XIII – The Trip to a New Home

Harry and I have talked night after night, but after three nights of me trying to find excuses to stay, Harry actually put his foot down and said that he would let Luxord take me in my sleep if I didn't leave right the next morning. Knowing the boy to be as stubborn as his mother, I knew I had to give in for my own good.
Luckily, for my own relief, had Remus also agreed to come along and to have the werewolf I, so long ago, fell in love with, with me is already lifting some of the darkness Riku was able to let me sense within my own heart and mind. This had been done after Harry had put his foot down and had pushed me over the edge, accepting this decision.

Molly, unfortunately, had been unbearable once she heard I was leaving and Harry, Ron and Hermione had quickly enough discovered that she believed she could start taking care of Harry once I had left; a thought Harry had ranted and shouted out of her head, until Arthur had intervened and convinced Harry he would further extract the revenge.
Molly had, to her own shock, been forbidden by her Lord and House Owner to further take care of Harry or speak to anyone concerning his care or her opinion of it. She was also to discuss all she wanted to do to raise the rest of her kids with Arthur before performing any single action regarding it, something the twins had cheered on.

Arthur had also taken to coming home for lunch, so he could spend it alone with Harry and teach him about Politics, his Family and the position he would have to take as Head of House once he turned off age. I felt stupid for not offering it myself a little sooner, but know Arthur is the better option – as I never paid attention to those lessons.
Not when my mother tried to drill it into me and not when Charlus offered to teach me together with James. I had, back then, after all been young and rebellious against everything my family stood for – something Crouch had ridiculously used to make sure I didn't get a trial – even when I was already seated in the Courtroom to have one.

Yes, I was about to have a trial and Augusta Longbottom, knowing how I had, two months earlier, risked my life to save her son, had been willing to vouch for Veritaserum, but the Black-Crouch Family Feud had been able to overpower the Life-dept the Longbottoms had to the Blacks as Frank and I had been left without a single scratch.
I sigh as I remember this and think: "The Family Feud will keep me from forgetting it. Because I, as a Black Head of House, can't take revenge on the Crouch Head of House, I will always remember the worst turn of events in my life. Harry's plan will fail." I sigh at this, but know Harry knows too little about Politics to understand.

Therefore I look at the portal, the black mass and swirling energy scaring me a little, with little hope and Remus grabs my shoulder, as he says: "It'll be alright." But while I adore how he can always tell when I feel down, do I shake my head and say: "The Crouch-Black family Feud will keep me from ever letting go. It's Ancient Magic."
The man sighs too and says: "Explain to me on the way." I nod and with Luxord, Harry and Jack behind me, do we enter the portal – that has quite the nice interior behind the dark, dangerous door. Light colors are swirling everywhere, but for some reason Jack scowls at the strange white signs floating over the walls.

We then start walking, Luxord making another entryway several feet ahead of us and I say: "Harry thinks I never got a trial and that's slightly true. I did get a trial, but the trial actions and everything it included was denied to me, thanks to the Black-Crouch Family Feud Crouch Senior invoked once I was seated in the Courtroom.
All I remember was sitting there, hearing Augusta use the Life-Depth the Longbottoms owed the Blacks because I saved Frank two months previous and Crouch overpowering that with the Black-Crouch Family Feud and the fact Frank and I both escaped unharmed before the guards grabbed me and I was send to the island.
This was done shortly before my mother died and because my father and Regulus were already dead, it was to the will of my uncle Alphard to decide who would be the next Lord Black. Because I was called Lord during my wrongful imprisonment, I need to take Family Head Revenge on a Crouch Family Head or this will haunt me forever.
And with both Senior and Junior dead, that chance is zero out of zero. I'll never heal, but I know Harry's right. I need to heal as much as I can, even if I can't heal completely." Remus smiles at me and says: "But Sirius, there is a way you can take revenge." I look at him shocked and confused and ask: "There is?"

Remus nods and says: "All you have to do is let Rita Skeeter out on Crouch's actual actions. A Family Feud is illegal to be used in an Auror's Trial and you were an Auror back then. He also aided in the escape of a dangerous criminal and cast an Unforgiveable on his own family for several years. Put that in the news paper and bam – revenge done."
I shake my head and say: "That won't do, Remus." But Remus shakes his head back and says: "It will, Sirius, because Crouch using his Family Feud to imprison you took you from what you care about most, your actual family. Crouch cared most about his reputation. Print this and his reputation – and that of his family – is history."
Now I smile widely and ask: "You think there's a way to do it? I'll be stuck in a different world after all." But then Remus says: "You should really start taking your own advice." I look behind me and see Luxord with his head deep in a book and what Muggles call a pen, flowing over it like mad, before the man looks up and winks.
I smile widely and whisper: "Remind me to make the guy Regent to the House of Black before I leave. As far as the media and the Ministry know my uncle Alphard is still alive and Head of Black and he's someone the Ministry actually likes. If they think he hired Luxord as Family Regent, the guy will have no trouble extracting revenge."

And with that Remus and I give each other a High-five and pass the portal to the most amazing island I have ever seen – an island that makes Luxord nod in appreciation, Harry smile in reminiscence and make the mouths of Remus and I drop as we just can't decide where to look. But as I look at the beauty of this world, I know one thing.

This is my healing spa.