw.
“I’ll just go.”
She reached out, her hand hovering just shy of his wrist. “You would be, though, if you could. It’s just not during this life. It’s unkind to us,” the corners of her lips pulled into an attempt at a smile, but her eyes glistened with tears. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he leaned and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Let me at least help before I leave.”
“I’ve got it—“ Anna began and then abruptly stopped, “Okay. Okay, you can help.” She finally closed the space between their hands and squeezed. Light, multiple squeezes as she looked at him. “If something happens…”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I can.”
Anna nodded. “Daddy’s going to do bath tonight, so I can finish eating.” Elle started to excited wiggle in her mother’s arms and held out her arms for Sirius. She threw her arms over his shoulders and laid her head on his shoulder.
“Let’s go, Daddy!”
His headache had faded somewhat by the time that Elle was freshly washed and dressed into multi-colored pyjamas with some sort of muggle characters all over them. Anna — with Elle’s help — attempted to explain what —who— the characters were but his head pounded again with the mention of glass slippers, pumpkins, and midnight.
“Tell Daddy night night. We’ll tell him about Cinderella tomorrow.”
“Night night Daddy,” Elle parroted and held her arms out towards him. “Daddy hug?” Big eyes stared at him. He would never say no to Elle, not when it came to things like this. He couldn’t remember anytime that his parents had shown him affection. He was sure it had happened but he couldn’t think of a specific time of when.
He took her easily from Anna and squeezed her tightly. “Love you Ellie.”
“Love you too, Daddy.” She muttered against his chest and Sirius wanted nothing else in that moment than for the end of the war to be soon. He couldn’t miss anymore of his daughter growing up. Three years had already flown by and he was not going to miss the rest of her childhood. They were going to be safe. They were going to win the war and Voldemort was going to lose.
His temple throbbed as he held tiny body in his arms. It was a sudden, sharp almost stabbing sensation behind his eyes. His chest was tightening. He focused on the feeling of her tiny hands clinging to him, how her head felt on his shoulder. How her hair tickled his face when she snuggled against him. It was getting difficult to breathe. He gave Elle one more squeeze before sitting her next to Anna.
Something was very wrong.
“Anna,” his throat strained forming her name. “I have to go.” He wanted to grip something, to ground himself in the moment to clear his head. The pain wasn’t stopping.
“Be safe,” Anna’s voice was soft, he wasn’t sure if he was meant to hear it.
“I will.”
With that Sirius apparated out of his daughter’s bedroom and to Godric’s Hollow.
***
There were few that had the privilege of visits during the war. Anna imagined that it was hard for the boys — especially during the worst moments of the war — to not seek each other in the worst of it all. So their house quickly became all of their homes in the early days after school. Revolving door of Lupin, Potter, Pettigrew and Evans with the occasional MacDonald, McKinnon or Longbottom.
Eleven year old Anna would have never been able to imagine the family that she had found across the ocean. Especially during this awful war. Even a few months ago she would’ve struggled with the idea of James, Lily and their baby being forced into hiding. She missed Lily, but it was different than how Sirius missed James.
Sirius was restless to end the war. An everlasting, tireless restless that caused him to give his everything. To fight, to protect and to win but ultimately for it to all stop. Soon. Trying to keep him home even slightly more was like caging a wild animal, it did more harm than good. She handled being alone better than Sirius.
It’d be two years in February since the Daily Prophet had announced that Regulus Black, 19, had gone missing in late November and was presumed dead. She had never managed to bring it up with Sirius even with the arrival of Regulus’s owl. They just moved on with the Black family owl deciding it lived with them. She’d only caught Sirius giving their new owl head scratches once and it had been on Regulus’s birthday last year.
The horned owl had oddly decided to come inside for the night and perched himself at the very highest spot on the kitchen cabinets. He kept squinting his gold eyes at her and close them just long enough to make her think he was trying to sleep. Anna was certain that she’d wake up to the sound of things breaking when the owl decided he didn’t want to be inside anymore.
Anna placed her last plate into the drying rack when there was a knock at the back door. Sirius had the house defenses limited to very few: him, her, James, Lily, Peter and Remus. It was different set of disarming spells to get in as an order member, but it had happened. She became acutely aware her wand wasn’t near her when the door popped open.
“Hey Pete,” she greeted with a smile as she dried her hands. “Did Sirius send you?” Peter looked right passed her, likely at Ares in his nest at the top of the cabinets.
“No,” his light brown eyes flicked to her now. As though he was just now seeing her. “Sirius didn’t send me.” His voice was stiff. He shifted in front of her, moving from side to side in a nervous manner. Why was he nervous? Was it bad?
Anna ran her thumb over her wedding ring, tapping it lightly before she twisted it fully with her other hand, fidgeting. “Do you want me to put a kettle on? I was going to make this peppermint coffee that Aly’s dad sent her for her birthday and she gave me to try but I can put a kettle on.” Anna moved around the kitchen as she spoke, pointing to the coffee on the counter before bending and getting out the tea kettle.
Peter shook his head and made a noise that was almost a laugh. “I wasn’t planning on staying long.”
Anna set the kettle on the stove and then turned back to Peter. “Okay. What’s going on?” Peter opened his mouth to speak but stopped when there was a pounding on the front door. He was suddenly even more pale, eyes darting from her towards the front door. She took a slight step back, her eyes did not leave Peter’s face as she did so. “What’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?”
Peter laughed this time, it was hollow. “Fear makes people do a lot of things. Fear of dying, of losing people they care about. It can really drive you mad.”
“I totally understand get that,” Anna replied as evenly as she could. “Has something happened?”
“Not yet,” Peter responded.
The knock at the door was louder this time. “Missus Black,” a woman’s voice was faint from this distance. There was sound but the rest of the words were muffled. Anna’s eyes only left Peter for a moment. “I should get that in case—“
“Where’s Elle?” The question made her stop.
“She’s in bed, why?” Anna started to move out of the kitchen.
“I didn’t want her to see this,” Peter said and he pulled his wand from his pocket and pointed it at her. “Avada Kedevra.”
The last sound that she heard was an owl screeching.
***
Peter never had the nerve to move far from his mum and sister despite the war. His flat was on top of Godric’s bakery, the baker was an old Hogwarts friend of Helene Pettigrew. Even as much as Peter whinged about his family, he never went far. It was stupid, in Sirius’s opinion, but understandable in ways that he didn’t want to agree with. The only reason he ever agreed to put James and Lily’s lives in Peter’s hands is because Sirius didn’t think that there was a threat.
Sirius was the obvious choice and if not him then Anna. She was a Black, too.
Remus had been traveling for weeks at a time for Dumbledore doing missions for the Order. Sirius hadn’t seen him longer than an hour or two since before summer. With the whispers of a spy in the Order and with Remus being gone so often for Dumbledore there was tension between others that didn’t know Remus nearly as well. Sirius didn’t have a question about Remus’s loyalty. He couldn’t fathom it. Any of them. They’d made a pact at thirteen to always be there for each other and it’d been nearly a decade and so far it had never been questioned.
As he stood in Peter Pettigrew’s empty flat, Sirius found himself questioning. The protective charms that he had helped Peter with were gone. The door was unlocked. Things were too tidy, too clean. No sign of struggle, there was no mistaking it. Peter was just gone. Vacated like Sirius hadn’t just been here a few days ago, like he hadn’t see the dirty dishes and the lived in mess that Peter had.
Nothing was certainly not the same as the destruction of being targeted by death eaters. He’d seen it first hand with muggle families that didn’t make the news. He saw it in the few that were left alive as a lesson. Death Eaters would not be this clean if they wanted Peter Pettigrew dead. Not if it were because of Harry.
That prophecy was driving Voldemort mad and everyone knew it. It was the first time that he felt threatened and the world was suffering because of it. Peter Pettigrew would not disappear this cleanly. There would be mess. Evidence. Blood. Death Eaters lived to kill but some, especially Rosier and dear Bellatrix, loved to torture.
There would be signs if Peter Pettigrew was dead.
No.
Peter Pettigrew had ran.
Sirius’s mind raced. Moment after moment of Peter making excuses about where he was, why he was late, why no one had heard from him for days. Letter apologies for missing Elle’s birthday, being hours late to meetings. Moments where Peter acted like he knew more information than he was ever told by the Order. Disappearing during the night on full moons.
He cast a patronus charm before he formed his own thoughts. A phantom dog sat in front of him. “Go to Dumbledore. Give him this message.” He swallowed the lump in his throat, “Peter is gone. The Potters are in danger. Check on Anna.” The dog seemed to nod its head before it bounded off down the hallway before disappearing into a wall.
The fidelius charm plus other protective wards didn’t let anyone apparated into the Potters’ property so Sirius ran. The bakery was not far from the Potter’s house, but Sirius was still out of breath by the time he reached the edges of the protection charm surrounding the property. The air thickened when he pressed through the barrier and walked up the path to the front door. He’d walked up this path countless times before, but there had never been this sense of dread before.
Da dum. Da dum.
He raised his right hand and knocked on the front door. He clenched and unclenched his hand. Anna’s heartbeat thrummed through his hand from his ring. Reassurance that she was fine. Alive. There were a multitude of protection spells that were around their cottage. If something was wrong. He’d know.
“Prongs?” He rapped his knuckles against the wood again. “Evans?” He rattled the doorknob. “This is important.”
There was the sound of the lock unlocking on the other side, “When are you going to stop calling me Evans, Black?”
Sirius exhaled the breath that he had been holding. The door opened and on the other side was Lily’s wand which was pointed at his chest. “What was the potion you and Anna were partners fifth year?”
“Amortenia.”
“And what did that potion smell like?”
“You know the mint smell that willow trees produce? That.” Full days during the summer spent sitting under the willow tree with Anna had made his sixteen year old self spiral in trying to figure out why it was so familiar. Lily knew this story and she lowered her wand. “We need to get you three out of here. Peter’s gone.”
“What?” Lily moved out of the doorway to let him in. Once Sirius was inside the house, she shut the door behind him. James was holding Harry and the toddler looked like he was ready to go to bed.
“I was just at his flat. It’s empty. Everything is gone. He’s ran.”
“Pads, are you sure?” James blinked at him, Sirius could see the gears turning in his head.
“The flat’s empty. Completely. No sign of struggle. Just empty.”
“He could’ve been taken,” Lily replied and Sirius forced himself to take a breath to keep from dragging all three of them out of the house. “We need to tell Dumbledore.”
“I already have. Do you want to wait here for a reply from our illusive leader or do you want to listen to me?
“Padfoot.” James’s response was a warning and Sirius met his glare.
“Think about all the excuses he made the last year. Missing meetings, things for Harry, birthdays. He went missing for three weeks in what… May? He said he was doing something for Dumbledore but I asked Dumbledore and he didn’t know what I was talking about.”
There was an air of tension that only tightened with Sirius’s words. Lily looked like she was about to cry, her face was starting to get red.
“We can’t stay in this house. If Peter has ratted you out,” Sirius’s laugh cut through the air like a knife, sharp and bitter, “you need to leave this house because it’s not safe.” Sirius struggled to figure out who would be safe. “You should go to McGonagall’s. Pack essentials and go.”
“What about Anna?” Lily took Harry from James and bounced the toddler up and down. The other male grabbed his wand from the sofa and bounded up the stairs, two steps at a time.
Da dum. Da dum.
“What about her?” Sirius flexed his hand again, the beating of her heart flaring through his fingers as he did so.
“Does she know that Peter…” Lily’s face twisted as she trailed off. Harry reached for his mum’s hair and Lily gently swatted his hand away.
“No,” Sirius looked towards the stairs, waiting for James for rush back down. “I never got around to telling her we switched it.”
“So she doesn’t know?”
“No. She doesn’t know Pettigrew’s the secret keeper.” Sirius felt the disgust in his words. “I told her I thought something might be wrong but…” Lily watched him flex his hand again.
Da dum. Da dum.
Lily patted his arm. “You need to go home. We’ll go to Minnie’s. Maybe we can… redo it. The fidelius charm. I’m sure we’ll figure it out.” Da dum. Da dum. “Thank you, Sirius.” Da dum. Da dum.
“Anything for family,” Lily smiled at his response and Harry babbled as he tried to pull his mum’s hair again. Da dum. Da.
Da dum. Da dum. Da dum. Da dum.
The accelerated rate was resonating up and down his left arm. A quickening throbbing that didn’t hurt but it elevated his own heart rate.
“Sirius? What’s wrong?” Da dum. Da dum. Da dum. Da dum.
“I don’t know, but you’re right. I need to get back. I’ll wait until you both—“ Da dum.
It stopped and he thought his arm went numb with a misfired spell, a jinx. He moved his hand, opened and closed. Ran his fingers over the finger scar of where he’d embedded the ring into his bone. It wasn’t supposed to stop. Unless…
The minutes that followed were a blur that Sirius would never really be able to fully remember, no matter how hard he tried. While he struggled forming words to explain to Lily why he had stopped speaking, James came down the stairs.
Somehow the minutes passed and he remembered speaking but couldn’t remember what he said or how he said it. He remembered the look on James’s face as he did speak, more apparent fear than when Lily had first opened the door.
Sirius went home.
Aurors had already swarmed the house but it was Frank Longbottom who stopped him by grabbing him by the shoulder. His grip was firm around Sirius’s shoulder — he does remember that — and there was sorrow in his gaze. The man said nothing outside of, “We got him.” Sirius considered how he must have looked.
There was no calm when Sirius re entered his home. His home. Their home. The door was broken from its hinges, hanging awkwardly from what remained from the forceful entry. Had it been Peter? No, Anna would’ve let him in.
The living room isn’t touched. He eyes the stairs and wonders if Elle is still asleep. He prays that she might be. He can’t…
He can’t lose both of them.
His hand seemed to move on its own, every few minutes since the feeling of her heartbeat had stopped. Sirius found himself constantly wishing that it was start again. There wouldn’t be aurors swarming their house this way if it was just a mistake.
The kitchen was trashed. Their kitchen had become an apothecary’s dream between the amount of on hand potions and ingredients to make more. There was shattered glass and bits of herbs all on the floor. Ares — his brother’s damn owl— sat in the window above the sink preening his feathers.
“They’ve moved her,” Sirius jumped at the voice, he didn’t realize there was someone in here. Another young auror, maybe a year out of school, with sorrow in her eyes. “Moody got here and he ordered that they moved her. I imagine you’ll be called in to identify her soon enough.”
He forced himself to breathe as he stared at the auror, voice raw, “Where’s my daughter?”
“Auror Fortescue is with her upstairs.” Of course it was Alice who was upstairs with Elle. “She woke up with all the noise,” the round faced auror continued, “she — Fortescue— said she was friends with your… wife?” Suddenly there was pity in the auror’s voice and Sirius wanted nothing more than to just leave the room.
This couldn’t be happening.
“He’ll get the kiss, y’know, if it helps any.”
Sirius met her eyes when he replied, “It doesn’t.” Then he turned and left the kitchen before the auror could say anything else.
The walk up the stairs to Elle’s bedroom was not nearly as long normally. His mind constantly raced as the seconds went by. He wished he could feel anything in his hand something besides nothingness. How had he lived like this before? How had he lived without feeling her heart beat as he breathed? It had just been a method of giving Anna’s anxiety some rest when he was gone.
He wasn’t supposed to be alive when her heart beat stopped. He never thought he would live in a world without Anna Mirden. He had certainly never wanted to.
Elle’s bedroom door was cracked. Alice Longbottom sat on the small twin sized bed, her back against the wall, with his small curly haired daughter against her chest. Alice’s eyes were puffy and when she looked up at him tears instantly pooled. “Hey,” she said quietly, “I’m so sorry, Sirius.”
Sirius felt whatever kept him moving break.
***
Sirius couldn’t see Anna alone. He realized at some point that no one expected him to but himself. Aly had volunteered to go with him and it was the first time since he had met her that he actually appreciated her tagging along. It was one of the few times that she didn’t constantly talk.
The room that they had her in was cold. The walls were stone, the floor was concrete and there were at least six other tables with bodies on them. The auror that walked them here was older, dark circles under his eyes and what life was in his eyes was dimmed. Likely by this godforsaken war.
Aly had squeezed his hand before the auror had removed the sheet from the body. Anna looked like she was asleep, peaceful like she always looked when she was asleep. She was such a light sleeper and the lights were too bright. This room would have never been a place she fell asleep. Sirius looked anywhere but her face.
He wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
“Oh Anna,” he hadn’t been prepared for the guttural sob that came from Aly. His hand was dropped and Aly crossed the distance between themselves and Anna. “I’m so sorry,” Aly held Anna’s hand between hers, Sirius couldn’t see her face but her voice was broken by sobs.
Sirius confirmed to the auror that it was, indeed, his wife. Aly mentioned something about watching Peter get the Dementor’s Kiss because she couldn’t kill him herself. Sirius quietly agreed.
***
The days that passed were a blur. Sirius — with help — managed to plan a funeral. The soonest was his birthday. So they buried Anna on his 22nd birthday. Sirius — with help — managed to figure out how to live and parent without Anna but it was a struggle. Living was something that he was forcing himself to do. Eating was something that others made sure he did.
He was still breathing but he wasn’t entirely sure what he was breathing for. Then the anger would remind him what he was still alive for, if nothing else. It was to end this fucking war.
The funeral was held only after there were protection charms placed around her resting place. Voldemort was still alive, James and Lily were still hunted, but measures were made to make sure they could attend.
Sirius held Elle’s hand as she walked up to the coffin. Her tiny hand kept squeezing his and she kept saying, “It’ll be ok, Daddy, Mummy’s just sleeping. See? She’ll wake up. It’ll be okay. It’s just magic. Spells can be broken. She’ll wake up and everyone will be happy.” Her curls bounced with her words and she looked at Sirius with so much hope in her eyes.
That hope stayed in her eyes until the casket had started to be lowered into the ground. “Why are they putting Mummy in dirt? How is she supposed to wake up? Daddy? She’s gawna wake up? Right Daddy?” The more she spoke the higher pitched her voice got, cracking as she realized.
Sirius wasn’t meant to do this alone.
“I’ve got her,” Molly Weasley appeared next to him and scooped Elle up. She whispered some things into his daughter’s curls and held her while she began to sob and scream.
Sirius couldn’t move — or perhaps that wasn’t it, he didn’t want to. He couldn’t tear his eyes off of the spot they were lowering Anna into. He also couldn’t shut out Elle’s sobs as they got further away. He didn’t know how to console her. He didn’t know how to be anything besides the fun dad who didn’t feel like being fun. Anna had been everything else. The foundation of their family had disappeared and the rest of it was just crumbling around him where he stood.
He hadn’t cried. He wasn’t sure if he knew how to anymore. He hadn’t cried for anyone during this war. Not Regulus. Marlene. Fabian and Gideon. The countless others he couldn’t even think of. It just felt like it was all for nothing, it still felt like they were losing.
What was it all for if they were on the losing side?
Sirius watched each bit of dirt fill the hole. He’d do anything to be the one instead. Anna could do this without him — she had nearly all of Elle’s life — he didn’t know how he was going to do it without her. He couldn’t comfort Elle the way Anna could, he couldn’t be the parent Anna was. How was he supposed to be anything like her? Look at the examples he had.
How was he supposed to be anything resembling a good father to that little girl?
***
The war dragged on longer than Sirius wanted it to. Elle was nearly nine — Harry almost seven — by the time the last of Voldemort’s horcruxes had been found and destroyed. Years of missions to hunt the horcruxes — which Dumbledore had suspected existed but didn’t inform the rest of them.
There were months that he had to leave Elle and it became harder without Anna. As she got older she was afraid he was going to leave her and never come back. He left her with Aly and Remus when it was going to be an unknown amount of time. She was always so happy to see him when he came back.
It all came down to the locket that Regulus had hunted. It was the last one. Sirius found the locket. Found the note his brother left. Heard the story from Kreacher after he inherited Grimmauld Place after his mother had died. Painfully, he hoped, but no one confirmed it for him.
Kreacher treated him differently after he destroyed the locket. He called Elle ‘little mistress’ which made Sirius’s skin crawl but Elle always giggled more when the house elf was around. He granted Kreacher free rein to come and go from Grimmauld Place as he wished, but Sirius would not live in his parents’ home again.
It took a few days after the locket was destroyed for the aurors to start arresting what death eaters were left. Then it seemed like the wizarding world caught up with the events that had happened and the Daily Prophet’s front page announced that the war was over.
That morning was the first time that Sirius cried for everyone they had lost.