A/N: In this chapter they're finally starting to really get settled into the wizarding world again. They're moving into their new house here, and that's when Sirius's pureblood upbringing will really start to come to the forefront. Everything is so much more luxurious and there's just a grandeur in their new surroundings that he's never bothered to deal with before...mostly because he never really cared for it, but to protect them he has to go to the safest place he knows and he can't escape his upbringing when he's living in a functioning piece of family history. Anyway, I promise he won't be so...arrogant and...pretentious...for long (not in Alex's presence anyway). He just has to establish to everyone (servants, other purebloods, goblins, etc.) that he is, indeed, Master Black in fact as well as in title...that he's just as much of a leader and has just as much control as all of the ancestors whose shoes he's having to fill.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The clearing was eerily quiet, and Sirius was suspiciously silent, as well. Alex tagged along behind him, trying to be as quiet as possible along with him. Unfortunately, she wasn't anywhere near as stealthy as Sirius, and everything was so still that every little sound she made was perceptible. To make matters worse, she knew that he could pick up on things that normal people would never notice. All in all, the occasional sound of her footsteps compared to the complete silence of everything else made her distinctly uncomfortable.
Finally, in an attempt to distract herself, she started up a conversation, "Is there a reason why we're being so quiet?"
He raised an eyebrow at her, "If there is then don't you think you're defeating the purpose?"
"Well," she looked at him with her own brow raised, "is there?"
"No, Love, there's not," he laughed, "I wouldn't bring you along if I needed to be quiet."
Alex shot him a glare that clearly expressed what she thought of him just then, but otherwise didn't grace his comment with a response. Instead, she opted to study her surroundings in more detail now that she knew that they weren't in any immediate danger. They were on a rather rough and overgrown dirt road. It appeared that no one had used the path in years, which Alex didn't find surprising at all due to its location. Actually, she was more surprised that the road was even there in the first place. They were, after all, in the middle of a damned forest. The trees surrounding them were so tall that sunlight could barely get past their shadows and onto the road, and they were so dense that she could barely see a meter into them. What a road was doing in the middle of such a wilderness was beyond her, and what they were doing walking on it was even more incomprehensible. She didn't ask, however, because she wasn't about to give Sirius an extra excuse to make fun of her, and he could find something funny in any question.
It was almost a quarter of an hour later when the road finally showed signs of ending. Alex got her hope built up when she first made out some sort of structure in the distance, but the closer they got to it the more confused she became. It was a wall. An extremely old wall if appearances were to be believed...It was covered in vines and moss, but the stone that was visible through the plant life was very obviously at least a few centuries old if it was a day. The most striking thing about it wasn't the age, though...it was the size. The end wasn't anywhere in sight, and the top wasn't either as far as Alex was concerned. It had to stand at least fifty feet high!
Sirius had been watching her reaction with amusement as they neared the wall, and he finally spoke up as they came right up to it, "You act like you've never seen a fence before."
"A fence?" she asked incredulously, "You call this a fence? It's at least a five story wall!"
"Yes, but it's used as a fence," he defended himself.
Alex turned to look at him warily, "What could possibly cause the need for a fence so enormous?"
"Attacks by other wizards mostly," he supplied an answer, "The purebloods were fighting tons of blood feuds back when this estate was commissioned. Dozens of families were killed off by other pureblooded families, which didn't help with the pureblood to mudblood ratio at all. That just caused more stress and more attacks on families who had too much influence to be trusted because people thought killing the leaders would give them a chance to take over and fix things. The Blacks were publically targeted and attacked heavily."
Alex glanced at the wall, "So they put up a giant fence to keep wizards out of something?"
"Well, each separate stone has various wards and curses on it, and then the wall as a whole has even more," he raised his right hand, which bore his signet ring, and muttered something under his breath. Magic suddenly flared up in potent levels around the wall. Alex could actually see the magic, which wasn't a very common occurrence for wards and curses...especially old ones. Sirius looked to be in deep concentration for a moment, then he relaxed and let the wards return to normal.
Alex looked on in confusion, and he finally answered her inquiring gaze, "I just checked to make sure all of the protections were in place...It's been a few years."
"I understand the need for wards, but why a wall to contain them? Why not just put them up normally like everyone else does?" she asked.
Sirius raised an eyebrow, "You've tossed the gnome out of the garden, Love. No one had ever built something like this to house their wards. It was a physical sign and an obvious warning of the strength you were trying to go against by taking on the Blacks."
Alex nodded and took his elbow as they started walking once more. Contrary to what she'd thought at first, the road didn't end at this structure at all. It only turned and began running along beside the wall. She was glad that, at the very least, they weren't walking uphill anymore. Along with being even more tiring than usual, she hadn't been able to see anything at all over the top of the wall when they were walking up to it. Sirius didn't appear to be affected at all...in fact, he was moving along as if he might start skipping at any moment. It was annoying as hell in Alex's opinion.
She had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the curve of the road until Sirius stopped suddenly, jerking her to a halt along with him. She looked up to yell at him, but the words got caught in her throat as she took in the sight before her. They were standing in front of a gate. An extremely impressive one at that. It was just as tall as the wall itself and made of some sort of metal twisted and arranged into a very elaborate network of designs. Peering through them also gave her a very impressive view...It was obvious that the grounds had been tamed into a beautiful landscape, but that wasn't the most breathtaking thing. Off in the distance stood a mansion the likes of which Alex had never seen before. It looked enormous even from such a long way away, and it was obvious that it was medieval in design. A castle to be exact...it looked like a palace made for a king.
After a few moments of shock-induced silence, she finally managed to speak, "Oh my...wow..."
"I like it, too," Sirius said as he laughed at her reaction, "It's the biggest mansion in the family, and the best, too, in my opinion. It's even more impressive than Malfoy Mansion. My great-great-great-great-great grandfather started building it when the Blacks started being hunted down by other purebloods. Almost every member of the family came to live here because of the protection it offered, which is why it had to be so big...well, that and the fact that it had to be just as impressive as the wall, if not more so, to show everyone just how powerful the family was. It wasn't finished being built until well after the power struggles were over, which was a couple of centuries later...Not until my great-great grandfather, Phineas Nigellus, put the finishing touches on it just before the turn of the century, when he was in his early fifties. Only he was a teacher at Hogwarts so the family only came here on holidays, and then in his late fifties he became headmaster, so he almost never left the school at all. His children weren't too attached to the house because they'd spent almost their entire lives either at Hogwarts or staying with other relatives because their mother was a bit of a loony and couldn't be trusted to take care of them properly when good old Phineas wasn't around. Anyway, none of his children ever really came back here, and they certainly never made it into a home. The only time we've ever really used it was for parties when we wanted to impress people."
Alex stared at the structure in awe, "We're staying here?"
"Yeah," Sirius let go of her and looked contemplatively at the gates as he spoke, "It's the most well-protected place I know of. It's even better protected than Hogwarts."
"I thought no place was better protected than Hogwarts," she said in surprise.
He shook his head, "No, that's just what people like to believe to fool themselves into not being guilty over sending their children away in the middle of wars. They'd be better off locking their kids up in their Gringotts vaults if they want them safe...Hogwarts has one of the best ward systems in the world, that's true enough, but you can only use so many kinds of wards on a school without hurting someone. They can't use magic-specific wards since so many kinds of magic are studied there. They can't even ward against many kinds of "dark" magic because you have to have practical lessons in Defense Against the Dark Arts, plus banning "dark" things would mean you couldn't bring in many creatures, plants, or potions ingredients. Apparently they don't even ward against the dark mark itself if we're going to go by the fact that the attacking death eaters weren't deflected and the fact that Snivellus was there last time I checked...too bad he wasn't ripped apart by wards when I drug him in. Honestly, you can't even use blood wards since all variations of witches and wizards are accepted...even Filch is allowed in, and he's a squib."
Alex watched him curiously as he seemed to be casting spells of some kind at the gate, "What kinds of wards are there here?"
"Well, magic-specific wards are certainly not up around here. My family was all about the dark arts, after all...with the exception of the Unforgivable Curses anything goes. However, there are blood wards up. You can't so much as open the front door unless you are a Black or are married to the Master since you are supposed to live here under that circumstance and you need to be able to get into and out of your own house...and you can't even open the gate in the first place unless you happen to hold the title of Master Black...Ha! I remember how!" His sudden outburst was punctuated by the gates suddenly lurching forward, giving off a horrible grating squeak as they did since it had been so long since they'd moved at all.
They re-linked arms and walked forward once more (not without an eye roll and an exasperated sigh from Alex). Almost immediately after they stepped onto the grounds of the estate, several house elves suddenly appeared around them. Alex had never really been serviced by house elves to any great degree, and she really didn't know what to expect. Whatever it was, however, she was completely surprised by what actually happened. They all immediately fell to their knees at Sirius's feet. Their ugly little heads were pressed into the ground and their squeaky voices were all greeting him enthusiastically.
As soon as Sirius told them all to get up, the one closest to him dashed forward to latch onto his robes, "Oh, we is so glad that Master is back, Master! Why did Master not tell us he is coming? Master could have rode in the coach, he could have!"
"There's a coach?" Alex glared at him, "You made me walk when there's a coach!"
"I couldn't very well send a letter informing the house of my impending arrival! What if it was intercepted?" he defended himself, "It's one thing for everyone to expect me to hide out here, but it's a completely different thing altogether to give the Ministry written proof that I'm here. They might not be able to get in, but that doesn't mean I want them making camp outside the gate."
They were distracted from their exchange by the house elves, who had been conversing amongst themselves, suddenly trying to address him all at once. From what she could make out of the sobs and rambling, Alex was fairly certain that they were afraid that the house wasn't ready for their Master to inhabit. She watched mutely as the same one who had grabbed Sirius's robes earlier - apparently the leader - bowed low before him again, "Master mustn't be mad with us! We is not knowing that Master would be coming! Oh, Master, you must give us time to make the house ready for Master and the girl...We is not even knowing Master's schedule!...When would Master be liking to eat? Which study would Master be wanting?..."
Sirius tried in vain several times to reassure the desperate creatures, but his patience definitely had its limit. He finally snapped, "Silence!" The house elves immediately stopped making any sort of noise at all, and he continued on, "The only thing I want at the moment is a bedroom. Other than that you can feel free to take your time preparing the house for us. We plan on staying indefinitely, so you have all the time in the world to get everything perfect...We don't like schedules. We'll let you know whenever we are ready to eat, and the food can be made then...I'll have to inspect the place myself, but when I'm done I'll be sure to tell you if I want anything particular to be made out of a room...As for right now, have the coach sent out, as I don't think that the lady would like to walk a mile to the house...You're dismissed." All of it was said in such a superior tone that Alex was sure her lover had been replaced with Draco.
"I don't get a choice in anything you just said?" she asked as the house elves were finishing up their bows and disappearing back to wherever it was they came from.
"I'm sorry," the condescending attitude from moments before vanished and was replaced by the affectionate tone she was used to him using around her, "You can change anything you don't like once we get settled in and you've had time to decide what you want."
They both watched as something appeared from the side of the house and started out on the road towards them. As they waited for the carriage to arrive, Alex turned back to comment, "Can I expect this superior attitude from now on?"
He looked at her with a smirk, "Love, I'm only acting this way because I am superior in this particular situation...I never act that way to many other people because, let's face it, I'm not better than many other people what with being a killer and all...I wouldn't even act this way towards the servants if they were human since that would mean that they were obviously getting paid for performing services, and you can't look down on anyone for making a living...I only act that way towards the house elves because they let themselves be pushed around. I've offered to pay them, they won't accept money...I've tried to let them live their own lives, they just end up asking me for permission for every little thing they want to do...I've tried to free them, they beg me not to...They are an entire race, and they let themselves be dominated by another species."
Alex actually had to concede that he had a point, "So, this is only going to be your attitude around the house elves?"
"No," he turned to watch the approaching coach, "If we're going to be a part of pureblood society then I'll be acting that way a lot. I may consider myself beneath a lot of people, but I am better than any of Voldemort's supporters or sympathizers. They expect me to be condescending and cold anyway because of who I am and what they think I am."
Alex had nothing further to question him about, and they watched in silence as the coach rolled closer and closer. It was just as magnificent as everything else she had seen since arriving at the estate. It was enormous, as it obviously had to be to go along with the theme of the rest of the place. It was black with ornate gold handles, driver's box, luggage rack, and steps. What was most amazing about it, however, was none of that. What really drew Alex's attention were the horses pulling it. There were two of the biggest horses she'd ever seen! They were at least the size of elephants...with glossy dark gray coats and perfectly formed wings of a slightly darker shade of gray.
She couldn't help but gasp, and Sirius smiled, obviously pleased that he kept on impressing her, "They're Granians...extremely fast. In fact, they're the fastest winged horses...even faster than thestrals. Of course, they tone it down a bit for the purpose of pulling the carriages on the ground, but in the air they're amazing. There's a herd living on the grounds here, and they offer up their services in return for the protection we've always given them from the other wizards who want to capture and tame them."
"They're magnificent!" she finally managed to get out.
Sirius smiled at her excitement, but didn't say anymore about the horses themselves. Instead, he opted to open the carriage door with great flourish (a sweeping bow included) and offer a hand up to her. "Your carriage awaits, My Lady."
Alex placed her delicate hand into his much larger one, glad for the extra support as she climbed into the coach. The only thing missing from the scene was an enormous hoop skirt, and that thought made her laugh as she finally managed to gain entrance into the impossibly large box. She settled herself onto one of the comfortable benches, which were really better described as full sofas, that were on either side of the coach. They were made of dragon hide, a very handsome mixture of black and green. There was green velvet completely lining the walls and ceiling, but a gold fixture decorated the space here and there.
"It's lovely," she informed Sirius, who was just then entering the carriage himself.
He snorted, which was very out of place in the midst of all the finery, but before Alex could reprimand him, he spoke, "It's very Slytherin is what it is."
"What's wrong with that?" she'd never really been able to make him talk about his school days...She supposed any good memories he might have made had long since turned sour because of all the bad things that had happened since then. It couldn't be very easy for him to think about having fun with his friends when one had betrayed him, one hadn't believed in him, and one had died because of him.
He didn't look particularly happy to be talking about it now, but he answered her nonetheless, "There's something wrong with the people who are a part of it...most of them anyway. That's not to say there's actually something wrong with the house itself. I would have been in Slytherin had I not literally demanded that the sorting hat put me somewhere else."
"How did you demand that?"she asked, sure that he had an interesting answer.
She was right, he did, "I simply informed the hat that I refused to follow the convention of my family just for tradition's sake, and that if it put me into Slytherin that I would leave the school immediately...The sorting hat hates to lose students, you know, almost as much as it hates the houses not being united."
Alex watched as he settled himself onto the seat opposite her. He sunk onto the seat with a sigh, slouching into a comfortable position. Alex gave him a cross look, "Exactly why are you over there when I have so much room over here?" She lifted an arm to gracefully gesture at the remaining ten feet of seat beside her.
"It's a long ride. I want to rest," with that, he plopped down into the cushions. He sprawled out dramatically, resting a forearm over his eyes with a sigh. Alex stared at him in disbelief. He would rather lie there than be near her? He must have sensed the scowl she was aiming at him, because he raised his arm just enough so that he could peak at her from under it. A smirk formed over his features, and he lifted his arm the rest of the way to hold it out to her, "Come here, Love."
She thought about refusing him. Why give him the luxury of her presence when he'd been so horrid to her just seconds before? In the end, however, she found her body moving towards him almost without consulting her mind at all. He wrapped his outstretched arm around her and drug her forwards until she landed sprawled on top of him. He cupped her cheek and brought her forward to capture her lips in a kiss as she got comfortable.
When he released her mouth, she pulled back to look down into his stormy eyes, "I thought that you wanted to rest."
"I do, Love," he wrapped his arms more fully around her, "but that doesn't mean that I didn't want you to rest with me."
Alex placed a sweet kiss to his jaw and worked her way down his neck until she could rest her head at the hollow between it and his shoulder. He stroked her back soothingly. To her credit, she did try to relax, but relaxation simply wouldn't come to her. Finally, she sighed in defeat, "Sirius, love, I can't rest like this."
"Like what?" he mumbled almost incoherently into her hair.
She shifted again as she answered softly, "How could I ever possibly get comfortable lying on top of you?"
He let out a soft chuckle as he pushed her up and moved her to his side, "I have no problem lying on top of you."
Even in the midst of his protests, he rolled to his own side and rested against the back of the couch so that they'd have enough room, but soon enough he was pressing against her insistently. He wrapped his arms around her waist and molded his body to hers even as he pulled her closer to him than ever.
"You'll just have to spoon with me," he breathed against her neck.
Alex had no objections whatsoever to his new plan, so she snuggled back against him in return. Sirius continued to squeeze her tighter until finally they were as close as they could get considering the layers of fabric separating them. It was then that Alex realized that her position had nothing to do with her inability to rest. She was extremely comfortable, but she still couldn't relax.
Sirius noticed it, too, and after a few minutes he finally commented, "Is it impossible to rest like this, too?"
"I'm sorry," she sighed.
"No, it's fine," he spoke into her hair, "I just didn't realize that cuddling with me made you so uncomfortable."
Alex couldn't detect a hint of humor in his voice, and she tensed up even further at the knowledge that she'd hurt him. She shook her head to deny it, "It isn't you, Sirius. I'm just...nervous."
He was silent for a few moments, then his arms retightened around her, "I'll never let anything happen to you, Love."
"Are you going to lock me up in this house forever, then? Or maybe you're just going to hold my hand everywhere I go?" she pointed out.
Sirius didn't relent, "I don't mind holding your hand."
"You need to worry about yourself. It's you they want," Alex informed him softly.
"We'll both be safe," he said firmly, "By the time I get finished with them the purebloods won't dare to cross me, and they're the only people we'll be around."
Alex knew that he knew what he was doing, so she decided not to carry on with the subject any longer. Instead, she dislodged herself from his arms and sat up, silencing his protests when she simply turned around and laid back down. They were now chest to chest instead of chest to back, and Alex wound her arms around him. She hugged him tightly as she burrowed further into his chest.
He sighed into her hair, "Everything will work out fine, Love. Trust me."
"I do," she admitted after a sort pause, "I just don't think that you're taking this seriously."
"What?" he pulled away enough to stare at her, "How the hell did you get that idea? I'm taking this as seriously as I can possibly take it! Do you think I want to be a soulless shell until the end of time?"
Alex stared back at him earnestly, "I think that you think you're untouchable...You're not, you know. If I was able to get hurt as much as I did back then, then you're able to get hurt, too! You might be stronger than me, but you're still the same as me...The only way you'll live forever is if it's left up to nature. You'll never just keel over and die, but you can still be killed!"
A pregnant pause followed her outburst, but eventually Sirius found his voice again, "Give me today to get things settled, Alex. If you don't develop any confidence in me before tomorrow comes then I promise not to do anything further."
She really couldn't argue with such a proposition, so she nodded her agreement. She'd barely given her consent to his plan when he pulled away from her and sat up stiffly. Alex stared at him in surprise for a few moments before she thought to sit up as well. He was looking at his hands, but she could see his over bright eyes glittering even though he wasn't facing her. It hurt her to hurt him, but she had to point out that particular personality flaw to him for both of their safety's sake. He had no right to think of himself as invincible when he wasn't. She wouldn't have been able to live with herself if he got hurt because he didn't take a threat seriously enough.
Her musings were interrupted when Sirius suddenly stood. She jerked out of her thoughts in time to watch him open the door. "We're here," he announced gruffly, disappearing from sight as he stepped out of the coach. She hadn't even felt the coach stop moving.
Alex stared after him for a moment before she snapped out of it and stood herself. Unexpectedly enough, she found him waiting right outside the door to help her down. She had expected him to have left her to her own devices after she'd hurt his feelings so badly, but she had obviously underestimated his unfailing instinct to look after her safety and comfort. His hand was warm as she grasped onto it, but his attitude was anything but. He was absolutely frigid to her as they walked up the enormous staircase and towards the equally awe inspiring double doors.
Alex tried to ignore the fact that he was ignoring her. She looked at her surroundings in awe. The double doors were three stories high and wider than even the Hogwarts doors. She had the urge to use the giant golden knockers, which were in the shape of greyhounds (the same dogs that graced either side of his family crest). She never got the chance, however, because Sirius reached for the handle to open the door. She felt the magic that flowed through him through their still connected hands as he grasped the handle, and when it finally swung open it was a real rush.
He didn't seem affected, however, since his expression stayed exactly the same as he immediately led her into the building. She was met with black marble floors and priceless antique furniture illuminated by enormous ornate chandeliers. The doors slammed shut behind them, and Sirius snapped his fingers twice. A house elf appeared almost immediately afterwards.
Sirius dropped her hand as he spoke, "This is Alexandrea. You'll give her anything she wants and treat her just as you would treat your mistress."
He turned to face her stiffly, "I have business to take care of. I'll be back later." With that, he kissed her cheek almost methodically before he headed through a door off to the side of the of the entrance hall.
She stared after him in surprise for a few moments, before turning to the house elf, "What is through that door?"
She was quickly informed that a portkey station lay in the room, although certainly not as eloquently or in as complete of a sentence as that. Alex got the general gist, however: that only people granted with special permission could portkey into or out of the estate. Sirius's ring acted as a permanent link to the house so he could travel into or out of it at any time he chose, but he would have to make a portkey specifically for a person without a ring anytime they wanted to do either. So she was trapped in the house for the time being, but Alex was sure that Sirius hadn't meant it that way. He was probably sure that she would be more than willing to stay inside and explore her new surroundings, and he was completely correct on that count. Alex was extremely curious to explore a house this big, old, and luxurious. She was just sorry that he was so upset with her that he wouldn't consider taking her with him, or even so much as telling her what he was doing. It would be a long day without him and with unresolved tension between them.
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The crowd didn't bother him half as much as it should have. Pressing through the throng of last minute shoppers the weekend before September first barely registered in his mind. He only had eyes for his destination, and he used his considerable strength to shove people out of his way thoughtlessly in his rush to reach Gringotts.
Despite his single destination, Sirius's mind was working furiously. Alex didn't trust him. She thought that he couldn't keep them safe. His love was convinced that he was incapable of providing for her, for Merlin's sake! This brought him to his current goal: getting to Gringotts. He had haughty purebloods to blackmail and certain gorgeous witches to awe.
He finally pushed past the last stream of shoppers and gained access to the bank's steps. He wasted no time with idle chitchat as he shoved past the angry and protesting people waiting in line and eventually found himself in front of the desk. He was glad to note that his glamour was working. It disguised his facial structure but left everything else (skin tone, hair color, eyes) the same. Luckily enough no one recognized him yet.
The line behind him continued to protest vehemently as he shoved his key to the goblin. Said goblin didn't even look at his key before shoving it back across the desk, "Back of the line!"
Sirius countered the goblin's contemptuous glare with a glacial one of his own, "Don't test me, goblin. I'm not going to the back of the line."
"There's no special treatment here. Next!" the creature voiced over the mob behind them.
The man behind Sirius held out a key and tried to shove past him to hand it to the goblin. Sirius held out an arm to stop the man's progress. He leveled cold eyes on the goblin, "I'll have your job over this."
Before it could respond beyond a confused look, the crowd behind them began to part and an authoritative voice could be heard, "Make way! Make way!"
"What's going on here?" the speaker was revealed as Ragnok himself stepped forward, "I won't tolerate any disturbances in my bank!"
Sirius kept his face blank and his eyes icy as he turned to face the old goblin, "Ragnok, how lovely of you to take the faults of your employees so seriously. I was afraid that I would have to go through the trouble of filing an official complaint."
Whispers broke out among the assembled onlookers, "Is that really Ragnok, do you think?" ..."I heard he never leaves his office!"..."That man knows Ragnok?"..."Who does he think he is? He'll have his key taken away for sure!"
Sirius's facial expression never betrayed his amusement, nor did his normally lively eyes. He held out his key for the imposing creature's inspection without uttering a single comment. Ragnok's eyes went from the ornate key to its owner's stormy gaze. "We didn't know to expect you, Master," the goblin addressed him formally, although wisely leaving off his surname.
"This is rather critical," Sirius raised an eyebrow, "Am I required to contact you every time I have an emergency?"
The goblin looked surprised for a few moments before he bowed his head briefly out of respect, then turned around and began to part the crowd. Sirius followed him with his head held high and with a superiority complex clear for all to see. Whispers circulated all around him, for which Sirius was glad. The entire purpose of his actions had been to start a scene and draw attention, after all.
As they stepped into the elevator, Sirius turned to face the mob. As the door started to shut, he let the glamours drop. He watched recognition begin to wash over the crowd just as the door slammed closed.
Ragnok turned to face him in clear anger, "We would have had your room prepared if you'd just owled us ahead of time."
"My comings and goings aren't requiredto be planned out and stamped with your seal of approval," Sirius's cold demeanor did not abate.
"This whole scene could have been avoided! It isn't the bank's fault that you showed up out of nowhere...and not even wearing your customary disguise!" the old goblin didn't appear to want to back down.
Sirius turned to face the goblin, "Nevertheless, you will fire him. The very moment it becomes my responsibility to approve my disguises with you, I'll let you know."
"I will not fire a perfectly capable employee over this!" as Ragnok declared this, Sirius decided that the goblin had definitely been allowed to grow too big for his trousers.
"You'll do what I say, you ugly bastard. I might not have cared earlier, but playtime is over," his cold voice betrayed none of his anger, "You'll damn well do whatever I want you to do whether or not it's a reasonable request. You seem to need to be reminded of your place...I don't need you, but you need me...Besides the fact that I'm superior to you in every way, I would think the fact that I could move my accounts at any moment would cause you to show some respect. Understand?"
The goblin stared at him in a mixture of surprise and anger, but didn't answer. Sirius let the calmness leave his eyes, revealing the full intensity of his stare, "I asked if you understand!"
Their gazes met, and Ragnok's eyes betrayed the first bit of fear Sirius had seen there in a very long time. It wasn't respect in any way, shape, or form, but it was good enough to be getting on with. Sirius didn't back down, and eventually the goblin muttered, "I understand."
"What was that? You don't seem to have said it clearly enough," Sirius, of course, had heard the words perfectly. He just wanted to force his point home to make sure that the goblin got it.
The goblin grimaced, or at least his face pulled into what Sirius assumed was a grimace, "I understand!"
"Good," Sirius still didn't let his imposing and frankly frightening demeanor drop, "I think we'll work well together in the future, you and I. Now, tell me, is this bank really as secure as they say it is?"
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A/N: And I still feel like not a lot is happening. I just don't have the time or energy at this very moment to continue on with the events, and I figured I'd already made you wait long enough so I went ahead and posted what I had in this chapter. Next chapter you get to see Sirius's plan, and then you get to see a bit more of Draco! (You have to love him!)...So I think my review page is completely messing up. I've gotten some reviews in my e-mail that never showed up on the actual site. Is it just me, or is it everyone? If anyone knows what's going on drop me a clue, would you? In an e-mail, IM, review, PM...I don't care, take your pick, I just want to know what the hell is happening around here.