Face to face, eye to eye, in the middle of a static drawing room, only the clocks ticking had their say. A duel to death was about to take place. Time was slow to pass, and then the moment of truth arrived. Sirius was the quickest, his arm sprang up out of reflex, and Fenrir Greyback was blown outwards, smashing the large window and the wall framing it in the act. Sirius didn't delay a second in following him, stepping over the wreckage of bricks and wood. He joined the werewolf out in the back yard resolved to bring this story to a close. Fenrir got up slowly, a grin on his face, pulling out a piece of glass that had stuck in his shoulder.
"This whole story makes sense now. No one else in the world is capable of such brutality when it comes to killing. " Sirius said.
"In the world? How much do you know about the world, kid? "Fenrir replied.
"More than a beast lost in the darkness. What are you doing so far from England? "Sirius asked.
"Last time I checked, the darkness is home to both of us, mate! "Fenrir answered, laughing.
"Maybe...Still, I'm delighted to see you, Fenrir." Sirius, earning a confused look from his foe.
"Well...I don't get that a lot? "Fenrir asked.
"Ever since I got out of Azkaban, I've had one thought. Find Peter, get him to confess everything and kill him. But the son of a bitch knows how to hide. Finding him is almost impossible...And here I am, so far from London, and I run into you! The commander of Voldemort's werewolf army in person! You must know a lot. I'm sure if I take you back to the ministry of magic, I'll get my chance to tell my side of the story. "Sirius said.
Fenrir laughed again. "You think you can capture me? Do you believe a stooge like you is going to screw up my mission? "
"Your mission? What mission?" Sirius asked.
"Want to know? I'll tell you...it does concern you, after all. The orders are ''Find and kill Sirius Black.'' " Fenrir replied.
"Me? I was your target? From the start? " Sirius asked.
"More or less... A year ago, a bounty was placed on your head, I accepted the contract, and for a year, I hunted you down without success until I changed my plan. I captured a Belgian Auror and tortured him until he revealed that reports from British, French, Belgian, German and Italian Aurors were convinced that you were in South-East Europe. I chose an impoverished region at random and started butchering at will, confident that you would come to play heroes and here you are in front of me. "Fenrir.
"All this? Did you kill all those people? That poor girl in the hotel... just to lure me in? "Sirius asked, dropping his wry smile.
"Hmmm, I still get a hard-on when I think about her. It's kind of your fault, you know? I did it as soon as I heard you were finally in the region, sort of a welcome home party for you! The problem is that you didn't come alone. As long as the other old fart was around, it was impossible to get near you. "Fenrir said, frustrated.
"Balasko?
"Yes...it would be pure madness to try anything with him around, and you were always behind him like a flea on a poodle...Enough talking. It's time for you to die. "Fenrir said, then before Sirius' stunned face, despite the sun that had already lit up the sky, fur bloomed on his body, his face contorted, his sharp teeth lengthened, and muscles grew twice bigger. Standing on his hind legs, the most dangerous werewolf in the world.
"No fucking way..." Sirius muttered, taking a step backwards, Denise's wand pointed straight at Fenrir.
The werewolf lunged at him with a speed that left Sirius no chance to formulate any incantation. He narrowly dodged the charge, apparating a few feet away but Fenrir spotted him immediately and attacked again. This time Sirius was ready.
"EXPULSO! "Sirius shouted, hitting Fenrir straight in the chest. However, as powerful as the blast was, it unfortunately succeeded only to make him retreat a few steps.
"STUPEFY! "Sirius tried a second time, the lightning struck Fenrir, who didn't even bother to avoid it, in the chest again.
Once again, it was unsuccessful.
Fenrir growled and start moving slowly towards Sirius, who was firing spell after spell that only managed to slightly slow down the werewolf's progression by a few seconds. Behind Fenrir, Sirius saw Joan, Red and Denise running around the house to arrive in the backyard. Fenrir turned around, neglecting Sirius. The three newcomers froze at the sight of the beast, Red letting his wand slip from his hand. Fenrir glanced over his shoulder at Sirius, then switched targets, attacking the other three instead. Sirius saw Joan shaking, Red looking stupidly at his wand on the grass. However, the sight of Denise standing straight, face unfazed, arms crossed in defiance of the charging monster, ignited a fire in Sirius' heart. He threw himself on Fenrir, girded him by the waist and disapparated along with him.
They crashed together a few seconds later onto the forest grass where Belby had made a habit of picking most of the ingredients he needed for his work. Sirius hastily released Fenrir, trying to bite him and moved away, his wand raised, ready. Greyback attacked first. This time Sirius changed his approach. He aimed at the werewolf's ankles and conjured several silver chains to bound them together. Fenrir fell forward. The contact with silver was burning him, making him whimper in pain, and Sirius took the opportunity given by the situation.
"LEVICORPUS! "he shouted, hanging the beast in the air as it tried to reach its ankles to break free of the chains that were starting to scorch its skin. Sirius conjured more to restrain his arms. Arms and legs under control, Sirius rushed at him and pressed the tip of his wand on Greyback's forehead as he kept snapping his jaw, wriggling in the air, trying to reach Sirius's throat.
"Homorphus", Sirius whispered, then slowly Fenrir Greyback reverted to his human form and fell to his knees before Sirius.
"It's over, Fenrir," Sirius told him calmly. "Don't make me. "He warned him as Fenrir tried to get up.
"You think it's over? That they'll leave you alone? "Fenrir said with a sneer.
"I don't give a crap. If someone wants to kill me, I'll make sure he or she could find me. I won't run away anymore. "Sirius said.
"You don't know who you're dealing with..." Fenrir said.
Suddenly, the sound of a crushed twig behind him and Sirius fell to the ground, knocked out. However, before losing consciousness, he heard Fenrir greyback exult before switching his mood to start hurling curses.
"SON OF A BITCH! TRAITOR! "
Hours later, Sirius slowly opened his eyes. A quick glance around informed him that he was lying on a small cot inside a wooden hut filled with cardboard boxes. An empty chair was pulled up next to a small table with an empty meal tray on it to his right. Sirius tried to get out of bed but almost fell out, not realizing that his wrist was handcuffed to the metal frame. Just as he was about to transform to free himself and flee, he heard the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor followed by a soft voice speaking to him.
"Slept well, princess? "
Sirius turned and froze as he saw the man drying his hands with a towel, and his eyes silently followed him until he sat down in front of him on the empty chair beside the table.
"Sorry about the handcuffs, but after Hamburg, I didn't want to take any chances. "Remus Lupin said as he waved his wand lightly to free Sirius' wrist.
"Remus? ...Is that really you? "Sirius finally asked, rubbing his wrist.
"You want us to wait here until the next full moon to be sure? "Remus sarcastically asked.
« What are you doing here? » Sirius carefully asked, his eyes inspecting every movement Remus was doing.
«Don't play dumb with me. I'm obviously here because you're here. » Remus answered coldly.
Sirius sighed and nodded. «I'm glad it ends this way…I don't want to fight you. I won't resist if you want to arrest me. »
Just as Remus was about to reply, the door burst open, and Joan and Red stormed into the hut, shouting threats, wands raised. Remus immediately disarmed them and held them at aim, bringing an end to their circus. The shack became quiet again. Their eyes went from Sirius, who had pulled his blanket over himself, to Remus. Joan was the first to break the silence.
"Sorry Remus, we mistook you for the other one. "
"You two know each other? "Sirius asked, looking at them alternately.
"Er...No", Joan said, making sure not to meet Sirius' gaze.
"No, we don't know each other...Sorry for attacking you, Mr Stranger; we've never seen in our lives. "Red added.
"Yes... I'm Joan Zoega, and this is Red Russell. Nice to meet you. "Joan said.
"Yeah, nice to meet you. "Red said.
"We'll leave you to it. "Joan said as he grabbed Red's arm and dragged him out with him.
After fixing the door, Remus turned back to Sirius. "funny lads, those two. "
"Yeah...So, what now?" Sirius asked.
"We're going back to the Balasko's. Ludovik must have finished rebuilding the wall you destroyed. "Remus casually said.
"And then what? "Sirius asked.
"I don't know, we could go for a drink in town, what do you think?" Remus replied.
"CUT THE BULSHIT! "Sirius shouted.
"I can't believe you're this dumb Sirius..." Remus said with a smile, throwing at him a copy of the daily prophet.
The front page displayed a photograph of Fenrir Greyback in an Azkaban prison uniform along with his inmate number. Written in large letters:
«The end of the run! Sirius Black, the national hero, stops Fenrir Greyback! »
Sirius stared numbly at the first page, stalling his name followed by the word ''hero''.
"Don't drool over it please, I still haven't had a chance to read it all," Remus said to him.
"Hero? " Sirius asked in a low voice, raising his head slowly to meet Remus, who was looking at him with, smiling.
"Yes, that is the word used to describe someone who has performed a dangerous or extraordinary task for the good of another person or community. "Remus said.
"Er...and that would be me? "Sirius asked.
"You are, to an entire village in Normandy, anyway. "Remus said.
"Remus, I am completely lost. "Sirius said.
"Your snail-like IQ must be the explanation...You've been cleared a little over a year ago, Sirius. "Remus said.
"I'm sorry? I must have heard you wrong..." Sirius said with a frown.
"Peter was captured, and he confessed to everything during his trial...How and why he joined Voldemort, how he turned us against each other, how he managed to become the secret keeper, the mass murder the day after Voldemort's downfall and how he framed you for everything..." Remus said.
"You've got to be shitting me! "
"We've been looking for you for a year! The news travelled around the world! I've been looking for you ever since we heard about what happened in France. Do you remember Kingsley?" Remus asked.
"Tall, black, boring? "Sirius asked.
"The same one, he became an Auror. He knew from the beginning that something wasn't right, I don't know the exact deets, but he brought me in for questioning. Apparently, he built a solid case and went to Mad-eye, who took it to Crouch, who ordered Dolohov's arrest. "
"Antonin Dolohov?"
"Yes, at his trial, he incriminated himself and told a story full of incoherence to cover Peter and bring you down...Then, while you were on the continent, Peter got captured, and you'll never guess how. "
"Did he tripped, fall down the stairs and land right in front of the aurors' office?" Sirius asked.
"Really?...that's all you can do? You're supposed to be the funny one." Remus asked, looking disappointed.
"Prison has matured me. "Sirius replied.
"Yeah...that must be it. If you're wondering, it was your cousin who captured Peter. "Remus said.
"Andromeda?! " Sirius asked wide-eyed.
"No, the other one? " Remus said.
"NARCISSA?! "Sirius exclaimed.
"No, you shouldn't dream either...Nymphadora and another kid from Hogwarts. " Remus said.
"I don't have any cousins named Nymphadora. " Sirius said.
"Well, she will be glad to learn that she put all her sickles into a reward for a guy who is denying her existence. " Remus said, shaking his head.
"No, seriously, I don't know her, and what reward? " Sirius asked.
"She's Andromeda's daughter...she's about to start her third year at Hogwarts in September. Anyway, to make a long story short, Peter pretended to be a rat to get adopted by a wizard family..."
"THAT'S EXACTLY THE KIND OF THING THAT SON OF A BITCH WOULD DO! HE'S NO BETTER! NO DIGNITY! "Sirius shouted.
"Are you done?" Remus asked.
"Sorry...when I think of him, I want to burn..." Sirius began before being interrupted by Remus.
"I don't want to know. "
"You're right...So go on, he spent a year eating grains? Please tell me he came across an abusive family with a troubled child who finds pleasure in torturing pets. "Sirius said hope filling his eyes.
"Quite the opposite, happy family and the kid who took care of him loves animals, too much according to McGonagal. "Remus said.
"There is really no justice in this world. "Sirius said with a sigh.
"If it makes you feel any better, right now Peter is locked up in Azkaban's maximum-security wing, the same cell you were locked in... Mad-Eye says it's poetic. " Remus said.
"I'm feeling much better already... So how did the best little cousin in the world manage to nab him? " Sirius asked.
"Two minutes ago, you didn't even know she..." Remus said.
"THE BEST! "Sirius shouted, muffling Remus' voice.
"Okay...if you want... It must be fate, believe it or not, she's the best friend of the kid who adopted Peter. They were at her house in the living room doing their homework. They tried a spell on him, and he revealed himself, just like that. One thing led to another until he ended up in court. "Remus said.
"I can't believe it! Who were the judges? "Sirius asked, his hands folded behind his head.
"Crouch, Dumbledore and Bones. " Remus replied.
"Perfect, perfect...what happened next? " Sirius asked.
"They sent him to prison, end of the story. If you're feeling better, we should move and join the others, tomorrow morning we have a portkey to take us back up to London. "Remus said as he stood up.
"I'm not going back to England. " Sirius said curtly.
"Sirius, I swear I'm not leading you on. " Remus said.
"I know, I trust you. " Sirius said.
"Then why?" Remus asked,
"I have to go to Germany first. I wrecked a home. I have to make everything right. " Sirius said.
"Ohhhh...I forgot to tell you. " Remus said as he sat back down.
"Tell me what?" Sirius asked.
"After Peter's trial, you got a hearing too. Again everyone was there! "Remus said.
"A trial? Everyone was there? Wasn't someone important missing? "Sirius asked.
"Not that I know of, all the wizengamot, the heads of every department, representatives of civil society, the French and German ministers and their delegations..." Remus said, looking thoughtful.
"And the defendant? Was he present, the accused? "Sirius asked.
" Oh, no, he was busy playing dolls and having tea with an eleven-year-old girl. "Remus replied.
"Shut up! ".
"Okay...this was more of a hearing to accurately retrace everything that happened from the time you escaped to the time you fled Germany. People came to testify on your behalf, from muggles to the Ministry of Magic. Can you believe it? "Remus said.
"What?!" Sirius.
"The muggle villagers you saved from getting slaughtered in the crypt under Gilles DeReis's castle, they came escorted by their minister in person to testify on your behalf. Muggles in the ministry of magic do you believe it? At least, those who are not in a psychiatric hospital. Then it was your friend and her friends turn. "Remus said.
"Alexa?" Sirius asked.
"Yes...She came with her mother and the other four girls you rescued. I went to get them myself. She talked for an hour. She spoke, then cried, then we had to take a break...
"Yeah, she does that a lot..." Sirius said.
"Then the session resumed and had to stop again when she went after Crouch, she called him a Nazi..."
"Really? "Sirius asked.
"Yes. She told everything you did for her; the other girls confirmed it." Remus added.
"Wait! I don't understand! I sent Balasko to see her, he came back with an unequivocal message! Not to mention that since I arrived here, the others won't stop..." Sirius said.
"You mean the message '...Stay away from me. I curse the day you appeared in my life? That was my line. " Remus said, smiling.
"Excuse me?" Sirius asked.
"Balasko warned me in advance that he was going to visit her and gave me an appointment there to collect his reward and his pay. Alexa was very upset with you. You disappeared for a whole year. She thought you might be dead... Payback was in order. " Remus said.
"It was a lie? Was any of it true? "Sirius asked.
"Nothing, just the opposite. Things are going very well for her. Her ministry has awarded her a medal, and Dumbledore has even offered her a place at Hogwarts. However, she declined his offer to stay close to her parents. Instead, she told me to tell you that "you need to talk". "Remus said.
"I'm relieved. The thought of ruining her life has been bothering me for weeks...However, she's going to hear from me. "Sirius said.
"She seems very attached to you...a lot..." Remus said.
"What are you getting at? " Sirius asked.
"Nowhere, I'm just pointing out the age difference and that you are an adult..." Remus.
"WOW, STOP RIGHT THERE! "Sirius said.
"I just wanted to..." Remus said.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! She's my friend, I trained her, and we helped each other. THAT'S IT! The very fact that you can even hint at anything else makes me want to vomit! Pervert! Fucking Werewolf! " Sirius said.
"Okay, okay, calm down. I apologize. "Remus said.
"Well, be careful... Wait a minute, what reward? And why does Balasko get to be paid for? "Remus asked.
"As soon as Peter was sentenced, some of your relatives chipped in to offer a reward to anyone who would bring you back home safe and sound. Dumbledore, Hagrid, McGonagal, Andromeda, and her daughter put up all her pocket money. Even your elf pitched in. " Remus said as he counted his fingers.
"Kreatur? " Sirius asked.
"Yes, he put a booger in the box..." Remus said.
"Sure," Sirius said. "Six people...I would have thought Frank and Alice would have participated..."
"They would have definitely participated willingly if they could. "Remus said gravely.
"What do you mean? "Sirius asked, intrigued.
"The day you were arrested, they were tortured the same night until they lost their minds. They have been at St. Mongoose Hospital since. Bellatrix, her husband, brother-in-law and Crouch's kid did it. They're in Azkaban, except for the kid, who died in his cell. " Remus said, looking sad.
"Is that why they got arrested? I saw them walk past my cell! The kid, he spent days and nights screaming! I didn't know he was Crouch's son! How did Crouch rule?" Sirius asked.
"He disowned his son and sentenced everyone to life. "Remus replied.
"I'm not surprised...Damn, Frank and Alice...they don't deserve this...if I remember, they had a daughter, right? " Sirius said.
"No, a boy, he lives with his grandparents, his name is Neville. "Remus said.
"Neville? Are you sure?" Sirius asked.
"Yes, why?" Remus asked.
"Nothing... Earlier, you mentioned Balasko's fee. What did you mean? "Sirius said.
"You'd think he wouldn't take you in for free. " Remus said with a smile.
"Wait...is that why they didn't tell me about my acquittal? Did Balasko take the money and split it with the others so they would play along? "Sirius asked.
"I think he blackmailed them in some way, but yes, that's the short answer. " Remus said.
"The bastard, the son of a bitch, the fucker, the scum! I'm going to murder that asshole! The rest of those clowns too! How could I be so stupid! I've been walking around for two months, I didn't even think about it! "Sirius spat.
"Yes, by the way, you owe me eight hundred gold galleons, you can pay me back in several times, there's no problem! "Remus said.
"Pay you? "Sirius asked.
"Yes, it's only me who has paid. One of Balasko's conditions was not to tell Dumbledore. He thinks you need some time away before you could come back to Britain. "Remus said.
"Thank you...but do you mind if I ask you a question? "Sirius said.
"Yes," Remus said.
"How did you pay? You can barely afford food... Wait a moment... You're wearing new, neat clothes, your hair is well combed even though last night was a full-moon night... REMUS RACHELLE LUPIN! Are you prostituting yourself?! " Sirius asked.
"My middle name is not..."
"RACHEEEEELLLLE! "Sirius shouted.
"Okay, okay...No, I'm not a prostitute. I work at Hogwarts. To be precise, I'm Dumbledore's personal assistant. " Remus said proudly.
"You mean like a teacher?" Sirius asked, dumbfounded.
"Yes, I have the same privileges at Hogwarts, a salary... But I don't live in the castle, I bought a small apartment in Hogsmeade. It's close to the school, and the shack, very convenient for you know what. " Remus said.
"Professor at Hogwarts...This is worse than prostitution, worse than being a death eater! You've switched over to the enemy! " Sirius said, pointing his finger at him.
"Really, it's worse? "Remus asked.
"Yes! It can't get any worse! Wait until James hears this..." Sirius before shutting up, creating an uncomfortable silence in the small shack.
"I get you...For a moment, hearing your dumb jokes, I thought I travelled back in time. " Remus said softly.
"Yes, me too...So, do I really need to ask the question, or will you keep avoiding the topic? " Sirius asked.
"What topic? "Remus asked.
"Harry. How is he? Where is he? What is he like? I want to know everything. " Sirius said as he stared Remus straight in the eye.
"He's fine. " Remus said.
"And..." Sirius insisted.
"That's all I know. "Remus said.
"What do you mean that's all you know? "Sirius asked.
"As you might guess, he lives with his aunt. Dumbledore has categorically forbidden any kind of contact between the magical world and Harry. He explained that the magic that protects Harry could be weakened if we do otherwise and that Petunia has made that a condition for taking Harry into her home anyway. Dumbledore says we have to respect that. "Remus said, weighing the words.
"A condition for taking in her nephew, her sister's baby who was murdered? " Sirius asked slowly.
"Yes," Remus said.
"So if I understand correctly, you've never been to see him, he may not know anything about me, and I'm beginning to think that Petunia and the other whale aren't too happy to have him in her house. Am I right? "Sirius asked.
"Put yourself in her position and think about what happened to the Longbottoms. She has a son too. We don't know how many of Voldemort's followers are still on the loose; when you escaped from prison, we thought you were going to go straight to the Dursleys and finish the job, and I..." Remus said.
"You what? Why didn't you take him with you? You have a place, a paycheck, and you live ten minutes from the most powerful wizard in the world. I don't think Dumbledore would refuse to watch for a child during a full moon. " Sirius said.
"You think I didn't try? I wanted to go to him in hiding, but I couldn't find privet drive. Once I tried to follow them, I followed Vernon from his work to the school where Harry goes, and you know what?" Remus asked.
"What?" Sirius asked.
"I didn't even get a glimpse of Harry; Mad-eye appeared out of nowhere in front of me and stunned me. "Remus said.
"You're lucky he didn't kill you... Well, don't worry, it's only temporary anyway. As soon as I set foot in England, I'll go straight to get him. I'm his godfather. The legal custody falls to me. "Sirius said as he got off the cot.
"And how are you going to do that? Do you think Dumbledore will let you? "Remus asked.
"Dumbledore, Dumbledore...Why would I care about what Dumbledore thinks? James and Lily chose me as godfather, not Dumbledore or Petunia; I'm practically his uncle anyway, period. Where exactly are we anyway? "Sirius asked.
"A cabin in the woods where Balasko stores his contraband. "Remus replied.
"Of course. " Sirius said as he placed his hand on the wrist of the door. Before opening it, he looked back at Remus. "I almost forgot, Greyback did something strange before you came in. "
"I know, Denise told me, but I have no explanation, lycanthropy is a curse, not an ability, but I would still report it to Dumbledore. " Remus said.
They walked out of the cabin and joined Red and Joan, who were waiting for them further down a tree trunk before heading towards the Balaskos' house without noticing the two shadowy silhouettes that were discreetly watching them among the trees.
"When are we going to start taking him seriously? "
"Everything that happened last night and this morning are pure coincidence Lord Sourorov. "
"This is getting to be too many coincidences. I think it would be in our best interest to eliminate the man immediately. "Lord Surorov suggested.
"Our council has decided otherwise. Five hundred thousand years ago, we swore to stay united and rule together. "Lord Gago said.
"But you can't hide your concern brother, you also have doubts, just like the last time. "Lord Surorov replied.
" To doubt is to be cautious, cautiousness, we will need plenty with a man such as Sirius Black. "Lord Gago said.
"What did you see?" Lord Sourorov said.
"Nothing, his future is wholly veiled, "Lord Gago said.
"It is not a problem. The centuries and Millenials pass, but the pattern remains the same, the two lines keep meeting, and get crushed by our power. " Said a deep voice behind them.
"Lord Ndaw, I did not expect to see you in this part of the world. " Lord Sourorov said.
"The presence of Greyback and Black so close to Albania had me concerned. I went to make sure that what remains of Voldemort is still out there. But I think you were faster, Lord Gago. "Lord Ndaw said.
"Indeed, I have released Nagini and at the same time laid the groundwork for our plan. I think that forty years in hell were enough. "Lord Gago said.
"I have summoned our brothers for an emergency meeting. We should leave. "Lord Ndaw said, nodding towards Sourorov's hand, which was beginning to turn black.
"I see...Ravenclaw must have used it to keep us away from the castle, just like that school. Yes, we should go."