The next morning, Sirius and Lucius set off for Hogwarts while Regulus, Gavin, Marius and Andromeda checked the grounds. Sirius had informed Dorkas, and the outer elves had also been out in force, on the lookout for swans and any unusual activity on the estate. Professor McGonagall had been more than happy to meet with Sirius. When Lucius entered her office behind him, she frowned at him. "Headmaster." "Mr Malfoy, what an unexpected surprise". Sirius interrupted her. "Professor McGonagall, we need your help. We would like you to take a look at a memory of Lucius'. Especially in relation to the people who were involved. Would you be willing to do that?". After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. Lucius took the phial containing his memory from his pocket and handed it to Professor McGonagall. She poured the contents into Dumbledore's Pensieve and dipped her head in it. Meanwhile, Sirius had scanned the room with his eyes and was relieved to see that the portrait of Phineas Nigellus was no longer hanging in place. When Professor McGonagall lifted her head from the Pensieve, she was ghostly pale and staggered over to her desk, slumping heavily into her chair. "May I ask how things have turned out?", she mumbled. Sirius said, "The boys returned home safe and sound". "I see. What exactly do you want to know?". "Cygnus went to Durmstrang himself. As for some of the others, we suspect that they may have come from abroad. Can you identify any of them?". "The one Hogwarts student amongst them is Gregory Armstrong. A half-blood. Father's a Muggle. Slytherin, of course". She gave Malfoy a contemptuous look, which he ignored. "Does that help you?". "Let's just say that it confirms our fears". "Which are?". Sirius and Lucius looked at each other. "Now, come on, gentlemen. Some time ago, Mr Black turned up here and warned me about his son. From what Mr Malfoy remembers, I gather the warning was justified. What's going on here, gentlemen? In my opinion, I have a right to be told".
Lucius began, "I assume you knew Marius Flint, or at least his reputation. The man was obsessed with the idea of his family taking a leading role in the Wizarding World. Although his background in no way predestined him to any such position". He snorted. "All his life, Flint had been interested in military strategy. We all wondered how someone who was such a vehement advocate of Wizarding Supremacy could at the same time be such an avid reader of Muggle books on the subject. My own personal opinion is that - long before the Dark Lord actually met his end - he was already placing his bets that Tom Riddle was going to fail at some point. Perhaps he had gleaned from his books that a movement tailored to the needs of one person alone, even if that person was exceptionally gifted, would have little chance of lasting success in the end. I don't know. Anyway, he trained his grandson, Cygnus, from childhood to take over once Tom Riddle was gone. Cygnus was supposed to step in and fill the void that would be left. It suited Flint to know that Cygnus was sired by Sirius. Old blood, lots of money and, most importantly, a huge estate in a remote part of the country". "So far I can keep up. What are his plans?". Sirius chimed in, "We suspect he wants to raise an army. An army made up of the remaining Death Eaters who are still committed to the cause, and the contacts he has made in Durmstrang - a real army. Trained, equipped, and so on. He needs what I inherited to make this happen. He has made an attempt to take it over from me. He failed in that, but I think by then he had already brought a few strangers into the country. Now he hopes to inherit everything. You saw Lucius' memory. Knowing what we do now, it is safe to assume that there would never have been a barter deal. None of the boys would have returned home alive. Then only Marius, Regulus and I would stand between him and his inheritance". "What are you going to do now?". Malfoy began, "The problem is that it's all conjecture. We don't have a single piece of solid evidence to go on. Besides, we don't know who to trust. He approached me. I turned him down. There may have been others who were willing to join in. All we can do is try to gather as much information as we can. For example, where he is staying right now. He must have lodged these foreigners he's brought in somewhere. He's not in old Flint's house. There's not enough space there anyway. If you want to help us, you should ask around a bit. Unobtrusively, of course. A large group won't remain unnoticed in the long run". "How many people are we talking about?". "About twenty, I guess. Perhaps a few more. The group shouldn't be too large by now, otherwise it would probably have attracted attention already. Besides, he's had a few casualties so far. Five or six". Professor McGonagall got up to see them off, "I'll do what I can". As Sirius took her hand, he said, "There is one more thing. Cygnus is an Animagus. A swan. We are certain that he's not able to teach the others how to do it". Sirius gave a mischievous smile as Malfoy leaned over to Professor McGonagall and said, "Headmaster. This is not just a matter of my family. Cygnus is a menace to the whole Wizarding World. A trained army represents a threat which is beyond our control". Professor McGonagall stood in the doorway staring at Lucius with her mouth open and her eyes wide.
When they returned, Regulus asked, "How did it go?". "Just as we had feared. Only one of the attackers was a student at Hogwarts. The others are foreigners. I think we can assume that Cygnus has gathered a manageable group of wizards around him. It is possible that he has plans to add magical animals and creatures to his future army. But for the moment, these should play only a minor role in his deliberations. What is of much more concern to me, personally, is the international aspect of the whole thing. Tom Riddle's interest had been confined to our own country. But Cygnus seems to have a much bigger plan, one that extends far beyond our island. I think I should travel to Antwerp to talk to the wizards there about it. They hear quite a lot. A few years ago, they warned me of a danger coming from the east. Back then I was referring to Tom Riddle, who, as you know, has been to Eastern Europe on several occasions. But perhaps I was mistaken, and they had something else in mind".
Malfoy bent forward. "I'll come with you. This seems an interesting plan. We've been holed up in here for long enough. Constantly responding to Cygnus' attacks won't get us anywhere in the long run. It's time for us to make a move of our own. And part of that is gathering information". He looked at Sirius appraisingly. "You used to excel at gathering information. Unfortunately, your options on that score are limited". "What's your point?", Sirius asked suspiciously. "Black, it's obvious. Anyone who meets Cygnus will know at once that he is your son, or at the very least, a close relative. That's why you don't qualify as a spy because no one connected to him will tell you anything. Regulus, Gavin or Marius are also out of the running. That leaves Sophie. No one has ever linked her to any of us before". Sophie exclaimed excitedly, "Yes, Lucius is right. Only my family know that I am working here. I'll make enquiries. Before I came here, I was still in touch with a few of my former classmates at school. I'll contact them first. Sirius, can you give me some pointers on how to go about it?". Marius said, "You're right. I can't get any information myself, because no one in league with Cygnus would tell me anything. But I have a contact person who can do some discreet legwork for me. Gabriele Delacour". "And who is she?". "The little sister of Fleur Weasley, the wife of Bill Weasley. She was at Beauxbaton like me, though a few years down. We knew each other quite well, and still write occasionally. I am sure she would be willing to help us if I asked her. She lives in France. The least she could do is find out if there are any strange activities going on there as well". Sirius nodded. "That's a good idea. We need informants who are not directly linked to us. See if you can think of anyone else".
Regulus said: "OK. Lucius and Sirius are going to Antwerp. Sophie will do some information gathering. What about the rest of us?". Sirius suggested, "Marius should write to Gabriele and help Jessie with the cultivation of magical plants, especially medical ones. And the rest of you should protect the premises. You might also want to look at the rooms in the right wing of the house. I have not yet had the time to poke around there." Jonathan asked, "Sirius, do you mind if I look at the musical automaton your wife has brought from Belgium? She had a hunch it had something to do with the Wizarding World, didn't she? Jessie doesn't understand mechanics. But I used to do a lot of screwdriving in my day". Sirius nodded. "OK with me", thereby forgetting that he had sealed Mercuria's workshop with an Intruder Charm.
Sirius said to the group, "All right, Jessie and I are going to sleep now. It'd be a good idea for you to do the same, Lucius. I think we should get an early start. We should stop at Jamie Rickett's on the way to Antwerp. Sophie, how do you get in touch with your parents?". She gave him a startled look. "By owl mail usually". He said, "I thought so. Your father is the only wizard in a Muggle family, isn't he? Do they have a phone?". Sophie nodded surprised. "Okay, I'll give Jamie Jessie's phone number. No more owls from now on, ok?". "Why?". "Because Cygnus can catch the owls pretty easy. If you really want to gather information, you must not let anyone know that you are staying with us. Well, those who remain here should also protect the estate from flying intruders. This would mainly concern Cygnus. But of course, it would also keep the owls out of here. Okay, have a good night, all of you".
The next morning, Sirius and Lucius set off on their journey to Antwerp. To be less conspicuous they had decided to travel by Muggle roads until they reached Jamie Rickett's farm. They intended to fly only when they had to cross the Channel. The Muggle roads were a temptation for them to drive at top speed. They had bewitched their motorcycles to fool the CCTV on the motorways and slalomed around the Muggle cars who were gliding along the motorway without exceeding the speed limit. Sirius was amazed how he enjoyed being out on the road again at long last. He couldn't remember when he had been out for a spin with his buddies on their motorbikes for the last time. He was also amazed at how well Malfoy was coping with it. After a few reservations at first, Lucius had turned into a real motorbike freak, enthusiastically testing the limits of his vehicle and now doing risky manoeuvres to get around the cars. Sirius had to use all of his experience to keep up with him. They wore no helmets, and Sirius was enjoying the wind which blew his hair out of his face. It made him feel great. Finally, his life was exciting again. No, that wasn't quite true. In fact, his life had been full of excitement ever since he had escaped from Azkaban. But now he had a goal that he could pursue once again. He smiled. It suited him better to get involved in a conflict, rather than trying to figure out how best to solve it. Lucius dashed by him, and Sirius kicked into high gear to follow.
Sirius grinned. In secret, he was enjoying having a mate at his side once again. At first glance it seemed impossible and completely absurd that it should be Lucius of all people. Since Tom Riddle had first begun to seek power in the land, they had come a long way. Back then, they had been on different sides of the conflict and had held opposing ideals. And yet, deep down, there must always have been something that they had in common, something that bound them together. Malfoy's change of heart had occurred sometime after the Dark Lord had vanished following the attack on James and Lily. As Mercuria had said: "Lucius found that he didn't need Voldemort to be important, respected and influential. He was all that by birth. And when Voldemort returned, he felt more and more repelled. Lucius is arrogant, condescending, conceited. But he is not a cruel, vicious psychopath". Now Sirius even had doubts that Malfoy had ever been directly responsible for the death of another person. He had probably turned his back on Voldemort after Bellatrix had escaped from Azkaban and moved in with him. On top of that, Draco had been forced to join the Death Eaters at the request of the Dark Lord and had been entrusted with a task that he had no chance of solving. Both events had massively changed the way he saw things. Malfoy had many qualities that drove Sirius to madness. But he did acknowledge that Lucius was making a real effort to adapt to the changed circumstances in his life. And since he had confessed to Jessie that he had moved in with Sirius because he had been lonely and was enjoying life at Black Manor, Sirius was willing to overlook a lot of Malfoy's peculiarities.