Chapter 66

Rumors

Remus followed James and Sirius into the Great hall for breakfast the next morning as he did every morning.

They were chatting about Quidditch, they did that a lot, tryouts were next Friday. If Sirius got one more detention he'd have to skip one or the other, chances were it would be the detention he would skip.

His owl came in and dropped a news paper in his lap, along with a letter. He opened the letter first. He knew it was from his father, he was the only one he knew to get a newspaper. Actually he now got both a muggle and a wizarding newspaper. It drove his mum crazy that he got a muggle news paper, he worked for them, he already knew what was on it.

Remus,

I thought you might want to take a look at this, your friend, Sirius, too. Though it affects him more than you really, I know none of you get the paper so I figured it would be a good Idea for you to know, just in case people start acting strangely. It's on the front page.

Love you lotts

Lyall Lupin

Remus let Sirius read the letter looking at him with a confused look.

"What's it say?" Sirius asked referring to the newspaper.

Remus read it out loud.

Blacks Support Voldemort

In a recent meeting with the officials in the Ministry of Magic about what to do about the many murders of muggles and muggleborn wizards, Orion Black, the head of a family that keeps with the old traditions of having the oldest son head of the extended family, told the Minister of Magic that the Black family will always support Voldemort, when the mysterious stranger was mentioned as a possible leader of this group. He told them they have no support of this theory. When asked what the Black family would do if Voldemort was at the center of this he said, "Than if he needs some help with it he knows were to come" adding that it was about time someone did something about the muggleborns taking over theschools and workplaces, creating a very tense atmosphere as all Blacks are talented in creating. He refused to answer when the subject of his eldest son was brought up but many are under the impression Orion Black didn't seem particularly worried about the subject leading many to believe tumult in the Black family is merely a ruse to lure others into a false sense of security around the boy.

Remus stopped reading. "This is ridiculous. All they're doing is reading into one facial expression."

"That explains why everyone is acting strangely around me lately."

"Not everyone."

"A lot of people, all the Ravenclaws are though, and a few Hufflepuffs."

"They don't actually believe this junk do they?"

"Not the people who know him, but you don't really realize it but those people we don't respond with regularly have never really trusted Sirius. Too many of them have had their family killed by a Black. Anyone who got to know him knows this is a load of horsehocky. Anyone else though, just see him as a Black. A strange Black, but a Black all the same. When we're here we're kind of in our own little bubble, every once in a while someone else inters that bubble to talk to us but really our bubble is quite tight. I see it when I go home, people talk to me about him a lot."

"I never really thought about that."

"It's easier for you to never leave the bubble, when you go home you don't have much of the real world to pop it."

"I suppose."

"Whatever, it's not a big deal. Love me or hate me either way I'm still on your mind."

"Did you steal that from Shakespeare?" Remus asked

"Ya, I couldn't remember the exact quote though, so I paraphrased."

"Where did you learn about Shakespeare?"

"Muggle studies."

"Oh, how is it so far?"

"Well it's only been one class so there isn't enough to judge it. The teacher is interesting though."

"That's good."

"You know I think I might start getting these." James said completely oblivious to the change of subject. He was reading the rest of the newspaper.

"Why?"

"We should know what's going on, especially now that these attacks are a big enough deal for the Ministry to do something about it."

"I don't know, with what they just said about Sirius, it doesn't sound like something we should read, aren't there any other newspapers?"

"Nope."

"I agree with James." Sirius said. "I'd kinda like to know if they say anything else about me."

"That's true, I'll start getting them."

"Okay if you're sure."

"I am."

The next day Bellatrix Black became a confirmed Death Eater.

The day after that three more Blacks were confirmed Death Eaters.

After that day no one looked at Sirius the same again. No one but his friends.

When they walked to class everyone gave him, and whoever he was with at the time, wide birth.

Sirius pretended like he didn't care, but there was something in his stance, the way he was much more silent then usual. James and Remus knew that wasn't the case.

A month into the school year Sirius started having nightmares again. They had been so relieved when it stopped, but now they were back again.

And these ones were different. When Remus would wake him up, he wouldn't sit there and calm himself down. He ran to the bathroom locking it so no one could follow and would stay in there all night. Remus tried to ask him about it but he wouldn't say anything. He wouldn't even tell Remus to leave him alone. Every time one of them brought it up he would get quiet as though he didn't know how to speak. They stopped asking very quickly.

The Marauders weren't quite so active as they normally were, normally they would have the entire school in an uproar by Halloween, but with Sirius acting so strange and Peeves cracking down on everything it was Halloween and everything was strangely quiet. Their first Hogsmeade trip had gone by, Sirius had to sneak out as his parents wouldn't have even considered giving him permission if he'd asked. They planned a Halloween prank, but they knew they were walking on eggshells.

On the day of Halloween they were reading tea leaves in Divination it was their first time actually doing it, before they looked at examples and memorized the meanings of common signs. The teacher partnered them up, with much complaining from the students, Sirius' partner ended up being Lily Evans. He was surprised she was even in Divination until he remembered she was a muggleborn, muggles always were intrigued by the ability to see into the future (he learned that in Muggle Studies. He really enjoyed that class.)

"All right I want you all to drink up, don't do it quickly or you may mess up the results." The teacher, Mrs. Brown, informed them. Lilly seemed to be regretting taking the class the second she heard her name pared up with his.

After a while while the teacher was dealing with someone who was allergic to tea she told them to trade cups and try to interpret the meaning behind the formation of the leaves. Sirius started.

Hers was obvious. "Someones going to ask you out. You'll say no."

"What?" She asked not expecting him to answer so soon. The teacher noticed it too. She took the cup from him to make sure he wasn't making it up. He wasn't.

"Do you have any seers in your ancestry?" She asked a few people laughed.

"Ma'am, I'm a Black, I have everything but muggle in my ancestry."

Lily laughed quietly, as though she was ashamed that she was laughing at his joke.

"Right of course. Well you can certainly tell, you'll do well in this class." She said placing the cup in front of him.

"Any way to tell who it's going to be?" Lilly asked, not really out of curiosity and more of joking.

"Um, who ever it is it's not someone you have a crush on." Sirius shrugged she laughed and peeked at his cup worried that he'd show her up. The design on the cup wasn't anything she'd ever seen before.

"Professor, I don't understand what this is. It isn't in the book"

"What does it look like, sweetheart." Mrs. Brown asked walking back over to the table.

"A skull with a snake coming out of it's mouth."

A/N) Mwahahaha hehe