To Be Loyal
Chapter Three
Disclaimer: HP is J.K.'s.
A/N: We're going to zoom through the rest of the summer fairly quickly, I think. Maybe one more chapter before Hogwarts, where more characters will be involved! I have a vision for this fic, and I intend to try to keep the plot, timeline, and character development moving without hurting Sirius's struggle with the consequences of abuse, although the latter is important to his character and the story as well. By the way, I still have at least two big AU shifts up my sleeve, and I've only been hinting at one of them!
"We must try not to sink beneath our anguish . . . but battle on." —Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
"You've got great giant prongs sprouting out of your head!" —Sirius Black, fall of 1975, while the Marauders were working on their Animagus transformations
Early morning, July 11, 1976
James's parents had initially been angry to find that their son had disobeyed them by flying over two hundred miles from Potter Manor to Grimmauld Place and back, but they quickly reversed course when they realized how terrible Sirius's situation had been. Fleamont Potter had been an Auror before his election to the Wizengamot, so he recognized the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse seconds after James and Sirius stumbled through the door. After downing a few potions and some of Euphemia Potter's best home-cooked bacon and eggs, Sirius felt significantly better.
In slow, halting sentences, Sirius forced himself to tell the Potters the bare facts of the incident. It was enough to send Mr. Potter tearing off to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and drive Mrs. Potter to tears as she applied a salve to the bruises on his face. Even James, who had already seen the bruises on Sirius's face, was pale as a ghost. All he could say was, "I thought you were just cold."
Sirius threw an arm around James's shoulders and led him over to the kitchen table, where the Potters had been playing a game of Wizard's Chess while they waited up for their son. "Cheer up, Prongs," he encouraged his friend, his mood uplifted by his lack of pain and the sense of contentment that accompanied a full stomach. "Remember, Moony and Wormtail will be here in five days now." James had told him over the mirror that he had planned it that way so that all of the Marauders could be there for Sirius. Somehow, James, Peter, and Remus had managed to convince their parents to allow them to stay at Potter Manor for a full week.
"James, please, you did all you could," Sirius tried to reassure him. "You're the best mate a guy could have," he added, meaning every word. Sirius just wanted to forget, to let the relief of being at Potter Manor suppress all of the fear and pain of the previous night. His throat was still raw from screaming, and it was too easy to remember lying on the carpet, limbs flailing out of control, struggling to make a sound. James's obvious worry for him made Sirius feel strangely good, but he couldn't handle this conversation any longer.
James met his eyes, gave a strained smile, and made his first move.
July 16, 1976
Padfoot leapt out of the way as his pursuer cantered by. He was panting heavily from the chase, which had begun just outside of Potter Manor. However, it was too much fun to quit. He bounded across a clearing as Prongs came back around for another pass, antlers lowered in a mock charge. Padfoot led the stag on a curving loop around the edge of the woods, barking madly despite his exhaustion. Finally, Padfoot gave in and began to transform back. He tumbled head over heels before coming to rest on his back as a human, and Prongs swerved to avoid him before skidding to a halt. The majestic stag shook his antlered head at Sirius in amusement.
Full of the usual exhilaration from running in his Animagus form, Sirius scrambled to his feet and raced over to Prongs. "Give me a ride back, would you?" he asked breathlessly.
Prongs snorted but knelt obligingly. Sirius sat on his back and held onto Prongs's neck as he rose to his hooves. Sirius kept his head low and held on tight as Prongs trotted forward slowly, then dashed across the clearing and into the woods. Bright green leaves slapped at Sirius's face as Prongs switched to a steady canter. Watching the trees flash by on either side of them, Sirius knew that he'd only ever gone faster than this on a broom.
Prongs was forced to decrease his pace to avoid running into a tree, but he still displayed remarkable agility in weaving between the trees. Sirius whooped as his best friend splashed through a tiny creek without slowing. The wind tugged at Sirius's shaggy hair as Prongs's hooves sent water spraying up.
It wasn't long before Prongs reached the treeline, and he transformed back to his human form before Sirius could dismount. Sirius tumbled onto the grass and rolled to his feet. James clambered to his feet, brushing himself off, and the two caught their breath as they walked onto the back lawn of Potter Manor.
Sirius's Animagus form helped him escape his thoughts, and he had spent hours exploring the forest with James over the past week. However, the solution wasn't perfect or permanent.
"James, Sirius!" Mrs. Potter called from the Potters' garden, where she was directing the house elf. "Come look at this! A deer and some kind of dog trampled some of our flowers!"
James and Sirius's eyes found the clearly visible trail of hoofprints, pawprints, and crushed stems that cut across the garden of blooming roses and orchids and followed it up to the frustrated face of James's mother. They traded guilty looks, but it wasn't long before they were struggling to contain their laughter.
"I have a guess as to how that may have happened," a new voice remarked dryly, and James and Sirius pivoted sharply to find Remus Lupin crossing the yard, Peter Pettigrew on his heels.
"Moony! Wormtail!" James called, running over to join their friends in the shadow of the Manor.
July 18, 1976
Sirius sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath. That was only a taste, Orion's voice echoed in his mind, and he shivered, certain that he could feel his nerves tingling. He'd had little concept of time under the Cruciatus, and Sirius wasn't sure how long he had actually spent thrashing on the carpet of the drawing room, screaming his lungs out but hearing only the crackle of the fire and his mother's mocking comments.
Moonlight trickled through the blinds of the windows opposite and washed over Sirius's shaking frame. As Sirius struggled to regain control of his breathing, he crossed his arms across his chest and squeezed himself tightly. Even knowing that James was sleeping in the next room, Sirius felt alone.
Late in the evening of the day Sirius had arrived at the Manor, Fleamont Potter had returned from the Ministry. He'd immediately pulled Sirius aside into his study and settled himself behind a massive mahogany desk half-buried in parchment.
Sirius sat down in a straight-backed wooden chair in front of the desk, feeling as though he'd been called into the headmaster's office at Hogwarts.
Mr. Potter placed his elbows on the desk and steepled his fingers below his chin. "Sirius, in light of recent events, the Ministry has granted Euphemia and I temporary guardianship over you, if you are agreeable."
Sirius nodded quickly. He'd been expecting that, but it was still a relief. "What about my parents?"
Mr. Potter sighed and ran one hand through his unruly black hair. "A team of Aurors were dispatched to place the Blacks under arrest, but they were unable to penetrate Grimmauld's various wards. A team of wardbreakers is currently being assembled, but it is likely that your parents will flee before the wards are breached. I'll warn you now that this is turning into a political bloodbath. I testified to witnessing the effects of the Cruciatus on you, but your parents are calling in every favor and connection they can to sow doubt and influence the eventual outcome of the case. We may need your testimony, although the best counterargument they can come up with is that this is an elaborate lie put together by myself to take down a political enemy that has suffered unfounded accusations of Dark and terrorist activities."
Sirius snorted before he could stop himself.
Fleamont smiled. "Much of the Ministry, including the Auror Department, is convinced that the Blacks are high-ranking Death Eaters who need to be dealt with. Some others, however, are in the Blacks' pocket or are Voldemort sympathizers. Your parents have been slippery, but this time, I think, they will go to Azkaban." He eyed Sirius carefully to gauge his reaction.
"Good," Sirius replied shortly, but inside, he was reeling. He had figured that the Blacks wouldn't be able to bribe their way out of this one, but it was different to know that he had permanently burned that bridge. He felt suddenly adrift and strangely lonely, no matter how he tried to quench the feeling. They have to go down, he reminded himself, and felt a hint of vengeful satisfaction. It's like that Muggle gangster Remus mentioned, Al Capone. They couldn't prove he was guilty of the really important charges, but they caught him on tax evasion. It's the same sort of thing.
"We are going to be here for you, Sirius," Fleamont assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Sirius just managed to stop himself from flinching. "We've applied for your guardianship, which will be decided at a hearing three weeks from now."
"Thank you," Sirius replied, trying to inject a note of confidence into his voice, but he couldn't meet the man's eyes. Do they feel obligated to do this? he wondered. They didn't ask for me to show up on their doorstep.
Struggling to control his emotions, Sirius slid off the large bed, opened the door to the guest bedroom, and transformed into Padfoot. He crept quietly down a long hall of sleeping portraits of Potter ancestors and made his way to the ground floor.
Halfway across the dining room, Padfoot paused. The back wall of the room was made completely of fine glass, which allowed moonlight to shine inside and gather on the long pinewood table. Padfoot sat down in front of the wall and stared out at the dark forest below the bright half-moon, noting how the silvery light illuminated the gaps in between the tallest trees and puddled in the Potter's back lawn. To Padfoot's eyes, the moon seemed to trace the trail of broken stems Sirius and James had made through Mrs. Potter's garden until its light passed over Padfoot's snout. The scene was peaceful, but something about it made Padfoot feel far older than he felt he should.
A/N: This chapter is somewhat filler, but I think we needed to get to know Sirius better and have a little Marauding fun. Please review if you're invested! I haven't had any yet and I'd really like to open a dialogue with readers. You know you want the chance to have an impact on the story…
As for an updating schedule, I'm hoping for weekly or sooner, at least for a little while. However, I'll be starting college in a few weeks, so we'll see. I already have part of Chapter Four written, which is going to include Remus's POV!
