Chapter 35
June 25th of 1985. Kyiv. 7.30 pm:
Sirius and Xenia crossed the October Revolution square to reach the address Kalyna had given them. The hotel where the reception and kalynas' concerto were to take place was, despite its location in the center of Kyiv, invisible to Muggles and only accessible to members of the magical community. They arrived in front of an elegant building with an exquisitely decorated facade supported by Carrara marble pillars. A red carpet displayed from their feet to the entrance, where a young man in a suit wearing a bowtie was standing at a desk waiting to welcome the guests. Xenia took Sirius's arm and pretended to walk towards the entrance, but Sirius stopped her.
"Wait...we're on the same page, right? We stick to the plan and no solo initiative." Sirius said.
"Understood. And... Thanks for doing this." Xenia told him.
"You know you can be really nice sometimes?" Sirius asked.
"Oh, shut up!" Xenia said, rolling her eyes.
"Alright, let's go!" Sirius said.
They walked to the desk at the entrance, greeted the young man at the front desk, who blushed when Xenia introduced them in Russian, then Sirius gave him his invitation card. The man looked at the name on the card, and his smile disappeared immediately. He looked at them, panicking, before saying in English.
"Would you excuse me for a minute?"
"Is there a problem with my invitation?" Sirius asked.
"No! Of course not! I just need to consult my supervisor! Do you mind?" He replied politely to Sirius, holding the card in both hands.
"Take your time," Sirius said.
"Thank you! I'll be back in a sec," The man said before rushing into the Lobby, leaving them alone outside.
Sirius and Xenia looked at each other; they both looked anxious.
"Xenia, on a scale of one to ten, how much do you trust Kalyna?" Sirius asked.
"10! Okay, 8...But, that's impossible, she would never do that to me or anyone else!" Xenia said, looking around her, expecting to see them surrounded.
"Look, we can always get out of here right away! I don't feel any ward that would prevent us from disappearing," Sirius said.
"NO! We're staying! We may not get another chance!" Xenia said.
At that moment, two men appeared in the hallway leading to the hotel lobby. Leading the way, a small, bald, elegantly dressed man froze on the spot when he saw them before rushing towards them, the young man from the Lobby on his heels.
"Mr Black, I would like to extend my deepest apologies for this outrage! I'm so ashamed I could burry myself underground!" The man said as he shook his hand warmly before leaning in to kiss Xenia's hand.
"We only waited a few seconds...There is no reason to apologize." Sirius said as he exchanged a quick glance with Xenia.
"Mr. Black, allow me to introduce myself. I am Artyon Sidorov, the manager of the establishment, at your service." Artyon said.
"Pleased to meet you Mr. Sidorov. May I introduce to you..." Sirius said as he extended his hand to Xenia, who interrupted him.
"Vlada Artemiev." Xenia said.
"Pleased to meet you Miss. Please come in, allow me to escort you." Artyon said.
They followed Artyon down the corridor to the hotel lobby. An ample oval space furnished with leather sofas, a shiny marble floor and a sculpted dome. The hall was already crowded with men and women chatting happily, flute glasses in their hands.
"Again, I'm sorry! We knew you were in Eastern Europe, but you were expected in St. Petersburg! Can't believe we asked you for an invitation to get inside!" Artyon said, leading them through the crowd and the waiters wandering around offering drinks to the guests. He led them down a hallway and into an elevator, then up the floors of the building until the elevator doors opened to a large luxury suite. Artyon was the first to exit the elevator and invited them to follow him.
"We always make sure to keep your suite and office impeccably maintained and ready to welcome you at any time. Following your father's instructions, I supervise its upkeep myself, and no one else is allowed to access it but me, except the elves who assist me." Artyon said.
Sirius and Xenia strolled around the suite's living room; their eyes raised up to the ceiling admiring the fresco that was painted.
"My father? Did he used to come here often?" Sirius asked.
"Twice a year and a few surprises visit, sir" Artyon said.
"Did he? Why?" Sirius asked.
"Well, Mr. Black, it's perfectly normal to visit and inspect the hotels you own!" Artyon said.
"Oh...of course!" Sirius said as he choked on his saliva.
"I have to go back to the Lobby to supervise the staff. Is there anything I can do for your service, ? Would you like to have dinner before the concerto? It starts in half an hour, but we can certainly delay! "Artyon said.
"No! We'll have dinner after!" Sirius said as he sat down on the black leather sofa in the living room, loosening his ties' knot.
"I've already rearranged the seating; you and Miss Artemiev will be sitting in the front row right next to the Minister for Magic of Ukraine." Artyon said.
"No!" Sirius said as he stood up, "Me and Vlada thought we'd better observe from a discreet spot. This is supposed to be a romantic evening." Sirius said as he placed his right hand on Xenia's hip.
"No problem! I have the perfect seats for you!" Artyon said. "It's a pleasure Sir. Miss" Artyon said as he bowed and headed back to the lift.
Sirius waited until the elevator doors were closed before looking towards Xenia.
"Do you want to lose your hand?" Xenia asked him dryly.
"Sorry..." Sirius said as he removed his hand from her hip and sat down on the living room couch. "Don't ask me any questions...I promise I had no idea." Sirius said as he looked at the suite.
"You don't have to tell me. You should have seen the look on your face when the man told you." Xenia said as she sat down next to him on the couch.
"Fuck!...I wasn't expecting this!" Sirius said.
"I didn't either! I thought we were going to get ambushed before we could even get in!" Xenia said.
"You know what...Now that I look closer...My family's symbols and colors are all over this suite..." Sirius said with a whistle.
"Can you imagine how lucky we just got? This changes our whole plan!" Xenia said excitedly.
"Did you see that?!" Sirius, who had approached the desk, said, "He had pictures of my brother, Bellatrix and Narcissa on his desk and none of me!" he snarled.
"...The table is completely turned over! We're on our own turf, and we can play by our own rules!" Xenia said as she punched a cushion.
"He could have at least pretended to like me..." Sirius said. "Look! He has a fucking picture of himself with my mum and Kreacher! The fucking house-elf!"
Xenia stood up and came over to him and put her hands on his cheeks before saying gently, "Sirius, I promise we'll fix your daddy issues…I'll ask my dad to hug you and say he is proud of you… but tonight we have more important things to do, okay?"
Sirius calmed down and nodded. "We're going to watch Kalyna's concert from an inconspicuous spot so we can identify who's in the crowd. Once we've identified Zoran's man, I'll ask Artyon to bring him up here for a private conversation, and I'll improvise something. You'll be in the bedroom, where you can hear the whole discussion and be ready to intervene."
"Good boy!" Xenia said as she pinched his cheek, making him wince.
"If we're going to wait for the concerto to end anyway, we could ask Kalyna to help us with her magic. What do you think?" Sirius asked.
"No way! Then you'll go back to England, and I'll go to the reserve, not Kalyna. If Zoran thinks she's involved, he'll take it out on her and her parents." Xenia said.
"Yes...you're right," Sirius said.
"Go freshen your face...You look like you've been slapped by a giant." Xenia said." and we still have time before the show starts; go get some fresh air in the balcony."
Sirius did as she said, went to the bathroom, sighed in exasperation at the extravagance of his father represented by the basin and the bubbles that peppered its surface, which served as a bathtub and the silver taps. He splashed cold water on his face and then took a moment to look at the reflection of his face in the mirror, running his hand over his cheek. Sirius smiled, seeing how years had passed since Hogwarts. He went into the bathroom and came face to face with Xenia, who stuck a framed photo in front of his face.
"Look! I found a picture of you and your father from when you were a baby! And it was all alone on his bedside table! You know what that means?" Xenia said, showing him a picture with his father holding a baby carefully wrapped in a blanket
"That's not me in... My father is too old in the photo." Sirius said.
"Oh..who is that, then?" Xenia asked.
"I guess it's my little cousin Draco. With my brother dead and me serving a life sentence, the only male heir left was Draco Malfoy, Narcissa's son. I imagine he must have seen him as his ideal successor, pureblood and from another wealthy British house." Sirius said.
"Damn it! I thought you'd be happy to see it..." Xenia said, embarrassed.
"Don't worry, thanks, Xenia...But if you must know, I'm the one who left my family. I imagine it must have humiliated them in front of the other houses... So I can understand why they wanted me out of their lives." Sirius said.
"Oh... Okay, then...I'll check my hair." Xenia said as she slipped into the bathroom.
Sirius went out into the terrace, sat on a couch set up there, then took out his mirror and called Red.
"Sirius! Is everything okay?" Red asked. "Joan, come over!"
Joan appeared next to Red in the mirror.
"Hi, Sirius!"
"Hi...Nothing serious just wanted to update you on the situation." Sirius said.
"We're listening!" Red and Joan said at the same time.
"You're not going to believe this, but apparently, I own the hotel where this is going down," Sirius said.
"Yes...we know!" Red said.
"You do?... How did you know?" Sirius said.
"Ludovik told us this morning when Red called to warn him of what was going on," Joan said.
"He also said that since he met you, he has been going to the hotels' spa from time to time, saying he is friend with the boss," Red added.
"WHAT?!" Sirius exclaimed, almost dropping the mirror on the floor.
"Be mad at him, man, not us," Red said.
"Honestly, Sirius! Are you surprised?" Joan asked with a laugh.
"Mate...Wait until I catch that bastard...Anyway...I will be fine. So, concentrate your attention on the reserve." Sirius said.
"Got it!" Red said.
"I have to go!" Sirius said as he heard Xenia call him before hanging up and putting his mirror away.
They climbed into the elevator and began to go down to the Lobby. Looking at himself in the large mirror, Sirius smiled.
"Are you flirting with your reflection?" Xenia asked with a chuckle.
"No...I was thinking about three days ago, the night we met." Sirius said.
"When I twisted your arm, and you begged me to stop?" Xenia asked.
"Yes, exactly! I remember you smelling like a dead rat and look at you now. Gorgeous and dressed like a princess." Sirius said.
"I don't know if a princess would be allowed to wear a necklace like this. Even less show off so much of her leg." Xenia said, looking at herself in the mirror, "Anyway, I apologize for hurting you and being so rude to you Sirius, I was completely wrong about you."
"Don't worry, I knew there was something seriously troubling you. It's called being mature. You'll get to it someday." Sirius said.
"Very funny..." Xenia said.
"But what made you change your behaviour? Because this morning when we left the reserve, you were still a bit of a ''dragon''." Sirius asked.
"Talking to Kalyna made me feel better...and in the meantime, I had time to realize that maybe I misjudged you." Xenia said.
"Can I ask what happened with Kalyna?" Sirius asked.
"No," Xenia said.
"Well...Anyway, I like that we're getting along now." Sirius said as the elevator doors opened.
June 25th of 1985. 8 pm:
Kingsley was back in his hotel room in Wales; he had pinned the photo he had stolen earlier in the evening to the wall and was pacing around his room. It was eleven o'clock in the evening, and he was reluctant to go and see Detective Patil so late. He had already disturbed him the night before. He wanted to know what he got from the video recordings his team had sent him that morning. He stopped in front of the wall and stared at the photo. Except for Rosier, who was dead, all of them had been in holding a seat in the Wizengamot for decades, writing and passing the same laws that Kingsley had both to obey and enforce.
The worst part was that they were all under Voldemort's orders, or at least suspected of being under his orders. Was it this that Moody had warned him about before he retired? Should he go back to him with what he had learned? No. So far, all he'd found out was that they'd created an organization that helped several Muggle causes. He had to establish the link with the crime first. He sat down on his bed. For now, he needed Snape to do his work and Patil to finish watching the videos.
Even making an inventory of the properties these families owned in the United Kingdom would take days. Not to mention the hassle before hoping to obtain the necessary documents. The charms used to hide them and, above all, how he would explain it to Scrimgeour. He needed irrefutable proof before going to see him. If he went to his office with that photograph, Scrimgeour would make him eat it before kicking him out of the Ministry.
He yawned and pretended to get up to refill his coffee mug when he heard a knock on his door. He looked suspiciously between the picture and the door. He peeled it off the wall and hid it in the back pocket of his jeans, then took out his wand and approached the door. He stuck the tip of it to the surface of the door, ready to blast the surprise visitor before glancing through the porthole. The detective Patil stood outside, hands in his pockets, waiting patiently for him to open the door.
Kingsley opened the door, looked out, grabbed him by his jacket and haphazardly pulled him into the room, much to Patil's surprise.
"What's going on?!" Patil asked. "Did you see anything suspicious outside?" He asked as he peeked out the window, pulling back the curtain a little.
"No... I'm just being careful. What are you doing here?" Kingsley asked.
Patil pulled a large sheet of paper out of his jacket, unrolled it and showed it to Kingsley.
"I've been watching the videos all day...By the way, I was amazed to receive them so quickly..." Patil said.
"What did you find?" Kingsley asked as he looked at the photo.
"As we suspected, the victim's car disappeared in England. The last time it was seen was about 50 kilometers from the border when it took a country road." Patil said.
"And you have located the exact spot?" Kingsley asked.
"Yes...It left the A4112 near Stawton on Wye and then went through Bredwardine. No sign of the car after that point." Patil said.
"Alright...we'll focus our search there," Kingsley said.
"Okay...But, if you don't mind, it can wait until tomorrow." Patil said, yawning into his hand, "I'm exhausted, and it's a two-hour drive."
"I was planning to go alone." Kingsley said.
"Oh...obviously, that's your side of the border... "Patil said.
"How's your doctor's trail going?" Kingsley asked.
"Bad...I can't find anything..." Patil said.
"You've been working a lot this past week; take tomorrow off and expand your search range when you get back," Kingsley said. Thank you for the information, Detective." Kingsley said.
"Yes...you're welcome." Patil said as she shook his hand." Let me know if you find anything tomorrow or if you need anything." he added before leaving the room.
Kingsley sat down at his desk and laid out a map of the United Kingdom. He took a style lying around and drew a large circle, enclosing the area where the car had disappeared. He knew it didn't mean anything, given the new information. A wizard could move from one end of the country to the other in a second and forcibly carry another human with him. But he still had to try.
He got up, put on his jacket, and left his room. He was about to disappear when his eyes fell on the gas station where he had talked to the bartender and the trucker the other day. That's where they were, chatting in the bar. So, he finally decided to go there. Once inside, they greeted him by raising their beers in the air.
"MAKE WAY FOR THE QUEEN'S GUARD!" shouted the trucker.
Kingsley joined them at the counter and greeted them before accepting the beer that the bartender had just opened for him.
"How's your case going, Detective?" the bartender asked.
"Slowly... "Kingsley said.
"Well, hurry up! Because we are all afraid!" the trucker said.
"I'm doing what I can! And if you're so scared...maybe you could help me, it would be a civic duty..." Kingsley said as he took a sip from his beer.
"Like James Bond?" The trucker asked.
"More like Austin Powers..." The bartender said.
Kingsley pulled the picture out of his back pocket and placed it on the counter. And tapped it with his index finger.
"You recognize any of these guys?" Kingsley asked.
The other two men leaned over the counter to get a closer look at the photo.
"This guy looks like a dick!" The trucker said as he pointed at Lestrange.
"Wait...I know that guy!" The bartender said.
"Which one?!" Kingsley asked.
"This one!" The bartender said, pointing at Selwing.
"Are you sure? Take a good look at him!" Kingsley insisted.
"I know what I'm saying! It's Seleucus Selwing! He's the guy who built the hospital!" The bartender said.
"The one by the highway?" Kingsley asked.
"There's only one." The trucker said.
"How do you know that? Have you seen him around here before? Or did you just hear his name?" Kingsley asked.
"I met him. I mean, I served him. Before the hospital was built, I worked as a waiter in a restaurant in town, a fancy place owned by a French chef. We prepared for his arrival two days in advance, closed the restaurant for him...all that for one hour." The bartender said.
"Who did he have lunch with? Or was it dinner?" Kingsley asked.
"Let me think... If I remember correctly, there was the university dean and the mayor at the time." The bartender said.
"Do you remember what they talked about?" Kingsley asked.
"It's been over fifteen years, pal." The bartender said. "But I remember it mostly because at night..."
"What happened during the night?" Kingsley asked.
"Okay, guys, whether you believe in this stuff or not, but after the night shift, I went to get a drink in a pub, you know the one that got demolished after its owner got arrested? "The bartender said to the trucker.
"Oh yeah, the one who use to sell pot!" The trucker said.
"What happened to you at night?" Kingsley insisted again.
"I walked into the bar, sited down at a table and order a pint...I remember it was the champions league semi-final...Leeds United playing Celtic FC...Hughes scored at minute 47; I took my cock out and did the helicopter with it before sitting down again... "The barman said.
"What the fuck happened?" Kingsley asked, losing his patience.
"Jesus...Calm down... Okay, a man came and sat down in front of me, at my table. I swear to you guys, I wet myself like a baby." The bartender said.
"That's because of the beer! It happens to me from time to time; in winter, it can be nice." The trucker said.
"What did this man look like? Is he in the picture?" Kingsley asked.
"Oh no!" the bartender said, shaking his head, "he had red eyes! Not like when you cry or cut onions, it was the color of his eyes like me, my eyes are brown! He was paler than an Irish woman's ass. His lips were thin... His nose was weird. He had long black hair, pulled back..." The bartender said.
"So, you met an ugly guy, that's your horror story?" The trucker asked.
"And then what?! What did he say to you? How are you still alive?" Kingsley asked.
"Well...he offered me to bet on the game...If Leeds ended winning the game, he told me he would feed me to his snakes. But, on the other hand, if Glasgow ended up winning the game, I would be free to leave." the barman said.
"What? SnakeS? If I were in your place, I would have taken that guy outside and beat the crap out of him." The trucker said.
"No...You...You...Wouldn't have done shit..." Kingsley said slowly, looking at the barman.
"Action man is right, mate! You weren't there, the whole time the guy was close, my blood was like frozen! He was watching the game, didn't pay any attention to me; but I had my eyes on him the whole time…He didn't look at me, but I felt like he was inside my head...Then the game ended, and I won the bet. He just stood up, told me I was a lucky guy and left the pub." The bartender said.
"Do…Do you have any idea who that man was?" Kingsley asked the bartender.
"He told me I was lucky, and I'll take his word for it; I don't want to know anything more; I don't even know why I'm telling you this story." The bartender said as he drank his beer.
"So, let's recap if you please...You confirm that on the same day, in the same village, you met Seleucus Selwing and Lord Voldemort?" Kingsley asked.
"Lord What?!" The trucker asked.
Kingsley looked at the two men silently, then went to lock the gas station door and pulled down the blinds before turning back to the two men who were looking at him suspiciously. He pulled out his wand and stupefied them both in a flash before walking closer to them.
"I'm sorry, lads... I'm not going to hurt you...Tomorrow morning you'll wake up with a little headache, nothing more." Kingsley said.
He walked around the bar counter and straightened the bartender's body against the wall before pointing his wand at his forehead and whispering, "Legilimens". Finally, he was going to get his evidence.
He probed delicately into the man's mind, feeling guilty for observing such intimate moments of his life. He had no intention of using legilimency in this way, preferring to use it for combat. He went back over his memories slowly, seeing him grow younger as he explored. He finally found the memory in question and was impressed when he saw that even if he had indeed met the dark lord, the man had not fainted in the presence of the dark mage, while even though a simple, harmless memorie, Kingsley shuddered. He collected the memory and continued to trace the memory threads back to the dinner served for Selwing before collecting the two memories and saving them in two different vials that he carefully capped.
When the job was done, he settled them comfortably in two chairs around a table in the room, placed two half-finished beers on the table, and disguised the scene so that they would think, the following day, that he had simply fallen asleep on the spot because of the booze. He looked at them for the last time. Then, he left the gas station, walked a few blocks to a dark corner and disappeared.
June 25th of 1985. 8.30 pm:
The building housed a theatre designed to accommodate performances for up to two hundred people. With a truncated elliptical plan, levels set back from each other, with private boxes on the top, and avoiding the addition of the fourth row of boxes, replaced by a colonnade, the architect had achieved a perfect elegance and balance to the whole. As for the machinery, the architect had signed a masterpiece, the place could be used for multiple purposes, the room could be used as a theatre, ballroom, or receptions, everything could be modulated without limits according to the needs of the moment. The theatre offered a bare floor from the room entrance to the back of the stage on about fifty meters. The stage was equipped with a rich "hard" set, with platforms to place spectators in a tiered system of boxes. Although this decor for the balls was not the exact copy of the hall in its theatre configuration, it offered a more colorful look where emerald-green, blue and silver dominated. Above the stage, high up, facing the audience, and Sirius in the most elevated box, was the coat of arms of the House of Black.
Only the lodge where he and Xenia occupied was occupied; all the other guests were sitting on chairs downstairs, in front of the stage where Kalyna had already started to play when they arrived. To his left, Xenia had her eyes stuck in binoculars and was inspecting the spectators' faces one by one, trying to guess who could be associated with Zoran's organization. Making comments from time to time,
"No, this one looks too stupid...A guy is already asleep; it's only been fifteen minutes dude, respect the artist! ...Hmmm, yep, definitely forced by his wife..." Xenia said before jumping up and sticking the binoculars on Sirius' eyes.
"Did you find him?! Where?" Sirius asked.
"Sixth row, fifth seat from the right. Xenia said," pointing to the chair with her finger.
Sirius looked at the binoculars and found a man with long hair, combed over with a line down the middle, the right-side dyed neon green, the left side pink.
"Is it him? Are you sure?" Sirius asked, unsure.
"No idea...But, hair cut!" Xenia answered, her face red, tears filling her eyes.
Sirius threw the binoculars at her and scolded her. "Be serious!"
"Okay...Okay...From what I can see, the first five rows are occupied by high officials from the Ukrainian ministry, and I recognize some from the Russian ministry... The last one is occupied by the national Quidditch team...And the three middle rows by businessmen... So I think I'm good!" Xenia said.
"Did you find him?" Sirius asked.
"I think I did! Look, It's him!" Xenia said as she pointed to a man sitting in the middle of the eighth row.
"What makes you say that?" Sirius asked.
"First, the escort next to him...and second, four Aurors are sitting next to him, surrounding him," Xenia said.
"Aurors? Where?" Sirius asked.
"There, there, there and there!" Xenia said, stamping her index finger on a spot each time.
"How do you know they're Aurors?" Sirius asked.
"Everyone came with their wife or a hooker..." Xenia said.
"There is no middle ground? Is it one or the other?" Sirius asked.
"...The arrangement is man, woman, man, woman and so on, except for the rows where the Aurors are sitting. There, they are sitting alone, and the ones in the back don't even watch Kalyna play; they just constantly watch our guy." Xenia said.
"Alright...I'll tell Artyon to ask him to come upstairs and see me in the suite..." Sirius said as he stood up.
"Master shouldn't bother!" A house-elf who instantly appeared in the lodge. " Bolko will go fetch Master Artyon for Master Black."
"Er...How long have you been here?" Xenia asked the elf looking through her binoculars even though he was only a meter away.
"I've been waiting outside since you arrived, Mistress." The elf said as he bowed to her.
"Why?" Sirius asked.
"In case Master and Mistress need anything!" The elf said, surprised.
"Thank you...but I can go myself! "Sirius said, patting the elf on the shoulder, who shivered. "Do me a favor, mate, keep an eye on that girl while I'm gone...she steals things and spits on the guests from the balcony," Sirius said before leaving the lodge.
"What?!" Xenia said.
Sirius closed the door, hearing the house-elf say. "I'd like to ask the girl to hand over the binoculars and step away from the balcony."
"Oh, I'm not a 'mistress' anymore? Stay away from my purse!" Xenia shouted.
Sirius went down to the lobby where he found Artyon sitting alone on one of the black sofas, slowly stirring his coffee; lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Sirius until he sat down on one of the armchairs near him. Artyon was about to get up, but Sirius gestured for him to remain seated.
"I apologize; I didn't mean to bother you!" Sirius said.
"Bother me? ...Of course not!" Artyon said.
"Don't you like classical music?" Sirius said, nodding towards the door that led to the hotel's theatre, from where Kalyna could be heard playing.
"I love it, Sir! I'm a pianist myself!" Artyon said. "However, tonight, I am on duty."
" How long have you been working in this hotel? Sirius asked.
"For almost forty-two years, when I was transferred to this establishment, the owner was still your grandfather. "Artyon said.
"Where were you before?" Sirius asked.
"In your Hotel in Moscow, for five years before I was promoted and transferred here." Artyon said.
"I'm sure you know the stories about me..." Sirius said.
"Of course, we were delighted to hear about your acquittal and proud of your accomplishments... If I may say, the hotel staff is very happy to see you in person. I have taken the initiative to notify the managers of all the hotels you own on the continent." Artyon said.
"Really?" Sirius said. "Why?"
"Well, Sir...After you escaped from Azkaban, we expected you to try to hide in one of your hotels or estates...Then, when the news of Peter Pettigrew's arrest and trial came out, and a whole year had passed without you coming forward, we began to believe that you were not interested in taking over. Some of us, such as those in Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam, have received visits...Disagreeable visits from Mr. Malfoy during the last six months. "Artyon said.
"Lucius Malfoy?" Sirius asked through gritted teeth.
"Yes...As your cousin's husband, he used your absence to claim the ownership for his son, Draco Malfoy, who is your cousin's son, but I assure you, all of the directors have stood united against this attempt to usurp your inheritance. You didn't contact us, but we knew you were alive. After what you had been through, we thought that you needed to spend some time away from any business before coming back. "Artyon said.
"I see...Thank you for your loyalty, Artyon...Sincerely...But, you should know that Harry Potter is my heir, not Drago." Sirius said.
"There is no reason to thank me, Sir... But, as to your succession, you should look at it. Each country has its own legislation. It could be the case in the United Kingdom but not in other countries." Artyon said.
Sirius remained silent for a moment before leaning forward slightly and saying in a low voice to Artyon." I need you to do two things for me."
"Of course!" Artyon said.
"Inform all the hotel managers that they can stop worrying. I do intend to handle all the family business, all of it, no exceptions...But until they get the go-ahead from me, I want it to stay confidential. And also, not to be surprised if they see me show up in the middle of the night unannounced." Sirius said.
"Got it!" Artyon said, nodding.
"And secondly, there is one person in the theatre I wish to meet privately. Sirius said." Tonight".
"Very well...Who?" Artyon said, taking the list in his hands. "If you don't know the name, tell me what seat this person is in.
Sirius described the man and where he was sitting, then Artyon drew a sign to the right of the name on the list.
"Would you like me to ask him to come up to your suite right away?" Artyon asked.
"No... Let's wait until the end of the concerto." Sirius asked.
"Sir...I know what this man is dedicated to in life...Would you like me to deploy the hotels' security detail on your floor? Would you like someone to be present with you during the meeting?" Artyon asked.
"Er...can we do that?" Sirius asked.
"Of course, Sir," Artyon said.
"Is it possible to apparate inside the hotel?" Sirius asked.
"No, impossible from the steps under entrance pillars." Artyon said.
"In this case, ask them to guard the main door and the other exits and also...If the discussion should get heated...to escort my friend out to another of my establishments and contact Ludovik Balasko, I was told that he has his routine here." Sirius said.
"Noted...anything else?" Artyon asked.
"No... That would be all…I'm going back to my lodge. Do you know how much longer the concerto will be playing?" Sirius asked.
"Exactly one hour to go, Sir," Arlyon said, looking at his watch.
"Fuck me...Thanks...See you later, Artyon." Sirius said.
Sirius slowly walked back up to his dressing room. Inside he found Bolko standing on guard there, his eyes fixed on Xenia, who had her chin resting on the edge of the lodge's balcony guard, sighing. Sirius thanked Bolko before sitting down in his chair.
"It's okay, I warned Artyon," Sirius said; Xenia replied with a shrug.
"Are you sulking?" Sirius asked.
"No...I already knew you were an idiot." Xenia said as she straightened up and stretched her arms over her head, "You know, I love Kalyna, but she can be such an agony...Why did she choose classical music over rock?".
"To each his own...I like it." Sirius said.
"Is it the music or the girl that you like?" Xenia asked.
"The music...Kalyna is really pretty; I feel like all the girls in this part of the world are...But I'm not attracted to redheads; I'd feel like I'm with Lily." Sirius said with a shudder at the thought.
"Who's Lily?" Xenia asked.
"My sister," Sirius said.
"Classic male logic! You see your mothers and sisters everywhere!" Xenia said. "Well, you don't know what you're missing! Because Kalyna is at the same time smart, kind, and you've never seen her naked." Xenia said.
"Good for her! Can we talk about something else?" Sirius said, angry.
Xenia looked at him for a moment before smiling. "I see...I understand better now..."
"You understand what?" Sirius asked.
"You prefer men," Xenia said.
"No, I really don't," Sirius said.
"That's why since we met, you haven't hit on me once," Xenia said.
"You really think too highly of yourself..." Sirius said.
"If I'm wrong, why then?" Xenia said." Why don't you ask Kalyna for a date after her show and don't come up with some bullshit answer like she looks like my sister...She's not your sister." Xenia asked.
"And you, why are you so obsessed with setting me up with your friend? And I remind you that I'm both rich and handsome, and you didn't even hit on me, so according to your logic, that makes you a lesbian! Sirius said.
"That's because I'm not a prostitute. And do I look like a lesbian?" Xenia asked, pointing to the dress she was wearing.
"Is there a lesbian special uniform?" Sirius asked." I don't know...I'm going by your own words..."
"What words?" Xenia asked.
"I don't know...'You haven't seen her naked' words? Do friends spend a lot of time looking at each other naked? I don't think so." Sirius said with a chuckle.
"That's because...at Durmstrang Dorms, we shared showers," Xenia said.
"Yeah, you did!" Sirius said.
"I didn't mean it like that!" Xenia said, blushing. "Just...Watch the show and shut up!"
"You started it!" Sirius said.
"Now I'm ending it." Xenia said.
The hour passed in silence. Once the concerto was over, they applauded warmly for Kalyna, who thanked the audience before leaving the lodge to go back down to the lobby. When he saw Sirius, Arlyon nodded, indicating that he had followed his instructions. They climbed up to the suite, reviewed their plan quickly before they heard the elevator approaching. Xenia picked up her purse, quickly checked to make sure she hadn't left anything behind and hid in the suite's bedroom. Sirius ran both hands through his hair to comb it back and stood upright facing the elevator. The metallic doors slid open, and his guest stepped onto the bedroom floor.
Hello guys! I hope you are all fine! I can't believe it's been a year and a month that I have been writing this fanfic and I was far from imagining how much I was going to like doing it (35chapters and I'm not even at 5% of the entire story). Thank you for reading, I love sharing with you and try to always improve in order to deliver the best I can for you. I hope you'll like this chapter!
PS: The events of this story are happening during the last two weeks of August 1985 and Austin Powers was released in 1997 but I needed a joke for the dialogue.
PS: Too bad this website doesn't allow to add drawings and changes the chapters layout, I have some very good things that would enhance the story a lot.