The next morning, as Sirius steered his motorcycle into the courtyard of the flower shop, the door to the greenhouse opened and Miss Fairfield and her brother stepped out. "Mr Black. Thank you for coming. We really do need the van". "It's Sirius". "Jonathan. And my sister is Jessie". "And what is your name?", she asked Alphard. "Alphard". "That's a very nice name. Alphard, would you like to come and pick some flowers with me while your dad fixes the car?". When the boy nodded enthusiastically, she took his hand and led him to the door. Before she went in, she turned to Sirius and said, "I'll take good care of him". Under normal circumstances, Sirius would have used magic to fix the problem, but with Jonathan standing next to him, watching his every move, he was forced to examine the car the Muggle way. "The fuel injector. I'll just get a spare part and my tools". Jonathan nodded. "You can leave the boy here; Jessie will keep a close eye on him". It took Sirius two hours to repair the vehicle. He declined the money Jonathan offered. "Take this as compensation for several late-night disturbances. See you around". Over the next few days, Sirius and Alphard took to the habit of stopping by the nursery before heading home from the garage. Jessie always seemed pleased to see them.
After a couple of days, Jessie had asked Alphard, "Wouldn't you like to give me a hand? You are fond of plants, aren't you?". Alphard had nodded vigorously, and Sirius had promised to drop him off the next day. In the night Sirius woke with a start and grabbed his wand from the bedside table when something jumped on his chest and resolutely shook his shoulders. It took Sirius a moment to realise that he was not being attacked by some nightly monster when he saw Alphard's agitated face beaming down on him. "Daddy, Daddy, wake up. I must go to work. Jessie's waiting for me". Relieved Sirius pulled the boy against his chest. "Love, it's the middle of the night. Lay down and get some more sleep. We'll be at the nursery in time, I promise you". However, sleep was out of the question that night because Alphard woke him up every half an hour to remind him that he did not want to be late on his first day at work. The boy's enthusiasm surprised Sirius. But he had to admit to himself that of all his children, he knew the least about Alphard. Mercuria's favourite, who had constantly hung on her coattails. How the boy had spent his time, Sirius had no idea.
The next morning, they drove to the village and Sirius and Alphard entered the flower shop. Jessie looked up. "Good morning." Sirius smiled and pushed Alphard towards her. "Here we are. This young man would like to give you a hand. He hasn't slept all night from all the excitement. I hope he's not too much of a hindrance to you". She eyed him sharply and said, "I guess Alphard wasn't the only one who didn't sleep last night". Then she stooped down to Alphard and greeted him. "I can always use some help. You look like a real gardener". Alphard beamed. Sirius had dressed him in green dungarees and clogs, and he wore a yellow straw hat. "Come along with me, love. We'd best start over in the greenhouse". Sirius called after them, "I'll pick him up late afternoon. If there are any problems, just ring the garage. See you later". He dashed to the garage. "How did it go?", asked Regulus. "I hardly recognise the boy anymore. I was afraid he wouldn't be able to cope with the loss of his mother. But he seems all right now. He hasn't been this cheerful for a long time". Gavin said, "And to have an interest in plants is definitely helpful for his future school career. Do you think Jessie might grow magical plants? She could start flower beds and a greenhouse in Black Manor. Then we would be self-sufficient". Regulus said, "That would certainly be very helpful, of course. But we shouldn't rush into anything. The question is how she will react to the information that we are wizards. In this village, we are the only ones of our kind, and no one seems to have magical kinship. We might unnecessarily create an additional problem if we reveal ourselves to her". They decided to think about it thoroughly.
Around noon, Sirius crept up to the nursery. The flower shop was locked and there was a "Closed" sign on the door. With his wand, he opened the door and sneaked inside. There was another door behind the counter, and he guessed that it led to the private rooms. He passed through and climbed the stairs. He heard voices coming from a room, probably the kitchen. Sirius leaned against the wall and listened. Jonathan said, "Alphard if you don't like your food, leave it. Jessie is a great woman, but she can't really fix a decent meal. Most of what she cooks tastes terrible. I bet your mother knew how to cook well". Sirius smiled. If there was one thing his wife hadn't mastered, it had been cooking, which Mercuria had considered a terrible waste of time. Alphard chuckled, "My daddy can cook. He doesn't do it very often. At home, most of the time Dinky does the cooking". "Dinky is your housekeeper?". "Our house elf". "House elf? That's a cute expression". There was silence for a moment. Then Jonathan asked, "Tell me Alphard, do you know how to ride a bike?". "Would you like to try and learn". "YES". "Ok, I'll show you what to do after lunch. Then you can accompany Jessie to the fields when she needs to go out there. It's fun".
When Sirius stopped his motorcycle in front of the nursery in the evening and entered the shop, Alphard met him beaming with joy. His dungarees were stained all over and the boy also had traces of soil on his face and arms. In his hand he held a small, dishevelled bunch of flowers, which he proudly presented to Sirius. Jessie laughed happily. "Alphard has started to arrange bouquets. This is for his mother". The boy looked expectantly at Sirius who bent down and said, "You did really great. I'm proud of you and so is your Mummy". He lifted Alphard up, thanked Jessie and mounted his bike. Back home, he accompanied his son to Mercuria's grave where they laid the bouquet among the other flowers. Then he put the boy into the shower. At dinner Andromeda asked, "Tell me what you have done all day at the flower lady's". And the boy, who had barely spoken since his mother's death, suddenly gushed out words like a fountain. His little face lit up with excitement and his emerald eyes flashed with enthusiasm. Sirius watched his son in disbelief, and when he looked up to meet Andromeda's gaze, he knew she was just as surprised as he was. When Andromeda noticed him looking at her, she smiled and gave him an encouraging nod. Sirius was glad the boy had pulled himself together. He himself had been helpless in the face of Alphard's grief. Finally, the boy's eyes fell closed. Sirius got to his feet and lifted him up. "It's been a long and exciting day. I'll put him to bed".
As he carried the boy up the stairs, the scent of his hair rose to his nose. Fresh soil and exotic flowers. Just like Jessie. Without further ado, Sirius decided that the boy would sleep in his room. Later, when he went to bed himself, he carefully took the child in his arms. The bewildering scent rose to his nose again. He closed his eyes. Ever since Mercuria had died, he had felt alone and lost. A feeling he hadn't known for a few years, but one he was very familiar with. He had been lonely for most of his adult life. First during his twelve years in Azkaban and then during his time as a fugitive. Only when he had been reunited with Mercuria had his loneliness disappeared. After her death, it had returned with a vengeance. Often at night he would reach over to the other side of the bed, only to find it empty. But since he had met Jessie Fairfield, he had found new hope that his loneliness and longing might soon come to an end and that there would be someone by his side again. But he was not sure how to go about it. Before he had been sent to Azkaban, he had enjoyed a reputation as a womaniser. His looks, combined with an openly displayed aloofness, had made him the object of female admiration at a very young age, and it had been easy for him to find a partner for casual sex or a one-night stand. And there had always been Mercuria lurking in the background. His weekend relationship, and yet the only one that had ever really mattered. The few rejections he had experienced had not affected his self-confidence. He had chalked them up as interesting experiences, especially as these ladies had meant nothing to him. Since his escape and afterwards, his wife had been the only one for him, apart from the short affair with Drusia and her love potion, which had been more than disappointing. Now he intended to make a play for Jessie. But suddenly he feared that she might reject him. He lay awake for a long time, tossing and turning until he finally fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The next day, someone from the street called "Daddy, Daddy," as Sirius and the others were working on their bikes in the garage. Sirius, Gavin and Regulus, stepped out of the gate to find Alphard standing outside with a child's bicycle. Next to him, Jessie had dismounted her bike, bent down, and asked, "Won't you show your daddy what we have harvested just now?". Carefully, Alphard took a cloth from the basket on the handlebars of his bike, pointed excitedly at the purple flowers in it and looked at his father with expectation. Puzzled, Sirius stared at the blossoms. He didn't know what he was looking at. Still, he leaned down and caressed his son's cheek, murmuring, "Well done, dear". Jessie let out her throaty laugh and said, "You should explain to your father what this is all about. It might make him a little more impressed than he is now". Alphard said with a precocious expression on his face: "It's saffron". Sirius raised an eyebrow at that. He only knew saffron as a rather expensive and rare potion powder. Jessie giggled, "We need to get going. Once the blossoms have been picked you need to act quickly. Are you coming, or do you want to stay with your daddy, Alphard?". The boy shook his head, then mounted his bike, which was swaying dangerously, and put the pedal to the metal. As she rode off, Jessie waved and called over her shoulder, "See you tonight".
The three wizards watched them until they rounded a corner. Regulus patted his brother on the shoulder. "Looks like another one of your sons has found his calling. After all, not everyone can be a fighter in the resistance. There must also be us ordinary average wizards. You know, healers, gardeners and so on". Sirius smiled wryly. "Believe me, I'm more than happy for the boys to find a job that makes them feel fulfilled. A life as a resistance fighter is definitely no bed of roses". Regulus put his arm around his brother's shoulder and led him back to the garage. "You made the best of it. Believe me, you never had a choice. With our parents the only options were total conformity or outright rebelliousness. We chose different paths, and both ended up suffering. But I am fine now, and I hope you will be soon as well". He clasped Gavin's hand with his left and gave him a wink. Sirius smiled and walked back inside.
In the days that followed, Sirius took the boy to the flower shop every morning. On the second afternoon, when he went to pick up Alphard, Jessie invited him in for a cup of coffee. From then on, every evening before Sirius went home, they had a chat in Jessie's kitchen. Jessie was an expert on plants and had been all over the world in search of seeds and seedlings for her nursery. She grew rare and exotic plants, and from what she told him, Sirius was convinced that she would be able to grow magical plants just as easily. Jessie had indeed been married. But she had not murdered her husband with secateurs. He had left her rather profanely and run off with another woman. That had been seven years ago, and she had been living on her own ever since. After leaving the army, Jonathan had moved in with her. What had been supposed to be a temporary arrangement had now gone on for three years. The more Sirius got to know her, the more he found himself drawn to her. When he delivered Alphard to her in the morning, he looked forward to their evening talk.
After about two weeks, he decided to ask her out the next day, when things started to speed up in an unexpected manner. It was a Saturday, and Sirius's staff were off, so the wizards took advantage of the day to fine-tune their magical motorcycles. Around midday, they heard loud cries for help approaching the workshop. They jumped up, pulled out their wands and dashed outside. With Alphard in her arms, Jessie ran towards them. A few yards behind her they recognised Cygnus, who raised his wand and shouted "Avada Kedavra". Just then, Jessie tripped, and the curse narrowly missed her. Cygnus stopped, waved his hand mockingly at them and disapparated. Sirius took Jessie in his arms and led her into the building. Trembling heavily, she sank into a chair, still clutching the crying boy to her chest. Regulus handed her a glass, which she emptied in one go. "Sirius, what is going on?". "What happened?". "We were out in the field when all of a sudden this man came up to us. He was a member of your family; I am sure about it because he looked so much like you. He told me that you had sent him to get Phineas. Alphard hid himself behind my legs, he seemed to be very frightened, and I took him in my arms. It all seemed a bit strange to me. Why was this man asking about Phineas? He's Alphard's twin brother, isn't he? But it had always been Alphard who was my helper. I was quite confused. While the man spoke to me, I backed up to the greenhouse door. I put my hand on its knob at my back. I said that I wanted to call you first to ask if you really did send him. He got angry and said, 'Come on, Mudblood, give me the brat'. Then I knew he was up to no good. I threw the door open and ran. He was shouting unintelligible words and started shooting at us with a gun, because all around us the flowerpots and vases were smashed. I ran through the house and out the back. I threw the door shut and I could hear his laughter echoing through the closed door, which suddenly burst open even though I had locked it with the key. I ran through the narrow streets, hoping to shake him off. But suddenly he was standing right in front of me. I don't know how he got there. He just appeared out of nowhere. I hit him hard in the face with the bulb dibble that I was still holding in my hand. He wasn't expecting any kind of resistance and was on the ground in a heap. He was screaming hysterically, as if he had gone mad. I ran as fast as I could and almost made it to your garage. Please tell me what's going on". Sirius took a deep breath and said, "Jessie, you are very brave. As you guessed, the man who attacked you is a relative. My son. The twin of Marius here". "And why was he after Alphard?". When Sirius didn't answer, she gave him a quizzical look. "He wanted to kidnap him. Perhaps even worse, didn't he?". Regulus nodded. "He assassinated Alphard's mother. Alphard was present when it occurred". "But why on earth? And if he murdered your wife, why didn't the police arrest him?".
The wizards exchanged a few looks. Sirius said, "I think we have much to explain to you. But not here and now. Will you please accompany us home?". "But I have to clear up the mess in the greenhouse". Gavin said, "Jessie, that's not a good idea right now. We need to make sure that Cygnus is really no longer in the area. That will take some time. You'll be safe at Black Manor". She nodded resignedly. "And what about Jonathan?". "Where is he?". "He was out delivering some flowers. But he should be back by now. I'm sure he'll be surprised that we're gone. And that the greenhouse is in a shambles". Gavin and Regulus turned and walked out of the garage. Shortly afterwards, the sound of their motorcycles could be heard. Sirius turned to Jessie. "We'd better be on our way, too. Come on". Marius took Alphard from her, and Sirius led her to his bike. He climbed on and waited until she had got on behind him. Then they took off. They reached the manor together with Gavin and Regulus, who had Jonathan with them. Sirius dismounted and led Jessie to the terrace where Lucius, Andromeda, Sophie and the boys were sitting. Sirius explained briefly, "Cygnus has been trying to kidnap Alphard. Jessie and Jonathan will stay here while we look for him. He could still be around somewhere. Andromeda and Sophie, can you take care of the two of them? Lucius, are you coming?". He shoved Jessie into a chair and said, "I'll explain everything to you when we get back".
First, they flew to the nursery to fix up the greenhouse. Then they split up. But no matter how hard they tried, Cygnus was nowhere to be found. "Either he was very lucky that Alphard was in the nursery, or he was alerted to his presence. Let's head back there for a closer look". In the end, it was Lucius who made the discovery that proved decisive. On the doorframe leading from the shop to the greenhouse, he spotted a tiny black mark, which he identified as a magical sign. "Probably whenever a blood relative passed through that door, he received a signal. Very clever, like all your sons". Murmuring an incantation, he pointed his wand at the mark. The mark disappeared. "It never ceases to amaze me how, among all these Muggles, you always find those who are clever and quick enough to defend themselves against magic. Rescuing the boy from a powerful Dark wizard was no small feat". "Coming from you, that sounds like a compliment to me". Lucius gave a smug smile. "Let's fly home".