Chapter 11

Black is Back to Break Hearts

It was a sunny day in Diagon Alley when special reporter Rita Skeeter, 37, made her way to the Leaky Cauldron. There had bee rumours that Sirius Black, 38, had been spotted on the Alley and had been seen entering the Goblin bank Gringotts. Naturally speculation was rife; was he going to clim his position as head of the family? Write his will perhaps? Or was he going to shock us all (again) and follow his family tradition and ask the golis to help arrange a marriage for him?

"He seemed to stride towards Gringotts with purpose, " one onlooker tells me, "however he seemed as though he was worried or angry about something. Are yousure he's safe?" Yes, he is. Mr Black was pardoned earlier this year after his surprise 'death' fighting for the light last Peter Pettigrew was captured alive late lst year following a skirmish between Arors and Death Eaters and confessed hos own guilt to the actions we had previously laid on Sirius Black's shoulders, we alre all very lucky and grateful he is more forgiving than other members of his family would be.

As our reporter sat at the bar waiting, Sirius Black sauntered in and agreed to a quick, impromptu interview.

Rita Skeeter (RS): We see that you don't have your family's ring.

Sirius Black (SB): [laughing and flashing his fingers] No, I'm not eligible for it as I was disowned. I was finding out what the new head of the family was wanting me to have.

(RS): A new head of the family? Do you know them?

(SB): Not personally, but I received a letter from them this morning telling me that they can't wait to meet me. All I know is that the new head is a Lady and she is my neice, so you can understand that I'm just as excited to meet her. Never knew she existed.

(RS): So how do you feel now you have your freedom?

(SB): Is 'free' a good word? I'm excited, can't wait to get back out there [he gestures to the Alley], it hurts that some people are still wary of me but...[he shrugs] my friends are with me, supporting me and my first focus at the moment is to get healthy again.

(RS): New life, new start?

(SB): Yeah, I think so [nods slowly]. Um, I've tried to start it already. Be more aware of other people and my surroundings. Don't always take things at face value. I'm finding it hard to trust after Pettigrew [he clenches his jaw and takes a deep breath before continuing]. Even the friends I had before, unfortunately, but I think I'm getting there. As I said getting healthy again and I want to face myself properly.

(RS): Face yourself properly? What do you mean by that?

(SB): When I was growing up my mum enforced rules quite harshly [he winces slightly at the memory] and I think that was why I started to rebel and when I was a teenager I couldn't wait to escape the house, but there were some things that just...stuck. Those are the things I need to face.

(RS): Can you tell us one?

(SB): I'm gay.

Our special reporter could only stare in shock and SB threw his head back and laughed.

(SB): I realised in my seventh year. I'd run away from home two summers before but it wasn't until I was about to leave school that I realised that I still followed my bat of a mother's teachings in so many things, and those I didn't I did because it was the opposite of what my family did or was like.[He shrugs] My mate James [Potter] was spending time with his girlfriend Lily planning their future [they later married] so I hunted out a room I could be by myself and thought through who I was. I looked at my views, my style, my friends and the rest of the school. Remus [Lupin] eventually found me when I had almost totally broken down. I'd just realised that I'd been a complete bully and some of the boys who I'd bullied because I could I realised that I'd done it because I fancied them on some level. Remus got me back together but I really felt that I'd ruined my own life. Three years later I was in Azkaban.

(RS): Thank you for sharing such an intimate part of your life. Good luck for the future.

We all wish him the best and hope that he can eventually find a good man. Sorry ladies, it looks like the playboy has his heart set on a different target.

Remus looked at his friend from over the paper.

"You are aware you're going to be hated."

"Yup."

"James will feel betrayed you didn't tell him and I wouldn't be surprised if Harry threw a tantrum acting the way he does now."

"Yup, counting on it really. It'll prove that something is wrong with the boy. Also it's the truth Moony, I have to face it."

"You think he'll give you a chance?" Sirius chuckled sardonically and shook his head leaning back and interlocking his fingers behind his head. The two were interrupted as some of the guests burst in.

"I can't believe Hermione won the bet."

"I can't believe I bet against my girlfriend."

"Hermione! Won the bet!"

"Morning Sirius, Remus." The twins grabbed some food off the table and left for work while Ron and Hermione settled down for a leisurly meal. Calm descended as they talked on school topics, the pranks Fred and George were making and what they would be doing during the day before Nymphadora Tonks charged through the door, tripped and ended up in Remus' lap.

"Thanks Remus." She turned, oblivious to his blushing face, to talk to Sirius not moving from her seat. "I've just seen the paper... Hey what are you three sniggering for?"

Rasalas threw the paper down and looked across the sofa at Draco. "Bloody typical." At his questioning look she continued, "When I was 'Harry Potter' and I saw a picture of Sirius at 'my parents' wedding, when I was about eleven, I thought he was gorgeous and a year later when I admitted I thought I might be gay I thought it was a shame he was much older than me and not gay. Later 'older' became no problem at all when I learnt how age doesn't matter in the wizarding world. Then it changed to he's a criminal, then he's my godfather. Now I'm his niece and he is gay. I just can't catch a break." She laughed.

"Weird dreams Ras." She lobbed a pillow at him in retaliation but nodded before her eyes fell to Sirius' picture in the paper. Draco recognised the look of longing. "So, I take it you will be wanting to meet up with him at some point?" She nodded not taking her eyes from her uncle's face.

"Hermione tells me that Remus and Snape are also suspicious of her and she admitted to knowing who I am, so they'll probably have to come and the twins should hear the whole story from me, even they already know who I am, sort of."

"I'm sure Tom at the Leaky would give you a private room. However if you meet them in the next week it will ruin Father's plans for a surprise introduction at Potter's birthday party next week."

"We can't spoil Uncle Luc's plans. I'll arrange to meet them after the party and it'll give them time to make up some excuse to be away for some time." As she passed her cousin leaving the room she dropped a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

Harry flopped down onto his bed. He was shocked and disgusted. His godfather; ladykiller and playboy was gay. It was terrible. How dare he! Could he not see the effect this would have on his godson's image. So thoughtless, so selfish.

Harry could hear his parents talking about it in the hall. Who to confront first (his mother) or not to talk to either of them at all and let them sort it out in their own time (his father). He sighed. He knew what he thought. His godfather was a disgusting poof, but he was rich and owned the house they lived in. Harry sighed again and rolled of his bed (yet again the world rested on his shoulders), and made his way over to the door -to tell his parents not to worry about doing anything and present his arguments (his mother would listen and then bully his father into agreeing)- and tripped over Ron's sneakers. Damnit! Why didn't he have a room of his own? He was the Boy-Who-Lived!

The messy head of James Potter rested on the arm of the sofa in the library. An open book lay on his stomach but he wasn't reading it and hadn't even looked at it in the last half-an-hour. Instead he was thinking through his own life and his thoughts. Being gay, he thought slowly, wasn't that bad. OK so Sirius wouldn't be getting any kids out of a relationship like that but he had admitted only the other day that he was infertile so shouldn't he be able to have the life he wanted and not the one that was expected of him?

His son's friend, Hermione, had pulled him to one side and told him Sirius was afraid. He had immediately gone into 'best friend' mode and asked her who or what sacred him so that he could demolish it. She had given him a small smile and quietly told him he scared Sirius, well his reaction to the article. He hadn't spoken to Sirius in a couple of days so he could work himself out. If he was honest to himself he felt ashamed. He'd returned to being the arrogant, loud bully he'd been at Hogwarts before he'd tried, and succeeded, to calm down at the end of sixth year and he liked the person he had become. Then they had gone into hiding and he felt terrible, he should be dying in the place of a clone for his family... Wait where were those memories?

James sat up, he needed to talk to Lily and perhaps get away so he could have a look at his life from all angles. As he sat, book in his hands, staring straight ahead he heard someone hesitate at the door and knew from the size and shape of the shadow in his peripheral vision as well as from the sounds in the rest of the house that it was Sirius. They were mates, he needed to apologise but they were also men and so neither would say the words. He would just break the stalemate and knew instinctively that Sirius would take that as an apology.

"I know it's the summer Pads," Sirius gave a start as he realised that James was speaking to him again and had even used his nickname, something he hadn't done since he had recently come back, "but where can I find mistletoe?" Sirius frowned and scoffed.

"After another kid, Prongs." James turned and gave his true cheeky marauder grin.

"No, this is for Moony and Tonks." Sirius' grin soon rivalled his friends and he quickly took a place on the sofa.

"What's the plan?"

"Well, I don't really have one but what do you think to this: out lots of mistletoe all over the place, disillusioned, which will reappear at random times and won't disappear until the couple under it have kissed. It might catch various other couples but hey, I'm not complaining!"