Sirius walked distractedly toward the kitchen after not eating his breakfast and stopped dead at the door. Evey and Macnair were in there, and they were clearly…occupied. Sirius backed out silently and returned to the seat he'd just vacated in the dining room.
Dolohov was reading the Daily Prophet with a faint scowl creasing his pale, unnaturally youthful face. He looked up when Sirius cleared his throat. "Are Evey and Macnair, um…?" he asked, pointing toward the kitchen.
"Yep," the vampire said with a delighted smile.
"That's odd. I figured, if Evey was going to date one of you, it would be you rather than…" Sirius trailed off, shaking his head. He had no idea why Evey insisted on spending all of her time with the Death Eaters. It was wrong, and he wished that Molly had nagged the girl more and put an end to it before it even began. It was too late now, obviously. "Never mind."
"Yeah, I know, I'm much better-looking," Dolohov said wryly, "but she seems to have a taste for one-armed men who show off their scar-ridden torsos."
Was he trying to be funny? Because nothing about this was amusing. Molly would have a fit when she found out – though Sirius wouldn't be the one telling her, that was for sure. He'd grown quite accustomed to being alive, and he intended to remain in that condition for a very long time. "Right. Anyway, it's none of my business," Sirius said dismissively. "Better him than you, I suppose," he added under his breath. He realised, too late, that the vampire's enhanced sense of hearing must have picked up the comment.
"As you say," Dolohov concurred with a nod. "She deserves the very best."
"Well, Macnair's hardly that, but at least he didn't murder anyone I know," Sirius said with a bitter twist of his mouth.
Dolohov frowned slightly and let out a noncommittal grunt.
"I don't understand why Macnair joined Voldemort's side in the first place," Sirius went on. "He seems well-adjusted, for a Death Eater, and he clearly doesn't see Muggle-borns as inferiors – or anyone else, for that matter." He even managed to be polite to Kreacher, somehow. Then again, the cursed little critter worshipped Macnair as if he were Voldemort himself.
"I don't think Muggle-borns are inferior!" the vampire protested. "And Walden only went over because of me. To keep an eye on me. I hoped that they would let him go when they figured out that he wasn't there because he believed in their cause, but Voldemort quickly realised that Wal had a knack for dealing and negotiating with magical creatures and beings. He sent him to forge alliances with various species of trolls, with centaurs and giants and merpeople. He even ordered him to approach one of the Great Serpents, the Nāga of the Ganges," he said with a mirthless chuckle.
"The Nāga?" Sirius repeated. He knew little about the Great Serpents – legends and myths were of no interest to him. The very idea that there could be antediluvian dragons of gigantic proportions haunting secluded parts of the world was quite absurd. It seemed that Voldemort had really looked into all sorts of nonsensical drivel to achieve his ultimate goal, to become immortal.
"Now, don't speak the word so disdainfully," Dolohov said chidingly. "There's more truth to the tale than you'd think." He leaned forward slightly. "The Nāga was said to be the only Serpent who still deigns to communicate with humans in any way, although Walden found out that, in living memory and according to the locals, she had made a single appearance in the current century, sometime around 1920. The Serpent had apparently swallowed whole a raft that was crossing the river and caused a flood in the nearby valley, destroying several villages in the process. The village elder Walden talked to said that it happened soon after the infamous dragon massacre of Devkali."
"That's quite a story," Sirius said derisively. Nonsense was what it was. Dragons were sentient, but far from intelligent.
Dolohov went on, oblivious to the fact that Sirius didn't believe a single word he said. "The elder also claimed that the Nāga understood no language other than Sanskrit. And even if you could speak it, she was as likely to eat you as to talk to you." He spoke animatedly; he clearly enjoyed kiddie tales. "So Wal learned Sanskrit – it took him, what, a week or so – and he simply dove into the water with a Bubble-Head Charm, at the spot where the Serpent had last appeared."
"He learned Sanskrit in a week?" Sirius repeated dubiously.
"He's got a gift for learning languages. He speaks…" He trailed off in concentration. "…over three dozen human languages, I'd say, and half as many other dialects employed by magical beasts or beings." He grinned suddenly. "Puts even Dumbledore to shame, doesn't it?" He sounded rather proud. It had been a surprise to find out that the two of them were 'brothers' – they had been ahead of him at Hogwarts, and in different Houses besides. Sirius remembered very little about them from back then. Macnair had been trying his best to be invisible, and he was usually found in the library, behind a pile of obscure books, while Dolohov was often on expedition in the kitchens. Neither of them enjoyed Quidditch, and they weren't part of any clique. Dolohov used to get along with most everyone, Macnair was always alone. They never spent time together, as far as Sirius could remember, and yet the way they behaved now, you'd think they'd always been close.
"Anyway," Dolohov was saying, "the Nāga roused herself from her near-comatose state and agreed to have a little chat." Sirius threw him another sceptical look. "I swear she did! She took him to a cave and they just talked for an hour or so. Walden explained why he'd sought her out, told her about Voldemort and his…request that she assist us in the war." He was silent for a long moment.
When he didn't speak again, Sirius prompted him. Whether any of it was true or not, he'd begun the story, so he might as well finish it. "And? What did she say? I assume that she declined?" If a country-sized dragon had decided to take part in the war, they would have noticed, certainly.
"Actually, she ignored that part entirely. She wanted to know what was happening in the rest of the world, if her Serpent mates had manifested themselves, and she was curious about Walden. She said that he was the first person to ever seek her for purposes other than personal gain, so he explained what I told you, that he was only there because of his idiotic brother," he said wryly. "She said that he'd done the right thing, that family should always come first, but that Walden should – that we both should – get the hell out while we still could. Well, I don't think she used those exact words. But the thing was, we couldn't just quit. It was already too late." He shook his head. "It was too late from the moment I told Augustus that I'd be happy to join them," he murmured sadly.
Macnair stepped into the dining room a moment later, followed by Evey. The Scotsman went upstairs but the girl sat beside Dolohov. "What's wrong?" she asked him with obvious concern.
"Nothing," he mumbled. "You're lucky it wasn't Molly who walked in on you," he went on with a sudden grin that revealed very white teeth. Sirius had asked him why his fangs were never showing, but the vampire claimed that he could let them down whenever he wanted. That didn't fit what Sirius knew of vampires, but if the man could wander around when the sun was up, there was no telling what was accurate or not in the school books.
Evey bit her lower lip, blushing, and glanced at Sirius. "Sorry," she said apologetically.
He gestured awkwardly. "Whatever." It really wasn't his business. They were both consenting adults, after all. Although Molly would probably not see it that way. She was always babying the girl, as though she was one of her own brood. "Evey," Sirius said in an attempt to change the subject, "a few weeks ago, you mentioned that you wanted to work with Macnair." She nodded eagerly. Apparently, she hadn't found a better career path in the myriad university brochures Molly had brought her. "Is that why you wanted to know how to become an Animagus? I remember you asking me about that during your first days here. I suspect it's an ability that would come in handy in such a job."
"Yes, that was the idea," she admitted. "Why? Have you changed your mind about teaching me how to do it?" she asked hopefully.
Dolohov laughed. "Him? Why don't you just ask Walden, dumpling? Well, that is, provided that he agrees to–"
"Wait, what?" Evey interrupted him. "Walden is an Animagus?"
Sirius frowned at the vampire. If that was the case, they hadn't bothered to let the Order know. And on a side note… Had he just called her 'dumpling'? Merlin, exactly what sort of relationship did the three of them have?
Dolohov appeared confused. "Yeah, of course he is. He didn't tell you?" Evey shook her head.
"He didn't tell us, either," Sirius pointed out sharply.
"Well, to be fair, Dumbledore knows. Not our fault if he chose not to let you know," the vampire countered in the same tone.
Sirius opened his mouth to retort, but Evey was quicker. "Alright, there's no need to make a fuss," she said soothingly. "Is he registered?" she asked Dolohov.
"I doubt it," he told her in a much milder tone. "Registering implies having a Ministry official following the entire ritual, and then regular visits to make certain you're not abusing your ability. Though I'm not sure how one could abuse being a bear, unless they accuse Walden of poaching salmon-"
"He can turn into a bear?" Sirius repeated incredulously at the same time as Evey gasped. Turning into an Animagus was complicated enough when you ended up as an animal smaller than yourself, but the larger the animal, the more difficult it was.
Evey was staring at Dolohov. Macnair returned at that moment and Evey's head swivelled to face him. "You can turn into a bear!" Her voice was more high-pitched than usual, probably due to her excitement.
Macnair scowled, narrowing his eyes in his brother's direction. "It was an honest mistake," Dolohov said quickly. "I thought she knew. You never said it was a secret."
"Please teach me how to become an Animagus," Evey said to Macnair almost imploringly.
Macnair sighed heavily. "V, it's not that easy. It took me a full year to achieve my first complete transformation, and Transfiguration was always one of my best subjects."
"Yeah, but you're a bear. That's massive. I just want to be a wee fox – well, a vixen. And I aced Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall shed tears of pride when I graduated."
Dolohov snorted. "Right. That sounds just like old Minnie."
Evey gave him a flat look, but she couldn't suppress a smile. "Wal, at least explain to me how it works, yes? Then I can decide if I want to go through all the trouble or not."
"Merlin, you're stubborn," the large man muttered. "It's just like the apprenticeship, isn't it? You're never going to let this go." It wasn't a question.
"I'll let it go as soon as you agree," she said with a wicked grin.
Macnair rolled his eyes. "Fine. I agree. I'll show you how it works, but not here. Bears don't do well inside houses. It'll have to wait until we're allowed to go back to my place. If you really want to learn, we'll need specific books and ingredients, and we'll need space. As for the job… I don't even know if it's still my job, V. I've been away for almost a year – took all the days off and extra hours I accumulated over the last twenty years – but without a Warden, there will be chaos. They must have appointed someone else in my stead."
"The Ministry employees I talked to said that no one could replace you," Evey said.
"That was in July," Walden pointed out. "And troll mating season is approaching rapidly. If the Ministry doesn't find someone soon, it won't be just chaotic, it'll be a massacre. They go absolutely berserk around April."
"Why are we confined here in the first place?" Evey wondered. "You said that the manor was heavily warded. Why can't we stay there?"
"I suspect that it has less to do with our safety and more to do with keeping an eye on us, piglet," Dolohov told her sweetly.
Well, obviously. Dumbledore was too trusting by far, but he had at least insisted that the two former Death Eaters remain here, where they could be watched. They didn't need spies on top of everything else.
"They'll have to let us go at some point, though. We're no use here," Evey said. "We could help, if we were allowed outside," she added to Sirius.
"You know you're not one of them, right?" Sirius said. "I'm sure Dumbledore would let you out if you promised to be cautious. Well," he amended, "he wouldn't send you on missions for the Order, but you could go to the Muggle shopping centre or to the cinema, I'm sure."
"I'm not going anywhere without them," she retorted matter-of-factly. "And I don't want to go shopping. All I'm saying is that you have three assets at your disposal and you're leaving them to waste away in this mouldy place. No offense," she added quickly.
Sirius snorted. "None taken." Mouldy was a polite euphemism. "Evey, don't you think I want to help, too? That I'm not frustrated at being confined here, in a house that I loathe and that is filled with sad, angry memories? You and Dolohov are here because you're supposed to be dead. I'm sure Voldemort would love to get his hands on Macnair, whom he considers a deserter, and I'm a mass murderer on the run, as far as the world knows." He sighed. "When we decide that those two can be trusted, I suppose that you will all be allowed to return to Macnair's place and to go out at your own risk, but I don't expect that that will happen anytime soon. Not until we find out what Voldemort is planning, certainly. And don't forget that the Lestranges are out, among others. It's just too dangerous at the moment. Believe me, I hate it as much as you do," he told Evey as she tried to speak, "but we're stuck here for a while, like it or not."