Chapitre I

Blood doesn't lie

Sirius Black had received a lot of names in his life.

The heir of the Noble and Most Ancient Black Family, son of Orion, son of Walburga, son of the Black. And then, later, maybe less glorious ones like blood traitor, unworthy child, play-boy, pretty boy...But even knowing this, never would he have one day thought of being called by this name « murderer ».

Never would he have thought that he would receive it for the murder of the one person he swore he would be brother with his whole life. And never would he have thought that the people he came to think as his parents and friends would be the ones who took away his wand and closed the door of his cell.

It was expected, they whispered, he is a Black after all, it is in his blood...

To think he spend half of his life trying to escape this name, spitting on his education, doing every single thing that wasn't expected of him. Being friends with half-blood, going out with them, going to Gryffindor...When he did all these things he thought that he was brave, but now he felt like he tried to run away from himself his whole life.

Like a snake in lion clothes, or a sinistros that tried desperately to be a puppy...

But in this cell, there was only him. Here he couldn't hide from himself, from his name, or from his blood. Oh, how he remembered when on the firsts months he desperately called the aurors when they passed for their patrols, screaming that he was innocent, that they knew him, they worked with him. And they just laughed at him. Telling him what a good actor he was, what a good Black he was, how manipulation and betrayal was always in him...After all, blood doesn't lie.

After the third year, he grew used to hear them spitting his name. And after the fourth he smiled at it. He was no longer screaming that he was innocent, since he learned that in this world, theses things were of little importance. And innocence was a fickle support against madness and despair, particularly when no one believed in it besides you. But blood wasn't.

And blood became his only truth.

So far from the world, surronded by hatred, and with the visit of death every day, he was still sure of one thing : he was Sirius Black, the third, son of Walburga, son of Orion, heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

And if his hope and his naivety had left him, his rage still followed him all these years. And since he didn't have the right anymore for either dreams or good memories, he grasped onto it as an ultimate barrier to madness. Only his rage and his hunger for justice prevented him to become a shadow, and it gave birth to a promise : that he would have back everything that was taken away from him and more.

But even with all his rage, all his hunger that seemed to swallow him entirely, he didn't find any hope of accomplishing this promise. No hope until this night.

This night when he saw from the corner of this dark, wet and grim cell a stone falling backward and eventually sinking into the waters of the North Sea.

The breath was cut from his lungs and he would have smiled, laughed and screamed before the situation if he had the strenght to do it. Then he saw a hand so pale and luminous that for a moment she seemed to lighten the sinister place. As soon as the member disappeared Sirius got down and quickly crawled until the hole was at the same level as his face.

And then he saw her, the creature. The breath definitly quitted his body, but before such a face never suffocation had seemed so sweet. The creature looked like a woman but had the beauty of a star and stood comfortably in the water, her bust to the wind with nothing but long inky and wet hair to cover it.

- A mermaid...he whispered with a gravelly voice.

The mermaid, who had quickly retreated, came back closer to the wall and put herself face to face to him through the hole. She looked at him in silence before a smile as charming as the rest of her came resting on her lips :

- You are more resistant than the other, she said, and her voice seemed to control the waves as easily as the hearts. I don't know a lot of sons of men that would be in your state after so much years spent here.

Sirius was dazed for a moment at the sound of her voice. They were taught in school to be wary of this kind of creatures. They were classified dark, like werewolves, and their beauty was known to be the doom of men. If you ever met one, never engage the conversation with her, because they charmed and killed as easily as they breath.

But Sirius tempted not listen to the lessons which had led him here. Especially that right now, having known only darkness for six years, his doom looked like his salvation :

- What does a creature like you do here? And how do you know me ?

A malicious light appeared in the eyes of the creature :

- But I don't know you son of man.

She then added in a decontracted manner :

- Well...I can at least say that I know that you are innocent. A guilty man would be tired to repeat lies after all this time, but a betrayed one...

Sirius eyes grew bigger and his heart stopped beating. After her voice, the eyes of this creature were certainly her most dangerous weapon, they seemed to hold the colors of the waters of every sea and ocean the earth gave birth to, and could make nations go on their knees as much as they could persuade men to drown... Her plump and red lips opened and teeth as white as pearls and sharp as knife were shown :

- Don't you want to tell me your story, son of man.

Sirius learned quickly that we could say no neither to theses eyes nor to this voice.

§§§

A new routine formed itself for her. She still came at the feet of the tower everyday, but now it was not only to hear but also to see and talk to this man. And her obsession for him seem to grew everyday without her knowing why.

Mermaids weren't touched easily by common things and if they had an evident weakness for jewels and gold, their hearts often stayed cold in front of the living. But for the first time in her long, long existence she was captivated by something, and such a thing didn't happen to her every century. If it was hard to capture the interest of a water creature, it was even harder to make it disappear.

And this, this was more than a mere interest...She was more than just intrigued by this man. She didn't know what fascinated her so, after all, a prisonner had nothing for himself but his dirt, despair and tragic background. But him...under all his dirt was hidden the most beautiful face she had ever seen on a man, under his despair shone more anger and passion than the sky was capable of in his greatest tempest, and only the purest silver, the purest truth was revealed by his eyes.

And pure was the only word that she could think when she saw this man. As if wickedness was unknow to him, as if none of what he was, of what he was feeling was tamed. Eveything about him was raw, and even his anger, his rage and bitterness were pure. Close to him she didn't feel cold, and more, she felt alive.

The raw, non tamed, non sculpted, dangerous life that this man seems to breath and exhale...it was the most beautiful thing that she ever saw. And everytime she was beside him, it felt like being lost in the ocean when the sky and the water were at war and that they battled with waves and thunder. His eyes were thunder, and his voice was just like the waves hitting her body.

She liked to think how it would be wasn't he confined in this cell. First she thought that she would have taken him, she would have drown him with her, and drown this obsession just the same. He would have been her prisonner...Just a kiss and he would have been able to stay alive under the water, with her.

But he wouldn't have been this alive. He wouldn't roar in anger against the people that betrayed him, he wouldn't desire revenge nor be devored by the ambitions that he cultivated. And this simple thought made her first desire turn into dust in her mouth.

That wasn't what she wanted. She didn't wanted him to become a pawn, a simple doll that looked at her with dead eyes. No...She wanted him to look at her with these eyes. This eyes full of life and passion, she wanted them to belong to her even more than pearls and glittering gold.

- You still didn't told me your name.

She tilted her head on the side and let an amused smile gracing her lips :

- Well, you didn't tell me yours.

The man raised a brow and closed his eyes. He took a deep breathe before saying in calm voice :

- Sirius Orion Black.

The mermaid went deadly still. No...It wasn't possible. She quickly wore a seductive and decontracted mask again

- Black that I know. But what is a Sirius Orion ?

A smile appaeared on the tired face of the man, resting on the wounded lips and wounding them even more :

- Sirius and Orion are two stars. Sirius...is one of the brightest star in the sky, he said a distant look in the eyes. Don't you name the stars ?

- Why would we ? They are pretty things in the sky, it is enough to look at them. My race isn't as poetic as yours, charm and beauty isn't something that we like to practice but only a weapon that finished by blending in our blood.

- So practical...Sirius was also the name of two of my ancestors, I am the third one in the family, and Orion was the name of my father.

There was a moment of silence before Sirius fixed his eyes on the mermaid again. He tried not to look at her too often, it was dangerous, particularly her eyes, and he didn't resist Azkaban madness to fall into a sweeter one. She looked like she knew he was resisting, and it amused her.

- Do you want to have them back too ?

- Who ?

- Your family. Weren't they taken from you too ?

Sirius stayed silent again, looking either in deep reflection or...mourning. A dry smile appeared on his as he said :

- Yes, they were.

She looked at him, his dark form twisted, the tall body made thin by hunger. Should she...It was dangerous to stay too close to the man without bewitching him, after all he could discover. She narrowed her eyes, he was a Black, this was very dangerous. If he knew only a third of the legends of his family, it wouldn't be good for her. But...why couldn't she ? It would only take a song, just a note to make him become less dangerous than a baby.

- But why couldn't she bear to see this light in his eyes disappear ?

- You still didn't tell me your name, he repeated, but this time differently, in a less curious and more calm and imperious tone.

- No...she immediately started to retreat but it was too late when she saw a very amused smile take place on the face of the prisonner.

- Stop, he said, raising a hand.

Her eyes opened wide with fear when she felt her body still. A glim of fascination appeared in the eyes of the man as he whispersed :

- So it was true...When my mother told me theses tales on the House of Black, I thought she was just bragging but...It was true all along, everything is true.

She started to shake her head but he continued, he had understood.

- Persecuted by humans and white wizards, captured for their desires, a lot of dark creatures came to Salazar Slytherin wanting protection. And the cunning wizard accepted them all : he linked each specie to a family allied to him with magic and marriage and created himself a court of powerful soldiers gifted with the purest magic. To the Blacks he gave creatures of the depths, for their dark hearts and vibrant eyes answered to each other...And the Blacks accepted for the blood of a mermaid is said to be as pure as one of unicorn. Toujours pur, he finished, his voice so low that it was difficult to hear.

- No, she said, narrowing her eyes, the time of the founders have come to an end. Pureblood families and creatures have now become separate beings and do not respond to each other anymore. I could still drown you if I wanted to...Even this wall couldn't stop me, son of Black.

- Then please do, Sirius said, his smile growing bigger.

The mermaid pinched her lips turned her face toward the water. And the prisonner had a broken laugh :

- You could if you wanted...But you don't want to, do you ?

The creature raised her head and hissed menacingly but the prisonner didn't look very impressed and adopted a thoughtful expression :

- How the link through Black and mermaid is established already ? Oh yes...I think you need a name.

- You...!

- I'll call you...

His eyes suddenly got clearer and his smile disappeared as he said in a serious and soft tone :

- Lumena.

How she wanted to hate him...But at the same time she felt her muscles relax and her blood pounds in her body. The link was calling her and her fascination for this man was becoming something deeper, so heavy on her heart that she couldn't doubt anymore to have one.

He gave her a name...It was finished now, she couldn't return to being one of the numerous pearl of the sea, she couldn't dwell in the darkness anymore.

- You are not an innocent man, she said through gritted teeth, you tricked me.

- Did I ? he asked, now looking amused. Well, in my opinion, I was only intelligent enough to make a claim on my legacy. If there is something that I learned here, it is that being innocent alone won't bring you anything, the world will use you and spit on you, they'll leave you in the dark and laugh. An innocent man alone is crushed, but a righteous and just one isn't.

Lumena had a bitter smile :

- You men are really laughable...Innocent, righteous...what importance does it have in this world ? This whole world is dark, and your entire race is rotten. I do not say that I am better than you, but at least I don't pretend to be what I am not. You always use pretty words and talk of virtues you are incapable of. You speak as if you were God send but all you accomplishes are act of darkness. You respect nothing, you have no order, and the only God you obey to are your petty desires. You say you are different ? Tell me, does not being guilty of one crime really make you an innocent man ?

Sirius stayed silent for a moment, looking into her eyes with an almost wounded expression :

- Then tell me...What am I ? Tell me you who are so good at reading the heart of men.

- You are like a boy...You spent your whole life ignoring your duty and only following your heart. And this is where your heart put you in. You are like a spoild little boy who doesn't want to grow up, a little prince who thinks he deserves the world. And this is what makes me mad. What legacy ? Do you even deserve it ? I listened to your story, son of man, and never one second was I touched. Do you know why ? Because a man like you was made to be king, a man like you could have ruled the world...But you chose to stay forever a boy and spitted on life. And now that life spit back on you, what do you do ?

- What do you want me to do ? He screamed, eyes sending thunder toward her.

- To stop pretending ! I am a predator, I know what I am, I know why I roam the sea. Is a wolf evil because it accomplish what it was made for ? He isn't, but he doesn't pretend to be a sheep. Because there is nothing more ridiculous than a wolf eating grass and being friend with sheeps. There is something...Something in your eyes so raw and powerful, so pure...But you hide it like everything else. You speak of righteousness ? You can't when you are afraid of the truth. I said you tricked me, and you seached to run away from this. You should have been proud of it, because if it was me, I would have been worse, I would have done worse, I would have bound you and drown you, cut your eyes and treated them like pearls. This is what I am. And you what are you ? You tell me you don't know ?! I want to spit on you, liar. You know what you are, you cannot run away from your own blood.

The eyes of the mermaid were shining more brightly than ever, looking blue flammes lost in a body. Chest raising and falling heavily with anger, her face had lost her seductive expression for one of frightful wrath. How terrifying to think even anger looked charming on this creature's face.

It was the first time that someone was screaming him, was scolding him since his mother. He wanted to laugh, and for the first time of his life he wanted to tell the truth to someone.

- I tricked you. It is true. And I am a trickster. I tricked everyone, my whole life. I was treated like a little prince, all my childhood, and was raised to be the perfect heir of the Black House. The truth is that it didn't bother me, the madness, the forbidden magic...But the rules, the duties and the responsabilities of it all bothered me. The control they had over me, that didn't please me. And when I met James Potter...he was so carefree. He didn't know anything of the world beside the fun of it. I wanted to be him. To be free like him. So I started to disguise myself...To act at the opposite of what I was supposed to be. And it amused me, how everyone fell for it. I really loved my friends, but sometimes...I had these thoughts. I wanted them to depend on me, and to be devoted to me as much as I was for them...But they couldn't know all of what I was and all the darkness that slept in my mind. They would have thought me mad if they knew...I even thought of killing one time. A student named Severus Snape. I wanted only to frighten him in the beginning but I told myself that if there was an accident, then it wouldn't be such a loss...I knew that I could be cruel. And ruthless. Like a Black.

The body of Lumena relaxed and her eyes softened as she asked in a more calm tone :

- When was the last time you were Sirius Orion Black ?

- Too much time for me to remember what being him is like.

Lumena looked for a moment at the slow waves that carressed her body. No...She knew she would regret what she was about to do. But there was something that told her that this encounter was the fruit of a well planned fate, and now that the link was formed she couldn't escape. As the plain routine of her life as a predator was finished, she should at least try to make the rest of her existence as interesting as possible.

- I could make you remember.

- You would help me ? asked the man arking an eyebrow.

- I don't help, she said through gritted teeth. I already told you, I am a predator, it is not in my habits to help the poor and the persecuted.

- Then how would you call it ?

- Curiosity. I am giving you a chance to prove me that you are Sirius Black. I am going to get you out of here and follow you for a time, see what you do. If you fail to convince me...I'll kill you, considering the link void as non created by a Black.

- Charming offer...

- Do you accept, yes or no ?

Sirius looked at the creature intently. She wasn't mad, she was on the opposite very clear headed, she was only...merciless. She was a predator, and if she discovered him weak, she would suppress him before he could weaken her. But he never was weak and even his current situation wasn't the result of weakness but only of blindness and hypocrisy. If she wasn't here maybe he would have continued to walk on the path of life half blind.

A smile appeared on his lips. He liked her.

- I accept.