The Porlock's Inn was almost empty except for two tables behind a large wardrobe at the backside of the pub, cut off conveniently from curious glances by the two single people who were spending their Saturday evening brooding over a pint at the small bar table in the front, not wanting or, Sirius thought, not bothering to go home after a long day's work.
As soon as he had rounded the wardrobe he spotted one or two familiar faces. All in all, however, the circle of friends Bellatrix had built up after leaving school was rather odd and very mixed. A few students, some people of her own age, two or three grown-ups - and one of the shop owners from Hogsmeade, Sirius realised with some surprise.
They were all sitting round the two large oak tables, obviously not up to much chit-chat, although some of the students were whispering to each other, apparently as unsure of the nature of this meeting as he was.
In fact, Sirius was rather surprised to see so many people down here. He had expected students mostly, and not so many shady figures of a kind, which he would have preferred not to meet in a deserted street at night. He also realised that among the students few were of the sort Professor McGonagall would have called successful - and not a single one was not in Slytherin. Except for him.
'Sirius,' said a voice from below and he spotted his cousin Rudolphus Lestrange sitting very close to where he was standing, a pint of decidedly not butterbeer in one and what seemed like a small, black quill in the other hand. 'Good to see you could make it.'
'What is this meeting all about?' said Sirius flatly. 'I am out of bounds, so you better have a reason for calling me out here without explaining anything, simply expecting me to do your bidding just because I'm part of the family. Is this one of Bellatrix's useless ideas?'
'Bella is indeed one of those behind this meeting,' said Rudolphus smoothly, motioning Sirius to take the seat beside him. 'I wouldn't call it useless, though. 'You'll have a clearer idea why by the end of it.'
Sirius gave him a bored look, remaining where he was, and then gazed around the table. The only other person, apart from his cousin Bellatrix and her sister Andromeda, whose name he could actually recall was Lucius Malfoy (of course he would be here), who was sitting next to a person whose face Sirius could not see because it was covered by the shade of a black hood.
'Typical,' he thought derisively, 'for him to make friends with the first person who might be up to no good.'
At this moment, Lucius looked up, spotted the newly arrived Gryffindor, and raised his eyebrows acknowledgingy, very unlike when they met in a Hogwarts corridor. Sirius gave him a dirty smile.
'Bastard,' he thought derisively.
Malfoy did not bother to change his expression even further, but stared at him for a long moment before nodding at something the hooded person had said and turned his head again. What was going on inside his head Sirius could only guess. And, in fact, he was not sure whether he wanted to know.
'He's one of the guards down in M'bwa,' said Rudolphus quietly, just loudly enough for Sirius to turn his attention to his dark-faced cousin again, rightly guessing what was going on in his head. 'The human ones, I mean. They are experimenting with all sorts of creatures down there as well these days. But he is one of the last that'll remain stationed there until the end of the year. Don't ask for his name, though. He is more of the secretive type. Doesn't talk a lot, except that he has been talking to Lucius for almost twenty minutes now. Maybe I should make enquiries after the meeting.' He grinned. Sirius did not move.
'It is good of you to come,' went Rudolphus on. 'Some of us have been wondering, you know, we have been wondering what Gryffindor would do to a proper-minded young man such as yourself. Cases like you don't occur very often.'
'Yes,' said Sirius, being sick of this kind of conversation.
'But Bella thought you might be interested. Just because your parents got a bit nasty about the house matter doesn't mean we don't still respect you, you know.'
'Well, what is this meeting all about then?' replied Sirius as flatly as before.
'I have invited you,' said the voice of Bellatrix, suddenly appearing from behind, 'to discuss a serious matter, which I think cannot be ignored any longer.'
Sirius turned and stared at her. 'But what...'
Then he realised that she was talking not only to him, but to the whole group of assembled witches and wizards. She was wearing a black cloak, which, Sirius assumed, she had chosen specifically for this occasion, trying to make an impression on all her assembled friends.
'I am talking, of course, about the political situation and the blatant mistakes of Albus Dumbledore,' Bellatrix went on. 'I think we have let him go far enough with his crazy love for Muggles and Mudbloods.'
Sirius looked up in surprise.
'The situation as it is,' continued Bellatrix, being rather uncharacteristically straightforward, 'must, under any circumstances, be taken seriously, because it affects our all well-being. And the future of the wizarding world.'
'As political situations tend to,' remarked Sirius, earning himself a chastising look from one of the elder wizards. 'What's the big deal?'
'The big deal is,' said Bellatrix sharply, 'that, if we don't take the matters in our hands, no one will. The big deal is that Rudolphus and I - and some others - have realised that our parents are unable and, apparently, unwilling to put a stop to the large number of nuisances in today's society. They will, and maybe can not change the course Fudge has taken with his politics, and they will certainly not leap into action against Dumbledore, which I think is a disastrous mistake.'
'Why would anyone want to take action against Dumbledore?' requested Sirius, suddenly realising what course the conversation was going to take.
'May I point out to you,' said Rudolphus, looking rather impatient, not realising that Sirius knew more than he allowed himself to display, 'that the Ministry intends to introduce a new Department for Inheritance Matters and Muggle Affairs? That there is going to be another sanction against House-Elf hunting and that during the last election four of twelve school governors could not trace their families back to the second or third generation? The situation is outrageous!'
'Not to mention the fact that we have to put up with half-bloods at Hogwarts these days,' remarked one of the younger wizards. 'Your generation,' he nodded towards the shop owner and what seemed to be his wife, 'didn't have this kind of problem, because no one would have dreamed of admitting their kind. I, however, have had to surround myself with them for the past seven years and, quite honestly, I am sick of Mudbloods and half-breeds contaminating my surroundings!'
'But there's nothing you can do about that situation,' said Andromeda carefully. 'You can't keep people from marrying each other.'
'I do not intend to stop them marrying each other,' said the young wizard even more derisively. 'I want them to stop marrying into doubtful families, or even,' he shuddered, 'Muggle ones.'
Sirius gave the man a scrutinising look. His forehead seemed slightly higher than average and his hooked nose was about as prominent in size, clearly classifying him as a member or distant member of one of the very old families. Lestrange, presumably, or Snape, although Sirius had to admit he had never seen him - probably because his time at Hogwarts had ended before Sirius had even set foot into the castle. As with many wizards of the old families, the young speaker's hair was black and tied into a pony tail over his shiny black robes. His expression at the moment was agitated - almost livid -, making Sirius think that this was not a person to meddle with. Very much like his uncle Lance, now he came to think of it. Perhaps he was a Snape after all.
'We want to know of each of you,' said Bellatrix now, 'whether you are as sick as we are of he everlasting discussions. Of people complaining about the situation without actually doing anything. We want to know if you are prepared to stand up and end the century of endless debates, proceeding into a new world which we will set up all by ourselves. A world free of Mudbloods and traitors to the bloodline.'
Sirius got the feeling that her gaze purposefully fell on him, but no one else seemed to notice, as most people were busy slamming their fists on the table, muttering or exclaiming loudly in agreement. He looked around, fighting a basic instinct just for a second, then burst into roaring laughter.
The group went very quiet. Sirius suddenly felt over a dozen pairs of eyes on him and stopped laughing, dealing out some challenging looks.
'What?!'
'Yes,' said Rudolphus slowly, dangerously. 'What is it, young Black? What are you laughing about?'
Sirius gave him a haughty grin.
'I'm sorry, but this is simply hilarious. I mean - you are all grown-up people. Well...' he glanced at two of the other students. 'Most of you. Bellatrix. What is this nonsense? A bunch of restless would-be-teenagers founding a secret society?'
'How DARE y-...'
Rudolphus was on his feet before Sirius could react.
'Rudolphus!!'
The younger of the Lestranges had jumped up as well, uselessly, of course, as he was several years younger than his brother. On the other side of the table Bellatrix had risen, striding over now, and positioning herself between her three cousins, her face contorted with fury when she turned to Sirius.
'How dare you?' she hissed. 'How dare you not take this seriously? How dare you talk like that?'
Sirius leaned back lazily, grinning at his cousin in what he knew to be an annoyingly superior manner. 'Who would take this seriously, Bellatrix? Who will ever take you seriously?' He looked around, grinning at those present with just a dash contempt.
'I should have known,' hissed Bellatrix, her face now very close to Sirius's. 'There was more to the Hat's decision than just a false interpretation of your tendencies. You really ARE one of them, am I right?'
Sirius felt hot anger rise inside him, but was determined not to show it to people who would be using it against him at first chance.
'How would you know who or what I am?' he snapped, in want of a better reply, glaring around in search of someone - anyone who might be with him.
There was no one. Even his cousin Andromeda, whom he believed to be not quite as deluded as the rest of those assembled, did not speak up. She was staring at one corner of the oak table, biting her lip, apparently thinking.
'You are idiots,' he said dryly after a while, turning back to Bellatrix and Rudolphus. 'If you want to make fools of yourselves, do so. But I am going back to the castle.'
And he got up.
'Oh no!' snarled Rudolphus. Sirius felt his collar being snatched, thinking that this was something he had not experienced in a while, considering how much he had grown in recent years. 'That's what you think, you little -...'
'Rudolphus!'
Bellatrix's voice was sharp and unmistakably .
'Leave him!'
Sirius felt himself being released and pushed to a side. For a few moments, his two cousins were whispering with one another, then Bellatrix straightened up. Her face had assumed an icy expression. Rudolphus had crossed his arms.
'Go, if you like,' she said. 'But you will convey the purpose of this meeting to no one, understood? You owe your family as much.'
'Yeah, right,' snapped Sirius, realising with surprise that he was getting slightly uneasy about her tone. Something in it suggested him to co-operate, or he would rest in pieces. So to speak.
When he left the Inn several minutes later, an odd feeling of relief overcame Sirius, which he tried to ignore at first, but finally experienced as the first time he had ever wilfully gone against what the family expected of him.
And against his will, a broad grin appeared on his face. He could see it in the shop windows, which he passed on his way back to the castle. A wide, appealing grin, he found. A Black's grin, but not in the sense of tradition. Just... in the sense of being member of a family. By nature.
He positioned himself in front of one of the windows (which happened to belong to Zonko's joke shop) and peered into the dark, deserted room inside. Was he mistaken, or had the old shop owner forgotten to close the door to his cellar? And what was the jumper all about, lying in the middle of the stone floor, apparently forgotten by a Hogwarts student? He puzzled about the matter for a moment, then decided that it did not actually interest him and turned.
In front of him, arms crossed, looking exceedingly angry, stood Professor McGonagall.
Sirius's first reaction was to freeze and retreat against the shop window, but he gathered himself quickly, knowing that almost every unpleasant situation could be overcome by either wit, or cleverness, or both.
'Professor,' he said eventually, looking straight into the flashing eyes of his devastated Head of House. 'F-fancy meeting you here...'
'May I ask,' snarled Professor McGonagall, giving the impression of suppressing a massive explosion - just for the moment, 'what you are doing doon here, Mr. Black? All by yerself? At this time of the night?'
'I was... sleep walking,' said Sirius vaguely, thinking what an idiot he had been not to return to the castle straight away.
'Don't lie to me!' snapped McGonagall. 'I shall have a word with your parents about this, mark my word! Better yet, suspend you straight away so they can deal with you in person. How DARE you... after what happened last year...'
'Well, you might have told us about Remus's condition,' remarked Sirius dryly, ignoring that every of her words meant nothing but trouble, should she carry out any of those threats.
At the same moment he felt his ear being snatched ruthlessly and stumbled when Professor McGonagall pulled him towards her, radiating a danger he had rarely perceived from her side. She was very clearly on the verge of losing it.
'How dare you? I daresay Professor Dumbledore knew very well what he was doing when he didnae tell a bunch of nosy, self-indulgent first-year students that they had a werewolf among them!'
Sirius's gaze flicked worriedly in the direction of the Porlock's Inn. Professor McGonagall frowned.
'I trust,' she said sternly, almost sounding ironical now, looking around in all directions as if looking for something, 'there are no more rule-breakers out here apart from you? Potter, perhaps? Or Mr. Pettigrew?'
'No one,' said Sirius truthfully.
'Well then,' said Professor McGonagall. 'Leaves only you to deal with. I swear, you are getting as bad as Fletcher and Diggle used to be. Will you need a visit of the thrashing vault before you stop breaking the school rules?'
'No, Professor,' Sirius hurried to assure her. 'Professor, you're... that is very... inconvenient what you are doing. Could you let go?'
With a grumpy expression McGonagall released his ear. Sirius pulled a grimmace and rubbed it gently.
'Well,' said Professor McGonagall, 'the entrance doors close at eight in the evening. How did you get here?'
Sirius's head was suddenly full with more or less believable explanations. He needed time. Time to think!
'Flew,' he said, well aware of the phonological ambiguity of the word.
Professor McGonagall stared at him without speaking at first. Then, raising her hand slowly, moving dangerously close to his throbbing ear, she took a deep breath, her eyebrows forming one, severe line, and looked straight into his eyes.
'You got here by broom?' She made a significant pause, giving Sirius time to realise that he could not possibly say 'yes'.
'Flew as in... floo powder,' he thus said, wondering how he was going to wind himself out of this one.
'You broke into a teacher's office then?' said Professor McGonagall quietly, sounding more threatening than ever. Sirius shook his head quickly.
'No, I... it's...'
'Don't you think it is much more likely that you have been using one of the many tunnels into the village?' said McGonagall, suddenly sounding very tired. Sirius gave her a blank stare.
'You... know about them?'
'How many years do you suppose I have been teaching at Hogwarts, Mr. Black?'
She still sounded rather tired and impatient, so Sirius suppressed his first thought and went for a polite guess. 'Ten years?'
'Fifteen,' said Professor McGonagall sternly. 'And don't you think in all those years I have had enough time to find out all about Hogwarts that one needs to know?'
Sirius lowered his head.
'So you came here by tunnel,' the Deputy Headmistress remarked. 'Can you name one convincing reason why I should not send you home straight away?'
Sirius hesitated. He should have seen this question coming, but there was no safe way of answering it. Then again, he did have a reason not to be looking forward to a suspension.
'Professor,' he said after a long while of consideration, 'my parents will throw me out if I present them a suspension parchment.'
There was a short silence. McGonagall's wrath seemed to evaporate while she was actually considering what kinds of consequences a suspension might have on his part.
'I realise that your situation is difficult,' she said quietly after some hesitation. 'But you cannot keep coming down here. There are reasons for these rules, you know. They are set up for your own safety. A safety which you seem to endanger on a permanent basis. Haven't you got a sense of responsibility?'
Sirius did not dare look her in the eyes. He was aware that the purpose of her speech was to make him think about things, so that eventually he would change his behaviour, but all he could think of at the moment was... 'Careful now. Play intelligently and you'll get off easily.'
'Follow me,' said McGonagall sternly after a while, turning abruptly in the direction of the castle. 'A detention will do this time. But I shall not be so lenient if I catch you out of bounds one more time, is that understood? I know you have a difficult position, but you'll have to learn and live with it, which means you ought to start taking responsibility...'
And she lectured him all the way up to the castle until they had reached Gryffindor tower and the portrait of the Fat Lady. Here, to Sirius's great surprise she bid him an weary goodnight, actually placing her hand on his shoulder as if making up for her long, exhausting speech, before he could finally go inside, swearing to himself that he would not answer a single question James or the others might ask.
