kurtcobain4eva – My first reviewer! Thank you very much. I hope you like this chapter.
Egwene - Thanks for your review. I feel exactly the same about H/C stories, but I also know that some people aren't so fond of them! Umm... I'm afraid the comfort side of it is quite some way off however.
Disclaimer – not mine.
Chapter Two
The library was deserted, as he had known it would be. After all, it was rare that anyone other than he ever actually wanted to spend time in there. His own liking for the room had always been a little odd really, especially when you considered how the library at Hogwarts had always been one of his least favourite places. He couldn't help but wonder what Remus would say if he knew how Sirius had always been able to relax far easier in this chamber than he could in any other in the house. It was his refuge. His retreat.
He and James would, as much as possible, avoid Hogwarts' library, usually using it only when they were researching something for their latest prank. He almost smiled as he recalled how worried Remus became each and every time they began to take on the appearance of diligent students. It was generally followed by either some major announcement - that they'd discovered his secret, or that they planned to become Animagi in order to help him - or by some insane prank on Snivellus... He caught himself there. He really didn't want to be thinking about Snape and Remus at the same time.
With a sigh he settled himself into a chair in a corner. It was a position that he'd discovered when he was young, well before he'd left for Hogwarts. He'd long since lost count of the number of times he'd curled up there whilst hiding from his boring tutors and their equally boring lessons. It was just perfect for doing so. Light and warm, yet out of sight from the doorway. Of course, it hadn't taken all that long for them to discover it, but that hadn't stopped him from keeping it as his sanctuary as the years passed. This whole room, despite the Dark content of the majority of the books, held a sense of peacefulness that the rest of the house lacked.
The few, half-hearted decorations that adorned the area, however, Sirius noted as he took a large, hungry bite of his sandwich, were no different to those in the rest of the house. It was only in the drawing room - a space that was purely his mother's territory, the room where any entertaining would occur - that even a little enthusiasm had been shown. That was the norm in this place. Christmas here wasn't a time for celebration. If it was to be anything, it had always been a chance for... well, 'social strategizing' he supposed you could call it.
Thankfully, he hadn't been included much in that this year... Thinking about it, he probably wouldn't have been the last few Christmases either - not since he'd been sorted into Gryffindor. As he'd stayed in Hogwarts as much as possible since his second year he couldn't really say for certain. Anyway, this year at least, whilst his mother and Regulus attended gatherings with the other pureblood families, he had been left behind in blissful solitude. On the two occasions where he'd actually been ordered to join them, he had, typically, been directed to hold his tongue. The fact that he hadn't managed to do so either time quite possibly explained why he hadn't been required to attend since.
It didn't take him long to devour the sandwich. The biscuits and bananas that he'd earlier slipped inside his robe swiftly followed it. He finally sat back, satisfied that the growling of his stomach had died down enough to let him think straight. It was unfortunate for him, he thought reflectively, that his father so rarely joined the rest of the Blacks in their social visits. The older man seldom left his potions lab, emerging only briefly for meal times, and rarely even to sleep. And that, Sirius thought with a dejected groan, was his main problem at the moment.
He had to get his hands on Dumbledore's letter. That episode with his mother in the kitchen had been far too close for comfort. He really didn't want to go through it again, and next time with her actually knowing about the Willow incident. But Father's lab was connected to his study, and that was where the letter would be. Sirius was not suicidal. Crossing his mother unnecessarily was bad enough, but his father... now that was another thing entirely. The study was out of bounds.
But, he thought darkly, this was not exactly 'unnecessary'. If he didn't get hold of that letter the reactions of both of his parents would be far worse than anything he'd yet seen this holiday. He'd nearly killed the boy his father had always seen as being 'the perfect son'. He'd nearly been expelled! They would not be happy. He had to get that letter, and he had to do it now.
With that decision made, he rose to his feet and left the room. He didn't, however, get very far before being forced to halt.
His father's study was two floors below the library. Sirius had only just set his foot on the first stair when he spied Kreacher scuttling up towards him. The house-elf, unfortunately, spotted him before he could retreat back to his haven. Sirius frowned distastefully as it slowed, gazing up at him malevolently. Kreacher had been with the Blacks as long as Sirius could remember. Several other house-elves had been beheaded, having grown too old to continue serving, but not Kreacher. Soon, hopefully, Sirius thought maliciously. It was already going insane - he would swear to it.
"Master Black." Kreacher bowed low, his snout-like nose brushing the floor. His voice continued in a nasty undertone, "It's the ungrateful brat. What's he doing now?"
Yeah, Sirius decided. The hideous little thing was definitely going insane. He narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Kreacher has to deliver a message from the Mistress, Master Black. To Master Regulus." Unsurprisingly, a second later Sirius clearly heard the muttered, "Not to this nasty swine."
"Well. Go on then. I'm not stopping you."
He watched as the house-elf, with a last, half-hidden glare at him, continued on its scampering, hunchbacked route up the stairs. He closed his eyes for a instant, fighting to steady his nerves, before swiping his damp palms against the fabric of his robes and again starting down. He would do this. He had to do this! A few minutes later he was standing before the study entrance.
For several long moments, however, he simply stared at the door without moving, his eyes fixed on the dark, knotted wood. Clenching his fist to still the faint trembling, he finally raised his hand to knock, telling himself that everything would be fine. He was a Marauder. A little thing like this shouldn't faze him! But... he couldn't help but wish right now that he had James' invisibility cloak. Or, at the very least, his wand – unfortunately that had been confiscated on only his second day home. Trying to hex Regulus with his mother in the next room had not been his most intelligent act. It was typical really, he thought. He was in one of the few houses in Britain where underage magic was unlikely to be detected through the wards, and he'd managed to get his wand confiscated before he'd made even the slightest use of the fact...
Drawing a deep breath, he tapped softly, his excuse ready, there on the tip of his tongue, just in case his father actually happened to be in the outer room. A brief moment passed with no answer and Sirius sighed in relief. Excuse or no excuse, he hadn't fancied actually having an encounter with the older man this evening. With a quick glance up and down the dark hallway, he cracked open the door and slipped into the empty chamber.
He was in. Now all he had to do was find that letter. Preferably before his father decided to emerge... Fighting to keep his eyes from straying over to the doorway on the far side of the room, Sirius quickly crossed to the large oaken desk and began to carefully search through its heaped contents.
There it was. That had to be it. Only Dumbledore would write letters in multicoloured ink. With an unsteady hand, he lifted the pages and cracked open the seal. Dear Mr. Black, he read. It is with heartfelt regret that I find myself writing to inform you of an alarming incident involving your son, Sirius. Yes. That was it. He didn't need to read any more than that. He quickly slipped the letter inside his robes, and turned to leave the room. As he did so, however, his sleeve brushed against a haphazard stack of scrolls, books and parchments, sending them tumbling to the floor.
"Bugger!" he muttered, casting a fleeting glance towards his father's lab, desperately praying that the noise hadn't been loud enough to draw the man's attention. He knelt, hurriedly gathering up the scattered items, piling them back onto the crowded desk. One scroll had rolled open and, as Sirius hastily began to rewind it, he couldn't help but notice the signature at the bottom. He froze. It was a letter to his Father. From Voldemort.
Almost unwillingly, he began to read.
Dear Mr. Black,
Your successes do you proud and I see that I was correct in seeing the importance of your work. Your contributions to our cause will be well rewarded. This new potion sounds most intriguing - a combination of the effects of Veritaserum and Imperio. Just consider the possibilities of such a formula! The others that you have spoken of also bode well. I look forward to seeing some demonstrations. If it is possible I shall call upon you before the New Year and will hopefully be leaving with samples. I assume that you, as with all other loyal purebloods, shall be attending the Malfoys' party on the 23rd. We can discuss certain issues further there.
Yours sincerely,
Lord Voldemort
He was still standing with his eyes fixed blindly on the scroll, the words merely a blur on the page before him, when the sound of heavy footfalls upon the stairs reached his ears. He tensed, his wide eyes shifting speedily to the entrance as his breath caught in his throat. Just keep on going, he silently pleaded. Keep on going, up the stairs. You don't want to stop here...
It seemed that he was out of luck. Rather than continuing up to the next landing the footsteps paused, then crossed the hallway towards the study. Towards him. Sirius span, hastily searching for somewhere, anywhere he could hide, his mind swiftly running through his options. Under the desk? No, in view of the doorway. What about behind the door? Huh, not with the way his mother slammed doors open! Oh shit! Not even in his animagi form would he be able to avoid notice – and there was no way he was about to take the chance of revealing that little ability to his family. It was useless. Shit. Oh shit. His heart thudded noisily in his chest. With a flash of panic he stared at the scroll in his hand. If they knew that he'd read this... Well, he really didn't want to face the consequences! Being caught in here was going to be bad enough. With hurried, erratic movements he thrust it back amongst the others as the footsteps halted outside the room. He'd barely removed his hand when the door swung open behind him.
A/N - Hiya. Hope you all like the new chapter. Please R&R. Ignore that 'be nice' I put on the first chapter - I want to know what people think. Good or bad.
