Sorry, I've been a bit lazy lately but here's another chapter. Hope you like it. Please review! Feedback will help me to overcome my writer's block...
7- the Naughty Quill
I slept for almost twenty hours, then I took a hot bath and busied myself with much needed beauty care which I had clearly neglected these past few days- ah, the discomforts of intensive research. My hair looked a mess and my lovely tan was gone. I applied a rich crème on my face and relaxed with a glass of Majorcan wine, listening to music before going to bed again.
The next morning I walked into the kitchen and realized that I must have missed Harry and the Weasleys' departure by oversleeping because the house was quiet again. They were gone and Sirius looked sullen, brooding over a cup of coffee Kreacher had brewed him. I quickly transformed it into something more tasteful, knowing he liked his coffee strong, black and sweet. It didn't seem to cheer him up though.
Since I had spent too many days in the solitude of my potions room to bear the presence of bad-tempered people I opted for going out. I could use a haircut and a manicure, and I hadn't been to Kensington High Street for ages or so it seemed to me. There was nothing better to celebrate the successful creation of a new antidote than a shopping trip; it was exactly the distraction I needed now.
The day after Batman came in with a Muggle newspaper, dropped it on the table, and gave me a nasty glance. Shivering. Wrapping his leathery wings around him as if half frozen. As if he wanted to make me feel guilty for the impertinence of sending him out into the cold, grey January skies… we've had an argument some weeks ago when he had refused to come out of his little bat home for days, apparently intending to hibernate. I, however, had threatened to abandon him and leave him to the care of an animal shelter if he wouldn't move his furry ass up in the air and do what a bat who wanted to be an owl was supposed to do. That had decidedly changed his mind although he liked to behave like a badly mistreated creature now. I swear if he could he would have burst out with tears, fishing for sympathy.
"Get a grip on yourself," I told him, "I named you after a fictional superhero so please act like one."
Tonks chuckled while Lupin merely rolled his eyes and Sirius kept on brooding. That moment an owl arrived with the latest issue of theDailyProphet. We almost forgot to pay it for we all stared at today's headline.
Mass breakout from Azkaban. Ministry fears Black is 'rallying point' for old Death Eaters.
"What?" I gasped, absolutely taken aback. "Have they gone totally nuts now?"
Lupin read the article to us. Ten high-security prisoners including Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black, Sirius' cousin, had escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and since Sirius was the first person ever to break out of Azkaban they believed he was likely to help others follow in his footsteps. The Ministry of Magic had already informed the Muggle Prime Minister… blah, blah, blah. I couldn't believe it. Sirius was innocent, when would they ever get it? But instead of anyone trying to clear his name it was even more discredited now. Did no one give a damn?
I thumped the table with my fist, clearly upset. "We gotta do something about it!"
"What do you want to do, Raven?" Lupin asked matter-of-factly. "There isn't anything we can do."
"We can't tolerate the bloody Ministry spreading lies…"
"This isn't about truth or lies. It's about keeping our heads down and our tempers under control…"
"No!" I cut him off, almost shouting. Then I calmed down again although only temporarily. "That's Dumbledore's wisdom, I suppose? To sit out the storm and wait for better weather? Why not try to master it, defy it? Is it only because Dumbledore fears he could fall in disgrace with Fudge even more? I wonder, did you see the scars on Harry's hand, Lupin? I will not tell lies- blast, he's telling the truth and we all know that otherwise the Order of the Phoenix itself would be kinda superfluous, wouldn't it? Now I'm asking you- is Dumbledore's reputation really worth the fact we're willing to allow kids to be tortured at school for telling the truth?"
"It's not about Dumbledore's reputation. If the Ministry believes he keeps on causing them more trouble than they can afford he could end up in Azkaban, and we don't want to have him locked up. Dumbledore is the only one You-Know-Who ever feared…"
"Well that's exactly the method of tyrannical regimes- they silence their political opponents, lock them up, kill them. We have to fight that! What about the freedom of speech? Hey, we don't live in medieval times when people knew not better than to be moral cowards in the face of their godlike rulers; we live in the twentieth century and we know about democracy now, therefore I will not keep my head down."
"And you're obviously not able to keep your temper under control." Sirius interjected but he sounded amused if not admiring.
"Well, to tell the truth I'm not even trying to when confronted with tyranny merely because Fudge is so fucking scared of losing the power he's grown so fond of that he clutches it tightly by any and all means. Not caring that he acts more and more like a dictator… I'm sorry, but I can't sit back and take things easy if that means accepting the violation of human rights."
"And yet there's nothing we can do about it." Lupin told me in an impassionate tone. Maybe he'd never heard of human rights before. "We can't fight the Ministry of Magic and Voldemort all at the same time; we'd be clearly outnumbered if we tried to do so. We have to cope…"
"No," I cut him off again, more livid now, "we won't. 'Cause if we do we'll lose. Don't you see what's going on? The wizarding nation is clinging to the lips of Fudge as the only opinion allowed, unaware of the danger ahead, and with every day Voldemort's growing stronger. If we don't start a revolution now and see to it that the people learn the truth he will win for no one fears someone who's supposed to be dead… they will look at him in bewilderment and knuckle under his whims, just that easily. Although- you're right in one point, Lupin. We can't fight on two fronts, at least not if fighting means actual combat. But what I have in mind is something else, like… like…"
"Like that?" The voice came from a pile of rags on a chair near the fireplace, and as the rags stirred a whiff of unwashed clothes, cold tobacco smoke and stale booze filled the air. Mundungus reached into his pocket and held up a crumbled piece of paper.
With the tips of my freshly manicured, cherry-red nails I snatched the paper from him. He was a mightily useful member of the Order since he knew all the crooks (for his was one himself) and therefore heard things the others didn't but that smell of his made me avoid his proximity. I smoothed out the paper on the kitchen table and realized that it was a pamphlet entitled The Naughty Quill. Apparently there was someone else out there in the wizarding world who didn't buy every word the Ministry says either, who had voiced all his criticism in a well-written, slightly sarcastic article.
"Where did you get that from?" I inquired, impressed, for the author was asking some very sensible questions like why Dumbledore would make up Voldemort's return only to become Minister of Magic himself if he had never wanted the job before. The author was also of the opinion that Dumbledore was a too powerful wizard to use such a lie, thus coming to the conclusion whether it could be that the Ministry preferred to ignore the warning of Voldemort's return because if they accepted the truth they would have to face trouble they were unable to cope with.
"Leaky Cauldron." Mundungus said. "Some owls dropped a shower of these leaflets."
"And do you have any idea of who's written them?" I really wanted to meet the one responsible for that wonderfully rebellious stuff, thinking that it should be published nationwide. An independent voice that would finally made the wizarding world believe what's really going on, that there was actual danger ahead. If a fifteen-year-old, Harry, had the nerve to put up an unauthorized Defence against the Dark Arts group right under the nose of the Hogwarts High Inquisitor then we adults ought to be able to do something similarly mutinous. Especially since we had nothing to lose, like risking getting expelled.
Unfortunately Mundungus shook his head. "Nope." Then he flashed me a broad smile. "But I can find out if you want…"
"Please."
Lupin gave me a sceptical glance. Though he was positively grateful for me brewing his Wolfsbane Potion he still wasn't certain what to think of me. I was too posh, too vain, and also too mutinous for his liking, and I assumed he often wondered whether I was help or harm to the Order. To him I was a wild card, unpredictable.
"What exactly is it that you are intending to do once you know who is responsible for these flyers?" He asked warily.
"Well, I guess that depends on the impression he gives me." I told him, not knowing it either. Not now. I had to meet that person and find out where his alliances lay, which course he was supporting, before I could come up with any further plans. But I was curious, so curious…
Mundungus didn't let me down. He didn't let me accompany him on night patrol though, claiming that the people he was going to meet weren't likely to trust strangers… 'nomatter howprettythey are', he told me with a lecherous smile curling up his lips as he glanced me up and down, and I felt the hair at the back of my neck standing up in abhorrence. I wasn't that keen on accompanying him, then. But he proved to be a reliable source of information when he told me what he had found out the morning after, handing me another leaflet.
It had almost the same headline as yesterday's Daily Prophet except for three broad question marks, indicating that the NaughtyQuill didnot believe in the Ministry's theory that Sirius Black was the new leader of escaped Death Eaters. The author rather believed the mass breakout was a proof of Voldemort's return to power and uttered his doubt that Sirius had ever been his man…
"The Naughty Quill seems to know you," I said, glancing at Sirius, "at least he knows that you got Sorted into Gryffindor against your family's tradition."
"That's hardly a secret. Anyone at Hogwarts knew."
"And he believes you're innocent- well, that's what I read between the lines."
"I don't like it." Lupin threw in, thoughtfully. "Whoever writes that has to stop…"
"What?" I gaped at Lupin, thinking he had gone nuts. "Finally there's someone who believes in Sirius' innocence and you want him to stop? What kind of a friend are you?"
"One who does care, and who only has his best interest in mind- don't worry about that- but unlike you I am able to see further, the greater scheme of it all, and I am aware of the trouble this sort of press could afflict on Dumbledore if the Ministry of Magic chooses to believe he his responsible for it."
"But he isn't!" I snapped defiantly. Damned, there was a possible chance to clear Sirius' name, or at least to make public the incredible injustice that had happened to him. I would not let that go by without giving it a try, nor would I even consider silencing the only independent, critical voice of the wizarding world.
"I know, but Fudge might…"
"To hell with Fudge! He's a bloody wanker." I knew that Lupin merely tried to voice his concern, that he was probably the most sensible of us, and yet he made me unreasonably angry. He was clearly Dumbledore's man, unfaltering.
Lupin heaved a frustrated sigh, realizing there was no reasoning with me. He looked at Sirius for support as if he alone was able to take the wind our of my sails. "Please say something."
"Why don't we wait until Raven has found out who is behind these leaflets?" Tonks asked before Sirius could take the word. She flashed me a smile of approval, clearly misinterpreting my rebellious attitude with romantic feelings I secretly harboured for her cousin. Of course she was wrong but she made sense with what she said. "We can still decide if the Naughty Quillhas to be stopped or not after Raven has paid that person a visit; we need to know more about him- or her- before we come up with rash conclusions. And as far as I know the Ministry isn't aware of these pamphlets yet."
"Yeah, Tonks is right." Sirius agreed.
So it came that about an hour later I followed Mundungus down Knockturn Alley, dressed for the occasion. It was a cold, windy January morning; my long, black coat was billowing behind me and the heels of my cowboy boots made clattering noises on the cobble stones. We passed creatures, vaguely human- I supposed- clad in black robes, hiding their pale faces as we walked by. I was dressed all in black, too. Well, except for my cherry-red lipstick which stuck out here so brightly since it seemed to be the only source of colour around.
Mundungus stopped at a shabby looking house, the paint peeling on its walls. It didn't look shabbier than the rest of its surroundings though for we were hardly in an area of London where the flat prices used to explode to astronomic prices.
"It's in the basement," he told me. And let me go down there alone, waiting at the doorway.
I walked down the staircase, darkness closing in on me. My wand at the ready, spreading a diffuse light while curiosity made me go on, cautiously… trying to sense any kind of danger that was possibly lying ahead… I was quite good at that- having been an unpopular kid at Hogwarts had to have some advantage in the end. If you don't want to get bullied constantly you have to sharpen your senses in order to be a step ahead of your tormentors so you can parry their jinxes before they hit you. You also learn non-verbal spells much earlier than other kids; it's a matter of self-defence.
I reached a door. There was no sign on it but I could hear the sound of a printing press in the room behind; it made quite a noise so I didn't even bother to knock the door. Whoever was in there wouldn't hear me anyway. He also didn't see me when I entered for he was standing with his back to me, bent over the old-fashioned printing press. Cursing about its poor technology.
Very interesting. He was clearly Muggle born, I concluded, and definitely not the most cautious wizard since I couldn't detect any protection charms.
With a sigh I walked up to him and tapped his shoulder. He winced, turned around to face me and made quite an ineffective attempt to reach for his wand.
I tsked. "Oh my, if I wanted to harm you, you'd long be dangling upside down in the air without even having noticed I jinxed you. But since it's quite inconvenient to talk to someone who's dangling in the air…"
"Who are you?" he breathed, backing away from me. "What do you want?"
"To answer the first question- my name doesn't matter. All you need to know is that I'm an Auror..."
"Shit, I'm in trouble!"
He should have thought about that before spreading critical pamphlets or at least put some efficient protection charm on his door. I took a closer look at him and realized he was quite a handsome man, only a few years younger than I. It was obviously that he took great care of himself; his shoulder length brown hair was cut in a modern style, with blonde highlights, and his skin was tanned. So he knew that there were hairdressers and solariums which proved his Muggle background. But he was definitely a wizard or he wouldn't have rented this place at Knockturn Alley. He also wouldn't have known what an Auror is.
"Well, that depends on your cooperation…"
"Ah, so the Ministry takes offence in the questions I'm asking and therefore sends one of her bloodhounds to silence me. I might get away with a reproach if I promise to step back in line and behave just like any ordinary wizard who's never heard of the freedom of the press, the freedom of speech, or any other human rights."
"Oh no, I'd never ask that," I assured him, shuddering at the very thought of it. "Besides, I'm not working for the Ministry- I'm a freelance."
A crease appeared between his eyes as he glanced at me, slightly confused. It didn't render his features less attractive. "So what is it that you want?"
I took one of the leaflets from the printing press, studying it. Why was the wizarding world teeming with Dementors when Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban? Where are they now when ten high security prisoners escaped? Good questions although I personally didn't mind the absence of Dementors and so did the Naughty Quill. He came to the conclusion that the Ministry might have lost control over them but wanted to hush that fact. It made perfect sense to me.
"Are you spreading these pamphlets only in the London area?"
He eyed me warily before he nodded, regretting that he couldn't spread them nationwide due to his lack of money. It was his intention to make the wizarding world aware of what was going on, what he believed was going on, even though he didn't have a clue. He didn't know the truth but the behaviour of the Ministry of Magic was decidedly startling him- he simply wasn't someone who took the violation of human rights easily and he saw that from the point of a Muggle-born. From the point of someone who came from a politically interested family… and he really wasn't good at Occlumency at all since I could read in him like in an open book. He definitely wasn't the greatest of all wizards but he had a clearly defined opinion of what's right or wrong- kind of rebellious for the wizarding world though mightily appreciated by me. I would not stop him. If money was the problem that hindered him from spreading his revolutionary pamphlets nationwide I would see to it that his problem was going to be solved; it was just something I had to do…
I gave him a surreptitious sidelong glance and realized that I had seen the Naughty Quill before, quite a long time ago. In my last year at Hogwarts. He looked different now but so did all of us who had matured. Nevertheless there was something in his face that reminded me of a scared little boy who got Sorted into Ravenclaw the first night of my short sixth year… if only I could come up with a name… then, suddenly, it struck me.
"Samuel Blair," I whispered.
He stared at me as if someone had drawn a curtain, apparently remembering me too. "And you're the girl who ran away from Hogwarts in my first year… Raven Lestrange?"
"Yep, I fear that's me," I replied casually.
"Hm, you seem to have a rebellious streak..."
"I hate it when people figure me out that easily."
"Well, I still don't know why you're here."
"Out of curiosity. I wanted to find out who's writing these pamphlets before making up my mind whether you have to be stopped or encouraged. I'm opting for the latter- although we're having a tiny little problem here." I remembered what Lupin had said about Dumbledore. The Ministry of Magic was under no circumstances to believe he was responsible for the Naughty Quill and the only way to guarantee that would be to criticise Dumbledore as well, though in a moderate tone. For instance, we could ask why he as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot had let it happen that people had been sent to Azkaban without a trial.
It was good to see that Samuel Blair thought that scandalous and started to rant about the injustice of the wizarding legal system which lacking an interest in evidence, relied on personal prejudice and didn't even grant the defendant the help of a lawyer. I was beginning to like Sam.
"Yeah, their main interest seem to be to get the trial over and done, and they don't even scruple to send an innocent man to a lifetime sentence in Azkaban without a trial. Lawyers would only be an unnecessary nuisance, a waste of precious time"
"Someone had been send to Azkaban although he was innocent?" Sam gasped.
"Well, you were right to assume that Sirius Black was never Voldemort's man and he surely isn't the rallying point for any escaped Death Eaters now." I told him, sounding almost casually but carefully studying his expression. Though Samuel Blair was not a great wizard- I really had to tell him to put some protection charms on his door- he wasn't dumb; he was of a quick wit and understood the whole meaning of my words.
"He's innocent? And you know him? You know where he is hiding?"
"Probably, but even if I knew I wouldn't give anything away."
"That's understandable… although, an exclusive interview would be his chance to tell the wizarding world the truth." His eyes were sparkling as if he already had the Pulitzer Prize in mind- provided that there was a wizarding equivalent which of course there wasn't.
Wasn't it what I had came here for? To see if there was any chance to tell the wizarding world the truth about the injustice that had happened to him? And yet I didn't have the slightest clue how to realise a meeting between Sirius and Sam. It was one thing to ride my bike to a lonely cliff with Sirius disguised as a Muggle motorcyclist on my buddy seat but a completely different one to even think about smuggling him into Knockturn Alley, just around the corner of the heart of wizarding commerce. And I certainly didn't want to take Sam to Grimmauld Place since I preferred to keep anything considering the Order of the Phoenix secret to him.
"Well, I'll think about that," I told Sam before I left with the intention to talk things over with Sirius, and him alone. Lupin would be strictly against it and pester me with the fact that Dumbledore was unlikely to approve to it since Dumbledore wanted Sirius to lie low and play the perfect host to those who risked their lives for the Order, without realizing that some men are not made to be kept in golden cages. Yes, it was definitely meant well but it nevertheless made Sirius only sullen and depressed.
At the threshold I stopped and turned around; the lack of protection spells was plainly irritating. I touched the door with my wand. "Just in case I'll come back, I'd like to find you safe and sound. Not transported to Azkaban by the Ministry nor made the plaything of some Death Eaters who might think it inappropriate for a Muggle born to make such a stir… You really have to be more cautious, Sam."
That evening we had a meeting at Grimmauld Place; almost the whole Order was assembled to discuss the mass breakout from Azkaban and its consequences. We didn't come up with anything really spectacular but I hadn't expected that anyway. Maybe we could have done more if not for Dumbledore, if he had allowed more resistance against the Ministry. But well, I knew the reasons for that so I kept my mouth shut most of the time since it wouldn't sit well with the others if I started my own private rebellion now.
At the end of the meeting I handed out small phials of the antidote to everyone. Most of them approved to my attempt in keeping them safe but Moody eyed the phial suspiciously, his magical eye rotating wildly. He seemed to be reluctant to take anything he hadn't brew himself. It was so typical.
"Listen, mate, I know you don't drink anything that's not from your own flask," I said, facing him stubbornly, "but please do me the favour and make an exception just in case you ever get bitten by a gigantic snake. Before you bleed to death I want you to overcome your paranoia that someone's trying to poison you- because at that time you will be definitely poisoned- and just swallow this."
He grumbled something unintelligible and put the phial away. I thought that was a good sign.
I really wanted to talk to Sirius tonight but the kitchen was still quite crowded and people lingered who usually didn't. Like Severus, who never stayed long. Tonight, however, he asked to have a word with me in private so I led him to my potions room.
Of course he knew more about the breakout than he'd told us. He was Dumbledore's spy and gave his report to Dumbledore alone who then decided which facts he'd share with us, always the perfect secret monger. I was aware that Severus' task was extremely dangerous; he risked his life more than anyone else in the Order. I could see it in his face since he looked pale and strained, and I wished Dumbledore would give him a break.
"You alright?" I asked him gently.
It was one of these questions he deemed too insignificant to answer. Without further ado he asked to have a look at my notes instead. Was he just as paranoid as Moody and didn't trust anyone else to create an effective antidote?
"Are you looking for anything specific?"
"It's stronger than that of St Mungo's," he arched an approving brow at me and I felt flattered.
"I decided to let it mature for two days and the rats appreciated that."
"Rats?"
"White rats, to be more precisely. I tested it on them before…" absent-mindedly I scratched my arm when the meaning of what Severus had just said dawned upon me. "What d'you mean with it's stronger?"
"You didn't!" He snarled, ignoring my question as he grabbed my arm to examine it. The wound where I had pierced it had almost faded but was still visible enough for him to know what I had done. All colour seemed to have drained from his face which was suddenly only inches from mine, and he gave the impression as if he wanted to strangle me, give me a good shaking, slap me… whatever- anything that would remind me to never do something so daringly stupid again.
"Stop fretting," I told him though it was nice to see that he did. Nevertheless I shot him a stubborn glance, "seven out of ten rats survived but I had to test it on someone human to figure out the right dose…"
"If you needed a test subject why didn't you try it on Lupin or Black?" Severus asked with a dangerously silky voice.
"As far as it concerns the first, he's a werewolf." I didn't even try to find reasons why I hadn't used Sirius as guinea pig since it had never crossed my mind to test the antidote on anyone but me, which, though it clearly infuriated Severus, nevertheless did not answer my last question. So instead of adding anything that could inflame his loathing of Sirius even more I asked him again, "How do you know that the antidote the healers of St Mungo's created isn't as strong as mine?"
Severus looked me in the eye, his orbs black and cold, apparently lacking any warmth. "Because the Dark Lord wished the antidote to be destroyed and therefore sent his loyal servant to comply with his wish."
If he thought he could shock me or repel me with the truth he was wrong. Every member of the Order of the Phoenix knew he used to be a Death Eater once and spied on them for Dumbledore now but unlike most of them I didn't question his loyalty. I had faith in him for reasons I couldn't fathom, and despite of the fact that I knew he was very skilled in Occlumency. Also, I believed myself capable of reading between the lines. I reached out to touch his face, my hand warm against his cool skin.
"But the loyal servant did not destroyed the antidote before he had identified its ingredients, just in case… and you're fretting 'bout me"
"I am not fretting." Severus pointed out, calmly.
"However, I want you to take care of yourself, Sev. You're risking so much more than any of us."And yet there's no point in constantly rubbing Sirius' nose in it that he's not risking his life every day, I thought, wishing they'd stop bitching at each other and come to realize that they're on the same side now. After all, Sirius was definitely not happy with having to hide in this horrible house. Which reminded me that I wanted to talk to him about Samuel Blair, the Naughty Quill.
"It's a rare pleasure to realise someone is actually willing to appreciate my efforts." Severus said, his voice soft and yet dripping with sarcasm that seemed to be out of place here. I hugged him, tightly, and as usual he stiffened first, so clearly not used to being hugged that he probably saw it as an invasion in his privacy, if not as a downright attack, before he finally relaxed. Even Severus Snape needed affection sometimes, or perhaps he needed it more than anyone else I knew.
I breathed a friendly kiss on his cheek. "Please be careful, Sev."
He glanced at me and bit back whatever snipe remark had been on his tongue. Nodding curtly he left, his travelling cloak billowing behind him like the wings of an overgrown bat. But well, I liked bats.
The kitchen was empty when I returned and a look at the clock told me that it was too late for a private conversation with Sirius now. I would not knock the door of his room. What I had to tell him wasn't that important.
-
Sirius shot me a sceptical glance after I had told him about Samuel Blair two days later. Somehow there hadn't been an opportune moment before since I could do very well without Lupin or anyone else reminding him to lie low until Dumbledore decided otherwise.
"I'm wondering why you care about my reputation if some days ago you wanted to bang my head against greasy Sniv- ouch!" He rubbed his cheek as if someone had just slapped him but I was sitting at a safe distance. That didn't mean I hadn't attached a Slapping Jinx to the disparagement of Severus' name; I had never liked that. It was about time he stopped calling him Snivellus. We weren't at school anymore.
"Yes, and next time you behave like idiots I will actually do it, but what is between you and Severus doesn't change the fact that you had to endure terrible injustice which we have to make public. The Ministry of Magic isn't to get away with it. So, are you in for a little revolution?"
He gave the impression as if he wanted to jump up at once but then he slouched again. "No one will believe I'm innocent. The only witnesses who saw the bloody traitor alive were a werewolf and three teenagers." Sirius sounded frustrated.
"That means you've got four witnesses- I guess that's not too bad for a start. And besides, you're not at a trial. This is to accuse to Ministry of having sent you to Azkaban without a trial. We can still sue them later."
He let out a bitter laugh. "You want to sue the Ministry of Magic?"
"Why not?" Though I had merely said that to cheer him up the idea wasn't that absurd. "Why not demand a compensation payment for all the years you've been innocently imprisoned?"
"You're mad. I don't even know how to get to Knockturn Alley and meet Sam without being spotted by loyal followers of the Ministry or some Death Eater…" And yet he was eager to go the sooner the better. Perhaps all those snipe remarks from Severus had made him daring, longing for an adventure to break the monotony of his miserable life at Grimmauld Place.
Well, I already had an idea; all I needed was Moody's cooperation. Unfortunately he didn't show up at the headquarters for another three days before I could finally ask him if he'd loan me his Invisibility Cloak.
He glanced at me warily with his normal eye while his magical one was rotating so wildly it made me dizzy. I concentrated hard on ignoring it.
"Do I want to know what you need my Invisibility Cloak for?" Moody asked in a growling voice- he had never been much of a charmer.
"Nope," I assured him but told him nevertheless; I thought I owed him the truth because the old scar face had always been fair to me. He heard me out. It was impossible to read his face though for all the scars that had rendered it unfathomable- you can't figure out the expression of a gnarled, withered, old olive tree either. Anyway, Moody might not look like a top model but he had a good heart, and although he didn't really approve to my plan he nevertheless knew it was important to me, that I would come up with another one if he chose to decline my request, so he nodded in the end. Of course not without reminding me of ConstantVigilante! Well, that was typically Mad Eye Moody.
"I need it back this evening, six o'clock," he said as he handed me his Invisibility Cloak.
Fortunately it was still early in the morning, actually so early that no one but us was in the kitchen. Sirius and I would have enough time to get to Knockturn Alley, have a chat with Sam, and be back in time.
"I wouldn't ask for it if I knew where to buy one."
"Good Invisibility Cloaks are hard to find. Of course, any ordinary traveling cloak can be imbued with a Bedazzling Hex or a Disillusionment Charm in order to make it function as an Invisibility Cloak but the better ones are woven from Demiguise hair. Those you only find on the black market… or at the Ministry of Magic. They confiscated many Invisibility Cloaks," Moody fell silent when Sirius came shuffling into the kitchen, looking unkempt and unshaven, sleep in his eyes.
Though he would be hidden under Moody's Invisibility Cloak most of the time I refused to go out with him like that, so I brew him a strong coffee and told him to get a shave and comb his hair. I had no idea why men always tended to neglect themselves when they're frustrated because I would always try to overcome my fits of frustration with a visit to a beauty parlor, hairdresser, nail designer- or going shopping. But well, since he couldn't leave the house to do any of that I was willing to forgive him. Especially when even Moody arched a surprised brow about the way Sirius looked, disguisedas a Muggle. He was wearing the clothes I had given him on our first day out and they still looked good on him. There was definitely no resemblance with his old Wanted! posters.
"Very clever idea," Moody assured me in a tone that made it clear he would have never imagined what a shave, a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt could do. Wizards were really strange people, much too complicated in their way of thinking only of hexes, jinxes, charms and spells instead of coming up with the most simple solution.
We apparated straight to the backyard of the Leaky Cauldron from where we entered Diagon Alley. I had told Sirius to stay close to me and not get lost in the crowd but I wondered if that had been such a good idea. He stayed close, close enough for an occasional touch to show me he was still there. A fleeting brush at my arm, a hand on my shoulder, on my hip… he made me nervous. I'd never go out with a man wearing an Invisibility Cloak because you couldn't hiss at him to keep his fingers to himself without getting odd looks from passers-by, which I clearly wanted to avoid.
On the staircase down to Sam's office I finally had enough. "Sirius! Just because no one can see you doesn't mean that you can't see and I'm sure you don't need your paws on my backside to find your way down the stairs." I snapped.
"You wanted me to stay close," he whispered in my ear, much too close. I could feel his warm breath on my skin.
"Yep, and now I want you to take off the Invisibility Cloak so that I can see your hands." No more surprises or coincidental touches, I wanted to keep a safe distance from him.
It was bewildering to see two hands dancing in the air in front of my eyes when there were only the two hands without the rest of the body visible. I thought about slapping him if only I was sure that I'd hit him.
"Are you certain we're safe here?" Sirius had the nerve to ask when it was for safety reasons I had told him to take off the Invisibility Cloak in the first place. My safety, my virtue.
"Don't worry. I'm an Auror, remember. I'll protect you in case there's a Death Eater lurking in the dark."
He laughed as he took off the Invisibility Cloak, smiling cheekily, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. Oh, it was great to see he was having fun but I'd prefer him less bold, less dangerous… there was a reason why I'd had a serious crush on him as a teenager and I had to tell myself that I wasn't a teenager anymore. I was a woman… well, and he was a man. Not as carelessly handsome as the teenage boy anymore but nevertheless still attractive. And still much too close… where were the Death Eaters when you needed them? One would be enough just to give some vent before the situation could get out of control again…
"Raven? Is that you?" The door of Sam's office opened and he stood at the threshold, looking at us almost kissing. I darted down the last few steps, slightly confused but glad about the distraction.
"Hi Sam, nice to meet you." I shook his hand and then pointed my head at Sirius. "Guess you remember him?"
"Of course I do." Sam glanced at Sirius with the same expression I had often seen at school when students, especially younger ones, found themselves acknowledged by the coolest kids at Hogwarts. Some of them had actually seen it as a privilege to get hexed for the fun of James and Sirius- I hadn't expected Sam to have been one of their admirers though, I had thought him more clever.
We entered his office and while Sirius looked around, chatting with Sam, I worked some more security spells on the door, which didn't go unnoticed. After talking for a while Sirius asked to have a word with me in private and took my arm to lead me to a far corner of the room where Sam couldn't hear us.
"Raven, this is madness. I don't doubt that Sam's a great journalist but he's also a lousy wizard who's not aware of the risk he's taking, and I don't want him to end up in Azkaban or getting killed by Death Eater just for telling the truth on my behalf. We gotta tell him to cancel the story."
"No," I said stubbornly. It was in Sirius' favor that he worried about Sam- but he worried in vain since I was very well aware of the dangers Sam had to face if he continued like that. Therefore I had already taken some preparations to get him out of his office in Knockturn Alley although he didn't know yet that he was going to move. "I'm not gonna tell him to stop writing the truth because I treasure the freedom of the press too much to give a damn about the Ministry of Magic even though I know the risks. But that's what revolution is all about, isn't it? You have to take a risk to achieve your aims, and I daresay Lupin's wrong if he believes it's all about keeping our heads down. I don't wanna be one of these faceless non-supporters who never dared to criticize the regime but laments missed chances in the end, whining if only…"
"His life is at stake," Sirius hissed, frowning at me.
"Only if he's all on his onesies, and he isn't. He's got an Auror protecting him now." I turned to look at Sam who gave the impression he was feeling locked out. Maybe it was about time I told him what I was up to. "I want you to lay low for a few days, no further releases of the Naughty Quill. I also want you to pack your stuff 'cause you're gonna move."
"Move?" Sam gasped surprised.
"Yep. Only a fool would rent an office in Knockturn Alley of all places to start with…"
"It was cheap," he cut me off in his defense.
Well, fortunately money was not a problem of mine; Dad had left me a small fortune when he died.
"Where do you want to hide him?" Sirius asked and it sounded like 'we can't take him home with us', but that wasn't what I had in mind anyway. Since I didn't tell him he was a bit sullen about of my alleged lack of trust but I wouldn't give away my plan, at least not here in Knockturn Alley. I promised to fill him in later.
We left Sam, Sirius once again hidden under the Invisibility Cloak though he was better behaved this time. He only took it off when we were outside the Leaky Cauldron, amongst the crowd of people on Charing Cross Road. No one here would get the idea he was an alleged mass murder on the run since he looked absolutely unobtrusive to the Muggle eye.
We had opted against apparating straight back to Grimmauld Place because we still had some hours to go before Moody needed his Invisibility Cloak back and Sirius had asked if he might take me out for lunch. Since Kreacher's cooking skills hadn't improved I had willingly accepted his invitation. I was a bit curious though where he had gotten the wad of English Pound notes from.
"I sent Tonks to get some money from my vault at Gringotts and change it into Muggle currency," Sirius told me when we were sitting in a quiet corner of small Italian restaurant.
"So the wizarding world does know about the banking confidentiality- I'm sure the FBI would have monitored every transaction of your account. For once it's good the wizarding world is so backward."
He arched a quizzical brow at me from over the rim of his beer glass. I watched him, still wondering why someone would order beer in an Italian restaurant when the Italians had such wonderful wines but he really seemed to enjoy a real beer. Well, probably I'd do the same if the only alternative was butterbeer. Maybe it reminded him of a youth he had lost in Azkaban where he had also missed several technological developments, like computers, but at least he didn't ask what the FBI was. Fortunately he wasn't completely ignorant of the Muggle world which was something I liked about him. I told him how the FBI could track down a person by tracing back the use of his credit card and he listened with interest. Only to point out then that the Aurors searching for him did actually try to monitor his vault without success due to the intervention of Kingsley Shacklebolt, a member of the Order and chief of the Auror Headquarters.
"And don't forget, Bill's working for Gringotts," he said, smilingly.
It was good to know the Order of the Phoenix had friends in high places but I wouldn't need them when it came to Samuel Blair and the Naughty Quill. I changed the topic and filled Sirius in with what I had in mind for Sam. Not far away from Grimmauld Place, in Camden Town, I had spotted a shabby looking house that was for rent. With access to the power supply system and the telephone line I could turn the place into the perfect hidey hole for the Naughty Quill, the only independent voice of the wizarding world supported by modern technology. A computer and a printer would replace the old fashioned printing press- but of course I would need the best magical protection too.
Sirius wasn't overly enthusiastic. I guess he knew me quite well thus knowing I would spend a good amount of my time there, unable to resist the pleasures of modern civilization. Perhaps he was also a tad jealous. It was obvious that he fancied me and- well, Sam wasn't an ugly guy but quite a handsome fellow. I, however, was not interested in starting an affair with any of them. Men could be so possessive sometimes, as if that little kiss we had shared had been a proposal. Ridiculous. Nevertheless I had no intention of disappearing out of his life to leave him as depressed and devastated as he had been before I had moved into number twelve, Grimmauld Place, although it might be wiser to keep some distance before he could get his hopes up that we'd become more than just friends.
-
The next couple of weeks I was quite busy. Sam had moved into the house in Camden Town which was now fit out as a modern office for theNaughty Quill, and I commuted between there and Grimmauld Place on a daily basis, each time trying to not stop at one of the many markets Camden Town was famous for. Needless to say I often failed; I just loved to go shopping. Of course, my shopping bags were also a good excuse to explain my absence to Lupin since the idea of revolutionary pamphlets still didn't sit well with him. Perhaps he had simply grown out of his Marauder boots and wanted to be the good werewolf now. As if the Wolfsbane Potion I brew for him every month wasn't enough… well, unlike Sirius he was no rebel at heart.
Because I wanted the first issue of the NaughtyQuill in its new, modern look to be a success I decided to pay Kingsley Shacklebolt a visit at the Ministry, passing myself off as an American Auror- which wasn't even a lie. I had to leave my wand at the security check and got scanned with a long golden rod for hidden magical artifacts which I didn't carry. Then the security wizard let me pass. I took the elevator to Level Two where the Auror Headquarters was located.
Kingsley played his role well; I had filled him in what I was up to the previous evening when he had dropped by at Grimmauld Place, and he had offered no objection. He had to hide his amusement though as he saw me entering, so clearly fitting the cliché of what people might believe an American Auror would look like. I was wearing my long, black coat, cowboy boots, and- instead of the traditional pointed one- a cowboy hat.
After exchanging courtesies as if we'd never met before and telling lies about where Sirius Black was likely to be hiding, Kingsley Shacklebolt politely offered to show me around so that I could see how efficiently the British Ministry of Magic was working. That was probably the most blatant lie.
His company opened doors to which I would have had no access to without him, and after an hour or so of getting accustomed to being stared at by wizards and witches who had clearly never seen an American Auror before, we finally reached the room I had been so keen to visit. The Archive of the Ministry. Shelves stuffed with old documents that were lining the walls in an almost claustrophobic way. Kingsley showed me where I could find what I was looking for but pointed out that there was probably no magical means to copy the files I was interested in. I just shrugged and produced a small spy camera from the inner pocket of my coat- not a magical artifact but plain Muggle technology.
Though I had known it, to see it in black and white that the justice of the wizarding world was a joke, admittedly a really bad one, was something completely different. I stared at the copies of the files on the computer monitor, hardly believing that the Ministry of Magic had gotten away with their arbitrary whims for so long. Apparently it didn't matter if someone was guilty or not as long as an honorable representative was vouching for the accused therefore the outcome of many trials was based more on personal prejudice than on evidence. Trials were generally short and though the defense was allowed to present witnesses there were no lawyers involved- if there was a trial. I had to learn that though several Death Eaters had accused Severus Snape of having been one of them, and though he had the Dark Mark on his arm, he had never been put to trial because Dumbledore had vouched for him. Sirius, however, had been sent to a lifetime sentence at Azkaban without ever getting a chance to defend himself. No one had ever bothered to hear his part of the story. Well, the NaughtyQuill would give him that chance but for our first issue released nationwide we had chosen on an article about the injustice of the wizarding legal system in general.
We spread it in pubs- the Leaky Cauldron, the Hog's Head and the Three Broomsticks- but what made me really proud was the fact that Sirius and I had worked a very complicated spell that would attach our revolutionary pamphlet to the DailyProphet and thus reach all of their subscribers. Of course, it had been a great advance to know a charming Methamorphmagnus, someone who could change her appearance at will, so that she looked just like the witch in charge of DailyProphet's subsribtion department. Equipped with my spy camera Tonks had managed to provide us with the whole list.
I'd say the first issue of theNaughty Quill was a success given the mass of letters we received. For security reasons they first landed in a post box of the post office in Hogsmeade from where they got sent to various small wizarding post offices throughout the country before they'd finally end in the Muggle post system and an always altering post box address in London. I must admit though that we received many howlers or letters of wizards and witches who declared us downright mad despite of evidence contrary to their ignorance, but we definitely had caused quite a stir in the wizarding world. And the number of sceptics seemed to lessen with our second issue, in which we described how wickedly the Hogwarts High Inquisitor was treating their children at school.
15
