(7) A Crest For Sirius
(Lines/scenes in bold are not mine but taken from "Snape's Worst Memory" [Order Of The Phoenix] & "The Prince's Tale" [Deathly Hallows] chapters.)
It was a strange day when everyone got out of bed & drifted into the Great Hall for breakfast. There was a tension in the air that could be felt & it wasn't long before the whole castle knew the strangest of tales.
Sirius Black had been ostracized literally over night by his three closest friends.
Few knew the real reason so the theories ran wild, each one even more crazy than the next. Some thought perhaps Sirius had finally decided to pick sides in the war, or more likely, forced to by his family, & so that was why the others were no longer with him. Others insisted Sirius had been caught with Lily which would piss James off. Everyone knew Sirius was the biggest whore in Hogwarts & everyone knew how obsessed James could be of Lily even though she didn't care for either of them.
Lily resorted to hexing anyone presenting that ridiculous theory & offered one of her own: perhaps Sirius & James had once been an item but had broken up. People readily jumped on that one & soon left her alone. It become the most widely believed theory so far.
"That again?" James grumbled.
"Sorry," Lily replied with a smile. "At least everyone's off my back, now."
"Yeah & on to mine!" James rolled his eyes.
"Whoopsie-daisy."
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Little bit," Lily admitted as she walked away, laughing.
"Grr!" James snarled like a grumpy werewolf.
Speaking of werewolves, Remus just happened to be in James's personal bubble at that precise moment. He leaned in a little closer. "Oh yeah, Jim. You'll bed her yet, for sure."
"Will you shut up?" James snapped as he marched away.
Remus all but died laughing. He suddenly stopped as he noticed Sirius finally coming into the Great Hall. Their eyes met for a moment before Remus turned away.
Sirius stayed close to the door, letting several people file out before he finally went to the table. He managed to grab a few pieces of toast & a glass of apple juice before the tables cleared. He looked once more in Remus's direction, but the werewolf pup was pointedly ignoring him, keeping his head bent low in Peter's direction as the pair walked out together.
Sirius waited several minutes before daring to go outside with his meagre meal. He didn't go down to the beech tree by the lake, knowing the other three would already be there. Instead, he went up to the barns where the unicorns would sleep & went inside. He climbed up into the hayloft & sat in the open window to look out over the grounds as he ate his breakfast. It seemed like ages ago when the four of them had been coming out of exams, teasing Remus about the question on werewolves & Remus had answered back with a rather witty reply of it all being about himself. Sirius pushed his hands through his long black hair. It wasn't ages ago. It was the other day.
He finished his drink before quickly jumping down to the main floor. Ignoring several startled whinnies, Sirius hurried outside & back to the castle. He went into the guest dorms & started packing up.
Everyone would be going home tomorrow, first thing. Usually, the train came after breakfast once the exams were done but with the uprisings going on, the school had to wait for the train to be secured by Aurors.
Sirius paused, holding a book up over his open trunk. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to see James's parents. He knew both Dumbledore & James had owled Charlus & Dorea about what had happened. The Potters would be on that train tomorrow. Every last one of them. What was that James had told him? Don't bother coming over this summer?
Sirius hated his family but he knew that for once, he was probably better off with them than with James. So long as he kept his head down, followed Regulus, he would be fine. It was only a couple months & then he ... wait, & then he'd be right back here, dealing with James, Remus & Peter for ten more months. Sirius finally dropped the book into his trunk & tiredly rubbed his eyes with both hands. He wondered if perhaps he shouldn't come back. Never come back to Hogwarts? Just ... leave? But then that would mean he would have to leave his family as well. Two months was manageable but not years.
Lying on the floor, Sirius reached under the bed to pull out a magazine. It was a muggle one about motorbikes. Sirius always had to hide his muggle fascinations at home & even though he was currently at Hogwarts where no one would care, it was pure habit to keep his muggle stash under the bed.
He flipped through the pages, his eyes often picking out the Triumphs over the others. This was it. This was his way out. He would buy that bike he had always dreamed of & just go. He dropped the magazine on top of everything else in his trunk & closed it. He scoured the guest dorms one last time before heading up to the main dorm to have one final look. If James or any of the others were there, Sirius would just say he was collecting everything for packing.
Fortunately, the dorms were empty. Sirius looked around for anything he had missed, finding his deck of Exploding Snap in James's dresser drawer. He grabbed it & was about to close the drawer when he saw something. A small old book of spells that had that weird traingle-circle-line like an elegant P shape etched onto it. Glancing around to make sure he was alone, Sirius picked up the book & opened it.
The first page said 'From Charlus To James' but the rest were all in a language Sirius didn't recognize. With a sigh, he placed the book back into the drawer & closed it. Turning around, he let out a sharp gasp. James was standing there.
"What are you doing?" James demanded in an accusing voice.
"Just ... making sure I have everything," Sirius said, holding up his deck of cards.
James glanced at it for a moment, a ray of sun bouncing off his glasses as he turned his head slightly. James moved in a few paces. "Well?" James crossed his arms. "Do you, now?"
"Uh," Sirius glanced around his original dorm one last time. "I think so."
"Well, alright then," James stood aside & held a hand up towards the door, indicating that Sirius should leave.
Sirius went through the door before stopping, back towards his cousin. "Jim?"
"I don't want to hear it," James said. "Just go away."
"Fine," Sirius gave up & headed down the stairs.
James waited a moment before checking the same dresser drawer. His book, written in Ingvaeonic, was still there in the exact same position he had left it in. He pulled it out & wrapped it up with the Death Cloak as he began packing up as well. He dropped the bundle of ancient secrets into his trunk & stood there, glaring at it. With a loud groan, James slapped the bedpost he was standing next to before continuing his search for his own stuff.
James soon finished packing & headed outside, letting Remus & Peter turn the dorm upside down in their usual frenetic style of last minute packing, making a worse mess as they did so & usually leaving a few things behind that Dumbledore would have to send by mail. James went into the grounds & found a secluded place to switch to Prongs. He trotted about on the fringes of the forest in an attempt to clear his mind.
He passed behind Sirius who also seemed to be walking about but didn't bother to let him know. Prongs slipped undetected into the trees & watched as Sirius headed down a hill out of sight.
Sirius walked aimlessly about Hogwarts, thinking this would be the last time he would see the place. He had no plans to return now. He would get that motorbike & live on the road like how several riders seemed to do. His only problem was getting the money converted from magic to muggle. He only had a short window of time before his parents would know what he did. Sirius rounded the corner of one of the entrances to the cloisters & collided with Lily.
Both fell back with painful groans onto the ground.
Sirius was the first to sit up, gingerly rubbing his side. "Evans? Sorry. Didn't see you."
"I didn't see you, either," Lily said, slowly getting up. She rubbed her hips & Sirius couldn't help but notice. No wonder James wanted this woman. Lily stood straight, cracking her back & her left wrist. "I'll be fine. I'll walk it off."
"Yeah," Sirius said with a soft laugh. "Same here."
"How are you doing?" Lily asked.
"Oh," Sirius looked himself over. "I'll be fine. Just a bump or two."
"I mean with Remus," Lily said. "I know what happened."
"Oh," Sirius sighed, looking away.
"By the way," Lily went on. "I ... know about the Animagic."
"WHAT?"
"I accidentally saw Potter become Prongs," Lily said. "He found out & we had a small talk. You're a dog. Peter's that grey rat Remus is always playing with."
"We. Are. Illegal!" Sirius gasped.
"I know," Lily said. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. I like Remus & I know you're all doing it for him."
"Yeah? Well, I guess I don't matter any more," Sirius said. "I'm out of the pack."
"You were pretty stupid the other night," Lily said.
"I know!" Sirius shouted at her, tears stinging his eyes.
"Well, don't yell at me!" Lily took a step or two back. "I'm not the one going around betraying friends' secrets."
"Oh, rub it in, why don't you?" Sirius snapped. "I get it. They all hate me. I'll never marry Remus. I still love him. I hate what I did & it's my fault. I know, o-o-k?" Sirius stopped before he burst into tears. He sniffled a little. "Y-You don't need to remind me."
Lily watched him for a moment. "I'm sorry." Sirius just stared at her as she added, "Look, just give them some time. You might get Remus back, some day."
"You think so?"
"Remus is a good man," Lily said. "It might be a while. Just leave them alone, for now. But I was always hoping you would end up with either him or Potter."
"Oh, Merlin," Sirius rolled his eyes but also finally laughed a little. "Jim told me about that."
"Well, see that's my point," Lily said. "You guys are always pretty close. I think it will all work out but only if you don't mess up again, ok?"
Sirius blinked slowly like an owl. "Ok."
"Good," Lily said as if that settled the matter. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to get going. I'm meeting up with a friend." She hurried by him & headed to the circle of stones where Snape was waiting for her.
They went together towards the castle but by the time they had reached the courtyard, they were now arguing.
"I thought we were supposed to be friends?" Snape was saying. "Best friends?"
"We are, Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging round with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery & Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev, he's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?"
Lily had reached a pillar & leaned against it, looking up into the thin sallow face.
They spoke for a bit more before Snape suddenly mentioned Potter & once more brought up the fact that all four of them would sneak out at night at least once a month around the full moon. He tried to keep it vague, wondering how much Lily knew about it.
" ... I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, & James Potter saved you from whatever's down there—"
Snape's whole face contorted & he spluttered, "Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck & his friends' too! You're not going to—I won't let you—"
"Let me? Let me?" Lily's bright green eyes were slits.
They were arguing once more & Snape suddenly blurted out how he knew James Potter had a thing for Lily but she quickly shot that down. She still didn't like James & that was enough for now. They eventually continued to the main doors & went inside.
Lily never once mentioned the word werewolf which left Snape slightly confused. How much did she know, anyway? If only she had been up in that meeting with him, then she would at least know that James himself had admitted to saving Snape only for the sake of Remus. James had literally said that if it had been another werewolf down there, he would not have bothered. But there was no use bringing it up again. By now, both Snape & Lily had gone their separate ways to finish packing so that they would be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
But now, Lily knew everyone's secrets. She felt like she was walking on a very thin edge & one wrong step would make her fall to either side. Werewolf puppies. Illegal animagic. Stag. Dog. Rat. Lily rubbed her temples for a moment, feeling a stress headache coming on. Dealing with Snape's backsliding on top of it all wasn't helping.
It was a dull, rainy morning when the train pulled in & what a sight it was. Two cars were damaged & blocked off. There had been an attack on the way in, apparently. Double the amount of Aurors were on board as students sombrely headed to find seats.
The usual one that the Marauders used was undamaged & so James, Remus & Peter quickly settled in. Charlus poked his head in once the boys were seated. "All good, in here?"
"Sure," James shrugged. "Dad, what happened?"
Charlus sighed long & low. "They're getting worse. Particularly around the border areas."
"Will it even be possible for us to visit Remus over the summer?" James asked.
"We'll see," Charlus answered. He stepped back into the hall & closed the door. As the train began to move, Charlus made his way through the usable cars. He soon found Sirius in a seat by himself. He went inside.
Sirius looked up as he heard the door open & could only stare as Charlus Potter came in & sat down across from him.
Charlus got straight to the point. "I got a rather nasty owl from Jim earlier, all about you."
"Figured," Sirius muttered, looking down at the floor again.
"Sirius, I thought you were better than that," Charlus went on. "Especially knowing what your family do to people like Remus."
"I thought I was better than that, too," Sirius said.
Charlus leaned back in his seat. "What am I going to do with you guys? Hmm?"
"Whatever you want," Sirius continued in his monotone voice.
Charlus looked the poor boy over. "Look, I may be old, but I remember my years back in Hogwarts. Oh, the things I had to do to get Dorea to like me."
"Really?" Sirius looked up in spite of himself.
"Well, she's Slytherin," Charlus said. "I'm Gryffindor. She thought I was beneath her for most of my time here."
"Sounds like Jim & that Evans girl," Sirius said. "Yet, they're in the same house."
"He's told me about her," Charlus said. "Frequently. I'm just saying, I dimly remember what it's like to be young & stupid."
"Sir, are you here to compliment me or insult me?" Sirius asked.
Charlus just smiled at him. It was clear where James got his mischievousness from. "Yes," was all that Charlus said.
"Thanks," Sirius said, looking back at the floor.
"Give it some time, Sirius," Charlus said. "Jim isn't one for holding grudges. It will all blow over before summer's out."
"I hope so," Sirius said. "But Jim told me not to bother coming over this summer."
"I know," said Charlus. "Will you be alright with your parents in the meantime?" Sirius only shrugged in answer. Charlus pulled something out of his pocket. "It's no secret that Orion & I have had our moments in the past. We never see eye to eye. We're both pureblood families but the way your side go about it is not right. Even Dorea had a few stuck up ideas in her younger years but she mellowed out in school. You two are a lot alike." He handed the thing over.
Sirius took the offering & held it up. It was a thin gold chain with that strange symbol hanging from it. "Sir, what is this?" He pointed at the pendant.
Charlus stared at it for a while. "Just the ... Potter ... crest." It wasn't exactly Potter but he had buried the true family name for a while now. Only James knew as it was part of his inheritance he received at eleven years old.
"I thought those three interlocking triangles above your door at home was the Potter crest?"
Charlus laughed softly. "Sort of. It's all triangles. That's the Valknut over my door. There is Viking blood on my side of the family."
Sirius almost dropped the pendant. "Viking?!"
"Now you know where us Potters get our mean streak from," Charlus said. "Don't worry about it. It's like a thousand years ago. But triangles have always been a part of my history. Dorea still keeps your family crest for herself."
"I've seen this symbol on a few of Jim's things," Sirius said. "Or on letters. Never thought Vikings."
"It's one of my ancestors," said Charlus. "A powerful pureblood." He put up a hand as Sirius proceeded to hand the pendant back. "No, no. You keep it. There is a charm on it that will alert me should any problems arise. Keep it hidden on your person at all times." Sirius put the chain around his neck & let it fall under his shirt as Charlus stood up. "Well, I better get back to patrolling." He stepped outside the door before looking back at Sirius. "Just wait a bit. Jim will come round soon enough." He closed the door & left.
"Jim," Sirius said to himself. "Sure. What about Remus?" He put a hand up to his chest, feeling the small triangular pendant lying cool against his skin.