Chapter 53
Sirius sat down on an uncomfortable chair, opposite of Dolores Umbridge. Although a big oak desk was between them he still felt too close to this woman. He remembered now very well how she used to stalk him during their time at Hogwarts.
She had a crush on him like almost every girl there these days, but not in his wildest dreams he would have given in to her desperate advances.
"So Mr Black, what am I going to do with you? You know I should immediately call the dementors to execute the final punishment."
Sirius did not reply. He knew she was up to something as he saw the cunning look on her face.
Umbridge got up and walked behind Sirius' chair.
The wizard shuddered noticeably when her stubby fingers, decorated with showy old rings, sneaked down his chest. It took him all his willpower not to jump from the chair and run for his life.
"Sirius, my dear. I know very we that Mr Peter Pettigrew is still alive. He has been seen at Malfoy Manor" she purred.
Sirius took a deep breath, holding back the urge to hex her into the next century.
Then he realized what she had said.
"You know that Pettigrew is alive? So why did you not tell anybody about it" he gasped.
"Oh my dear, I still have a bone to pick with you" she replied.
"And what would that be?"
Umbridge moved back to her chair behind the table and sat down.
"Can you remember the day when I invited you to my birthday party? I was so thrilled when you said you'd come, just to find out that it was all a big joke from the irresistible Sirius Black. You humiliated me in front of all my friends. I had told everybody that the famous Sirius Black has finally recognized me. And then when everybody was there and we were waiting for you, an owl knocked on the window."
"Sorry Dolores, I was an insufferable git with a big head. I never realized you really had feelings for me" Sirius tried to soothe her.
He recognized that there was rage building up behind the surface of the Undersecretary. If he didn't want her to explode he had to play along and give her what she wanted; whatever it was.
Umbridge's eyes turned into a cold grey as she continued.
"Do you remember the howler you sent me? You called me ugliest and most foolish girl that ever placed her foot in this castle. And even if I wouldn't be a Slytherin, you would rather date a sewer rat, which definitely would have more charm and sex appeal, than me. There were a lot more 'lovely' words about my person, but I can do without repeating them."
Sirius remembered very well the howler that he had written together with James. They had been standing in the corner of the empty classroom that Dolores had been allowed to use for her birthday party, hidden under the invisibility cloak, when the howler went off.
They despised the little Slytherin even more than Snape. She has never been anything but a bootlicker who did everything to get what she wanted.
"So Mr Black, how far would you go to regain your freedom and peace of mind?"
Sirius assumed that this intonation was supposed to be seductive, but it totally backfired.
This woman was nothing but disgusting, and not even if the dementors would be waiting right in front of the door, he would not even consider touching her.
Bu maybe...just maybe I can think herself safe and get out of that tight spot, he thought.
"What are you suggesting" he asked innocently.
"Oh Sirius, you're disappointing me" she purred. "I think you still owe me a date"
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Mr Weasley returned to his office after 30 min followed by Albus Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore! She has Sirius!" Harry called and jumped from his chair.
"Calm down Harry; I've already heard everything from Arthur here. I promise I will sort this out. It was my fault to begin with." Professor Dumbledore said.
"Can we help you?" Hermione spoke up.
"No, child. There's nothing you can do right now. Mr Weasley will take you to headquarters and Sirius and I will meet you there"
"I'm not going to leave here without Sirius and..." Harry said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest as Zara suddenly screamed.
"KELSEY AND KAYLA!"
"Oh my god" Ginny muttered. "We totally forgot about them"
Albus just smiled and said "Don't worry about them. They're not in danger". With a knowing glance ant Hermione he added "They are taking care of something for me"
Zara managed to whisper "Oh" before Dumbledore left the office.
"I'm still not going anywhere without Sirius" Harry insisted.
"Don't act so childish!" Hermione scolded. "I know you are upset and concerned about Sirius, but there's nothing we can do now. Leave it to Dumbledore."
"She's right mate" Ron added and looked at his father. "How are we going to get there, dad?"
Arthur Weasley opened drawer of his desk and retrieved a jar.
"This is special floo powder" he explained. "Just throw it in the flames. It will take you right to headquarters"
He offered Hermione the jar and she took some of the powder threw it in the flames of the fireplace in the office and stepped into the flames. Zara, Ginny, Harry, Fred, George and Ron followed her before Mr Weasley left his office.
"Thank god you are finally here" a female voice shouted and pulled Harry in a bone-crushing embrace as soon as he stumbled out of the fire.
All he could see was a bush of fiery red hair, so he just muffled "Nice to see you too Mrs Weasley"
"I knew it would end in a disaster when you send Sirius out to take of something so important" Molly Weasley ranted. "Where is the old blighter?"
Her husband filled her in on what happened at the ministry and Mrs Weasley went pale.
"Oh I'm sure Albus will take care of everything, but isn't there someone missing?" she said when she counted all the heads. "There are just 7 of you... shouldn't there be 9?"
"Kelsey and Kayla didn't leave the house with us. Professor Dumbledore said that they were fine." Hermione explained.
"Oh if Albus says so, then don't worry children. His house has more than one loophole and a lot of spirits are protecting it" Molly said. "I have to return to the office, Molly. I will see you tonight."
Mr Weasley gave his wife a peck on the cheek, waved at the children and disapparated.
"So, you lot. I will show you to your rooms now and then I will prepare some snacks. It's a little early for dinner yet." Mrs Weasley said when she led them through the gloomy kitchen.
Zara recognized the big grin on Ron's face and started to giggle.
"I don't know if I had the pleasure to meet you dear" Mrs Weasley addressed Zara.
Zara blushed slightly and answered shyly "I'm Zara Rawle, ma'am. I'm a Ravenclaw and a friend"
Mrs Weasley smiled motherly at the girl and walked towards the door.
"I want you to go through the hallway on tiptoes and only one after the other. There's a certain painting in the entrance hall I don't want to alert. She can get really nasty when she wakes up. At the end of the hallway, go up the steps and try not to fall over the umbrella stand." she explained.
Harry and Ron shared confused looks as Ginny followed her mother through the door.
They all followed and tried to be as quiet as possible.
Harry just entered the landing when he heard someone scream profanities in the hallway.
"Fred! George! Get up here instantly" Mrs Weasley shouted on the top of her lungs to drown out the screaming from downstairs.
"MUDBLOODS AND BLOOD-TRAITORS! ALL THIS SCUM IN MY NOBLE HOUSE...."
"Who by the love of Merlin is that?" Ginny said aghast.
Mrs Weasley who had just grabbed her two sons by their ears and dragged them across the landing said "This is Mrs Black"
"Mrs Black?" Harry wondered.
"Yes Harry dear. Sirius late mother"
They all looked pretty confused and followed Mrs Weasley along into another hallway.
"You lot pair up in two and pick a room along this hallway. I have to take care of Mrs Black."
After that, Mrs Weasley walked back downstairs and soon the screaming became more muffled and finally ceased.
Hermione together with Ginny had soon found a room they liked and after about half an our, Harry and Ron as well as Fred and George had settled in rooms along the hallway. Zara was occupying the last room alone until Kayla was back from whatever they were doing for Dumbledore. Kelsey would be staying with Ron and Harry.
All their luggage was still at Dumbledore's house so they nothing to unpack.
"It's a little bit filthy, what do you think Ginny" Hermione asked.
"Yes, it looks like nobody has been living her for decades" Ginny replied. "I wonder if they have house-elves"
Hermione frowned and scolded "We are healthy enough to care for ourselves. We don't need to exploit poor house-elves who are enslaved to serve us"
Ginny was able to change the giggle that was about to erupt into a cough that strangely sounded like "SPEW"
Hermione grunted disapprovingly, but decided not to react.
"Let's go and see if my mother needs any help in the kitchen" Ginny suggested and they silently walked back down in the kitchen. Zara obviously had the same idea, because she was already preparing some tea, while Mrs Weasley flicked her wand and the sandwiches prepared themselves.
Ginny and Hermione set the table and soon everything was ready.
Ron and Harry were about to leave their room when George and Fred entered.
"What the heck did you do down there to make this painting hit the roof like that" Ron grinned.
"Oh we just wanted to see how she looked like" Fred said innocently.
"Just why do I not really believe that?" Harry mused.
"So what did you really do?" Ron asked again.
George grinned widely and said "We attached a mustache to the painting with a sticking charm. I don't think Mrs Black liked that"
The four boys broke into fits of laughter when suddenly a knock on the door made them stop.
The door opened and a old house-elf covered with a filthy towel came in.
"You - down"
Then the house-elf snapped his finger and disappeared.
"WHO was THAT" Ron gasped.
"I always thought house-elves are supposed to be friendly, politely and obedient. This one here looked more like a crossbreed of a goblin and Snape" Harry snickered. They went downstairs and settled down at the table in the gloomy kitchen.
Before everyone was seated, Ron had already put several sandwiches on his plate.
"Don't bolt down the food like that, Ron" his mother scolded. "There's enough for everybody"
Ginny snickered when her brother choked on a huge bite.
He seemed to be a little upset about the remark of Fred that "little Ronnikins is still growing"
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"PETUNIAAAAA!" Lily growled. After everything she had heard in the past hour, she was determined to give her sister some piece of her mind.
James couldn't do anything but laugh heartily. It was so good to have his Lily back. He pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her soundly.
"I will have a serious talk with Albus too. How could he do that to poor Harry? He will have to explain that to me"
"What, dear Lily, will I have to explain to you?"
"Albus!" Lily called when the old man stepped out of the fireplace.
The old wizard embraced his former student and Kayla could have sworn that she had seen tears trickling down his cheek.
"Where is Harry?" Lily asked instantly.
"He's at Sirius home" Albus replied.
"Merlin's beard Albus! What else do you want to put Harry through? First you sentence him to eleven years with my awful sister and now you're leaving him with Sirius mother?" she called.
"Calm down my child. Mrs Black died years ago. All that is left from her is an old painting. Sirius offered his mansion as headquarter for the Order" the old wizard explained.
James offered Dumbledore his place on the couch and asked "Where is Sirius anyway and how did you know that Lily is awake?"
"I visited my house when I heard that Kelsey and Kayla here didn't return to headquarters. Lady Tanya then told me that she send them here. So when I arrived, the first I heard was Lily's charming voice"
Dumbledore smiled at Lily who scowled in a very Snape-like manner.
"The situation with Sirius a little bit more difficult"
Jams looked instantly alert. "What is wrong with Sirius?"
Albus sighed deeply and continued "When Sirius went to my home to get Harry and the Weasley children, after someone broke in, he wanted to bring them to me with one of Fawkes' feathers. Just minutes ago Fudge summoned me to the ministry and unfortunately Sirius and the children ended just there"
"And what is the problem?" Lily wondered. "Sirius is an auror; he's working there"
"14 years ago this was right, but not anymore." Albus explained. "Sirius got convicted for killing Peter Pettigrew and betraying you and James. Everyone was convinced that he was your secret keeper and turned you over to Voldemort. I couldn't do anything about it. When I found out what happened, Crouch had already sent him to Azkaban without a trial."
Lily swallowed hard while James looked like he was about to go berserk.
"So what about Sirius?" Lily whispered.
"Dolores Umbridge..."
"Oh no... not HER!" James shouted. "She was stalking him since we were 4th years"
"He is in her office right now and I came here to ask a favour of you, James"
"Anything for Padfoot, you know that Albus" Jams said.
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"My dear Sirius, I think we make ourselves a little bit more comfortable and then you're going to give me what you promised me all this years ago" Umbridge purred.
With a flick of her wand, she transfigured the furniture of her office into a four-poster bed with pink curtains.
Sirius recognized that she placed wards on the door and put a special silencing charm on the room, which made sure that no noise could be heard outside, but that everything outside could be heard in side.
She released him from his handcuffs and Sirius instantly started to massage his wrists.
"Come over here, Mr Black" she commanded after she settled on the bed and took her shoes off.
The dark haired wizard had the sudden urge to vomit right over the sheets when he realized the pattern on the comforter.
Kitten.... why kitten? What adult woman would want to sleep in bedclothes with kitty cats, he thought thoroughly disturbed.
He said down on the very edge of the bed as Dolores Umbridge moved closer and closer.
Please somebody has to call the dementors, he prayed. Everything is better than this. I swear I will transform and bite her.
Just then he felt her sweaty, chubby fingers caressing his cheeks.
"Dolores, do you really want to ruin your career by doing something inappropriate with a convicted murderer?" he asked hopefully.
"Oh trust me dear, nobody will ever find out about it. After I got what I wanted, I will just go. They will catch you sooner or later and you will pay for what you have done for me for the rest of your existence."
Sirius glared at her angrily.
"I was the one who convinced Mr Crouch to send you to Azkaban without a trial. And I also destroyed all the evidence that might have saved you from prison." she sneered.
"Why did you do that?" he growled.
"I was waiting for my chance to take revenge for years and years" she moved closer to him, obviously enjoying his discomfort.