Moon River, Part Two
"Two drifters…off to see the world,
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end –
Waiting round the bend,
My huckleberry friend,
Moon River…and me."
Ten years later, a black dog plods along the sidewalk, shaggy tail between his legs. He comes to a complete halt outside Purge and Dowse Ltd, jerks his head from side-to-side, scanning for bystanders. There are three, leaning against the red-brick wall next to the dusty shop window. One stands out as being a head shorter than his companions. Another has black hair that falls over his black glasses with a distinctly windswept look, even though today is deathly calm. The last, the tallest, though looking most in need of a decent meal, has light brown hair fastidiously combed back.
The dog approaches this one and puts a wet nose into his hand. "Sirius…" he mutters, more of a knowing statement than a question.
The dog looks up at him and is transformed into a man.
Or, more rightly, a boy on the verge of becoming a man.
"Remus…" says Sirius. He looks around, into Peter's small, squinting eyes, and James' hazel, bespectacled ones, and he opens his mouth to thank them, but the words get stuck in his throat and refuse to come out.
James puts a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Did you manage to talk to Regulus?"
Sirius lies. "Oh, yeah, I did. He wanted to come with us, but he couldn't. Y'know, my mother and Alphard being who they are and all that…"
This morning, Sirius told James he would meet them later at the hospital, because he was going to see his younger brother beforehand, to ask if he wanted to visit their uncle. But in fact, all he did was board the Knight Bus an hour early, and get off here, along with a heavily pregnant young woman with two tiny red-haired sons. While still in her magical shadow, and while she was preoccupied with explaining to "Bill and Charlie" about "Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon", Sirius transfigured himself and went for a wander. He always feels that in his Animagus form, he is spared from thinking too much about things.
"That's what friends are for," says Peter in a mousy voice. It's a clichéd little quote, but Sirius appreciates it, clings to it even.
"Are you ready?" asks Remus gently.
"Yeah," he says.
Remus takes a few steps towards the window of Purge and Dowse, and addresses the ugly mannequin standing there. "We're here to see Alphard Black," says Remus in a low, but clear and strong voice.
The waxy doll nods and beckons with its finger. The four boys step through the magical glass – Remus first, holding Sirius' hand, followed by James, and then Peter.
Sirius is too numb to notice much of what's going on at St Mungo's today. Somehow his feet carry him to the second floor of the hospital, to Ward 31 where the only occupant greets him with a sigh and an apologetic look.
"You know I'm going to die soon, right?"
Sirius knows his Uncle Alphie isn't well – six months ago, during the Christmas holidays, when he last saw him, his uncle had lost so much weight that his cheekbones stuck out – but how on earth is one meant to reply to a question like that?
But Alphard knows better, and checks himself. "I hear you've moved out," he says.
"Yeah. I'm staying with the Potters – with James' family." He points with his thumb.
"Well, really," says James, "It was less moving-out and more…"
Remus coughs, cutting James off, as if to tell him that this isn't an appropriate time to make jokes.
A grin spreads across Alphard's emaciated face. "Three months more and you'll be seventeen, eh? Old enough to get a place of your own? No offence to your family, kid," he turns to James, "I'm sure you live in a castle that could give Hogwarts a run for its money. But I've been thinking…"
He is interrupted by a Healer with lime-green robes and a high-pitched voice. "I don't know how you four got in, but the rules clearly state no more than two visitors at once, with the exception of family…"
"B- but…"
Remus grabs James. "I'm terribly sorry, Healer…Healer Crouch," he says politely, looking at the young witch's name badge. "We must have missed it." Evidently he's judged that there is no way this motley group could be mistaken for being blood relations, and he's also got an idea. "Come on, you too, Peter, let's go and get a cup…a cup of tea…"
Alphard waves to the three boys as they are ushered out of the ward by the fussy healer, and only speaks when they are gone. "Figured out even before I'd even realised that I wanted to speak to you alone. I mean, it's nice that they've come, they're great boys and all that…anyway, very perceptive, that lanky friend of yours, isn't he?"
"R-Remus?" Sirius stutters. "Yeah – he's really smart – got twelve OWLs."
"Oh! I totally forgot to ask – how did you do?"
"All right. Eight. One O, three E's, four A's." Little things like school exams have simply paled out of importance.
"Congratulations. I don't remember getting more than five. And don't you go saying that this bug is affecting my memory…it's just fine. If you gave me a guitar, and the strength to hold it, I bet I could play through Don Mclean's entire epic – all eight and a half minutes of it – and not forget a single word."
Sirius imagines singing through American Pie. But then phrases like "bye-bye, Miss American Pie," and "the day…the music died," make him feel like crying.
"I wish I could go back to that time, a long, long time ago…" Sirius says. "…back to those days when I could climb into a guitar case, when I was just about small enough for you to latch it shut, when you could have carried me away to New York just like that…"
"Would've made running away that little bit easier, eh? Oh, Sirius, you can't live your life in the past. You have to face the future, and whatever she has in store for you. Anyway, before The Grouch came along, I was going to tell you…I'm leaving you everything."
"You're – you're what?" splutters Sirius.
"Look. It makes perfect sense. I don't have any kids, and my closest friends are muggles. You are the closest thing I've ever had to a son, and I know you've been blasted off the family tree – so my sister and cousin won't be giving you anything remotely resembling an inheritance. I've never had a proper house, but I've a fair bit of gold sitting under London that might help you to get one of your own…"
"Uncle…"
It hits Sirius as he takes his uncle's hand, all skin and bones, in his own. His Uncle Alphie is actually dying in front of him. While at school, he's been able to believe that the Healers might have gotten it wrong. That there is no way a forty-five-year-old wizard could be surrendering his life to something like this.
"..I – I can't thank you enough…" he finishes his sentence.
"Oh you can, Sirius. Make sure I don't end up in the Black Family Crypt by taking my money. I'd actually much rather be cremated and scattered into the sea by starlight. Free at last," says Alphard, letting go of Sirius' grip and stretching his arms out wide.
Sirius swallows, and realises that his eyes are all watery. His uncle leans towards him, holding Sirius' left hand between two withered ones. "It's all right, son, all wandering rivers reach the ocean in the end."
A/N: To Sally: This is for you. May your grandma rest in peace. My thoughts are with you and your family.
To BonnieDoll: Thank you for the challenge!
To WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot: Thank you for your review, and for your inspirational characters!
To all my other beloved readers: thank you for joining me on Sirius and Alphard's journey! Please do let me know your thoughts in a review. I really do appreciate them!