Disclaimer: Anything that rings a bell belongs to J.K Rowling

Chapter 13: Familiar Distance

Sirius stared at the two red streaks in the distance that were James and Cassie; like flames dancing in the inky black sky, they tossed the quaffle to and fro. He leaned against the stone windowsill of his dorm room as he waited for Prongs to return from his quidditch date with his girlfriend.

Well, 'girlfriend' in Sirius' opinion. James shied away from the term, saying that Cassandra and he were just casually dating and in all honesty, Sirius didn't really care what Prongs and the curvy beauty labelled their relationship, as long as James wasn't desperately panting after Evans any more.

Not that Evans would notice the lack of attention, she had glued herself to Snivelus' side ever since the Hogsmeade trip last month, and that filthy git more than relished in their reinstated friendship.

Sirius turned away from the window and glanced down at the letter in his hand, the writing as familiar to him as his own. He remember how he and Andy would try and copy the script when they were little, competing to see whose imitation was better.

"Two butterbeers please, Annabelle." The wispy waitress blushed, tucking a loose raven strand behind her left ear before she spun around to retrieve their order, almost bumping into a table behind them in her haste. Her pale cheeks reddened beneath her bright blue eyes as she glanced over her shoulder, biting her lip in hope that they had not witnessed her mishap, her eyes widening momentarily as they clapped on blue-gray ones, and she hurried off in embarrassment.

Sirius smirked at his uncle who was seated across him, who politely stared after the waitress in concern. Not for the first time in his life did Sirius wonder why his uncle never married. He turned his attention away from the girl, glancing about the room, "This place is a lot nicer than it was in my day."

Sirius followed his uncle's glance about the Staying Inn, it was one of the smaller establishments in Hogsmeade, just off the main road, very quiet and unpopular amongst the visiting Hogwarts students.

The restaurant was small and practically empty save for an older couple seated a few tables away. Something about the worried glances they tossed at them when they entered, and their reclusive table, made Sirius think they were having an affair or partaking in something just as exciting and nefarious.

He turned back to his uncle, who much like Moony, had constantly perfect posture, but whose blue eyes lacked the warmth of his werewolf best friend. Not that his uncle was cold. He was the only adult in his family that Sirius had gotten along with. But just like this was a unique experience for Sirius, it was a unique experience for Uncle Alphard, for after many years of observation Sirius knew that whilst his uncle was not cold like his father, he wasn't as affectionate as someone like Mr. Potter. But he did have a nice middle ground between distance and familiarity that always made Sirius feel as if he could speak his mind.

"They changed ownership in my second year, some rich muggleborn bought it and has been trying to spruce it up, but I suppose it won't help much considering it's off the High Street."

Alphard Black smiled politely as he thanked the waitress for the butterbeer she had quickly placed down, averting her blue eyes from the occupants of the table in shyness and hurrying back into the kitchen. He nodded in reference at the couple who were now whispering breathlessly at each other, "Somehow I think that the fact that it's off the High Street might be its biggest marketing point. Daisy… now that's a name that will have Walburga in hysterics, she once hexed Cygnus for referring to Lucretia as Lucy."

Sirius laughed, "As tantalizing the prospect of introducing Daisy to mother just for the promised hysterics, I assure you, we're not serious."

Uncle Alphard smiled, "I never intended to imply that you were. Speaking of Daisy, I better hurry up and get you back to her before she wilts."

Sirius grinned fondly at his uncle's joke, there was something so aged about it, sounding like something Mr. Potter would say, only funny because it came from the mouth of an elder. He frowned at the thought. It was odd to think of Uncle Alphard as old, but as he now looked at him he saw the strands of grey creeping into his temple, the lines in his face that were not there last Summer, "You must be wondering as to why I asked to speak to you alone."

"I assume you just wanted to check and see that I'm alive." Sirius laughed offhandedly and the smile fell from Alphard's face.

"No. I knew you were with Charlus and Dorea, and therefore in capable hands." He sipped his butterbeer and lowered it back to the table, his normally distant blue-gray eyes bright with uncertainty, "I am sure you know that Charlus and I work closely together."

Sirius knew they were acquaintances considering they both worked at the Ministry. Mr. Potter was a Senior official in the Auror department whilst Uncle Alphard was a Senior official in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, something which Walburga would not stop complaining about. His mother was of the opinion to work when you were titled was akin to begging.

'Blacks were not beggars.'

Sirius would often point out that her precious great grandfather, Phineas Nigellus Black was a Headmaster of Hogwarts and that was most definitely work, was it not?

To which Walburga's reply was just a display that whilst Blacks were above begging, they were not above belting.

"I didn't know you were friends." Sirius added, blinking away the recollection which made his back sting in memory.

Alphard shook his head, "I don't know about friends, but we are on good terms. I am sure you are aware of the current situation." His eyes glanced about the room in a flicker, "About a certain wizard going by –"

"Yeah, I know about Voldemort." Sirius shook his head. "Warped, deranged egomaniac, a shepherd to those brain-dead sheep he calls Death Eaters."

Sirius glared as he thought of Snivellus and Lestrange and the rest of the tossers that had whispers of Death Eater surrounding their names.

"Of course. Anyway, the matter isn't as contained as the Ministry would like to fool the public into thinking, and we've been seeking help from outside the UK. We've been working on getting help from the Austrian Ministerium, they have some relatively recent experience with fighting Dark Lords. The fall of Gellert Grindelwald may be thanks to Dumbledore, but their ministry managed to contain the situation in better light than we're managing. We made great strides with them; we were almost about to cement a partnership when suddenly over the summer the negotiations fell through. Charlus and I were heading this arrangement, and I did a bit of digging… and the reason why the matter did not proceed is due to your father."

"Father?" Sirius frowned, "How canhestop negotiations. What does he care what the Ministry is doing? He isn't the least bit political." He leaned forward as a ghastly thought crossed his mind, "Unless he joinedhim…"

Sirius thought his father was too apathetic to take a side, he'd barely heard him voice an opinion, it was his mother that was vociferous about blood supremacy and muggle hatred, his father seemed to dislike everyone equally, irrelevant of blood.

"Your father is head of the Black family and many of our family investments lie in Central Europe, we have very strong ties there, and the name is much respected and bears a lot of weight. Orion isn't usually…so… but… it seems-"Uncle Alphard swallowed in uncharacteristic indecisiveness as he sought the right words to describe his brother-in-law.

Sirius knew that the only human being his father ever seemed to even form an inkling of interest for was his Uncle Alphard. He was his father's cousin, brother by law, and oldest friend.

Sirius straightened in his chair, feeling discomfort for the first time since seeing his uncle whose blue-gray stare found his, "I have spoken to your father and it would seem that whilst he isn't political, he is as crafty as a politician. He knew that when you ran away it would be off to the Potters-"

"So, he's doing this to be spiteful! To get back at Mr. Potter for taking me in when he tossed me aside! Derailing Mr. Potter's good intentions because he's a malicious, vindictive coward!" Sirius' neck constricted painfully as he tried and failed to control his voice.

A thousand words sparked across Uncle Alphard's face, but he remained silent for a moment, "It is more than that. Your father, flawed he may be, is not spiteful. He admitted the only reason for interfering is quite simple. He wants you back home."

Sirius barked a laugh that even pulled the lovestruck couple out of their trance, "He wants me back home? You must have misunderstood, he…" Sirius recalled the expressionless look on his father's face when he walked out, that last look of intermingled disinterest and disappointment, "He doesn't care."

Uncle Alphard leaned forward, "Sirius… your father… he's…" He stopped and took a deep breath, "I won't pretend that his wanting you home is because he's forlorn with grief or anything that sentimental. Your father wants you home for the very reason why he was forced to marry your mother all those years ago."

Sirius knew that his parents never married for love, but it was odd hearing it stated so casually. "Because I am his heir? The heir to the Noble and Ancient House of Black." Sirius spat, "Well he has Regulus-"

"No. Regulus can never be heir. Not to your father." Uncle Alphard leaned back in his chair, "Did you ever wonder why it is your father that is head of the house, and not I? When I am the eldest son of the main family."

Sirius shrugged, unsure at this turn in the conversation, "Because you never married."

"No. Then the title would have gone to my younger brother, your uncle Cygnus." Uncle Alphard took another deep breath, it was the first time Sirius had ever seen him rattled in the slightest. "Perhaps I should start from the beginning. I am sure you know the stories of Phineas Nigellus the second."

Sirius rolled his eyes, his temper cooling at the name his mother had made him extremely familiar with, "The muggle rights activist who was blown off the family tree. Mother thought that his spirit was trapped in my room and was the cause for my 'unnatural fondness of such creatures.'"

"Yes, I recall Walburga's purging your room with unwanted clarity. Anyhow, more importantly, Phineas the second was also Phineas the first's favourite son, even though your namesake, Sirius the first, was his heir. Stricken by the betrayal of his favourite son, Phineas distrusted all his children, for he thought if they all were raised under the same roof, if one went bad, it was only logical that they all would likely go the same way. So instead of following the normal inheritance custom, Phineas put a test to his grandchildren, who would inadvertently receive the title in years to come. Whoever makes the purest union by marriage, and fathers a child first, gets the title of heir. It must seem odd, but it was more a test of who wanted it the most. Your grandfather, my father, Pollux, married Irma Crabbe who was old enough to be his own mother at the time, and they had your mother when he was just thirteen years old. Whilst Arcturus, eldest son of Sirius, the rightful heir, married your grandmother Melania, who was a pureblood, but of low status. They had Lucretia, your father's older sister, but they were a month too late, and the title shifted from Sirius the first to Pollux."

"I don't really care-"

"It's important for you to understand the dynamic of your family Sirius, as steeped in insanity as the history may be. Now, my father, your grandfather Pollux, brimming with pride at usurping the title, was not… keen when I refused to marry. But rather than give the title of heir to Cygnus, his second son, he instead passed it on to his favourite child, Walburga."

"Who then had it passed on to my father when they married. So, the line of succession is how it should be, all's well that ends well, the Black name shall live on to torment future generations-"

"I suppose it sounds simple and silly." Uncle Alphard cut across Sirius' mocking with a scowl, "But surely you can see that your father had to make some sacrifice to get what he deemed was already rightfully his."

Sirius quieted down, disliking being chided, especially by his uncle, and refrained from sulking, "He had to marry my mother. Almost makes me feel sorry for the bastard."

Uncle Alphard straightened up and Sirius immediately regretted his words, not that he didn't think that his father was a bastard, but it was disrespectful to voice that sort of thing in front of his uncle. Whatever his uncle had to say weighed in his eyes, weight that pressed his lips down and kept him silent for many moments.

"Perhaps you're too young, but one day you'll understand the immeasurable conviction in a pureblood marriage. There is no such thing as divorce in our customs, and to choose a wife is to choose a life partner, and our lives are…long." Sirius watched as his Uncle's eyes sparked with emotion and he bowed his head and stared at the table, unsure how to react to this new face his uncle had allowed him to see.

"Now, anyway, you know why your father doesn't want to break the line of succession. In his eyes, you are the only heir to the Black name. It's why he has done this... he wants you back home Sirius."

"I won't return to that house." Sirius bit out the words.

"And I don't want you to my boy." Sirius glanced up at the softness in his uncle's voice but all he saw was a firm layer of stoniness, that rare face of emotions hidden from him once again. "I know, I've known this was to happen for a long while, and I was happy to hear you were finally gone, happy with the Potters… but surely you see this is bigger than your own happiness Sirius… your father has agreed to step back, to not interfere with our negotiations if I can convince you to come home."

"Uncle Al-"

"I know." He straightened once more, his eyes back to its usual emotionless blue, "I will not force you to go back. All I want is for you to know why I ask this horrid thing of you. You'll be seventeen in just over a month… you need only come back home for the Yuletide break and then a few weeks in the Summer perhaps, but you'll be a man soon and you will make your own decisions but for now… I know what it is I am asking."

"I don't think you do."

Alphard frowned, "You think it was easy to fight my family? To deny my father's wishes to marry. If it were not for your father, I would be just a smudge on Walburga's tree. And perhaps Orion had his own reasons to help me when I refused the title, perhaps he knew then that he would be closer to getting it back, but whatever your father is… he is a man of his word." He leaned forward, a flash of life in his blue-gray orbs, "We need all the help we can get Sirius… I would never ask if…if there was any other way out…"

"Sirius?" He turned around at the familiar voice, pocketing his uncle's letter that requested his answer to the question he had asked him all those weeks ago as Remus walked into the dorm, a large bouquet of flowers in his hand, "Aren't you coming for Isabella's birthday party."

He watched as his friend shrugged on a new sweater, conjuring a vase for the flowers, and placing them in it carefully as his wand spouted an arc of water that trickled into the container, "What's the use, Sprout will just come and bust it anyway."

Ever since Mulciber was suspended for the prank on Mary, it was all out war between the Snakes and the rest of the school. Just last week somebody tipped off McGonagall about Sirius' birthday party and the occurrence of some 'illegal activities', they were lucky they managed to hide the alcohol before their head of house breached the perimeter, but nevertheless, the party was ruined.

"Ah, don't be so pessimistic." Sirius couldn't help smiling at the look on his friend's face. Ever since Remus and Shafiq started officially dating he was intolerably happy, "Plus, I thought you like Isabella."

"A bit too much for my own good." Isabella McDougal was an uncomfortable outlier in Sirius' list of special acquaintances. She was unique in that he considered her a friend, and therefore their fun had to be both infrequent and manoeuvred about with much caution, lest he ruined their friendship which he liked a bit more than he did their cavorting. Especially after that rumour about him wanting to have an orgy with her, Mary, and Devon at the beginning of the school year.

And considering that Daisy was still being petty and pouting after their trip to Hogsmeade, Sirius didn't really feel keen on being glared at by the girl for most of the night.

And there was the fact that Selina Selwyn will be there, the Puffs always extended the invite to all houses for their bashes, and of course that meant so will Regulus… "Did Shafiq give you flowers? That's oddly…progressive of you two." Sirius hoped his question would distract both him and Moony.

His friend's smile dissipated instantly, "Yes…no… I'm to send them to my mother. My sick mother."

Sirius walked forward with a sigh; Remus had not told Aiza about his condition. Hence, last week when he disappeared for a few days, she probably thought he was off to see his 'sick' mother, hence the flowers… "Mate, it's obvious that she likes you." A bit too obvious, the two were nauseatingly close, "She'll understand-"

"I have to go. Aiza's waiting." Before Sirius could say another word, Remus was out the door, almost bumping into a sweaty James as he entered.

"You know I think we ought to talk to him. It's not good to be whipped from the get-go, she should at least have to train him or something." James rolled his eyes and tossed his broom into its holder, "But then what is it called if both parties are equally whipped, because Aiza looks as if she's experiencing some withdrawal symptoms downstairs just from his five minute absence."

Sirius laughed, "You're one to talk. I see you and Cassie had a private training session."

"Well, yes, we had." He ran a hand through his greasy strands and shrugged, "Considering I am her captain and it's my duty to oversee the facilitation of my team's training."

"Hmmm." Sirius smirked, "I suppose your facilitation of her training required an extra twenty minutes in the empty locker rooms."

James narrowed his hazel eyes at him, "I was having a shower."

"Evidently." Sirius gestured at his sweatiness and Prongs huffed.

"Fine. But just because I enjoy Cassandra's company does not mean that I am whipped." He frowned, "Does it look that way?"

Sirius hastened to answer, hoping that his teasing won't deter James, "No, no. I was just joking. Actually, Mary was asking me whether you two were officially dating yet."

"Why'd you think she's asking?" Prongs shrugged off his shirt and threw it into the basket, narrowing his eyes in thought, "You think Evans wants to know?"

"What?" Sirius shook his head, "I don't know, Mary's quite inquisitive, she might just be asking for herself."

"You're spending a lot of time with MacDonald these days."

Sirius shrugged, "She's not so bad. She's been having a hard time what with the incident in the Shack last month. Her parents are so worried they want her home early for the holiday. Speaking of… I need to talk to you."

"Oh." James muttered, leaning against one of Peter's bedposts. "I was actually about to say the same thing."

"Oh." Sirius mimicked his friend, it wasn't like James to want to speak privately, but at the same time Sirius wasn't that surprised at his friend's request. There was something…off… about James recently, and he probably wouldn't have noticed a thing if the boy standing before him wasn't like a twin brother to him. He never pestered him though, waiting for him to bring it up on his own. Seems like he was finally ready to talk, "What is it?"

"Ladies first." James smirked and Sirius happily sent him a very inappropriate hand gesture in response. He dodged the pillow Prongs sent at him and pushed his hair back out of his eyes.

"It's about the holiday actually… I'm going back home."

"What?" His hazel orbs widened in shock and James let the second pillow fall from his hand in a soft thud.

"Just for the holiday. I don't really have much of a choice, my Uncle Alphard says that my father is getting in the way of him and your dad trying to get outside help against Voldemort and the only way he will step back is if I come back home."

"Dad won't let you Padfoot, you can't go back there… no, I'll write to him. This is fucking madness. Did your Uncle actually ask you to go back to that place? There must be another way. "

"There isn't mate, Uncle Alfie wouldn't ask if there were. And I know if we tell your dad he wouldn't let me do it, so don't tell him about this. This negotiation that he and Uncle Alfie are working on could help so much, and bloody hell we need the help. You heard about Bell's cousin…pour woman. All because her husband is a muggleborn…Voldemort's ruthless and repulsive… So yeah… I have to do this. Just tell your dad I got second thoughts or something… I know he'll think I'm ungrateful… after he opened your home to me... I know he'll be so disappointed."

Sirius ducked his head as James frowned at him, "He won't. He'll have no right to be." Sirius raised his head at that, slightly confused at his friend's words, James hero worshipped his dad, but the boy just held his gaze, silent for a few moments, "You're doing a good thing mate. I just wish it didn't have to-"

"I know. I know." Sirius waved it aside and cleared his throat whilst simultaneously cleansing the room of the sentimentality that was slowly creeping in, "Anyway, what did you want to say?"

"Oh…" Prongs pushed his frames up his nose as he leaned away from the bed post and shrugged, "I just wanted to discuss the holidays. You know my parents were thinking about going to France for a bit, so we would have had the house to ourselves, and I thought that maybe we should get Moony and Wormy over for a few days but I suppose that's out of the question."

"I'm sure I can manage a few days." Sirius muttered, laughing it off, eager to change the subject, "Anyway, now that I'm out of the picture, you could ask Cassie over, that should be loads more fun mate. Imagine all the facilitating of her various skills you could oversee."

James flicked his wand and the pillow at his feet went sailing at Sirius' head as he dodged and watched the white mass fly out the dorm window, marking the black sky with a flash of brightness before it made its seven-flight descent to the ground.

"You bloody little-" They stuck their heads out at the swear, to find Argus Filch spattered with feathers as he tried to pry them off his eyes so he could spot who did it, they ducked their heads back in quickly. "Wait till I come up there ye bleeding li-"

"Isabella's party?" James asked and all Sirius heard was 'Alibi?'

"Right after you mate."

And with that they rushed out of the room, Filch's shouts echoing behind them.

Feedback as always, will be appreciated.

Kalina