A/N:
The chapter will reveal what Sirius had been told by Dumbledore. But as to whether what he was told was accurate or complete, I'm not telling just yet! LOL. But as I had mentioned earlier, please do not throw rotten eggs at me if the plan turns out to be too predictable.
For fans of Sirius, you can be rest assured that he'll be 'here, there and everywhere' in this fic! It's just because I LOVE him too! :-) I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll not be killed in the remaining three HP books.
Winning Over The Marauders
"It'll be as though we are exchanging her life for mine," Sirius growled. He wanted his freedom badly, wanted to be able to focus on the fight against the dark side without having to keep a constant lookout for the Ministry or fellow wizards who might blow the whistle on him. If he can regain his freedom, he would be able to provide Harry with a home. He would also be able to visit Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade or anywhere else in the wizarding world as Sirius the man rather than Padfoot the dog. Yes, it would be wonderful to be a free man again.
But there was no way he could agree to let a woman put herself in danger just to have a go at giving him his freedom. Especially not if it was a woman who was almost a stranger to him.
"Don't be so pig-headed, Sirius. You're flattering yourself. I'm not doing this just for you. From what I understand from Albus, getting back your freedom means three more on the side of the Light." April sounded like she was patiently trying to explain a simple formula to a student who was too dull to comprehend.
Sirius fumed, "What are you talking about?" His voice sounded cold and almost hostile.
April was trying desperately to keep her cool. "Do you really believe that Remus and Harry will be able to give their all in this fight while you're still hiding from almost the entire world? This battle is likely to be a long-drawn one, Sirius. It's going to take every bit of our strength and concentration to get through it. We cannot afford to have other worries, other distractions on our minds."
Sirius felt sick. He slumped onto the couch and stared hard at the floor. He was finding it impossible to meet the eyes of Remus and Dumbledore. He knew deep inside all this while that Remus, Harry and to some extent Dumbledore, had been constantly fearful of his safety. He hated being a burden. He hated it with a vengeance. Yet, there was nothing he could do about it except to stay in seclusion and make sure that he was not seen.
Sirius felt strength and anger draining out of him. He was tired. Tired of fighting…of hiding…of caring…and of living. No, he shook himself. This was not the time to wallow in self-pity. If he wanted to die, he would die fighting. He would die protecting all whom he loved and cared for.
"There must be other ways. I'll go hunting for that traitor myself right now, and will not return till I put an end to that pathetic, disgusting scumbag's life," Sirius said with quiet determination, clasping his wand so tightly in his hands that his knuckles turned white. It was the wand Dumbledore had given to him just before he left to assemble the old crowd. This is the time to finally put this wand to good use, Sirius thought.
"But where can you find Wormtail, Padfoot?" Remus asked in a quiet voice. "Mundungus has been looking for him for quite sometime now, and there was not a trace."
"Moony! I can't believe you're on their side!" Sirius yelled.
"I'm not taking sides," Remus stated simply. "I think we need some time to think this through. Why don't we take a little break and come back to this. I've prepared some tea and pancakes."
"That's an excellent idea!" Dumbledore nodded his approval.
April was eager for a breather as well. "I'll pass for the tea and pancakes. Would you happen to have some coffee in your house?" she asked Remus.
"I think we have a small bottle of coffee powder somewhere. Sirius drinks coffee sometimes. I'm more a tea person."
Remus noticed a sudden shift in April's mood. Her eyes were now sparkling and she was making an obvious effort to suppress a smile. It was an expression familiar to Remus. He used to see it sometimes on Sirius and James many years ago.
"Great!" April jumped up from her seat. She added in a mock commanding voice, "Sirius, I trust you'll be a gracious host and make some coffee for your guest. Remus, would you show me around your house?"
Both Sirius and Remus spoke up at the same time. Sirius was telling April that she was not to boss him around while Remus started saying that his house was small and there was not much to see.
But April was oblivious to their protests. She turned to Dumbledore, and asked, "Albus, are you interested to come along?" The headmaster shook his head, giving her a knowing look.
"Alright then." She pointed to Sirius and told Dumbledore with a wink, "I'll feel safer with you here. He'll not be able to add poison or other ingredients to my coffee with you around!"
April then linked a hand through Remus' arm and pulled him away from the living room.
*
Remus quickly showed April the rooms. There was really not much of a tour as both Remus and Sirius' rooms were considerably bare. Each room contained only the bare essentials – a bed, a small cupboard and a few odd pieces of other furniture. The last room, clearly a study room since it was filled with shelves of books and a writing table, was a little more cluttered but nonetheless still tidy and clean like the rest of the house.
"Told you there wasn't much to see. Now let's end this little disappointing tour and get back to the rest, shall we?" Remus smiled, before adding, "I would love to give Albus a bit more time, but I think Sirius will get suspicious if we do not resurface soon."
"Huh?" April shot him a puzzled look. "Why would we want to give Albus more time?"
It was Remus' turn to look lost. "Surely you do not really want to see the house, right? You were just giving Albus some time alone with Sirius? To calm him down and win him over?"
"Oh yes! Of course, you're right! You mean I was that obvious?" April laughed out loud. "Let's get back now then!"
*
Sirius grudgingly added hot water to the cup of coffee powder. The audacity of the girl! How dare she order me to serve her, he thought furiously. April's earlier guess was not far from the truth…he was tempted to add a little extra ingredient into her drink, and would have done so if not for the watchful eye of the headmaster.
Remus entered the dining area just as Sirius was slamming the cup of coffee onto the table.
"Where's April?" Dumbledore asked, noticing that Remus was alone.
Remus shrugged and replied, "She said she has dropped an earring in one of the rooms and has gone back to retrieve it." He thought to himself that Dumbledore's pep talk did not seem to have much effect. Sirius was still as edgy as Remus left him earlier.
*
After the group had eaten their fill, they adjourned to the living room. Dumbledore and Remus were seated on the couch while April sat cross-legged on the carpet. Sirius was in standing position, leaning against the wall and facing the rest with arms folded across his chest.
Remus decided to begin the discussion. He took a deep breath and began, "Albus, you don't feel that it's too risky to use the Sorcerer's Stone as a bait?"
Dumbledore considered his words before giving his reply. "There are risks involved. But this is a gamble we have to take. I daresay that the Sorcerer's Stone will not fall into the wrong hands. We will never allow that to happen, for then Voldemort will attain immortality."
"What makes you so sure that Voldemort will send Wormtail and not the other Death Eaters? And how can we be sure that Voldemort will not get the Stone himself?" Sirius challenged.
Dumbledore knew this question was coming, and he was well-prepared to answer it. "Voldemort is too cautious to try to get hold of the Sorcerer's Stone from Hogwarts himself. If I'm not mistaken, he will have his suspicions that this is a trap. But because of his overwhelming desire to have the Stone, he will send his most trusted supporter to bring the Stone to him. From Harry's account, Voldemort does not fully trust the Death Eaters who have just rejoined him. Our best guess is that he will choose one follower whom he feels is too weak and lack the courage to go against his wishes. The closest aids by his side now may well be Lucius Malfoy and Peter Pettigrew. And Malfoy, being the more ambitious of the two, is the more dangerous choice."
"Wormtail was always eager to follow the big guy. He was always the follower who hides in the shadows of others for protection," Sirius sneered.
Remus thought over Dumbledore's plan. It was not entirely a bad one. They just had to take more precautions and hope that luck was on their side.
"Even if Voldemort sends other Death Eaters, all is not lost. As long as we catch at least one of them alive, we can still find out more about Voldemort's whereabouts and his plans by administering the strongest Truth Potion," Remus reasoned.
Dumbledore breathed a sign of relief. He could tell that Remus was on their side now. Sirius would be the tricky one to convince, but Dumbledore knew exactly what approach he had to take.
He directed his next comment at the escaped convict, "The other risk we are taking is of course, April. The Death Eaters will naturally seek her out to get to the Stone. But this will never be a matter of exchanging her life for yours. This is why I need both Remus and yourself at Hogwarts. Your task is not only to capture Pettigrew. I trust that both of you will protect April from anyone whom Voldemort sends as well."
April snorted, "I don't need any babysitters! I can…" She stopped in mid-sentence when she caught Dumbledore's warning glance. This was not the right time to squabble.
Sirius felt a rush of gratitude towards the headmaster. Dumbledore knew his weaknesses well. Sirius Black was not one to turn away an appeal for his help. Neither would he shy away from contributing whenever he was needed in the fight against the dark side. He had more reasons than most to fight and win this battle. This was the only way he could avenge for James and Lily's deaths and the long dark years that he spent in Azkaban – years that would leave their mark ion his life forever. He had one more reason to fight now – Harry, his godson. Harry topped Voldemort's wanted list, and this time, Sirius would not fail again to protect a Potter.
Besides, being at Hogwarts meant that he would be closer to Harry. And one step closer to Wormtail too.
Finally, Sirius gave a slight smile and shrugged, "I'll play babysitter."
*
As Remus was drifting off to sleep that night, he was awakened by a loud cry. It was Sirius. Immediately wide awake, Remus grabbed his wand from under his pillow and rushed to Sirius' room.
The sight that met his eyes from the doorway of Sirius' room made him stopped dead in his tracks.
Then Remus began laughing. He was laughing so hard that he doubled up onto the floor. It had been a long time since he could laugh this heartily…a long time since the four Marauders' last prank. It felt good.
But Sirius was not sharing his amusement, and was growling threateningly at his friend.
Whatever parts of Sirius' body that were not covered by his pyjamas were now red and hairy. Sirius was scratching at the unbearable itch he was feeling all over. He was thinking hard and fuming at the same time.
Then it struck him, and he roared, "APRIL FLAMEL! WAIT TILL I LAY MY HANDS ON YOU!!!"
***
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