Chapter Eleven; Tyrants and Rebels.

Following Richard's 'discovery' of Sirius' arcane interests, Sirius was finding it impossible to stay out of his way.  Richard was now round the house every day and he insisted on Sirius staying where he could be seen.  Richard seemed convinced that Sirius' rebellious streak could easily be curbed, never missing an opportunity to lecture him on the 'delusions of the teenaged mind' and his 'undesirable behaviour'.

Homework was no longer a viable excuse.  Andromeda was as good as her word; all Hogwarts related items remained in the lab under her watchful eye and there were no exceptions.

It didn't help matters that Andromeda agreed with whatever Richard said about what nonsense magic was.  Whenever Richard left the house she would assure Sirius that it wouldn't do any harm to go along with it for the time being.

Were it not for the sake of keeping his mother happy, Sirius went along with it only because it was easier than objecting.  It was hard to miss the pointed looks Richard threw at him behind his mother's back.  Richard had made it very clear that co-operation was better than the 'disciplinary action' he would be likely to execute.

The only time Sirius was permitted to leave the house was in the early hours of the morning when he could go over to his neighbour's house.

Mrs. Fennel had not objected to taking in the post for Sirius and was quite happy to have him over every day.

'Hello Sirius.' She smiled, opening the door.  'Come on in.'

Sirius followed her through to the kitchen.  It was decorated in pale blue and white.  It would have been a very nice kitchen were it not for the mess.  A mound of dirty dishes was stacked up beside the sink.  A scrubbing brush was already working on a dirty saucepan in the washing up bowl and a tea towel was animatedly drying off another pan.

'Sorry about the mess,' said Mrs. Fennel, absentmindedly brushing crumbs off the table.

'Anything arrive today?' Sirius asked hopefully.  He'd received nothing for over a week.

Mrs. Fennel smiled and opened the back door.  She leaned out, peering up into the boughs of the nearby trees.  Moments later, James' tawny owl swooped out from under the leaves and came flapping inside, closely followed by a barn owl.  Athena flew straight to Sirius, landed on his shoulder and held out her leg.  The barn owl perched on the back of the nearest chair, a parchment envelope in its beak.

Sirius tore the roll of paper from the tawny and unrolled it.  The Muggle paper instantly told him whom it was from.  His face lit up momentarily, but gradually faded as he read the letter through.

'Bad news?' asked Mrs. Fennel, watching him curiously.

'Probably,' said Sirius glumly.  He stuffed the letter in his pocket.

'I take it your mum is still angry with you?'

'Well, if it's a case of forgive and forget, we're not even halfway there yet.'

Mrs. Fennel nodded sadly.  She hadn't heard any specific details of what had happened, but obviously didn't want to pry.

The barn owl hooted impatiently, dropping its letter onto the table.  Sirius snatched up the envelope and read the address.

'It's for mum,' he said, turning it over.

'Then you'd best go and give it to her,' said Mrs. Fennel.  'Don't worry, she can't stay mad at you for ever.'

The day in the lab had only temporarily alleviated Andromeda's mood.  Richard's attitude towards her son was a constant reminder of his opinion of magic.

The owls fluttered away into the sunrise as Sirius stepped out the front door. About to cross the road, he froze.

Richard's horrible beige Volkswagen had just pulled into the driveway.

Sirius backed up, moving behind Mrs. Fennel's hedge.  Richard didn't seem to have noticed him.  He clambered out of the car, removed a bouquet of flowers from the passenger seat and knocked on the front door.

The door opened and Ursa stuck her head out.  Sirius couldn't hear what Richard was saying but Ursa nodded, turned and called for her mother.  Andromeda appeared a few moments later, her face lighting up joyfully as Richard presented her with the flowers.

Sirius waited until Richard had disappeared inside the house before stepping out of hiding and walking back across the road.  He went down the side of the house and let himself in by the back door.

Voices drifted in from the living room; Richard's sickening purr and Andromeda's fluttering laugh.  Sirius scowled darkly as he went into the hall.

In the living room, Andromeda and Richard sat together on the couch.  Andromeda couldn't stop admiring the beautiful flowers, breathing in the sweet fragrance.  Richard was looking particularly smug, his arm around her shoulders.

'And that's not all,' he was saying, 'Tonight, you and I are going to spend a romantic evening in the Feng Huang – '

'The Feng Huang?' Andromeda repeated excitedly.  'B-but it's so expensive!'

'And exclusive,' Richard smiled, gazing into her eyes.  'One table reserved for two … an exotic four course meal … wine … music …'

Smiling blissfully, Andromeda leaned forward as Richard did the same –

'Ahem.'

Richard and Andromeda jerked round to see Sirius stroll casually into the room, his eyes determinedly fixed on the letters he held in his hand.  He glanced up briefly to toss one to his mother.

'Letter for you Mum,' he said unnecessarily, dropping into the armchair opposite.  Out of the corner of his eye he could see Richard's annoyed scowl.

Andromeda's face clouded over with concern, tearing open the envelope.  She quickly read the letter.

'Oh no …'

Sirius and Richard both looked up at her.

'Mum?'

'What is it?'

Andromeda stood up.  She suddenly seemed very distressed.

'I – I'm sorry Richard, I can't go out tonight.'

'Why ever not?'  There was an offended lilt to his voice.

'My colleagues need me back at the main laboratory,' she said hastily, gesturing to the letter in her hand.  'There's a – an emergency – they need me over there immediately.'

'What's happened?' asked Sirius.

Andromeda didn't answer; she was already out in the hall, pulling on her coat.  Richard followed her, his face etched with concern.

'Ann, what's happened?  Can I help at all?'

'No … no, Richard, it's alright.' She started muttering under her breath, searching for her house keys.  'Keys … change … the bus shouldn't take too long … oh no.'

She stopped, her eyes wide in sudden realisation.

'Ursa … Sirius … Richard, could you stay and keep an eye on them for me?  I really don't want to leave them on their own.'

'Certainly,' said Richard, smiling.

'Are you sure?  I could ask Irene Fennel if you'd rather – '

'It's no trouble at all,' said Richard soothingly.  'I'll stay and keep them company.  We'll be fine.'

They may have been comforting words to Andromeda, but Sirius did not like the sound of them at all.

'Mum,' he stepped round Richard quickly and stood in front of the door before his mother could bolt.  'Lily wrote – she's invited me over to her house.  Can I go, please?'

'It's 'may I', Sirius,' said Andromeda distractedly, buttoning up her coat.

'Okay, may I go, please?' Sirius amended quickly.

Richard gave a great sniff of disapproval from behind them.

'Who is this girl?' he asked disdainfully.  'Where do you think you're gallivanting off to?  How old are you – fifteen?  Much too young for a girlfriend, if you ask me.'

Sirius glared.

'I didn't ask you,' he snapped.  'And for your information, I am sixteen and Lily is not my girlfriend; she is a friend who is a girl, there's a big difference.'

'Sirius, don't be so rude!' said Andromeda, shocked at his tone.  'Let me see that.'

Sullenly, Sirius handed her the letter.  Richard looked as though he were trying to read it over Andromeda's shoulder.  Sirius was only glad that Lily hadn't used parchment on which to write.  The pale peachy-coloured writing paper looked perfectly ordinary to a Muggle's eyes.

Andromeda looked up at Sirius.

'She wants you to come over today?'

Sirius nodded.

'Absolutely not,' Richard drew himself up tall, looking down his nose at the scowling teenager.  'The boy shouldn't be allowed out, what with all that 'magic' nonsense.  Is this young lady involved with it too?  I hardly think he's been punished enough for it; can't go letting him off lightly.  I wouldn't be surprised if he's trying to contact his coven,' Richard sneered contemptuously.  'Personally, I'd suggest that he be permanently confined to the house.'

Sirius was taking deep, calming breaths, counting in his head – anything to hold back his temper and keep from retorting.

Andromeda looked between them both. Sirius assumed a pleading gaze, fingers crossed behind his back.  Please Mum, don't listen to him, just this once …

Perhaps it was the fact that Sirius had already been stuck in the house for a week, or maybe it was his forlorn expression, but Andromeda didn't blindly agree with Richard.  Unfortunately –

'Sirius, this really isn't the time; I'm in a hurry.  I'd rather you stay here and keep an eye on your sister.'  She turned to Richard.  'I don't know how long this is going to take, but if you honestly don't mind staying with them -'

'It's no problem,' Richard said again.  'I'm quite capable of watching them both until you get back.'

'Oh, thank you, you're an absolute star.'

Sirius felt as though he'd been smacked in the face.  That was his name! How could his mother use it for Richard so flippantly?

His mother kissed Richard quickly on the lips, bade them goodbye, asked Sirius to tell Ursa not to worry and to 'be good for Richard'.  In seconds she was out the door and marching quickly down the road, round the corner and out of sight.

Sirius and Richard stood in silence, facing each other across the hall.  Richard folded his arms across his chest.

'Now then … I trust that you are going to be on your best behaviour?' he said quietly, his voice low and dangerous.  'Might I suggest staying in your room?'

He might as well have added 'or else'.  Sirius didn't say a word.  He didn't trust himself to speak without asking for a lot of trouble that he didn't want.  Instead, he simply hurried back upstairs, slamming the door of his room.

If he was completely honest with himself, Sirius really did not feel safe with Richard around, despite being abruptly freed of Richard's constant supervision.  It felt more disconcerting than librating.  Sirius wanted more than anything to get out of the house.  It was starting to feel more like a prison than a home.

Sticking his head out of the window, Sirius squinted at the distant streets.  There was no sign of his mother.  She must have Apparated or caught the Knight bus.  Either way, she was gone.

Sirius sat down on his bed, mulling over her parting words.  I'd rather you stay here.  She hadn't said yes … but she hadn't said no either, and in Sirius' mind, if she hadn't specifically told him that he couldn't go and see his friends, then there was nothing wrong with skipping out.

Richard on the other hand …

'Sod it.' Sirius grabbed his jacket and pulled it on.  Richard had no power over him; he wasn't his guardian or keeper.  Sirius was free to come and go as he pleased.  If he answered to anyone, it was his mother, not some arrogant Muggle. 

Sirius felt around under his mattress and pulled out a small moneybag.  Luckily, he'd forgotten all about this pouch when Andromeda had made him empty his room out.  He opened up the bag – three galleons, fourteen sickles and twenty knuts; more than enough.

Shoving it deep into his pocket, Sirius crept over to the door and pressed his ear against it.  He couldn't hear anything.

Gripping the handle firmly, Sirius slowly opened the door and stuck his head out.  No one there.  Closing the door quietly behind him, Sirius crept over to the stairs and peered down into the hallway.  All clear.

Eyeing the steps suspiciously, Sirius slowly lowered his foot onto the first step.  Surely some of these creaked?  Sirius hesitated, foot poised above the next step, straining his hearing.  Where had Richard disappeared to?

Easing his weight onto the step, Sirius cringed as the floorboard gave a sharp creak.  A movement downstairs – Sirius jerked his foot back and froze.

Richard was in the living room.  Judging by the shadow on the strip of carpet that Sirius could see, Richard was walking slowly around the room.

Curiously, Sirius leaned forward, holding the handrail tightly.

He could see Richard's polished shoes pace slowly to the front windows … pause … then, move to the far wall, just out of sight then back again.  Sirius moved back onto the landing, ducking out of sight as Richard stepped out into the hallway.  Richard was muttering under his breath but Sirius couldn't make out a word.  After a moment, he peered down into the hall.

As Richard walked slowly down the hall he ran a hand over the wallpaper, muttering to himself.  Scrutinising the paintings, he touched the frames, squinting at them before lifting the picture up to stare at the wall beneath it.  He lowered the frame back down, stepped back and folded his arms.

Sirius looked past him to the front door.  Richard didn't seem to be in any great hurry to leave the hall; he was standing there, stroking his chin thoughtfully, although his eyes were narrowed, staring about him like the décor was offending him.

Silently, Sirius eased himself backwards, away from the stairs.  He tiptoed back to his room and shut the door painstakingly slowly, praying that Richard hadn't heard anything.

He waited for a few moments just to be sure.  But there was no sound of footsteps upon the stairs. 

There was only one other option.

Sirius clambered onto his bed, slid open the window and hoisted himself up onto the sill.  Swinging his legs over, he carefully climbed out onto the roof.  The back garden below was visible from the kitchen.  Praying that Richard would stay in the hallway, Sirius slowed moved towards the guttering, turned round, eased himself backwards over the edge, and dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.

Falling backwards, Sirius rolled back onto his feet.  He immediately crouched, ducking beneath the window.  He hadn't seen anyone in the kitchen but that didn't mean there wasn't someone there. 

Crawling on his hands and knees, Sirius stayed close to the wall, making his way over to the bushes.  Once under the cover of the leafy foliage, Sirius cautiously peeked out at the kitchen windows, then up at the upstairs windows.  Nothing.

He waited, counting slowly to a hundred.  Still nothing.  Grinning victoriously, Sirius closed his eyes and concentrated.

When he opened his eyes, the world had turned a hazy shade of blue and grey.  Dogs did not have the best vision for colour, but it hardly mattered to Sirius.  The black coat of fur shrouded him within the shadow of the foliage.  His sharp hearing caught the sounds of a heavy person pacing inside the house, while his nose caught the man's scent.  Sirius gave a snort, not pleased with catching Richard's foul body odour.

Confident that he'd remained undetected, Sirius boldly walked out from under the bush and trotted around the side of the house, over the front lawn and round the corner.  Glancing back over his shoulder, Sirius wished he could have smiled smugly.  He settled for a gruff bark instead before breaking into a run, his four paws carrying him swiftly out of town.

*

The roads on the outskirts of Surrey were devoid of traffic; unusual for a warm sunny day in the middle of summer, but a perfect opportunity for the triple-decker Knight Bus to appear on the wrong side of the road with a deafening bang before skidding to a halt on the grass verge.

The doors slid open and Sirius leapt down the steps, thanking the driver as he left.  The doors closed smartly and the engine gave a roar as the huge bus swung in a wide arc, mounting the pavement on the other side and trundled back up the road, gathering speed as it vanished in the blink of an eye.

Sirius looked about him, carefully searching for any sign of an approaching car as he slowly backed up towards the hedgerow growing by the roadside.  The roads were silent and empty.  Just to be on the safe side, Sirius ducked under the foliage.

A few moments later, a large black dog came trotting out, heading purposely into Surrey.

*

The street where Lily lived was a nice looking place; lots of small houses with well-kept front gardens.  Slender saplings grew along the grass verges, shading the road.  Young Muggle children were happily riding their bikes up and down the road, others kicking a black and white ball to each other.

Some of the youngsters cast wary eyes over the large canine trotting along the pavement.  The dog paused at each of the driveways, looking briefly up at the house before moving onto the next one.  One of the children reached out his hand to pat the dog on the head as it passed, but the animal didn't stop to be petted.  It continued on its way, looking around, seemingly a little lost.

Sirius hadn't been to Lily's house for quite some time, and couldn't for the life of him recall which house number he was looking for. 

He paused in front of number fifteen's driveway, peering round the gate.  Dog vision wasn't any better than a human's, but the sense of smell was incredible.  One sniff of the gate was enough to inform Padfoot what creatures lived here, although it took a few moments for Sirius to comprehend it, conjuring a mental image from the scent information.  A dog lived here; a young male, approximately three years old and currently out the back of the house.  A distant grumbling bark confirmed this, warning the stranger off.  Sirius obediently moved on.  The Evans didn't own a dog.

At number seventeen, another scent caught Padfoot's attention, this one much more interesting, to Padfoot and Sirius.  A young female cat.  Sirius peered up at the windows and spotted a small brindle-coloured tabby lying on an upstairs window ledge. 

'Doggy?'

Sirius turned his head.  A little girl with long blond pigtails was toddling towards him, hand outstretched.  Before Sirius could think to move off, the child had reached up and stroked his head.

'Good doggy!' she declared loudly.

She didn't look older than five or six years old so Sirius stayed still, not wanting to accidentally bowl her over.  It surprised him that a small child would approach such a large animal.  Sirius lifted his head, looking around for a parent or maybe an older child, a babysitter perhaps, searching for their charge.  But there didn't seem to be anyone else other than the other children.  A few were pointing in his direction.  Another little girl came hurrying over, her dark hair up in a ponytail.

'Emma, is that yours?' she asked, gazing avidly at the great black dog.

The blonde girl shook her head.

'What's his name?'

Both girls immediately looked for a collar but of course there wasn't one.  Sirius glanced back up at number seventeen.  But before he'd even taken a step up the path, the girls reached up and stroked his nose.  Rather taken aback by this, Sirius decided it was best to allow them to continue; they'd get bored in a minute and leave.  He stayed perfectly still, feeling their small hands running over his fur.  It felt nice to be stroked so gently, especially when Emma started to tickle him behind the ears.

'Doggy want a sweetie?'

Emma dug a hand into the pocket of her dungarees and pulled out a crumpled bag of dolly mixture.  Sirius sniffed the bag eagerly, wagging his tail.  He'd skipped breakfast that morning in his haste to leave.  His stomach growled.

Delicately selecting a purple sweet, Emma held it up, smiling.

'Sit,' she said.

Not wanting to disappoint, Sirius sat.

Grinning, Emma then commanded, 'Down!'

Sirius lay down and gratefully swallowed the sweet whole as she tossed it to him.  Squealing delightedly, both girls rummaged in the bag for another sweet.

Sirius was starting to like this game.

Emma and her friend, who Sirius quickly figured out was named Jenny, were soon gathering a small crowd of the other children in the street as their new friend performed trick after trick.  It was childish but Sirius didn't mind in the least; he was enjoying himself and that was all that mattered.  The other kids started requesting tricks or asking to tempt Sirius with a sweet.

When the command came to 'play dead', Sirius dramatically collapsed to the ground, rolling onto his back, his paws in the air and tongue hanging out.  Lying there with his eyes closed, Sirius abruptly sensed someone approaching.  His eyes snapped open just as a large, dark-haired boy came striding up to the group.  Most of the kids hurriedly scampered away.  The boy's pudgy face scowled at Emma, who hadn't moved, clutching her sweets and blinking uncertainly up at him.

'Out of my way,' the boy barked, pushing past her.  Emma stumbled and dropped her bag.  The sweets fell out over the path, the teenaged boy purposely treading on them before he turned into the driveway of number seventeen.

Sirius was on his feet and let out a snarl.  But the teenager took no notice.  Emma looked teary-eyed and upset.  Jenny was looking scared.  Sirius' ears flattened to his head and he found himself emitting a louder, deeper growl.  Still the boy ignored him.

Sirius slunk after the boy, following him up the path.  The boy was wearing a pale coloured suit, rather odd attire for midsummer.  His dark hair was slicked back and he carried a small bouquet of flowers and … a large box of chocolates.

The boy stepped onto the doorstep and rang the doorbell, holding the flowers and chocolates behind his back.  Moving stealthily up behind him, Sirius paused for a moment as footsteps sounded from the other side of the door.  It opened and a high-pitched simpering voice came out, followed by its owner.  The lanky blonde that was Petunia Evans stepped into view and Sirius seized the opportunity.  Fast as lightning, he opened his jaw, plucked the fancy chocolates out of the fat boy's hands, turned, raised his leg and –

'Oi!'

The boy spun round, his face purpling in an instant.  'Bring that back!' he bellowed, then looked down at his wet trouser leg.  'You filthy mutt!' he roared, shaking his fist at the black dog as it ran swiftly down the drive.

Sirius raced round the corner to where Emma and Jenny were giggling madly, having watched the entire episode by peering round the gate.  Tail wagging, Sirius held out the box of chocolates to them.  Faces splitting into huge smiles, the girls graciously took the box and both flung their arms around his neck, thanking him repeatedly.

'Why, Padfoot, you old romantic you,' came a very amused voice from behind them.

James!

Sirius barked loudly and threw himself at his best friend, grinning like the very smug animal that he was.

James grinned back, looking over the hedge to where Petunia was fretting over the angry boy, leading him into the house, then back to the two little girls with their new chocolates.

'Tsk, tsk, you should know better than that, Padfoot.' He scowled mockingly.  'They're both a little young for you, don't you think?'

Sirius felt throwing his considerable weight against James' legs was an appropriate response.  James laughed and sat down heavily on the wall.

Emma stepped up to him, patting Sirius' head.

'This dog yours?' she asked eagerly.

James nodded.

'What's his name?'

'Padfoot.'

Jenny giggled.

'That's a funny name,' she said.  She held out the box of chocolates.  Sirius leaned over and pulled the ribbon off with his teeth.  Opening the lid, Jenny immediately chose the largest piece and held it out.  'Thank you, Padfoot,' she said, smiling.

Licking it out of her hand, Sirius swallowed it happily, wishing that dogs had the taste buds to appreciate fine chocolate.

James stood up.

'Come on, Padfoot, say goodbye to your little friends, we have to go now.'

The girls whined in protest but gave Sirius another grateful pat on the head before heading off.  James and Sirius walked back to number seventeen, and it was only then that Sirius spotted a laughing redhead at the upstairs window. 

Lily waved and called, 'That was brilliant!  Can you do that again?  I didn't have my camera ready!'  She laughed again.  'Come on, slowpokes, get your mischievous backsides up here!'

James looked down at Sirius.

'Well, you heard the lady, let's go.'

Barking happily, Sirius bounded up the path to the door, anticipating a very enjoyable day indeed.

*

To Be Continued.

*

Please review.  All comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated.

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Author's Notes.

TiniTinuviel – Glad you're enjoying it so far!

Christy – I am trying to get a perspective from where Andromeda stands; she's happy with Richard but she can't see the danger that Sirius can see.  Plus it helps to put her in a positive light as a good person and to show that she isn't invulnerable to Richard's behaviour.  She may be very work-orientated and a bit love-struck, but she is human.  We all have our faults; although Richard obviously appears to have more faults than qualities. 

WallyTheWhale – Hhm, I really can't comment too much on your speculation; it really annoys me that I can't, especially when the comments are really interesting, but I'm scared of letting plot elements slip. Sorry, but I have to try and keep my mouth shut at times.  If I start commenting I can't stop, then before I know it, I've given too much away and spoilt the fic!  But I will say that chapter five has something that may confirm one of your comments - got to let you figure it out for yourself if nothing else! 

NightSpear – I'm pleased that people don't totally dislike Andromeda, like I said to Christy, she's human too, and we all have faults.  True, her blind spot is ridiculously huge when it comes to Richard but she's not a bad person.  Yep, she's pretty ambitious and very work focused.  Makes me wonder if she were better suited to Slytherin house, even though I feel she would have Sorted to Ravenclaw. 

Lil Lupin – Hi again!  Yeah, I'm pretty optimistic about this fic too.  I'd love to break the 200 barrier some day; maybe not with fic but perhaps with Part3, assuming it gets done of course. ^_^  Something that's forty chapters long should theoretically yield a good response!  'Tell No Lies' got so close I couldn't believe it; 193 is almost irritatingly close to the mark!  ^_^

Semmel – Apology accepted, but there's no need to apologise.  ^_^  Yes, I did post that chapter earlier than normal; I managed to escape from work early, raced home (wearing my stupid boots that was quite a feat!) and posted chapter ten at about six and it went straight up!  No 'chapter does not exist' message, it went up almost instantly.  Normally I've gotten home late and posted at about half six, then waiting hours for it show up.  Weird that half an hour makes such a difference.  I will be trying to get home early on a Friday but I can't guarantee that the chapter will go up straight away.  Your premonition is very accurate – chapter ten was something of a 'quiet interlude' but it wasn't there just for the sake of having another chapter.

Squintz1 – Yay, you're still here!  Fantastic!  I was honestly straining my brain to remember my science lessons in the vain attempt to recall anything that might be of some use in this chapter.  Biology was more my area, so I include the immune system stuff for good measure.  ^_^  Aww, cute little kitten!  Wish I could have one, but I think Chandler, my guinea pig, would object..