Albus paced the Headmaster's study in a familiar pattern, back and forth from the window to the desk. Fawkes watched him carefully, his beautiful head swiveling to keep his master in sight at all times. Sometimes Albus wondered if the bird thought he was crazy, as so many other people did, but he and Fawkes knew each other better than that. He stopped at the window to savor the view out across the grounds; the sun was setting in a blaze of glory, ready to sink below the horizon. Fawkes gave a low call behind him, not an urgent noise but an informatory one; Albus turned towards the door. A moment later there was a knock. "Enter!" Albus called out; from Fawkes' response there were only a few people who it could be, and he didn't mind talking to any of them right now.
Minerva stepped into the room, wearing a pair of dark red robes. Albus knew that this was her version of "lightening up" for the summer. Unlike most of the teachers, who switched to muggle clothes for at least their off days in the summer, Minerva was nearly never without her black robes. He supposed that was where Severus had got the idea from, when he started, he thought with a chuckle.
Minerva gave him a scathing look and he realized he had chuckled aloud. "Is my presence that amusing, Albus?" she asked, her tone harsh as usual. "Forgive me, Minerva, I only thought of something rather silly." She rolled her eyes and took a seat, all business just as normal. "I'm not sure if this is already on your mind, Albus, but I felt I should make you aware in case you had not noticed." Albus sat down on the other side of the desk and fixed her with an intent stare. "How can I be of service?" She cleared her throat; she seemed almost nervous. "I am worried about Lupin and Black."
Albus couldn't have been more surprised; from the way she was acting, he could think of any number of more important things than the two ex-Marauders. "Whatever for, Minerva?" She met his eyes; her dark green ones were very solemn. "Black is not doing well, Albus. You must have noticed that. He is coping as best he can, but he is struggling with so many demons… the aftermath of years of imprisonment and exposure to dementors, not being able to truly join or help the Order, worrying about Potter… and Lupin is helping the best he can, and trying to put on a brave face, but he's really no better off, Albus."
The Headmaster leaned back in his chair. "They seemed alright to me the last time I was there." Minerva's hawklike face grew drawn and pinched. "Don't give me that, Albus! I know you always feel like you have everything planned out, that you know best, but in some cases you have to realize there are things that are unfair to ask of other human beings! You cannot keep a man prisoner like that, cannot ask Black to do what you are making him do – they took the children outside the other day and Black nearly leapt out of his skin with happiness, I saw him an hour afterwards and he was still floating. By the next day though, he was deeper in darkness than he was before. What you are doing to him is inhuman, Albus!"
Albus would take a talking to from very few people, and usually Minerva was one of them, but on this they disagreed. "I'll stop you there, Minerva. In this case, I truly do know what is best. Sirius cannot go out, he cannot be located by Voldemort or his Death Eaters. It would mean death, not only for him but perhaps for other members of the Order. It would compromise everything we are currently working towards."
"And you would put a man to death, Albus, just for the good of an organization? If you had to kill three students so that Hogwarts could remain open, would you just do it?" Minerva was angry now, and Albus was angry too. This was very unusual; he could count on one hand the number of arguments they'd had in the many decades they had worked together. "This arrangement will not kill anyone, Minerva," Albus said quietly but very clearly, his eyes black. "I can give you my word. I have good instincts. This is what we must do."
"No it is not!" her voice was every bit as quiet, but the intensity of her eyes and the tone in which she spoke told him how much she felt her convictions. "Black could be relocated every few months to different safe houses, he could get outdoors more often – transfiguring his animagus form is incredibly effective as a ruse – he could come live here for part of the summer, in one of the towers, for heaven's sake! All extremely safe ways to ensure that he stays in a good place mentally and physically! He is wasting away, and Lupin with him."
Albus looked at her for a long moment. "I will begin sending Remus on more missions that can be done covertly and do not require entering the Ministry or this school, lest parents see him coming and going. That should help him avoid feeling stuck. About Sirius, though, I beg you to see reason, Minerva. He is with his godson, at the center of all action. There is little else anyone can do, to keep him safe and also make him feel included. I do think, though, if the outing ultimately made him feel worse, we should probably put a stop to those. The children will be back in school in three weeks, they will be alright if they don't get out before then."
Minerva looked defeated. "I have only made things worse for Black, I fear. He needs to get out of that house, Albus. He needs his friends, and his godson, yes, but you must listen to me. At least watch him the next time you are at Headquarters, and I can only hope you will come to the same conclusion that I did. Before it's too late, and Black's frustration bubbles over into an act of rash heroism or just a bid for freedom, I beg you Albus, take action." She rose and made to leave. "I have done my due diligence. Never say I didn't warn you about this."
Albus watched her go, and then, because he respected and trusted Minerva beyond belief, he apparated to the front steps of Grimmauld Place. Casting a quick charm to conceal himself, he undid the enchantments on the house and entered undetected. He found Sirius in the kitchen with Remus and the Weasley children. They were making supper; Sirius was howling with laughter about a joke the twins had just made. In fact they all looked rather merry; Remus was pale, but Albus was willing to bet the full moon might be approaching. He watched a while longer, until Harry came downstairs to join the group and Sirius's whole face just lit up.
No, thought Albus as he exited the house and apparated back to Hogwarts, Minerva only saw what she wanted to see. Sirius would be better off staying inside; he would talk to Molly in the morning and let her know there would be no more excursions into London. He would say that Severus had heard rumors among the Death Eaters that Harry might be in London; that would be good enough to scare them all.
As he returned to his office, Albus wondered offhandedly if he was being deceitful in making up this story to scare the occupants of Grimmauld Place. But no, this wasn't deceit; these were little white lies, told to make everyone stay safe and to help the Order survive. Certainly this might be a tactic that Tom Riddle would also use among his followers; sow a seed of fear to ensure that everyone toed the line. But really, how could they hope to ever conquer Riddle without employing a few of the same techniques? What his group of followers needed was a strong leader, a firm hand and steady boundaries. Sirius must remain ensconced at Grimmauld Place, just as Severus must continue to report to his Dark Lord and Kingsley must lie each day at work. They all had to make small sacrifices. Sirius could not be the exception to that rule. It would not be difficult to set something up like Minerva had suggested, but Albus refused to cater to the whims of a man who had already cost them all so much trouble. Sirius had a roof over his head that was safe and secure, and he needed to learn how to deal with things like a mature person.
Albus went to bed that night and slept well with the knowledge that he had made the right decision. The Order would be safe, and all of its members would be stronger on the other side of this war after dealing with the sacrifices they were making now.
He never dreamed that in London, Sirius Black tossed and turned for the umpteenth sleepless night in a row, haunted by his past, his present, and his future, desperate to get out, desperate for a change.
Harry Potter laid awake in bed, wondering why his Headmaster, the only person he had to look to when the entire Wizarding World vilified him as a fraud, had refused to even look at him while he faced the first trial of his life, as an innocent no less, and had not made contact since.
Remus Lupin sat up in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place with Molly Weasley, talking in quiet voices about what could be done about her third oldest son, hoping to offer her a shred of comfort while still staying sane himself. He rarely had time to think of himself these days, which was probably a good thing.
While Albus could see only what he wanted, and therefore keep his mind at peace, he had overlooked the fact that even Minerva's warning may have been issued too late; things were now in motion that could not be undone.