June 1985.

How the hell did I end up here? That's the question Sirius kept asking himself since he woke up a week ago, locked in a cell poorly enlighten by two torches. The walls made of dark stone as the absence of a window suggested that he was underground, and a desk and a single bed provided a minimum comfort. Three times a day, a gas made him lose conscience for a few minutes until Sirius woke up again, finding a meal tray on the desk and fresh clothes. The first days, he screamed day and night, demanding to be let free, and tried unsuccessfully to break the door. Eventually, Sirius calmed down and noticed that nobody mistreated him in any way, and his mind and soul were most certainly not currently sucked by a dementor.

On the contrary, after one year of living withdrawn from the world, living in the woods in his dog form, taking on his human form only on rare occasions, his body had undergone the consequences. Yet, since he arrived in the cell, he was held captive, he had made a lot of improvement. While unconscious, his jailer had made him take baths, shaved his beard, provided him with clean clothes, and kept him well fed, helping him rebuilt both his mind and magic.

Sirius was sitting on the bed looking at the wall in front of him, thinking about a way to make contact with however was keeping him there. If his predictions were right, in less than two minutes, the usual gas that knocked him out was going to be spread inside the cell. Two minutes after, as predicted, a slim green vapor cloud appeared under the door. Sirius took a deep breath and held it in his lungs before closing his eyes and lying on the bed, pretending to be asleep. A moment after, he heard the click of the door lock and footsteps coming inside the cell. Sirius waited for him to leave his meal on the desk and head toward the door, then jumped out of his bed and rushed toward him. Surprised, the man didn't get enough time to draw his wand and found himself tackled back to the wall outside the cell, Sirius's hand firmly closed around his neck.

"PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" the man implored, his eyes closed, tears starting to flow from the corner of his eyes, before he began to cough and wheeze, a hand trying to push Sirius away, while the other trembled, searching is pockets."My inhaler…Please…"

Sirius released him and stepped back, looking closely at the man choking in front of him while manipulating a small gadget that he stuck against his mouth and inhaled its contents deeply. Sirius realized that he was very young, a teenager, dark skin, and a low Cesar haircut, slim and shorter than him. Whatever he just inhaled seemed to have worked; the young man was now breathing normally; he straightened himself up and let a relieving sight.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked.

"What's your problem, dude?" he asked back, looking at him annoyed. "Not cool! I was bringing you food!" he said, pointing a finger to the desk.

"You locked me here! For a week! Why? Where am I? Who the fuck are you?" Sirius asked him, stepping forward, threatening.

"I'm Red, Red Russell. Don't bother trying to scare me; you're just ridiculous… Follow me, Sirius, we are about to have dinner, and I'm starving." He said, nodding at the stairs before leading the way.

"Wait! You know who I am?" Sirius asked.

Red Russell stopped climbing the steps and turned to face him and told him, raising an eyebrow. "Everyone in the world knows who you are, man." before going on his way again.

Sirius hesitated for a long time before following him; he looked around him; the corridor was short, lit by torches fixed on both sides of the walls, and led to the stairs. He went up the stairs slowly and arrived in a small lobby. He was in a small house. On the walls hung photographs of smiling men and women waving at him; the men took off their hats and bowed down to him. Sirius was about to approach the pictures to examine them when he heard footsteps approaching. With big blue eyes, a tiny old woman wearing a kitchen apron appeared behind him a moment later. She smiled broadly at him and asked him.

"Should I deduce that I can finally get my cellar back?"

"Er…Good morning, madam…"

"Good morning, dear. I strongly advise you to hurry to the dining-room if you want a chance to have a bite to eat; otherwise, those scavengers won't even leave you a piece of bread." The woman said to him, patting his arm, showing him the way to the living-room before heading toward the cellar.

Coming from the direction she had indicated to him, Sirius could hear several voices of men chatting loudly, highlighted by bursts of laughter. He strolled toward the living-room, where he found a group of men seated around the dining table, elbowing to devour a roasted chicken. One of them, a thin man in his fifties, with bushy brown hair and a pair of glasses, was the first to notice him and alerted the others who stopped fighting for the chicken and turned their heads toward him. They glanced at each other, and the older one stood up and walked to greet him, extending a hand to him, that Sirius shook, suspiciously. He was a tall man with short white hair and a beard that reached his chest. The man looked at him straight in the eyes, with his blue eyes that remind him of the woman he just met before.

"Welcome among us, Mr. Black! My name is Ludovik Balasko." He introduced himself before waving his hand toward the other men installed around the dinner table.

"This is Damocles Belby," He said, pointing at the man who was first to notice him. Damocles Belby stood up and shook his hand, before another man, small and stout, jostled Belby to shake Sirius's hand.

"Eldred Worple, Mr. Black!" said the man.

"The man who doesn't have the decency to introduce himself is Joan Zoega." Said Ludovik Balesko nodded severely at a young blond man, who took advantage of the other men's distraction to fill his mouth with French fries. Joan Zoega waved at Sirius.

"And if I'm right, you already met Red Russell…Please join us." He concluded before taking back his seat at the table.

Sirius looked at the men suspiciously for a moment but resigned himself to join them when his stomach talked, sitting between Russell and Belby, thanked Balasko for the plate he handed him.

"Thank you, but…"

"You are welcome…I imagine that must you have a lot of questions. We will answer each one after dinner." Balasko said to him, kindly.

Sirius made to protest, but Russell interrupted him. "Don't waste your time. Eat!"

After dinner, they cleaned the table; Balasko sent Zoega to wash the dishes after losing to Red at a Rock - Paper - Scissors bet, and the rest settled in the living-room and waited in silence until he joined them. Only then, Mr. Balasko cleared his throat and started talking.

"Mr. Black looking at the windows hoping to find a way out of here is useless, same if you try to transform… Walking away from this house without my approval is not an option." Balasko said calmly to Sirius, who indeed was considering his options since he joined them for dinner.

"You know I'm an animagus?" Sirius asked, taken off-guard.

"Of course we know! Everyone in Great Britain knows!" Belby answered as if it was apparent.

"The Daily prophet wrote about it for weeks…" Worple added, yawning.

"And You'll find the reason why you can't leave us around your wrist," Zoega said, pointing the finger at Sirius's hand.

For the first time, he noticed that he was wearing a metallic silver bracelet. He was sure it wasn't there when he came upstairs before dinner.

"When did you put it on me?" Sirius asked.

"When we shook hands before dinner, of course…As you must know, it's an artifact that obstructs your ability to transform into a dog and also tracks all your movements. In other words, it subjects you to constant surveillance. My surveillance to be more accurate." Balasko explained to him and Russell, who was looking curiously at the bracelet.

"You're an Auror? You must be a high ranked official in your ministry of magic to be allowed to carry one…" Sirius asked.

The old man smiled at him. "Indeed…It was nearly half a decade ago, but I was the Romanian minister of Magic."

Sirius's eyes widened, stared at the man in shock, realizing who he had in front of him." Wait for a second…You are the ''Balasko'', the one who took part in the final battle in Nurmengard?"

"The same," the man answered, smiling.

"I guess it's an honor…But, how am I here not already back to Azkaban? And How did I ended up here?" Sirius asked, looking at the men around him.

"I am the best placed to answer the second question. I was in the woods collecting ingredients when I came across you…It was the full moon night, so I apologize if I mistook you for a werewolf…It was dark, you see?... I panicked and stunned you. When I realized who you are, I took you with me here, and we put you in the cellar…" Belby said.

"As for why you are not already back to Azkaban, it's because we did not report your capture," Zoega said.

"Why not?" Sirius asked, looking particularly at Belby and Worple. "If I remember well, you both have actively helped the ministry of magic during the war."

"Let's say that you could be more useful free than in a prison cell, far away." Balasko said." Let's get straight to the point, shall we?"

"Please…" Sirius said suspiciously.

Balasko cleared his throat and talked. " We would like you to assist us in a certain task; if you agree to help and keep your word, we will renounce to deliver you to the Aurors and collect the bounty on your head…If you refuse to help us, I will Owl the Auror office right now."

Sirius stayed silent, looking at the bracelet on his wrist, then said." Okay…What kind of task are we talking about? And where are we?"

"Oh! Sorry … We are in the lovely village of Bran in Transylvania. We are actually in my house, which I share with my sister." Balasko said.

"Romania? I have traveled this far?" Sirius asked, shaking his head in disbelieve.

"The last time anyone saw you, man, was a year ago…When you took those teenagers hostages…" Russel answered. "I'm surprised you are not in China right now…"

"What hostages? Alexa and Rhéa? I didn't do anything to them! That Patronus was just a way to call for backup! I helped them!" Sirius pleaded for himself.

"That's not what they said. Both girls swear that you tried to sacrifice them in a ritual to a gorgon, and they have been saved at the last moment by the father of one of them…" Russell said.

"You, sir, have disgraced England! Wasn't it treason enough? And yet we are giving you a second chance to do some good…" Belby said sharply to Sirius.

"And should take it before we change our minds" Worple finished Belby's sentence.

Sirius shook his head again, closed his eyes, trying not to think about what could have happened to Alexa so she would turn on him.

"Mr. Black, we would like to go through this before dawn…" Balasko said, impatient.

"Sure…As we are in Transylvania and that an expert on vampires is among us, I deduce that it's related to a Vampire, right?" Sirius asked, nodding at Worple.

"Yes… If some bandits made some mess around from time to time, this region has been relatively peaceful since we defeated Grindelwald. My sister and I are the only wizards who live here, so we have been the only ones to notice." Balasko said.

"Notice what?" Sirius asked.

"The old castle of Vlad Tepes has disappeared," Worple answered.

"At first, we were quite surprised, but not alarmed… The muggle ministry of tourism has been considering converting the castle into a museum for years, so I only assumed that our ministry had hidden it until they were sure that it was safe, subject of some curse or dark magic…" Balasko said. "But during the last two months, many brutal murders have been reported in the region… The victims are from different villages, each one far from the precedent… As if the killer was taking his precautions not to alarm both muggles and wizards authorities."

"You think that it's a Vampire's doing?" Sirius asked the men.

"I made contact with an old friend of mine that still works in the Romanian Ministry of magic, and he confirmed me that they hadn't hidden the castle… I informed them about the murders, but they didn't send anyone to investigate." Balasko said sadly.

"Why didn't they? Isn't that their job? If it's a Vampire or another magical creature, that's the department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creature's responsibility to take care of it…" Sirius said.

"That would be the case in Great Britain, Mr. Black…Here, things are quite different," Worple said.

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"Because we can't afford to send Aurors or agents to non-priority missions. Unlike other countries, we don't have enough gold to cover every department's budget as we should…, how much do you know about the war that raged between Grindelwald and us?" Balasko asked Sirius.

"That it was a blood bath and only stopped when Dumbledore fought him…" Sirius answered.

"In summary…However, before Dumbledore and Grindelwald held their duel, we faced a civil war that extended over nearly three decades, and wars cost gold." Balasko said to Sirius, "You see, even on our side, many wizards and witches started to consider switching to the other side. Grindelwald had a special talent to seduce people, corrupt them with power or gold. Loyalty can be very volatile…"

"Don't tell me about it," Sirius said sarcastically.

"So, the ideological front wasn't the only one open back then. We also had to keep our people well ''fed''. That's for the human resources… The easy part." Balasko said.

"What was the hardest?" Russell asked.

"We had to make sure he couldn't have access to a weapon that would have sealed Europe's if not the world's faith," Balasko answered Russell's question.

"What weapon?" Sirius asked.

" Dragons… Do you know how much damage can a full-grown Dragon cause to a city? He could turn it into ashes in less than an afternoon, so imagine what could have done the seven hundred Dragons present only in Romania…" Balasko said. "The priority was to create a reserve to keep them away from him. That only emptied our vaults, and we had to get a loan from the goblins to assure its maintenance and security… Long story short, the war ruined us, the ministry can't afford to send help…"

"I see…I'm sorry… So you want me to find the Vampire and kill him?" Sirius asked.

"NO! Whatever he says, Mr. Black, we have no concrete evidence to blame a Vampire for the murders! It could be anything! Maybe a muggle murderer!" Worple claimed.

"The victims were found completely drained from their blood, in the same region that was once home of the most famous Vampire in History, whose castle has suddenly disappeared," Balasko said calmly.

"I still think that you are jumping to conclusions! In my opinion, someone is trying to frame a Vampire! If you took a minute to read about the topic, you would know that the famous Dracula didn't bother going after other vampire blood! Vampires themselves dread this region and don't dare get close, even if he died a long time ago!" Worple said, his face turning red.

"Anyway, Balasko is right…It's worth investigating," Russell said.

"If you allow me, there are a few things I find very strange…" Sirius said.

"What is it?" Balasko asked.

"Belby and Worple are famous for being very talented Ravenclaws…Good wizards that with no doubt are a reference in their respective fields but not men of action…" Sirius said, this one, he said nodding at Russell's direction ", Nearly died earlier when I grabbed him. So I don't know if he is ''Vampire hunting'' material or any hunting in my opinion…As to Mr. Zoega, he didn't use magic while washing the dishes. He spent fifteen minutes in a task he could have ended in less than ten seconds…If I couldn't see the wand grip coming out of his pocket, I would have suggested that he is a muggle or a squib. I think that you, Mr. Balasko, and I are the only ones in this room that could eventually do something about your problem. So, this is my question, what are these four doing here?"

The five men stayed silent, absorbing what Sirius just said, exchanging embarrassed looks. Each one of them seemed to think very hard to come up with a plausible explanation; however, it was Balasko who broke the silence.

"I placed an ad in various newspapers, asking for help, and they are the only ones to have answered." Balasko.

"I see…Worple; I can understand why you are here…Belby, on the other hand, I can't," Sirius said.

"Oh, I can't tell you! Figure out Black, that our national "Vampire expert" is afraid of Vampires! He came to seek me in my laboratory and begged me to come here with him. It's the same story since we were only boys at Hogwarts! Always saving him!" Belby said, giving an annoyed look at Worple.

"I didn't come to find you because I was afraid. I did it so we could go on an adventure! Like when we were teenagers! And I apologize. Could you remind me when did you save me?" Worple aked Belby.

"Third year, Hogwarts! You sneaked out of our dorm at night and went to the forbidden forest for who knows what! " Belby said, chin up.

"I remember that! I wanted to see centaurs, and you didn't save me! First I got lost in the park, before even reaching the forest, and second, you didn't go to the forest! You went to find Hagrid in his hut, and you stayed there eating cookies near the fire while he went looking for me." Worple said.

"I still saved you! Indirectly but still! " Belby replied.

"Oh, shut it! Both of you! Sorry man, it's been like this since they arrived. They always find something to argue about… Anyway, you are right about me; I'm not a fighter of a warrior…" Russell said. "I'm from Chicago, and I'm freshly graduated from Ilvermorny."

"You are very far from home…What brings you here?" Sirius asked curiously.

"I aspire to become a wandmaker…The problem is that the art of wandmaking is a secret jealously kept by the masters. There isn't an academy or school where they teach you how to do it. A wandmaker has to accept me as an apprentice. In North America, there are two, Johannes Jonker and Violetta Beauvais. Both of them refused even to give me an appointment, so I crossed the Atlantic and went to see Ollivanders. He was friendly, but he said that The Ollivanders only pass their knowledge to their sons and daughters, the last ones, under the conditions that they never marry or have children, go figure… Mykew Gregorovitch is the last name on my list, and he is as qualified as Ollivander. I was going to try with him too when I read Mr. Balasko's ad in the daily prophet. I recognized his name and came to close a deal with him. I will help him, and as payment, he will vouch for me with Gregorovitch. They were in the same year at Durmstrang! " Russell said, slumping in his armchair.

"As to me," Zoega said." I am an archeologist, specialist in ancient scriptures, and runes. I am traveling through Europe, studying antique sites hoping to decrypt their secrets for a personal project that is not your business. The reason why I didn't use magic earlier is so I could be far from the repulsive man you are, Mr. Black".

Sirius sighed heavily, looking at the group of men. Thinking about it, it wasn't such a bad combination. If indeed a Vampire was involved, Worple's would be a precious asset, Belby's mastery in potions as well. The American must be very skilled in charms if he aspired to become a wandmaker… He could be useful… As for Balasko, he was a very respected wizard, a hero according to history books. The archeologist was the only one for whom Sirius couldn't find any use in this affair.

"Okay… And what's for you in this, Mr. Balasko? I imagine that this house and surroundings are pretty well protected. No one can harm you … " Sirius said.

"I just want to do what's right! Poor girls are brutally murdered, and no one is…" Balasko said, looking outraged.

"He wants the treasure." An amused voice raised beside Sirius, startling him. The old woman he met earlier was back.

"What treasure?" Sirius said, his eyes pacing between the woman and Balasko.

"Dini…Please…" Balasko said, looking embarrassed.

"The Castles' treasure Mr. Black." The woman answered, ignoring her brother to look at Sirius."Our family is related to the famous Wizard Van Helsing, who freed this region from Vlad Dracul's tyranny. He left behind him a journal where he claims that he found a treasure in the catacombs under the castle, but to lift the wards and protections around it, Vampire's blood is necessary. As Dracula burned when his body got exposed to the sunlight, and the other Vampires never come close to the castle, it stayed there for centuries. My brother wants to use the Vampire, who is around to get to the treasure."

" I just want to do what's right…Sure…" Sirius said, looking at Balasko. "You didn't alert the ministry of magic…If they need gold so much, they would have sent everyone they could spare to get the treasure…You want it for yourself, so you kept it quiet and secretly asked for help abroad. He made you sign a contract, right?" Sirius asked the other men.

"Yeah…I'm getting a meager percentage, and I'm not counting what is going to remain after MACUSA's taxes…But, it would be worthy if Gregorovitch takes me in his shop," Russell said, resigned.

"As a former minister of magic, you could show some honor and leave the treasure to your country. You said that the Romanian ministry is urgently in need of gold… "Sirius reprimanded Balasko.

"It's…Complicated," Balasko said.

"No, it's very simple! You see, Mr. Black, my dear sibling, is perhaps famous for his achievements during the war, but what the world doesn't know is that after retiring, he lost all his belonging and savings to gambling…To the point that he came here forty years ago, asking me kindly to take him for two days tops….He never left. By the way, I didn't properly introduce myself, I am Denise Balasko, and you are in MY HOUSE." She said, looking darkly at her brother, who was avoiding Sirius's gaze.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Balasko…" Sirius said, shaking the hand she extended to him before turning to the other men in the room. "Okay… My decision is already made; no need to try to fool me."

"What's would it be? Do you accept to help us?" Balasko asked, hopeful.

"Yes, if you agree to one request," Sirius said. "If we succeed, I want you, Belby, and Worple, to help me get a fair trial in England. The last time I didn't get to chance to defend myself, and I am tired of running away."

The men glanced at each other. Belby and Worple nod to show their consent.

"If you keep your promise to help us and not try to escape or harm anyone, I will get you that trial. You have my word." Balasko said firmly.

"I would also like you to do something else, simple…" Sirius said.

"What is it?" Balasko asked.

"Earlier, you said that the teenagers in Germany accused me of kidnaping them and try to kill them… That's a lie, and I refuse to believe that one of the two girls would claim it's true…However, she could have said that to avoid legal charges if the Aurors put pressure on her … Tomorrow, go to Germany and talk to Alexa Acker and her parents, make sure that they are fine."

"That's all you want?" Balasko asked, frowning.

"Yes. If you agree, we will have a deal." Sirius said.

"We have a deal then," Balasko said, clapping his hands.

"Wonderful! Now, Red, dear, it's time for bed." Denise Balasko said to Russell softly, making him startle as Sirius and Balasko's discussion absorbed him.

"Denise…I'm nineteen, I can stay late…" Russell said to her, embarrassed by the other men who start mocking him.

"I am ninety-five sweaty; you are all babies to my eyes. Except for that troll", she replied, nodding toward her brother." It's bedtime for everyone; I swear, anyone still in bed at Tomorrow will hear from me… Worple, please do me a favor and clean that cauldron you left in the kitchen before going upstairs; it's disgusting…"

Belby stood up. "Right away, my lady!" he said he headed toward the kitchen.

", would you be fine with sharing a room with Red?" She asked Sirius.

"Yes…I can also sleep in the living room…"

"No, you would be better upstairs. Good night gentlemen, and brother." Denise said, waving a hand to them before leaving.

"You heard her, let's call it a day! We will speak more after I'm back from Germany. Good night!" Balasko said before following her sister out of the living-room.

Shortly after, Worple and Zoega emptied what was left of the beer and left. Sirius and Russell found themselves alone, awkwardly sitting in silence.

"Do you mind if I call you Sirius?" Russell asked.

"No…It's my name…You're Red, right?" Sirius asked, smiling.

"Yeah…Listen, I want to be clear about something if we have to share a room and work together," Red said to him, coldly.

"Tell me."

"We might have been nice tonight, but don't get it wrong… We are not your friends." Red said.

"Okay…" Sirius said cautiously.

"The others are being ''diplomatic'' with you because it's for everyone's best that everything goes smoothly. But where I come from, when we have something to say, we say it straight in the face."

"Perfect… Say what you have to say then."

"Okay… If you want us to be cool, keep your racist pureblood crap to yourself… The only reason you are not back in prison is that Balasko and Denise didn't want to turn you in and made us swear we would be civil with you, don't mistake our kindness with a pardon for all the evil you did in England. And you better watch yourself; those girls in Germany have suffered enough if you keep harassing them…"

"What would happen?" Sirius interrupted him, exasperated with the same story.

Red didn't answer immediately; instead, he leaned back in his armchair, stared at him for a brief moment before answering with a menacing tone. "You'll see."

Sirius closed his eyes, let escape a grave sight. He knew that the more time he was pending running away, more fantasized stories were going to spread about him and the harder it was going to be for him to prove his innocence. He was now afraid that even if he could somehow capture Peter or Voldemort himself testified in his favor, there were always people to believe him guilty.

"Thank you for your honesty Red…" Sirius replied calmly.

"You are welcome. I'm glad it's clear." Red said.

"Pretty clear!"

"Good! Let's go now; it's late…Follow me, I'll show our room; the bed near the window is mine so forget about it." Red said, yawning while heading toward the stairs, Sirius after him.

The next morning, Sirius and Red woke up early to the sound of door knock. They didn't drag their feet and joined the others downstairs, to the kitchen where Worple, Belby, and Zoega were already sitting eating breakfast. From their heads and jaws continuously cracking into yawns, he could tell that they weren't early birds, so they ate in silence before each one of them went to his daily occupation. While Zoega and Worple sat around the living-rooms to scrap on parchments for the next two hours, Belby fused around a cauldron he had installed in the kitchen, and Red sat in the same room, carefully carving a wooden stick. Sirius went to sit alone outside, on the porch. He realized that the house was located at a distance from the village. Along the way leading to the town, other houses were spread out on both sides. He didn't see Balasko at breakfast; maybe he did keep his word and went to Germany early in the morning. Sirius didn't sleep well, turned in his bed for hours, thinking about what could have happened to Alexa and her family, until Red threatened to stun him. He felt terrible for not keeping in touch with her. If at first, he decided not to contact her in case the Aurors had charged her for helping a criminal, he could have done so after a few weeks…However, he lost track of time by dint of avoiding conglomerates, the weather didn't help him. He didn't even remember his Birthday a few months ago. His eyes paced around the front yard, draped with flowers, when Balasko apparated in front of the estate's small portal. The older man walked to him with a small smile that only raised Sirius's concern and sat next to him.

"As promised, I went to see the Ackers this morning," Balasko said.

"How are they doing?" Sirius asked.

"We talked for an hour…The last year was very hard on them," Balasko said.

"What happened?" Sirius asked.

"The Aurors didn't believe her side of the story…They suspected her of not just hidden you for the entire year but also helping you kidnap other students. Four girls swear in court that she help you…" Balasko said.

"That's a lie!" Sirius spat." What did they do to her?"

"Fortunately, Dumbledore intervened…He took her defense, he claimed that you managed to fool and manipulate your best friends for years. That Miss Acker being muggle-born and aware of the existence of magic for only two months when she met you, didn't have any idea about who you were, that you brainwashed her… The department of justice didn't hold any criminal charges against her…"

"That's insane! They wanted someone they could blame no matter the age. To save face…" Sirius said, disgusted." What next?"

"Anyway, Dumbledore couldn't deny she used magic with no restrain outside school. She confessed during her audience, so they snapped in half her wand and expelled her from the academy." Said Balasko, sad.

"NO! THEY CAN'T DO THAT!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yet they did…Just when her dad finally got his transfer… Now she goes to a muggle school in the village she lives in. Dumbledore offered a place at Hogwarts, but the school board refused, the new member voted her admission. He claimed the founders made it clear that Hogwarts was only opened for kids born in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and England." Balasko said.

Sirius stared at him in shock, waited for him to burst into laughter and tell him that everything was fine, that it was just a joke, but Balasko said he was sorry and didn't add a single word. Sirius stood up and headed toward the portal.

"Where are you going?" Balasko called him.

"Germany! Sorry about our deal, but I can't…" Sirius answered.

"Don't be stupid! There is nothing you can do for her! Dumbledore tried everything thrust me! Here you can save lives!" Balasko said.

"You don't understand!" Sirius spat at him.

"Maybe I don't…Listen, they snapped her wand and forbidden her to use magic but only as long as she is underage. When she's seventeen, the trace will be lifted anyway. It's temporary! Meanwhile, she will be going to a muggle school where she would secure a future in the muggle world; she said something about becoming a nurse like her mother or a doctor…"

"It doesn't change the fact that she is innocent, and everything that happened to her is my fault," Sirius said.

"Yes…But going there will only make things worse for her. Now they accepted the narrative saying that you manipulated her and forced her; if you go back there, they will deduce that she chose to be your accomplice, not forced! Anyway, she has a message for you…" Balasko said.

"You should have started with that!" Sirius said, turning back to face him." What does it say?"

"She cried when she said it…"He took out an orb from his pocket and broke crashed it on the ground. A cloud of smoke escaped, taking the form of a girl's silhouette, and Alexa's sobbing voice echoed. '' Sirius, I curse the day we met. My life and dreams are crushed because of you; stay away from my parents and me, wherever you are. Stay away and forget me! Harry will be happy without you around." Balasko said.

"Did she really said that? "Sirius asked, bewildered.

"I am sorry…However, I remind you that our deal includes getting you a fair trial in London. If you are innocent as you claim, you'll be cleared; then I am sure that the most wealthy man in Great Britain can pull some strings to help a friend…Until then, I also remind you that you have to hold on to your part of our deal, so follow me inside, we have to start working on a plan with the rest of the team."

The man cleaned his shoes on the doormat and went inside, leaving Sirius boiling in frustration, the girl's cries buzzing in his head. He had the impression that unhappiness was brewing all around him, hitting mainly the people he was attached to. He was surprised to consider that this could not be a coincidence. Was it possible that his mother had placed a curse on him? To punish him for turning his back on his family. Maybe Alexa was right, that even if he could get out of it, he should stay away from Harry. For his own good. He came out of these thoughts by Balasko's voice calling him to join them inside. He sighed, glanced at the bracelet placed against his will on his wrist, and headed toward the front door.

Hello everyone, I would like to thank: Anna2127, FrankTeTank, J. Halsdorfer, Procrastinator123, RCOASU, Rapaxus, Allard, jpabel4656 for following this story, and also all the silent readers. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. This is not even the beginning of this story and I have a lot of stuff to share with you guys.

This is the first time I try to write something, not in my native language and I have to admit, it's very hard. This is why I am going to take a little bit more time between two chapters, hoping to improve the quality (especially the grammar, spelling, etc... I know that it's a big problem, but I'll o my best).

I am not receiving reviews, so I would like to have some feedback from you guys. What I can learn alone has a limit, your opinion would really help me get better at this. My PM is open, so you can always contact me directly if you don't want your review to be public or whatever.

Thank you very much for your time!