They gathered in the living room the following evening, when everyone had returned from their travels, and shared their discoveries. Jamie Rickett had noticed that a few wizards who had seemed suspicious to him had crossed the Channel in the last few weeks. Although he had been aware of the danger, he had followed them secretly and had discovered that they had joined Cygnus and his men. Sophie explained, "Daddy can move among Muggles without attracting attention. He blended in with them, and thus Cygnus' group disregarded him. He was a witness to the last two attacks. During the first, he watched them from a raised hide at the edge of a forest. He had brought his binoculars to observe them. When their cover was blown, he followed the group at a safe distance to Cornwall. There they nested in a lonely house on the coast. After twelve days, the inhabitants of the house were being searched for. The group killed the Muggles and fled north at night. It seemed too dangerous for him to follow them. So he stayed put and watched as the Aurors arrived shortly afterwards to investigate the house. He found that Cygnus' group then consisted of sixteen people," the others nodded. "That's important information. Jamie took quite a risk. Luckily everything went well". Sophie explained, "Dad didn't join the resistance against Voldemort and his Death Eaters because he wanted to protect the family. He told me a lot of stories about how you and James Potter and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix fought against the Dark Lord and his followers. He admired you immensely for what you risked back then, and for the price that you were willing to pay for it. This time he is not going to stand on the side-lines when it comes to fighting back. He asked me to tell you that he practises every day. Defence against the Dark Arts. Says you and Lucius were right. If you don't practise, you forget a lot. But now he's just as good as he was when he left Hogwarts. And he asks you to let him know if there is anything he can do to help". Sirius smiled approvingly. "We'll definitely do so".
Sophie and Marius' statements were more or less confirmed by Gavin and Regulus. "We've spoken to a number of people. In the Leaky Cauldron and in Diagon Alley. I can't say if any of them were Ministry employees. But there was a sense among many that something might be afoot. Exactly what it was, no one could point a finger at. But we learned that there were not only murders of Muggles. It is possible that at least three wizards and one witch cannot been accounted for as well", he said. "What do you mean, they may have gone missing?", asked Lucius. "Those who told us only suggested that these people might have disappeared. However, none of them were in such close contact that they could really be sure. It could also be that these people went abroad, for example. One of them was a colleague of the witch. He thought it was possible that she had quit her job overnight and found something else. Finally, we checked the places where they lived and the times they disappeared against the Muggle raids. It is possible that they crossed Cygnus' path and seen something they should not have". "Do you know their names? We really need to check this out. If the group has indeed begun to eliminate unwanted eyewitnesses from the Wizarding World, sooner or later there will be no hiding it. Sooner rather than later, someone will notice".
"What did you learn from Professor McGonagall?". "The information about the swans came from one of her former students. He had accidentally observed a swan landing by a lake and Cygnus transforming back. Like all her students, he knew Professor McGonagall was an Animagus herself. He wrote to her about the incident so that she could take care of it". "What was his name?". "Verne Herdman". Regulus interrupted. "He's on our list too. He lived in the Cotswolds". "That means we now know for certain that one of those who may have disappeared had an encounter with Cygnus". "But we don't know if Cygnus was aware of being observed. If Herdman still could post a letter to Professor McGonagall, at least he was alive after the sighting of Cygnus". "Exactly. We'll check that. Have you found out anything else?". Lucius said, "Cygnus was on his own. It is likely that the others are still not Animaghi. However, Professor McGonagall also told us that there have been two or three attempts to get into the forbidden part of the library. The defences withstood, and the intruders failed. But there is someone out there looking for secret books. So far it has not been possible to determine who it was. Professor McGonagall has put measures in place to try and find out as soon as possible. By the way, she asked us not to tell any of the other teachers about this". Andromeda asked, "Can't they borrow any book they like?". "Apparently not. There is a section of the library that is off-limits even to teachers, as we have learned under the seal of secrecy. Only the headmaster and some senior ministry staff and, of course, the Minister of Magic himself are allowed in. The section was set up when Hogwarts was built. Since then, copies of every indexed book ever found in the country have been collected there. A treasure trove for anyone studying the Dark Arts. But it is perhaps the best protected place in the entire Wizarding World." Sirius added, "Incidentally, we learned that Professor McGonagall could only borrow the book on becoming an Animagus with special permission from the then Minister of Magic. Since she was a Professor of Transfiguration, they wanted to give her the opportunity to experience it for herself. Her Animagus, of course, is registered".
Sophie said: "There's just one thing that puzzles me. How are sixteen people going to stage a coup? Perhaps we are overestimating all this?". Jonathan shook his head. "No, we're certainly not. Those sixteen people are the inner circle. The ones that Cygnus did all the planning with. Most of his followers are hiding somewhere abroad. The main point of his plan was to get Sirius and the estate under his control so he could catch up with the rest of his gang. Then they would have come here, undetected, preparing for the final blow. Since the failure of that plan, he has had a problem. He has no headquarters, no safe place to retreat to. To house sixteen people without sooner or later attracting attention is difficult, even for a wizard. I am becoming more and more convinced that Cygnus did not expect that his central project would fail. It seems that he didn't have a backup plan in place for the worst-case scenario. Because from then on, everything went against him. Kidnapping the children was a desperate attempt to get the feather. It failed and instead attracted the Aurors' attention. By killing the Muggles, he hoped to distract them. From what, though? If I were Cygnus, I would disappear for a while and quietly consider my options and plan my next steps"'.
Jonathan continued, "Now is the best time to put an end to this once and for all. We know what we are up against. Cygnus' group is such a small one that we can hold our own against them. If we can pin down Cygnus ourselves, the whole thing will be over at least for now, because most of the others are from abroad and they cannot carry on here for the time being". "I thought they were planning to build an army precisely because they don't have a great Dark Wizard to lead them". "That's right. And they won't need him once they have their army. Anybody can command the troops. But Cygnus must pave the path. He knows his way around here. And he is the one in contact with the former Death Eaters". "And why don't they build up their army abroad and then bring it over here?". "Because they'll have the same problem on the continent. They need a large area in which they can operate without being observed". Regulus said, "So now we must quickly find out the whereabouts of the group and then attack them. How many are we actually?". Sirius did a head count of their group. "You and Gavin, Marius and Sophie, Andromeda, Lucius and I, and Jamie Rickett. That makes eight. So a two to one ratio". Gavin chimed in, "and my grandfather, my parents and my two siblings. As soon as it became clear that Cygnus was a Dark Wizard and wanted to fill the void left by Voldemort's death, I informed my grandfather," he explained to a surprised Sirius. He giggled. "You know how Grandpa dealt with the Death Eaters back then. Drowned them in the moor. Well, my family immediately started preparing for an armed attack. Just like you suggested". "That makes us look much better. Now there are thirteen of us against sixteen of them". Kreacher's croaking voice came from behind. "Master Sirius, it's fourteen to sixteen". Sirius smiled at him. "Of course. How could I ever forget you? Fourteen to sixteen then". "What are we supposed to do?", asked Jonathan. "I'm very good at tennis. I could take on Mercury's frying pan". Sirius shook his head. "No way. It's far too dangerous. If we find and duel them, that pan is a very poor weapon. It is effective when you are fighting a single opponent, such as Mercuria did against Cygnus. But in the confusion of a battle between thirty wizards, with spells flying back and forth, it is nothing short of suicide. No, I will not let you run this risk". Disappointed, Jonathan nodded and said, "Then Dorkas, Jessie and I will look after the boys in the meantime".
Andromeda clapped her hands, "Well, then we just need to find the group. Any ideas on how to do that?". Gavin suggested, "We could go roaming the country as Animaghi and look for them". Marius shook his head in disagreement. "What the hell would we be lookin' for? They're gonna be in a Muggle house somewhere. And if they are clever, which we can assume, the house has no protective spell on it. Thus, other wizards cannot identify it as their hideout. No, this is not a viable solution for us". Lucius asked Gavin. "How soon can you contact your family?". "When we talked about Cygnus and my family pledged to help us fight him, Grandpa gave each of us a badge. When I touch mine with my wand, they receive a signal and arrive here within seconds by Floo Network". "And what about Jamie Rickett?". "Can be summoned by phone". Lucius nodded. "Sophie, tell your father he must be available around the clock. He might be needed at short notice".
Sirius leaned forward. "What have you cooked up this time, Malfoy?". Lucius grinned smugly. "You know Black, sometimes you just have to think like a Death Eater, something I often miss about you". Sirius frowned at him and raised his eyebrows. "So?". Lucius continued cockily, "We are convinced that Cygnus' plans have failed. Nothing he set out to achieve has been successful. I agree with Jonathan that Cygnus will soon be leaving the country for a period of regrouping. But before that, I am sure he will try something he has failed at yet". "And what would that be?". "To remove the feather from Merope's gravestone, of course". Regulus said, "I'm sure he's tried that several times by now". Lucius sat back, clasping his hands in front of his chest and giving them a superior look. "I would highly doubt it". Irritated by Lucius's garrulousness, Sirius said angrily, "Malfoy, don't let us worm any information out of you. What the hell did you do?". Lucius scowled. "I did what was necessary. And of course, what the rest of you didn't think of". Sirius felt an uncontrollable rage well up inside of him. For a moment, he had to withstand a powerful impulse to take Lucius by the collar, shake him hard and beat the information out of him. Instead, he closed his eyes. He brushed a strand of hair from his face and puffed up his cheeks. "Let's hear it, man". He slammed his fist heavily on the table.
Lucius seemed to realise he was about to overstep the mark and quickly continued, "The old Muggle woman in the cemetery told us that she had encountered Cygnus and his gang before we met her there. After we removed the feather from the cemetery, I chiselled a feather into the stone. You noticed that didn't you?". Sirius nodded. "And I put a spell on it that will send me a signal as soon as anyone tries to tamper with the stone. Since we've been in the cemetery, no one's been back there. I know that for a fact. And I think we all agree that Cygnus will make another attempt to get the feather before he leaves the country". Sirius blinked incredulously. Then he clapped his hands together and the rest of them joined in. Lucius leaned back, looking pleased and overconfident. Regulus exclaimed enthusiastically, "THAT was a masterful performance, Lucius. Truly, truly a masterpiece". Nodding to Lucius, Gavin asked, "How do we best prepare?". Andromeda said: "Right now is the best time for them to have another go at it. It's one week before Christmas. So everyone is busy now getting ready to celebrate. I suggest that we move to the house in Grimmauld Place. We'll be much closer to the cemetery there. And we'll invite Gavin's family and Jamie Rickett to join us immediately. With the Aurors hot on their heels, we may not have to wait long for Cygnus to try again".
Sirius rose to his feet. "Gavin, get your family together over here. We will have access to the house via the Floo network. Regulus. Activate the Floo Network. Then you can take Andromeda, Marius and Sophie with you to get the house ready for the guests. I'll call Jamie and ask him to be there tonight as well. Kreacher, go and check on the supplies in the house. It hasn't been lived in for some time. We may have to stay a few days". They all jumped to their feet and went about their business frantically. Sirius entered Jessie's office, pulled out the note with Jamie's phone number and punched in the number. He listened to the dial tone until someone picked up on the other end and he heard a woman's voice: "Hello, this is Susan Rickett. How can I help you?". "Good mornin', Mrs Rickett. Sirius Black speaking. May I have a word with Jamie, please?". Jamie answered the phone. Sirius explained what they had found out. Jamie promised that he would be at the house at Grimmauld Place by the evening. "We will keep the Floo network open until you get there. See you then".
By the time he returned to the living room, Gavin's family had arrived. They were listening to Lucius' explanation of the situation. As soon as they noticed Sirius, they surrounded him. Grandfather Murphy was beaming as he shook Sirius' hand. "Son, I guess we can finally repay you for all you've done for us back then. I had the whole family practising Defence Against the Dark Arts. Everyone is fit as a fiddle. You can count on us". Sirius smiled and greeted the other family members warmly. "Gavin, why don't you take your family up to the house. We will be right behind you". Sirius turned to Jessie and Jonathan as the Murphys disappeared through the fireplace. "I want you to stay here and keep an eye on things. If anything out of the ordinary happens, call Dorkas and tell him to hide you and the children." "Do you think Cygnus will return here?". "No. But we must be prepared for any situation. You never know what he will do. Everything will be all right". He took Jessie in his arms and kissed her. She hugged him tightly. "Be careful, promise me". He kissed her on the tip of her nose and laughed. Then he turned to the boys. "Boys, listen to me very carefully. We are going to try to drive Cygnus and his men away once and for all. Jessie and Jonathan will be staying here and together with the elves they will watch over you. Promise me you will obey them". The boys nodded. "Procyon, this is no time for mischief, do you understand?". "You can count on me, Dad". Sirius bent down, took each boy in his arms, and kissed them before he entered the fireplace and left for the house on Grimmauld Place. When he arrived, Malfoy stepped out of the fireplace behind him and into the kitchen where the others were sitting around the long table. "I have sealed the Floo network at Black Manor. Now we just wait for Jamie Rickett".
Jamie arrived in the late afternoon. He was beaming as the others greeted him loudly. "OK. Here I am. What's next?". Sirius explained their plan to everyone again. "We expect Cygnus and his group to leave the country to regroup quietly abroad. But before they do, they will make one more attempt to remove something from the tomb. We have already taken it, so it is no longer there. Lucius here has placed an alarm spell on the gravestone. It will alert him if anyone tampers with it. We know the place. During the day, the cemetery is very crowded. Therefore, we are certain that Cygnus will show up at dusk or even later. This means we must be ready to leave, possibly in the middle of the night. Therefore we will take turns keeping watch. Meanwhile, the rest of the team can have some sleep. We will apparate to the cemetery as soon as the alarm signal is given. There we will try to capture as many of the others as possible". Shay Murphy looked up in surprise. "Wait a minute, Sirius. Have you really thought this through? What should we do with them once they're defeated? Turn them over to the authorities? If I'm not mistaken, Gavin told us, you've been trying to keep the fact that this Cygnus is connected to you a secret all this time. If we hand him over to the Aurors now, the whole world will know about it. Why, after all, don't you want anyone to know he's your son?".
Sirius slammed his chair back against the wall with a bang. "At first we couldn't prove anything had happened. Cygnus left no clues, and everything was pure speculation. Even when he committed his first murder, on our nanny, it was so cleverly contrived that we could do nothing against him. Since then, we have adopted various measures of our own. Let me put it this way: the authorities would not approve of them. It would not be advisable to have someone starting an investigation into our part of the story. Our hands are tied on this". Shay looked at his son approvingly. "I see. In order to stand up to these Dark Wizards, you have done things or acquired skills that are not exactly Dark Arts but are a bit out of legality. Is that correct?". Gavin confirmed. "Dad, I have never done anything that would disgrace the family". His grandfather gave him a pat on the hand. "We know, child. We've done things too, fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters, that could have landed us in Azkaban. But what else can you do when you must protect yourself and your family from criminals? You can ask Sirius here: War is not fair. War is not gallant. So, I'll be blunt: this will be a fight to the death. And those we can overcome will never leave this cemetery. Each one of you must be aware of this and consider beforehand whether or not you are willing to participate under these circumstances".
There was silence. "Thank you for reminding us," Sophie said. "I assume everyone here has already thought about it. And I think that we are all prepared to take the risk. Because each one of us has someone that we want to protect, and who can't fight for themselves. Besides Dad, all my family are Muggles. Against Voldemort, Daddy was only secretly on the side of Sirius and the others, for fear of endangering his family. We decided to take an active part this time". She nodded vigorously. Sirius noticed that Marius was beaming and put his arm around her shoulder, while Jamie had a rather unhappy look on his face.
They discussed the matter for a long time before they finally retired to their beds, one after the other, until only Sirius, Andromeda, Regulus and Lucius were left in the kitchen. Sirius summoned a bottle of whisky and poured for them. "What do you think? Are they really going to try?". Lucius gave a puzzled look. "Well, they don't really have much of a choice. As long as there is still the slightest chance that they can get their hands on Riddle's feather, they will have to try. Black, let me tell you something, as a former Death Eater myself. Unlike you, we were never concerned with what the other side had in mind. We just did what we thought had to be done. You always tried to analyse and predict what your enemies were going to do. Your preparation was better. I must honestly admit that. But that is not how Cygnus and his people operate. I bet it never occurred to them that we might have found Merope's tomb. Which brings me back to a question that's been on my mind for a while now: How do they have such precise knowledge of the location of the tomb?". Sirius looked confused. He only realised how strange it was that Cygnus knew the location of the tomb now that Lucius had asked the question. "I honestly don't know. But you are right about that. The answer to that question is very interesting. It is unlikely that Riddle would have taken anyone with him when he transferred his mother's remains there. Or that he told anyone about it. And I suppose old Flint would have tried to get the feather for himself as soon as Voldemort died. Had he known. I'm afraid we're not going to find out the answer. When do you think it will happen?".
Lucius cocked his head to one side, "If our conclusions are correct, soon. What else would they want here? They require an entirely different approach which they can only develop in peace abroad. Every day they spend here is wasted and increases their risk of being discovered. They probably only stayed in the country because they are trying to figure out how to get their hands on the feather. But they won't want to wait too much longer. It might even be tonight. I'll stay awake. Will you keep me company?". "Of course, I'll do that. How about you, Andromeda?". She nodded and had another drink.
To their surprise, Andromeda suddenly bent over the table and asked in a strained voice, "Now that we are among ourselves, just answer me a question that has been on my mind for quite some time. Tell me, Lucius. When did you begin to doubt the Dark Lord?". Lucius looked at her annoyed and grimaced. They could see how uncomfortable he felt talking about it. Realizing that all eyes were on him, he sighed in surrender and told them: "You all know that after Sirius unmasked him Peter Pettigrew searched for Voldemort and found him. And that they both returned from Romania and moved into the old Riddle house. For almost a year, they plotted to restore the Dark Lord's human body. Once this was accomplished, Voldemort and Peter moved in with me". Regulus remarked, "Lucius, we all know this. Something must have happened to make you change your mind. What was it?".
Lucius paused. "Before I answer your question, I want to explain something first. There was a reason why the Dark Lord could successfully gather so many followers before he attacked Harry Potter and vanished. Sure, he was an exceptionally powerful wizard, and of course his idea of Wizard's Supremacy was widely spread among our kind. But he was also a destitute orphan and a half-blood. A half-blood with an unparalleled bloodline, no doubt, which nevertheless didn't automatically qualify him as a leader. Anyway, this was not the main key to his success, at least not when he started out. Before he lost his powers, he was incredibly charismatic and had enormous charm. I'm sure you'll remember how he was back then, Regulus. With very few exceptions, he could wrap anyone around his little finger. He probed people's weaknesses and played to their preferences. And as we now know, he was a consummate and proactive strategist. He was a born leader. Many people though did not want to see that even as a young man he was completely ruthless and stepped over dead bodies. I admired him, like many others did as well".
"But one night after the Dark Lord's return, when they moved in with us, Peter confided in me that Voldemort had wasted almost a year to regain a bodily shape. It could have been done much sooner if he hadn't been so fanatical". Sirius shook his head in disbelief. "What do you mean?". Lucius laughed dryly. "To bring him back, Peter had to perform a ritual of the Dark Arts which included to brew a potion with several ingredients. One of these was the father's remains. Therefore, they travelled to Little Hangleton, where Voldemort's father, Tom Riddle senior, had lived and was buried. Another ingredient was blood from an enemy. Voldemort had been hellbent on using Harry Potter's blood. Peter had to go to incredible lengths in order to get hold on Harry Potter. They liberated Barty Crouch junior from his father's Imperius Spell. By use of Polyjuice Potion Crouch then impersonated Madeye Moody and spent the better part of a year rigging the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts so that Harry Potter finally ended up in the graveyard of Little Hangleton where Peter and Voldemort were waiting for him". Andromeda shook her head. "I still don't get it". Lucius slammed his fist down on the table and roared. "But it's obvious. They could have taken anyone's blood. There were plenty who had previously opposed Voldemort. Any of these would have done the job. Then within a day or so, Voldemort would have regained a bodily appearance again. But no, it had to be Harry Potter. This shows that he took incalculable risks out of sheer hatred, instead of choosing an easy and effortless option. It's not only stubborn, but also sick and twisted. Absolutely mad, don't you agree?". He calmed down as the others stared at him speechless at his outburst. Andromeda said, "Maybe he wanted to prove to himself and his Death Eaters that it was just an unfortunate twist of fate that he couldn't kill Harry and his curse rebounded when he attacked the child".
Lucius shook his head and grumbled, "That may be so. But it doesn't change the fact that it was just plain stupid. There was plenty of time to take revenge on Harry Potter later. As a result, Voldemort failed again, and Harry Potter managed to escape. I was there and I saw it with my own eyes. This was a heavy blow to his plans. From then on, I became worried. I observed him closely when he came to stay at my house. There was nothing left of his charisma and charm. He was completely paranoid, and I knew he would stop at nothing". Regulus commented, "Just like the Death Eaters". Lucius waved him off. "You don't understand. Whether you were with him or against him didn't matter anymore. He was no longer susceptible to reason. Therefore, when Bellatrix and the others broke out of Azkaban, I knew it was time to take precautions. From the moment Bella moved in with us, I always carried the time-turner with me so that I could adjust things in case of need". Sirius asked, grinning, "Did I ever thank you for having sacrificed the time-turner to save me?" Lucius shot him an angry look. "Oh, come off it. Will you just cut it out? What's the point of this? I had no choice after I read your letter from the future, and I knew that you and I were going to team up in the year 2000. No, it deeply worried me to witness that as Voldemort's fanaticism and hatred increased, so did his misjudgments and the mistakes that resulted from them. His obsession about Trelawny's prophecy was just as much a moot point. Mercuria once asked what he wanted it for. To carry it around with him like a banner? And she roughly guessed what the second part of the prophecy must have been. She was right of course because as a Muggle, she could reason. Voldemort obviously couldn't anymore. I was scared for Narcissa and Draco and all I wanted was to get out of the situation with my skin intact". Andromeda smiled. "It looks like you got your act together just in time. Good for you. I really wanted to know". She got up and wished them a good night. Regulus followed her shortly afterwards.
Lucius and Sirius made themselves comfortable in their chairs and chatted. Eventually their chatter died down and Sirius caught himself several times closing his eyes, dropping his chin to his chest and dozing. They woke to the sound of Kreacher entering the kitchen and the start of breakfast preparations. Sirius crept up to his old room on the top floor and collapsed exhausted on the bed. He didn't wake up until late in the afternoon. The others were in the sitting room. Sirius stopped in the doorway and watched them. Andromeda and Lucius were on a sofa, in the middle of a very lively conversation. Regulus was playing a game of cards with Gavin and his siblings. In a quiet corner, Jamie, Shae and Maeve were discussing something. "I can imagine that you find waiting difficult. Even though you must have had a lot of practice at it". Sirius looked up at the smiling face of Grandpa Murphy, who thoughtfully stuffed a pipe. "After all, you've spent most of your life waiting, from what I hear". Sirius pursed his lips. Grandpa Murphy eyed him closely. "Trust me, boy, it won't be much longer now". He put the pipe to his mouth and lit it with his wand. "These people do not have any patience. They never have. One of their greatest weaknesses. They tend to rush things. Christmas Day is six days away. By that time, they certainly don't want to be stuck in some isolated Muggle house while everyone else is celebrating. And having failed for now anyway, they want to be at home with their families. Just like the rest of us". "Cygnus does not have a family. Except for us". Grandpa Murphy drew on his pipe and then puffed out rings of smoke that slowly rose into the air. Silently, they watched them drift away and finally dissipate. "That's right. But his cronies do have families, I am sure of it. I bet you, Sirius, they will make an attempt within three days at the latest and then disappear. At least for the time being". Sirius nodded and smiled bitterly. "I'm sure I'll last that long. I've had a lot of practice in waiting. Just like you said".