Chapter 43: The greatest bonding experience
Regulus had discarded his book on obscure potions used for terrible deeds through history a while ago and had been trying to remember as much as possible about his trip into hell – or rather, into the dark lord's den of inferi – when he felt the need to stop thinking about cold dead hands grabbing at him and dragging him underwater.
He'd say this wasn't going well, except he had managed to retrace a lot of what had happened seventeen years ago – time went on when you didn't remember much of it – without having a full-blown panic attack, so things were, in fact, going relatively well.
As well as they could, considering.
The only thing he wasn't certain about was where exactly in the first cave the secret arch had been: to his memory, everything was undistinguishable darkness and common stone. Kreacher had been the one to show him, and the house-elf would never agree to go back there, even less so with Regulus in tow – again. Regulus couldn't find it in himself to force Kreacher's obedience on that point, and he knew his brother plain distrusted the house-elf right now.
As he didn't feel like bleeding all over the cave until they found the right spot, and it had to be fresh blood or it wouldn't work, he needed to find another way to identify the arch...
Regulus glanced at his brother sitting across the library's table with two books – one on inferi and he didn't know about the other – open and a parchment sheet full of seemingly-random related words by his left hand.
"Sirius?"
His brother looked at him briefly and added another word to his notes.
"Do we really have to traumatize Amanda?"
"She volunteered, and someone has to drink that potion. It can't be you, not a second time, especially not when we haven't been able to find anything out about it. It sounds a bit like gloomsorrow fumes in potion form, with more pain... Might be Voldepants' own creation. And I offered to drink it myself, remember, but your wife seems to think it's a terrible idea and it is true that I'm better placed to handle inferi by your side than her."
"Amanda could destroy you in hand-to-hand fighting."
Sirius hummed and didn't contradict him – Regulus would have felt victorious about it, except for the fact that hand-to-hand was the worst way to deal with inferi and they both knew it.
If anything, a good old fire spell would do more damage – and Amanda was a muggle. Regulus idly wondered if they could find a muggle flamethrower for his wife – his brother-in-law probably could – but there was the slight problem of having to swim through the sea to get to the cave.
Unpractical.
Sirius brought up his second book – this one was about grims.
"Of the two of us, who can turn into a bear-sized dog with dead-lacerating fangs?"
"...What?"
Sirius threw him a look that seemed to imply he was doubting Regulus' intelligence.
"Me, Regulus. I'm the animagus here, not Amanda."
Regulus squinted at his brother.
"I know that. I'm asking about the 'dead-lacerating fangs'."
The older man pushed his book towards his younger brother.
"Seventh-year curriculum in Care of Magical Creatures. A grim's only magical features are the teeth, able to rip through anything dead or undead, and in the case of inferi, they disrupt the magic holding the corpse together, like an exorcism. That, and some grims become death spirits once they die, but it's not a sure thing."
Regulus' eyes skimmed through the pages his brother had been looking at earlier.
"I didn't take Care of Magical Creatures."
"Oh, believe me, it shows."
Regulus had to refrain from retorting that he could make complex runes enchantments, him. Instead, he only stared disappointedly at Sirius – like he would at Alshain when his son attempted emotional manipulation.
It didn't seem to evoke any sense of shame in his older brother – Regulus wasn't sure that emotion was even featured in Sirius' mental frame – but it did put a stop to any further attempt at bickering.
Small victories and all that.
Sirius made a face and focused back on his notes.
"I just don't want Amanda to go through what I did, you know. She has at least as much to sort through in her past as I did when I drank that potion. Not for the same reasons, not because she had to watch as people she knew killed and tortured strangers or anything like that, but... She was a soldier. Her scars, too. If we could..."
Do what? Make a miracle happen?
Pretend they didn't need to retrieve the false locket Regulus had left in that cave when he'd thought he'd die there? If it was only Regulus who was put in danger by the fake horcrux's existence, he might do just that – but if the Dark Lord found his note, his revenge wouldn't stop at Regulus. His son and wife could be punished too – Amanda especially, because she was a muggle who'd married a pureblood, never mind that neither of them had known that at the time.
Sirius was frowning at his notes, Regulus noticed.
His brother used his wand to change the words' disposition across the page a few times, stared silently at the sheet of paper for a while, and eventually vanished it back to – presumedly – his office on the fourth floor.
As Regulus was about to ask what it was all about, Sirius stood up.
"Work on your fire spells in the Room of Ire until I come back. I need to check something, but after that, we're visiting someone for the position of delegate for the House of Black."
Regulus' voice followed him to the stairs, but Sirius could hear him scrambling with the many books they'd been going through since the morning, most likely uncertain of what to do with them. He wasn't followed by anything other than words.
"What? Hey, don't just leave like that!"
"Fire spells, Regulus! You'll need them for your revenge against the residents of the murder cave!"
That said, Sirius called for Sterhn to ask where he could find Amanda – outside, doing exercises on the lawn – then set out to join her.
When he reached the last patch of lawn – the domain was mostly semi-wilderness the further you got from the manor, with large circles of lawn encased in black stone sprinkled around the main building – to the East, Regulus' wife was stretching her body in ways he wouldn't attempt even with his newly-and-again young body, her very red hair held by a sky blue plastic clip.
She didn't look like anyone Regulus would have even approached twenty years ago.
Sirius couldn't help but wonder – his eyes falling on the scars on Amanda's arms, his brother's comment about her having been a soldier – how exactly their meeting had happened. Why she'd stayed, and how much having forgotten everything had made Regulus a different person, even before he'd grown close to a muggle.
Amanda turned around – while finishing a move with one of her legs up above her head – and gave him a questioning glance.
"Hey. Do you have time for something?"
"One minute. I need to get to the end."
"Sure."
Sirius waited, wandering over to the garden chair she'd brought with her. There were the glasses Regulus had gotten her the other day and an open letter on the chair – probably from her son, given the wax seal – one of her usual poncho sweaters on the armrest and a bottle of water in the grass.
When Amanda joined him, he noticed she'd barely broken a sweat. He may have interrupted her early in her exercises.
"Anything you need?"
"It's about our upcoming excursion and your well-being in general. There's something I'd like to try, but you'll need to follow me. It's deeper into the domain."
Amanda frowned a bit, looking vaguely curious – but not overly worried that her brother-in-law would try and murder her in the woods, which was probably a good thing.
The muggle woman followed Sirius' eyes towards the tree limit.
"So we're going on a hike?"
It made him laugh a little.
"Not that much. It's about... thirty minutes out?"
"Alright, then. But I have to get this back to the manor first."
She gestured at the chair, but Sirius shook his head.
"No need. You should get used to this, now that you know you married a Black. Sterhn!"
A crack, and the old house-elf appeared behind Amanda, who jumped a bit.
"Did the master call?"
"Indeed. Do get this all back where it belongs, will you? The letter is Amanda's, get it to her and Regulus' room, and the bottle too. The poncho and glasses..."
Sirius looked at the woman expectantly, who raised her eyebrows.
"Do I need them where we're going?"
"Not the glasses, there's nothing hidden specifically from muggles over there, but you might want the poncho sweater, depending on how everything goes."
Amanda nodded, took a sip of water from her bottle before handing it back to Sterhn, and seized her poncho sweater back. Then the house-elf disapparated away, this time with the garden chair and assorted elements.
Amanda looked back at her brother-in-law.
"You do remember we're looking for a house, Regulus and I? I doubt I'll have the time to get used to house-elves, and besides... I don't really like the noise they make when they pop up."
Sirius almost said something, stopped himself to get a look at her face instead – a tense smile, unlike the calm sweetness she usually gave off – and decided on something else.
"Explosions?"
Amanda's face ticked.
"...Yes. I'd rather not have to deal with that all the time."
"You could order a house-elf not to apparate unless necessary, should you get one. The service would be a bit slower, but that's not the worst thing in the world. And I don't know, I might decide to hand over Kreacher, at least if he's with Regulus I wouldn't have to worry about betrayal..."
They'd started walking.
Soon they were in the wood, following a barely visible path amongst high ferns. Aside from small moments of silence, it proved a good opportunity to learn a bit more about each other – in ways that didn't include Regulus' amnesia, a megalomaniac with genocidal goals, or general Black drama.
Amanda could see the resemblance between this man and her husband, even though their differences still seemed much more important – not as opposites, most of the time, but as wildly distant shades of a same character trait.
They were setting foot in a clearing when the wizard whispered to be quiet and wait here. She watched him walk to the center of the clearing and whistle carefully.
A few seconds later, a sound of rustling leaves and heavy steps came from behind a large bush. A huge black dog emerged from there, eyed Sirius for a moment, and barked once.
Then it came in joyfully to turn around the man, looking only slightly collected and imposing and much more like it wanted a pat on the head – but that would mean standing still, which wasn't an option quite yet.
"Hey there, Blackjack! I've got someone to introduce to the pack, if you don't mind?"
The dog stilled for a moment, its ears going upright. It started looking around, sniffing loudly – and focused on Amanda in only a few moments. It whined a bit – it looked almost embarrassed to have missed the stranger in its excitement to see Sirius himself.
The man, Amanda realized, had turned into a similar dog while she'd been observing "Blackjack" – and this was the first time she saw him like that, she hadn't quite realized how weird it would actually be to look at a bear-sized dog and think "that's my brother-in-law" – and led the other dog over, pushed it with his muzzle as if to say "go on, vet her."
Amanda kept herself relaxed and unthreatening as a rather sinister-looking dog with fur finishing in dark wisps sniffed at her, its looks vaguely suspicious and wary.
It took a moment, but eventually Blackjack lost all interest in her, heading back behind the bush without trying to bite or growl at her. Amanda didn't have Sirius Black's charm with all living beings, and therefore counted that reaction as a win.
Her brother-in-law shifted back into a human – she had to admit, watching the transformation itself was something else – and smiled at her.
"You pass muster, apparently. Come on, there are more inside, but with Blackjack's vetting you won't have a problem as long as you don't kick any of them or start screaming."
Still a bit baffled – what was the point of all this exactly? – Amanda nodded and followed him behind the bush.
As Sirius walked ahead, she couldn't help but notice an invisible push against the wizard's robe, as if something was brushing against his legs. Her brother-in-law did once lean forward, as if petting something she couldn't see for a second, whispering endearments she couldn't hear.
Behind the huge bush was a wall of stone – and in it, a cave's entrance. The ground sloped down lazily for a few feet. Amanda and Sirius found themselves in a dimly lit space. The muggle woman could distinguish less than a dozen forms with yellow eyes, as well as a much bigger thing deeper in the shadows. Sirius led her to a spot with more eyes – red, those, and no bodies to show for them.
There, on the ground, laid a dog similar to Blackjack, if thinner and visibly older. Its deep black fur turned white around the eyes, and despite the obvious happiness with Sirius' presence, it lacked the energy to jump around in joy.
Sirius sat down by the dog and gestured for Amanda to do as much.
When he spoke, his words were but a whisper:
"The way I understand it, you're a compassionate woman, aren't you?"
Amanda said nothing in return, watching, searching for an explanation as the wizard pushed his fingers through the dog's fur mindlessly.
"You helped Regulus, you tried to get Kreacher to wear more than rags."
Amanda narrowed her eyes at him – both because she didn't see where he was going with this and because of the general lack of light.
"I don't let myself be stepped upon either."
She thought he smirked at her, but wasn't sure.
"Good for you."
His head turned down to look at the dog.
"But my point is, that's Sootie. She turned twenty-seven last February, and even if grims live longer than other dogs this size, that's pushing it. She hasn't been well for weeks already and doesn't have much longer left, honestly. A few days at most. I'd like you to take care of her until then."
Amanda still didn't see why Sirius was asking her, or what it had to do with the upcoming trip to Northern Ireland. If anything, his request sounded like something he'd do himself. The dogs were only the latest example of his exceptional relationship with animals.
"...Why?"
"Give me your hand."
She considered not complying to get her answer, but had a feeling she would be told what she wanted if she went along with Regulus' brother. His manners were unexpected in some ways – well-bred but used in unconventional ways – but they did exist.
As Amanda had done nothing to anger him, Sirius wouldn't try and bait her with false promises.
The woman sighed and sat down on the other side of the old dog – Sootie – and reached out.
Her brother-in-law guided her hand towards Sootie's head, letting her fingers hover by the ears – letting her choose.
Of course Amanda petted the dog – slowly, carefully, with no strength in her fingers.
"Grims, you see, are basically wild dogs. They are big and live long and don't rely on humans for survival, but they are no more dangerous than any other animal out there. They can smell death, though, and aren't frightened by anything dead or alive or in-between. It's gotten them a reputation. The thing is, in regards to yourself, that when a grim does die, there is the possibility for it to become a black dog."
Amanda scratched lightly behind Sootie's head as her eyes wandered across the several dogs present in the cave. Any she could see was already a deep black and so she didn't understand what...
Wait. Magic. Wizards. Dogs that became something else after death.
Ghosts, like Bellatrix Lestrange back at the manor.
"Are we talking about the graveyard ghosts?"
Sirius nodded.
A whine sounded close to them and Amanda saw her brother-in-law make a face for a moment, before he allowed something she couldn't see to settle on his lap. Two red eyes – smaller than the other pairs around, younger – blinked at the wizard, who started petting above those instead.
"Yeah. Death spirits. At night, they materialize as if in a mirage and defend the plot of land they were entrusted with, or occasionally the person they had grown close to in their life as a grim."
Amanda stopped her mindless petting of Sootie the dying grim to stare doubtfully at the wizard.
"...You are trying to get me a personal watchdog."
Sirius shrugged.
"It could come in handy."
Something cold and wet nuzzled at Amanda's hand on Sootie's back, conveying the rather obvious meaning of "continue what you were doing".
The woman started petting the old dog once again, wondering if her brother-in-law's plan was already showing progress somehow. She could defend herself quite well, but having a supernatural watchdog during the nights couldn't hurt, especially these days.
"Alright... But I'm not... Isn't it a bit late for that? You said she only has a few days left, it's not exactly what I'd call the greatest bonding experience."
"I can't guarantee it will work, but I did ask Sootie what she thought of it. She agreed to try."
"You asked...?"
The man sitting on the other side of the old dog grinned, shooed off whatever invisible puppy had decided to use his lap. Shifted into a big black dog and back again.
"Nevermind. Of course you speak dog and you've charmed the entire pack. I'll try your idea, we'll see if it works or not. Did you speak of it with Cadfael?"
"You're the one potentially bringing a dog back home."
"And it's your idea."
They stared at each other, neither willing to concede. In the end, Amanda would be the one to tell her husband, if only because she did live with him – but she wasn't going to officially yield yet.
Her brother-in-law stood up and took a light orb from the manor out of a pocket, which he sent floating a bit above Amanda's head before lighting it up with a natural color.
"Ah, well. You don't need to stay here day in and day out, but our attempt at getting you a faithful dog would probably have more chances to succeed if you did spend a few hours a day with Sootie until it's time for her farewells. You might want to put on your sweater, though."
The woman watched him leave for a moment – saw him hesitate and stop, turn back before he could walk out of the cave:
"You'll be able to walk back to the manor, right?"
Amanda rolled her eyes at him.
"Of course. And, Sirius?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you want me to get you when it's finally time?"
Unlike earlier, Amanda really couldn't see the wizard's face. He was standing against the light from the entrance, and too far from the light orb. Still, she knew. When he didn't answer right away, when the silence kept going for just a little longer...
"Please. You'll know. The hellhounds will gather around Sootie a couple of hours before the end gets there. Just... Step out of the cave then, call for Sterhn and tell him to get me."
Amanda only nodded and let him leave, this time – she had a dog to bond with, after all.
There was also, she could feel, something Sirius wasn't saying – yet. This wasn't only about getting his brother's wife a watchdog. Something else, something more, something specific she couldn't grasp for now.
However, she didn't believe it to be a bad thing. Just something Regulus' brother hadn't said out loud yet. Maybe he only wanted to say it if and when the attempt succeeded.
She'd let it go for now. After all, she and he didn't actually know each other. It would be contemptuous to expect trust and openness on all levels quite yet – or at all. Even with Cadfael, Amanda would sometimes keep her privacy.
Trust was also about that – about distinguishing distrust and privacy.
It was a lesson she'd learned back in the army, one that she'd had to teach Cadfael during the first years of their acquaintance – before love, before their son, back when Regulus had been too hurt and too young and too lost not to need his secrets and doubts and her support despite it all.
Eventually, Regulus had grown to be trusted again with his own privacy – but she'd tried, as well as she had been able to, to let him have it even before then.
...Amanda would have to tell him about all this in the evening. Maybe she could start thinking about how to bring up the subject while her fingers threaded through Sootie's fur.
There was, after all, another Black waiting for answers – if not those specifically – on the property, and when Regulus caught up to his brother in the entrance hall – after having thoroughly trained his fire charms, thank you very much – the younger man did try to start back up the conversation Sirius had moved on from without letting his brother get a say.
"Sirius! What was that earlier?!"
It didn't work. Regulus' older brother held onto the dark wooden doors, stopping with a foot inside the manor and another out.
"Great, you're here! A moment to get my things from the cloakroom and we'll be on our way."
No sooner said than done, Sirius was disappearing to the left of the entrance hall, leaving Regulus to try and ask one more question to no one in particular:
"On our way to where?"
No one answered him, of course. His older brother reappeared after two minutes, wearing a dark grey cloak with silver fastenings and already handing over Regulus' own garment – a formal black cloak that he'd bought as Cadfael for his few outings within the wizarding world; nothing special or overly expensive, but at least Cadfael hadn't gotten the attention of anyone who might have recognized him while wearing it.
A good thing, honestly, because Regulus didn't even want to wonder how that would have ended, depending on who might have identified him in that scenario.
Sirius took papers out of his cloak's inner pocket and finally gave his brother more to work on:
"Blancathey Passage in Coventry. The Perks live there."
"And why are we going to see the Perks? In fact, who are the Perks?"
Sirius gave him a look that could almost be called mocking, and Regulus didn't like it at all.
"Why, but they are our third cousins once removed! For shame, don't you know your family tree, Regulus dear?"
"Regulus dear" only squinted at his brother, unwilling to acknowledge the other's superiority in matters of blood ties, especially as Sirius had always used his interest in genealogy to distract and contradict other people. These days, Regulus didn't care as much – he'd come to realize that his older brother had been right more often than not when he'd used the family tree for his own needs.
Sirius' expression, however, grew less mocking.
"Don't worry about it, I didn't know either. Mrs Perks, Ichijoh by her maiden name, is a blood relation Mother would never have acknowledged as such. She's a descendant of Phineas Nigellus' sister, the one who got kicked out because she fell in love with the muggle neighbor. Callidora offered to look into her branch of the family for possible delegates for the Wizengamot."
"...Oh. No wonder I never heard about her. Though... The name Perks does ring a bell?"
Sirius winced.
"The Perks' eldest daughter was in your class. Summer-Leigh, I think? Her twin brother was in Hufflepuff. You just didn't know we were fourth cousins with those two. And... Well. You must have met Mrs Perks, considering she handled my case for the Familial Affairs Unit."
Regulus fiddled with his cloak without looking at his brother.
When Sirius had run away from home – and the other day's revelation had put it all into a much different light, one he didn't know how to deal with – a ministry employee had visited Grimmauld Place to talk with their parents about the situation. There'd been tension from their mother, whispered interludes from their father.
Regulus had gone back to his bedroom as soon as possible.
He didn't remember the woman's name – hadn't cared to listen, had been pissed and betrayed and generally angry at his brother – but he guessed she had looked similar enough to Summer-Leigh.
"Anyway. Callidora sent me a list of Iola's descendants to look through, as they are close enough in blood to qualify for a position as a delegate. I looked through them yesterday, and two seem like they could do the job: Sarah-Louise Perks is a long-time ministry employee who's used to dealing with regulations and official decrees, and Yasmine Khorasani is a law counselor who works at Titterington Civilis in Diagon Alley. For now I got an answer from Mrs Perks for a visit, so..."
"Right. Coventry, then? Apparition?"
"Nope. I never went to Coventry before, so we can't do that. However, there is a public chimney in Blancathey Passage and the concealed area is very small. From what I understand, it's a side alley between two big muggle streets, with a handful of wizarding families living in the buildings on each side. Their homes have main doors on the muggle streets and a back door in the side alley to deal with visitors and muggle relatives appropriately. And remember, you're my amnesic brother who can't take over the family responsibilities because you've forgotten everything."
"And that way no one can accuse you of handing the reins to a rumored Death Eater."
"That too."
The brothers left through the entrance hall's chimney and emerged in a small space that was bordered by two old three-storey apartment buildings. Two doors were visible inside the alley, in what Sirius could guess to be a common access for the various families living in Blancathey Passage – there were eleven different flats, two of which were currently empty according to the ministry's records. Muggles passed by in the main streets without paying any attention to the alley.
A pergola sat over their head, joining both buildings with white flowers and bright green leaves. It felt like rain had fallen not so long ago, but heat and a shy sun were back past the climbing plants.
Sirius blinked, feeling drowsy all of a sudden – not enough for it to be a problem unless they were attacked by surprise – and shook his head before checking the address for the Perks.
"Right, uh... It says Sun door, third flat on the second floor."
He looked to the building on the right – there was a moon painted on the tympanum above the door.
Regulus' voice drew him back from a rather lethargic contemplation of the decoration.
"The door on the left. There's a sun over it."
His brother sounded just as dazed as himself. Sirius was starting to doubt the flowers, now. He couldn't quite get himself to care either.
As they moved to the door, Sirius' eyes wandered over the walls and shutters. There were runes and other writings scratched into the paint: Dagaz and Algiz and Wunjo strung together to repulse evil – most likely the dementors that had taken to roam the UK – and something else that looked Asian – probably Chinese, but Sirius wasn't familiar enough with any of their writing systems to identify it.
Regulus whispered:
"It's hanzi overwriting. We talked about it in post-OWLs runes class. Just like most of Europe teaches rune carving for long-term enchantments, eastern Asian countries tend to favor hanzi overwriting. I think they inscribe minor characters within a binding major character... No idea what those mean, though."
"I'm going to go out on a limb here and posit it's defensive. Come on."
They rang the – literal – bell by the sun door and said out loud who they wished to visit.
After a minute or so, the door half-opened and revealed a man in his sixties.
"What do you want?"
"Mr Perks? I wrote to your wife. Sirius Black."
The graying man rolled his eyes.
"I know who you are. And I guess it's your brother, don't have to read the Prophet for that one."
Regulus offered a crooked, uncertain smile, and Sirius nodded.
"Right. I understand Mrs Perks is descended from a member of our family?"
Mr Perks scoffed but let them in. As they entered the building and the door closed behind them, the brothers felt more aware once again. The older man didn't seem surprised as they went up the stairs.
"Our neighbor started feeding the potato vines a sleeping draught and linked them to the public chimney. The flowers open whenever someone flooes into the alley. Gives us more time to react if it's someone dangerous."
Regulus nodded to himself – he'd kept herbology in sixth and seventh years. Some non-magical plants were receptive to potions that way, and a good herbologist could grow mundane plants to react to environmental changes.
As they reached the second floor, Mr Perks looked them both over with a disapproving frown.
"You know, I met Sarah-Lou's grandfather a few times. He'd tell stories about how his mother barely regretted leaving your family, and how his own uncle would act as if they weren't related when he was in herbology class."
Sirius scowled.
"Ugh, Phineas Nigellus... I can't stand his portrait, I don't want to imagine having class with him."
Mr Perks seemed vaguely amused by that retort and let them in.
"My wife is in the living room, you should find her easily enough."
Indeed, it took them less than a minute to end up sitting across Sarah-Louise Perks, and about five minutes later a side table trotted over with three cups of green tea.
The woman was older than Sirius remembered – expected, it had been about twenty years now – but she hadn't changed much except for the crow feet and hollower cheeks. She still had straight brown hair falling on her shoulders, a politely curious look in her black eyes and a composed nature.
"I was surprised to hear from you, Mr Black."
Her eyes flickered to Sirius' brother, who was doing his best – a good best, born out of old habit – to seem like he knew everything to anticipate from the encounter already.
"I didn't expect your brother, however."
"Yes... As it is, I do not have enough time on my hands to adequately handle all the Black affairs. I am considering letting Regulus take care of our daily business, but I cannot entrust him the legal work of the House of Black, not with the way he lost most of his memories."
Sirius took a sip of tea before elaborating:
"In truth, I'm looking for a delegate for the Wizengamot. Our cousin Callidora Longbottom offered to look into the family on your great-grandmother's side. Your name came to my attention. You are yet close enough in blood to qualify, and I believe your work history makes you well-suited to hold a seat at the Wizengamot in my stead when necessary."
Mrs Perks stared at him for a moment, her cup of tea forgotten in her hand. She seemed to be reorganizing what she thought of the whole visit.
"...I honestly didn't expect this. I had a... completely different idea of your purpose in coming here."
She closed her eyes for a moment, put down her tea.
"I'm honored by the trust you elected to put in me, Mr Black, but I'm afraid I'll have to refuse. I'm not yet old enough for retirement, and I'm afraid... and I know the FAU will have a lot of work in the next months. There will be orphaned children in need of relocation, parents recently widowed struggling to see to the needs of their kids. Nieces and nephews and cousins to keep away from ill-intentioned relatives."
The Familial Affairs Unit senior employee's gaze shifted to Regulus, who could guess he wasn't going to like whatever Mrs Perks was leading to.
"Twenty years ago, it was commonplace for my office to deal with the aftermath of Death Eaters killing a muggle or muggleborn spouse for diluting magical blood. We rarely had to handle orphaned muggleborns, as the children would usually be killed alongside their muggle parents, but halfblooded children... Well, there was the case of your brother's adopted daughter Juliet, of course, but mostly it was halfblooded children left behind. Occasionally pureblooded ones, too. It could happen to you, Regulus Black, so be careful with your wife."
Regulus winced but didn't deny it. At least Amanda could defend herself most of the time.
Sirius stayed silent for a moment, and eventually made to stand up.
"I see. I understand your refusal, Mrs Perks. I hope you don't have as much work as you did back then, though."
The witch smiled dolefully.
"It would be nice, wouldn't it? Still, Mr Black, don't leave yet. This wasn't what I expected this visit to be about, but that means there is something I wish to speak with you about. I could understand, however, if you'd rather come back another day, perhaps without your brother?"
Sirius glanced at Regulus, conflicted for a moment – there were two possible reasons for Mrs Perks to have more to say to him; one was about his running away from home, and the other was Juliet.
He decided that he was trying to build a better relationship with Regulus. That meant being more open about those things. If it got too personal, he could still put a stop to the conversation.
Sirius sat back.
"It's okay."
Mrs Perks seemed surprised – and discreetly pleased, too.
"You've grown, haven't you, Mr Black... But, to begin with: your daughter Juliet. I haven't seen her since, I think, 1987, but I followed her case for a while. I'm the one who arranged her placement with your paternal grandparents. I considered sending her back to her muggle brothers and uncle for a time, but eventually Juliet and your grandparents settled into a comforting routine. She needed stability, and your grandmother did do her best to help with her nightmares. She even managed to convince her husband to let Juliet see her muggle family regularly."
"I... Thank you."
Sirius didn't know what else to say.
No matter what he might or might not think about the choice of leaving Juliet with Arcturus Black rather than with her uncle Henry Wells, Sirius hadn't been there to handle it. He hadn't been there because he'd let himself snap after Wormtail's betrayal and James and Lily's death, just like he hadn't been there for Harry.
At least Juliet seemed to have gotten the better side of the deal, compared to Harry.
"...You said 'to begin with'. Was there something else?"
Mrs Perks looked almost conflicted for a moment – her eyes shifting to Regulus once more – but she only nodded, a sad little smile on her lips.
"Yes, there was. I thought... You are older, now, and I believe it might help you to know that when I went to visit your parents after you left your childhood home to live with the Potters, what truly convinced me that this was for the best was your father, Orion Black. I'd heard your mother's side of things almost exclusively, but he stopped as he escorted me back out to say he'd ensure nothing happened, should your family try and force you back."
Sirius' tongue was tied in his mouth, and it was Regulus who asked with a hushed tone:
"Did he really?"
Neither of the brothers had understood, back then, how it had all ended so easily. Their mother had stormed off to the Potters in outrage, their grandfathers hadn't tried to force Sirius' hand in any way.
Regulus had been bitter and mulish about it, both wanting someone to go and grab his brother back against his will and stubbornly saying that it was for the better to be finally rid of him. Sirius had been wary and cautiously enjoying the reprieve while waiting for the other shoe to drop. It hadn't.
"He did. Orion Black seemed convinced that you and your mother would end up killing one another if they succeeded in trapping you back home. He didn't like it, and for the little emotion he showed I think he was heartbroken about how it had all turned out, but he truly believed that, the way things were going, your departure was in everyone's best interests, yourself included, Mr Black."
Sirius bit his lower lip and looked down into his cup of tea.
Mrs Perks' voice was gentler when she moved on:
"Now, I'd like to try and give you a few pieces of advice regarding both your future rekindling with Juliet and your relationship with your godson, if you don't mind?"