The next lesson was technology. In a stupefied blur, Sirius waited for Lily to appear so he could beg for her forgiveness. Of their own accord his fingers tapped away at the computer keys and his brain absorbed the information the wiry little teacher threw at them as he flitted around correcting their work. His heart tapped out the rhythm of his movements.
The seconds ticked past, impossibly long.
Then, the door swung open – even its smooth sweep was perceptible in the silence. Sirius jerked round, mouth opening and air rushing to his lungs as he prepared for a long explanation.
But it wasn't Lily who walked lazily through the door. Sirius could tell instantly that something was wrong because this person didn't move like everyone else – like the world was coming to an end and only they knew it. There was no frantic urgency. And it felt like forever since he had seen someone smirk.
The class watched as he dawdled over to his desk and threw a pile of papers down onto it. A few of them scattered across the floor, but he didn't stoop to pick them up.
Sirius studied his rough blonde curls and ice blue eyes in confusion – did he have some kind of immunity against the harsh punishments of this place? Apparently not, according to the awkward glances flying around.
Finally, he swung his locks out of his eyes and raised a thick brow at Professor Infortati.
'You're 13 minutes late today.' The teacher didn't miss a beat. His voice, once animated and enthusiastic, took on a silky, dangerous edge. Sirius saw him fingering a knife that lay on his desk.
'Sorry, prof.' the kid smirked back at him.
Watching him, Sirius felt a strange protectiveness over the person. He looked older then Sirius felt but he still recognised the emotion. That had been him once – him smirking at the annoyed teacher. But he'd never risked so much for apparently nothing – this guy sure didn't seem to be gaining respect or friends; from the looks he was receiving – and Sirius was definitely not just going to let him be cut to pieces. He was braver than anything Sirius had ever seen before.
The keyboard clattered to the floor, dragging the mouse down with it, and they both smashed. The class span, mouths agape, and Sirius' jaw dropped open.
'Oh my God! I'm so sorry! I can't believe I did that!' The words gushed from within, the seriousness of what he was doing just setting in. He dropped to his knees, cutting them on the smashed glass, and tried to sweep it up. A surprisingly weak blow came from behind.
'Get up, Black.' The teacher sighed, 'It's just a keyboard and mouse – this way you can learn how to connect them to the computer.' Sirius gaped at him but Infortati just rolled his eyes and turned away.
Automatically, Sirius' eyes cut to the late comer. The boy nodded his thanks, understanding what had occurred and Sirius controlled himself quick enough to not grin and give himself away.
Readjusting the cables streaming from the hard-drive and monitor Sirius sat down to work.
Lily never appeared – no one else spoke.
Their silent dinner consisted of a thin slice of pork and cabbage – overcooked both. The water was disgusting. A wave of nostalgia swept over Sirius as he thought of the meals at Hogwarts – he wasn't sure which one he missed most, the playful banter or the succulent chickens, ducks, cakes and tarts.
'Who was the boy earlier?' He asked the kid next to him, just for something to say. He looked barely 15 and shot Sirius a filthy look.
'Great. That'll help a lot.' Sirius muttered to himself. Several people shushed him.
Across from him, a Chinese looking girl was muttering what sounded like French to herself. Next to her, a boy was telling himself his 32 times tables.
God! Sirius groaned inside himself. I'm not sure how much of this I can take.
It had all been planned before they came.
They knew there was a place, you see. When all the talented students began to disappear people started to figure out that someone was taking them – and it wasn't the Death Eaters because muggle-borns disappeared as well. Sirius and Lily had volunteered – they were both clever enough and had nothing to lose (Both had no family – Lily's had died earlier in the year and as far as Sirius was concerned his were dead as well). They would be enrolled, learn what they could and then get an entrance into the place and bring it down from the inside – gaining the intelligence of the taken few and reuniting families nationally. It was a win-win situation. But Sirius had never imagined this – that the enemy would come from within.
At that moment, everyone stood up. Sirius was jerked to his feet by two pairs of callous hands as the teachers exited.
They trooped back to their respective common rooms as one. There was a main room – for everyone. Then several shared rooms that accommodated 4 or 5 each.
Sirius split off straight away – making for his bed. They hadn't got any homework that day, which he was immensely grateful for. All he could think about was needing to be someplace else – even if it was in his subconscious.
Then a hand gripped his upper arm and he was yanked through a door he hadn't noticed was there.
Whoa! Sirius thought appreciatively, staring at the roaring fire. The heat of it seeped through to him.
Then he looked around. A gaggle of about 10 or 11 students grinned at him. They looked alive – and happy to boot! He recognised the boy from his Technology class near the back. Then he saw Lily.
'Ohmygod Lily!' He gasped, running to her and clasping her hands in his. She grinned.
'Calm it, Black. I'm fine now – and I deserved it. Plus, I've been here for an hour, eating normal food and relaxing!' She smiled. 'I hear you met Dan.' She pointed at the blonde boy, who waved.
Sirius gulped, 'Hi there.' He turned back to Lily. 'What the hell is going on?'
Lily sighed, gesturing for someone to explain.
A girl stepped forward. She had thick, tight curly hair and an excellent figure. Her teeth were bright white against her dark skin and her eyes shone luminously. 'Hi, Sirius, right? I'm Tina. Well, we're kind of a resistance group. We don't agree with what happens here so we fight against it. And we've decided after what you did to Dan that you qualify. We can't tell you specifics though, because we don't know if you'll turn out to be like them.'
Sirius swallowed again, 'Wow.' He wasn't sure what else to say. This was something else he'd never expected.
Lily squeezed his hand, encouraging.
'Um, how did this come about?' Sirius was suddenly as wary of them as they were of him – they could just as easily be the spies.
Tina grinned, 'Well, I assume you know James Potter? You are his Sirius Black after all, aren't you?'
Sirius' world slowed and stopped. Blood rushed through his head and with extreme effort he managed not to fall over. He had succeeded in not thinking about James, his James, in nearly 2 years and now in 2 days he had been thought of several times. His throat ran dry.
'Sirius?' Tina asked, worry pasted across her features. 'You ok?'
Sirius nodded, gesturing for them to continue. Lily's nail bit into his skin, questioning.
'Well, he turned up here about 2 years ago.' Tina began slowly, 'But you must know that – he'll just have vanished in your world.'
Taken. TAKEN. Sirius sat down hard onto a chair that had been placed conveniently behind him by Dan. Kidnapped. It was involuntary. He hadn't left him. That was all that mattered to him all of a sudden – that thought stripping away the years until he was just Sirius again. One half of Sirius and James.
And then a throat cleared at the back of the room, and Sirius recognised it for what it was – the other half calling out to him.
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