'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 18 – Plans Put in Motion
"Lily said that you'd come back to school a few days early. Are you alright?"
Sirius looked up from his book to see Kate perched at the opposite end of the Common Room sofa. Glancing around quickly, he noted that the few students present were paying little attention to their end of the room. He dropped his eyes back to his book. "Yeah, I'm fine; there just wasn't anything to do in London but listen to my parents." He looked up at Kate. "There's an expiration date on my tolerance for that particular activity."
Kate smiled at his response; it was much more in keeping with their conversations prior to the holiday break. She settled back a little more comfortably on the sofa. "You mentioned that your family had guests for the holidays. That must have been fun for you."
Sirius barely hid a sigh. Kate was trying so hard to reestablish things between them – or perhaps she was only trying to figure out why he wasn't behaving as he had been before. Two days into the term and he'd been lucky so far; he hadn't had very many opportunities to chat with Kate. Those he'd had occurred at dinner or when the Common Room was fairly well occupied, making conversations of a more personal nature difficult to sustain. This had suited Sirius just fine, for even though he knew he would have to put his plan into motion, he also dreaded it. He remembered his promise never to hurt Kate and he was keenly aware that this was exactly what he would be doing now. It's for a good cause, though Katie; if you can just see it through without giving up on me forever, I promise it will be ok in the end. He took a deep breath. Best get on with it. The sooner this starts, the sooner it will be over.
"Sirius?" Kate was looking at him quizzically, obviously wondering if he'd heard her.
"Oh – sorry, just thinking. Yeah, it was …fun," Sirius gave her a smirk. "I told you the Bullstrodes have been close to my parents for a long time. They have a son who's a Slytherin 7th year."
"Arturo," Kate supplied.
Been doing some research, have you? "Yes, Arturo. Do you know him?"
Kate shook her head. "No. Dorcas mentioned that he was brilliant in Potions and had tutored some of the younger students in his House."
"Yeah, the whole family's full of brilliant witches and wizards," Sirius told her, recalling some of the fodder his mother had been jabbering on about. Seizing on something he remembered from their dinner, he continued. "Ofelia was top of her class at Beauxbatons; got top marks in just about everything whilst she was there. She can hex people in French, too! Pretty bloody impressive, that!"
Kate nodded, smiling weakly. "Amazing."
Sirius closed his book and leaned into the cushion between them. Dropping his voice conspiratorially he added, "She should give Lily Potter a run for her money."
"You think there's a big demand for bilingual spell casting at Hogwarts?" Kate was feeling a bit prickly at Sirius' obvious admiration for this girl.
Sirius lifted an eyebrow. "There just might be, Kate. You never know, do you?"
Kate snorted, reaching for her book bag and preparing to rise from her seat.
Sirius went in for the kill. "S'pose it really doesn't matter much in the end, though."
Kate stood. "Really? And why is that?"
Sirius smiled. "C'mon, Katie! Birds who look like that one don't even have to open their mouths to get a bloke's attention. She's bloody gorgeous!"
Kate clenched the strap of her bag so tightly her knuckles turned white, but she was spared a response when Peter burst into the room, calling Sirius' name.
The pudgy wizard stopped in front of the pair and took a moment to get his breath.
"Steady, mate," Sirius chuckled. "What's the hurry?"
"That – that girl," Peter stammered. "The new one – what's her name? Ofelia, right? Yeah, that's it - Ofelia. Well, you wanted to know when she was off by herself and she is. I just saw her sitting out in the west courtyard by the fountain. She just sat down, so you should still be able to catch her ... hey, what's with Kate?" Peter turned from Sirius and watched as Kate suddenly bolted from the room, pulling open the door and escaping into the hallway beyond. He looked back at his friend with a confused look, one that deepened as he saw the misery on Sirius' face.
"Sirius?"
The dark haired wizard shook his head. "Have you ever made a plan to accomplish something that you know has to work and then, when it does, you're sorry it did?"
The other boy's eyebrows drew together as he tried to sort out the question. Giving up, he looked over at his friend. "Not sure I totally get what you asked me, mate, but since I've never come up with a plan that did work, I don't think I can answer you."
Sirius' smile was grim as he picked up his book and headed for the door. "Never mind, Petey, but thanks for the information. I'd better get going."
With that, he quietly left the Common Room and headed off through the portrait hole.
"Sirius Black! What are you doing wandering the hallways?" a feminine voice greeted him as he rounded a corner. Sirius turned to find Delilah Hornsby standing there, hands on her hips and a sultry smile on her face.
Sirius looked at her for a few moments before pasting a similar smile on his own face in response. Time for phase two, he thought to himself as he walked slowly over to the attractive 6th year. "Delilah," he drawled, taking her hand. "Have you ever seen the marble fountain in the west courtyard?"
Delilah giggled. "I didn't even know there was a 'west courtyard'."
Sirius winked and started to walk, pulling her along with him. "Probably because it's so secluded. Care for a tour?"
Delilah squeezed his hand and moved close enough to him that their shoulders bumped as they walked. "Well, since we've got a couple of hours to kill before dinner," she purred. "I'd love one."
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Kate hurried to an unoccupied table at the far end of the library and sat down heavily, dropping her bag to the floor with a thud. She crossed her arms on the surface of the table and leaned forward until her forehead rested on them, working to bring her emotions under control. The distraught witch closed her eyes and focused on the cool stillness of the library, resolutely pushing aside the persistent images of her encounter with Sirius. Finally, she felt a bit calmer and sat back in the chair. What in Merlin's name had just happened up there? Kate had recognized that Sirius was behaving differently toward her two days ago, when they'd all gotten back to school. At that time, Kate had put it down to the time he'd spent at home with his family and whatever had caused him to return to Hogwarts earlier than planned. Certainly, she had expected them to pick up where they'd left off before term had ended; she'd had no reason to think otherwise. She wracked her brain to identify anything she might have said or done upon her arrival in the Great Hall that might have put him off. As Kate replayed the events of the past two days in her mind, she realized that Sirius' apparent change of heart had already occurred by the time they saw each other again. He had not saved a spot for her at dinner that night and he had seemed completely preoccupied by this new witch from Beauxbatons. He hadn't sought Kate out once since they'd returned; today had been the first chance the two of them had had to talk. Kate felt her throat tighten. And he certainly wasn't interested in me; he definitely had the 'bloody gorgeous', French-hexing transfer student on his mind the whole time we were talking. And when Peter got there and announced that she was finally alone – just as Sirius had apparently asked him to do – Kate would have had to be blind not to see that Sirius was just waiting for the opportunity to join her. She was certain he had left immediately after her own departure through the portrait hole; there was certainly nothing left in the Common Room to keep him there. Kate's vision blurred as, to her dismay, hot tears spilled down her cheeks and splashed onto the well-worn surface of the table. She pillowed her head on her arms once again and cried until soft pressure on her shoulder made her sit up sharply.
"Lily!"
"Kate, what is it?" the redhead sat down in the chair next to Kate's and reached over to put her hand on the other girl's arm. "I went looking for you in the Common Room, but Peter said you'd left awhile ago. What happened? Wait … does this have something to do with Black?" The witch's green eyes narrowed and two pink spots appeared in her cheeks. "Did you finally catch him alone to talk with him? What has he done? I swear, I'll hex the hair from his head if he's…what?"
Kate put her hand over Lily's and shook her head firmly. "Lily, stop, please? I don't want to talk about it now. Maybe later, ok? I have a headache and I think I'll just go up to the dorm and lie down for awhile." Kate rose and picked up her bag, hoisting it over her shoulder.
Lily looked up at her friend, her expression concerned. "I'll walk up with you."
Kate shook her head again. "No, really. I'm ok. I just want to lie down. Go find Dorcas or someone. Really. I just want to have a lie down before dinner."
Reluctantly, Lily nodded. "But I will see you at dinner, right?"
Kate nodded in return. "Probably. Don't worry about me, Lils; I'm ok."
"Yeah, 'ok'," Lily muttered as she watched Kate leave the room. "People who cry all by themselves in libraries are always 'fine'." She gazed off into space for a few moments, then leapt from her chair and walked quickly to the exit.
XXXXXXXX
Ofelia Bullstrode pulled her fur-lined cloak more tightly around her and took a seat in the corner of the courtyard, on a bench against the castle that afforded some shelter from the wind. The young witch took a deep breath, inhaling the sharp scent of pine from the trees that littered this section of the grounds. Even though it was cold, Ofelia was grateful for the fresh air – and for the time away from the cloying presence of her brother, the Black sisters and Narcissa's intended, Lucius Malfoy. Since arriving in Scotland two days prior, it seemed that they were always engaging her in conversation or simply hovering somewhere nearby. Arturo was the worst of them all, constantly asking about her whereabouts and her sincerity in fulfilling this arrangement with the Blacks. She thought of Sirius. He was handsome, no doubt, and Arturo's sources indicated that his magic was, even at this age, extremely strong. There was no doubt that Sirius Black was powerful; when he completed his education at Hogwarts, there would be few who could touch him. She shook her head slightly. He had turned his back on the Dark, however, and – to all intents and purposes – his family, as well. After spending time in their company, Ofelia could appreciate the decision. Walburga displayed a cruelty toward her elder son that was chilling. And if it was displayed that blatantly before outsiders, one could only imagine how it manifested itself once the guests had taken their leave. The young witch shuddered and burrowed deeper into the warmth of her cloak. Arturo had also informed her that Sirius was somewhat promiscuous in his dalliances with the opposite sex and had, indeed, already bedded several witches. One young woman was said to have been so impressed by his prowess that she was literally heartbroken when he broke things off with her after only six weeks together. Ofelia smiled when she recalled her father's reaction to that particular piece of Arturo's research. He had been incensed and had immediately come up with a list of rules to present to the Blacks if such a marriage was to come to pass. Sirius was to give up his "harem", as his father had called it, and focus exclusively on his daughter – or the arrangement would end before it began. It was a sentiment with which Ofelia heartily agreed. Infidelity intimated that she could not sufficiently hold the attention of her wizard. This was clearly not the case. Sirius Black might find that part of the contract difficult to adhere to – at first. Ofelia smirked to herself. She had not yet encountered a wizard who had not chosen her over any of the other witches with whom he might have been dallying. She might not be thrilled with the entire arrangement, but if it did come to pass, it would be on terms that best suited her.
Ofelia knew that this year of 'getting to know one another' was seen by both families as a mere formality. Parents on both sides desired the marriage and, barring something totally unforeseen, it would surely happen. The marriage would unite their two families and give both wealth and power that would dominate their class. She sniffed disdainfully. Both families were already at the highest level of Wizarding society and their wealth was unsurpassed. It was no secret that both the Bullstrodes and the Blacks strongly embraced the Dark and sought complete power and dominion over those who were not Pure. Ofelia did not particularly care one way or another. She did care very much that it appeared that supporters of both Dark and Light were prepared to fight to uphold their respective beliefs. If one were to believe the rumors circulating in Pureblood circles these days, there was a powerful Dark wizard who was working to recruit followers who believed in the old ways – and in Pureblood supremacy. Ofelia had been most concerned since the rumor first reached her ears. People lost everything in War – fortunes, loved ones, position; all had historically fallen victim to prolonged battle. She did not understand why those who already possessed great wealth and social status could not simply content themselves with it and let everyone else alone. It would be so much easier and eliminate the risk that everyone could end up on the losing side of things.
A movement across the courtyard caught Ofelia's attention and she raised her eyebrows when Sirius came into view, accompanied by a quite attractive young witch. She wondered if this was "the traitor's daughter" about whom Sirius' father had spoken. Ofelia found herself wanting to confirm the identity of this young woman and shrank back into the corner of the bench in an effort to avoid detection.
"See? I told you there was a marble fountain out here," Sirius was saying to the girl.
"Sirius, did you really bring me out here to look at the sites?" the witch asked, slyly.
Sirius smirked. "What do you think?"
The girl took the scarf that hung from the boy's neck and used it to pull him closer to her and met his lips with her own. They kissed passionately for several moments until the need for oxygen overcame them.
"Did that answer your question, Mr. Black?" the witch asked.
Sirius nodded. "I believe it did, Ms. Hornsby, but perhaps you should say it again – just to make sure."
As Sirius tilted his head and lowered his face to Delilah's, he caught sight of Ofelia on the opposite side of the courtyard. Perfect! Two birds – one snog! As he closed his eyes to focus on the task at hand, Sirius ignored the little voice in the back of his head reminding him that this situation was far from perfect – there was only one 'bird' he wanted to be with, and she wasn't one of those present.
Ofelia cursed her own curiosity as she hurried away from the courtyard and down the side corridor to the school entrance. She was certain Sirius had seen her as he'd kissed the tart he'd brought there. So, the Black heir enjoyed secret trysts in out-of-the-way locations, did he? Ofelia smiled as she reached the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Food for thought.
"Lacewing flies," she murmured to the portrait and it swung inward.
"There you are," Arturo smiled thinly, taking his sister by the elbow and leading her to a corner of the Common Room. "I've been looking everywhere for you; where were you?"
Ofelia pulled her arm gently from her brother's grasp. "I needed some fresh air; these dungeons give me claustrophobia. Why were you looking for me?"
Arturo searched her face as if to confirm that she was telling the truth. Finding whatever it was he sought, he replied – with a snide smile, "Apparently, Black is up to his old, randy ways. He was seen in the corridor, leading a very voluptuous witch to places unknown – as of right now, anyway. I'll know the particulars by tonight, I can assure you – and when I do, we can Owl Father and this ridiculous arrangement with the Blacks can be rescinded!"
Ofelia looked at her brother curiously. "First of all, I can tell you 'the particulars' right now, if you'd like. Before I do, however, I'd like to know why you're so anxious to nullify the agreement with the Blacks. Really, Arturo, don't you want to see me with one of the wealthiest, most eligible Pureblood wizards in Society?"
Arturo smiled at a fourth year who passed close by, then drew Ofelia further into the shadows. "You can't honestly expect me to believe that you want this arrangement to go through!"
Ofelia shrugged. "I would have preferred to remain in France with my friends, but that was not possible. I have always been able to convince Father to give me what I want; this was the first time I was unsuccessful. I'm a practical witch, Arturo. It is clear that I have no choice. If Father is determined that I should do this, then Black is rich and he is handsome enough; I could do worse." She considered her brother for a moment. "Why do you dislike him so?"
"He is not like us," Arturo hissed. "He is a rebel and he does not believe in the proper order of things. He befriends Mudbloods and Muggles. Lucius, Bella and Narcissa are very closed-lipped about things, but I think that all is not well in that household."
Ofelia nodded. "Yes, his mother is quite cold to him, but that is not uncommon behavior for people of that status – and you know it. You've seen it in the homes of some of our friends. We're lucky we don't see it in our own home. Surely, that is not all."
Arturo sighed. "Listen, Pureblood families are largely inbred; they have to be to keep the strain pure. As the older families have died out or married 'beneath them', as is said, the number of available choices was thinned considerably. The Blacks are anxious for you to marry into their family because it strengthens the line. We are not closely related to them. If you ask me, the madness that comes from such inbreeding is too firmly rooted for anyone else's blood to do much good. The mother is rumored to be completely mad, and if you watch Bellatrix long enough, you can see that she's as mad as Walburga. The fact that the heir to the family fortune is a rebel should tell you that things aren't very stable at Grimmauld Place. I would just like to avoid our family getting mixed up with them."
Ofelia nodded. "Perhaps it won't come to that. Perhaps Sirius will be their undoing. But you need to let things happen according to my wishes. Are we agreed?"
"You said you could tell me where he went," Arturo reminded her, his voice and posture excited. "Is it enough to stop this nonsense now?"
"And I will tell you once I have your word that you will not take it to Father – at least not yet." Ofelia raised an eyebrow and gazed unflinchingly into his eyes.
Arturo finally blinked. "Fine," he gritted out.
Ofelia shook her head. "Your word, Arturo. Your bond."
"My word; my bond," he snapped.
"He went to the west courtyard of the castle. Let us just say that he appears to be a very talented kisser," the young witch smiled at her brother.
"And you weren't disgusted by this?" Arturo demanded. "He is going against what he promised when the agreement was forged!"
"Why should I be disgusted? I have no doubt that I can inspire his fidelity, Arturo," Ofelia shrugged delicately. "And it may be very enjoyable, indeed, to do so."
Arturo narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he looked at his sister. "Why do I have the feeling there is more to this than meets the eye?"
Ofelia smiled mysteriously. "I was, after all, sorted into Slytherin, was I not? Perhaps this has something to do with your 'feeling'." At Arturo's huff of indignation, Ofelia laid her hand on his arm. "Listen, if you were to ask me what I wanted most of all in my life, I would tell you that it was to return to Beauxbatons and my friends there. I am willing to accept Father's decision to enter into marriage with Black if I absolutely must. I plan, however, to use any avenue I might have available to me to avoid it and return to France. I trust you to keep this between us, Arturo. If it gets out, it will shame our family and cause problems for Father; I don't want that to happen. It would be my hope that Black will trip himself up without my help, but it will take more than one courtyard indiscretion for Father to break the arrangement, despite what he said to the Blacks over the holidays. If it appears that I must go through with this agreement, in the end, I want time to make sure that I will have enough information at my disposal to compel Sirius' fidelity while giving me certain … liberties, shall we say?"
Arturo's eyes widened in understanding. "You have someone in France, don't you?"
Ofelia smiled. "Don't be naïve, Arturo. I have made several … connections, shall we say? A smart witch never puts all of her brooms in one cupboard." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed her brother's cheek. "And rest assured, I am a very, very smart witch…"
Arturo was left standing with his jaw agape as he watched his younger sister weave through the students on her way to the dormitory stairs. As if feeling his eyes on her, Ofelia turned and dropped him a wink before skipping lightly to her dorm room.
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"Potter, wait!"
James turned, smiling at the sound of Lily's voice behind him then winced when he saw her face. She was bearing down on him, hair flying behind her, her eyes bright and her cheeks pink. Lily Evans at this level of full-tilt anger was a sight to behold – and an event to avoid if at all possible. Regrettably, he had already made retreat impossible.
James stopped and waited for her to reach him. It didn't take long.
"What is Black doing?" she huffed, grabbing his arm and pulling him to one side of the staircase.
"Ow, Lily, for the love of Merlin, not so tight!" James hissed as her nails dug into his arm.
She released his arm, but stayed where she was. "Well?"
James shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Lily, really, I don't. Asking me what he's doing is a bit vague, don't you think?"
Lily crossed her arms over her chest. "I just left the library. I was looking for Kate and found her there, in tears."
James fought to keep his irritation with Sirius off his face. "She said Sirius was to blame?"
Lily looked away from him for a moment. "She said she didn't want to talk about it." Looking back at the wizard, she narrowed her eyes again. "You know something about this, don't you?"
"Lily…"
"James, she's my best friend and she's horribly upset. I know Black has something to do with it and, since he doesn't do anything without talking with you first, I'm betting you know what's going on with him," the red-haired witch lowered her voice and spoke in a much less aggressive tone.
James sighed. "Look, Lily, you think Sirius tells me everything, but he doesn't. There are things about his family that he never talks about – not to me, anyway. And you're right – he tells me most things, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I have no idea what he's up to now. Maybe if Kate tells you more, I can help you but right now, Lily, there's nothing I can do."
"Fine," Lily's voice was resigned. "If she tells me anything else and agrees that I can share it, I'll speak with you again."
"I'm sorry, Lils," James said quietly.
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The door to the boys' dormitory opened quietly and Sirius peered around the room before fully entering and closing it behind him again. He had hoped to shower and change before dinner without seeing the rest of the Marauders. His luck didn't quite hold out.
Sirius had just opened the lid of his trunk for a fresh set of robes when the door opened and Remus entered. He straightened, fresh clothing in hand and turned for the bathroom to find the young werewolf standing with his arms crossed over his chest. Looking Sirius up and down, he pointed to a spot below Sirius' ear. His face reflected his anger and disappointment in his friend.
"You may want to consider getting rid of that before you come down to dinner," he remarked. "I know all about your plan, Sirius, but I don't think you have to rub the girl's nose in it. Speaking of which, I certainly hope you're going to shower. You reek of perfume, and it doesn't smell like Kate's scent."
"Sod off, Moony," Sirius snapped, stung by his friend's criticism. "When did you become Kate's appointed protector?" He never saw Remus move; he was that swift as he reached out for Sirius' arm and turned him around to fully face him.
"I'm not her 'protector', Sirius. I'm her friend; I care about her. I thought you did, too. But I can see now that I'm wrong. You're using her to play a role in a drama you designed to help you avoid an arranged marriage. I hate that you are being manipulated by your parents – just as you hate them for doing it; but never thought that you would turn around and do the same thing to Kate. I told you how I felt when you first explained this scheme of yours and my opinion hasn't changed. Take her aside and tell her the truth, Sirius. Trust her; trust that she will play the role you need her to play," Remus implored the other boy.
Sirius looked up at his friend sadly. "I can't, Remus. I just can't take the risk."
Remus sighed, but he released Sirius' arm. "What you mean to say is that you won't, Sirius. You won't risk a situation you don't want to be honest with a young woman you claim that you do want. How completely Slytherin of you."
Sirius' jaw dropped at his best friend's words. When he recovered, he pushed past the werewolf and kicked open the bathroom door. "I'll try to stay out of your way, then, seeing that I disgust you so." He threw his clothing onto a bench by the wall and as he turned to close the door, Sirius paused. "You know something, Remus, I don't have a family that puts me first – hells, I don't even think I come in ahead of the servants. I certainly don't have the kind of support that you and James have. Even Wormtail's mother looks out for him. But you guys are all I have, ok? Well, you guys and my cousin Andie and Uncle Alphard. Other than that, I have to look out for myself. Most of the time, I can do it without pissing off my friends; this isn't one of those times. You don't know everything about why; I'm fuckin' sick of thinking about it, let alone talking about it. I'm doing the best I know how to do, ok? You don't think I'm right; ok, fine. But never, ever call me a Slytherin, Remus; never. Because of all the things I might be, I'm not that; I'll never be that." And he closed the door quietly.
A few moments later, Remus heard him turn on the shower. Thinking back to the words they had exchanged and feeling worse than he had in a long time, Remus lowered himself to sit on Sirius' trunk. Folding his hands in his lap, he fixed his gaze on the door and waited for his friend to emerge.
