After five hours, they rolled into the yard of Jamie Rickett's house and parked next to the front door, which opened. A man stepped out of the house and walked towards them. Sirius noticed that he was holding a wand, which he quickly hid when he recognised his visitors. He beamed and stretched out a hand. "Sirius, what a pleasant surprise. Come in". Jamie led the way, ushering the two wizards into his kitchen. At the table in the middle of the room sat an elderly man and a woman. They got up as they walked in. Jamie introduced them to the guests. "This is my father, William Rickett. My wife, Susan. My dear, this is Mr Sirius Black, who gave our Sophie a job. And this is," he hesitated for a moment, "Mr Lucius Malfoy." Susan Rickett smiled bashfully at Sirius. "We're so delighted you hired our Sophie. We were all over the moon when Professor McGonagall's letter arrived saying you were in need of a tutor for your sons and that she had recommended Sophie for the job. Jamie told me that the Blacks are considered to belong to the High Nobility of the Wizarding World. And that you are an exceptionally powerful wizard. Because of this, Sophie was not sure if she would fit in with you. We're just ordinary people, after all. And since you only have boys, she doubted you would even consider her. So, when you did hire her, she was in awe of her good fortune. I'm sure there must have been a lot of applicants who were vying for the job. Sophie always writes such enthusiastic letters. What a warm welcome she has had from everyone. That she has two huge rooms to stay in, with the family and not in the servants' quarters. And that your boys are so sweet and obedient. Thank you, Mr Black. Thank you for everything you have done for our Sophie".
Sirius had listened baffled and now felt slightly uneasy. Once again, he had failed to notice what was happening around him. He hadn't even had the slightest inkling of what Sophie's appointment as his sons' tutor had meant to her and her family. Sophie was kind, patient and dedicated, and his boys loved her. That was all he had needed to know about her. Jamie noticed that he was confused and said, "Please, have a seat. Darling, can you get us something to drink, coffee, tea?". "Coffee would be just fine. Thank you very much". Sirius and Lucius sat down at the table. Jamie's father went to the door and muttered: "I've got some work to do in the stables". He gave them a nod and then left. "I'm glad you've come to see us. But I'm sure you're not here about Sophie. What can I do for you?". They were waiting for Susan to serve the coffee. Then Sirius spoke up, "You're quite right. We're not here about Sophie. By the way, this is my partner's phone number". He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "It is safer not to correspond by owl mail anymore, for reasons I will explain. Don't hesitate to call if you want to talk to Sophie. I can arrange her own phone too". He handed the note to Susan. She took it reluctantly and gave her husband an uncertain look. Jamie nodded and said, "Darling, won't you help Dad? I think there are a couple of things that need to be done". She nodded, saluted them, and pulled the door shut behind her as she left.
Sirius sat back. "We've come to ask for your help. I'll tell you what it is in a moment". "As soon as I recognised Mr Malfoy, I knew that this was not a social call", he said. Lucius raised his eyebrows quizzically. "You're not exactly known for socialising with people like me", Jamie added apologetically. "What did you use to call us? Mudbloods, I think". He smiled uncertainly. Malfoy snorted. "Believe me, Rickett. I, too, am capable of change. At least a little bit". Jamie nodded in disbelief. Sirius interjected, "Enough of this. Since school days, we've all changed. Lucius is just one of us. We don't have time to explain why. We need your help, as I said. What we are going to tell you must not leave this room. It would put you at risk". "I see. Let's hear what you want to say." Sirius and Malfoy told him what had happened since Cygnus had sought Sirius out. How they had slowly learned more and more about him and what he was up to. "So you think your son is the next Dark Wizard to seize power. Only that instead of relying primarily on his own outstanding skills, as Grindelwald and Voldemort did, he is trying to put together a fighting force. What advantage do you think that would give him?".
Lucius explained: "Grindelwald and Voldemort in particular were two exceptionally gifted wizards. Voldemort spent years of his life studying the Dark Arts. He was extremely powerful. But those who followed him were not. They were a motley crew of wizards, mostly of average talent, who believed in Wizard Supremacy and who hoped to benefit personally by supporting him. To become a Death Eater, all one had to do was to be loyal to Voldemort and to possess a considerable degree of cruelty and nefariousness. In short, when Voldemort disappeared after the attack on the Potters, the whole movement fell apart. Cygnus is no doubt a mighty wizard. But, of course, he doesn't have anything like Grindelwald's skills, let alone Voldemort's. For this reason, he takes a different approach. Cygnus aims for success as a strategist. He relies on a sufficient number of like-minded people who believe in Wizarding Supremacy and are willing to fight for it. Most wizards are satisfied with what they have learned at Hogwarts, and after they have left school, only perfect the magic they need for their daily lives or jobs at most. Of course, there are always a few who practise their skills regularly. Or who learn or develop new magic. But they are definitely the minority. For example, Jamie, when did you last practise the spells from Defence Against the Dark Arts?". Jamie shook his head at this. Sirius grinned. "That's what I expected. Back when I was on the run, and accompanied Mercuria to the Scottish coast, we were in hiding for several weeks, and I used to practise every day on the beach. Every incantation I could think of. Any spells and charms I could remember. You forget a lot of things you once knew in twelve years of captivity. Remus Lupin sent me several textbooks. They helped me to refresh my memory. And I did a lot of work on my technique until I was as fast as I was before". Jamie wondered: "I don't understand. What is the connection between this and Cygnus?". Malfoy interjected. "Cygnus knows that the Aurors will be his most formidable opponents. They are the only group in our country who have mastered the defensive arts to perfection. They practice them regularly and are far more powerful than the average wizard. Furthermore, there are a handful of individual fighters like us who keep up their skills. Cygnus' plan is to counter this with a battle force. In other words, a group of fellow fighters, all at the same high level, with whom he can first eliminate the Aurors and then all other opponents. In order to do this, he needs to train his team. And, in turn, he needs a fairly large area for their training".
Jamie said thoughtfully, "I see. What's my part in this?". Sirius said, "Do you remember the first few years after we left school? I used to fly to Antwerp to meet Mercuria. One time I had two Death Eaters on my tail and had to hide in your house. You had cast a protection spell on the coast, conjuring up a thick wall of fog whenever a Death Eater tried to fly out to sea. Meanwhile, I had no trouble getting through. By the way, how was that possible?". Jamie smirked. "The Death Eaters wore this sign on their arms they used to communicate. It's what the spell responded to". Malfoy nodded in approval. "Clever". Jamie smiled. "I noticed that Sirius was flying to the continent regularly. I didn't know why, but then again it was none of my business anyway". Sirius nodded. "We suspect that at least some of Cygnus' entourage came from abroad. From across the Channel. Can you keep an eye on the passage for us?". Jamie smiled, "Yeah, I can probably manage. And then I'll be in touch with you by phone. Sirius, can you just answer me one question, is Sophie in any danger?". Sirius shook his head. "No. Not for the time being, at least I don't think so. She told me that no one knows she's staying with us except you. She hasn't told any of her friends. As long as Cygnus doesn't link her to us, she'll be safe. She knows this. As for the rest of us, we will protect ourselves as best we can. Cygnus will not be able to invade the premises again. Besides, we're going to act ourselves now. It makes little sense to wait to see where and how Cygnus will strike next time. We are taking the initiative now. That is why we are on our way to Antwerp".
Jamie asked, "It's getting dark. Wouldn't you like to stay here for the night? We have plenty of room. You could then travel on in the morning and we would have some time to talk. My family would be delighted. And so would I, obviously". Sirius and Lucius looked at each other and agreed. Then they accepted. What followed was a happy evening. Jamie had asked them not to talk about Cygnus, so the conversation turned to more innocuous subjects. More than once Sirius was puzzled when he felt the admiring glances of the Ricketts, who from time to time watched him unobtrusively. Eventually only the three wizards were left in the kitchen and Jamie served them a whisky. "My dad distilled this himself. It's something very special". Even though Sirius hadn't had a drop of hard liquor since his drinking binge with Cygnus, he accepted a glass out of courtesy. Jamie was right. The whisky was indeed something special. Leaning back comfortably in his chair, Sirius asked: "Tell me, Jamie. Are Lucius and I the first wizards apart from you and Sophie to meet your family?". Jamie's eyes narrowed and he stared at him in disbelief. Then throwing his head back, a loud laugh rang out, "My God, Sirius. Back in Hogwarts, a lot of your fellow students thought you were haughty. But you weren't actually, were you? It was just your way of ignoring things that weren't of interest to you. And there were many. This aloofness was mistaken for arrogance by many. The girls in particular. They were crazy about you, but you weren't interested in them. I suppose you also failed to notice that for your classmates, you and Potter were the height of coolness. Most of them couldn't understand why you cared about Peter Pettigrew. He had to suffer a lot. But only when he was on his own, of course. No one had the guts to bully Peter in your company". Sirius wondered. Jamie smiled. "You've never noticed, have you? Anyway, it did not come as a surprise to me when it turned out in the end that he had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort. It just suited him, psychologically speaking. There were times at school when I got the impression that he was blaming the two of you for his own personal failures. I never really believed that you were the traitor, by the way. Apart from this, my family also knows the rest of the story. Your time in Azkaban, and your death at the Ministry of Magic. They're even more surprised than most wizards are that you came through all that relatively unscathed. I don't know what really happened, but I've found one or two explanations as to how it was possible. To my family, however, you are a mystery beyond comprehension. And such an affable one at that". They burst out laughing.
They retired soon after. The next morning, as they said their goodbyes to the family, Jamie promised to them, "You can count on me. I'll get right down to protecting the coastline. Anything else I should know?". There was a moment's hesitation from Sirius before he said, "Cygnus is an Animagus. A swan. Be extremely careful if you see one. Although I don't think he's going to show up here. He's got no reason to, really. But you'd better watch out". Jamie frowned and for a moment it looked like he was about to add something. Then he nodded, shook hands and went back inside. Lucius and Sirius started their engines and headed towards the nearby shore. Sirius pulled his bike high into the sky. Then he noticed that Lucius was flying low over the sea. Occasionally, the tyres of his bike would touch the surface of the water and fountains would spray up. He gave a loud cheer and Sirius grinned as Malfoy shouted, "Black, that's just fantastic".
When they reached the Belgian coast, they landed on the road and headed towards the city. On their way, they passed the hut where Sirius and Buckbeak, the hippogriff, had taken refuge for a few months after their escape from Hogwarts some years ago. In the centre of Antwerp, they parked their bikes and strolled to a bookshop in a small side street. Sirius asked the bookseller, "Tovenaar Street", allowing them to pass through a hidden door at the back of the store. As they stepped out into a narrow cul-de-sac, Lucius looked around in confusion. The six or seven shops in the street were very similar to those in Diagon Alley. At the far end, there was a small cafe with two or three tables and several chairs on the sidewalk. A couple of customers were engaged in a lively discussion. Sirius walked towards them, hoping to spot a familiar face. Just as he was about to reach the table, a man stood up and looked at him in surprise. Then he beamed at him and gave him a warm hug. "Sirius. I can scarcely believe this. The last news we had of you was that you were dead. That was many years ago now. Thankfully, some false news. You look great. Sit down and tell us what has happened to you. And who is this?". Sirius smiled ironically and said, 'My cousin Lucius Malfoy, Wim de Bos, who invited me to stay at his beach hut for some time". They took a seat.
"And how is your little Muggle wife? We were always convinced that she could create something extraordinary". Sirius swallowed hard. "Yes, she did create some incomparable pieces. A few months ago, she passed away. She was very ill. She had been losing her memory. Soon she would have been just an empty shell". Wim gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm. "I'm very sorry to hear this. She was a very special lady. But perhaps she always carried the disease in her. The only person I ever met who couldn't be obliviated. Very sad". He clapped his hands, and a waiter brought them drinks. "What can we do you? I take it you've come to catch up on some news?". Sirius nodded. Without going into too much detail, and without revealing that he was related to Cygnus, he described how they feared another Dark Wizard preparing to take over the country. The wizards listened with rapt attention. There was silence for a while when Sirius finished. Finally, Wim asked: "We have been afraid for some time now that something is about to happen. Not on your island, though. This is the first we hear of it. When did it all begin?". Sirius and Lucius looked at each other. "A little more than a year ago. His grandparents died back-to-back and before that he returned to our island. He went to Durmstrang. After graduating, he stayed abroad. Where, we have no idea. We also don't know what he did there. But we do know that the grandfather was very much into the Dark Arts. He was also an expert at strategic warfare. He had countless Muggle books on the subject. Obviously, he anticipated early on that Voldemort would eventually fail and prepared his grandson to fill the void".
The Belgian wizards were talking excitedly to each other in Flemish, a language with which neither Sirius nor Lucius was familiar. They sipped their drinks nonchalantly and waited. Eventually Wim switched back to English. "What you said confirms what we had long suspected from the information we gathered. Namely that a danger is once again on the boil. But this time in the East. Now, your story provides another piece of the puzzle. As I told you years ago, the ideology of Wizarding Supremacy is not confined to your island but has spread to the continent as well. Many have watched closely to see what happened to Voldemort. And they have learned from him. His most important lesson was that a movement tailored to the extraordinary abilities of one man stands or falls with that man. This is ultimately the great weakness of such a movement. In short, defeat that one person and all others fall like dominoes. Your Mr Flint has been right to identify this weakness. And so have some others. What we have heard so far is still very vague. It appears that several small, manageable groups operate clandestinely across the continent. They seem to be loosely linked. They try to keep a low profile, but there have been some attacks. In some places, this has prompted local authorities to disperse these groups. But, as I said, there is nothing tangible to report. The fact that a group has been formed on your island as well fits in perfectly with this picture. The only advice we can give you is to remain vigilant. There is one more thing. Whether this is related, we cannot say. We have been told by several travellers that some are in search of a feather. We have not been told who and for what reason". "A feather? What does that mean?". "We don't have a clue". Sirius nodded. He and Lucius thanked the wizards and headed back to their motorcycles.
Sirius asked, "Did that help?". Lucius nodded, "In some ways. There are several groups in different countries which operate much like Cygnus and his people. It makes sense in that a local group is familiar with what's going on in their own country. They can therefore take appropriate action. They do seem to be sharing information with each other. Perhaps the aim is to bring the whole continent under control and establish Wizard Supremacy on a large scale. There are many advantages to this method, but there is also one obvious disadvantage". "Which is?". "Sirius Black. There are times when I wonder at your naivete. You are an outstanding warrior. But you just don't seem to understand the concept of power. The more power you have, the less willing you are to share it with others. Because if you do that, there is less power left for you. The same goes for wealth. If you give some of it away, you will have less of it. Furthermore, no matter how many possessions you have, you are only rich in comparison to someone who has less. Nobody is rich or poor if everyone has the same. This also goes for power. One is only powerful when compared to others. Because you never wanted power and you don't care about wealth, you don't understand this. Sooner or later there will be fights for leadership, that is the nature of things. With Voldemort, it didn't happen because he just towered over everyone else. But in the long run, a struggle for power is almost inevitable in a group of wizards of more or less equal strength. That would play right into our hands," he said. Sirius had been listening very carefully. "You may be right about that. The Muggles call this phenomenon "revolution devouring its children". OK. Enough of that. Let's go home, what do you say?". Lucius straightened. "Not yet. I want to do a bit of shopping first". "Shopping? For what?". "Clothing. In the Wizarding World, I have a reputation for being a well-dressed gentleman. But I need something suitable for the Muggle world as well now that I am moving among them. So, I want to buy some outfit. Would you like to come along? I saw a Men's Outfitters near where we've parked our motorcycles, and it seemed appropriate. I'm sure they've got some fine clothes for a gentleman like me that we just don't have in Yorkshire". For a moment Sirius thought he had heard wrong. One look at Malfoy's determined face, however, convinced him that this was not a joke at all. He nodded. Sirius had never liked shopping trips. Even as a child, he had loathed his mother for taking him to Diagon Alley and spending what seemed like an eternity picking and choosing what to buy for him. Lucius, however, was easily breaking all the records that had been set up to that point. Sirius watched in annoyance as the tailor took Lucius' measurements. He almost lost his nerve when Malfoy and the shop assistant discussed at length which of the six grey suit jackets on display was the most stylish. They all looked the same to Sirius. And grey was grey, so what's the difference? When they finally left the shop, laden with Lucius's purchases, Sirius felt completely drained. He resisted the urge to buy a bottle of whisky and get plastered. Instead, they minimised Malfoy's bags, got on their motorbikes and flew home, where they arrived late in the evening.