Sirius - Promises
The rest of the week passed quickly, without much note. Sirius spent most of it with Remus, who he had been trying to convince to add a label to whatever they were.
“Come on Remus, Lily and James have one” he knew he sounded petulant but he didn’t care.
Remus sighed and Sirius knew the words he would speak before the hazel-eyed boy even opened his mouth. Sirius mouthed the words as Remus spoke.
“What’s the point, Sirius? It's not like we can tell anyone other than James and Lily” Remus swatted him on the arm as he caught Sirius mocking him. He knew logically that Remus was right, they couldn’t possibly go around telling people they were boyfriends - not if they wanted to continue breathing (which Sirius did).
“Fine” Sirius mumbled, moving to get a glass of water from the kitchen. Lily had taken James out with her for some recon - their next job was apparently a big one. A new bank had opened up a few towns over and Riddle wanted them to rob it, Sirius shook his head. It was impossible, a team of four robbing a state-of-the-art bank - they were going to die.
They were going to get caught and die.
Sirius would die without being somebody’s boyfriend.
“Sirius” Remus called from the sofa, Sirius ignored him. The kitchen was a mess, he wondered whose turn it was to clean it as he rinsed out a suspiciously yellow glass and filled it with water.
“Sirius” Remus’s voice was close. Sirius didn’t tense as Remus wrapped his arms around his waist. He brought the glass to his lips, pretending Remus’s touch didn’t affect him as cool water slid down his throat.
“Its fine Remus” His voice was more telling than he’d have liked and he cursed his emotions once again. “Sirius, if it really matters to you I..” The door opened cutting Remus off as Lily and James crashed into the kitchen.
The door slammed behind them as James carried Lily over the threshold, her legs were wrapped around him and her mouth was fused to his. Sirius briefly wondered how the messy-haired boy could see and as he banged his hip on the kitchen table Sirius realised he couldn’t. The pair had yet to pause for breath, hands were moving across each other's bodies so quickly that Sirius couldn’t help but stare at the need on display.
Remus coughed and the pair sprang apart like teenagers, caught doing something they shouldn’t. Lily blushed, a red tint covering her cheeks and neck - James couldn’t tear his eyes away from her heated skin. Sirius stared at the starving man deciding to offer him an escape.
“How’d it go?” He asked, genuinely interested in the likelihood that they would die in the next few days.
Lily frowned and Sirius mentally began his will. “It was packed, busy as. I counted 7 security cameras in the front alone, 3 security guards, 4 tellers who we can assume all have panic buttons.” She sighed and James placed his hand along her spine. “The door is biometric. And the whole failsafe will alert the cops in just under 14 minutes.” She was staring at the ground and Sirius couldn’t help but laugh. They all turned to him and Sirius only laughed harder.
If Father could see you now.
“We're all going to die” he informed his family as another round of laughter barrelled through him. Lily grimaced but didn’t dispute his words. James frowned, moving towards Sirius as he unrolled a piece of paper onto the countertop.
“We're not going to die, I have a plan” He said and Sirius couldn’t help it as his eyes turned to Lily. She made the plans, she was the leader - she only shrugged as she walked towards James’s map.
“We're going to need help, at least two extras.” He held up his fingers as he spoke. “We’ll need a driver. Remus will have to disable the failsafe system - we're going to need at least 16 and a half minutes in order to pull this off.” Remus nodded and Sirius could see his brain whirring with binary code. “We're gonna need guns, something big and intimidating.” James closed his eyes as he spoke next, the words Sirius knew were coming but dreaded all the same.
“we're going to need hostages” Sirius couldn’t help the interruption, it was his nature. James nodded “I-i think Lily should be the hostage” Sirius blinked at the words, Lily was their best - why would they take their best off the team? James must have sensed Sirius’s confusion “not an actual hostage. One of us will grab her, threaten to shoot - the whole nine yards. Then we will take her into the back with us as ‘insurance’ and she can help us load the bags.” Sirius nodded as though he understood.
“You see this square here?” James pointed to a small white box on the paper, just next to the large biometric door - roughly three feet from their target. Sirius nodded, as did Remus behind him. “Its an old builders trick..” James was smiling and Sirius genuinely suspected he was having the time of his life theorising bank robbery. “..its a tunnel, used to bring bricks in. Its usually kept off plans so the owners don’t know, makes bricklayers seem lazy. Anyway this building was built in 1905 and this is the only blueprint with the tunnel marked.” James grimaced and Sirius stalled his plan to call the man a genius. “Only problem is there’s a 50/50 chance it’s been Bricked up.” James looked to Lily awaiting her opinion on his plan.
Lily nodded thoughtfully “What do we do if it’s a dud?” She asked the question trapped in Sirius’s head with ease.
James shrugged looking to each of the team in turn before speaking to the map itself. “Deny, deny and die”.
The car was silent as the team pulled up behind the bank, according to James’s calculations (which was a fancy word for guess) this is where the tunnel should let up. Sirius had asked why they couldn’t just enter that way and James had explained that the tunnel could only be accessed from inside the bank. Sirius had suggested TNT before being told to shut up (rather forcefully) by Lily.
Lily didn’t look like Lily and it made Sirius uneasy.
Her usually wild hair was much too identifiable, so she wore a light blonde wig cut into a sharp bob conceding her chin. Her eyes were framed by reflective glasses (concealing her from security cameras and facial identification). Her clothes were boring, blending in with the mid-morning crowd easily. Sirius had affectionately told her she looked like a crime against fashion before Remus had hit him in the ribs. The driver they had ‘borrowed’ was one of Riddle’s fastest, Sirius didn’t know his name and the boy hadn’t offered. Malfoy had also accompanied them, clad in so much black he looked like an old-fashioned spy.
Lily checked her watch and slipped out of the van, entering the bank with a confident but hurried walk.
Sirius pulled his hair up, covering his bun with a black baseball cap. Sirius smiled at the group huddled in the back of the white van. They looked like robbers you’d see in cartoons, wrapped head to to in black the only thing missing was politically incorrect masks.
“What about our faces?” Malfoy asked, he was the most likely to be recognised walking around with his father’s face. James handed out pairs of black sunglasses, with the same reflective sheen as Lil's clear frames.
“Ready?” James asked as he looked at his watch, counting the seconds as they passed. Sirius’s hand sought out Remus’s from where he sat next to him, gripping the limb with all the force he could muster.
Sirius nodded.
“3,2,1..go” James said pulling the van door open and guiding his troops through the doors of the bank.
Sirius blinked at the light elegant space before him. The ceiling was vaulted, with angelic paintings of cherubs across it. The windows were high and Sirius let out a small breath at the thought that there was only one vantage point from which the police could shoot. The sound of screaming began swiftly as Sirius heard the door being barricaded behind him. The gun felt heavy in his hand as he pointed it towards the two women at the desk, another breath left him as Sirius realised they’d just had a shift change, less witnesses. Hands raised and eyes wide they stared at him, at the death ray he held tightly in his hands. He moved the barrel directing the girls away from the desks, towards the citizens cowering on the floor. Sirius watched from the corner of his eye as Remus moved swiftly towards the biometric door, pulling the wire box off the walls; forcing his way through the bank's defences with sure hands and shaky breaths.
James was looking at him, his eyes set and sweat soaking through the fabric covering his hair.
“Why don’t you pick a pretty little thing to come talk to the cops for us” James’s voice was deeper than usual, with a poor imitation of an accent Sirius couldn’t recognise. He moved forward turning his head over the cowering people before him. Lily was sat with a wobbling lip and straight spine, Sirius gestured to her with his gun, pulling her roughly when she refused to stand. He dragged her harshly over to the sheltered area behind desks, He watched over his shoulder as Malfoy hit a man with the barrel of his gun as he tried to sacrifice himself for the pretty girl.
Sirius threw Lily to the floor ensuring that the hostages could see his harsh treatment of the pretty bird, he knew they’d be less likely to act up if they thought him cruel - it was a trick his Father had taught him and for a moment Sirius debated thanking the bastard.
“Time?” He whispered quietly to Remus as he furiously typed on his shitty laptop. “I'm in the system, security’s off. But the failsafe is sound, I’ve lengthened it to 19.5 minutes but I can't push it any further.” Remus frowned and Sirius knew he wasn’t going to like whatever he said next. “The biometric will take hours to crack” Sirius nodded, he would have to get a worker to press their thumb against the scanner, he moved to stand and Remus stopped him.
“Pointer,” Remus said and Sirius nodded.
“Who works ere’?” His accent was appalling as Sirius strode towards one of the women from earlier. She was the older of the two, looking as though she were in her 40s, her brown hair had streaks of grey and her name tag was shining on her blazer. Sirius looked away from the badge, he didn’t wish to know. The woman came without struggle, her eyes fixed on Lily's huddled form, half-hidden behind the desk.
Sirius lowered her down next to Lily, and the brunette immediately linked hands with the shaking blonde. Sirius almost laughed as the 40-year-old woman attempted to offer comfort to the mass murder beside her.
“Where’d need er” His accent was getting worse but Sirius continued his attempt anyway. Remus said nothing simply pointed to the dial beside the handle.
Sirius gestured with his gun and the woman stood, placing her pointer finger on the screen. The machine whirred and for a moment Sirius thought the screen would fade and an alarm would sound - it didn’t. A green glow edited from the screen and the door clicked open, Remus slipped through immediately, James followed leaving Malfoy in charge of the hostages. Sirius sighed, casting a quick glance to the sadist with a gun before pushing the brunette back to the ground. He kept a close eye on the people inside the bank, he was sure the police were on their way by now and he needed to ensure all hostages were alive in order to buy them time.
“It’s going to be alright” Sirius heard the bank teller whisper to Lily. He thought she might be a mother, she had that kind of tender demeanour one thought motherhood required. Sirius stared at her chipped nail polish and kind eyes, yes she was definitely somebody’s mother. Lily nodded looking away from the woman’s eyes, Sirius felt bad for her.
He blinked as he heard Remus curse through the door. He stood, gun still trailing on the women by his feet as he poked his head through the metal door.
Remus was shifting large wads of cash into duffle bags, a small pile of paper mounting at his feet as he fumbled with his gloved hands. James was fighting with a crowbar as he tried to gain leverage on the tunnel lid embedded in the floor.
“Fuck” Sirius muttered looking quickly at Malfoy and then to Lily before slipping inside the safe room. The door was wedged so he could see Lily and the brunette conversing softly, although he could no longer see Malfoy or the large group of hostages.
He knelt quickly beside James pulling at the gap in the floor beside his friend. It took three tries for the hatch to give way, opening with a horrendous creak as sirens sounded outside.
“How much time we got?” Remus asked as he began on the third duffle bag, James looked at his time peace “4 minutes 50” he said as he lowered himself into the hole, Sirius leaned over handing him the bag as the door behind them slammed shut.
The brunette stood holding Sirius’s gun (which he had stupidly abandoned beside the wall) towards them. Lily stood behind her, her hand resting on the interior handle of the door and a grimace on her face.
“Drop it” the brunette ordered to Remus who had fumbled for the gun on his hip, pointing it at the woman. Remus looked to his team members before lowering the gun to the ground
“Slowly” the woman demanded as gunshots were heard in the lobby.
Fuck, Malfoy was killing the hostages, or at least injuring them. Sirius exchanged a look with Lily, this was getting out of hand quickly. She nodded, kicking her foot out and knocking the brunette off her balance with an attack from behind. James pulled his gun from its holster and held it in front of the woman's face. Lily moved the gun from beside the lady, handing it to Sirius as she moved to help Remus load bags into the tunnel.
“W-wha?” The woman's eyebrows contorted, confusion, anger. “Y-you!” She screeched, unless in the soundproof room. Lily avoided the woman's eyes, following Remus down the tunnel and out to the waiting van. James looked to Sirius, his eyes big and brown. Sirius sighed, raising his firearm to the woman’s heart. Her badge glinted in the dull fluorescent lights; Silvia.
He felt the bile rise in his throat as he removed the safety. He closed his eyes and heard a shot fire, he blinked quickly, observing his finger still resting on the handle as the woman slumped forward. James’s hand was shaking around the smoking gun, and Sirius blinked at the boy. James had just killed someone…for him.
James had damned his soul, for Sirius.
James looked to Sirius, grey meeting brown once again. Sirius nodded, gesturing for James to head down the tunnel first. James jumped down, looking at the body for a second too long; his eyes were hard as his body trembled. Sirius watched as he disappeared, before grabbing his duffle and climbing down the shaft.
His eyes found Silvia, her skin pale with her hand outstretched in front of her. Her hand was wet with blood and her wedding ring shone silver. Sirius closed the hatch, running through the darkness after his friends.
Riddle was counting his money like some kind of James Bond villain.
Bill after bill passes through the machine as Riddle salivates at the rising number. He had smiled at them when they had handed him the bags. Sirius felt uneasy as he stared at the new-age Midas. He absently wondered if Riddle would cry if his daughter were turned to gold or merely start hacking off her fingers.
Sirius flinched as Riddle’s hand clamped around his shoulder “good job Mr Black, your father would be very proud of you” Riddles whispered with a smile before moving along the line.
Riddle wasn’t wrong, if his father knew the monetary contribution he had just made to the Death Eaters (therefore ensuring his way of life would never change), he would likely praise him heavily. Sirius’s father was evil, plan as. His mother was not much better, a cold woman who loved nothing, not even her children. She occasionally bathed in the ox blood and exchanged forgiveness for diamonds. Sirius tried to picture his mother saying the words, as Riddle had. ‘I am..’ The image froze, unable to falsify such a word in his mother's mouth. Sirius shook his head, why would he want his mother to be proud of him anyway, he already has Riddle worming its way into his brain and tainting his soul.
Riddle ordered one of the Blight’s on duty to hand over a few grand to Lily. The man handed Lily 10 grand before turning around and resuming his other tasks. Sirius blinked.
10 grand? Was that it? He had risked his neck to bring Riddle £200,000 and he was giving them 10 bloody grand!. Sirius saw red, how dare he. He had done nothing but sit on his arse whilst they risked their necks for him over and over….and….Sirius took a sharp breath through his nose as he willed the stinging in his eyes to dissipate.
He was tired.
So very tired.
He had been living under Riddle’s thumb for years with nothing to show for it. Nothing but a shitty apartment, whose rent was due. Nothing but an unstable sister who refused to leave her abusive father. Nothing but a body full of scars and a conscience so heavy Sirius doubted he’d ever been good.
He decided then and there that he was getting out.
They were all getting out.
He couldn’t do this anymore, he looked to his right and saw Remus as he tugged at his shirtsleeve avoiding the eyes of the other Ghost in the room (Sirius thought he must have been an old dealer or shooter - either way Remus couldn’t look at him nor his shaking hands). On his left James was staring at the money on Riddle’s desk. His skin growing paler as he spotted Silvia’s red blood staining the notes.
Lily was still and her eyes were locked with Riddle - Sirius stared at them the longest.
Father and daughter, each standing with weapons on their hips and distrust in their eyes. Sirius knew then with increasing clarity that one day Riddle would tire of Lily and he would kill her. Sirius saw the gentleman pressing a gun to his sister's head as she looked at him with those doe eyes in her frozen frame. Sirius eyes clouded as he saw her fall, unable to stand up to the man who did nothing but control her.
Lily's head turned, looking at him as Riddle stared at a curtain of curls.
She smiled at him and Sirius remembered how kind she had been, how brave. He thought of how she promised him safety, a kid holding too much in tiny palms. She had promised him safety and had given him love.
He could do this, he would find a way to get them out of the country - France maybe.
Lily had always wanted to visit Paris, she had asked him to teach her French for the occasion. She wasn’t fluent but between them, they could get by. She could work in a bakery, Remus could open a bookshop and he and James would find a bar to work in. They would have another shitty little flat and have shitty little dinners. They would be happy. They could live.
Sirius stared at Forrest's green eyes thinking a promise he hoped she’d hear.
‘Je vais vous sortir d'ici. Je vais vous rendre heureux.’