Chapter 8

It was nearly a month before Sirius could speak to Ebony alone again. The weeks leading up to the Easter holidays had been manic as teachers bombarded them with homework and James declared all out war on Severus, Filch and Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat.

Many a jinxing broke out in the corridors between James and Severus. One particularly nasty round saw both heading for the hospital wing. James was sporting a particularly bad case of boils and warts and Severus was sporting a second pair of eyes. Severus' extra pair of eyes had appeared on the side of his head and were quadruple the size of his own. It made negotiating doorways particularly difficult and saw Severus actually collide head on with none other than Mrs. Norris, who's hissing and clawing reduced Severus' leg to a bloody mass of flesh.

Another day, James released a bag full of Dungbombs from the top of the seventh floor staircase creating pungent smells on all floors of the castle. A livid looking Filch prowled the corridors, screaming at students who dared to laugh in his presence.

Mrs. Norris suffered particularly harsh treatment after catching James releasing a firework in one of the corridors and alerting Filch to his whereabouts. James, with the help of Peeves the poltergeist, had launched a campaign called 'Super Soaker,' knowing full well that cats don't like baths.

Whenever Mrs. Norris was in sight, water bombs, buckets and anything else that could hold water, were used to soak her.

To Lily's displeasure, the trend caught on and by the end of the week nearly every student in the school was involved in the campaign, leaving Mrs. Norris cowering in Filch's office, Filch standing guard at the door to protect his furry little friend.

Finally the last week of term brought a period of calm to the chaos which had prevailed for weeks. Everyone was looking forward to the Easter holidays, Sirius was going to stay at the Potters for the two weeks, meaning he, James, Lily and Ebony would all be able to see each other most days. Sirius, who had not received any word from his parents, was ecstatic with the whole idea. This was one holiday, he thought, that he was definitely going to enjoy.

The day before the holidays began, found James, Lily, Sirius, Ebony, Remus and Peter sitting in the Gryffindor common room planning their holidays. They had all agreed to meet up and go to London the week before they went back to school and were arguing over which day would be best to go and discussing what they needed.

James, who was still waging war on Severus, Filch and Mrs. Norris, had already stated the fact that he needed to go to Gambol and Japes Wizard's joke shop to get some more ammunition. Lily had frowned at him but had said nothing. Filch and Mrs. Norris were hated by the entire student population, including Lily, and it seemed she was willing to make an exception.

"Right, we'll meet up and go to London on the Friday then," said James, finally and decisively. Lily had been arguing for the past hour over the day in case it clashed with her parents plans to take her out. James however had finally put his foot down and had been decisive, to everyone's surprise, including his own.

The day was bright and sunny and James had to go to Quidditch practice, Peter accompanied him to watch. Lily and Remus had Prefect duties to perform, which left Sirius and Ebony alone.

"I need to send an owl to my parents," said Ebony, as the others left.

"Do you mind if I join you?" said Sirius. "I've nothing else to do."

"Yeah. Course you can come, if you're that desperate!" she said sarcastically.

"I didn't-"

"Sirius, I was being sarcastic." He flushed slightly and Ebony looked embarrassed, standing awkwardly by the window. "Come on then," she said, breaking the ice, and led the way out of the portrait hole and up to the Owlery.

Leaning against a window ledge in the Owlery, Ebony wrote the note to her parents. While she wrote, Sirius looked up at the dozing birds and coaxed one of them down.

Ebony tied the letter to the owl's leg and took it over to the window, watching it fly away into the afternoon sky. Looking down, she could see James and the rest of the Gryffindor team practicing on the Quidditch pitch. She noticed in one of the empty stands a girl with auburn hair. She smiled as she recognised it as Lily.

Sirius moved over to the window and followed Ebony's gaze. He sighed, "When is Lily going to agree to date James?"

"The day he stops being an arrogant hothead," said Ebony. "And when he finally figures out how to ask her out properly. Though at the rate he's going, we'll all be decrepit with false teeth and wispy hair."

Sirius laughed, "I can't believe he hasn't figured it out yet. I mean it's pretty obvious Lily likes him, but he seems to have bleach in his eyes or something. He is totally and utterly blind."

"He better hurry up," smiled Ebony. "She won't wait around forever." She turned to leave, Sirius staring after her.

"What was all that about by the way," he said, indicating the owl's exit.

"Oh nothing. Just making sure my parents know which day I'll be home," sighed Ebony despondently, before leaving the Owlery.

Sirius stared out of the window for a while after Ebony had left, watching the Gryffindor Quidditch team pass the Quaffle to each other and listening to the cheers of the small crowd before following her.

The train ride home was a lot more enjoyable than the last. Sirius was buzzing with excitement at the prospect of staying with the Potters and threw himself eagerly into playing a particularly ferocious game of Wizard's chess.

Remus had his nose in a book as usual, looking up occasionally to see a particularly nasty move. Lily and Peter watched as Sirius and James played, laughing and cheering as Sirius' Queen grabbed James' Knight in a strangle hold and dragged it, kicking and screaming, off the board. Ebony on the other hand sat quietly staring out of the window as the scenery swept by, changing from rugged gorges to gently sloping valleys and busy towns and cities to the quiet countryside.
By the time the train had arrived in London, the atmosphere in the compartment was brimming with anticipation. They quickly gathered up their belongings and were one of the first crowds off.
Sirius saw his parents standing a little way off but focused his attention on where the Potters, Evans', Lupins and Mrs. Pettigrew were standing.

There was an excited scrum as people hugged and wished each other a happy Easter. Ebony however, noticed that her parents weren't there.

Mrs. Evans, noticing her glance said, "We're sharing the lifts. Your parents will be dropping you back down here at the end of the holidays."

Ebony smiled thinking that it was a perfectly logical explanation.

As they made their way towards the barrier between Platform nine and three quarters and the Muggle station, they talked about their plans for the holidays and made the final arrangements for the trip to London and Diagon Alley.

As they pushed their way out of the station and out onto the busy street, they said their goodbyes. Sirius looked positively ecstatic at his transportation home. The Potters, knowing Sirius' fascination with Muggle cars, had borrowed a light green Volkswagon Beetle, which glistened in the afternoon sunlight.

"See you all later!" James yelled, as the group split up and headed home. Sirius leapt into the back seat of the car as soon as the door was unlocked. James laughed at him before climbing in himself.

The holidays went by quickly. James, Sirius, Lily and Ebony met up numerous times and the day finally came when they were all meeting up with Remus and Peter before going to London.

Everyone arrived bright and early at James' house. Lily and Ebony had been dropped off by Lily's parents and Remus and Peter arrived by the Floo Powder network shortly afterwards, a cloud of soot and dust lingering around them.

Mrs. Potter cooked them all a fried breakfast, almost as good as Hogwarts, and checked they all had what they needed. She gave them the bowl of Floo powder and waved them off in turn by the living room fireplace as they each took a handful of powder and shouted out their destination.

They all arrived in the Leaky Cauldron slightly disheveled but excited. Their first stop was to Diagon Alley, though Lily and Ebony had promised to show them Muggle London.

The day was warm and sunny and by midmorning, James was carrying an exceptionally large bag full of Dungbombs and Fabulous Wet-Start No-Heat fireworks, for his next assault on Filch and Mrs. Norris. Sirius was carrying a bag full of sweets and Quidditch supplies; Remus was carrying a new book from Flourish and Blotts; Lily and Ebony were carrying several bags of new robes and Peter was carrying the rest of the school supplies.

They collapsed into chairs outside Florean Fortescue's Ice cream Parlour. Sitting in the sun, they looked at everything they had bought; Remus had already begun reading his book about Dark and Magical Creatures; James and Sirius were looking through their joke shop merchandise and laughing at the thought of Filch and Mrs. Norris; Peter was looking through their school supplies and Lily and Ebony were choosing what they wanted from the menu.

"What's next then?" said Lily, taking her ice cream from the waiter a few minutes later.

"I thought you were going to show us round Muggle London," said James, his hands clutching his own ice cream.

"Well have we got everything we need?" said Remus, looking over the top of his book.

"Yeah," said Peter, dumping his bag on the table. "I've got all the school supplies."

"Right, well where do you want to go?" said Lily.

"Anywhere and everywhere," laughed Sirius. "I've never been to Muggle London.

"Shall we start on Oxford Street then and just wander?" said Ebony grinning. "I don't think it's going to be too hard to please them!"

Lily laughed. "I've got the Muggle money, so don't go trying to buy anything with Galleons, Sickles or Knuts, as you'll totally confuse and irritate the Muggle shopkeepers."

Sirius and James laughed, though Peter looked worried.

Once they finished their ice creams, they headed back up Diagon Alley to the Leaky Cauldron, Sirius shaking with excitement.

"You're going to have to calm down," said Ebony, rolling her eyes, "As the Muggles are going to think you're totally insane."

"Why?" muttered Sirius.

"Well it's only London. People do normal stuff here, so don't make a fool of yourself. Just act, well normal."

"I'll try," said Sirius, still dancing on the balls of his feet with anticipation. James laughed and grabbed him, ruffling up his hair playfully. "Geroff," Sirius mumbled, his speech muffled by James' arm.

"Yeah yeah okay," sighed James. "You're no fun anymore."

Remus rolled his eyes and pushed them into the Leaky Cauldron.

"Right, which way?" said Lily, looking around her.

"I have no idea," Ebony laughed.

Lily raised her eyebrow.

"What-" Ebony began.

"Lets go this way," said Sirius, walking down the street.

"Hey, don't go anywhere Mr. or you'll get lost," Ebony commanded.

"Oh lets just go this way," said Lily in an irritated tone, pointing in the opposite direction to where Sirius had been heading.

Sirius, rolling his eyes, followed her grudgingly, as did the others.

They spent the next few hours wandering up and down the streets, browsing the shops and trying to keep Sirius on a leash. Every time they passed a shop selling male Muggle clothing, he dragged them all in and gaped stupidly at the clothes racks, causing many Muggles shoppers to gaze at them suspiciously.

"Sirius, please stop making a scene!" implored Ebony, for the umpteenth time, as she overheard a hostile Muggle conversation. This was precisely why Lily had refused point blank to even enter the shop, this the sixteenth one they'd been in, and stood outside waiting with James.

"What, but it's all so-"

"Normal!" said Ebony loudly, reddening as several female shoppers walked past them, giving them dirty looks.

"But-"

"Sirius!"

"Can't we just-"

"No!" she said loudly, and grabbing him by the arm, dragged him out of the shop.

Lily, who had been sitting on the step, stood up and muttered angrily, "About time! I said we'd show you Muggle London, not the interior of every male clothing shop in the local vicinity!"

"Can we have lunch?" said Ebony, her stomach rumbling.

"Yeah, I need a coffee," said Lily. "Oh and Sirius," she added as an afterthought, "Don't start gawping at the menu when we get there, okay?"

They headed back up the street, the Leaky Cauldron coming into view in the distance.
"Right, in here," Lily directed, opening the door of a café and ushering them inside. She collapsed into a booth by the window and picked up a menu.

Ebony sat down opposite her, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "Ahh," she sighed deeply, the others sitting down around them.

"I think six bacon sandwiches and six cups of coffee are needed," said Lily, looking at her exhausted friend and smiling. "And I thought it was girls who had the bad reputation for shopping,"

she laughed, watching Sirius, who was sitting beside Ebony, wriggle uncomfortably and flush.

They sat, squashed in the booth, in a comfortable silence for a while. The café reminded Sirius uncannily of Madam Puddifoot's in Hogsmeade, though without the magical decorations and Hogwarts students.

He glanced at Ebony, who was gazing out of the window; his stomach flipping as he looked at her, though that could have been because Remus' elbow kept digging into his ribs as he read a book that was propped open on the table. He looked at James, who had started talking animatedly with Lily. On James' other side Sirius could see Peter sitting awkwardly, shoved up against the side of the booth.

Sirius, sandwiched between Ebony and Remus, fished around for something interesting to say. "So-" he began.

An hour later, James, Sirius, Lily, Ebony, Remus and Peter ventured back outside onto the busy London Street. The sun was warm on their faces, but a cool breeze bit at their exposed skin.

They headed up the street towards the Leaky Cauldron, waiting for a gap in the traffic to cross over.

"Damn it," Ebony cursed, stopping abruptly and looking down at her empty hands. "I've left my new robes in the café."

"Do you want us to wait?" said Sirius, almost crashing into her.

"No, no, keep going. I'll catch you up!" she muttered, turning on her heel, nearly knocking Sirius over. She dashed back through the crowded street towards the café, passing a deep set woman with dark hair and a tall thin man. The others began walking again, Lily laughing at one of James' jokes or stories.

The deep set woman with dark hair and the tall thin man Ebony had passed on her way back to the café, were right behind the others now. Sirius was standing behind the rest dawdling, waiting for Ebony, when the woman spoke.

"Hello Sirius," she said, whispering into his ear and making him jump. He began to turn. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she laughed cruelly.

Sirius could feel something poking painfully into the small of his back. Ahead of him, he could see the others had been stopped by a tall thin, scrawny looking man.

"Bellatrix," he muttered.

"That's right," she cackled menacingly. "Walk forward," she instructed, thrusting her wand harder against Sirius' spine. He moved forward to the others, James was watching him anxiously, holding Lily's hand. "Turn right," she commanded, the man pointing the others towards a nearby alley. Slowly, they all moved, unsure and nervous as to what was happening.

"What do you want," said Sirius coldly, after they had detached themselves from the safety of the crowded street.

Ebony entered the café and rushed over to the booth she had been sitting in. On the floor, scrunched up in the corner, was the bag she had left. Bending down, she scooped it up, smiling at the nearby curious waitress and headed back to the door.

The bell rang as the door closed behind her. The wind whipped through her hair blowing it across her face, as she looked up the street to where she had left her friends, but saw no sign of them. She scoured the opposite side of the road, thinking they might have already crossed over, but there was nothing.

She headed along the street, keeping her eyes peeled, looking up and down both sides. She passed an alley and continued for a few steps then stopped. Something had caught her eye and retracing her footsteps, she looked down the alleyway.

Halfway down it she could see James, Sirius, Lily, Remus and Peter with two adults; a tall man and a deep set woman with dark hair who looked vaguely familiar.

"What do you want?" repeated Sirius, his voice rising.

"You've caused a lot of trouble Mister and don't raise your voice at me!" Bellatrix spat. "You got your mother in trouble with the Wizengamot over that incident at Christmas. You do realise she could have been sent to Azkaban. Your father almost lost his job thanks to you. You have shamed the house of Black. You're a disgrace!"

"What do you want," Sirius repeated again angrily.

"Is this your Mudblood girlfriend then?" Bellatrix snapped, ignoring him, and pointed her wand threateningly at Lily. James moved in front of Lily, his hand grasping hers.

"No," said Sirius, his voice rising.

"And I take it that's the Mudblood Remus," the tall thin man, who had been silent so far, snapped from behind them.

Sirius rounded on him. "Shut up Rodolphus!"

"Accio wands," Rodolphus muttered, sneering at Sirius with contempt, causing the five wands to fly towards him from the teenagers pockets.

"Now that's not a very nice way to talk to my husband," said Bellatrix in a deadly simper, over the top of her husband's spell. "It doesn't really matter who is who anyway," she continued. "The Dark Lord will seek out all those who are inferior soon enough. All will suffer his wrath! Now follow me," she instructed, thrusting her wand into Sirius' back and urging him forward.

"Sirius," Ebony called in an unsure voice, not moving from the main street. "What's going on-"

Before Sirius knew what he was doing, he had knocked Bellatrix backwards and shouted, "Go and get help, get Dumbledore. The Leaky Cauldron-"

"Why you little-" Bellatrix shrieked, hitting Sirius across the back of the head, his knees buckling beneath him as he fell forward to the floor. Bellatrix started towards Ebony.

Ebony didn't need telling twice. The woman heading towards her looked remarkably like Sirius and having already seen what the Black family were capable of, didn't hesitate to get help. She turned on her heel and ran up the street towards the Leaky Cauldron as fast as she could. She swerved in between the traffic as she crossed the road and slammed into the door of the pub.
She opened it hastily, and standing on the threshold, shouted to the nearby waiter.

"Get...Professor...Dumbledore...tell him...the Black family...have got Sirius...and his friends. Please...hurry!"

"What-" the waiter began.

"Please, he'll understand," she pleaded. "Try everywhere...it's an emergency!"

The waiter hurried towards the fireplace and threw some Floo powder into the fireplace muttering, "Hogwarts," and thrust his head into the green flames.

Ebony's breathing was becoming steadier, but her thoughts were racing and her heart was pounding, wondering whether the others were all right, whether Sirius was okay. She held her breath as the waiter stuck his head into the flames, praying Dumbledore would be there, hoping he would believe her and would come to help!"

Ebony's breath caught in her throat. Behind her, she could hear heavy breathing. Turning slowly to look, she saw a dark-haired handsome woman, who muttered in a harsh cold voice, "Imperio!"