Glad you liked my last chapter, I was worried you would have forgotten about me!
Amanda: Thank you for reading my stories! I'm shocked you managed to get through both of them so quickly!
Wintermoon: Thank you for coming back! I'm hoping to be up to date with BFTP very soon. Do I get those Pumpkin Pasties now?
Polkat: Yeah stuff Phoenix, it's an evil book anyway! The 'A' levels were important, damn it! I wish I'd bothered to revise now! I'm pleased you like the helmet. I couldn't think who but Arthur Weasley would have kept the bike without turning it in, I hope he wasn't too upset at having to let it go….
Finding Ebony
No matter how Remus worded his motives Sirius would end up feeling hurt, all he could do was tell the truth; he had wanted to protect Ebony from reality. Unfortunately, Sirius could not see this.
'You wanted to protect her from me?' Black raged. 'I would never hurt her!'
'I know, I know,' Remus protested calmly, trying to settle his friend's temper. 'I'm not saying that you would hurt her, but the memory of you would.'
Lupin looked into Sirius's eyes, willing him to see sense. Once the scarlet fury had drained from the face before him he continued his explanation.
'How could I possibly tell a young girl that her brother was a murderer? I didn't know that you were innocent.'
'You could have told her I'd gone away to work,' Sirius snapped.
Remus raised his eyebrows and asked, 'What, forever? Padfoot, I didn't know that you had been framed; I didn't know that you would be freed.'
Sirius did not seem to hear any of Lupin's words, he remained quite indignant as he gnawed furiously on his finger nails.
'You could have told her you didn't know me. You could have said we'd never met' he argued.
Seeing the passive look upon his friend's face, Sirius became very angry. 'You could have said I was dead!' he yelled.
'I could never have said that!' said Remus, his voice raised. It was impossible to tell whether he felt upset or angry at Black's remark. His sad, pale eyes shone with tears but his top lip curled angrily baring his large, white teeth.
Seeing the curious expression upon the face before him Sirius realised that he had gone too far. Looking slightly taken aback, he sat silently his eyes not moving due to the slight fear that Remus might unleash his anger.
Sitting back in his chair, Remus drew a long breath and allowed himself to calm down before speaking again. He forced his face to become expressionless as he quietly spoke.
'I could never pretend such a thing!'
So sincere was this statement that a sudden feeling of guilt flooded over Sirius. How could he have been so selfish? Remus had never done anything to intentionally hurt him or anyone before. Realising that now was one of those times where his mouth could easily get him into trouble Sirius stopped to listen.
'Padfoot,' Lupin spoke quietly, 'I apologised to you two years ago for not trusting you. I told you then that I had believed you to be You-Know-Who's spy and I admitted I was terribly wrong. You forgave me. I confess that for twelve years I believed you to be a murderer, now you are discovering the consequences of my mistrust.'
Remus spoke hesitantly, as though expecting Black to characteristically erupt; instead Sirius remained perfectly quiet although deeply saddened by his friend's words. He knew of course that Remus was right. In confronting Pettigrew alone he had acted hastily, as he always did. The events of that night were bound to have had repercussions; he could not have expected his return to be easy.
Lupin continued to speak more confidently, reassured by Sirius's silence.
'I had known you since the age of eleven. You may have liked to throw your weight around on the odd occasion, especially with Snape, but I never dreamed that you had willingly joined the Death Eaters. My only hope was that you had been cursed because I knew that the Sirius Black I had known would never betray his friends. I thought you had been tricked but I had no proof; all I knew for sure is that you were one of my first real friends, I could never deny that.'
Tears shone brighter than ever in Sirius's eyes as he reached across the table and embraced Remus tightly.
'Forgive me Moony?' he sighed pulling away slightly.
'Of course I forgive you Padfoot. Will you in turn forgive me? I did only what I thought best for Ebony, as you always had.'
'Certainly old friend.' Sirius smiled, shaking hands with his best friend.
*~* *~* *~* *~*
It was nearing midday when Sirius and Remus awoke. Mr and Mrs Lupin were already working outdoors when the two men made their way downstairs to the living room.
Sirius lazily threw himself upon the thread-bare settee whilst Remus went about brewing a much needed pot of coffee. The Lupin's main room was so dim that Sirius worried that he may fall back to sleep. Dingy grey stone walls soaked up any sunlight that entered the room, the heavy wooden rafters above cast haunting shadows across the partially carpeted floor. In the centre of the room stood a small fireplace that was rarely used and a small antique-looking table. Upon the mantle Sirius saw a small, cracked tank which appeared to contain Blast Ended Skrewts.
'Eggs' said Remus as he entered the room, placing two steaming mugs down upon the small table.
'Huh?' Sirius asked drowsily, wishing he could go back to bed.
'The Skrewts' Remus replied 'The 'upper' classes have developed a bit of a thing for their eggs, they're supposedly a delicacy in Japan. Dad thought he'd give breeding them a go, you wouldn't believe how much those rich idiots will pay for them.'
Realising that his friend descended from the very 'rich idiots' to which he was referring Remus ended the conversation abruptly. Sirius, however, seemed oblivious and half-heartedly continued the conversation, out of politeness more than interest.
'Skrewt eggs? Who the hell buys the things?'
' The Malfoy's snapped up the last lot,' said Remus 'Lucius apparently wants to draw up a contract, so dad will only supply to him.'
'Oh' Sirius scoffed 'Going into business with Malfoy? Your dad ought to be careful, look what happened to my mother. Eighteen years she'd been in partnership with him and he paid her out, right after she'd announced she was pregnant with Ebony! He's a slimy git!'
Remus smiled. He felt strangely comforted by Sirius's hostility towards Malfoy, it was a good sign that the old Padfoot had returned. It was, all in all a good day for Remus; Dumbledore was allowing him a weekend off work to help Sirius contact his sister and above that his friend now knew the truth. Ever since Sirius had first shown signs of wanting to contact Ebony a black cloud had followed Remus, but now the burden had been lifted. Everything seemed fine within their friendship and he finally felt as though he had rekindled a lost relationship, he had his old school friend back.
During lunch with the Lupin's talk of Ebony subsided but once alone again in the small cramped sitting room the conversation soon began again. Sirius seemed to come alive when speaking of her return and Remus found, to his surprise, that he was only happy to help. Although deep down he still believed that unsettling the girl was probably a bad idea, it pleased him to see the sparkle return to his friend's eyes.
Remus relayed every memory of Ebony's adoption, not so much giving excuses but reassuring Sirius that she was safe. He had met the Martin family on several occasions before giving them right of parenthood and even visited their house on one occasion, however, once the child had formally moved he knew he could no longer keep contact.
'I had to make sure the place was completely suitable,' Remus explained, 'I couldn't let her go just anywhere, it had to be perfect. When I met the Martins and saw where they lived I knew they were right, I knew they were people you would have approved of.'
Remus looked lost in thought as he told his story, his eyes fixed firmly on his hands which lay in his lap. Sirius watched his friend closely, Remus seemed confident with what he was saying; he seemed to truly believe that the Martin's were good people, this was immensely reassuring.
'You'd have liked their house,' Remus mused. 'Massive rooms, an amazing garden, plenty of room for her to play. They were obviously a well-off family, capable of providing the best for her.'
Although the notion of his sister living in a strange place unsettled him, Sirius seemed glad to know that she was, at least, living comfortably. After seeing how Harry had been brought up, he had worried himself sick that Ebony may be leading an equally unhappy life. Remus was adamant that this would not be the case.
'The Martin's are good people,' promised Remus. 'Kind, honest, generous, the best we could find. Mr Martin worked for Gringotts at the time; he was a Sealer I believe, in charge of making sure the vaults remained securely fastened. Mrs Martin is a muggle, can't have children of her own.'
Sirius pondered this information for a while; not knowing whether to hate the Martin's or be grateful for their help. Remus seemed to think the Martin's were the best option for Ebony; Sirius knew he should trust that judgement. It wasn't that simple though, this was his sister, what Remus thought was good for her and what his brotherly instincts told him could be two different things; he had to find out for himself.
'Did they tell you anything else?' He asked eagerly, 'Did they tell you what plans they had for Ebony? She's not at Hogwarts so they must have sent…..'
Sirius suddenly stopped what he was saying, his eyes grew wide and moved rapidly as though in panic.
'What if she's a squib?'
'She's not.' Remus said firmly.
'But how do you know?' Sirius spoke rapidly, his voice full of worry. 'It happens…and her father….'
'Relax.' Remus grinned as he looked up at his friends' comical expression. 'They did blood tests before they took her away; the Martins were keen to have a witch or wizard. It's not a disease you know!' he laughed loudly ' Squibs don't grow an extra head , although I do worry about Filch… the head he's got is strange enough.'
'I know, I know,' Sirius said hastily, 'It's just that…..well….the Black's are pure-blood, always have been, it's an ancient blood-line….I just wanted to be sure that she…..I don't know.'
Sirius spoke rapidly as though unsure of what he really meant.
'I suppose dad's ranting about the Black blood-line wore off on me "Black's are pure-bloods son" he used to say "There's never been anything but in our family". I know he was just an old fashioned man but I guess I took it to heart, Black's are pure-blood and if Ebony wasn't, then she was never really a Black.'
Remus seemed to understand what Sirius was saying even if Sirius didn't understand it himself. Ebony was only Sirius's half-sister to begin with, but he had managed to get past that. If Ebony did not share the same blood-line, if she wasn't even a witch, it would accentuate the fact that she was only partly related to him; it would alienate her from his family even more.
'So, why was Martin so keen to have a witch for a child? If his wife was a muggle why should it matter?'
Remus knew that this was just an offhand enquiry, but the answer to this question could be the one that hurt Sirius the most.
'The Martin's were the last of their family; Mr Martin was keen to have adopted a witch to carry on the magical ancestry.'
As Remus had predicted, Sirius became enraged. He sat upright, his facial expression rigid with fury.
'The family ancestry? My family ancestry is that? Does it escape his attention that Ebony has nothing to do with his family ancestry?'
Remus knew that civil conversation had run its course, it was useless talking to Sirius once he had been angered. Deciding it best to ignore Sirius's temper than to stay and argue Remus stood up to leave the room. He had made it to the door when Sirius called out to him.
'Wait.'
Remus turned to his friend, the stern expression on his face served to warn Black that he would not take anymore of his anger. Knowing that he was pushing Remus's good nature Sirius made his question short and spoke with absolute calm.
'The blood tests?'
Remus had no intention of getting into a drawn out explanation, he replied simply.
'Ebony is pure-blood, either her father is pure-blooded too or she has only your mother's blood in her veins. Black blood.'
With this statement he left the room, hoping that Sirius would be feeling less aggressive upon his return.
Sirius sat in silence for several hours, undisturbed in the Lupin's living room; he supposed that Remus had warned his parents to give the room a wide berth.
Thoughts swirled around in his mind causing his head to throb painfully. He now had the facts, at least all of the facts to which he had access. The question was how would he act upon them?
Remus's judgement was all he had to rely on. His friend believed the Martin family were capable parents; he had no other opinion to consider. He had an address, whether Ebony still lived there was another matter. He knew that Ebony was definitely a witch, but she did not attend Hogwarts. Or did she? It was, after all, completely possible that she did. Did the Martin's change her name? Did they ever tell her of her past? Was she simply attending Hogwarts under an alternative name? If she was then that meant that Harry could have spoken to her, Remus could even have taught her unknowingly.
The not-knowing drove Sirius momentarily mad. He had to know. The worries and theories that swam in his head burned a nagging hole in his brain. He had to find her, not a single doubt plagued him, and he knew it had to be done. He immediately jumped to his feet and went in search of Remus.
Remus, he found, was sitting on a thin, wooden bench in the front yard, apparently lost in thought. His face filled with alarm as Sirius strode rapidly towards him, fearful of what state of mind his temperamental friend might be in.
'Remus,' Sirius gasped as he kneeled down in front of the bench. His cheeks looked pink and flustered his eyes wide and almost excited. 'I've got to find her, now.'
'What?' Remus responded, a bemused expression on his face. 'Are you mad? Have you seen the time?'
'Well ok, tomorrow. Moony I have to do it; I have to. You said you'd help me. Will you come? You have to be back at Hogwarts the day after and I can't do it alone.'
The urgency in Black's face said it all. He was a desperate man. Remus had no choice, he had promised to help.
'You'll have to contact Mr Mart…'
'No' Sirius cut in 'No way, he might refuse to let us see her.'
'She'll be at school.'
The look of excitement and hope suddenly drained from Sirius's face, it was painful for Remus to watch. The face before him turned white, gaunt and almost devoid of life.
'It's not long Sirius.' Remus said, attempting to sound cheerful, it's only a few weeks until Christmas. Look let's just do what we planned ok, you come to Hogwarts for Christmas day and we'll go and look for her before New Year.'
Sirius did not seem cheered by this thought, New Year seemed an age away. How could he have forgotten about school? He scolded himself silently for being so stupid, for allowing himself to get so worked up.
'Hold on.' Remus said slowly, a wide grin spreading across his face. 'She isn't at Hogwarts.'
'She might be under another name.' Sirius told his friend, unable to keep the crestfallen look from his face.
'No, no, no' Remus chimed. 'Mr Martin told me….I remember now….I asked him how he intended to…well...you know….. How he would keep her from being confronted about you. He told me he intended to send her to Beauxbatons, he had attended that school himself and the hype over your 'crimes' would be much reduced in another country.'
'So?' Sirius asked sadly, he had hoped that Remus's sudden burst of happiness might have been over something slightly more relevant.
'Remember Francesca Thedomeda?'
'That Beaubaxtons bird you dated in sixth year? What about her?'
Remus smiled at his friend's uncommon lack of intelligence. 'Remember I used to go into Hogsmeade on Saturdays to visit her?'
A huge smile suddenly spread across Sirius's handsome face, the penny had finally dropped. His dark eyes sparkled as he laughed.
'Beauxbatons students are allowed home on weekends!'
Engulfed in his friend's happiness, Remus threw his arms around Sirius's shoulder.
'We'd better get up early mate, from what I remember the Beauxbatons Express leaves at half past one!'
Sirius had never felt such a strong sense of happiness before. He was so excited he almost felt sick. He was going to find Ebony. With any luck he would be seeing her tomorrow!