Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything what you can recognize from the books. I do however own the plot of this story but I don't have profits because of it unless you count improving my English as a profit.
Prewiev: Azkaban's shadows are catching up with Sirius and make him do something very stupid. Mirzam gets the truth out of Orion then falls a victim to a cursed ring. After the family suffers quite a scare they gather to talk about Horcruxes only to be interupted by a certain, too curious for it's own good, cat.
Read, enjoy and review (because I want to know how evil am I).
Found a beta - finally - after she is done wih first twelve chapters I'm sending her thirteen so I guess updating it will take some time.
Chapter eleven: Cursed Ring.
Sirius really didn't wanted to be sitting in the bushes in the back of the garden of Titus Ravensworth, a known werewolf who had been pushing for werewolves rights lately, but madam Bones expressed her concern about Ravensworth at their last meeting and Sirius was obliged to check upon the werewolf. What he really wanted to do today was spending whole day with his sons. It wasn't that he didn't trusted Regulus to keep a sharp eye on them, no Regulus would keep a sharp eye on them, Sirius was sure about it. But Regulus didn't fully recovered after his hell of apportation and was still as defenceless as a toddler. Against their father he had no chance.
His father was another issue, a much more darker and complicated on that. Since he came back on Sunday Sirius spent most of his time wracking his mind why his father had told him and Mirzam about killing Peter's father. The other question which was occupying Sirius's mind was: did Peter knew? Did Peter knew that his father was murdered by Sirius's father? Was it a reason of Peter's betrayal? Sure Pettigrew was a murderer and a traitor but was it really necessary to kill him like that …
'Would you have done the same if you were in your father's place?' asked tiny voice from the back of Sirius's mind.
"No," Sirius replied. "Not really."
'Seriously?' the voice asked. 'Because it seemed to me that when you got the rat you were about to do the same and in fact you nearly did.'
"Bugger off. I'm working here," Sirius muttered.
'You are a Black. You are educated in the Dark Arts and Dark Magic,' said the voice. 'Of course that you would the same.'
"I wouldn't," Sirius huffed.
'Yes you would. Remember that Cruciatus you wanted to cast on your father? You wanted to hurt him. Your mother was just an excuse to do it,' said the voice lividly. 'Why?'
"I don't know," Sirius replied truthfully. "I only know that I wanted to hurt him."
'I'll tell you why,' the voice said. 'Because you blame him for your fucked up life.'
"I do not!" Sirius hissed angrily.
'Yes you do,' said the voice. 'If he really was scared of the Dark Arts and Dark Magic at the age of seventeen then why he allowed you, and your brother, and … oes the word godbrothers even exists …to learn Dark Arts and Dark Magic.'
"Maybe he had a reason to do it," Sirius muttered.
'Do you wish that he didn't taught you?' asked the voice sarcastically.
"Yes," Sirius answered straightforwardly and then after a moment of thinking he said, "No. I would be dead long before now if I didn't knew the Dark Arts and Dark Magic. That knowledge allowed me to protect myself and Mirzam."
'Exactly,' said the voice. 'That knowledge makes you a good Auror and that's what pisses you off about your father. Mostly, anyway.'
"If you are so smart to think that there is more then tell me," Sirius snorted.
'Of course I will,' the voice chimed. 'You are afraid of being like your father.'
"No I'm not," Sirius denied quickly.
'Yes you are,' the voice said. 'You look like him. You walk like him. You talk like him, albeit not on the same subjects, but still. You are afraid that because of his impassiveness, which made your life miserable your sons are going to end just like you.'
"Bugger off."
'I won't. You tried to cast Cruciatus Curse on your father because you wanted to hurt him just as much as he hurt you. You thought that if he really cared about you he would make a better father, he would stand up for you to your mother.'
Sirius said nothing knowing very well that the voice was right.
'Muggles call it schizophrenia. Listening to the voices in your head.'
"I'm not a Muggle."
'No, you aren't. You are a wizard. Capable of a murder, capable of a torture. What if next time it would be your wife or your sons.'
"I would never hurt them!"
'Are you one hundred percent sure? You lost your temper with your father. What if next time it would be Mirzam or Homam or Remus or someone else? If you really love them and want to protect them you know what you should do.'
"What should I do?"
'Run away. Hide. Drop from the face of the planet. Disappear. They will be better without you. Your mother would protect them, your family would protect them. You are just putting them in danger by being near them. If you really love them you will protect them from any danger and right now the greatest danger they are in is you.'
"No!"
'Are you really sure? Are you sure that next time your wife disagrees with you, you won't put her under Cruciatus Curse? Are you sure that you wouldn't want to hurt her then?"
He wanted to say that he was sure. But after nearly cursing his father he wasn't sure anymore. That voice was right. He was dangerous to them. They would be better without him. He had to disappear to protect them, from himself.
'That's what I thought,' said the voice.
Sirius transformed into Padfoot and he fled.
The blackness started vanishing slowly and she started slowly becoming aware of the fact that she was lying on something soft, that the room was bright and a warm hand was holding her own. Mirzam blinked slowly and saw concerned face starting at her. It looked like Sirius's, but Sirius didn't had greying hair. After realising that fact she quickly came to the conclusion that it was Mr Black sitting by her side.
"You collapsed," he stated, his voice was full of concern. "Mild brain concussion."
"You lied," she whispered as she remembered the memory she just watched. "You killed him in self-defence."
"I murdered him in cold blood," Mr Black shook his head.
"It was self-defence," Mirzam said and she tried to sit up on the bed.
Mr Black's free hand pushed her down on the bed and he said, "You aren't standing up until the potion will start working properly."
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "For attacking you."
"You were protecting your children," Mr Black chuckled. "No hard feelings, although the landing could certainly use a much softer carpet."
"Why did you lied?" she asked timidly.
"I killed him," Mr Black sighed.
"In self-defence," Mirzam pointed out.
"But he is still dead," Mr Black shook his head. "I won't deny that in the moment I'd meet him in that house I wanted to kill him, but not before I got some goddamned answers. It was just a feeling I couldn't shake off, but I could fight it and hand him over to the Aurors. The whole situation just didn't ended like I planned."
"But you killed him in self-defence. You could have report it and show the Aurors the memory," she said weakly.
"Not really," Mr Black shook his head. "You forget one vital fact. Patrick Pettigrew was the father of one of my son's friends. Making public aware that I killed Patrick Pettigrew, no matter why I did so, would make Peter turn his back on Sirius. A lot of bad things could happen because of it."
"And they had happened regardless," she whispered. "Peter Pettigrew sold his friends to Voldemort even if he didn't knew that you killed his father."
"You are right," Mr Black agreed with her. "But I'm not a prophet and I didn't knew what could happen. At that moment I wanted to protect these who were alive."
"Who knows, besides me and Sirius?" she asked quietly.
"No one does," Mr Black sighed heavily. "I meant what I said Mirzam. If Hermes knew that I killed Patrick I would be in Azkaban before I could even say 'Quidditch'. Hermes's sense of right and wrong fits the law. The law is his highest biding."
"But he is your friend," she mumbled.
"He is my friend, my brother I never had but I never said that he is perfect. He was great Auror, but a shitty judge," Mr Black exhaled. "That's why I took him with me to hunt Voldemort's Horcruxes. A Horcrux to him is the same thing as it is to me, an affront that someone tries to make him- or herself less mortal than the rest of us. It's unnatural, the darkest of all magic in the world and a thing which should be get rid off because no one deserves to be less mortal than the rest of the world."
"Are you afraid of it?" she asked timidly.
"Very," Mr Black admitted. "Death is something with which people shouldn't tamper, shouldn't try to cheat. Horcrux kills the person who created it, not in normal sense of the word to kill. The person who owns a Horcrux remains alive, in biological sense of this word, but the soul is destroyed, split and the more it is split the more soulless the Horcrux owner gets."
"That's why Voldemort is so scary," she whispered.
"There is no humanity in him," Mr Black said quietly. "If there was any, long time ago, it was destroyed in the moment he created his first Horcrux. Voldemort is not a human, he is a monster, a real one on that, and as long as he continues to exist, somewhere, there is no peace to our world. That's why I never wanted to bring my children until he existed."
"What made you change your mind?" she asked quietly.
"Nothing changed my mind," Mr Black shook his head. "I meant what I said earlier Mirzam. Sirius was right, I'm a pure-blood slut. My marriage was the price I had to pay for having a source of money which I needed for travelling around the world in search of his Horcruxes, books about Dark Arts and Dark Magic which I had to read to find a way to destroy a Horcrux. There was no love between me and Walburga, we were just a husband and a wife in arranged marriage. I had my secrets which I kept from her and I'm sure that she had her own which she kept from me. We didn't deluded each other that we loved each other, we loved our boys. That's why I taught them what I knew, because it was the best way I could ensure that they were able to protect themselves. Of course it backfired as hell."
"What kind of woman she was before?" Mirzam asked curiously.
"A pure-blood matron, in exact sense of this phrase," Mr Black sighed. "She brainwashed boys' heads with pure-blood philosophy. I never particularly cared about it and tried my best to ensure that the boys were neutral. I've done a shitty job, I admitt."
"Temporarily," Mirzam muttered.
"Yeah," Mr Black snickered. "Temporarily. Sirius was always smarter one and he quickly jumped the right boat. But in the end Regulus ended there to. Even Walburga did. I couldn't believe my ears when she confirmed that you are a Muggle-born and then she told me that she will rather throw me out than you if I had some problems with it."
"Bringing Regulus and Sirius back to her helped me a bit, I guess," she mumbled. "You should tell Sirius, the truth, sir."
"It's Orion," Mr Black said with small chuckle. "I hate being sir-ed by members of the family and you are one. You can call me dad if you want, you are fine with calling Wally mum. So I'm mercifully allowed to be around my grandsons?"
"It will take some time," Mirzam mumbled. "If it wasn't for Cassiopeia I wouldn't even start. Calling her mum I mean."
"How is that?" Mr Black asked curiously.
"Homam and Remus aren't mine and Sirius's sons," she stated. "Weren't actually, are now. They were both feed with Familious Potion which contained our DNA."
Mr Black's eyebrows shot to his hairline in shock and he mumbled, "How? Why? Who?"
"Remus is Neville Longbottom. His parents are in St. Mungo's, their lost their mind after being tortured under Cruciatus Curse, the rest of his family is dead. And with him being a werewolf we were his only hope for a family. As for Homam … he is son of James and Lily Potter, Sirius's godson whom your wife kidnapped from his abusive relatives. I was the one put in charge of looking for him … Professor Dumbledore wanted me to return him to them if I found him … so when I found him and I ensured that he was properly taken care of and no harm had been done to him I left him with your wife," Mirzam explained.
"Amazing," Mr Black mumbled. "But how he became your son if you left him with Wally."
"Cassiopeia," Mirzam mumbled. "Shortly after I came here and managed to get your wife into confessing that it was she who kidnapped Harry, Cassiopeia bragged in yelling that she was a filthy liar and that Homam's mother wasn't just a random Muggle as she told them. She got a hold of our records and she found out that the only possible mother for Homam was me. I went with it, so here we are."
Mr Black whistled and scratched his chin with his free hand before he said, "Now I know why you lot is so secretive. I take that outside the occupants of this house no one knows Homam's true identity."
"Regulus knows, so do Remus and Severus. Madam Bones and Kingsley Shacklebolt, our fellow Auror, are aware too. No one else does and it better stays this way," Mirzam sighed.
"You are right," Mr Black sighed. "This family can protect him better than his relatives would."
"Can I stand up, please?" she asked.
"I guess you can but if you start feeling dizzy just tell me," Mr Black said and he helped her stand up.
As they walked up the stairs to kids' room Mirzam worked up her courage to ask the question which was bothering her since she discovered that the boys were missing, "What you used to drug Regulus, dad?"
"Delayed Sleeping Potion," Mr Black chuckled. "My own creation. I was house misplaced Ravenclaw which landed in Slytherin just because I didn't wanted to break up with tradition."
"You are more like a Gryffindor," she snickered. "Only a Gryffindor rushes headfirst into trouble without thinking. That rescue attempt from Sunday is just a confirmation."
"You've got a nerve girl," Mr Black chuckled. "A definite Slytherin."
"Ravenclaw actually," she replied.
They entered the room at the same time as Regulus started waking up. He sat up, rubbed his eyes and when he spotted Orion he snarled, "You dozed me!"
Orion chuckled at his younger son's obvious indignation and he mumbled, "Slytherin."
"So am I," Regulus snorted. "You are lucky that I can't hex you into next month for it."
"Why you can't?" Orion asked curiously.
"Because I'm incredibly talented squib who can't do more magic than a second year student," Regulus muttered as he stood up and folded his arms across the chest. "Thanks to Voldemort."
Orion cringed at that, he didn't knew what had happened to Regulus but there were signs that Regulus had problems with his magic. Looking back at it now they were quite obvious. He never apparate, all conjuring Regulus needed was either done by Sirius or Mirzam or Walburga or Remus. His wand rarely left the bedside table in his room and when he was in the kitchen he always made things in Muggle way.
"What had happened to you?" Orion asked in concern.
"Horcrux," Regulus snorted. "Getting my hands on the locket cost me a lot. Nearly cost my life."
"Shall I leave you alone to talk?" Mirzam asked quickly.
"No, stay here. We will talk outside," Orion replied quickly and motioned at Regulus to follow him.
They stepped outside of the room and closed the door. Regulus leaned against the wall with his arms still folded across the chest.
"What had happened Regulus?" Orion asked again.
"I apparated through Anti-Appration Charm," Regulus sighed. "It nearly killed me. I've spent about a year in coma and when I woke up I was complete Muggle. The magic started coming back, with time, but even now any spell which goes higher than second year level is beyond my casting ability," he grimaced.
"Is it permanent?" Orion asked nervously.
"I hope not," Regulus muttered. "If it will keep the same rate it did until now, hopefully I will regain my abilities in next five years, maybe six." Then he glanced at Orion and asked, "I take that you are mercifully allowed within twenty feet near the kids."
Orion nodded.
"Do I really want to know what did you told them?" Regulus asked sceptically.
"I don't think so," Orion shook his head.
"Fine with me," Regulus shrugged, he seemed distressed.
"What's up Regulus?" Orion asked tentatively.
"Huh?" Regulus mumbled.
"You are obviously distressed. Did something had happened?" Orion asked.
"Nothing had happened, yet," Regulus mumbled as he rubbed his chin. "I'm not a prophet," he sighed, "but I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen, very soon. Call it a hunch. I can't really explain it. The same one like with cursed necklace."
"Cursed necklace?" Orion asked in shock.
"I used cursed necklace to call Mirzam to me. It was supposed to activate in the moment of my death or the moment when my magic had vanished," Regulus explained. "The effect was delayed because by the time the necklace activated I was quite capable of defending myself."
"How it could be delayed?" Orion asked curiously.
"Occlumency, I believe. I mean, that's how I'm explaining it. By the time my magic had vanished Mirzam was a Master of Occlumency, but then again, on 20th and 21st March the necklace started working. She had to drop her shields otherwise she would be immune to the pull of the necklace," Regulus muttered.
Suddenly from inside the room came a loud shriek of pure terror, the voice belonged to Mirzam. Orion and Regulus nearly ripped the door from hinges as they rushed to help her.
She was lying on the floor, screaming and convulsing like she was under Cruciatus Curse.
"Make it go away," she sobbed as she started clawing on her face.
Orion fell to his knees on the floor next to her and pulled her arms away from her face by the wrists.
"Mirzam what had happened?" he asked fearfully.
"The ring … Sirius … Make it go … Please …" she sobbed.
Orion glanced at her left ring finger and spotted Black family wedding ring. This. Was. Not. Fucking. Good. He brought Mirzam's left hand to his left and grabbed both wrists with it and he reached with his right hand for his wand. He stunned her nonverbally before he finally let go of her wrists.
"What had happened to her?" asked terrified Regulus.
"Call Severus and tell him to bring the Draught of Living Death. I will take her to their room," Orion ordered and he put his left arm around Mirzam's shoulders' and his right under her knees. "Then come back here and distract the kids."
In answer he heard Regulus running down the stairs. As Regulus's footsteps got farther from them Orion picked up unconscious girl from the ground and walked out of the room. He carried her to hers and Sirius's bedroom and lied her down on the bed.
Walburga stepped out from the fireplace in the kitchen with a heavy sigh. The visit at Cygnus's houses didn't went as well as she expected. Of course Narcissa and Draco were there and Walburga more than once had an urge to strangle the kid in the name of greater good.
Walburga barely managed to make two steps away from the fireplace when she felt that someone had knocked into her. She whirled around to see Severus with evident fear on his face.
"What had …" Walburga started, feeling the dread spreading through her heart.
"Mirzam. Don't know more. They told me to bring the Draught …" mumbled Severus as he rushed out of the kitchen.
She rushed after him and made the way from the kitchen to Sirius's and Mirzam's bedroom in record time. Mirzam was lying unconscious on the bed and next to her was standing terrified Orion. On the other side of the bed with Homam and Remus propped on his hips was standing Regulus who looked even worse than Orion.
"What had happened?" Walburga and Severus asked at the same time.
"It's the wedding ring," Orion whispered. "Sirius took off the ring without Mirzam's permission. No one else beside her, or him can take it off. I had to stun her and we really need to put her in potion induced coma till we find the idiot, otherwise the bond will drive her mad."
"What?" mumbled Severus in shock.
"Black family wedding rings are cursed rings, Severus," Orion explained. "For most time, however, they serve White Magic. Because of the ring, the person who wears it can tell if they beloved is happy and safe or wounded or dead. But if one of the partners takes of the ring without the permission of the other …" Orion flinched. "The bond drives the person mad, the pain the bond inflicts," Orion glanced at Walburga, "is akin to Cruciatus Curse. Some wives and husbands, ages ago, by taking the rings off without the permission of their partners used to drive the other partner into madness and sometimes death."
"So he, had done it to her," Severus whispered.
"I'm not sure that he was aware of the curse," Orion muttered. "Wally and I wore our rings only through the first three years of our marriage until …"
"Until I accidentally took it off while I was bathing," Walburga mumbled nervously. "We agreed to never wear them again."
"Why Draught of Living Death?" Severus whispered.
"Strong, Draught induced coma will delay Mirzam's descending into madness for about three days. Till then we need to find Sirius, if we don't succeed … she will go mad and eventually she will die," Orion whispered. "Apply the draught and watch her, I'm going to fetch Remus and together we will look for Sirius."
Sirius felt like total shit. He ran as Padfoot for about twenty miles before he transformed back into his human form. The ring would allow Mirzam apparating over to him no matter where he would hide himself. For hers own safety he had to take it off and drop it in the forest. Taking off the ring felt to him like ripping his ring finger off but he had to be strong, for Mirzam, for the boys. After he dropped the ring to the ground he transformed back into Padfoot and ran for another twenty miles as fast as his paws allowed him.
He finally collapsed from tiredness on the edge of a small lake. No one would find him there. His family would be safe.
Orion ran into the Library of Wizarding Britain on the top speed and nearly slammed into the librarian. He quickly apologized and breathed out in relief when he saw that Remus was leaving the bathroom.
"Remus," he called out and didn't realised that he earned a death glare from the librarian. "You need to come with me."
Remus approached him quickly and with a worried expression on his face asked, "What had happened?"
"Mirzam is dying," Orion breathed out. "We need to find Sirius, quickly. Did he told you where he was going?"
"He mentioned something about Titus Ravensworth," Remus answered quickly. "What had happened to her?"
"Later. We need to find him. You are apparating with me," Orion barked out and grabbed younger man by the arm.
Thankfully Orion happened to visit Ravensworth's house in the past and he knew where the werewolf had lived. As soon as he and Remus landed in the bushes in the back of the garden Orion transformed into his Animagi form and sniffed the air.
Sirius was there, few hours ago and his scent was evident but as Orion made few steps away of the house the scent had changed from human's into a dog's scent. He raised his eyes at Remus in questioning manner.
"Padfoot," Remus mumbled. "He transformed."
Orion sniffed the air and realised that the scent of the dog was running away from Ravensworth's house and rushed after the scent with Remus after him.
He ran as quickly as his paws could allow him without losing Remus, who was running behind him. They covered fifteen miles in rapid speed until Remus had collapsed on the ground saying that as much as he likes Mirzam and would do anything to help her for next fifteen minutes he won't stand up because he is too exhausted.
Orion transformed back and conjured his panting werewolf godson a small bottle of water which younger man downed quickly in three gulps. After Orion banished the bottle Remus stood up and told him that he can run now. Orion transformed back without a word and followed the scent of the dog, this time, however, far more slower than before.
They passed next five miles quite quickly. Suddenly Orion spotted something silver lying on the ground and he transformed back.
He picked up silver wedding ring and sighed heavily, "What in the name of all thing magical had gotten into you Sirius?"
He pocketed the ring to not lose it on his chase and turned around to see Remus who was approaching him slowly.
"Are we close?" Remus mumbled as he leaned against the random tree.
"Closer than we were before," Orion sighed. "His scent is getting stronger."
"I solemnly swear that when it ends I'm going to kill Sirius," Remus breathed out.
Orion shook his head and changed back into his Animagi form.
Sirius stared at the water in the lake below him. He really felt like drowning himself here. At least then he wouldn't have to worry that they will send a search and rescue team after him. He was a monster who didn't deserved to live.
"The world will be better without me," he sighed heavily.
Suddenly he heard rustle in the nearby bushes and turned around to see who, or what was bothering him. He was surprised as hell when he saw his father and nearly breathless Remus standing there.
"If you drown yourself I solemnly swear that I'm going to resurrect you to fucking kill you again," his father growled angrily. "Your wife is dying."
Mirzam? Mirzam was dying? Why? Who could have hurt her?
"Are you coming back with us on your own or do I have to hex you?" his father muttered.
Sirius quickly picked himself from the ground as he asked, "What had happened?"
"She is dying," his father repeated. "She is in your bedroom. If you want to see…"
Sirius didn't heard the rest of his father's sentence because he apparated home. As soon as his feet touched the floor in the hall he rushed upstairs on neck-breaking speed. In front of their room he nearly knocked off to the ground Regulus but he didn't cared. He pushed the door open and saw her.
She was lying unconscious on their bed. She was deathly pale and looked like she was in great pain. By her side was sitting his mother and Snape, both looked very worried.
"What had happened?" Sirius breathed out as he approached their bed.
"You are killing her," Snape snarled. "You've done it to her," he pointed at Mirzam's prone body.
He had done it to her? But how?
"Is there anything…" he started but he couldn't finish the sentence.
His knees gave up and he fell to the floor next to the bed. He grasped Mirzam's right hand with both of his. If he didn't felt like worthless piece of shit before he certainly felt like one now. He had done it to her … How, he didn't knew it. He just did.
Suddenly he felt someone tapping his left shoulder and raised his head to look at his father. Older man smiled at him sadly and he showed Sirius his hand. In the middle of older man's palm was lying Sirius's wedding ring.
"Put it on," his father said quietly.
Sirius obediently put the ring on his left ring finger and glanced at Mirzam. As if by the touch of the wand pained look disappeared from her face.
"What now?" asked Snape somewhere from behind Sirius.
"Now we wait," Sirius's father said quietly. "She needs to wake up from the coma."
"Why me putting the ring on made her better? That pained look had disappeared," Sirius mumbled.
"It's my fault, Sirius," his mother mumbled.
He craned his head around to look at her.
"I thought that you were aware of the real nature of the rings," she said quietly, she looked worried. "The rings act as protection, but if one of the partners takes them off without the permission of the other … the one who wears the ring suffers from a terrible curse."
"Akin to Cruciatus," his father added gravely. "Your mother and I didn't used them for that reason."
"So I did it to her," Sirius whispered brokenly.
"What you tried to achieve Black?" asked Snape harshly.
"Leave!" Mirzam said suddenly.
Sirius stood up but she didn't let go of his hand.
"Not you, they," Mirzam said hoarsely. "I said leave."
They left quietly and when the door had closed behind them Sirius sat down on the floor.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"It's not your fault," she whispered and patted the bed as she added, "Sit."
He sat up on the bed and looked down at her face as he whispered, "I'm a monster. I tried to protect you and I hurt you. I don't know what to do anymore," he looked away from her and stared at the floor. "Ever since I left Azkaban I kept hearing these voices, they taunt me. I snap easily, I'm not myself … I tried to protect you and I hurt you."
"Sirius," she whispered and he felt that her free hand touched his cheek. "Look at me."
He looked back at her.
"You. Are. Not. A. Monster," she said firmly. "You were in Azkaban. In a top security cell. For nearly six months. You are free for three weeks, no more. Of course that you aren't whole but you need time to recover. These voices will go away," she said patiently. "You hear them because Azkaban destroyed your Occlumency shields, if you master it again they will go away."
"Are you sure?" he whispered timidly.
"I'm sure. I'm not mad at you," she gave him a small smile. "But if you take the ring off without my permission again, I will kill you."
"I will rather kill myself," he mumbled.
"Good," she whispered. "Stay with me."
He straightened his back and gripped her hand tighter.
"I meant to say, lie down," she rolled her eyes.
He lied next to her still gripping her hands. She let go of his hand and cheek and snuggled closer to him. He embraced her tightly and felt that she lied her head on his left shoulder. It felt perfect and he was an idiot who wanted to give it up.
Severus stared at both Blacks with a glare which would even make Dumbledore cringe.
"I don't think that it was wise idea to let them there on their own," he huffed.
"Nothing bad will happen," Mr Black said calmly. "Right now she is shaken and he is worried sick but it will pass. It's nothing a few hours of sleep won't fix."
"She was in pain," Severus muttered.
"The pain had vanished when Sirius put the ring on his finger," Mr Black said patiently. "That and his close proximity will make her feel better."
"We should leave them alone for few hours," Mrs Black agreed.
"How went your visit Wally?" Mr Black changed the subject quickly.
"As our sons would say, shitty," Mrs Black sighed. "Narcissa and Draco are with Cygnus. Draco is a nasty spoiled brat which without a doubt would end like his father. Ciggy berated me for not inviting them to the party. I told them that Homam was sick, even if we know that he wasn't."
"Did you managed to find something about the diary?" Mr Black asked.
"Sadly, no," Mrs Black sighed. "Cissy is a bloody nuisance. She gazes longingly into the windows and sighs a lot every single time Lucius is mentioned."
"I hope that the conversation didn't went this way: hey Cissy, do you happen to know where your dear imprisoned husband put the diary of our lately vanished Dark Lord?" Mr Black mumbled.
Mrs Black kicked him in the shin as she muttered, "Of course not!"
Severus didn't really wanted to be included into another quarrel of a married couple in a span of one day so he quickly backed away from them. Since he was backing away from them, he wasn't looking in the direction he was heading and he stepped on someone's shoe.
"Ouch," he heard a yelp from behind and he whirled around to see Regulus, who was holding two boys on his hips. "The idiot came back?" he asked.
Severus nodded.
"Did you found that room Mirzam mentioned?" Regulus asked.
"We did. Actually she did, because no matter how hard I tried I couldn't find the door," Severus sighed. "Perhaps this room only opens when a Ravenclaw is passing next to it. I didn't really got a chance to check it out because I had classes to teach. We agreed to try it out on weekend but considering Mirzam's current state we should postpone it to next weekend."
"Good idea," Regulus sighed. "Want to babysit while I will make the dinner for the Horcruxes Slayers Club?"
On 21st April, Wednesday evening, Horcrux Slayers Club – the pet name which Regulus gave for their weekly meetings on each Wednesday which lasted roughly to Thursday evening – was supposed to meet again. Of course meeting most of the members, except Severus who was teaching at Hogwarts, wasn't very hard since all of them except Severus and Arcturus and Pollux were living at Grimmauld Place.
Orion tapped his left forefinger against the arm of the couch nervously. Remus and Hermes arrived just five minutes before and they both claimed that without a shower no one would manage to pry from them any information they found about Ravenclaw's Diadem in Rome.
Regulus was downstairs, in the kitchen, with Pollux and Arcturus and together they were preparing sandwiches for the meeting while Sirius and Mirzam, even more attached to each other's presence after Sirius little stunt from last Friday, were putting the twins to the bed. Walburga was sitting in the armchair in front of Orion and was flipping through Nature's Nobility furiously. Severus wasn't here, yet.
"He is getting late," Walburga said grimly without raising her eyes from the book.
"He has Dumbledore to run away from," Orion pointed out.
"Admit it," Walburga sighed as she closed the book with a heavy thud, "you are wondering how his life would look like if he was your ... our son."
Orion snorted at that, Severus was Walburga's favourite subject of their everyday conversation, aside from Sirius, Regulus, Mirzam and the twins.
"Probably same as Regulus's," Orion mumbled.
"Or Sirius's," Walburga pointed out. "They are very much alike."
"You mean kids who had shitty parents?" Orion asked pensively. "We weren't the best parents for Sirius and neither Tobias was the best father for Severus."
"What about Eileen?" Walburga asked and her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"She loved Tobias," Orion sighed and he scratched his knee with his right hand. "He was abusive git but she still loved him."
"Sometimes life happens to end this way," Walburga mumbled as she opened the book and started flipping through it again.
Orion grinned at her. Wally was jealous. For the first time during their twenty-four years worth marriage. She. Was. Jealous.
"Wally," he called her as he leaned his elbows on his knees and put his chin on his hands.
"What?" she snapped at him as she send him a glare.
"You are jealous," he said playfully.
"No, I'm not," Walburga huffed at him.
"You look great in green," Orion snickered.
"Why do you care?" Walburga muttered sceptically.
"That's the most emotional reaction I got from you in years," he snickered.
"Keep telling yourself that and eventually you may believe it," Walburga snorted and she came back to flipping through the book.
"Come on," Orion chuckled. "Admit it. You are jealous."
"About you?" Walburga asked without raising her eyes from the book, Orion couldn't see her eyes but he could see her faint blush.
"Ha! You are blushing," he jumped from the couch pointing his finger at her. "You are jealous."
"Sure Mr Big Ego," Walburga muttered and she put her book in front of her face.
"Told you so," Orion grinned at her and he approached the armchair she was sitting on. "You are green with envy," he grabbed her book and pulled it down so he could see her face.
"Like Sirius likes to say, bugger off and get your hands away from my book," Walburga huffed in indignation.
"Nope," Orion chuckled.
"You are fifty-two, nearly fifty-three," Walburga muttered and she tried to pry the book from his hand but failed.
"Your point, Wally?" he chuckled.
"Stop acting like Sirius. Behaviour of a twenty-two years old man doesn't suits your greying hair," Walburga snorted and she tried to pry the book from him once again and once again failed.
"At least you can tell us apart," Orion chuckled. "He is good looking bloke, isn't he? I bet that with him and Mirzam as parents our twins are going to be a real heartthrobs at Hogwarts. Good genes."
"At least I know from where his ego comes from," Walburga snorted in mock annoyance. "Like father, like son. Now give me back my book."
"No," Orion shook his head.
"Dad! Orion is being childish!" Walburga called out.
"At least I know from where Sirius has it," Mirzam laughed.
"Hey!" Sirius mumbled.
Orion finally let go of Walburga's book as he turned around and saw them standing in the doorway. They were grinning at them.
"Book stealing isn't very romantic," Sirius chuckled. "Only grants you a hit on the head, or so I've been told."
"Let me guess, by James Potter after 'The Library Incident'?" Mirzam snickered.
"We always called it 'James's dating failure no. 54'," Sirius replied with small snicker. "Let me guess that was the name Ravenclaws come with for it?"
"Do you prefer Hufflepuff's 'Idiots Guide to Dating: How to Screw Up Asking a Girl Out no. 67' or Slytherin's ..." Mirzam was cut off by Severus who appeared right behind them.
"You mean that disaster in the library?" he asked. "We called it 'Potter Sucks Again no. 99'. Your brother came with it."
"Because yours 'Pervert Strikes Again' was tad cheap," Regulus said from behind Severus. "Now can the lot of you please move."
Sirius, Mirzam and Severus stepped away from the door and allowed Regulus to bring sandwiches in. He walked to the desk and set the plate on it.
"Why pervert?" asked Sirius curiously.
"Because only a pervert keeps hitting on a girl who doesn't want him," Severus answered as he walked to the desk and picked up one of the sandwiches. "I'm famished."
"Not a pervert," Sirius snickered.
"Just a stubborn git," Mirzam supplied. "Why you are late Severus?"
"Professor Kitty fancied a mouse hunting. Dumbledore is hiding from her so she decided to investigate where I'm going every Wednesday," Severus answered before he took a bite of his sandwich.
"So what you did with her?" asked Sirius curiously.
"I let her follow me to a Muggle brothel in London and after fifteen minutes I left through the back door. I hope that she is still sitting there," Severus replied and he took another bite.
"If she didn't follow you by the smell," said Pollux, who together with Arcturus just appeared in the doorstep of the library, grimly.
"I rather doubt it," Severus shook his head. "I didn't borrowed Sirius's clothing for nothing."
Indeed Severus looked today like he had gone through Sirius's wardrobe. He was dressed in blue Muggle jeans, a black t-shirt which claimed 'I will make you scream' in white capital letters and on the top of the t-shirt a jersey which read 'Manchester United'. Compared to Sirius, who was wearing a black Muggle jeans and a black t-shirt claiming in white capital letters 'Property of Mrs Mirzam Black' – kind a tasteless way, in Orion's honest opinion, of showing how Sirius was devoted to his wife. Sirius and Severus looked like brothers.
"I knew that I saw that Manchester United jersey somewhere around the house," Regulus mumbled.
"Speaks Mr 'I don't tease, I promise'," Severus snorted after he glanced at Regulus's t-shirt.
"So that's where my t-shirt had went," Sirius snickered. "I swear that between the two of you soon I will start to wander around in underwear."
"I didn't exactly had a lot of time to buy myself new clothes," Regulus snorted. "Because a certain git promised to apparate over to my house and bring me some fresh clothes," he added as he glared at Sirius. "I'm just making a point that I'm not going to wear great-great-grandfather Sirius's robes, they itch and they smell foul."
"Okay," Sirius snickered. "I'm taking you shopping tomorrow. Diagon Alley?"
"Try something from the mall," Regulus muttered. "I'm a defenceless squib, I refuse to wear wizard robes when I'm not one. Besides in trousers I feel like a man."
"Did you just criticised traditional robes?" Walburga joked.
"They make you look stupid in public. Seriously Hogwarts could get a obligatory class for all seventh years, 'How to blend between the Muggles'. That stuff in Muggle Studies book is pretty outdated," Regulus snorted.
"Totally corrupted," Pollux snorted.
"Try wearing trousers," Regulus supplied. "For some people it makes a difference to know if after one drink too many they are hitting on a witch and not a wizard."
"Did little Reggie embarrassed himself?" Sirius said in mockingly sweet voice.
"Bugger off, Sirius," Regulus muttered.
"I'm going to get it out of you anyway," Sirius chuckled.
"Fine," Regulus huffed. "I wanted to get laid and I went to Leaky Cauldron. I drunk one drink too many and started hitting on a smooth faced wizard. Took me clothes removing to realise that he wasn't a witch. And I solemnly swear that I never ran away from anything so fast liked I was running away from him that night. End of story. Ever since then when I wanted to get laid I went to Muggle brothels, lesser chance for it happening again."
"That was certainly too much information," Severus snorted.
"Too much information is another use of Energising Potion in a hour paid brothel," Regulus snorted. "That one is for you Sior if you decide to go to honeymoon with your wife someday."
At that Mirzam blushed in a Gryffindor shade of red and Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Are you going to hex his mouth shut or do you want me to do it?" Severus asked as he rolled his eyes.
"Be my guest," Sirius mumbled. "Or give him the address of that brothel you stopped by. He is acting like he didn't get laid lately."
"Hey!" Regulus huffed.
"Well, you do," Sirius snorted. "Family trait."
"That's why you were so worked up since you started Auror training," Remus, who just appeared in the doorway chuckled.
Mirzam turned even more red as she mumbled, "Wasn't he worked up before?"
"Point taken," Remus chuckled again.
"Can we please stop discussing my close relationship with my right hand?" Sirius groaned. "I thought that we gathered here to discus Voldemort and his trinkets not my sad excuse of sex life before I got married."
"Is he just telling us that he was a virgin till he got married?" Regulus asked curiously.
"Well he had to have sex before it, after all he wouldn't be putting kids into sleep now," Walburga joked.
"You know what?" Sirius muttered. "Mirzam and I are going upstairs. Call us when you grow up or get laid. Either way works with me. Just don't forget Silencing Charm."
"Valentines 1979?" Mirzam snickered. "That one when you came to my room and told me that you will do everything I want if I let you sleep under my bed because your side of the dormitories was so loud that you couldn't fell asleep."
"One and only," Sirius snorted. "Not my fault that everybody else had a visitor that night."
"You slept under her bed?" asked Walburga curiously. "Why not on it?"
"Well, on, wasn't something we agreed on since she didn't wanted to get molested during the night," Sirius replied. "Though I heard from the others next day that we looked more shagged than they were."
"Why?" Regulus asked curiously, the look on his face told Orion that he wanted to embarrass Sirius as well.
"Because after she tried to strangle me with a pillow we got into a pillow fight," Sirius replied.
"Why?" Walburga asked curiously.
"I wanted to sleep and because of my little bleeding heart I let a pervert into my bedroom," Mirzam snickered. "For about a hour he kept commenting on how many wizarding Kamasutra positions one could perform on the narrow bed we used to sleep. When I told him to either shut up or find another room he told me that he heard that sexual frustration is good when it comes to hexing other people but otherwise makes people only frustrated."
"Then I told you that I know a perfect way to relieve these frustrations," Sirius snickered. "That's when she tried to strangle me before I managed to get the pillow away from my face and mumble out that I meant pillow fight."
"You seemed pretty frustrated back then," Mirzam giggled. "Kept me up till three o'clock in the morning."
"Because I gave as good as I got?" Sirius laughed. "For someone so lithe you had a hard hit."
"Then at breakfast you told the rest of the group that I memorised every position in Kamasutra," Mirzam laughed.
"Well you did," Sirius snickered. "You were a Ravenclaw and I was pretty descriptive. Then she beat me into a bloody pulp in duelling class but not before she told the rest that I snore, steal whole blanket and kick like a young Hippogriff."
"You said that you slept under the bed," Walburga pointed out.
"We agreed that I will sleep under the bed before we had a pillow fight," Sirius said. "I didn't said that much sleeping occurred there."
"Because of your dirty mind," Mirzam pointed out.
"You tried to strangle me with a pillow," Sirius snickered. "Now, whose mind was dirty? As for kicking like young Hippogriff, I tried to find the edge of the bed with my right leg, not my fault that you got comfortable with a pervert who didn't want to molest you against your will."
"You didn't?" Remus asked, he sounded surprised. "You had the girl you chased for almost whole Hogwarts career in the bed with you and you didn't wanted to molest her?"
"Well, I did want to molest her, but had she inclined that she wants to be molested trust me that there would be no pillow that night," Sirius replied with a roll of his eyes.
"What was our original topic?" asked Hermes, who just appeared in the doorway next to Remus suddenly.
"Clothing," Regulus supplied.
"Voldemort," said Sirius.
"So get your mind out of the gutter and start thinking where Voldemort's trinkets could be hidden," Hermes muttered.
"Our younger son isn't the only one who needs to get laid," Walburga muttered to Orion.
"Remus and I gathered something in Rome about possible ways of destroying Tommy's trinkets," Hermes continued.
At that comment everybody sat down. Orion on the right arm of Walburga's armchair. Severus on the desk next to the plate with sandwiches. Regulus sat down cross-legged in front of the desk about a feet away from Severus. Sirius and Mirzam sat down on the couch Orion occupied previously, next to them sat Pollux. Arcturus and Remus went to the other couch. Hermes approached the blackboard and started writing.
Phoenix Tears
Basilisk Venom
Goblinmade Silver Swords
"That's our salvation," Hermes said grimly as he put the chalk away and stepped away from the blackboard.
"Great," Regulus snorted. "We don't have a Phoenix."
"For one vial of Basilisk Venom you will have to give away all your money in Gringotts plus the houses of whole family," Severus added grimly.
"And last piece of Goblinmade Silver in the family had been returned to the Goblins seventy-five years ago," Arcturus muttered. "Even now you will have to get rid of the house to obtain one. Steal is much more cheaper."
"We returned the silver locket," Orion pointed out. "Round, no edges, impossible to destroy. We need sharp Goblinmade Silver dad, like sword."
"You destroyed few Horcruxes with Phoenix Tears," Hermes pointed out.
"For which I had to pay an arm and leg. Ten years worth salary for small vial of the size of my small finger. Now impossible to obtain if you don't have a Phoenix," Orion muttered.
"I thought about sharp Goblinmade Silver too, Orion," Hermes admitted. "They do only jewellery and things with no edges now. No sword or even daggers."
"The only swords or daggers we managed to find were either returned to Gringotts or lost without a trace for ages," Remus added grimly.
"All except one," Hermes said with a triumphant grin. "The sword of Godric Gryffindor."
"Which as far as my memory serves me right lies in Dumbledore's Office at Hogwarts in heavily guarded glass box. Ergo we are doomed," Severus said sourly. "No one can steal it."
"No one can or no one dares to?" Regulus asked and when Severus glared at him he added, "Well it makes a huge difference."
"Right," Severus snorted. "Because you just happen to know how to steal it from Dumbledore without him knowing that it was stolen."
"Actually I do," Regulus said grimly and he looked into the direction of the door which after the Lupins had entered the room remained open. "Does anyone had been tampering with Crookshanks?"
"Why?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Because in the doorway stands a cat which does not looks like Crookshanks," Regulus answered calmly.
At that everybody turned in the direction of the door. Exactly in the doorway was standing a tabby cat which Orion knew all too well.
"McGonagall," Sirius, Mirzam, Regulus and Severus breathed out in unison.
When he came to think about it later, Orion acted purely on instinct. He jumped up from the armchair with his wand pointed at the animal and before he even realised what he was doing he stunned the cat. After the cat fell to the ground Animagi Reversal Spell followed close and in front of them was lying unconscious Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and Transfiguration Professor for younger members of the family.
"What we are going to do now?" whispered Severus.
"Use the opportunity which jumped at us," said Regulus with a smirk on his face.
"What you mean?" asked Severus.
"I didn't landed in Slytherin just because the whole family was there, Sevie," Regulus smirked once again as he got up. "Immobilise, blind and deaf her and I will tell you."
Awaiting criticism - go ahead, amuse me ... and yes I know that I'm evil.
The rings, the rings, the rings ... you thought that only a good thing can come from them? Well nothing is just black or white, there are different shades of grey. Speaking about grey, our grey eyed doggie has a problem, a big one on that, I hope that Mirzam explained it rather well - that's my reasoning in her words and Sirius needed a good scare now that I'm going to be evil author and ... I'm giving away too much.
Orion, I hope that his explanations for what and why he had done it are justifable. As for 'Wally, the jealous witch' I could apologize, but I won't. Remember they were married for twenty-four years (actually twenty-one seeing that Orion wasn't Walbugra's husband for last three years, by was I meant acted like one). Besides something needs to make their relationship better.
Sex talk ... I admit I really could done this chapter without it but I wanted to brighten up the mood since I'm going to be evil author in next chapter doing evil author things.
Hints about what can happen in next chapter: well you have two and another two, put it together and you will get four. Think a cat Animagus, think the Sword, think McGonagall, think a Metamorphomagus, equals think how much the Blacks love to mess with Dumbledore.
Next chapter: They say that curiosity killed the cat, they don't know the Black family.