Marius patted him on the shoulder and said, "Now everyone is taken care of. Procyon, of course, has suffered the worst. The others are mostly bruised and injured from running through the forest, and they're suffering from hypothermia. But there will be no permanent damage to any of them. Sophie and Aunt Andy will stay here tonight to keep watch. Come on. Let's go join the others". As they entered the living room, the men had a lively conversation. Lucius just turned to Jonathan and said, "Fairfield, I was really impressed with what you did with the Muggle car. I'm very happy with my bike at the moment. But perhaps you could show me how to operate your vehicle". The others laughed at this. Jonathan said: "I used to ride motocross, you can pick up a few tricks there". Regulus said. "Fortunately, everything turned out all right. But I'm still wondering how they got into the compound?". The others shook their heads. "It's impossible. It simply shouldn't have happened". Jonathan said, "Maybe Cygnus got in and lowered the drawbridge for the others". Lucius turned to him and lectured, "It's not possible for anyone to break the protective spell. I can assure you it cannot be penetrate. I was involved in its installation". Jonathan raised his arms and said in a conciliatory tone, "I was just thinking. Jessie has been telling me that all of you can do this animal trick". "Animal trick?". "You can turn into an animal, can't you? Jessie has told me so". Sirius gave a weary nod. Why hadn't he obliviated Jessie when Lucius had told her about their Animaghi? It had been risky and unnecessary not to do so. What if Jonathan passed on the information now? He shoved the thought aside when Jonathan went on to say, "Well, if I understand it correctly, you can turn yourself into one particular animal only. An animal with which you have a special relationship, a special bond. That's why Sirius is a dog. Sirius is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major". He explained: "some of you bear names from the stars and I've always been interested in astronomy", and continued: "Regulus is a lion because his star is the brightest one in the constellation Leones. By rule, Cygnus is probably a swan, because his name is the Latin name for the constellation Swan. He may just have flown onto the estate with other swans. Once inside, he could break the protective spell, couldn't he? That's what I had in mind when I said that he might have lowered the drawbridge for the others". The wizards stared at him baffled. Suddenly Sirius remembered that a week ago some swans had landed on the lake beside the cave. The boys had been very excited and had brought food for the animals. Lucius interrupted his thoughts, "I find it hard to believe, but that's probably the most intelligent conclusion I've heard anyone come up with in years. That's how it must have been. Even on a land animal, the protective spell would have worked. After our experience with Rosier's house, we have taken that into account. But a bird would be able to enter the property without difficulty. And once Cygnus was inside the grounds, he could easily lift the protection. But even as a swan, he couldn't have entered the house". Gavin added. "So, they waited until the children were on the lawn before they attacked".
Sirius jumped up. "First, I will drive all the swans off the estate. Then we need to think about how we can effectively protect ourselves". Malfoy said, "Sit down, man. There are more important things to sort out at the moment". Hesitantly, Sirius sat down again. "Is Cygnus the only Animagus, or are the others as well? Then we have a massive problem on our hands". The others nodded. Regulus said, "The crucial point is, when did he become an Animagus? Was it before or after he met Sirius? If he was already an Animagus when he came here, why then did he ask you to assist him, Sirius?". Jonathan said: "How do you become an Animagus?". Sirius explained it to him in a very general way. Jonathan reasoned, "So it's a combination of things you have to do yourself, like keeping the mandrake leaf in your mouth, and things someone else can do for you, like brewing the potion. Maybe that is what has happened. Cygnus already was an Animagus when he came here, but he only knew part of the procedure because someone else had made the potion for him at the time. Thus, if his companions intended to become Animaghi as well, which by the way would have given them a massive advantage in whatever they are planning, Cygnus had to fill in the blanks in his knowledge. And Sirius was supposed to help him with it". Sirius noticed the others staring at him quizzically. "What do you say, brother? Did you fill in the blanks?". Sirius leaned back in his chair and tried to remember what had exactly happened. The memory of his time with Cygnus had dissolved into a vast ocean of alcoholic excesses. Slowly, a few images began to rise to the surface. For a moment he saw Mercuria's smiling face appear before his mind's eye. Then it was gone. Sirius relaxed. And suddenly the memory came back to him. He had wondered when Cygnus had confessed to him that his first attempt at becoming an Animagus had failed. He had wanted to surprise his son and had brewed the potion needed for the next step. He had even collected one of his son's hairs, so all Cygnus had to do was add the mandrake leaf to the crystal phial. Now that he thought about it more thoroughly, he realised that Cygnus had not been as enthusiastic as he had hoped. Quite the opposite, in fact. He had looked puzzled, then annoyed, before confessing that he had lost the mandrake leaf. Therefore, they had started the process all over again. This time as well, Sirius had brewed the potion himself. Cygnus had been away a lot and he had wanted to do the job for his son. When he finally had realised what was going on, he had taken the phial with the potion and had destroyed it. At the time, he had wondered why Cygnus had left the phial in the cave without protecting it with a spell. Now he knew the answer. Because he didn't really need the brew. Sirius opened his eyes and said, "I'm sure that Jonathan is right. Cygnus already was an Animagus when he showed up here. And I haven't filled in the blanks. I am absolutely sure about this". The others sighed in relief.
Lucius said, "Even at Durmstrang he wouldn't have been taught how to do it. It is more likely that Old Flint pushed him to become an Animagus when he was still very young". Jonathan asked: "But if his grandfather helped him, he must have known how to do it. Even if Old Flint had brewed the potion for him, as Sirius has done as well, there must have been some kind of instruction on how to do it. The procedure is quite complicated therefore someone possessing that knowledge would put it down in writing, don't you think? Didn't Old Flint leave some kind of notes?". They considered the question. Suddenly Lucius said: "The year the Dark Lord returned, Old Flint has once again been in serious trouble with the Aurors for having assaulted several Muggles. The aurors searched his house and a lot of forbidden and illegal stuff was confiscated. Most certainly some writings as well. The search took place while the two Flints were interrogated at the Ministry. Therefore, they didn't have a chance to hide anything. Perhaps the instructions for the transformation into an Animagus were among those writings. I remember that they were furious for having been robbed as they called it. However, if Cygnus was already an Animagus by that time, Old Flint would perhaps not have missed the instructions. On his return to their home after their death, he searched for the document, but it was nowhere to be found. So, he tried to persuade Sirius to assist. I am convinced that even though Cygnus is an Animagus himself, he will not be able to pass on this knowledge to his cronies".
"Ok. How about looking for the house where they kept the boys as prisoners?", Marius asked. Jonathan said, "If my understanding is correct, Cygnus' gang caught up with the family whose house they used and killed them. At least Asterion said that he has heard cries for help from afar. If no one has missed the family yet, it's quite possible that Cygnus still occupies the house. We should see if there's anything in the papers tomorrow. Our papers. Then we can still decide what to do if there is no report". Regulus asked, "Sirius, don't you think it's a good idea to turn on this television thing for a change? If the Muggles have already discovered the bodies, I'm sure there will be a report on their News". Sirius nodded and with his wand opened the door of the cupboard behind which Mercuria's TV set was hidden. It had not been used by anyone since she had passed away. "I didn't have any idea you had a telly in here. That means I can watch the sports broadcasts from now on," Jonathan said enthusiastically. Sirius summoned the remote control and turned on the TV set. There was a special news bulletin on about a massacre near a remote house where an entire family had been slaughtered. The victims showed signs of torture and the police spokesman, who was answering the questions of the reporters, looked profoundly shocked. Given the remoteness of the house, the bodies had been discovered by chance. A courier had returned to the house to deliver a parcel because he had not met anyone the day before. He had come across the dead bodies on his way to the house. "So, Cygnus is gone. Maybe we should take a look around the house anyway. We might still find something there which gives us a clue," suggested Gavin.
Lucius, who had briefly left the room and was now back, replied, "That's not a good idea. Look at this". He threw a copy of a newspaper onto the table. Sirius pulled it to himself and unfolded it. The Daily Prophet. The headline on the front page read: 'Muggle Family Killed in Attack. Aurors Suspect Dark Wizards'. Sirius read aloud: 'First known attack on Muggles since death of You-Know-Who. Unforgivable Curses used multiple times. Ministry appeals for caution and promises full investigation'. The Minister is quoted as saying: 'We will not allow anyone to threaten the hard-won peace in this country. We can assure all residents that we will deal with the perpetrators with the utmost rigour. It is only a matter of time before they will be in custody". Marius said: 'So by now they know that someone out there is not playing by the rules. The question is, what will be the ministry's assessment of the matter? Do they look at it as the act of a few former Death Eaters who can't give up old habits, or as a serious threat to us all. As long as they're unaware of the boys' abduction, my guess would be the former. Either way, we must do everything we can to prevent them from finding out that we are involved in this. Which means that we must not, under any circumstances, show our faces there". As he spoke, Regulus had been looking at Sirius, who pretended not to notice his brother's glances. Finally, he looked up and asked defiantly, "What?". "You know yourself, brother. You must contact Harry. Several members of the Weasley family work at the Ministry, most notably Arthur. You don't have to tell Harry what this is about. He would do anything you asked him to do without questioning the reason. I know you don't want to contact him. But he is closer to the horse's mouth than anyone else we know".
Sirius smiled dryly. Then he sighed deeply. "It's just that I don't want Harry to get involved in anything. He's done so much for humanity and suffered so much. I think he has every right to enjoy the rest of his life". Lucius patted him on the back. "Don't you think, old man, that Potter would be happy to get a chance to help you in exchange? Even if it's just something as banal as gathering some information. You know what? Why don't you let him do something for you? After all, we don't want him to join the fight against Cygnus with flying colours. We just want to know what's the Ministry's position on the whole matter. Given the uproar this attack has caused, it's a perfectly legitimate interest. I suspect that presently everyone wants to know what happened there and what the current state of the investigation is. So, get your ass in gear and send an owl to Potter", he said. With a resigned air, Sirius summoned a parchment, inkwell and quill and wrote a letter to Harry, which he immediately sent off by owl post. Lucius yawned and said, "Well boys, thankfully this drama has had a happy ending. Let's get some sleep, we've got to be fresh and alert for tomorrow". They all got up and went to their beds.
Two days later, Sirius received a reply from Harry. The prevailing opinion in the Ministry was that they were dealing with a band of marauding former Death Eaters who had gone over the top. They were confident that the culprits would soon be apprehended. Shortly after Harry's owl, another one arrived and delivered a small parcel to Sirius. He opened it and stared at the contents in disbelief Regulus asked, "Tell me brother, what is it?". Slowly, Sirius took an object out of the parcel and held it up for the others to see. They stared at it, not wanting to believe. It was Asterion's shoe, the one which he had lost when he had crossed the creek. Sirius opened the letter and read it aloud. "Dear Mr Black. I found your son's shoe in a brook near the Muggle house, which you have heard about, I am sure. As you know, Asterion's name is embroidered on the inside of it. I took it with me secretly, without anyone noticing. After having waited for two days to see if you would contact the authorities on this matter, I now assume that you have no intention of getting involved. You must have your reasons, and I have every respect for them. So why am I doing this? To try and make amends for at least some of the hardships that you had to suffer at the hands of certain authorities in past years. I know your story well and I think you deserve a little trust and support. I hope that your son(s) have come through these events well and that in the future they will be given the protection that they so obviously seem to need. A friend". Except for the ticking of the clock, it was deathly quiet.
Finally, Lucius blurted out, "How extraordinary. A friend? Can we be sure?". Sirius said, "I think so. There are only two possibilities. He's a renegade from Cygnus' group. Which doesn't seem very likely to me. The few people he has with him now have been carefully selected and I am sure they make up the elite of his staff. If there is a spy in their ranks, I would be surprised. Not to mention the fact that they were looking for the boys during the night, and by that time it would have been almost impossible to find the shoe by chance. We know they left the house early in the morning and came here. Bear in mind that they were under a lot of pressure after the boys got away. They had to tidy up the place and get rid of any incriminating evidence before they came to see us. If they wanted to get something in exchange for the hostages, they had to do it quickly. The boys could turn up anywhere at any time and their plan would have failed. I suspect it was an Auror who found the shoe when they searched the extensive crime scene in daylight. That seems far more plausible. Still, we should be careful. We now know that there is someone other than Professor McGonagall who knows that we are involved in this". "Is it possible to find out which members of the Ministry of Magic were at the site? Then we could go through a process of elimination". Sirius held up his hands. "Okay, okay. I will contact Harry again".
A few hours later he received a reply. "Harry writes that it will be difficult to have access to this information, with no mention of why it is necessary. Even Arthur can't get it. It seems that the incident has been classified as Top Secret by the Ministry. That means they're more concerned than they're letting on. Maybe something was found in the house after all. Lucius bent forward. "There's something written on the back of the letter," he said. Sirius turned the letter over and read out loud, "P.S. The only one I know who was at the scene is... No, I don't believe it". "Who is it?". "Percy Weasley. Since when is he an Auror?". "Who's Percy Weasley?" asked Gavin. Sirius explained, "One of Arthur's sons. Third eldest, I think. He started his career as a personal assistant to Barty Crouch senior. There was a rupture with the family. I can't remember exactly why. Anyway, he stood up to Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts, reconciled with his family and, if I remember correctly, left the Ministry. It seems that he started out again in the new government. But certainly not as an auror. Still, it may fit. I'm sure Harry told him that Crouch senior sent me to Azkaban without trial. And Percy's admiration for Crouch may have made way for a more realistic assessment over time, given all that was revealed about Crouch after his death, especially that he freed his Death Eater son from Azkaban. When he investigated the scene, he may have discovered that there must have been two groups of escapees. The Muggles were found by the road. It is possible that Percy noticed that someone else had run into the forest. After all, Asterion said that he had trampled a path through the dense undergrowth for the others to follow. Percy might have followed that path. If he had, he would have come across the creek. In daylight, the shoe would have been easy to spot. The creek was not deep, after all". "And what would he be doing there if he wasn't an Auror?", asked Lucius. "I don't know. He was probably there as an observer for the Minister, I suppose. Actually, he's always been a pencil-pusher, now that I come to think about it. Let's assume that he didn't belong to the Auror Team but was there in some other capacity. He might have stayed behind after the Aurors had left, for whatever reason. Then, as he was about to leave, he noticed that someone had been running into the woods and followed the trail. He may have been hoping to get a boost in his career if he had found something significant. He was always very ambitious, as far as I remember". Andromeda said, "OK. Let's assume it was him. What does that imply?". "Nothing now. He returned the shoe to me. I suppose that means he wants to keep his discovery to himself. Anyway, the truth about Cygnus and how he's connected to us is bound to come out sooner or later. In the meantime, we need to gather as much information as we can. That should be our main goal for the time being. Having an additional supporter in Percy Weasley may be a blessing in disguise".