Disclaimer: You know the drill. None of this is mine... aside from any names you don't recognize or changes to cannon. Enjoy!
Chapter 12: Housemates and Grandparents
Peter was happy, even if Sirius' training was killer. He was distancing himself ever farther from Wormtail! Sirius never said it outright, but he could see it when he looked over at his training, in the glances and poorly hidden double takes. Peter wasn't vain, but knowing that Sirius wouldn't be seeing the traitor every time he looked at him gave Peter a great deal of joy. And there was the little matter of Animagi training. Peter and James were well on their way, but when Sirius began training them to transform during the group training, Regulus and Severus had ganged up on the Black to get him to teach the others as well. Severus had even offered to brew a rather difficult potion that would temporarily transform them into their Animagus form. Sirius had been forced to relent, but had not left without a parting shot to Severus. "I bet you'll be a bat," he said. Severus had smirked.
"Mangy mutt," he quipped. Sirius grinned and transformed into Padfoot, making Severus' return useless.
"Arf!" Padfoot barked, still in puppy form due to Sirius' young physical age.
"Yes, and I bet you were truly terrifying in your day, puppy breath," Severus said, though no-one could tell if he was trying to mock Sirius or complement him.
"Yes I was, and don't call me puppy breath!" Sirius said, transforming back to human with a muted pop. Severus arched an eyebrow and Peter interfered before their spat grew into something more.
"I'm sure he was, and really Severus. Puppy breath? Dictionary breath was better and Sirius came up with it. Come on you guys, don't fight over something as stupid as this!" he said. Sirius gave him a calculating look, then nodded.
"You're right. Well, I have some arithmancy homework to do so... ta," the Black said before leaving. "Don't forget to lock up!" Peter shook his head, but smiled. That was Sirius for you. Never serious. Peter sighed, but got back to his training. He was having some trouble getting the spells right, especially his Charms. Then it was like a light bulb went off in his head.
"OI! Lily! Could you work with me on Charms? I'm pretty horrible as it is," he called. Lily chuckled, but came over to help. They worked mostly on lower level charms, seeing as Regulus had come up with some pretty scary ideas using them. Reverse bubble head charms that took air away from a person, levitation and banishing charms to send bombs over enemy lines, frightening uses for both the freezing charm and freezing spell, creative use of fur charms, and even a variant of the color changing charm that incorporated a bit of transfiguration as well. Due to the large amount of charms, Peter was at a bit of a disadvantage, though he was rather good with explosions. Not as good as Seamus Finnagan would be, but pretty good all the same. Soon, they called it a night and went to their respective Houses. Peter was still running some of the charms over in his head when he entered his room, so he was surprised when he got jumped by his roommates.
"It's time for a party!" a ginger haired boy named Rufus chimed.
"Yeah, and you have to attend Pete!" a brunette by the name of Jaycenth piped up.
"Eh? Why? I just got back from Sirius' Review of DOOM! You can't expect me to..."
"TO THE SHOWERS!" shouted Amos and off they went, dragging poor Peter with them. They undressed him and tossed him unceremoniously into the shower. Sighing, Peter nonetheless showered, but he took his own sweet time doing so, just to annoy them. When he exited, with nothing but a towel wrapped around him, his roommates rounded on him, only to freeze as they got a good look at him. Sure it had only been about four and a half months, but Sirius was working them like crazy in Muggle martial arts as well as the basic Auror stuff, so there was more than a little definition to Peter's body. He quirked an eyebrow, his normally slightly watery eyes growing hard.
"Got something to say?" he asked, voice chilly. He hadn't quite gotten to the point where he could freeze a man with just his voice. His roommates swiftly shook off their paralysis and dragged Peter over to Rufus' trunk. Peter was about to ask why, when he glanced over at Rufus and paled. Rufus was on the Quiditch team and liked to show off what being a beater gave him. "You are kidding me!" he screamed, fighting their hold, and nearly winning. "I am not wearing a muscle shirt! You can't make me!" he screamed, fighting harder as Jaycenth ruffled through Rufus' mini-colection. Amos shook his head at Peter, though he was a little surprised the sandy haired youth was so strong and was rather glad that Rufus was helping him.
"We're going to a Hufflepuff party. So yeah, you're borrowing one of Rufus' shirts. And maybe some pants. Gosh Pete, I'm surprised at you! Hanging out with Black and Potter, I would have thought you'd update your wardrobe for your new physique," Amos said. Peter twisted around to glare at him, unlocking a new level of Hard Eye.
"I. Am. Not. Wearing. A. MUSCLE SHIRT!" he said, screaming the last part in his captor's ear. Amos shrieked and nearly let go. Nearly.
"Wow. I didn't know you could scream that loud. But you're not getting out of this, Mr. Pettigrew!" Rufus said, grinning. Peter glared, unlocking his Evil Eye ability.
"I will end you. Slowly. Painfully. Humiliatingly. And I'll get Sirius to help. Possibly Regulus. Oh, Regulus is a creative little bugger I'll tell you that. And devious. Dangerous. Yes, as dangerous as his brother. Possibly more so. Yes, you will fall," Peter hissed poisonously, something he had been unable to do before then. One should not underestimate the horror of a muscle shirt. No-one. Nor should they underestimate what said horror could force a man to do. But, Peter was still overpowered and forced into an outfit of Rufus' in the end. Luckily, it wasn't really a muscle shirt. It was, however, much smaller than the shirts Peter had been wearing and clearly showed he had some muscle tone. He showed up at the party wearing slightly baggy, murky blue, cargo pants, his usual trainers, and a black tank top with a short sleeved denim shirt that had been patched together from old blue jeans. And a scowl. "I hate you all," Peter growled. His roommates laughed and left to mingle, until Jaycenth came back five minutes later with a pretty little blond.
"This is the guy I was telling you about! You know, the one who's learning to be an Auror?" the young man laughed. Peter glared at him.
"I am not learning to be an Auror. I'm just learning to defend myself in multiple different way," he said. When they didn't seem to believe him, he glared. "I hate you all," he repeated. The blond girl paled a little, but Jaycenth just laughed.
"See? Auror intimidation! Actually, he's just mad because we made him borrow some of Rufus' clothes. He usually dresses much more like a book worm. Can you guess who he is?" the boy asked.
"Now would be a good time to test out those modified color changers Regulus has been working on. I'm sure you'd look marvelous with a bright pink mohawk," Peter said with a feral grin. The girl gasped and shrieked,
"PETER PETTIGREW?!" The entire room turned to look at Peter, who felt his cheeks begin to heat. Then he pictured them all looking like punk rockers. A devious smirk stretched across his face.
"Maeandri stilo mutans colorem," he intoned as he waved his wand in a vaguely star shaped pattern. Soon, the whole room had a Marauder punk style makeover. "There, now you can all suffer the indignity of being ripped away from your own wardrobe with me," he said with a grin that was eerily like Sirius'.
"I didn't know... OI! Jayden! Why don't you join Peter? Whatever he's doing certainly seems to be doing him good!" one of the older girls called, presumable to her boyfriend. Peter shook his head.
"Oh, you don't want to do that. Sirius already has the danger level set to three. Pretty much everyone here, aside from the Quiditch players maybe, would quite likely die if they tried to jump in. He might go easy on you, but I doubt it. He's a sadistic trainer. He uses stinging and tickling hexes during the workout so we don't slow down and so we work on our dodging. It's why James and Sirius are so good on the pitch," he said. The others paled. "But, you guys wanted a party right? Well, let the good times roll!" Peter added, shooting a spell that Sirius had developed at the DJ stand and changing the music to suit everyone's new look. After that, most people just let Peter do what he wanted. They learned their lesson.
/*/
Lily was having an easier time. Well, okay, she wasn't, but there were no muscle shirts involved so it was a bit better. Still, she was being hounded by her roommates about her budding feelings for James. They had found his letter, the nosy little witches. Lily sighed, falling back onto her bed. "Honestly, Alice, Marlene, there's nothing to tell. You read the letter, that's all there is," she maintained. Marlene rolled her eyes.
"Oh sure, that's all. Lily, I saw you at breakfast! You're totally crushing on James!" she countered. Lily glared, but said nothing. Marlene sighed and played with the letter some more. "I suppose I'll just have to ask Sirius then. You know he doesn't hide anything from me," she said, smirking at her friend. Lily glared, thinking about when Sirius had told her about his past life. He had given more general information then. Including that in one time line, she and James got married and had a kid. An awesome, handsome, caring, butt kicking kid with a mind like a steel trap. Sure it was a rusty steel trap, but it was a steel trap. How else could he have come out of the Dursleys with his sanity mostly intact?
"He won't tell because there is nothing to tell!" she said. Marlene rolled her eyes.
"Then I'll just ask about the future he saw! Surly, he'd know if you two ended up together," she said. Lily fought to keep her reaction internal.
"You wouldn't," she hissed. Her friend gave her a devious smirk.
"Try me." Lily threw her hands up in the air with a groan.
"FINE! I want to get to know the real James Potter, not just the prankster," she said. Marlene smiled.
"Was that so hard? Now, do you like what you've seen so far?" Lily sighed, giving in to defeat.
"Yes, I have. Happy?"
"Yeah sure. But you'll have to tell me how Petunia and Severus progress if you don't want me begging you for date details!" Marlene said. Lily glared.
"Fine, because Severus is not hitting on my sister!" Marlene snorted.
"Yeah right! I saw James re-reading your letter during training. I was able to read over his shoulder. Sev is totally going for your sister," she said. Lily sighed again, knowing Marlene was right.
"Fine. I'll summarize Pet's letters to me if you leave me alone about James."
"Done! Now let me tell you what Sirius did. He asked me on a real date! Sure we're just going to Hogsmead, but he asked me! Isn't it great?! And of course I'll tell you how it went. For a Slytherin, Sirius is a real gentleman. Though, if he was in Gryffindor in a past life, I can sorta see why," Marlene rambled. Lily rolled her eyes again.
"Marlene... don't you think you're being a bit pushy?" Alice asked. She was 'in the know' because of Frank, who she was currently seeing. Marlene sighed and went to take a shower. Lily tossed a thankful look to Alice, who smiled back before getting ready for her own shower.
/*/
Regulus wearily made his way to his bed after his shower. That night had been one of his roughest. He had discovered that while his magical skills were top notch for his age, and maybe a fair bit beyond, his non-magical skills were sorely lacking. So he had asked Kingsley to work one-on-one with him for the whole night. Kingsley was the best at non-magical fighting and had not gone easy on him. Sirius had simply nodded when he passed them on his rounds. He said that Kingsley had been one of the better Aurors in the past-future. That added to the fact that he was naturally built for physically demanding tasks made him a dangerous opponent, but the large man was able to help Regulus develop his own fighting style that was just as dangerous. When his keen intellect was added in, he would be a very dangerous fighter indeed. However, at the moment, he was a very tired, very sore, still rather skinny second year whose affiliation with Sirius' group was about to garner him unwanted attention. "So... rough night in Fight Club?" Ryan asked. Regulus groaned. Ryan was one of his least favorite people.
"Fight Club? No. Kingsley just wanted to show me a few moves. Unfortunately, I have less stamina than Kingsley and he ran too long. There is no Fight Club," Regulus replied. Ryan snorted.
"The first rule of Fight Club is there is no Fight Club. Besides, everyone knows that, not only are you his brother, but you're also involved in Sirius Black's little review sessions. Sessions that leave everyone involved sore and tired. So, what happened?"
"I'm under Oath to say nothing. Even if I wanted to tell, my mouth is sealed. It's not worth my life to indulge your curiosity," Regulus maintained. Ryan growled.
"It'd take your magic, not your life." Regulus' eyes were near lifeless as they turned on the other boy. Regulus had enacted his Scary Eye ability.
"Sirius would kill me for being a traitor," he said tonelessly. The room seemed to cool by several degrees. Ryan fell back, horrified by what his roommate had said about his brother. Then he considered how Sirius acted and paled. He was the kind of guy who would do that, and slowly. It was then decided by all who had heard to steer clear of Sirius and all affiliated with him. It wasn't worth the mental scarring and risk of permanent physical harm. Regulus never heard any of this. He was too busy snoring by that time. All the same, he and all his friends were now off limits to at least one more year group, even if it was just the boys.
/*/
Sirius watched Severus as the other boy struggled with the bed sheets. It seemed that the rest of Slytherin had decided that Severus was a traitor and were determined to make his life miserable. Whether this was to turn him or to drive him into madness neither knew. Sirius was largely left alone, though that could have been because of the Black's reputation for creative and humiliating revenge, which also had the annoying tendency to be rather painful. "You should prank them," Sirius said, flicking his wand to sort out the other boy's bed for him. Severus glared, then jumped on his bed, making it messy. Sirius raised a surprised eyebrow. "Why did you do that?"
"Because!" Severus shouted, frustration clear in the way he held himself. Sirius' expression didn't change at all. "And besides, who would I prank?" A dangerous smile spread across Sirius' face.
"Oh, you'll know. You just go to sleep. I'll take care of identifying the scoundrels."
"Don't break him. We need someone to practice interrogation techniques on," Severus said. Sirius laughed his evil laugh, pleased with Severus' sadistic suggestion.
"Understood, but it will be you doing the interrogation practice," he said. Severus shook his head, but laid down all the same. He was woken up roughly six hours later by the screams of Augustus Rookwood when he sprung Sirius' trap.
"A rope trap? Really? Isn't that one of the oldest and most obvious traps ever?" Severus asked, considering the slightly bouncing form dangling before him. Sirius laughed mightily.
"Yeah, but it almost always works on wizards! Funny huh?" he asked, grinning as he stepped out of the shadows, the illusion around his bed falling.
"You used a glamor? On you bed?!" Rookwood asked. Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Isn't it obvious? Yes, I did. And you fell for it. Now, Why were you going after Severus?" he answered.
"That should be obvious as well," Rookwood answered. Severus glared. It may not have been as effective as his grown counterpart's, but it was still pretty scary.
"I would think my alliance is pretty clear. However, I am interested in you and your... partners in crime. Tell me, who else is targeting me because of this? How many others follow your ideaology?"
"Why should I?"
"Depending on the number and the who, I might be swayed." Sirius looked at him in shock.
"Severus! How could you even think that!" he said, leaving the fact that Severus knew the likely outcome of the war and what Sirius would do to him if he defected to Voldy's side unsaid.
"Because, if certain people follow this so called Dark Lord, it could be very likely the Dark will win this war. I'm a Slytherin. I go with the option that will ensure I come out as close to the top as I can. I'm sorry Sirius, I really am, but this constant harassment is wearing on me. If I can stop it I will!" Sirius fell back, hearing what was not said. 'I'm in charge of this. Play along.' The Black smirked to himself. He was getting the hang of this subtly lark.
"Lucius, Rodalfus, Rebastan, Bellatrix, Wilkes, Robert, Brad, Bart, and Arnold, though the boys were the only one's harassing you," Rookwood divulged. Severus sighed.
"You do know that Arnold is my brother, right?" he asked. Rookwood nodded. "And that I left my family home not that long into this past summer?" The captured wizard paled at the implications. "Indeed, Rookwood. You just sold out your compatriots. How does it feel to be a traitor? I'll admit, this isn't the harshest nor most dangerous of interrogations, but later... well, lets just say, I'm looking forward to getting you to sing like a bird without the use of veriteserum," Severus finished, his teeth flashing in the darkness at the end. Rookwood was suitably terrified. Sirius chuckled darkly. Screams and whimpers drifted out intermittently through out the night as one or the other of the Anti-Voldemort Duo let the silencing charms fall to spook the other Pro-Voldemort Slytherins.
/*/
James paused slightly as he entered the Great Hall the next morning. Something was up with the Slytherins. Sirius was looking particularly feral, Severus was pushing out a fairly intimidating dark aura, and the rest of their House was giving them a wide berth. 'Looks like a... demonstration... was needed last night. I sure hope no-one died,' James thought, then did a quick head count. A soft breath made its way past his lips as he slid onto the bench beside Frank.
"Sirius seems rather pleased with himself, and Sev doesn't seem that far behind. Any idea what happened?" the usually rather quiet youth asked. James sighed and snagged a muffin, a few pieces of bacon, and a healthy serving of scrambled eggs. He had finished his muffin by the time he realized Frank was actually expecting an answer.
"Nope, aside form perhaps a demonstration," James said, testing his eggs to see if he needed more salt. Normally the House Elves made everything absolutely perfect, but there were times when he wanted his food just a little different and had to add things. Today was not one of those days and the Heir to House Potter dug in with gusto. Frank shook his head.
"Well, Severus had been complaining about harassment in the dorms. Maybe he's finally gotten that all sorted out," he said. James grunted, signaling that he hoped so. Lily sighed as she watched the young man. By now she was certain that she really was beginning to see him differently, possibly even as a love interest, but he still rubbed her the wrong way sometimes.
"What is it with boys and grunting?" she asked.
"What is it with Blacks and terror inducing laughs?" James countered. Lily was stumped and didn't even realize she had been deflected until he was halfway through with his eggs.
"You didn't answer my question," she growled. James sighed.
"Guys grunt when one of two things, typically, happen. One, they have something in their mouth and can't talk or two, they have nothing to say. For me, it was because I had food in my mouth and even I'm not rude enough to speak with my mouth full of half chewed eggs and bacon," he said, turning to face her so she knew he was speaking the truth. Lily sighed, but let the matter drop. She sat down and ate her breakfast without further comment, but followed James when he went to join Sirius before they all separated for class. "So, Sirius, what was with the evil grins and three foot bubble effect?" James asked his still grinning(disturbingly) friend. Peter would have come over to listen, but the grin drove him away. It reminded him of when he first met Sirius. It wasn't a happy memory. Sirius had been rather messed up back then, still working through his emotions from his past life. It was a terrifying and mentally scarring experience for poor little Peter. He hadn't gotten over it and likely never would.
"Well, lets just say, Severus got some interrogation practice in last night," Sirius said. Severus let out a truly terrifying laugh and the Gryffindors decided to mimic the Slytherins, just this once, and give the two a wide berth. When a Black and a Snape decide to play Muggle Investigators, it's best to be up to all good.
/*/
The school year ended on a rather neutral note all things considered. The War was getting bleaker, the pranks were getting grander, the Review was getting tougher, homework was over, finals were done, and Dumbledore had announced that Hagrid had found Lucius Malfoy hung up in his hut by a giant string of sausages, but all that simply balanced everything out into a bland mess. Life with the Blacks, however, was anything but bland. Artucus Black had been a Black Sheep. However, taking up his family's seat in the wizarding court, he slowly hid away. He was still a Black Sheep, but his policy didn't exactly show it. When he heard what Sirius was doing however... he decided it was time to pass on his ideals. Orion and his two sons were called to Black Manor to meet with Artucus and his wife, Malory, about three weeks after the end of term. Sirius was nervous, Regulus was curious, and Orion was quietly terrified. Most of the world saw Lord Black as being Dark, or at least sympathetic to the Dark. Sirius didn't know what to believe, but he knew it would be interesting. As for Artucus and his wife, they were excited, though they hid it behind their 'Pureblood royalty' persona. When Tibbles, the elder Black's primary House Elf, showed the three younger Blacks in, Artucus immediately found his attention being drawn to Sirius. The young man carried himself with purpose, even if he had a slight limp, and there was an undeniable feeling of power around him. Regulus had it as well, but not nearly to the same extent. Orion, however, was a bit of a disappointment. He seemed scared. Terrified. Of what? Artucus. His own father. The elder sighed. "My son, Sirius, Regulus... welcome to Black Manor! Please, have a seat and make yourselves comfortable. I feel the stiff formalities should be reserved for when none family visitors are around or we are in public. Such things as bows and titles should not exist between an old man and his children or grandchildren," Artucus said. Sirius and Regulus relaxed a bit as this, allowing themselves small smiles. The old Lord believed he even saw a spark of pleasure and mischief in Sirius' eyes. He allowed himself to relax, though when he had tensed he couldn't say.
"Forgive me if I speak out of turn, but it is good to hear you say such Grandfather. I have long held such views myself, but mother would hear nothing of it," Sirius said, placing his arm across the back of his chair as he angled himself to the left, placing his bad leg closest to the ground to facilitate a speedy exit. Artucus smiled, though there was some sorrow as he noted Sirius' still defensive posture, masked as it was. Regulus sighed, seemingly holding himself back from rolling his eyes.
"Please, forgive my son. Sirius doesn't seem to understand the need for common courtesy," Orion said, his fear poorly hidden. Artucus sighed again and fell back into his chair, all pretenses abandoned as he well and truly sulked. Malory shook her head.
"Sirius was quite polite, for family interactions. In fact, I'd call that almost painfully polite. Form what I've heard, Sirius here is quite the entertainer. And Regulus isn't too far behind. Really, Orion, must you be so uptight? And what is with this fear I see in you? Surly we did not raise you to be such a lamb!" she said. Sirius snorted and Regulus' smirk grew, both of them relaxing even further, sinking into their chairs a bit. Orion gaped at his mother. Then Sirius couldn't stand it anymore and laughed. His family gave him questioning looks, though Regulus seemed to be asking why now instead of just why.
"Our family is so messed up pretty much the entire wizarding world thinks the whole lot of us are mad or Dark or both when really we are just as divided as any other! There are 'light' wizards, sensible witches, and wise men, but the majority are simple, petty, frivolous, and at the very least gray. Look at what is happening now! The Lord is pouting – pouting! – the Lady is chastising her son for being polite, the Heir is terrified of practically everyone while still gaping at his mother, and you and I are the two most dignified of the bunch! Now tell me, Brother Dear, does this scene fit with any of the preconceived notions of the world at large?" Sirius said to Regulus, though it was for the benefit of the room at large. Regulus froze, blinked, looked around the room, blinked again, then burst out laughing like his brother.
"Oh what the press would do with this! I can see what you mean brother. Do you think, perhaps, that we should drop our mask as it seems grandfather has done? I admit, it would be nice to talk about school without having to dance around certain topics. Could you imagine what mother would do if we talked about pranks over the dinner table? She'd have a fit!" he said. Artucus was surprised to say the least. He had thought, when the two came in, that perhaps they were only interesting when it came to the political scene and feared they might have been tainted by their mother. This was not so, and he was very glad for it.
"Yes. I believe we can trust grandfather. And I've been meaning to talk to father about that flash of defiance I believe I saw when I spoke out against the Dark Hypocrite," Sirius said, nodding. Orion looked surprised, though he still tried to mask it. Sirius had seen that? Artucus was intrigued. Orion really did still contain some of the fun loving and moral boy he had raised? This was cause for happiness. As was the fact that Sirius seemed unafraid to stand against Voldemort, though he had known that ahead of time. Regulus nodded, then frowned at his father.
"Stop trying to mask your emotions. Grandfather is being himself before us. The least we can do is return the favor," he said sharply. Sirius nodded gravely, though the boyish glee was still present. Orion sighed, slumping slightly as if in defeat.
"Fine. Father, since it seems we are doing away with the usual games, would you just come out and tell me why you called us here? I'm assuming this isn't just a social visit," he said, sitting back up and with a hint of fire. Sirius appeared to be considering clapping. Regulus beamed, though he did appear surprised. Artucus noted their reactions and felt sadness at them. That his son had fallen so far that his own children did not believe him capable of fighting back... it was distressing.
"Well, for the most part, it is a social visit. I wanted to get to know my grandchildren a bit better and to see how my son was doing. I also wanted to determine how my line viewed the world. Of course, that could be considered getting to know my grandchildren better, but I digress. Come! Tell me what you think of our world," Artucus said, truly curious. Sirius grinned while Regulus looked a bit proud, but both turned to their father, silently telling him to go first. He sighed, then began to speak.
"Our government is a joke. They sit back and line their pockets with gold, bettering their own homes and leaving everyone else to rot. This cannot be allowed to continue, but I see little to no way for it to be fixed. Our education is little better. We know next to nothing about our real history, Defense is lacking, Divination should only be taught to those who have the gift and even then only as special tutoring, Care of Magical Creatures is highly biased and according to many of our neighbors over half of what we cover is either misclassified or just plain wrong. Mind Magics are barely mentioned, the stave is considered highly primitive and isn't mentioned, wandless magic could be taught to children but that doesn't bare mentioning either apparently, there are no options for non-magical schooling for magical students once they start their formal magical studies, and they don't tell the students about what happens when they engage in certain activities with the other gender until they've graduated and by then it's too late. And don't get me started on all the slights we're giving to the non-human beings in the magical world here in Britain. In other countries it's not so bad, but as far as I'm concerned, Magical Britain is stuck in the middle ages." Once he was done, Orion seemed lighter somehow, as if by speaking he had relieved himself of some grievous burden. Sirius smirked.
"Way to go dad! Ya know, it's thinking like that we need more of. I know we are but one family, but we have friends. Friends in high places, or that will be in high places. I do believe it's time we started calling them on their passivity, don't you think so brother?" he said. Regulus nodded.
"Indeed. Our world... nay... out country is frozen, stuck in its ways. The ice must be broken, the doors opened, the world changed. If we stand by and do nothing, Voldemort and those like him will just keep coming. As it stands, Britain is a breeding ground for Dark Lords. We must act or war will never truly end on our shores. Grandfather, please, prepare the field for our invasion. The past generations have made a mess of things. It has fallen to my generation to be the clean up crew, even if it means we must use dynamite," the younger brother said, firm yet gentle. It was clear to Artucus that Sirius was proud of his brother, and that the bond between the boys was strong. This pleased the old Lord.
"It gladdens my heart to hear you speak thusly, my children. I will do all I can to prepare the way. Orion! Stand up, boy, and help these young men in their quest!" Sirius couldn't help it and snickered. Regulus shook his head as well.
"Oh yes, the Big Bad Black Family. Beware! They shall kill you with their cheesiness!" Regulus said, in an admiral attempt at deadpan. It failed of course, but it got the point across quite nicely. He actually managed to get Artucus to blush. Sirius grinned and clapped his brother on the back.
"Look at that! You got grandfather to blush! Not many can claim that," he said. And then, Orion finally cracked and let out a laugh. Sirius and Regulus looked elated while Artucus and Malory smiled warmly at their son. The next three hours were spent talking about school("Really, I get most of my education out of the library, and at least half of that out of foreign books," said Sirius), pranks("And that time you covered the whole Great Hall in color changing glitter? Classic!" said Regulus), and, of all things, food("Strawberry syrup and cream cheese are the perfect toppings for pancakes. Anyone who says otherwise is a heathen." "Regulus... while strawberry syrup and cream cheese is glorious atop pancakes, there are other ways to eat them. And no, those who eat them any other way are not heathens. Do you even know what that means?" "Don't care, dad. My way's best."). When Artucus finally waved his family goodbye, he found that he missed them almost immediately.
"Those boys are good for Orion. I just wish Hogwarts hadn't sucked the same puckish joy out of Orion and turned him into a 'proper Pure-blood,'" the old man said. Malory sighed and looped her arms around him.
"Maybe, with Sirius and Regulus' help, we can get our son back and the House of Black can finally begin to redeem itself," she said, resting her chin on his shoulder. Artucus nodded, resolving then and there to push form a more progressive Britain, starting with education. If he could just improve the education a little, it might spark a more wide reaching revolution. And a revolution was just what they needed. He grinned.
"Looks like my mind has been made up for me. I'm going to re-enter society, so be ready with those stinging hexes and silencers Malory. I'm going to be counting on you to keep me from doing something stupid," he said, maintaining his 'evil grin' through out. Malory felt a rush as she regarded her husband. When she had married him, Artucus had been a forward thinking man, always ready to move the country forward. The oppressive and cutthroat government, however, had robed him of the greater part of his fire. Now, it seemed, Sirius and his brother had rekindled their grandfather's fire just as they had their father's. Lady Black was looking forward to when those two left school and entered the world. Magical Britain would never be the same again, of that she was certain.
/?/
A/N: And there you have it. The end of fifth year! Oh, do you think I should have the Marauders attend a Hufflepuff Christmas party next year? And what do you think of Peter being a hidden dance genius? Personally I think it would be funny, but let me know what you think. Ah well, until next time!
Proverbs 24:16(unless it's 16:24. Darn dyslexia.)
"Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones."
