They flew down to London and Sirius dropped Mercuria at the General Register Office, before he and Andromeda proceeded to the Leaky Cauldron. When they entered the pub, Sirius had a good look around. A long time ago, he had been a regular. Back then, he had lived in a flat nearby and it had been more convenient to take his meals in the pub than to feed himself. Besides, he had always met someone he knew. He had spent countless merry evenings here, hanging out with the other guests. Then, as Voldemort gained more and more influence and the situation came to a head, the pub became an important source of information, and he visited it even more frequently than before. The location had not changed much since then. For a moment Sirius felt sentimental as the memories came flooding back. All in all, it had been a good time. Except for the end, of course. Then he shook off the thoughts of the past. Nostalgia would get him nowhere. Everything had changed, and in his case definitely for the better. He crossed the pub and stepped through the door into Diagon Alley.
In front of them they saw the impressive building of Gringotts. "Let's examine your vault first. We can do some shopping later. I would like to bring something for the children", Sirius said to Andromeda. They entered the bank and approached a counter. The goblin behind it scrutinised them for an instant than said, "Madam Tonks, Mr Black, good day. How can I help you?". Sirius said. "First we want to visit Mrs Tonks vault that's the former Lestrange's one, and afterwards mine". "Your personal vault, the Black family vault or Mr. Phineas' vault?". Sirius was stunned. He should have guessed that he was the heir to his parent's vault. "The family vault". The goblin beckoned them to follow him. "I thought that Harry inherited your valuables, when you were presumed dead?". Andromeda asked. The goblin turned around and said, "Vaults can only be passed on within families". Sirius shrugged his shoulders.
Behind the goblin, they boarded a cart and dashed downwards through the winding corridors into the depths below the bank. Andromeda, for whom it was her first visit, clung to Sirius and closed her eyes. He put his arm around her. When they finally stopped, she sighed in relief and climbed out of the vehicle with trembling knees. The goblin walked to a door, placed his hand on it and said, "Madam Tonks, would you please put your hand next to mine?". Andromeda stepped forward and did as she was told. When the door burst open, Sirius held her back and took out his wand. Andromeda watched surprised as he lifted the Flagrante Curse and the Gemino Curse, which still protected the contents of the vault from unauthorised intruders. "Your sister had some creative ideas to protect her valuables. You don't need them anymore".
Andromeda cautiously stepped inside. Sirius followed slowly. They gazed around. Since Harry and his friends had retrieved the Hufflepuff Cup from it, no one had entered the vault. The place was a complete mess, and everything inside was scattered haphazardly on the shelves and on the floor. "What are we looking for?". "The casket, first". Sirius waved his wand and whispered, "Accio casket". An object zoomed towards him, which he caught with his hand. But it was not the casket they were looking for. He opened the lid. Inside was a pouch full of coins. Andromeda took it and put it in her pocket. "What now?". "Honestly, the casket isn't here. To search the whole vault will take a lot of time, because we must examine every single piece. I think we shouldn't do this today. Let's proceed to my vault. Do you need more money?". Andromeda shook her head and they stepped out into the corridor. "To my vault, please". The goblin beckoned them to follow him. He stopped in front of a door and put his hand on it. "Mr. Black, if you would be so kind". Sirius hesitated for a moment. He was not sure if the door would open. He knew that the bank and the goblins operated outside Wizarding law. Sometimes, at least. Otherwise, the contents of both his vault and the Lestrange's one should have been handed over to the ministerial authorities when they had been arrested and taken to Azkaban. Instead, they still had had continuous access to their assets. But since his fake death he had lived in the Muggle world and even after Voldemort's end he had not needed Wizarding money. The toy brooms for his boys, he had bought by mail order and had the bill drawn on Phineas' vault. Therefore, he was not sure whether he really was entitled to the Black family vault. He resolutely pressed his hand to the door and when it opened, he sighed in relief and stepped inside. In the Wizarding World, blood was still thicker than water. Despite all the contempt his parents had shown him, he was their son and rightful heir. The vault was crumbled with all kinds of valuables. Sirius took two pouches with coins and returned to the corridor. "Will you have a look at Phineas' vault as well?". "No. I've taken some money so that we can go shopping". The goblin accompanied them back to the entrance hall.
They stepped out of the bank into Diagon Alley which by now was crowded with people. Some hurried busily from one shop to the next. Others strolled along the street. And still others lingered in front of some shop window and curiously inspected the displays. Andromeda linked arms with her cousin and watched the hustle and bustle with obvious delight. Sirius was overwhelmed. This shopping street was the epicentre of the Wizarding World in this country, and except perhaps for Hogwarts, here the presence of magic was more intense than anywhere else. Everything around them exuded a special aura and created a unique atmosphere. People's clothes, which struck Sirius as strange after all the time which he had spent in the Muggle world. The smells, the sounds, the bits and pieces of conversations he overheard as people passed by, even the taste in his mouth were unlike anything he had experienced in the past two decades, and yet so familiar. Perhaps for the first time in his life, he felt as if he well and truly belonged in a place, because here he could be the person he really was. He smiled blissfully and squeezed Andromeda's hand.
Sirius was amazed when one or the other passers-by greeted them. "Mrs Tonks, how nice to see you again", or, "Mr Black, what a wonder you are still around". He didn't recognise anyone. When Andromeda entered a shop and he waited for her outside next to the door, a witch approached him. She smiled at him flirtatiously and said, "Sirius. I didn't expect to ever see you again. You look well. Almost like you used to. I hear you're married and have a family?". He nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, Sirius noticed a young man who had caught his attention before. A young wizard with a round, cheerful face and tousled dark blond hair who had already observed them on their way in. He was watching them, but quickly looked away when he noticed that Sirius eyed him intently. The witch chattered on. Every now and then Sirius nodded in agreement or made a non-committal grunt when it seemed appropriate to him. Finally, Andromeda came out of the shop carrying a bag and nodded to the woman. The latter quickly said goodbye and added, "Perhaps I'll see you around". She cast one last longing glance at him. When she was out of earshot, Andromeda curiously asked, "Who was that?". "I haven't the faintest idea". "You talk to her for almost fifteen minutes, and you don't know who she is?". She giggled. "I didn't speak to her. She did the talking. She acted like she knew me well. So, it seemed rude to ask her name. I was hoping it would dawn on me, but it didn't". "She seemed very interested in you". Sirius shrugged his shoulders, puzzled. "You're sure?". Andromeda smirked, "Never mind. Let's move on".
While they proceeded, Sirius remembered the first time he had been to Diagon Alley. Although he had spent his entire childhood in London, he had never been there before. Only when he had received his invitation letter from Hogwarts had his mother taken him along. Regulus had begged until he had been permitted to join them, and the brothers had followed their mother marvelling. While she had hurried past the shops without hesitating, her sons had stopped in front of every shop window and simply had not gotten enough of the strange goods in the displays. Finally, their mother had lost her patience and had propelled them into Madam Malkin's shop, where Sirius had his school uniform fitted. His mother had bought much more clothes for him than the basic school outfit required. "So everyone can see that you are not some poor people's child". He had suspected that this was her way of pleasing him. But he had not really appreciated it, because the green and silver Slytherin crest had prominently emblazoned on all the pieces. The thought of being sorted into this loathed house to which almost all his relatives had belonged, had made him feel sick. He would have preferred any other, even Hufflepuff had seemed like a place of bliss in comparison. He had quickly decided to remove the crests from his clothes the sooner the better.
They had bought his textbooks at Flourish and Blotts. In addition to those mentioned on the list from Hogwarts, his mother had selected a couple of other books that were intended for more advanced students. "After all, you are hardly a novice anymore. So, you can deal with more demanding reading", she had explained to him. Afterwards, they had bought various utensils that he had needed for a successful school career. The absolute highlight of their shopping trip had come when they had entered Olivander's wand shop. He and Regulus had looked in awe at the shelves full of small boxes. Sirius had been excited. Finally, he would get his own wand. Mr. Olivander had taken several boxes out of the shelves and had let him try out the wands in turn. Sirius had been disappointed to find that there had been no difference between them and his father's old wand, which he had used for several years already. Somehow, he had expected that having his own wand would feel different. And then he had met it. His wand. The moment he had taken it out of the box, an unknown force had run through his body like an electric shock. Instantly he had known that he would achieve great things with his wand. He had affectionately run the index finger of his left hand along the wand before he had carefully put it back into the box, had gently covered it with tissue paper and had closed the lid. When he had seen his little brother's disappointed face, he had put his arm around his shoulder and had whispered in his ear, "Only two more years, Regulus. Then you'll get one too".
Sirius smiled at the memory. For Andromeda and himself it was their first visit to Diagon Alley in a long time and they thoroughly enjoyed their shopping trip. They stopped in front of every window and when they saw something on display that they fancied, they entered the shop and had a closer look. They did not leave a single shop without buying something. Sirius even purchased travel cloaks for the whole family and Teddy although they had no use for them because they usually rode their Muggle car or his motorbike.
It was stifling hot and after a while their feet hurt from walking around. Besides, by now they were carrying so many bags and boxes that their arms were getting tired. When they came to the Ice Cream Parlour, Sirius suggested to take a break and have an ice cream. Andromeda was only too happy to agree and followed him as he took a seat at one of the tables. When they had placed their order, Sirius took out a parchment and a quill and started to write a list. "What are you doing?". "It just occurred to me that we might need to brew some potion or other. There's a room in the basement that Phineas used for this. The equipment is all there. Cauldrons and everything else, you know. He has stored them carefully. But of course, there are no ingredients left. Since we're here anyway, I'll pick up some. Who knows when we'll need them". As they were spooning their ice cream, Sirius again saw the young man who had been observing them earlier. Just as they stood up and gathered their purchases, he took a step towards them, but then thought better of it and disappeared into a shop. "Let's quickly dash into Flourish and Blotts". Sirius held the door open for Andromeda and headed for the section with textbooks. "What are we looking for?", asked Andromeda. "'Defence against the Dark Arts'. We found a copy among Tom's belongings. I want to compare it with a recent one. There must be a reason why he had it". When they passed Slug and Jigger's Apothecary, Sirius entered and handed the clerk his list. Nimbly, the young man gathered up the ingredients and finally gave Sirius a large bag.
They decided to wait for Mercuria in the Leaky Cauldron. Sirius ordered two butterbeers and they sat down at a table slightly off to the side. They clinked glasses and sipped. Sirius said, "You know what? It's been ages since I had a butterbeer. Not the best drink for this weather, but for the sake of good old times". "I suppose you prefer something stronger?". Sirius smiled wryly. "Most definitely". He looked around nervously. Andromeda patted his hand. "She'll be coming soon, don't worry. This woman is quite capable of looking after herself. Just relax". Sirius nodded. "I tell you something. I don't know what I'd do without her. When I met her, I was a wreck. In every way. A wreck on the run with no money and no prospects. I never understood why, of all the men in the world, she chose me. She could have had anyone". Andromeda squeezed his hand and said smiling, "She will have known what she was doing. Anyway, my impression is that she never regretted her choice. Don't you think?". He smiled. "Yes, you are right".
Sirius looked around and noticed the young, blond wizard standing at the counter, eying him intently. When he saw Sirius looking over at him, he seemed to reflect for an instant. Then he made up his mind. He pushed himself off the counter and came towards them. At that moment, Mercuria stormed into the pub. Everybody turned around and stared at her, speechless, as she strode confidently towards Andromeda and Sirius without looking left or right. The high heels of her thigh-highs hammered a rhythmical staccato on the wooden floor and several guests gawked speechlessly as she carelessly threw her jacket over the back of a chair, revealing her belly top. She pointed to the pile of bags and boxes and laughed aloud "Have you bought out all the shops?".
Mercuria gave Sirius a kiss and sat down. Immediately the waiter came rushing over and brought another butterbeer. "Mrs Black, I presume. We are very pleased to welcome you as our guest at last," he murmured as he bent forward and unabashedly peered into Curey's low neckline. When he noticed that Sirius was fuming with rage, and reached for his wand, he quickly disappeared. Andromeda smirked in amusement.
Mercuria sipped her beer and asked, "Did you find out anything?". Andromeda replied, "No. The casket is not here. What have you achieved?". "Well, Merope actually died in the orphanage and the people there buried her". Sirius exclaimed enthusiastically, "Then let's go to the graveyard right away". Mercuria continued, "There is one small problem. The graveyard doesn't exist no more. It was destroyed after the Muggle war. People needed housing and the area was used to build on. The graves that still existed were moved to other places. Obviously, Merope's grave was one of them. However, it will be difficult to find the place, because unfortunately, there wasn't any reference to where she was reburied".
Andromeda said, "At least we know that the grave is still out there someplace. And Tom has found it. This means that we can find it too. I would say that we have done enough for today and should return home. My feet are aching, and I feel exhausted". The others nodded. Sirius minimised their purchases and they headed for the exit. Before they left the pub, Sirius had another look around. But the young blond man was nowhere to be seen. When they returned home, the boys pounced on them screaming loudly. Enthusiastically, they feasted on their presents and for the rest of the day they were playing with the toys their father had brought them from London. For Mercuria he had purchased a drawing book that kept producing new blank pages as soon as the completed drawings were taken out. "Then you don't must constantly buy new books".
At dinner, they sat together in the kitchen. They were in high spirits, and everyone was talking and laughing. Even both house-elves were infected by their cheerfulness. Sirius informed them that he had invited Lucius for breakfast the next morning. Tom and his casket now seemed far away, and the thought of imminent danger evaporated more and more as the evening wore on.
