'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: Fluff, romance and some very tasteful intimacy.
Chapter 61 – Farewell, Paris – Hello Hogwarts
Sirius awoke and squinted at the clock beside the bed. Eleven pm. He strained to hear any sound that might indicate some or all of their party had returned. Only the muted sounds of the city below – and the soft sound of Kate's even breathing – could be heard. He turned his head and met a fragrant mass of dark auburn hair; Kate had obviously abandoned her pillow in favor of his shoulder at some point. Sirius breathed deeply of the scent of her shampoo – fresh lemons tinged with something a little spicy.
"Everything all right?" Kate's sleepy voice rose from beneath the mass of waves.
Sirius pulled back when he felt her shift against him. He smiled and lifted his hand to move her hair away from her face. "There you are. Everything's fine. I'm sorry if I woke you."
"You didn't; not really, anyway," Kate lifted the sheet and turned on her back, shifting upward to recline a bit higher on the pillows before dropping the covering back over herself.
"You didn't have to cover up on my account," Sirius smiled.
"Hmm," Kate lifted an eyebrow at him then leaned over and kissed his lips gently. "Is anyone else back yet?"
"I don't think so. I can't hear anything out there, anyway." Sirius sat up and scooted back against the headboard in imitation of Kate's current position. He reached over and took her hand. "Please don't tell me that you'd like to go exploring for other signs of life."
Kate laughed. "Not a bit. I'm quite content right here, thank you very much."
"Good; I was hoping you'd feel that way." Sirius smiled and released her hand. Reaching over, he gently drew Kate closer to lean her head on his shoulder. "There; now I'm content." He dropped a kiss into her hair then leaned his cheek against the top of her head.
Kate kissed his bare shoulder. "Are you ready to go back?"
"To the real world? Yeah; I guess I am. But, it's been nice, this," Sirius tightened his hold a bit.
" Paris? Yes; yes it has."
"Not Paris – well, not just Paris; I meant everything. Brighton was brilliant – after everything got sorted with Jamie. Getting Moony back – also brilliant; and, of course – you and me, well all that's happened between us is more than brilliant," Kate felt him kiss the top of her head again and she brought her hand to rest against his chest, softly stroking the smooth skin.
"More than," she agreed quietly.
"Feels like we've been away from 'the real world' for a very long time," Sirius mused.
Kate reached up and laid her palm against his cheek. "I think the summer holiday has been well earned. It's been a difficult year."
"Bit of an understatement there, don't you think?"
Kate smiled. "I'm British; we're given to understatement."
They fell silent for a bit, each lost to thought. Kate's musings fell to a topic she'd wanted to broach with Sirius, but had wanted to be careful how she did so; she was anxious that he not take things the wrong way.
"You're going to do your brain a harm thinking so hard," Sirius observed, cheekily. "And I'll do myself one worrying about what it could be." He shrugged his shoulder gently to get Kate to look at him. When she did so, he finished, "Out with it, then."
"I was just thinking about Peter," she began.
"Peter! Why in the world…"
"Are you going to listen to me or am I going to have to put up with periodic explosions until you actually allow me to finish?" Kate lifted her eyebrow at him.
"Fine; go on then."
"We have all been together for the better part of the summer holiday. Peter, on the other hand, has been away. When we all left school last term, you were no longer part of the group. James and Remus appeared to have written you off and Peter, being Peter, had gone with the majority. James and Lily were not yet a couple – well, certainly not officially, at any rate. You and I were out of sorts. For a boy who longs for acceptance and had found it at school, Peter must have felt like his world had changed a great deal in a very short period of time," Kate reasoned.
"Can I say something?" Sirius asked.
"Of course."
"He's going to come to school and find that his world is right back the way he had it before the prank tore us apart," Sirius said. "When you think about it, Peter had the least amount of trauma in all of this. He went home for the holiday; he wasn't with any of us when everything finally came to a head. Peter will come back and only benefit from all of that stress."
Kate shook her head. "Maybe that's the way it appears on the surface, but think about it, Sirius. You, James and Remus have put yourselves back together – that's true; but you are not the same people and it is not the same friendship that it was before. This friendship – the relationship that you three forged over the summer - was born of great pain and extraordinary effort - and not only your friendship but you are changed as a result. Peter was not part of any of that process. He only has knowledge of what happened from an owl you sent long after the fact. When he returns, the friendship of which he's been a part for the past five years will no longer be here. In its place will be a bond in which he played no part in creating. Peter will return to that which he most fears – being an outsider; and he will be an outsider to a group he's been with since first year. It's going to be a difficult thing for him, Sirius; very difficult."
Sirius had listened silently to all that Kate said. Although he had never considered it before, he had to admit that it made sense. Peter was as insecure a person as Sirius had ever met and he long ago realized that being a Marauder was probably the most important relationship the young wizard had forged to date. He would be sensitive to any change in it – particularly if that change appeared not to include him.
"But, Katie, there's nothing we can do about any of that now. It all happened when we were away from school. It's not as if we didn't try to get him to come back early. He couldn't come and we couldn't go to him; you know that."
"I do," Kate acknowledged. "But we didn't even ask the Potters if that was an option."
Sirius huffed a bit, before exhaling softly. "I didn't even think about it."
"And that's the point, actually, isn't it? Peter really is an after-thought, most of the time. I think that you and James are going to have to make more of an effort to include him – without being patronizing or obvious," Kate's voice was firm.
"Remus doesn't have to make the same effort, eh?"
Kate rose up on her elbow so she could look directly at Sirius. "No, Remus does not have to make the same effort; he's consistently kinder to Peter than either of you."
Sirius gave a snort. "Moony's always been good to him. Peter wouldn't have gotten even one O.W.L. without Remus' help."
"Now that might be a bit of an overstatement, don't you think? Peter is good in Defense Against the Dark Arts – without an inordinate amount of Remus' help – and he's very good at Charms." Kate lay down once again against Sirius' shoulder as if that pronouncement settled the matter.
Sirius thought back to their Animagus effort. Peter had the most trouble, but given the advanced state of the magic required, he had still done well. Defense was something at which all of the Marauders excelled. Well, perhaps one couldn't say that Peter excelled necessarily, but he truly only needed help with the essay and theory portions. With the practical, however, Peter did well enough on his own.
"You'll do your brain a harm thinking so hard." From the vicinity of Sirius' shoulder came Kate's voice, tinged with amusement.
Sirius slid down beneath the covers until his face was level with hers. He kissed the tip of her nose and smiled when she opened her eyes. "Then I guess we should find something else to occupy my time and spare my poor brain the aggravation, eh?"
It was Kate's turn to smile. She cupped his face in her hands and urged his lips closer to hers and soon, they had thoughts of no one but each other.
XXXXXXXX
As the sun made its first tentative appearance, Kate rose, eliciting a sleepy protest from the wizard beside her. She donned her clothing from the evening before then returned to perch on the side of the bed. She reached over and moved the mass of dark wavy hair away from Sirius' face and leaned down to kiss his cheek. A moment later, Kate found herself sprawled on the bed as a very strong arm stole about her waist and pulled her downward.
"Sirius!" Kate failed miserably in her attempt to stifle her giggles. "Stop!" She whispered fiercely.
With a waggle of his eyebrows, Sirius continued to pepper her face and neck with kisses. "Don't want to."
"Would you rather explain to James' parents why I'm creeping out of your room at dawn, wearing my clothing from last evening?"
"Wouldn't have to explain," Sirius replied. "We've sort of got permission – remember?"
"I know, but still…" Kate replied, putting her hands against his chest and pushing him over.
Sirius feigned injury as he rubbed the offended spot on his chest. "I think you've wounded me."
Kate leaned over, kissed his chest lightly then managed to elude his hands as she stood.
"You'll live," she said dryly as she smoothed her blouse and started across the room. She was halfway there when they heard a soft knock on the door. A moment later, the knob turned and the door opened a crack.
"Padfoot? You awake?"
Kate pulled the door open to reveal a disheveled James, hair rumpled, shirt unbuttoned and hanging over his trousers as he stood with his shoes in his hand.
"Good morning, James," Kate smiled. "I was just leaving."
"Oi, Prongs," Sirius greeted his mate. "Nice outfit; classy. Come in and give a bloke all the sordid details of your evening with the fair Lily."
"Don't you do it, James," Kate patted his arm as she passed through the door.
"As if you're not going to go in and trade stories," Sirius called after her quietly.
Kate turned in the hall and stuck her head back into the room. "Sirius Black – I'll have you know that a proper witch never kisses and tells." And she was gone.
Sirius smiled after her. "Merlin, I love that girl," he said.
James rolled his eyes, but his smile was affectionate. "So I've heard." He threw himself on the bed opposite the one Sirius lolled in.
Sirius looked at his friend appraisingly. "You don't look like a man who passed a bad evening. You and the lovely Miss Evans had a good time, then?"
"The best!" James sprawled out on the other bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, a huge smile pasted on his face.
"I'd ask if there was more to the story, but you've obviously decided to simply keep it all to yourself and just grin stupidly for the rest of the day." Sirius sat up and reached for his track shorts. Pulling them on, he grabbed his shaving kit and headed into the bathroom. As he passed James, he reached out and slapped the other wizard's foot. "I'm taking a shower, mate. Then I'm going to pack. You might want to get your stuff together, too."
James flipped over and pressed his face into his pillow, mumbling something distinctly unintelligible in his friend's direction.
"I'll take that as a promise to get your arse moving, then – shall I?" Sirius grinned as he crossed into the bathroom. "And, James? If I were you, I really would get moving. I have a wand, you know!"
"Mangy git," James lifted his head long enough to hurl the insult at what was now a closed bathroom door. Hearing the shower begin to run, James dropped his head back onto the pillow. I've got plenty of time to doze a bit; I'll move when I hear that shower stop running. That was his last conscious thought.
Some fifteen minutes later, Sirius emerged from the steamy bathroom with a towel knotted precariously around his waist. Tossing his shaving kit and track shorts onto his bed, he turned to find James in the exact position in which he'd left him. With an evil grin, Sirius walked back into the bathroom and emerged with a glass of ice cold water in his hand. Positioning himself next to the headboard, he dipped his fingers into the glass then held them over James' neck. The dripping water only provoked the slightest of tremors from the sleeping wizard. Sirius tipped the glass slightly and allowed a thin stream of the icy water to hit the back of James' head.
That had the desired effect. "What the…Padfoot, you blighter…." James sputtered, flipping onto his back and sitting up in the middle of the bed, hand rubbing at the wet mass of tangles on the back of his head, glare mutinous.
"I told you to get up, didn't I?" Sirius laughed, neatly sidestepping James' attempt to grab the glass from his hand. Sirius drank the water in one go then waggled his eyebrows at his friend. "Come on, Jamie; get up and get ready so we can have breakfast. I'm starving."
James was still grumbling about ill-trained dogs as he rose and gathered his own things before heading into the bathroom. Sirius grinned and packed his duffle bag for the return trip to Hogwarts. The shower could plainly be heard when Sirius hoisted the bag on his shoulder and walked out to the common area, closing the door behind him.
"Morning Padfoot," Remus was exiting his own room, bag in hand. "Have a good evening, did you?"
"Moony," Sirius set his bag down on the sofa. "I did, thanks. And how was the opera?"
Remus smiled. "Stirring; very stirring, indeed. You know, if you're interested, I'm sure I could get hold of a recording of that particular piece so you could hear it for yourself."
Sirius shook his head. "Grateful for the offer, Moony, but I'll pass. I'll listen to something worthwhile when it's my turn to use that grammarphone of yours!"
"Gramophone," Remus corrected, shaking his head at his friend, expression amused. "And by 'worthwhile' I assume you mean The Beatles or …"
Sirius grinned. "…or anything other than opera, mate. Really – you're such a brilliant wizard, Moons to have such deplorable taste in music!"
"We'll let it go for now, then. Tea?"
"Coffee," Sirius slung his arm around his friend's neck as they headed down the hallway toward the kitchen. "And that's another thing, Moony; tea's an afternoon ritual. Coffee's what you want first thing in the morning! Let's go see what we can find for ourselves."
XXXXXXXX
Despite the fact that their holiday was coming to an end, breakfast – once everyone came together – was a lively affair. Of particular enjoyment was the story of Hal's opera experience where, as Margaret relayed, her husband dozed off sometime after the intermission only to be rudely awakened at the very apex of the performance, when the soprano hit a "C" so high the glass bits of the center chandelier tinkled ominously. Fortunately, the note ended before any glass could shatter; unfortunately – for Hal – the silence was shattered as he, startled from his nap, rose to pay homage to the singer's skills, applauding loudly – twice – before Margaret could get his attention and he lowered himself to his seat once again. Sirius let loose with a triumphant whoop as he leaned forward to catch Remus' eye. Even Hal chuckled at the retelling, although his ears were quite a lovely shade of red throughout.
James and Lily had a grand time at their concert and James endured much good-natured teasing when Lily described his enthusiastic dancing. "Like father, like son," Margaret nudged Kate and nodded toward her son whose ears, indeed, had taken on much the appearance of his father's.
"What about you, Sirius? We haven't heard about your evening as yet," James' voice betrayed his determination to refocus the conversation.
Sirius looked over at Kate and winked. "Oh, we had a very quiet evening, compared to the rest of you. Just a nice dinner at the hotel, then a walk to the top of the Arc to say goodbye to Paris."
"Sounds a bit tame for you, Pads," Remus commented.
"Well, he was with Kate, after all," Lily commented. "He's always better behaved when he's away from you lot!"
"What time do we need to leave today?" James asked when the laughter from Lily's comment had died down a bit.
"We're due at King's Cross at 2 pm to put you on the Express to Hogwarts. We'll need to Floo to The Leaky Cauldron by 1 to make sure we're on time," Hal replied. "It's just half nine now; we've got some time yet."
Sirius looked over at Kate then at Hal. "Sir, if possible, I'd like to go and say goodbye to my uncle. I'm not sure when I'll have the chance to see him again once we return to school."
"I don't see why you can't do that, son," Hal nodded. "When would you like to go?"
"I thought I'd excuse myself now so I can spend a bit of time with him before we have to leave for London," Sirius glanced around the table. "I'm packed and all. I can just meet you back in the lobby around 12:30 if that works."
"You're going alone?" Kate asked.
"I don't see the need to have a bodyguard," Sirius said, bristling only slightly. "We haven't seen anything too startling since we got here and it's only a short distance between the hotel and my uncle's place."
Remus saw James' father's brow furrow and he spoke up. "James, what do you say to a walk? We could go with Sirius and he could come back after his visit. He'd only be traveling one way by himself – and perhaps he could send an owl – or Floo call when he was ready to leave so we could meet him part way."
Sirius gave him a grateful look. "Listen, Mr. Potter, I haven't seen anything that's intimidated me since we arrived. I'm not going to take any stupid chances, I promise. I just want to see my uncle for a bit. No wandering; no foolishness. I promise," he said again.
Hal sat back in his chair, considering the proposal. It was true that they had seen nothing out of the ordinary during their visit; even Sirius' tale of his near-encounter with Lucius Malfoy's mother was uneventful, truth be told. While there was a little voice in his head that warned him that all of this was perhaps even more reason to continue their cautious approach, Hal also recognized that Sirius had succumbed to Dumbledore's security measures with surprising good grace. This last comment was really the first true sign that the constraints placed on his independence were beginning to chafe. Remus' proposal was sound; Sirius deserved some consideration.
"I think we can manage to let you visit your uncle before we have to leave Paris," Hal said finally. "Remus has suggested a very reasonable way for us to do so while still preserving your safety. Your uncle has an owl, am I right?' At Sirius nod, he continued. "Just send it along when you're preparing to leave. As Remus has said, we can start out to meet you. Agreed?"
Sirius smiled. "Agreed."
"We'll see you in awhile then," Hal said, turning away from the young wizard and picking up his coffee cup.
XXXXXXXX
As he walked away from the hotel with no one but his thoughts for company, Sirius finally acknowledged how good it was to be without a companion. Extrovert that he was, the young wizard still needed time alone to sort things through; running had provided that solitude, but circumstances had forbidden the continuation of his daily routine in Paris. He fully intended to resume his early morning runs upon his return to the castle. That should help to keep things in order. Depending upon how the conversation goes with Uncle Alphard, there might be considerably more to keep order of going forward.
Sirius had intended to ask his uncle about Kate's new stepfather, but their time alone together had been too brief to do the topic any justice. Since bidding Alphard goodbye at breakfast, Sirius had been hopeful that another opportunity might present itself to return to his uncle's apartment and, as it finally had, he did not intend to squander it. Thomas O'Hanlon's name brought a feeling of apprehension to the young wizard and even though he couldn't place its source, now that the man was part of Kate's life, Sirius was determined to solve the puzzle.
It wasn't long before the Arc loomed before him and Sirius quickly made the transition into Muggle Paris. Moments later, he was standing outside Hôtel des Maréchaux. Sirius stopped at the foot of the stairs to check his watch. It was just past 10; he was certain that even his eccentric uncle, who observed a rather fluid schedule, would be up and about. As Sirius ascended the steps and made his way across the wide landing toward the entrance, a tall, elegantly dressed man pushed the door open rather forcefully. Had Sirius not possessed excellent reflexes, he would have most certainly been hit with enough force to break his nose. Instead, Sirius caught the door before it could do any harm and the older man strode quickly through.
"Oi! Look out before you throw a door open, eh?" Sirius' voice betrayed his irritation and the man stopped, turning around briefly to stare at him before continuing down the stairs and fairly sprinting in the direction of the Arc. "Bloody lunatic!" Sirius moved through the doorway and toward the lifts on the opposite side of the lobby, shaking off his irritation at the stranger and looking forward even more to his uncle's good humor and affectionate nature.
The lift doors slid silently open and Sirius stepped into the hallway and hurried toward his uncle's door. He pushed the button on the wall and heard the distant chime echo beyond the closed door. When there was no response after a few moments, the young wizard pressed the button again. Pressing his ear against the smooth wood of the door, Sirius couldn't hear anything that indicated his uncle's approach. As he was about to ring the doorbell a third time, the door opened and his uncle stood before him, wand in hand.
"Sirius!" The older wizard swiftly pocketed his wand and leaned forward to glance up and down the hallway. "Come in, my boy; come in!" Sirius followed his uncle's gaze then hurried to comply.
Once the door had closed behind them, Alphard gestured toward the study. "Go on inside and sit down; I'll be back directly."
This time when Sirius settled himself into the deep sofa cushions, he felt a sense of trepidation he had not experienced with his prior visits. A sound at the door drew his attention and Sirius turned to see Marie pushing a tea cart into the room. Sirius rose to help but the appearance of his uncle in the doorway negated the need.
"Thank you, Marie; I'll take this," the older wizard murmured and brought the cart over to where Sirius was sitting. As Sirius tried to control his natural tendency to fidget, Alphard restored his own calm by pouring tea. When both were seated with their cups, he looked his great-nephew in the eye, and Sirius took advantage of the opportunity.
"What's wrong? And please don't try to convince me that nothing's happened; I can see that it has."
Alphard nodded. "Fair enough. Do the Potters know that you are here?"
"Of course. I will owl them when I'm ready to leave and they will start out to meet me," he replied.
Alphard seemed to pale slightly. "You came here alone?"
"No; James and Remus walked over with me. Why?"
"Your presence in Paris has been discovered," Alphard responded.
Sirius' eyes snapped to Alphard's face. "My mother?"
"Actually, no." Alphard returned Sirius' frank gaze. "It was Abraxas Malfoy." He paused to take a sip of his tea. "You didn't mention running into him while you've been here."
Sirius shook his head. "I haven't; not that I know of anyway. I haven't seen … bloody hell…"
"What is it?"
"I didn't see him," Sirius repeated. "But I did see his wife. In a clothing shop. I didn't think she saw me, however."
"You were wrong," Alphard's voice was stern. "She not only recognized you, but apparently Kate, as well."
"Kate? Why would Kate matter to her? And how would she even know who she was?" Sirius put his cup and saucer on the low table and stood, running a hand though his hair in agitation.
"Sirius, you attend Hogwarts with their son, a young man who has completely embraced the beliefs of his family – a Pureblood family as old as the Blacks; a Pureblood family with ties to the Blacks. Really, son, you should know as well as anyone how consistently the old families communicate. They may not particularly like one another, but they do talk."
Sirius had walked over to the terrace doors and was now pacing in front of them, his hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his jeans. "Can they get to Katie?"
Alphard's face softened at the concern he heard in the younger wizard's voice. "They can get to anyone, Sirius; you know this."
There was something in his uncle's voice that made Sirius come closer. Instead of retaking his seat on the sofa, he sat on the low table directly in front of Alphard. "They tried to get to you, didn't they? That's how you know all of this."
Alphard nodded wearily. "Yes, they tried to get to me. I had a visitor just before you arrived. No, no," he held up his hand as he heard Sirius take a breath to interrupt. "I wasn't hurt – as you can plainly see."
"But you were threatened."
Alphard shook his head. "They never threaten, per se, Sirius but they bring their most persuasive elements to the table. In this case, that element was you."
"Me?" Sirius was surprised. "I'm not even a Black anymore, according to my parents; what kind of bargaining chip am I, then?"
"Your defection from the family has caused some considerable gossip amongst the Pureblood families with whom your parents associated on a social level. While they could – and did attempt to counter the gossip by stating that they had disowned you, it rankles with them that you have so effectively moved away from the traditions of the old families."
Sirius sighed. "But I've made no secret of how I feel, Uncle; this is not news to them."
"What happened recently in Hogsmeade between you and your cousin, Bellatrix, opened old wounds, my boy. The fact that you could have bested her, leave alone disarmed her, did not escape anyone's notice. She is a powerful witch, Sirius – a powerful dark witch. Up to that point, your falling out with your family was private. What happened between you and Bellatrix brought it all out into the open. The fact that it was Edgar Bones' son you defended made it even more embarrassing for the family." Alphard withdrew his wand and tapped their cups in turn, re-heating their tea. "Here," he handed the younger wizard his cup, "drink up."
The two wizards silently finished their tea, each lost in his own thoughts. Finally, Sirius spoke.
"It's not as if I knew the kid was related to someone in the Ministry; I don't know the family on sight. It was just a kid, Uncle Alphard; a first year and he was terrified. I know what it's like to be on that end of a powerful witch's wand – my dear mum can tell you all about what it's like on Bellatrix' end of things." Sirius paused, giving some careful thought to what he would say next. "I've been in Gryffindor for five years," Sirius reasoned. "I've openly defied everything that my family has stood for. The whole marriage arrangement; spending the bulk of the holiday with the Potters – then an early return to Hogwarts; what will it take to convince them – a bludger to the head?"
Alphard smiled at the last comment then looked at Sirius thoughtfully for a moment. "Sirius, have you ever heard of a man named Thomas O'Hanlon?"
Sirius' face paled and he held Alphard's gaze before nodding. "He was one of the reasons I came to see you this morning. Do you know him?"
"After a fashion, I suppose, although it's more by reputation than actual acquaintance. He and his late wife moved in the same social circles as your parents did when you were quite young. He knew your uncle, Cygnus Black, quite well," Alphard said quietly, watching his great-nephew closely. "All of which he was very sure to remind me – albeit politely – when he visited me this morning."
"He was the one who came to see you?" Sirius felt his pulse quicken.
"Yes; just before you arrived, actually. You probably passed each other – what is it?"
Sirius had shot up and walked quickly to the windows once again – as if Thomas O'Hanlon would be standing within view in the street. "I saw him," he said, turning back to face Alphard. "There was this bloke in a Muggle suit that bloody near broke my nose rushing through the door downstairs. I hollered after him, and he turned around, but didn't come back. He hared off down the street, instead."
It was Alphard's turn to pale. "He saw you, then."
"Not for long and I'm sure he didn't realize it was me; how could he? I've never met the blighter, after all."
"He had a photograph, Sirius; a photograph of you that your father had given him," Alphard replied.
"I can't believe this is happening," Sirius said, looking out the glass doors once again.
"Why don't you tell me how you know this man," Alphard suggested quietly.
"I don't exactly know him," Sirius replied. "I know his wife, though."
Alphard frowned. "His wife is dead."
Sirius shook his head. "His new wife is very much alive, I can assure you. He got married a few weeks ago."
"To whom?"
"Felicity Morgan," Sirius walked back and resumed his seat on the sofa. "Kate's mother."
Alphard inhaled sharply. "You didn't happen to notice her waiting for him, did you?"
Sirius shook his head. "No, but I don't know that I would have; I wouldn't expect to see her here. I think she'd have noticed me, though and I'm sure she'd have spoken to me."
"I have to ask you a difficult question, my boy. Based on your acquaintance with the new Mrs. O'Hanlon, do you think that she could …?"
Sirius didn't let him finish. "…be in league with my family? No! Definitely not! She hates the Blacks almost as much as I do – and with good reason. She took care of me – took me in – after I left Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Morg… O'Hanlon was quite unimpressed with the way I had been treated. I can't imagine that she knows anything about this; I can't imagine that she knows anything more about her new husband than he has allowed her to see. Trust me."
"I do, my boy; I trust you implicitly." Alphard grew thoughtful. "Other than your ill- treatment at the hands of your mother, is it fair to suspect that Mrs. O'Hanlon has another reason to despise our family?"
"It's not my story to tell, Uncle," Sirius said quietly. "But, I will say that she firmly believes that my family – my father in particular – had something to do with her first husband's death."
Alphard nodded. "I suspected as much. I've heard bits and pieces of what happened to Roderick Morgan, but as your uncle Cygnus was found at the scene, it struck me that perhaps the responsibility for Morgan's demise rested exclusively with him."
Sirius smiled shrewdly. "I can't quite believe that, Uncle; you've always struck me as far more perceptive than to believe something so flimsy."
Alphard's face reflected his first real smile since Sirius' arrival. "So, you think there's more to that situation than met the eye, do you?"
"I do – and…" Sirius stopped, a look of alarm crossing his features.
Watching him, Alphard became similarly somber. "…and?"
"Uncle, Kate believes that the story her mother told her about her father's death is a bit thin, as well. Now we have her mother's second husband – a man who is somehow still involved with the Blacks – visiting you with a photograph of me. Suppose I'm not the target? Suppose it's Kate? Suppose my father did have something to do with Roderick Morgan's death and is afraid that Kate could somehow reveal that?" Sirius' voice rose as his agitation grew.
Alphard reached over and clasped the young man's arm. "There's no future in jumping to conclusions. First of all, we don't know that your father is using Thomas O'Hanlon for any purpose other than to try to make contact with you."
"Uncle Alphard, when I last saw my father, I made it very clear that I didn't want anything to do with him or with the family."
"When was that?"
"Earlier this summer; after I'd left Grimmauld and gone to Kate's. I ran into him at Diagon Alley when I'd … well, wandered to think things over for a bit. That's when I found out that Mother had been checked into a hospital in Paris to see if they could treat her condition. Funny thing, that. I don't know many hospitals that can knock a tendency toward Unforgivables out of a person. At any rate, I didn't leave him wondering how I felt. Can't imagine that he didn't get the message."
"He most likely did, Sirius. Your mother may well have persuaded him to try to contact you on her behalf. I don't believe for a moment that she wouldn't try to side-step Dumbledore in an effort to see you," Alphard pointed out. "He wasn't overly forthcoming about exactly what he wanted."
"What did he say?"
"He asked me if I was the Alphard Black, who was related to the Blacks in London and I told him that I was. He pulled out your photo and asked me if I recognized you and I told him that I would first be interested in hearing why he wanted to know. That wasn't a popular response, I can assure you," Alphard smiled wryly. "He realized, however, that he wasn't going to hear anything about you from me. O'Hanlon then decided that he'd settle for telling me that you were spotted in Paris and that he was sure that you'd attempt to contact me. He told me about what had happened with the Bones child and hinted that your parents had been very distressed when Bellatrix told them about the incident. Then he asked me again if I was sure I hadn't seen you. If I wasn't so concerned about what lies beneath all of this subterfuge, I'd have almost enjoyed watching him become more and more frustrated with me."
"How did it end?" Sirius asked.
"He told me that he would expect to hear from me if you dropped by or otherwise got in touch. I obviously made no promises."
Sirius looked sharply at Alphard. "Hopefully he didn't recognize me after all," he said. "What do you think this all means?"
"I've a few ideas. Do you think you could owl the Potters? I'd like to have a conversation with young James' father before you all leave for school," Alphard replied. "Perhaps he can look into all of this once you're all safely back in Scotland."
Sirius watched his uncle pull fresh parchment and a quill from a drawer in the side table and settle himself at the writing desk to compose a note to Hal. "Shouldn't we tell Kate about this?"
Alphard shook his head. "No; not at the moment. Let's see what Harold Potter has to say before we alarm anyone else." He used his wand to light the stick of wax that would seal the rolled parchment. "Run along and fetch Magellan for me, my boy. Your time in Paris is growing shorter and shorter and I want to settle some things before you have to leave."
Sirius nodded and rose to bring Alphard's owl from the sun room. As he left he wondered how he ever could have thought that leaving Grimmauld Place once and for all could ever have brought an end to the drama in his life.
