Chapter Six.
Sirius could do little more than cry out in alarm as he watched several hundred pounds of terrifying muscle and steel come tearing through the now splintered doorway and charge towards him.
He silently cursed Blackwood for having taken his stolen wand, if he had ever needed to defend himself it was now. He backpedalled as fast as his legs could take him only to become tangled in the hem of the borrowed robes he was now wearing, the next thing he knew he was laying sprawled upon the hard timbers of the chamber's floor. A heavy boot upon his chest as it pressed the air from his lungs, he could only stare into the furious blue eyes peering out from under thick black brows. The coarse black beard split in was split in a fearsome snarl as he found the gleaming edge of an axe hovering only inches from his neck.
"Now let us talk about yeh wantin' to see My son."
The voice was dimly familiar to his hazy mind and it took him far longer than it should have done to place it. He had met this dwarf before when Lily had first accepted her apprenticeship under the Blackwoods. That had been when James had found that old stinking dwarf asleep in the shadow of one of the Castle's outbuildings, they had decided to play a prank upon him and had levitated him into the ornate pond that stood at the centre of the courtyard they had been in. The series of crazy events that had followed quickly flooded back to himn, Lily and the dwarf before him had to pull the soaking wet sod they had dumped into the water away from bisecting James with the great sword strapped to his back. Sirius himself had been sent flying by a wild kick that had left his nose a squashed ruin that had taken several delicate spells from Lily to reset, but that was nothing compared to the squad of Goblin headhunters that had suddenly appeared and tried to put an end to all of them.
It had been Lord Blackwood himself that had been muttering about curses as he had thrown James and Sirius from his lands, this very dwarf had been at his side and now he was claiming his son as his own.
"Your son?" he could only ask in confusion.
"Aye, mine. Cal may not have my blood, but I raised him when his ma' wasn't able. I took him in as one of me own, and I'll be a gobo-lovin'-pig-humper before I let any harm come to him."
Sirius could only stare in confused terror as the dwarf leaned closer until he was almost nose-to-nose with him. "And I don't trust yeh, manling."
"Your son?"
Sirius could not wrap his mind around the fact that this dwarf was claiming his son as his own, it just did not fit in with how he had pictured any of this happening. He had never intended to have the Dementors find him so soon after he had left his flat, he had apparated from London to Manchester and by some great stroke of misfortune had landed in the heart of a swarm of the foul beasts. He would not be surprised to learn that the muggles would soon be finding a large number of their homeless without their souls. From there it had been a mad flight as he had apparated up and down the country. He had thought he had lost them and dared to risk a last desperate apparition to the Blackwood Forest.
He had not been prepared to find them waiting for him, the hundreds of Dementors that had been hovering over the Forest of Blackwood had made him feel as if he was back in his cell within Azkaban. He had instinctively transformed into his animagus form to stave off the worst of their debilitating aura, but he had only just managed to keep ahead of them as they had chased him up to the very gates of the Castle.
He would never forget the sight of the damned things burning as they fell from the sky, he had never seen such a beautiful sight in all of his short and miserable life.
Yet, the subsequent manhandling by Lord Blackwood had not been expected, but he supposed it had been justified. He had been on the receiving end of many threats from protective fathers during his younger years, but all of them had paled in comparison to the fury of an angry Blackwood.
"Belor! That's enough!" The voice was still the same as he remembered it, as strong as iron and full of the confidence of someone used to wielding power. He found his eyes flicking over the two people that now stood in the doorway.
Amerytha Blackwood.
He found his heart thundering in his chest at the very sight of her. There were no romantic feelings behind it, their past engagements had been nothing more than two lost and grieving souls seeking to forget the horrors of a war that had claimed too many.
No, the reason his heart thundered at the sight of her was for the secret she had kept from him.
She had borne his child. She had never revealed the truth to him, they had fought together. Bled together. Grieved together, and in all that time she had never revealed the truth to him.
He felt something swell within him at the sight of her and before he knew what he was doing, he had shoved the dwarf's foot pinning him to the floor with all his might. The now-named Belor did not just stagger backwards, instead, he flew, skidding across the varnished timber boards to land in a crumpled heap against one wall.
He staggered to his feet as he took a stumbling step towards her. "Why did you not tell me?! I have a son. That we had a son. I had a right to kno-"
He was cut off mid-sentence as a snarling dwarf tackled him from his feet once more.
He flailed madly to block the heavy fists of the dwarf as blow after blow rained down upon him, whatever minor miracle had saved him before was gone now and he could do little to stop the onslaught.
To his amazement, the dwarf froze mid-swing.
Before he knew what was happening both he and the dwarf were levitated and set back on their feet.
"That is enough! I will not have the two of you beating each other to a pulp. Especially if I am to bring the boys here."
Sirius found himself unable to do anything as Amerytha held the two of them under her spell, he felt as if he would have an easier time bending iron than breaking through her magic.
He watched as the witch moved to sit in one of the hard-backed armchairs set before a small dining table, and found he could move and talk as he turned his head to follow her.
He hurriedly moved to join her as the Dwarf began to mutter dark curses under his breath in his own harsh tongue.
"Why did you never tell me I… that we had a son?" It was the single most burning question at the forefront of his mind. How could she have kept this from him?
Amerytha was silent for several long uncomfortable seconds as she stared at him. "I never told you about Callian, because it would have painted a target on his back. You were the heir apparent of one of the oldest Houses in Britain, if the world knew you had a son, an infant, then they would stop at nothing to seize him for their own uses or worse…"
Sirius stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. He had never much cared for the politicking of the Houses, that had been more his brother's forte than his. He had only cared about living his life the way he had wanted and after he had been cast out of the Black Family he had done just that.
"I thought Regulus was made the Heir after I ran away…" He said as he fell into the seat beside her.
"According to Arcturus, your mother tried to have you disinherited, but he would not allow that fool to dictate to him who would become the Head of House after he died. He claimed that Regulus had to prove himself if he was to be named heir, and by the time the war ended he was believed dead and you were in prison. When I brought him news of Callian's birth, he jumped at the opportunity to have an heir free of the corruption that had tainted the Black Legacy."
His eyes darted to Denevan as the older wizard spoke, but a weight had formed in the pit of Sirius's stomach at the man's words.
"Reg is dead?" The words slipped from him in a whisper, but he paid no heed to the shocked glances that passed between the three in the room. Finally, he looked up as he stared hard at Lord Blackwood. "How did my brother die?"
There was a small flicker of sympathy that danced across the man's face before he answered truthfully. "No one knows for sure. Arcturus spent a lot of time and effort trying to find out what happened to him, but the most that was able to uncover is that he turned his back on the Dark Lord towards the end of the War. There was an Auror who passed along a report claiming that your brother and many of his friends from school were given special assignments involving resources from their Family's personal Libraries or Vault. Whatever knowledge or relic he gave to the Dark Lord the Aurors could not be sure, the Aurors had been trying to get him to turn against the Dark Lord for nearly a year and they believe they had convinced him of the folly of serving a madman. More than one of the Death Eaters had fallen victim to Voldemort's spells, but the Aurors' contact claimed it was only a few months before he was called to the Dark Lord's side once more. Whatever transpired ended with Regulus eventually disappearing and both sides seemed just as confused by his absence, many believe he may have been killed by the Dark Lord for some betrayal, but no one knows for certain."
Sirius was silent as Denevan finished his tale, he did not know what to say. He and Regulus had been close once before their mother had indoctrinated him with all her rants on blood purity. He had loved his brother even if they had been on opposing sides of the war, and to learn that he was dead was devastating
As he had over the many long years of his imprisonment, he buried the pain of his brother's passing in the darkest depths of his mind. It was another loss among many and he would not let it break him now, he had come here for a reason and he would not leave until he had seen his son and Godson.
Turning a cold glare upon those in the room he spoke, his voice a dead monotone that had more than one concerned glance thrown his way. "So you kept Callian from me to keep him safe, I can understand that. But now, I want to see my son. I want to see Harry, he is all I have left to remember the people I loved most."
He caught the strange looks that passed between Amerytha and Denevan at his words, but before he could question it the dwarf spoke up.
"Technically speakin', that's not strictly true."
Sirius shot the Dwarf a wary glance, his body ached from the maniac's hammer-like blows and without his wand he would have little defence if he tried to finish what he had started.
"What do you mean?" He looked back towards Amerytha for answers, but it was Denevan that answered. "Harry, he had a piece of Lord Voldemort's soul trapped within him. It was constantly trying to gain possession of him, but we discovered that there was something that was keeping the soul fragment at bay."
Sirius's gaze locked upon the elder wizard, he had never even heard of such a thing as soul fragments, but possession he was all too familiar with. It had been a constant threat during the war, the Dark Lord had taken a perverse pleasure in subverting the minds of others.
"What kept Harry safe? Was it something Dumbledore did?"
"Albus had nothing to do with it." Denevan said with a laugh, "No, this was a work of brilliance that even I'm struggling to wrap my head around."
Sirius looked between them all once more waiting for someone to explain. He did not have to wait long as Amerytha put him out of his misery.
"Lily…she sacrificed herself to keep Harry safe."
Sirius winced as her words scraped over old wounds that had never healed. "I know that! It's the reason I chased after the Rat in the first place."
Amerytha waved him to calm, and he froze as she placed her hand upon his arm. He stared at it as if unsure of the contact.
It was the first piece of gentle contact with another human he had had since he had escaped Azkaban, and he found the sudden swell of emotion bringing tears to his eyes. He quickly pulled his arm free from her light touch, unable to bear it.
Amerytha just gave him a nod of understanding before she took her hand back, before continuing.
"Lily did more than just sacrifice her life for Harry's. She enacted Magics that we are still trying to decipher, but she became the protection around Harry's soul…She's not dead, Sirius. Lily is alive."
The world seemed to freeze in that moment, he did not know how to process what he was being told. One of his dearest friends was still alive, someone he had loved utterly and without condition and they still lived after he had thought them dead.
It was more than he could take and he began to sob, they were tears of joy. For the first time in over a decade, a small sliver of the pain he had felt fell away.
"B...but if she's alive, where is she?!" He looked around the room, desperate for answers and he could only watch as the trio once more shared subtle glances.
Neither of the Blackwood seemed to struggle over what to say, but the dwarf held no such limitations.
"She's in the boy."
Sirius jerked as if slapped as he tried to piece together what the dwarf could mean, but Denevan shot Belor an exasperated look.
"What Belor means to say is that Lily's soul is trapped within Harry, when Voldemort attacked them within Hogwarts she nearly faded away but Harry somehow forged a connection between their two souls. He is the only thing keeping her 'alive' for lack of a better word."
Sirius tried to put everything together within his mind, but it was all too much. He waved them all to stop as he looked at them with pleading eyes.
"Can someone please just tell me everything that's happened? I've only been able to learn snatches of the story since I escaped Azkaban."
Amerytha did so, she explained all that had transpired. Every detail that she knew of the boys' time at Hogwarts, of the hardships and trials they had faced. Of the death of the Flint boy and Callian's part in it.
She told him of what Callian had faced in the forest, of his communing with an actual God. Of him skating close to death in his fear and the subsequent duel with the Dark Lord.
Amerytha left nothing out of her tale, and by the time she was finished, Sirius was left reeling.
The things his boys had faced would have broken a grown man.
"I want to see them."
Amerytha gave him a long searching look, but eventually, she gave a nod of her head.
"I'll fetch them, and I'll have Keeky bring us something to eat. I fear it's going to be a long night."
Belor watched Amerytha leave with an uncertain look. On the one hand, he was thankful for her timely arrival, but on the other, the anger he had harboured for so long churned to be let free. He would have killed Black, he knew it with a certainty that rocked him to his core. He had lived with the hatred of the man for so long that the very thought of him near Callian had made him see red, and the next thing he knew he was hacking his way through the door to the chamber just to reach the man.
Turning, he faced the man once more. Black was eyeing him warily, and in truth, he could not blame the man. With everything that had happened over the last several days he was on edge, his son was being targeted and there was very little that he could do to keep him safe. What was worse was he felt scared this man would take his son away from him.
Callian was his Foster son, by tradition he had as much claim to the boy as any ties of blood he had with Black. Yet, in the darkest depths of his heart, he feared that Callian would abandon him.
It was a foolish thought, he knew the boy better than that. He had raised the boy better than that. Yet, it did not stop the seed of resentment from growing as he looked upon the man.
"What is he like?" The voice was gruff and hard, the long years of suffering he had experienced within Azkaban had stolen the light and teasing voice he remembered.
He swallowed the first snarling response that sprang to his lips and moved to sit across from the man. He stared hard at Black as the man shifted uncomfortably while he approached.
Belor waved a hand for the man to calm.
"Relax, Longun'. I'm not going to hit yeh again." He could not bring himself to apologise, the anger in his heart would not allow it. It may have been petty of him, but at that very minute he did not care.
He stared hard at the deep-set grey eyes of the man across from him, they were so very similar to Callian's it was almost painful to look at them.
There was a desperate look in Sirius's eyes as he stared at Belor unblinkingly.
Belor turned his mind away from the man across from him as his thoughts turned to fonder times. "He's one of the most curious humans I've ever known. He loves Magic more than anything, I reckon he puts even Den to shame in that regard. When he was younger I would have to spend hours trackin' him down in the Vaults of the Pillar or the Castles Libraries, just to get him to sit at the table and eat his dinner." Belor smiled fondly as he remembered chasing a younger Callian, the boy's laughter had lifted his spirits in ways little else had.
"When he first started to control his Magic, the little scrag would use it to tease us all mercilessly. When he got that mad fool Jastor involved, something normally went boom!"
Belor saw the smallest of smiles flit across Black's face at his words.
"Did he have many friends growing up? Was he happy?"
"Not among yeh humans, but he was a constant sight here in the hold. He was friendly with a few of the youngun' that he trained with, but by the time a dwarf is ready for the training grounds they've already got fluff on their chin. He had his brothers to keep him company and I know it hit him hard when they left a few years back."
Black looked at him quizzically. "Brothers?"
Belor nodded. "My boys. Tyrn, my eldest and Delmor. Between the three of them, I earned more than a few grey hairs in my beard, after they left to see the world I know Cal only really interacted with Den's Apprentices."
Belor's gaze turned inwards as he thought back over the years. "After that, he never really had time to be a child again, he learned of his duty to his House." Belor's deep blue eyes flicked to pierce Sirius once more. "To yer House."
He watched as Sirius slumped back in his chair, he knew that the man had never taken anything seriously in his life and now the responsibility and duty of Lord Black fell on the shoulders of a child.
"Between that and his lessons with Amerytha and Den, he had no time to be a boy. I did what I could, where I could. Ironmane and I would take him camping in the forest. I taught the boy how to swim and play simple games but he knew his duty and wouldn't put it off for long. He pushed himself in his studies of Magic and his martial training, he was like someone possessed and he still does the same even now."
Belor snorted as he continued to reminisce. "Hells, the only one that could make him take a break was Jastor, and that was only so they could blow something up."
Sirius looked saddened by the news, before eventually speaking into the silence that had grown between them. "But he has Harry and those two girls…"
Belor nodded a small smile twitching his beard. "Aye, I saw Cal and the blonde lass…Adria, I think, out flying over the gates when I left this morning. I think they're good for each other, I know that Potter is for sure."
He explained what had happened when they had all thought that Callian had died in the forest, how Harry alone had refused to give up on his friend. Unbidden he put voice to a thought that had lingered at the back of his mind ever since he had walked with Harry into the forest.
"They are bound by ties greater than anyone truly realises. All of them are…Athbavgath."
A word in the old tongue that had stayed within the recesses of his mind for centuries.
He wondered just what it meant for his son to be named as an Arbiter. According to Cal, the Knowledge Seeker himself, one of the three principal Gods of his people, had named him as such. He was still amazed to learn that Callian had forged some kind of link with Delvaryn, and he hoped fervently that he would not come to regret forging the amulet that seemed to be at the heart of his son's connection with the divine.
"I want to thank you…"
Belor was broken from his thoughts as he turned to look at the man across from him
"Thank me?"
Sirius bobbed his head in a jerky nod. "Thank you for being there for him. For being the father I never could be…"
Belor was silent as the man seemed to shrink in upon himself, seemingly lost in his own misery of all that had been lost.
They sat in the awkward silence that had grown between them, listening to the sounds of quiet footsteps coming closer.
Callian stared at the man. He grimaced at the warm embrace Harry's body had given the escaped convict, his cousin constantly flitted between a teary-eyed Lily Potter and her more reserved son.
He had withdrawn his Magic until it hovered just at the limits of his body, the conflicting blurring of souls within his friend had begun to make him feel uneasy.
He watched those in the room as they watched Lily talk through Harry almost unceasingly with Sirius Black, he had sensed the conflict within Harry and he was unsure what his friend was feeling at that moment. His mother had a face like carved stone as she listened to Lily both berate and grieve with the man that had sired him.
The pain that consumed both of them was clearly visible even without his Gift. He felt like he was intruding, that he should not be here to witness their pain.
His grandfather had taken a seat in one of the hard-backed chairs and appeared as though he was carved from stone, the man's eyes never left Sirius and it felt as if the man was watching a cornered dog, waiting for it to snap at even friendly hands.
Yet, it was Belor at his side that drew his focus. The dwarf was tense and seemed ready to either unleash hell or run from the chamber, and judging by the shattered door and small pile of kindling that rested against the wall nearest the open doorway he had already given into one of those urges.
"You alright, Da?"
Belor jerked as if slapped and turned wild eyes onto Callian, his response was too quick in coming and told Callian far more than anything else. "I'm fine lad. Just got a lot on my mind."
Callian stared at his father for a moment longer, he did not need to be a master of the mind arts to know Belor was uncomfortable with the stranger in the room.
He nudged the dwarf's shoulder with his own as he leaned in close to whisper conspiratorially in Dwarvish. "Want to get out of here? I don't think Lady Potter is going to be finished any time soon."
Belor gave a loud snort that drew the eye of everyone in the room before Harry's body gave a slight shudder, and it was Harry once more in control as he took a deliberate step back from Black.
Callian flinched as Belor none too gently drove his elbow into Callian's ribs. Their interaction did not go unnoticed by Black, as the man's gaze kept flicking to him whenever he so much as moved.
He knew the man wanted to speak to him, but he had purposefully kept his distance. He did not know what to say to the man, he had grown up hating Black's very existence and until a few days ago had no reason to correct that. He had never needed Black for anything, he had always had his Dagün and would not give up the dwarf for anything. Belor had been the bedrock upon which he had built his life, and while he may not share the dwarf's blood he had and would always be his father.
He knew that Harry needed Black, he needed him like a drowning man needed air. It was good that he had his mother returned to him, if not in body, then in spirit. But a son needed a father, and Black could and should be that for Harry.
He found it odd that he could stand here in the same room as Sirius Black and feel nothing. There was none of the warmth and unconditional love he had for his mother, or the power and sense of agelessness that came from his grandfather. Most importantly there was none of the unbreakable strength and support that Belor had and would always give him.
He reached out an arm and slung it about the dwarf's shoulders, and he watched as Black jerked as if slapped. Belor, however, stood straighter and the dwarf turned towards him with a wide smile, his pearly white teeth splitting the dark tangle of his beard.
Eventually, things began to settle down. He knew that he would have to speak to Black at some point, but for now, he was content to watch as Harry tentatively hugged the escaped convict. He felt his own eyes sting with unshed tears as Harry clung to the man, over his cousin's shoulder he found Black watching him.
He offered the man a slow nod and Black slowly returned it, eventually, Harry pulled away from his godfather to look back at Amerytha and Denevan.
"So how do we go about clearing Sirius's name? The Ministry has got to believe us, surely?"
Callian's short bark of derisive laughter matched perfectly with that which escaped from Black, the two shared a look before Sirius gave a slight shake of his head as he answered Harry.
"The Ministry has yet to release the fact to the public that I've escaped from Azkaban, but very soon they will. When they do they will stop at nothing to see me back in a cell or Kissed."
Harry shot a confused glance towards Sirius at the term, but before he could ask what his godfather was talking about Denevan spoke up. "I've already sent word to a few friends within the Ministry, they will alert me as soon as the Ministry can organise itself to put a plan in place. If things go as I have predicted then we will soon have a few visitors. I think it would be very beneficial for you to attend that meeting."
Callian could tell that while his grandfather's voice was calm and conversational, the undercurrent of authority was plain for all to hear. It was not a request, Black would be present when the Ministry sent their envoy and there would be no argument.
He watched as Black looked between his mother and grandfather, and he felt a measure of respect grow as the man stood straighter. "If the Ministry finds out I am here, they will stop at nothing to ensure I'm put back in that damn cell. They will have the Aurors here within the hour, or worse the Dementors."
Callian felt a chill run down his spine as his grandfather leaned forward, there was a hardness in the man's eyes that made him seem like a stranger. There was a subtle menace about the man as he slowly rose from his chair, the shadows of the room seemed to grow darker about them all as Callian felt his grandfather's power press down on them all like an oppressive blanket.
"Remember where you are, Black. My lands are my own, and I will defend them as such. Half of the swarm that chased you is now ash scattered over my forest, I assure you that any Auror that the Ministry can bring to bear will be dealt with just as easily."
Callian watched as Sirius Black held his grandfather's gaze for far longer than most would have, he had seen many men and dwarves crumble in seconds under that gaze. Hells, he had nearly run screaming the one and only time his grandfather had looked at him like that. It had been the first time they had caught him throwing himself from the towers of the Castle, after Belor and his mother were through with him he had faced his grandfather's fury and it had taken him a long time before he tried anything so reckless again.
Inevitably, Sirius looked away.
"As you say, Lord Blackwood." The grudging response came from a now sullen Black.
Things continued in a much more sedate fashion after that, even Lily's seemingly endless enthusiasm to see Sirius again could not lift the convict's mood. Soon Denevan escorted an exhausted Harry from the room, the constant switching between his cousin and his mother's soul had drained the boy. Only Callian, Belor and his mother remained with Sirius Black. Belor for his part had refused to budge from Callian's side, and for that he was thankful. For the first time in several hours, he allowed his Magic to go free, and the world about him seemed to explode into being. He saw the world much more clearly, and his sense of the chamber and the people around him grew exponentially.
He stared hard at the man before him and felt his skin crawl as his power swept over the man that had sired him. Sirius Black was a ruin of a man, and it made him uncomfortable in ways he had never thought possible.
He could feel an echo of the constant ache that lingered in the man's body after over a decade spent rotting within Azkaban, the damage it had wrought upon his flesh was nothing to the darkness he could sense clouding the man's mind and soul.
It was not the vile inky blackness that consumed the Dark Lord's presence, but there was a taint that marred the bright spark that blazed at the heart of the man.
There was a thin, gauntness to the man's face and hand that Callian had not seen before, his skin appeared waxy and it appeared his hair was still a knotted mess even if Black had tried to run a comb through it.
The silence about them had only grown in the room, and no one seemed willing to break it. Callian watched as Black took a seat in one of the chairs across from his mother, he did not look at any of them as he seemed to be lost in thought.
With a glance at Belor, he moved to take a seat next to his mother, the sudden movement startled more than one person and he found himself locking eyes with Sirius Black.
The man's eyes were a near perfect match for his own, he knew his own held a touch of his mothers blue but there was no denying he had the traditional grey eyes of House Black.
The longer he looked at the man the more similarities he saw, he carried the high cheekbones and full features that had made Sirius Black such an appealing man in his youth.
The Blackwoods were generations removed from the House of Black, divided by more centuries than many of the Noble Houses but he could still see the aristocratic features of his grandfather in the man as well.
"You have your mother's colour…"
It took him a few heartbeats to realise that Black had even spoken, the man stared at him as if he could not get enough of looking.
Black's hand rose as if to reach across the table and Callian purposefully pulled away from the man, he watched as the hand fell to the table with a muted thud. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Belor made to say something, but for the moment he pushed any thought of his father from his mind.
"My Grandfather has always claimed it was the Rosier colouring, Althena, my Grandmother passed it onto my mother and now on to me."
Sirius snorted at that. "My aunt Druella was of House Rosier, her hair was so blonde it was almost white. Out of all her children, only my cousin Narcissa carried it on."
A mischievous smirk flitted its way onto his face, "I always thought she dyed it to cover up an…indiscretion."
Amerytha gave a surprised laugh at that and even Callian cracked a smile. "I'll be sure to let Narcissa know of her mother's sordid past." Amerytha said with a chuckle.
Callian watched as Sirius's head snapped up at that, and the man looked at his mother with wide eyes.
"You know Narcissa?!" Sirius stared at Amerytha in shocked disbelief.
"Yes. Is that so hard to believe?" Callian watched as his mother raised one delicate eyebrow, the stern look upon her face reminded him so much of his grandfather I'm that moment.
"Her husband was a known Death Eater, why in Merlin's name are you associated with the Malfoys!"
Amerytha smiled at Black. There was no warmth to it, and even Callian found himself leaning away from his mother as she seemed to loom suddenly in the room.
"It should surprise you then to learn that not only are we associated with the Malfoys, but we are also Fostering their son, Draco."
The look of disbelief that twisted Sirius's face seemed to only grow as he looked between them both, he could do little more than splutter and gawp as Amerytha continued as if he had not been talking.
"We are aware of what connections the Malfoys have with the Dark Lord. With Callian named as the future Lord Black, we needed to ensure that any rivals to the Title are under our control." She shot a fond look at Belor as she placed her hand atop Callian's arm.
"It was Belor in fact that came up with the idea of taking Draco as a Fosterling, it puts the boy firmly within our control and away from the ideology of his father."
Sirius just shook his head, he seemed to be struggling to understand what Amerytha was saying.
"And Lucius Malfoy just let you take his Heir?!"
That smile that looked as if it was made of ice once more returned to his mother's face as she spoke. "No, Lucius followed our decision to Foster Draco because he is unsure of himself and how far he can push his sworn Oath."
Sirius could only stare in bafflement prompting them to fill him in on what transpired during Arcturus Black's funeral.
"So let me get this right, you have Draco running around your Castle. Narcissa pretty much living here too, and both have sworn potential fatal Blood Oaths to you." He nodded in Callian's direction, before continuing. "On top of that Lucius Malfoy is terrified, because not only do you have his son and heir under your care. There's also the fact that if he acts in a manner that puts you in harm's way or is not beneficial to you and House Blackwood, then the potential of another Blood Oath hanging over his head could see him meet a very gruesome but not undeserved end?"
Belor spoke up then, "That about sums it up, manling. Although there's also the fact that the Blackwoods are Fostering one of the most famous and influential wizards within the Isles. Let's also not forget that if these friends of Cals pull their fingers out and speak the Oath of Fealty, then House Blackwood would become the Liege Lord of two new Houses."
This time it was Belor that smiled grimly at the gaunt man before them all, "And don't be forgettin' that Cal is a Fosterling of my House. By right of tradition, he is Callian of Clan Stormanvil, and had the backing of me entire Clan."
Sirius Black looked between all of them with wide and terrified eyes, "You're preparing for War."
It was not a question and Callian nodded his head resolutely. "War is coming. The Dark Lord is back, I have seen him. I have fought him. My House would rather prepare to meet him with Magic at our backs and swords in our hands than be swept aside like sticks in the wind."
Sirius could only stare at the boy before him. He may look like him, and they may share the same blood, but for the first time since he had escaped Azkaban, he began to realise just how different the boy was from him.