Lesson From the Order
The months went by slowly as they always seemed to at Grimmuald place. The white snow was replaced by green grass and tulips. A warm inviting breeze began to fill the air.
One thing, however, remained constant despite the changing seasons; Sirius was still caged within the large mansion.
True, that it was not nearly as dismal as it had been before Ebony's arrival. Sirius had in fact found a solace in Ebony's company.
With Remus gone on business for the order a large amount of the time, Ebony had become his sole confidante and often a vent for his frustration. She listened to him and often agreed with him about both their treatment by Dumbledore (whom she had still never met) and the order. That is not to say that she did not have criticisms stored for Sirius as well.
"And I suppose I'm no more than another burden for the poor, struggling, hero to bear!" Ebony had told Sirius one night after he had again complained about having to stay at the house with nothing useful to do for the order.
" Well, where have these lessons got us? Think about it Ebony, What have you remembered since we started?" Sirius said as he paced between a chair and the sofa of the living room "I've told you I'm trying."
"You can try as hard as you like! It's a lost cause and Dumbledore knows it."
"It may be a lost cause to you, but it's not your memory is it? " She said.
When he made no reply the self satisfied look that had become familiar to Sirius spread across her face.
"Honestly, do you think you're the only one who has to put up with this kind of frustration? I would remind you that I'm forced to stay locked up here to!"
"You think it's bad here, try it in Azkaban." Sirius muttered to himself. But Ebony heard him.
"That's right no matter how bad things are for anyone else, there always worse for you aren't they? Sometimes I think that great- great- Grandfather of yours is right. You like nothing more than to wallow in your own self pity."
"So you've been talking to his portrait have you?" he said bitterly.
"Well in this house it's either talk to him or talk to you." Ebony said as she began to stand up from the couch she'd been sitting on. Sirius could tell she was about to walk out on him again.
"And I must confess there are times when I prefer the portrait!"
Just as he had predicted Ebony stalked up the stairs to her bedroom. At first Sirius turned away in a huff. After she was gone however, he was forced to smile. They would make up later, they always did.
That night Sirius awoke with a start on the couch in front of the fire, (which he had lately taken to sleeping on). His nightmares, the ones that seemed to be left over from Azkaban, of the pale, and dead, faces of his friends, were coming more and more frequently. Being shut up all day in the gloomy excuse for a house was certainly not helping.
He sat brooding on the couch for a few moments before he was stirred again by the soft padding of bare feet climbing carefully down the stairs.
"Sirius?" He heard Ebony say softly from the stair well.
"What're you doing up?" He asked darkly, the memory of their last argument was still fresh in his mind.
"Nightmare." She said lightly, shrugging her shoulders, trying to appear as if it really didn't bother her all that much. But the puffy red patches under her eyes and the small sniffle that somehow managed to escape her mouth, gave her away.
"Good to know I'm not the only one." Sirius muttered.
"You too?" she asked, giving another small sniff.
He nodded as he moved over to make room for her on the couch next to him.
She took the spot next to Sirius, bringing her knees to her chest and curling up, almost cat like on the cushion. He had seen her crawl into this position so often that he wondered if she was able to sleep any other way. Not that he minded, that left more room for him on the couch.
"Sirius..." Ebony asked after a silence.
"Hmm...?" He asked, still a bit groggy.
"Mind if I stay down here tonight?"
"Why not? You're already here aren't you?"
They had been through this routine before. It usually happened after they had had a particularly loud argument. Sirius was beginning to think she planned it that way, and was slightly surprised to find that he didn't mind one bit.
It was better than having one of them apologize at any rate. (Something which neither party would ever do freely). And it was nice to have someone to fall asleep next to.
"'night Sirius." Ebony said drowsily staring up at him. She wouldn't fall asleep until he said it. She never did. It had become something like their own version of "I'm sorry"
"Good night Ebony." With a satisfied smile Ebony closed her eyes.
Sirius watched her for a few moments. Sometimes he thought he liked her best like this.
When she slept she looked, harmless, calm, innocent. But he couldn't complain when she was awake either. True, she could irritate him to no end, but at least she made him feel...something. No one had been able to do that since he had moved into Grimuald place
Even arguing with Ebony didn't bother him any more. Somehow the more often he argued with her the more alive he felt.
The days, and weeks and months continued like this. Every day Sirius would give Ebony lessons to try and restore her memory. Every day, it seemed to become more hopeless. He had watched Ebony rack her brains for nearly five months.
She often thought so hard and worked for so long to remember anything about her past that she would give herself head aches or sometimes even faint from exhaustion. She had remembered close to nothing since the first day.
The only thing of significance was that Ebony had somehow found, or rediscovered a talent for singing. She could often be heard belting out Celestina Warbeck songs she had heard on the radio. Still, as May dawned on the mansion, Sirius half felt as if he had failed the order by not breaking through the memory charm.
This feeling was made worse at an order meeting one night. They were happening more and more sporadically since Dumbledore's arrest. Sirius happened to get the call for this particular meeting just after He, Remus and Ebony had finished dinner.
As always, Ebony put up a fight to try and stay, but in the end Sirius and Remus managed to coax her out of the kitchen before the rest of the order arrived.
At first it was more of the same. Kingsley gave his report on how the ministry now were successfully convinced that the lead about Sirius hiding in London was a dead end. There was more discussion of the guarding of the prophesy.
The meeting was nearly over when Moody Said "And now, Sirius, where are you on the memory charm?"
The subject had not come up since the day Sirius had told the rest of the order the phrase that Ebony said she remembered singing.
"To tell the truth, I haven't made much more progress." Sirius said feeling slightly ashamed.
"Have you tried putting a wand in her hand?" asked moody. He had not even thought about it. Now that Mad Eye had mentioned it, it seemed fairly obvious. However in an attempt to salvage himself, Sirius thought it best to simply pretend to know what he was doing.
"No. I assumed it would be, well somewhat dangerous at this stage."
"Call the girl in."
"Are you sure about this Mad eye?" Sirius heard Tonks ask as he went to fetch Ebony from the attic. As soon as he closed the door however, he found that the long journey up the stairs would not be necessary.
Ebony sat feet from the door looking up expectantly at Sirius
"Why do they want to see me?"
"Extendable ears not working as well these days?" Sirius asked smiling
"Fred and Gorge didn't leave me any when they left for school." Ebony said somewhat bitterly as Sirius led her into the kitchen.
"Ebony, are you sure you haven't remembered anything since January?" Tonks asked
"Yes... I mean no... Why?" Ebony looked around the table bewildered, yet she still seemed almost childishly anxious.
"Thought we'd try something," Remus said standing from the Table. He pulled his own wand out of his tattered robes and handed it to Ebony. She stared at it hesitantly.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Just say whatever comes to your head" said Kingsley.
Most of the table now held their gaze on Ebony (save for Mundungus who was snoring away on the right corner of his chair.). Perhaps for the first time since he had known her, Sirius saw a hint of fear sketched in Ebony's face, as she stared around at the expectant order members.
"But I...I can't!" She stammered. "I don't know any spells! And...what if... what if something goes wrong?!"
"Don't worry about that now, just think." Remus said.
Ebony still looked apprehensive, but stared down at the wand in deep concentration. Minuets passed, no one said anything. Ebony still held the wand her eyes closed and her brow furrowed. Sirius could tell what was coming next. It had happened before in their lessons. Ebony would soon either be writhing in pain from a headache or lying on the floor in a dead faint.
"Can't we leave it here for the night?" Sirius asked. No sooner had he said this however than.
"Lumos" Remus's wand ignited in a fiery blaze that sent several sparks flying over Mundungus awakening him from a dead stupor.("Huh? oh...'meeting over?") The entire table stared even closer at Ebony who had dropped the wand and jumped back several feet, looking as if she'd seen a ghost.
"Do you remember where you learned those words?" Remus asked after a rather long and tense pause.
"I- I think I remember . I remember reading them. Like I remember reading Harry's name. That's how I knew it I think." Ebony put her hand to her head again.
"You'd better go back up to bed." Sirius said.
"Fine." She answered. She tried to sound indignant but Sirius could tell she was grateful.
"I suppose you were right mad eye." Tonks said once the kitchen door had closed behind Ebony.
"Right about what?" Sirius asked. It was clear the rest of them knew something he didn't.
"Right in thinking that the girl is not who she says she is." Growled moody.
Sirius wasn't quite sure of what he was hearing. Surely, they couldn't be rethinking the memory charm theory. They had seen that Ebony could not even properly hold a wand.
"I still don't understand." Sirius said skeptically
"The thing is," Remus began hesitantly, "Memory charms, proper memory charms affect both the short term and the long term memory. The first night she was here Ebony remembered not only her name, but also a name she claims to have read. That made, well it made Mad Eye, suspicious."
"It's very possible that the charm could have begun to wear off at that point." Said Sirius more defensively than he had intended.
"Then why didn't she remember everything that happened after that?" Asked Moody. Sirius tried to think of a rebuttle. He realized that he didn't have one. Mad-eye did have a point. But Ebony couldn't be lying, she couldn't. Not to him.
"This is ridiculous! You saw what she did with that wand. She could barely remember how to perform the spell and when she finally did it, well, it didn't even come out properly." Sirius spoke very quickly he could feel blood rushing to his face.
"But she remembered." Mad eye said quietly. "As long as we are this suspicious she can't stay here. The girl will have to leave."
"Her name is Ebony." Sirius said heatedly through clenched teeth.
"And if she doesn't stay here, where is she supposed to go?" He looked around the table hoping for some amount of support but they all seemed to avert his eyes.
Each of the order members wore identical looks of grief. It was as if someone had died.
"Sirius Mad-eye is right. It's dangerous to keep her here when we're so unsure." Tonks said almost as if she were comforting a boy who had lost a dog.
Sirius turned away slightly from the table. They spoke about Ebony as if she were some dangerous animal that had to be disposed of. They were wrong about her, somehow he would prove it. Tonks got up form the table, Kingsley followed. "Just think about it Sirius," Tonks said.
"Fine. I'll think about it." Sirius said more to please her than anything else. There were two loud cracks and Tonks and Kingsley vanished from the room.
"I'm Going to bed." Sirius said quietly as he moved from the table. None of them dared to stop him.
As he opened the kitchen door, he nearly ran over a large lump laying next to it. He only had to see the betrayed look on ebony's face to know that she had heard everything.
He opened his mouth to tell her that everything would be allright, that she wasn't going anywhere. But before he could say anything, she hurried up the stair well and out of sight.