First, I have several chapters already written, so I will be updating most likely every day for a while, because it is summer, so I have a lot of free time. While I might have a lot of chapters already written, I am open to ideas, so if you have an idea, I will do my best to fit it into a chapter. So please feel free to give me ideas. I would love to hear them!
Second, I do tend to write short chapters, so to make up for that, I will be posting two chapters at a time. So when I do update, expect two new chapters each time.
Lastly, here is the chapter everyone's been waiting for! What will Sirius tell Arcturus? Read to find out!
Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 5: Promises of AidArcturus looked at Sirius, wondering what was going on. First Sirius had admitted to being abused by Orion and Walburga after so many years of abuse going on, then Sirius' attitude towards that Pettigrew boy, then Ollivander's words about Sirius being there before. Not to mention the name he came up with for his owl. He had a feeling that the name came from somewhere, but Sirius was not sharing it. Arcturus Black didn't like being kept in the dark, and that's exactly how he felt at that moment.
Arcturus waved his hand, and the door to his office closed and locked. "I think you have a lot to tell me," he said simply.
"Er, yes, Grandfather," Sirius admitted. "But I don't know if you'd believe me."
"There's only one way to find out," Arcturus stated. "Explain."
"Actually, could I show you a memory?" Sirius asked. "If you have a Pensieve, I can show you."
Arcturus stood and retrieved the Pensieve from the cabinet. When he turned back to his desk, Sirius had already retrieved the memory using his new wand.
"Children don't usually know how to retrieve memories," Arcturus said with confusion. Sirius grinned.
"Just watch the memories," he said. Arcturus went into the Pensieve and saw Sirius being sorted into Gryffindor and the howler from Walburga the morning after. He then saw the day that Sirius ran away from home and fled to the Potters. He then saw Sirius, Remus, and some teenagers he didn't know. He quickly figured out their names were Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He listened to Sirius and Remus explaining that Peter had betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort and then framed Sirius. He couldn't believe that his own grandson had been sent to Azkaban without evidence.
Finally, he saw the attack in the Department of Mysteries, Bellatrix sending a dark curse towards Sirius, Sirius falling through the veil, and the conversation between Sirius and Regulus.
When Arcturus came back to reality, he had a lot of things on his mind. He finally said, "When exactly did you travel to the past?"
"Yesterday morning," Sirius answered, relieved that his grandfather didn't seem angry with him.
"Why didn't I get you out of Azkaban?" Arcturus asked.
Sirius shrugged. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "Maybe it's because we never got along in my old timeline, so we never talked. The last time we talked was one day after I ran away,and all you told me was that I was still the Heir despite Mother wanting to disown me from the family."
"I don't care if we got along or not. You are still family, and therefore, I would have thought I'd get you a trial at the very least," his grandfather said, clearly frustrated. "Now, please explain to me why you were in the Department of Mysteries to begin with."
"Voldemort sent Harry a false vision of me being captured, and…"
"False vision?" Arcturus asked, surprised. "How?"
"Dumbledore said that Harry and Voldemort have some kind of connection, but I don't know how," Sirius explained. "But Harry floo-called me, and stupid old Kreacher told him I wasn't there, when I clearly was."
"Kreacher lied about his master?" Arcturus asked.
"Yes," Sirius confirmed.
Arcturus looked angry for a moment before his face went blank once more. "So Harry went to the Ministry to save you?" he guessed.
"Yes, but it was a trap. Voldemort wanted Harry there to get a prophecy of some kind," Sirius said with a shrug. "Dumbledore told the Order of the Phoenix it was important to keep the prophecy out of Voldemort's hands, but he didn't tell us what the prophecy was about, though it had to be about Harry. Why else would Voldemort want Harry to get it for him?"
"Very true," Arcturus agreed. "Now about Bellatrix." He once again looked furious. "How dare she attack family! A true Black does not attack family, no matter what they think of the person. I will be terminating the marriage contract between Bellatrix and that Lestrange boy. He doesn't seem to have been a good influence on her."
"Really? I want to be there when you inform her," Sirius said excitedly. Arcturus raised an eyebrow. "Alright, fine. I probably won't be able to keep my temper under control."
"That brings me to the next thing," Arcturus started with a stern face. "I now understand why you don't like Mr. Pettigrew, and you don't have to like him, but you will be civil when you have to see him. You are the Heir to the House of Black. You cannot be disrespectful to others. I know how difficult it can be. I have come across people I cannot stand, but you have to keep your temper under control. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Grandfather, I apologize," Sirius responded with a sigh. "It's just so hard."
"I know it is, but remember, he's eleven just like you. He has not done anything to betray his friends yet. You can't hold a grudge against someone who hasn't done anything wrong," Arcturus explained.
"Alright, but I will not be friends with him," Sirius declared.
"You don't have to be, but you do need to be civil towards him whenever you cross paths," Arcturus said. "Don't make another show like you did today. I will not tolerate that."
"Yes, Grandfather," Sirius agreed. He could see where his grandfather was coming from. He really messed up in that shop.
"I see that you named your owl after Miss Lovegood," Arcturus continued.
"Yes, because that's the first name that came to mind," Sirius admitted. "Luna was there during the attack, as you saw."
Arcturus nodded. "Do you have any plans in mind for how you're going to change the future, other than how you already have?"
"No, not really," Sirius confessed.
"Then we will work on it together," Arcturus decided.
"You'll help me?" Sirius asked, surprised.
"Sirius, I do not know why we never got along in your old timeline, but I want to assist you in any way I can. It is clear that the House of Black completely falls apart in the future, and that cannot happen. I also do not want your godson to suffer at the hands of his Muggle relatives. We also need to get Dumbledore out of Hogwarts. He clearly wants to play chess using children as chess pieces. A real headmaster supports the students with their classes and deals with any type of bullying that may happen within the school. A real headmaster does not get involved in a students' personal life."
Sirius nodded in agreement. "Are you going to tell Grandmother and Regulus?" he asked.
"Only if you want them to know," Arcturus said.
"I don't want Regulus to know, not yet. I want him to be able to enjoy being a child. As for Grandmother, I will tell her eventually, but right now, I don't think there's much she can do to help, and I don't want her to feel useless."
For the first time in Sirius' memory, Arcturus Black smiled. "Are you sure you're a Gryffindor? I feel that you'd be a good Hufflepuff."
Sirius shook his head. "No, no, I'm a Gryffindor through and through," he said quickly.
"Your secret is safe with me, but when the time is right, you will need to tell your brother and grandmother. However, I will leave it to you to tell them at the right time. In the meantime, we will start planning on how to change things for the better, as your brother put it."
Sirius grinned. "That's Reg for you!" he exclaimed happily.
They spent a little more time talking about Sirius' memories from school and the war before Sirius left to go eat lunch. He was relieved that he wouldn't have to do this alone, and he finally had someone from the Black family that would help him.
I never thought that day would come, Sirius thought to himself. Me, trusting a Black. I must be going mental!