An Interview with Sirius Black

For today's interview we asked Mr Sirius Black. Mr Sirius Black is believed to be an ex-convicted murderer, and a real womaniser. First I thought that couldn't be, until I met him. I asked him to come over to my office for an interview, but he wanted to go to a pub. When I asked him how to recognise him, he told me: "they probably know you in the pub I'm going to, it's called Prince Albert, just go to the bartender and he'll tell you which table I'm at." I wondered why he wanted this, but I agreed and went to the Prince Albert for the interview.

It was a nice little pub, a bit dark maybe. I went to the bartender to ask for Sirius Black and the bartender pointed at a handsome young man at a table in a corner of the pub. I went to the man, and asked him is he were Mr Sirius Black.

"Yes I am, please, sit down," he replied, smiling at me. After we had a cup of coffee, I asked him if it was OK if I begun with my questions.

"Sure, go ahead!" he replied.

I warned him that my first question wasn't a very nice question, but I wanted to ask him. He said it was OK for him, so I fired it.

"Mr Black, -"

"You can call me Sirius."

"Alright. Sirius, before I am going to interview someone, I always check what we know about him or her. When I was checking on you, I found out you escaped a prison once, you were believed to be very dangerous. When I was checking if you were found again, I couldn't find a thing. Can you explain this?" It fell really hard for me to ask him this, as he seemed a gentle person to me. I could tell by the look on his face, he'd rather not want to talk about it, but after hesitating for a moment, he began to talk.

"There was a lot of commotion about that, yes, but I wasn't dangerous, I've never been. I have been on the run for several years, and I could finally convince the right persons I was innocent. But it has never been in the news."

I had the feeling there was more than he told me, but I didn't ask about it anymore. I was wondering if he could tell me something more about himself.

"What do you want to know?" Sirius asked me. That was a good question, and I asked him to tell me something about his private life. Sirius chuckled and said: "I think I'm having a private life as any other man. I mean, I'm married, I've got three children, a daughter and two sons, and a grandson."

I was rather surprised that he had a grandson, as he looked barely elder than his mid-thirties.

"I'm pleased to hear I look younger than I am, I am a man of forty-one years old. It is my daughter who got a son, only a few months ago. She's twenty-three now."

Everyone who had a bit of maths at school, would know he got a daughter when he was eighteen years old. This would mean he has a very old wife or they had children at a young age.

"My wife and I were both eighteen when she was born, it is very young, and both our parents didn't agree with our decision to marry then, but it seemed we didn't have much choice. It was quite a shock for my wife and I when our daughter told us she was pregnant, I mean, she was only twenty-one when she came to tell us!"

I asked him if she was married when that happened. "No, she wasn't! And she still isn't… but I think it won't take them very long to marry after all…"

I was wondering what kind of job he had, and I was surprised when he told me he didn't work.

"I am unemployed, but my wife has a job as a teacher at a school. I know it is quite usual that the husband has a job and the wife is unemployed, but works in the household. Well, we have everything different than other families, I am doing the household, and my wife is working for the living."

I had the feeling everything in this man's life is different than it appears to be. He grinned when I said this.

"I never had the time to study, when I was seventeen I left school, my – now wife – girlfriend got pregnant, and we went to look for a house. a few years after she gave birth to our daughter, I was arrested, because it was believed that I had betrayed our best friends, which wasn't true, but I was immediately sent to prison, without trial. My girlfriend tried to convince them about my innocence, but as she was my girlfriend, they didn't believe me. It was a sad time… my girlfriend studied, and after I escaped, she got a job as a teacher. As I have been imprisoned all those years, I didn't have time to study, and when I came to live with her again, and we married, we both didn't think it necessary for me to study. So that's my story…"

I was rather impressed by the way he spoke about it, I began to admire the man, but as I had asked him everything I wanted to ask him… After a final cup of coffee, I stood up, bid him farewell and left.

Now if you want to have someone – a friend, colleague, a brother sister, you name it – interviewed by me, just tell me, and I see what I can do with it. Reviews are welcome after all…

Anne Zwarts, your special reporter for interviews with unknown persons…

A/N: I really hope you know someone to be interviewed…. It would help me… a lot!