Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius thoroughly enjoyed their holidays in France. For all of them it was the first time abroad and they were thrilled by the many experiences they made. One week after they started out, Lily phoned her parents and learned that Mercuria had run away. Mr. Evans had followed her down to London but had lost track of her then. Lily was devastated and cried. While James tried to comfort her, secretly he and Sirius were glad to hear this news because this meant that Mercuria had successfully escaped to Antwerp. For Sirius, moreover, this was the ultimate proof that everything was developing just as the letter from the future had predicted. The same evening, they visited a fancy garden restaurant overlooking the sea when James took the small gift box with his engagement ring out of his pocket and proposed to Lily. Both beamed with happiness and for a moment all obstacles were forgotten. They celebrated deep into the night and Sirius felt closer to his friends than ever before. When two weeks later they returned home, all four were full of anticipation. The wedding was scheduled for the coming spring, so there was sufficient time to prepare the ground for their future married life. Lily and James immediately started looking for a house and when they found and bought a suitable property in Godric's Hollow, they set about furnishing their new family home. Sirius was deeply moved when they told him that they had designated a room for him which he would use during his hopefully frequent visits. Time and again, Lily asked him to accompany them on their shopping trips and to offer advice and assistance. Sirius suspected that she feared he would feel left out. Finally, he asked James to intervene. James knew of course that his best friend was glad to see them busy so that he could pursue his own interests without having to think of excuses. Therefore, he convinced Lily that Sirius would not be offended if they spent some time on their own.
Immediately after their return from France, Sirius fulfilled himself a long-cherished dream and bought a motorbike. After he had applied some effective magical features, he started out to Antwerp. When he had crossed the Channel, Sirius landed north of the city and drove alongside the river into the centre of town. Without difficulty he found the house where Mercuria lived. On the ground floor was Van Gemsveeld's jewellery shop and next to it a door. He noticed two doorbell signs with the names: 'Van Gemsveeld' and 'Evans'. When he pushed at the door, it swung open. Sirius stepped inside and saw a door at the end of the corridor. He guessed that this led into the workshop. He climbed the narrow staircase to the upper floors. At the top landing, he stopped. When he knocked at the door, there was no reply. He pulled out his wand and whispered, "Alohamora". Before he entered, he peered inside. Mercuria's inhabited a large one-room flat. At one side stood a double bed. Sirius raised his eyebrows when on the wall beside the bed he discovered a life-size nude drawing of himself, sitting in a chair with his legs apart and one foot resting casually on the armrest. Sirius smiled as he beheld himself from this unfamiliar perspective. No doubt Mercuria had an eye for details.
The chairs and table had been moved against the wall and replaced by a long trestle table. This was loaded with pens, painting materials and several stacks of large paper sheets. Most were blank, but a few had been drawn upon. Sirius leafed through them and acknowledged once again how highly talented Mercuria was. In the far corner of the room was a kitchenette with two wall cabinets and a huge refrigerator. Sirius grinned as he inspected it. Only the fridge and the coffee machine on the countertop showed traces of usage. Anything else would have surprised him. Sirius stood in the middle of the room when he heard the sound of a key turn in the lock. The door opened and Mercuria entered. When she noticed him, she hesitated for an instant and stared at him in disbelieve. He stepped forward and she stormed at him and threw herself into his arms. Sirius lifted Mercuria up and made her sit on the table. Letting an appreciating gaze wander over her body, he slightly tilted his neck, before he said, "Actually, I should put you in a headlock and then see what happens. But we've already had that. So let's do something else". Sirius placed himself between her legs and propped his hands on her thighs, bent down and kissed her. Then he unbuttoned her top and threw it to the floor. He tilted his head to the side and looked at her chest. Then he ostentatiously licked both his thumbs, put his hands around her breasts and began to caress her nipples with his thumbs. Mercuria slid forward to the edge of the table, wrapped her legs around him, crossed them behind his back and hugged him. Sirius smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder and he felt her breath on his neck. The harder she breathed, the more intensely he caressed her. Suddenly she moaned softly and pressed herself even tighter against him. He felt contractions shoot through her abdomen and continued until she pushed his hands away. Sirius smiled, and ran his index finger down her torso to the button of her jeans, which he undid with one hand. With his other hand he unzipped her jeans. Next, he lifted her off the table. Her jeans slid down to the floor and she pulled her feet out of their legs before she flung them away. Sirius turned her around and gently made her lean on the table. He unzipped his trousers. Tenderly, he ran both hands over her buttocks. before he slid one arm under her belly and pushed her down to the tabletop with the other before he took her from behind. She adapted to his rhythm. When he climaxed, he moaned loudly and slumped on top of her. He did not move until Mercuria stirred. Sirius lifted her up and carried her to the bed where they spent the rest of the day and the weekend. When Sirius tenderly kissed her goodbye on Monday morning, the date for their next meeting had long been set.
Since he planned to spend as much time as possible with Mercuria, Sirius prepared himself for life in Belgium as soon as he returned home. He withdrew money from his vault at Gringotts, changed some of it into Muggle money and deposited both currencies with Mercuria. He had been curious about this other world since he was a child, and now he was eager to finally get to know it better. He enjoyed going out with Mercuria and doing all the things Muggles did. They visited restaurants, turned night into day in the city's clubs, bought Muggle clothes for him, went to the beach or just strolled around the city. When Mercuria bought him a city guide, Sirius was surprised to discover that Muggles operated houses they called "museums" where, among other things, they exhibited paintings that could be viewed for a small entrance fee. He was immediately enthusiastic. For some time he had been thinking how he could get Mercuria to do paintings instead of her drawings. Now he dragged her to every museum he could find, was particularly impressed by the portraits on display and encouraged Mercuria to paint some herself. In addition, he had become acquainted with some Muggles who rode motorbikes like him and willingly accepted him into their gang. They taught him how to ride a motorbike without using magic, so that he felt as safe on the Muggle roads as he did flying. Eventually, he invited Mercuria out for a spin, and sped his motorbike down a German autobahn at top speed. In short, he learned to adapt and move in that foreign world without attracting the attention of his own kind, or so he thought.
Therefore, it came completely out of the blue for Sirius, that some time later, he also gained access to Belgian wizards. On a Friday, he had arrived from London earlier than usual, and he parked next to Mercuria's house when an elderly man approached him. He gave him a friendly nod and stepped closer. With a funny accent he said, "Good afternoon. My name is Wim De Bos. We have been watching you for a while. You have blended in well among the Muggles. None of them would guess that you are a wizard. That's good, because here too we prefer to remain undetected. But we thought that perhaps you' d like to meet us as well. What we hear from your island sounds very disturbing. We would like to learn more. Apart from that, you may know that in his earlier days, Tom Riddle spent a lot of time travelling on the continent. Perhaps we can give you some important pieces of information. If you feel like it, of course". Sirius looked at the man in amazement. "How do you know I'm not one of Riddle's men?". "Young man. Please. None of Riddle's men would regularly visit a little Muggle girl, don't you think? She's special, that little thing. And dangerous". Sirius did not know what to say. The man continued, "You know, that girl is excellent at her job. It's quite frightening. When she finishes her apprenticeship, she'll be as good as a goblin. Perhaps even better. And she will be able to create things that are unique. You should take good care of her". "What do you mean by things that are unique?". "Listen, Mr. ...?". "My name is Black. Sirius Black". "Listen, Mr Black. You do know it yourself. A wizard can modify a lot of things through magic so that he can use them to his purpose. Such as a flying motorcycle". Sirius listened surprised. "But some things can only be created by a true specialist. Why else do we need goblins to process metals? Because we can't do it ourselves. Or paintings, for example? Well, there are wizards who are gifted artists. But even those can't create a painting with magic alone. But you know this better than I do". Sirius looked at the man frowning. "Are you stalking me?".
The man raised his hands defensively. "Of course not. We're just interested. Curious, if you want". "And what exactly is dangerous about a painting?". "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. But I didn't mean the paintings either. Although she will certainly be able to master them soon. Even without having visited every single museum in this country. And there are quite a lot of them around here". The man chuckled as Sirius grew more suspicious. Wim continued, "But she is learning to create jewellery. To cut diamonds. Her Master, however, is mostly known for his mechanical pieces. Clocks, music boxes, intricate locks, jewellery with secret compartments and and and. Soon your little friend will outperform him. She might create pieces that could become dangerous in the wrong hands". Noticing that Sirius was getting visibly angry, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Sirius. "Very well. I wanted to give you this. Coupled with an invitation to drop by sometime. If you feel like it. And your time permits". Sirius glanced at the sheet. It was advertising a bookshop. He looked at the man questioningly. "A bookshop for Muggles. And wizards. Although the wizards are less interested in the books. If you tell the bookseller you want to go to Tovenaar Straat, he'll let you out of the back door. There is a café where the wizards meet. We would be very pleased if you would drop by". The man held out his hand, and Sirius struck in.
Sirius planned his next visit to Antwerp so that he could go to Tovenaar Straat before he met Mercuria. As he stepped out of the back door of the bookshop, he saw a small street in front of him with six or seven outlets that reminded him of the shops in Diagon Alley. Slowly he walked down the street towards the café at the end. There were a few people sitting out front, chatting animatedly. As he approached, one of the customers stood up and greeted him warmly. "Mr Black, how friendly of you to take the time to meet us. Oh please, have a seat". He gestured to a chair. Sirius sat down. Wim pointed to the others. "May I introduce to you: Madame Josette Beaumer, Henk van den Brug, Jan de Groote, David Leemans and Nicholas op den Velde". They gave him a friendly nod. All of them were dressed like Muggles and if Sirius had met them in the street, he would not have recognised them as wizards. The waiter brought Sirius a beer. When he had sipped, the eldest man leaned forward. "We are pleased that you visit us. Kindly do tell us what is happening on the island. Newspapers are not reliable these days. So we are glad that one of Dumbledore's men can give us a first-hand account". Sirius was surprised. "You've heard of Dumbledore?". The witch giggled and leaned towards him. "Young man, in Belgium we are but a small community. But Antwerp is the gateway to the world. Countless people have passed through here on their way to distant lands. Our ancestors have perfected the ability to recognise our own kind, even if they don't come flying in on a motorcycle". The group laughed. Sirius frowned, annoyed for a moment that he had been so careless about others recognising him as a wizard. David said, "We know Dumbledore well. From his time before he became a teacher at Hogwarts. Changed massively since then. You know, Grindelwald. But that was a long time ago. What's going on at your place?". Sirius told them what was happening at home.
When he had finished, they nodded. "History repeats itself. Again, someone who propagates wizard's supremacy". "Why are you interested in what's going on at my place?". "Mr Black...". "Please, just call me Sirius". "Sirius, as I said before, we know some things about Tom Riddle. And what we know prompts us to believe that his ambitions extend far beyond your island. Please bear in mind that his ideology of wizard supremacy has supporters on the continent as well". "You said you knew some things about Riddle". The wizards nodded. Nicholas began to relate ponderously. "A wizard always has magic in himself. At school he is taught to use and channel it. He learns spells, charms, potion recipes and all sorts of other things. Some are talented. Others less so. Until then, all have the same opportunities. A gifted wizard now can develop his own spells. Up to a certain point. A powerful wizard is satisfied with what he has achieved when he has exhausted all the means at his disposal. A few wizards go beyond that. They do research. They make experiments. This is neither good nor bad. You wait for the outcome and judge his efforts by them. But at a certain point, there's no going further. For an ambitious wizard there is only one option left". Sirius shook his head questioningly. "He acquires knowledge of experiments that others have attempted before him. Successful ones and failed ones. In a word. He reads through old documents to broaden his horizons. Up to this point, it's still uncritical. By its very nature, knowledge falls into oblivion. Bringing it to light is in no way reprehensible. It becomes dangerous when knowledge is revived that should never be passed on again. Secret spells, recipes of potions that are better left unused, unspeakable practices. Yet, until all this is written down, knowledge dies with those who acquired it. Unfortunately, many who dabbled in it took notes. Much of this was incorporated into what is now called the Dark Arts. Believe me, your Death Eaters know a lot more than 'Imperio', 'Crucio' and 'Avada Kedavra'".
Nicholas paused and sipped at his beer. "But only one really hunted down this lost knowledge. Secret papers. Banned books. Notes that had disappeared. Some time after Tom Riddle left the island, we received word that rare scripts were being sought throughout Europe, and especially in the East. Writings on the Dark Arts mainly. It was not very difficult to find out that it always involved one and the same person, because by and by we received many descriptions of the man whom death followed on his heels. He must have been very persuasive, young Mr Riddle. He dug up information that would have better been left in the dark. He could coax people into trusting him with ancient notes taken secretly by their ancestors, that helped him progress. With his charm. Or with force. You'll understand that certain spells must be put to a practical use. Perhaps he tested them directly on his informants. In short, Tom Riddle obtained more knowledge of the Dark Arts than any other wizard ever before".
Sirius had listened attentively. Until now, he had thought that Voldemort was a powerful wizard, but that he had more or less the same qualifications as everyone else. Only that Voldemort was simply more ruthless than all the others. What he had just heard made him seriously doubt it. Voldemort had been exploring the Dark Arts for decades and now had knowledge which neither he nor his fellows would ever be able to acquire. Desperately he asked, "What can we do?". Madame Josette smiled. "Against Voldemort? Nothing, I'm afraid. Only Dumbledore is likely to stand against him. But we suggest you strike at his supporters whenever you can get hold of them. Do not let them escape alive. You cannot and must not use the Killing Curse. That is what distinguishes you from those who have no honour and know no limits. There are other ways". Sirius reflected. So far, in the few duels which he had fought against a Death Eater, he had only defended himself. No one had died in these battles, although he had struck down his opponents a few times, rendering them helpless. "Can you advise me?". They looked at each other.
It was Jan, the oldest of them, who answered. "I've been watching you for a while now, Sirius. You're a fine young man. Gallant. Noble. A man of principle. With a conscience. Someone who wants to defeat his opponents in a fair duel. But I tell you this. War cannot be fair, cannot be chivalrous. In war, you must not tie your own arm behind your back. Whether you hit the enemy from behind or face to face must not matter. The enemy must be knocked out and killed so that you and your comrades-in-arms can survive. There are various possibilities. You can do a lot of things to a stunned opponent. Take inspiration from the Muggle paintings you have seen. Muggles were and are very inventive when it comes to killing wizards. On your island, there were only few victims of witch hunts. Some hundreds. But here on the continent, they numbered in the thousands. Mostly Muggles, of course, who behaved strangely. Every now and then they caught a real witch or wizard who was inattentive enough to be overpowered. You have seen paintings by Breughel and Bosch. Inspired by the witch hunts. Fire and water were very successful in that respect. Sirius, if you wish to prevail, you must not be squeamish. Nor are your opponents. As for Tom Riddle, trust Dumbledore. He is your strongest weapon". They nodded. "One more thing: If you ever find documents on the Dark Arts: Do read them. Only if you learn what your adversaries know, you can defend yourself against them". Madame Josette looked up. "You should leave now. Your little Muggle friend is probably worried already. We would love to have you visit us from time to time". Sirius stood up, thanked them, and said goodbye. Thoughtfully, he headed for Mercuria's flat.
