Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Warning: None for this chapter
Chapter 70
Reunions: Brothers
Sirius awoke the following morning just as daylight began to creep into the dormitory. Raising himself up on one elbow, he glanced toward the window and was greeted by the sight of thick gray mist. Perfect. After his conversation with Dumbledore the previous evening, Sirius had decided to forego his normal morning run; it would do little good to mull over what was to come. He threw back the bedcovers and quietly gathered clean school robes and headed to the shower. Twenty minutes later, clean and dressed, Sirius left his sleeping friends and headed downstairs to the Great Hall in hopes of a cup of coffee and a bit of solitude before the rest of the school gathered for breakfast. As he entered the Great Hall, the young wizard smiled and shook his head.
"You're up early," he said, slipping into a seat next to Kate. Glancing around to make sure they were alone, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Good morning."
"Hello," Kate handed him a mug of coffee. "No morning run today?"
Sirius smiled, adding milk and sugar. "No; I did all of my pondering last night." He paused for a moment then turned to look at her. "Katie, I know you're worried but there's really no point. It won't solve anything, after all. Look, the only control I have over this meeting is my own reaction to it. And there's potentially too much at stake for me to walk into Dumbledore's office already in a state."
Kate searched his face, her expression curious. "That's pretty pragmatic."
Sirius nodded. "Don't misunderstand, Katie; it's not that I'm not concerned – I am. I just can't go through the rest of my life wondering when I'm going to have to face Walburga Black again. I got the chance to finish things with my father and I'm betting she's not a bit happy about that. My mother has initiated a meeting with Dumbledore that at least in part has to do with me. My father will be with her so between him and Dumbledore, she can't do anything to hurt me. And maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to do some good in the bargain."
"I'm proud of you," Kate said, quietly.
Sirius reached over and covered her hand with his own. "In the midst of your worry," he teased.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Prat – yes, in the midst of my worry."
The two young people sipped their coffee in companionable silence for a while then Kate spoke again. "Actually, I've been thinking – "
"Shocking…"
Kate raised her voice a bit. "I've been thinking that this is the first time that you are participating in a meeting involving your parents in which you do have a certain element of control. Your mother has been quite effectively cut off from you since the night you left Grimmauld Place for the last time. Despite all of her best efforts, you were very well protected. She finally had to agree to Dumbledore's terms – all of them – including the fact that you had the choice of attending or not…and that no meeting would be held unless your father accompanied her."
"I hadn't thought of it from that perspective," Sirius was forced to admit. "I suppose I never envisioned a time when I had any control in a situation involving her. We'll see how it all plays out soon -"
"Good morning."
Sirius turned sharply in the direction of the voice and was stunned to see Regulus standing a few feet away from him with an uncertain expression on his face.
"Reg," Sirius couldn't hide his surprise. "Yeah…good morning." He gestured to the bench beside him. "Sit down?"
The younger Black walked around the end of the table and sat across from his brother instead. At Sirius' quizzical look, Regulus inclined his head toward the entrance to the Hall and shrugged. "Better view." Regulus looked at Kate, then Sirius.
Sirius started a bit, then grinned sheepishly. "Kate Morgan, my brother, Regulus."
Kate extended her hand with a smile. "I'm happy to meet you, Regulus."
It took Regulus a moment, but he clasped her hand briefly. "Thank you. Good to meet you."
"What brings you to the Great Hall so early in the morning?" Sirius asked, handing his brother a mug of coffee. "And without your protectors…"
Regulus bristled a bit. "Don't call them that," his tone reflected his irritation. "I don't need protectors." The younger boy glanced over at Kate, a move not lost on the witch, who smiled and rose from her seat.
"Kate, you don't have to go," Sirius said, reaching for her hand.
Kate squeezed his fingers lightly. "I'll see you in class," she said. Smiling, she looked over at Regulus. "I'm glad to have met you," she said. "I hope I have the chance to see you again."
Sirius turned back to Regulus to find him looking thoughtfully at the entranceway as Kate made her way out of the Hall. As if the younger boy felt his brother's gaze, he shifted in his seat and met his eye.
"She's not like the other witches you've gone 'round with, is she then?"
"No," Sirius replied. "But you must have figured that out from everything you've heard from your house mates and, of course, at home." This last was a shot in the dark, but based on Regulus' expression, Sirius realized he had come pretty close to the mark.
Regulus' face colored slightly. "They don't like her, Sirius and Mother is not pleased that you've continued your involvement with her."
Sirius huffed out a breath. "Reg, I've been disowned, ok? The last thing Mother said to me was to confirm that I am not a Black. If you've looked at the Tapestry lately, you'll note that she finished the job by blasting my face right off the wall! My choice of friends, my relationships have nothing to do with them any longer. I can't imagine why they care!" But, even as he said this, Sirius knew he wasn't being truthful. He knew very well why Walburga Black cared about the choices made by her elder son. Disowned or not, he still carried the name – and Walburga still carried her grudge. Unbidden, the sudden memory of a chilling message, delivered by his brother on an almost equally chilly day, came crashing into his mind. I win. He came to himself to hear Regulus voicing much the same thought.
"Listen, Sirius, I'm just telling you what I've heard. You're not stupid; the fact that Mother disowned you, that she burned you off the Tapestry doesn't mean anything. You created a scandal when you broke the marriage contract and Mother suffered the humiliation of being unable to secure another. The Blacks are unable to arrange a marriage for their son. She lost, Sirius. She thinks the Blacks have been insulted and that doesn't sit very well with her. Blacks don't choose their relationships, Sirius; they are chosen for us. That's a tradition that's gone on for centuries and you've broken it! You can't for one moment think that she's just going to move on from that!"
Sirius' mind raced as he digested all that Regulus said. It wasn't as if those thoughts hadn't already occurred to him – hell, the suspicion surrounding Walburga's desire to "meet with" him had hijacked his thoughts ever since Dumbledore had set the meeting. I win. He suppressed a shudder. But how could she have won? That comment was made long before that final evening spent at Grimmauld Place – long before Walburga's insane, alcohol fueled rage had led her to use the Cruciatus against him. Long before she'd disowned him. NO! She had not won – not by a long shot. He was no longer a Black, that much had been well settled. The knowledge of how she had chosen to reinforce that fact was well known by too many people for her to be able to exact any meaningful revenge. Sirius pulled himself out of his thoughts before finding that dwelling on them too much longer led him to reconsider that opinion.
He considered his brother, who had fallen silent. "So, you didn't come down here this early – and alone – to remind me what a disappointment I am to the family; there must be something else you wanted to discuss."
Regulus nodded. "I don't know what it means, but I had an owl late last night." He looked over at the entranceway then back at his older brother. "From Mother."
Sirius strove to keep his expression neutral. "And?"
"She and Father have sent word to Dumbledore advising him that there is a family occasion in London this weekend and that I am required to attend," Regulus told him.
"What sort of 'family occasion'?" Sirius asked, mind racing.
Regulus shrugged, fingers drumming against the sides of the now-empty coffee mug. "I've no idea. She simply said that I should be prepared to Floo to this fancy hotel in London – can't remember the name – where she and Father would be staying. I didn't know if Dumbledore might have mentioned anything to you."
"Why would Dumbledore mention anything to me? I haven't seen him this morning," Sirius' thoughts were tumbling over one another. Even though Sirius had assumed his brother knew about their parents' visit to the castle today, something in him prevented any mention of it to the younger wizard. He was suddenly grateful for that something. Hoping his face reflected nothing out of the ordinary, Sirius waited for Regulus to respond. He didn't have to wait long.
"No, but you were talking with him last night, weren't you?" Regulus' face and voice betrayed no malice, just a continued desire to know more of what lay behind the unexpected communication from Grimmauld Place.
Sirius felt his initial surprise turn to suspicion and his eyes narrowed. "Prowling the halls hoping to catch me out, Reg?"
Regulus' eyes widened and his temper flared. "NO! I wasn't prowling the halls, Sirius! But I thought you might have remembered when I told you that you are being watched. It seems that you didn't take that seriously – despite the fact that you obviously should!"
Sirius ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I'm sorry. You know what life was like for me at home; you saw it. It's not that I didn't take you seriously – I know what she's capable of." He exhaled. "Ok, then; not you. Who?"
Regulus shot another careful look at the entrance, then back at his brother. "Malfoy. And before you ask, he didn't tell me directly. I don't think he would. I overheard him telling Bella that he'd seen you walking back from the direction of the Astronomy Tower – and that you'd been with Dumbledore."
Sirius thought back to the night before. He couldn't remember seeing anyone, anything unusual. "I didn't notice him," he told his brother.
Regulus smiled tightly. "He has an invisibility cloak," he confided. "Dead useful for him, too. Loaned it to Arturo Bullstrode last term so he and Ofelia could catch you out with that bint Delilah what's-her-name. Right after … well, after you left home, he did a fair amount of bragging about it."
Sirius closed his eyes. That certainly explained a lot. "So, he saw me with Dumbledore last night, then. What does he think it was all about?"
"He didn't seem to know. Neither did Bella. I didn't find the owl from Mother until after I'd gotten to the dormitory so they didn't know about that." The younger boy paused. "So, he doesn't know anything about the family occasion, either?"
Sirius shook his head. "Nothing that he shared with me, Reg – not that he would if he did know, given everything that's happened. What do you reckon?"
Regulus' face and tone reflected his resignation. "If I had to guess? They've found me a suitable bride."
Sirius reached over and squeezed his brother's arm for a moment, saddened to feel the muscles tighten briefly beneath his hand. "I'm sorry, Reg," he said softly.
Regulus shook his head again. "It's what the heir has to do, isn't it?" He pushed his mug to the side and made to stand. "Unless you've the courage to walk away," he added.
Sirius seized the opportunity. "You're plenty brave, Reg. You can do the same…now…before it's too late and she really gets her hooks into you. You don't have to live the life they're forcing on you; you can choose to live a different life – one that you want. It's not easy at first, but…."
Regulus sat back down on the bench and looked Sirius directly in the eye. "I'm not brave in that way, Sirius; I'm not like you. I might not be happy with how my life is going to play out, but I don't want to suffer what you have. And don't for a moment think it wouldn't be even worse for me…I'm their last chance, Sirius. They will never let me get away; never. It's easier this way; it's the life that I know. I can deal with it. And there are parts of it I do believe in – the traditions; I understand them. I have a responsibility that I can't walk away from – not now anyway. Don't talk about this anymore, Sirius – not to me and not to anyone. There's no point to it. Whatever I might want – have wanted – isn't ever going to happen. It can't. Just let it go!" He put his head down and when he looked back at his brother, his eyes held a plea that Sirius realized he could not refuse – at least now, in this moment. Reluctantly he nodded and watched Regulus' face relax.
The sound of voices brought the brothers up sharply and Sirius looked toward the entrance to see students straggling into the Hall for breakfast. Regulus saw them as well and knew he had a limited amount of time to move over to the Slytherin table before he was seen. He looked at Sirius again as he stood. "See you, Sirius."
Sirius nodded. "Reg, look, I know what you said, but if you ever change your mind; if there's anything you need, you can always come to me. We'll work it out. We'll find a way."
Regulus shook his head slightly and, with a sad smile, strode swiftly in the direction of his House's tables. His timing couldn't have been better. He had no sooner settled himself in a seat next to Boris Crabbe, a slightly dimwitted third year, than his traditional companions swept into the Hall. Shortly behind them trouped his own mates and Sirius gladly turned his attention to their more welcome presence.
"You were up and out early this morning, Pads," James observed. "Everything all right, then?"
Sirius nodded and was grateful to see the platters fill before them as breakfast became their focus instead of his own early morning wandering. As he spooned a portion of scrambled eggs onto his plate and added several sausage links, Sirius looked over at Remus. "Where's Peter this morning?"
Remus looked at the other Marauders. "Said he had an owl to send and he'd be right along."
James snorted. "He's been doing that a lot lately – sending owls. And right secretive about it all, too."
Sirius and Remus exchanged a meaningful look. "Bears watching, I'd say," Sirius commented. "But while it's just us, I have to tell you about an early morning chat I had with my brother."
James' eyebrows shot up impressively. "So that's why you bolted early this morning; breakfast with Regulus?"
"Wasn't the plan, Jamie. I came down looking for coffee. Regulus' arrival was a bit shocking, as you can imagine," Sirius said.
"Blimey," James breathed. "What did he want?"
Sirius lowered his voice then briefed his friends on the conversation with his brother. Both Remus and James had abandoned their food while they listened to all that the other wizard had to say. When he'd finished and turned his attention back to his own plate, Remus was the first to speak.
"He doesn't know that they're coming here today, then?"
Sirius shook his head. "I'd bet my broom that he doesn't."
"And you didn't tell him…" James said, quietly.
"No, and I can't give you a concrete reason why I didn't. Just … I don't know … it didn't feel right." Sirius laid his fork down. "I can't explain it."
"He's bound to be part of the reason for today's meeting," Remus put in. "Perhaps there's a reason he doesn't know…"
"Agreed," Sirius said, grimly. "After all, keeping me informed of their plans didn't work out very well for them, did it? Maybe they've decided to do things differently with Reg."
"What do you reckon about the family occasion in London?" James asked.
"I think Regulus had it right; they've probably found him a wife," Sirius sighed. "They won't take any chances with him."
"At least you won't have to go through that again," James grinned at his friend. "And you'll be spared the whole family gathering…."
"What family gathering?" The wizards had been so engrossed in their conversation, they failed to notice Peter had arrived.
"All gatherings of the Black family, Pete," Sirius said with a smile. "Holidays, graduations, everything!"
"Well, not everything," Peter replied, putting sausage links between two slices of toast. "You can't avoid the Blacks in everything..."
"What do you mean, 'not everything', Wormtail?" Sirius asked, his face showing a bit of color.
Peter hurriedly chewed and swallowed a generous mouthful of sandwich. "You have to see them today, don't you? They're coming to meet with Dumbledore today and you'll be there, right? Blimey, Sirius; I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just talking…"
Sirius rose. "Right. I'm going to grab my books. We've got History of Magic in fifteen minutes."
James reached over and cuffed Peter lightly in the back of the head. "You know, mate, sometimes you don't need to just talk."
"What?" Peter huffed.
Remus leaned across the table. "Peter, you know what happened to Sirius over the summer holiday – what his mother did to him, yes?" He paused and the other boy nodded. "Sirius hasn't seen her since that night. It stands to reason that he would be apprehensive, doesn't it?"
Peter closed his eyes for a moment. "And my talking didn't help matters."
"I suspect not." Remus heard James' take a deep breath and, unseen by Peter, he reached over and poked James' arm. James remained silent.
Peter sighed. "Right. Let's head to class. Maybe I can catch him before Binns starts droning on and we all fall asleep…"
XXXXXXXXXX
The three friends arrived at class with ample time to spare and, true to his word, Peter took Sirius aside and made his apologies. In the span of time Sirius had taken to travel to the dormitory, retrieve his book bag and walk to the classroom, his irritation had dissipated. Of all the advice given to him by Dumbledore, Sirius had taken one truth to heart: all that we can truly control in any given situation is our reaction to it – and therein lies our power. Sirius thought that if there was any situation to which that adage applied, it was his upcoming confrontation with his parents, for that is what it would truly be. Controlling his reaction to Peter's careless remarks was good practice, the young wizard thought as he followed the other boy to the Marauders' traditional seats. I miss Katie, though. Sirius thought to himself. Maybe Divination wouldn't have been such rubbish after all. Sirius realized that Kate's presence had an uncanny calming ability and, with his parents due to arrive in just three hours' time, calm was something he was finding increasingly elusive.
Two hours later, the Marauders were part of the crowd of students making their quick escape from the double History of Magic session.
"If there's any class that should never be doubled, it's that one," James huffed, following his friends to the staircase and the Defense classroom one floor above. "Padfoot," he continued, catching Sirius by his sleeve. "You're not going to Defense, are you? Aren't the Blacks coming while class is going on?"
Sirius couldn't stifle a smile at James' reference to 'the Blacks'. As he considered all that had happened over the summer, Sirius knew that James believed quite thoroughly that his own parents filled that role for Sirius, as well. "Yeah, Jamie; the Blacks will be here in an hour but they're meeting alone with Dumbledore first. He'll send for me when they're ready." He pointed to James hand, still clutching his robes. "D'you plan to walk all the way to the second floor clinging to my arm, Prongs? Only, I think it might make people talk…"
James gave his friend a withering look, released him, then shifted his attention beyond Sirius. "Oi, Lily," he called as he caught sight of his girlfriend now walking ahead of them, Kate beside her. The group of boys made their way to where they now stood.
"Honestly, James," Lily scolded, a slight smile belying her stern tone. "There's no need to bellow; we're all going to the same place, after all!"
"Well, it is rather your fault that James had to shout, after all. You really should have known we were behind you, Lily," Peter offered, falling in with his friends as they resumed their trek to class.
"I don't have eyes in the back of my head, Peter," Lily tossed over her shoulder.
Peter snorted. "Divination, Lily. Divination!"
Remus looped his arm over the shorter boy's shoulders and joined the others in laughter. "Good one, Pete!"
Kate walked beside Sirius and as the good-natured laughter subsided, she felt him slip his hand into hers. "Ok, then?" she asked, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze.
"I'll be better this afternoon, I suspect," he replied.
"How was your visit with Regulus?" Kate asked, curiously.
"Complicated," came the reply. "We're almost at class; I'll tell you about it later, yeah?" Kate squeezed his hand again and nodded.
The students entered the Defense classroom and made their way to their usual seats. Only a few moments passed before Alphard came down the stone staircase from his private office and stood before them. He briefly caught his great nephew's eye and nodded once before greeting the class and starting the lesson. Sirius felt his anxiety lessen in the presence of a family member who had not only experienced the wrath of the Black family, but had so successfully moved beyond them. Kate's close proximity further had a positive impact on his mood and, as the lesson progressed, Sirius found himself listening for the creak of the classroom door with more anticipation than dread. The sooner we meet, the sooner this will be over.
