Chapter Four- The Order Meets Again
When Morwen entered Grimmauld place again on Saturday she wandered down into the kitchen to find Sirius and Remus in their usual spots. Drinking Odgen's Whiskey in front of the fireplace at the end of the room, the place was as filthy and dank as ever although the kitchen was marginally getting better. The mouldy smell of damp must have been chased out by the fire.
Snorting she lifted the half empty bottle, "I know your father had a great collection Sirius, but do plan in drinking it all before Christmas?"
Shrugging he pointed to the door at the far end of the room, "The wine's at the back of the pantry if you want a bottle."
Sighing she looked between the pair of them until Remus grinned at her boyishly, suddenly losing at least ten years, "Come on Morwen, lighten up."
Sirius hunched over with laughter as she glared at them, "Don't you start! There is an order meeting here tonight Remus. Not to mention you haven't questioned me, either of you!"
Sirius was still guffawing but Remus sported a rather dejected look, his amber eyes were filled with apology. Now she felt bad, Remus was always apologising and feeling guilty.
Unlike Sirius, who looked completely remorseless with his grey eyes dancing, she turned on him, "You are a corruption, Sirius Black!"
"Oh, have a drink Morwen, if that fancy invitation sticking out of your bag is any indication you're going to need one," he replied pointing to her open handbag sitting on the kitchen table and laughing obnoxiously. "Besides, with that foul mood I'd say it's you alright."
Huffing, she made for the pantry which made them burst out laughing. "Oh grow up, you two," she called as she opened the dusty door.
"What shape did your boggart take?" Remus shouted.
"Inferi," she replied as she entered the dark, dank pantry.
There was nothing to be found in terms of eating, but a little door to the back revealed a walk-in wine cellar. "I got an invite to a dinner party, from Maggie Boot?" she called back to them as she perused Orion Black's red wine.
"Maggie Boot, whose she again?"
"She was Maggie Travers sure, Ravenclaw, our year," replying she picked up a bottle, rubbing the dust of the label she revealed a well-aged merlot. Shrugging at the probable expensive of it she guessed the reluctant owner wouldn't care.
When she made her way back in with the bottle, amazed that the Black House still had that much alcohol after all these years, Sirius laughed out loud at her choice.
"What?" surprised she set it on the table as Remus accio'd for the bottle opener.
Lifting the bottle the dark-haired wizard read the label, "Yes, this is it. My father told me when I was ten that he would open this upon my engagement."
Passing it to Remus to open, the wizard in question looked at him curiously, "Guess he waited then, eh?"
"Who where you betrothed to anyway?" Morwena asked, knowing Walburga she could have arranged for him to marry his first cousin.
"Some second cousin twice removed," Sirius poured himself a glass, and foisted one on a reluctant Remus, "c'mon mate, we're celebrating my nuptials never to be. Clarissa Lestrange, remember her Morwen?"
"Oh, she went to Beauxbatons, her mother was a Burke," Morwen thought of the tall, elegant girl from her youth at balls. Morwen had always envied her raven black hair, perfectly straight and never frizzy. "It's a wonder her blood was good enough for the illustrious House of Black."
"Oh Mother was running out of choices. I think she would have liked Narcissa for me but Aunt Druella liked old Lucius and he was rich as Croesus. Thank Merlin I didn't have to marry any of them, but she was a raging bitch that Clarissa ," Sirius relished his wine, "It was a near miss with that one," he grinned at Remus.
"I don't think she was much fond of you either," Morwen replied dryly. "Was she anything to the shop on Knockturn?"
"Eh, cousins," he scratched his chin, "Yes, her mother was a Burke whose own mother had been a French Rosier I think, and her father lived over there. They had a shop in Paris."
"I didn't know you actually remembered any of that stuff," Remus was incredulous.
"It's hard to forget," his friend replied sardonic.
"I was in Borgin and Burkes today," Sirius raised an eyebrow at her, "Selling something for Gringotts with Griphook, a nice deadly mask. Strange little lecher that Borgin is, there was a Burke there as well, but he was to young to be the Burke that used to be in the shop. I don't remember a Burke from Hogwarts, do you?"
"Nope, probably a Drumstrang student," Sirius shook his head. "I vaguely remember one from years ago, but he was a few years older than us. Bit of a dandy, liked his clothes, he used to sell fire whiskey and that to the purebloods at school. Mostly the Slytherins, I remember wondering where on earth Andromeda and her chums kept getting alcohol from when they were at Hogwarts."
"They weren't getting it off Aberforth like us," Remus agreed.
"He's sharp for all he likes his immaculate clothes," Morwen murmured.
Sirius suddenly turned around in his chair and opened a drawer in the sideboard. Morwen continued to sip her wine, feeling sleepy already as he threw a few photo albums onto the table.
"Thinking of weddings, found these for you," he chucked them onto the table, they were great old tomes of things. Although made from old, dried up leather the silver embossing still shone brightly, illustrating the Black family crest.
Gently she opened one, it's spine cracking and a small cloud of dust floated out into the air. "Wow, is this every family wedding?"
An extension charm meant the album held hundreds of photos, most were black and white but the more recent ones to the front were coloured.
"Probably, mother was demented about keeping things like this," he spat disgusted, "a record of purity and all that."
"Oh Lord, is this Bellatrix's wedding?" she turned the page to a familiar wedding scene, the wedding party were all standing dourly with hardly a smile. Every time Rodolphus put his arm around a sullen Bellatrix she discreetly stamped on his foot, making him wince and withdraw on a loop over and over again.
"I believe it is," Remus chuckled leaning across the table to see, "Look Sirius, you're even here too."
Morwen smiled at the scowling boy hiding in the corner of the frame, trying to put as much space as possible between himself and the rest of the Black family. "Oh look Sirius, don't you spruce up well in a dinner suit?" she grinned at him. "Couldn't have been very much earlier than when you ran away?"
"No," he smirked fondly, "Same Summer, that was the last thing I was forced to attend."
As he laughed in relief Morwen refrained from telling him how disappointed she'd been when the scandal broke. Although they weren't close friends he had been a friendly, if not rather mischievous face at those sorts of things.
"You know his mother cut his hair for that," Remus dodged a kick from under the table. "Stunned him and everything."
Morwen took in the darkly handsome boy, his short hair curled around the tops of his ears and she admitted that it looked much better than the bedraggled mess he wore now.
Eyes widening he shook his head at her stare, "No," she smirked, "No, I know that look, you're not cutting my hair."
"Would tidy you up," Remus muttered into his glass.
"Shut up Moony. No chance, what is it with women and cutting my hair?" he whined. She thought of similar nights at Order headquarters, where a giggling Lily would chase him around Caradoc's house threatening to cut his locks.
The reminiscing was cut off by the opening and closing of the front door, and although not terribly loud it set Mrs Black's portrait to screaming.
"Damn it," Sirius swore, getting up to go help.
Remus quickly swept his wand and sent the bottles into a nearby cupboard before cleaning all glasses with a flick. Those too were quickly banished back to their cupboards just as a berating Molly Weasley came down the stairs.
"Really Sirius?" she was scolding, "Look at the state of the place, haven't you cleaned at all?"
"Did my room and Remus did his," he replied sullen, "besides the kitchen's fine."
Molly set her bag on the kitchen table, opening it as she started summoning. A whole array of things started flying about. Pots and pans from cupboards to various ingredients from her bag, as Molly continued to give off about the layer of filth that coated everything. Arthur Weasley sat down beside Remus, across from Morwen and smiled at them apologetically.
"Well Arthur, how's the ministry work?" Remus asked the mild mannered man.
"Oh great," Arthur brightened, "you want to see what I confiscated from a house in Islington the other day…"
As he chatted away to Remus, Morwen watched Molly continue her stream of abuse towards Sirius. Stopping her placing of the table, the older woman's maternal eyes narrowed as she took the three of them in.
"Have you all been drinking?" she turned on them, "You have-" walloping Sirius with a drying cloth. "- an order meeting, you should be taking this more seriously."
With a sigh she turned back to the dinner and they all sat, Sirius and Remus smirking while Arthur, however, shook with silent mirth.
"While we have a moment," Morwen called out to Molly, She pushed a photo of the necklace towards the older lady as she leaned against the back of Arthur's chair. "Don't suppose you recognise that?"
Molly lifted the photo with a raised eyebrow, "Wish I did, look at the size of those diamonds."
Sirius snorted, "Tell her what it does Morwen."
Morwen found herself explaining the particulars of the necklaces grisly history.
"You know," Molly waved a pointed finger as she tried to remember, "I remember Aunt Lucretia saying something about a garrotting necklace."
Arthur shot them a dark look, "Molly's Aunt Lucretia wasn't as bad as your mother Sirius, but she would remember a garrotting necklace, of course."
"Yes, she wasn't fond of Arthur, being a Weasley and all," Molly laughed, "But yes, apparently, her grandmother had been at a wedding when she young, years and years ago and apparently the necklace did it."
"Really?" Morwen asked surprised, "killed someone?"
"Yes, it was tragic really, the girl's family had tried to cover up a muggle born great grandparent or something similar," Molly explained.
"The girl's family mustn't have known, which is strange," Sirius murmured quiet.
"Yes, you'd think all the old families would have some knowledge," Arthur agreed, looking at the photo, "It's not that unusual to have some strange ceremonies, oaths and such."
"Who was she marrying?" Morwen asked, although the story was a violent one she was coiled with excitement at the possibility of information.
"Oh, I haven't a clue," Molly replied as she organised knives to chopping root vegetables. "She didn't say, I can't even remember how it came up, thinking on it."
"Blood purity parables and your Aunt," Arthur interjected airily, "Perish the thought."
Molly shot him an exasperated look, "Well it would have to be a sacred twenty-eight, you already know that, but Lucretia was a Black." She gestured to the photo albums, "There are no better record keepers of such things, it might not be in those albums but a record of what happened must be in this house somewhere."
"We could probably search the attics," Sirius suggested rather reluctantly. "But, if a Black remembered then it'll be in those albums. Has to be, we've all married so closely that someone along the line would have worn it in the family."
"Guess we'll be going through those things for days," Morwen groaned, "I really do need a drink. This is all your Bill's fault Molly," she griped as Molly laughed at her.
The small quartet had only mused on another five minutes, Morwen explaining she had met Bill, before the order members began to appear in. Tonks was first, tripping in the hall as usual and setting Mrs Black off, blushing furiously she sat down at the table as Remus' ribbed her clumsiness good naturedly.
Sirius gave Morwen a quiet sort of grin when he caught her watching the awkward pair, leaning over he whispered in her ear, "here's to hoping the Dutch courage will help Moony along."
"You're such a manipulating toe rag," walloping him on the arm Morwen couldn't help but roll her eyes good naturedly. The love struck duo across the table where talking up a storm.
The rest filed in haphazardly over the next half an hour, a rather ripe Mundungus Fletcher was a newer addition this time. Dumbledore was the last to arrive, there was no Snape following him but Shacklebolt had managed to come by again.
Morwen tuned out slightly as Dumbledore went over the particulars of the week, he listened as Shacklebolt updated them on the what was going on in the auror's department. Morwen didn't feel she could contribute much so found herself wondering about what Maggie Boot had said about him.
"Sir," she found herself asking as they finished off their discussion a good twenty minutes later. "I bumped into an old school friend, Maggie Boot."
"Husband's in law enforcement?" Shacklebolt asked interested.
"Yes," she paused, feeling a little silly at rehashing gossip to Albus Dumbledore but he inclined his head with his usual respect, "She mentioned that you were going senile."
When she paused in embarrassment again Molly, Moody and several others huffed in anger, there even were a few mutterings.
"If she is to be believed Maggie and her husband are not the only ones spreading such lies," Albus nodded with a sigh.
"It is to be expected Morwen, I have quite openly backed Harry," the glint in his eye seemed to sharpen with his resolve.
"The boy needs it Dumbledore," Shacklebolt reassured him.
"Maggie mentioned that the Ministry had a plan, that they were working on the problem," Morwen continued. Molly had got up to finish making her stew and was ladling out bowls, the black haired witch wrapped her cold hands around the steaming hot bowl that had settled in front of her.
"Yes, we are aware there's something in motion," Shacklebolt's deep voice revealed, "But alas, I'm not in the education department."
"It makes it difficult for Kingsley to ask questions without attracting interest," Dumbledore explained, he began to dig into his stew and everyone else relaxed and followed suit.
"What about that invite you've got Morwen," Sirius reminded her.
Startling she nodded, "How could I forget about that? Yes, I have an invite to a dinner party at Maggie's."
Kingsley brightened, "Yes, we have Emmeline in the education department, but I think they know not to trust her," the black man frowned, "but a dinner party?"
"Far more personal," Dumbledore mused.
"Informal," Moody continued gruffly, "lots of wine."
"Continue to dig about Emmeline, that's still our best bet," Albus instructed the tall, statuesque woman, "But perhaps you could turn your hand to a little sleuthing Morwen?"
"I could try, Maggie and her husband are purebloods. Not sacred twenty-eight but she used to be," Morwen wasn't sure about Maggie anymore, "I'm not sure if they aren't just ambitious with her husband's ministry position or they've taken a puritan stance."
"Their son is a student at the school," Dumbledore paused over his bowl, "Thanks Molly, this is delicious as usual."
"And what kind of little bugger is he then," Moody asked impatiently as Molly was smiling and thanking the Headmaster.
"There has been nothing to alert me of him," Dumbledore, "Exceptional Ravenclaw, studious and well liked. You taught him directly Remus?"
"He has muggleborn friends, seemed to like Harry and his friends," Remus shrugged.
"Children aren't always an indicator of their parents," Morwen gestured to Sirius who gave a barking laugh from the seat beside her.
"Isn't that true?" Kingsley let out his own booming laugh, " No, I think Morwen should be at this dinner party, and the next one they hold. If nothing else it's another channel to the Ministry," he suggested.
"Besides, she's very excited for me to meet a Magnus Montague?" she quizzed Kingsley, "I don't remember a Magnus Montague?"
"No, he didn't go to Hogwarts," Kingsley explained, "his mother's French so I think she had him sent to Beauxbatons. Another one in Law Enforcement, I don't know much about the fellow."
Dumbledore nodded, "That's settled then Morwen, you should go." The professor turned to Moody, "Have you the new rotas made up for the Department of Mysteries?"
"Yes, I have them here," Moody handed it to Remus beside him, the list slowly made a circuit of the table. Morwen was pleased to see she had a Thursday night with Tonks, that would good company at least.
"Any other business?" Dumbledore got up, looking around expectantly.
"Yes Albus, I do," Molly Weasley set her hands to her waist, "I want Arthur and I, along with the children, to move into this house."
Everyone stared at her stunned, "It's not fit to inhabit and it won't get any better if we leave Sirius and Remus to."
Remus slowly turned red while Sirius simply held his hands up, "A little dust doesn't bother me."
Morwen rolled her eyes, "A little dust Sirius?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brighter, "You have no argument from me Molly. As you wish."
The Headmaster left, as Molly surveyed them all proudly, Sirius had a sullen look on his face at the thought of cleaning. For no doubt Molly would rope him in to help but Morwen couldn't help but look forward to a bit more company herself.
"I guess I should be getting home," Morwen sighed at the thought of her empty townhouse but then remembered her cousin. "Before I forget, Talan's been slinking about again."
"Talan Selwyn, your cousin?" Remus looked up from his conversation with Tonks sharply.
"Is that little bastard still sneaking around then?" Sirius huffed, disgusted.
Moody and Kinsley turned to see what they were talking about, handing a bustling Molly their finished dishes.
"Well, the house elf informed me that he had shown up unexpectedly this week. Seemed he was bunking up for a kip," she replied.
Moody narrowed his good eye, "He inherited the country pile didn't he?"
"Yes," she nodded, "the manor house in Cornwall."
"So he has slithered his way back to London," Kingsley rumbled, leaning back in his chair and glancing at Moody.
"You should keep an eye on him," Moody barked, "You can keep track of his comings and goings and the like."
"He'll wonder at me letting him stay," Morwen pondered.
"You don't have good dealings with him then?" Kingsley rubbed his chin.
"More like we don't have any dealings. When father died he wanted the townhouse in London, he would've rather had me and my mother rusticate in the wilds of Cornwall."
"The Selwyn Manor isn't exactly convenient," Sirius nodded.
"There was a bit of a ruckus in court about it, I wonder if I should really lie down and let him walk in as he likes," inwardly Morwen thought that she couldn't be too appeasing with him.
"She's right," Sirius sighed, "You'll end up hosting Voldemort yourself if you let him run riot."
"It's a good opportunity," Moody argued.
There was a heavy silence, Sirius was looking a little angrily at Moody. Molly set a tea tray down from out of nowhere causing everyone to jump out of their skin.
"It sounds dangerous," the motherly witch stood with her hands on her hips. "But it doesn't sound like you'll keep him out."
"Molly's right," Remus sighed and reached for a mug.
Everyone else started for the tea and coffee but Sirius sat still, "Best talk to him then, see what the mood is. You're always welcome to stay here."
"Hopefully it won't come down to that," she smiled at Sirius, his presence solid beside her, "Father was able to keep him away the last time."
Morwen reached out for some coffee, silently wondering about what way to deal with her errant cousin.