Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
A/N: Thanks to MiaCara, who is my beta for this story.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Meeting at Grimmauld Place
"Argh! Are we just going to sit here in silence, or are one of you going to say something!" Sirius erupted, looking from one of his cousins to another. Though this was supposed to be the meeting that they discussed the break in of the Lestrange's vault, Sirius had invited Andromeda. After what happened on Christmas he thought the sisters might have something they would want to discuss, but after ten minutes of uncomfortable silence, he was starting to think this was a bad idea.
"Sirius, perhaps we should get some tea," Remus suggested, shaking his head at his friend's outburst.
"We just got some …" Sirius started to say but Emmeline nudged him and he reluctantly got up. Once he got in the kitchen he grumbled. "What was that about … we had tea for them when they got here?"
"I just thought they might want to talk to each other without anyone else there," Remus shrugged.
"I'm not sure that's going to work, they haven't talked to each other in decades," Sirius pointed out.
"What about on Christmas?" Remus reminded him.
"That's only going to make it harder for them to say something now," Sirius said rolling his eyes as if that should have been obviously. He was about to say more but there was some loud laughing coming from the other room.
"Yeah, it really sounds like they've have trouble talking without you there," Emmeline said sarcastically and Sirius shrugged. Okay so maybe he had been wrong and they did need some time alone, he was just happy that they could both laugh together. Sirius then sat down at the table and looked at his hands thoughtfully. "Is something wrong Sirius?"
"No, not wrong," Sirius said, "just thinking thoughts that might hurt if things go wrong …"
"What?" Emmeline asked.
"I think I understand," Remus sighed, sitting next to his friend. "If things can stay as they are now, you can have a family … not only the one that you've made for yourself but blood relatives as well …"
"It's been a long time since I've thought well of most of my living relatives," Sirius agreed.
"I seemed to remembering you telling Harry not to worry about what's going to happen, because we were going to make sure that everything works out in the end," Remus pointed out to Sirius, who was now grinning at him with a sheepish expression.
"I might have," Sirius muttered. "Apparently it was easier for me to learn his behavior than it was to make him stop worrying."
"And how is all this worrying helping you," Emmeline said, sitting down on the other side of Sirius.
"None at all, I've always been prone to fits of brooding," Sirius said.
"Actually, that was me," Remus said.
"Oh that's right," Sirius chuckled. "What was it that I use to do?"
"Act like an idiot," Remus answered in dead pan.
"Nah, that was James," Sirius said, "I used to stare in a mirror all the time to make sure that my perfect hair was in the style I liked it in."
"Oh right, you did do that," Remus chuckled this time. "That's probably why you never look in a mirror anymore …"
"I know," Sirius pouted this time, putting a hand through his hair and then pretended to cry. "It's so hideous now … I can't stand to look at it."
"You two are such idiots," Emmeline shook her head as the others chuckled.
"It's better to act like an idiot than to be depressed," Sirius said. "I've been depressed for far too long to care about looking like an idiot."
"As if you ever cared," Remus muttered.
"Siri?" Andromeda's voice called and seconds later she was walking in the door. "Oh, you are here. I think it's time that you start … er … whatever it is that you all came here to do. I'm about to leave."
"You don't have to go," Sirius said.
"I'm not part of the Order …" she started to say.
"Then join," Sirius suggested.
"Sirius you know that I would," Andromeda sighed, "I just can't do it now. With the new laws against Muggle borns I've been receiving so much extra work. Not to mention it's becoming harder for me to keep my clients out of Azkaban."
"You probably shouldn't have reminded him of that," Remus said as Sirius growled and Andromeda shook her head smiling.
"Cissa is right, you really haven't changed at all Sirius," Andromeda laughed.
"Nope," Sirius smiled. "And I don't plan to."
"Good," Andromeda smiled too. "If anything serious happens though … remember Ted and I will be there to help you."
"Then I'll let you know when that happens," Sirius nodded his head and walked her to the door as the others headed to the living room where Narcissa still was. It was only a few minutes after that that he joined them.
"So what are you guys waiting for, let's get this meeting started," Sirius said.
"We were waiting for you," Narcissa informed him, her voice sounded like it always does but Sirius could tell that she was in good mood after the brief talk she had with her sister. He could recognize the cousin he had known as a boy, so many years ago.
"Right, sorry," Sirius shrugged. "So what have you been up to in concerns of getting into your sister's vault?"
"Actually things have gotten harder for us in that concern in the last two weeks," Narcissa sighed looking down.
"Why?" Sirius asked but by her demeanor he had a feeling what that reason might be.
"As you are all aware I've been trying to appeal to Bellatrix and the Dark Lord that I should be allowed into the Lestrange vault …"
"Yes, we are," Sirius said as if to tell her to get to the point.
"With Lucius and the others that have been released from Azkaban, there is far less reason for the Dark Lord to need anything from the Lestrange vault." Narcissa sighed. "I believe that was the main reason why the Dark Lord wanted those prisoners to be freed. Everyone knows that the goblins won't stop anyone going into a vault whether they're criminals or not. Nor will they stop someone that has the permission, which is what I had hoped to have gain before the release of the prisoners. We have become very low in the funds to support the Dark Lord, or at least we had been before Christmas."
"But with what happened …" Emmeline groaned. "All the people that have been freed from Azkaban had some of the biggest vaults in the country."
"Which is precisely why they were the ones to be freed," Narcissa said, "he left the other Death Eaters imprisoned because he had no use for them … at least not yet."
"So he left the other filthy Death Eaters to rot in prison … what a nice boss you have," Sirius shook his head. "He really makes everyone want to work for him doesn't he?"
"Everyone that joins the Dark Lord knows that he is ruthless and he doesn't accept failure," Narcissa said. "Gold isn't all that the ones that have been freed had to pay … but most were able to hold onto a fairly good place within the Death Eaters."
"And what about your dear old hubby?" Sirius asked coldly.
"Lucius is not in the position he was before," Narcissa said, her expression was blank, not showing any emotion. "But he will find a way to get back on good terms with the Dark Lord … he always does."
"And you think that's a good thing?" Sirius asked.
Narcissa didn't say anything, she really wasn't sure if that would be helpful or not.
"Sirius stop," Emmeline said. "All you're doing is making her upset and she's on our side."
"I just have to know what she thinks," Sirius said. "If her allegiance is split …"
"I assure you," Narcissa interrupted him. "Draco is my first concern … I will not let anything happen to him. Obviously, no matter what you think of him, I don't want anything to happen to my husband …"
"So your allegiance is split," Sirius sighed and sat next to his cousin. "You know your son has just asked Dumbledore and the others for lenience for Lucius if you were all to survive this war."
"He …" Narcissa started to say, looking surprised.
"You people … I don't see why you care about that man, he doesn't deserve you," Sirius said and Narcissa glared at him. "Whatever, it's not for me to understand something like that. Though maybe you can get old Lucy to help you trick Voldemort … though, obviously don't tell him what you're doing."
"It won't be that easy," Narcissa sighed. "I don't think the Dark Lord wants anyone going into the Lestrange vault."
"Of course not," Remus sighed. "We should have thought of that before. He wouldn't want anyone near his Horcruxes even if no one is supposed to know about it."
"We're going to have to talk to Bill again," Sirius said. "There are other ways to getting into the vault."
"You know, if you think about it the book gave us one of those ways," Remus said thoughtfully.
"You mean by using Polyjuice to turn into Be …" Sirius started to say.
"No, actually I was referring to the fact that Snape had put a fake Sword of Gryffindor into the vault," Remus said.
"Hm … that's right," Sirius said thoughtfully. "But I don't see why that would help us … I don't think Voldemort would want to put just anything in the vault."
"No, I wouldn't imagine he would," Remus said. "I would think the only reason why he had put the sword in there was because it was one of the Hogwarts founders' belongings."
"We don't have any of the founders' belongings," Sirius pointed out. "Well except for the locket and the Diadem, but seeing as they're both destroyed it would be really bad if he knows about that."
"I was actually thinking that the sword was the only thing we could use to help us open the vault," Remus said.
"But … just how are we supposed to give the sword to Voldemort so he could put it into the vault?" Sirius asked.
"That is the question," Remus said. "I'm not sure, but we will have to think of something to … that is if you think this is a good idea."
"I do," Sirius said, "what do you two think?"
"I'm still wondering what you mean about what happened in the book," Emmeline said. "Or why Voldemort would care about belongings of the Hogwarts founders. Especially something that had once belonged to Gryffindor."
"I'm not clear on that matter either," Narcissa added.
"Then I'll explain," Sirius said, and the told them everything he knew about the subject and Remus added anything he left out.
"Hm … that just might work," Narcissa said.
"You'll have to make sure that you're the one that they send to the vault though …" Sirius said.
"As long as my sister and her husband are still fugitives, I would be the best choice to go to the vault," Narcissa said.
"Well that's good at least," Sirius said.
"But I should say we don't have a long time before it will be too late," Narcissa said. "The Dark Lord already has control over the Ministry, though he's not able to do anything he wants as of yet. The more time that passes, the more likely the known Death Eaters will no longer be hunted."
"Then we'll think of something quickly," Sirius said. His eyes had grown darker at Narcissa's warning and he was going to make sure that things don't get that bad.
"Do you think … um … maybe you could have the Slytherins that are still students, take the sword, you know as some kind of prank?" Emmeline asked it was an hour later and they had been on this matter for all that time but nothing seemed to be helpful.
Sirius grimaced at that, the thought of the Slytherins taking the Sword of Gryffindor was horrible to think about. The sword was the symbol of Gryffindor after all and it would hurt if it was taken. "It might work, but I don't know how Voldemort would learn that the sword has been taken."
"The children of the Death Eaters have been asked to report anything that happens in the castle," Narcissa supplied. "They would surely tell if the sword was taken."
"Besides, what kid wouldn't brag if they had taken something like that," Remus pointed out. "I seem to recall that was the downfall to all of our pranks."
"What's the point of doing something if no one knows that you've done it," Sirius shrugged. "But you have a point, everyone will know what happened. However, I don't think it would be a good thing if Draco was the one to do this."
"No, that would be bad when he's supposed to be working on how to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts," Emmeline said.
"Well there is that, but it's more than that," Sirius said. "It might look bad if Draco is the one that got the sword … or even had the idea of stealing the sword and then have his mum be the one that takes the sword to the vault. Voldemort is known to be paranoid and he's good at knowing when someone is lying to him. I know you're good at hiding your feelings and all but if he really suspects you … no one can stop him from knowing the truth."
"You're right, of course," Narcissa sighed.
"That doesn't mean that this idea won't work … it just means we'll have to think of something," Remus said.
"Continuing planning this matter if you want, but I must leave now," Narcissa said. "If I'm gone any longer Lucius will notice."
"Don't worry Cissa, we'll have everything planned out by the next time we see you," Sirius said smiling encouragingly.
"I'm sure you will," Narcissa said leaving the room then the house.
Sirius watched her as she went, worried about the added danger she was in now that Lucius was free and prayed that she would be okay.