Sirius Black stood on the sidewalk in front of his childhood home. 12 Grimmauld Place looked exactly as he remembered; drab, dull, only pronounced from the dwellings on either side of it by a very subtle difference in the color of brick. If he looked closer, other small signs sprang up; the door knocker in the shape of a snake, the dusty curtains that upon further inspection had most likely not been touched for decades and also seemed to be moving slightly. To Sirius the twitching curtains seemed an ominous sign of things to come. He heaved out a sigh.
It was Dumbledore's wish that he come back to live in this horrid old house. Not just live in it, but also clean it, tame it, make it habitable for all the members of the Order of the Phoenix. In their conversation, Albus had referred to it as cleaning, but Sirius knew taming was a more correct term for the work that lay before him. He remembered all too well the demons that dwelled in the house; strange dark artifacts that belonged to his parents, house-elves who loved the Dark Arts almost as much as they loved his mother, and a general layer of filth and decay that had developed as his parents grew older. Although his childhood memories were of gleaming rooms with curtains flung open to let in the light, proudly displaying the tapestry of his family's lineage and the cabinets of curiosities in the drawing room, he remembered the house growing darker and dirtier each time he returned home on his summer vacations from Hogwarts, right up until the fateful day he had fled to James' house and never returned. Just thinking of that as he stood outside made him wish even less to enter the house and see what decades of decay had done to the place.
His thoughts were interrupted by a movement on his right hand side. He had nearly forgotten Remus, standing next to him and waiting quietly for him to stop ogling the house. Now Remus was getting impatient. "Sirius, are you nearly ready to go inside? I hate to rush you, but the street most likely isn't the safest place for us to be…"
Sirius smiled. Moony was nearly always polite and kind, even when he was worried that his nostalgic friend was going to get them both killed from hanging around in plain sight of Death Eaters in the middle of the day. "So sorry Rem, let's get going. Staring at the place won't make what's coming any easier, I know that." He stepped boldly forward towards the door, but then stood aside and let Remus rap on the door with his knuckles. He didn't want to be the first one in there, didn't want to bear the brunt of Dumbledore's greeting.
Sure enough, the door swung open wide and Albus was there, smiling widely, blue eyes twinkling away. "My boys! So glad you made it safely. Come inside, come inside, it doesn't do to linger…" Remus caught Sirius' eye and grinned conspiratorially as he stepped over the threshold. Sirius smiled back, happy that Moony still felt they were partners in crime and would cover for him and his moment of hesitation. He followed Remus through the door to stand before Albus, who closed the door behind them and tapped it with his wand in several different places. Locks clicked into place. "Make sure that you relock this door each time you let someone in; they will help to keep this house concealed and will ensure that you can choose who you let enter. Once I leave, the two of you will remain here – especially you, Sirius – at all times so that Order members can enter and exit securely and at their will. This is a very important task, and will become even more so once Harry is here. Beyond cleaning and making this house hospitable for us to use as headquarters, you are responsible for our safety." At the end of his little speech Albus made eye contact with Sirius, letting him know clearly and beyond doubt that he meant for Sirius to stay in this house for the foreseeable future. Sirius nodded dutifully and then sighed as Albus turned to lead the way down into the kitchen. Remus put an arm around Sirius' shoulders and squeezed as they followed Albus down the stairs. "It'll be alright Sirius; this is meant to be for your own safety as well."
When they reached the kitchen Sirius saw that much had changed. The pots and pans that hung around the ceiling were coated in grime; the table, sticky and black with what he guessed might be mold. The stability of the kitchen chairs was questionable, but Dumbledore settled into one with a contented sigh. "A bit of work and this will seem quite nice and cozy, I think!" Far too optimistic and even tempered, Albus was. Sirius on the other hand felt like taking one of those pans by the handle and… never mind. He found a chair that had all four legs and no mold on the seat and sat down across from Albus. Remus stayed standing, a few feet behind Sirius' chair. Sirius appreciated that.
"I know you are apprehensive about returning here, my dear boy." Albus was looking at Sirius calmly and very seriously. "I am afraid that this is all I have to offer you right now; I know when you suggested this place as headquarters you were most likely not expecting to have to live here, much less to be prevented from leaving here unless given express permission by myself." Sirius recognized what Albus was doing; instead of telling him he was not to leave right up front, he was going to do it in a roundabout way. Previously he had been told he would be cleaning up the house; now he was not to leave it again without express permission. "Remus will be staying with you as often as possible, so that you always have company; I expect even if Remus is called away on Order business, there will still be much hustle and bustle as we come and go each day. And as long as all goes well, Harry will be here in no time for his summer holidays." There it was – Remus, who was supposed to be staying with him all the time, might be called away, and Harry would be here very soon, except for the fact that it was June and Harry was still at school for several more days and would then be sent to the Dursleys until a plan was put in place to fetch him. "No time" was likely to be at least six weeks. "Yes Headmaster." If Albus noticed the dull tone that Sirius used, he did not show it. He merely beamed at the two of them in his characteristic and maddening fashion. "Fantastic! I must be going. I shall return soon I expect; I'll send word before I do. Remember, lock the door behind me. Whatever you need Remus can purchase in Diagon Alley."
Remus and Sirius followed the Headmaster back upstairs and after the door had closed behind him Remus tapped it with his wand, effectively locking it again. Sirius turned and strode down the hallway, lighting his wand as he went. The old house elf heads stared back at him, horrible and shriveled in death. "Great place to be," He said loudly, "nothing like my old dead mum's house full of evil things to really cheer me up after Azkaban." His voice got louder with each word. He turned to see Remus' mouth open, probably ready to begin trying to placate him, but Moony's words were drowned out when a pair of curtains next to Sirius flew open and the screaming began. "EVIL FILTHY INTRUDERS, BREAKING INTO MY HOME TO STEAL MY –" The woman's yellow face and black eyes froze as she locked eyes with Sirius; she began to draw a great breath, no doubt to begin berating her son, when Remus dashed forward and hit the portrait with a freezing charm. Only then did Sirius realize it was just a portrait; for a devastating moment his wild mind had thought his mother had remained in the house, ageless, waiting for him to come home so she could continue her terrorization where she had left off when he was a teenager. As Remus closed the curtains and turned to him, Sirius composed his expression and tried to walk away but Remus' hand on his shoulder stopped him. Sirius stood for a second, torn between pulling away and keeping to himself and accepting comfort. Finally, he turned towards Remus and buried his face in the werewolf's shoulder. Remus' arms came around him gently. He didn't try to say any words of comfort, he just held his old friend tightly.
After twelve years spent in Azkaban, Sirius Black did not cry. He didn't think he was capable of such emotion any longer. But he was glad of the comfort that Remus offered, and he accepted it, thankful to have such a friend.
In the middle of muggle London, in a bleak house filled with filth and dark magic, a werewolf and an escaped convict mourned the death of their youth and the rise of the Dark Lord. Back in his office at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore smiled to himself as he settled back to work at his desk. He had yet to see the flaw in the plan.