Chapter 3
The Agenda:
Monday- Lessons
Tuesday- Lessons
Wednesday- Duels
Thursday- Patrols
Friday- Patrols
Saturday- House events and networking
Sunday- ?
Repeat.
The Agenda. Tacked to the walls of his dreary room and given to the guards for optimal protective movements, the simple list that dictated his daily life was ever present.
May as well have the damned thing burned onto my eyelids, Sirius often thought.
The little list remained as a constant reminder of his meticulously designed daily activities. Sirius disliked it, particularly because he thought he was completely capable of reciting it with no reference to the paper (and therefore, the paper was mocking him). Walburga had insisted on its presence in his room, and Regulus had mentioned that she had done the same in his. So the brothers lived the majority of their days in comfortable, thoughtless misery. The exception, of course, was Sunday.
As Sirius woke up the morning after the attack, his body sore and his hands still slightly red from the shattered pieces of his delicate champagne glass, his eyes went to the tiny printed question mark on an otherwise filled paper. A small grin stole across his face. There would be no compulsory social appearances today, no bloodless duels in a sandy pit. The daylight was his.
Most of the time, Sundays were reserved for himself and Regulus. Although their curated daily activities were almost never parallel to one another, there was nothing stopping them from being attached at the hip for the entirety of their free day. On the vast majority of the days, they wandered to further areas of the grounds, where the Manor faded into the distance and they could talk without the pressure of the Black name weighing on them.
He padded out of bed, still clad in the silken purple dress robes that he had apparently collapsed in shortly after entering his room. He stretched his arms, moved his muscles around to ensure that his body was still in working order. It was, of course, in nearly perfect condition. As he settled in front of his bathroom mirror, he tugged his shirt up to glance at the band of purple across his ribcage. He frowned.
I’ll have to glamor it… It wouldn’t do to have that where someone could see.
Splashing some water on his face, he glanced into the mirror. He never liked looking at his features much- it reminded him of his parents. He knew that he was relatively good looking, and that was enough for him. In the past few years, though, the dark circles under his eyes had deepened in color. It made him look older, more tired. His curly black hair was flattened in some areas from sleep, and after a few attempts to tame it he pulled it into a low ponytail down his neck. Sirius glanced down at his dress robes, now creased in blatantly obvious places from a night of fitful sleep. He stripped out of them, changing into a loose top and pants in one of the very limited tones his wardrobe included: black.
A series of short taps on his door brought him to the handle, and he peered out at the tired face beyond. Blake acknowledged him with a crisp nod, as per usual.
“The Lady Black requires your presence in her office. A discussion of last night’s events is in order.” Blake had the decency to at least look slightly apologetic, particularly as Sirius’ face soured.
“Fine, then. I’ll be on my way. Where is Remus?” He had noted the absence of the boy on his respective side of the door.
“He went for the library. I’m sure he’ll be back promptly.” Blake rolled his eyes, slightly. He had never seemed to be one for academics. Sirius smiled, and set off for his mother.
~
After the usual ritual of waiting outside her enormous door, Sirius entered Walburga’s study to find her seated at the desk, his father beside her. It was unusual for Orion Black to allocate time with his family outside of House events, so Sirius was sure that whatever conversation followed was sure to be rather important. Walburga indicated for him to stand opposite her, so he stepped to his place at the desk and folded his hands behind him. He was suddenly conscious of the fact that he was in casual clothing. He noted the presence of a large stack of papers on her desk, neatly folded and placed between them.
“Sirius. You are unharmed- I cannot imagine what people would think if you were injured in such a paltry attack. You will be pleased to hear that your father and I were left untouched in last night’s events.” There wasn’t a hint of relief in Walburga’s tone, and Sirius had not expected it. Despite this, he had half hoped his mother might indicate she was at least glad to see he was alive.
“As far as we know, the other Houses do not have any deceased members. Some were rather badly injured, being in close proximity to the blast, but they have been taken care of.” Orion added.
“I am glad to hear it. I was escorted home rather quickly last night- I did not have the chance to investigate further. I was hoping this discussion would assist me in understanding the situation.” Sirius made sure to come across as obedient, polite. He couldn’t have his parents suspicious in these circumstances.
“That is the intention. Your brother will not be joining us- it is not of great importance for him to hear more of this, as he is not quite as immersed in our politics. I trust you will keep what is said within this room.” Walburga fixed him with a glare, and Sirius nodded.
“Excellent. Now, I’ll lay down the facts: we know close to nothing about this attack. The explosion appeared to have originated from a timed spell, which was located by the guards shortly after the attack. There was no sign of an intruder, and the ward spells on the grounds were untouched.” Walburga continued. Orion nodded as she went on, adding on as she settled back in her seat.
“Various House members are attempting to put research into this, but we know very little. Our own scholars are looking into it, probing the public, but it may be a while before we can find anything at all. It is essential at this point that we remain calm- this is likely an isolated incident.” He trailed off at that, looking to Walburga expectantly. Sirius glanced between them. He knew the signs- there was something bigger going on here, something she wanted from him. She sighed, noticing his gaze.
“Sirius. You have shown some aptitude for mingling with the lesser wizard population. Here is my requirement for you: find out where this attack originated from. The Houses are already working on ways to weed out and exterminate these traitors, but we will need more than that. We must kill the problem from the root- the very origins of the idea of rebellion or attack against the Houses.” She crossed her fingers, placing them on the mahogany desk in front of her. Sirius tried to keep his face composed.
She wants me to spy for her?
“This should not be difficult. In fact, it will make it easier on you when it comes to the other Heirs. There will be no shortage of respect once you are able to effectively shut down this silly little notion. I expect you will finish the job.” Orion finished his piece, then strode out of the room- leaving Walburga alone with Sirius. She motioned towards the papers, then stood- coming around the desk.
“These papers contain all the information we have on wizarding society. They include newspaper clippings from common papers. I expect you will easily be able to find something of note, and therefore where to begin. Do not harm them.” She glared at him, then leaned in closer.
“If you fail, remember that I always have a spare. If it isn’t you, there’s always him. It doesn’t matter what I do to you.” She whispered into his ear, brushing his shoulder as she headed for the door.
Regulus. Fuck. Sirius thought. It was motivation enough.
He nodded at Walburga as she exited the room, pretending to be interested in the papers at his hands. He had to force his features into some semblance of calm.
“Take care with those papers, Sirius- I mean it.” She called from the hallway, and Sirius listened to her steps fade as she walked away.
Sirius shoved the chair back from the desk, rifling through the papers and arranging them in a short stack. He would have time to look at them shortly, and he could always acquire them from elsewhere if needed. After all, most of them were only news clippings. There were more pressing matters at hand. He smiled, slightly.
“I know you’re there, you know. It would be best if you came out now- I’m not going to do anything to you.” Sirius called. He glanced hopefully towards the endless stacks of bookshelves in Walburga’s office, though he heard nothing. Whoever it was, they were doing a fine job of concealing themselves. It was a matter of incredible luck that Sirius had noticed them in the first place. He patiently waited for the invisible person to emerge, considering the various offenders it could be. He supposed it could be Regulus, upset by the fact that he had yet again been excluded. What he wasn’t expecting was for Remus Lupin, recently minted guard, to emerge from the stacks of books with a remorseful look on his face.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t realize what this room was, I thought it was just a library. I’m sorry. I intended to do research on protective spells.” Remus stammered. His hands shook slightly, and though Sirius searched for the signs of nerves in his body language, he could find nothing. It was an incredible feat, on the other boy’s part.
Stupid boy, he thought. It was lucky Sirius had been the one to find him, rather than Walburga. He crossed his arms.
“It would be best for you to leave. Immediately. Go back to my rooms, find Blake. In fact, I’ve already forgotten about this conversation.” He waved at the boy, slowly turning around in a dramatic flourish. Remus was surprisingly silent as he exited the room, despite his height and his apparent lack of common sense when it came to his behavior.
What was he doing in here? This is clearly not a library, although I suppose it could be confusing for someone unfamiliar with homes as large as the House Manors. Sirius felt somewhat sorry for the boy, assuming he would be quickly disposed of. Someone with those sort of capabilities (or lack thereof) never lasted long. He returned to the desk, carefully taking pamphlets out of the stacks and sifting through them. He spent a few hours there, making little marks on the papers where necessary and noting important information. For the most part, it was nothing out of the ordinary. On occasion there would be a small section dedicated to honoring the wizards and witches brought in for House duels, but aside from that it was typical wizarding news. He sighed, already feeling as though he was failing at his job of being Walburga’s little spy.
A particular clipping caught his eye: “Prominent Pureblood Family Disappears: Unexplained” A portrait of the Longbottoms was attached below, the family smiling out at Sirius from the page. It was odd- although the Longbottoms were detached from House society, they were well beloved in the wizarding world. They could not simply vanish from the face of the earth, and Sirius folded the paper to be taken to his rooms. Finally, he set down the work. After all, it was still Sunday- and he had a meeting to attend.
~
Sirius wandered Diagon Alley, clad in the deep purple of the Heirs and flanked by Remus and Blake. The once-bustling shopping street was quiet these days, especially when most of the teenage witches and wizards were at the various wizarding institutions. However, he knew that there would be one person in particular wandering these streets. He ducked into a small antiques shop with the label “Windsgotten’s Wonderful Gadgets,” mumbling to Blake and Remus that he would be out eventually, and not to disrupt him. They wouldn’t follow him in- they knew to let him alone. Remus looked to be interested in trailing him in, but Blake shot him a look that Remus was quick to interpret.
He nodded to the wizened old man behind the counter, ducking and swooping under stacks of various relics to reach the back of the store, where a small cove furnished with sofas and low lighting lay among the jumbles of objects. He spotted the other figure as soon as he reached the area, and as the person shot to his feet Sirius grinned, chuckling under his breath.
James Potter grabbed his shoulder, shaking him profusely while waving his wand in the motions typical of a silencing spell.
“You bastard! You didn’t think to send me word of last night? I found out through my father!”
“I’m fine. No one was killed. I didn’t think the information was that important, seeing as this meeting was already set.” James scrubbed at his face, sighing.
“Of course you didn’t. I thought you might have been killed, no one aside from the Houses has any details. Just.. tell me next time, mate?” James fixed him with a particularly serious look. Sirius rolled his eyes, motioning to himself.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Now, tell me what’s been going on. Mum won’t tell me any specifics- you know how it is.”
“You have to tell me about last night, first. I won’t be spilling a word to you until you tell me every detail.” James was insistent, and Sirius was forced to relent.
If anything, Sirius was forced to concede that James was a stubborn bastard. He supposed that was why the boy remained his oldest friend, and why they had stayed close as Sirius was tugged further into the fray of the Houses. Despite being from a pureblood family, James was not an Heir. The Potters had profusely declined to be inducted into the 12 Houses, and Sirius was sure they would not have tolerated being forced in. He adored the Potters, and the wild-haired, hazel-eyed boy in front of him was the anchor to Sirius’ rather unruly boat, and they were entirely inseparable. The truth of their odd meeting place was that the Houses were closed to everyone aside from other House representatives and the occasional ravishingly famous wizard who had come to divulge their knowledge to the Houses. It had been this way since the beginning, and Sirius had only been able to meet James in the first place on the occasional trip his parents took with him to Hogwarts, where the students were reminded of who really held the power.
When he had finished his story, James just nodded. Sirius appreciated this about him- there were no outbursts, no extreme reactions. He was unrelenting, confident.
“Fine, then. I suppose there isn’t much to be done about that, not until you have more information on the attackers.” He nodded thoughtfully.
“I told you, it was fine. Now, tell me about the rest of England.” Sirius leaned forward, spinning his wand around in his hand as James sank into the couch cushions.
“Well, you know about the riots. I’m afraid it’s only been getting worse. People getting dragged off for the duels, whispers of more recruitment for House training dummies or guards. People are afraid. I’m sure you saw the results of the surveys- most of those were lies. People aren’t about to willingly confirm that they are against the Houses.” Sirius nodded, motioning for him to continue.
“There have been… provocations. Speeches made by prominent figures, inciting movements against the Houses. I couldn’t tell you who- it’s all been kept quite under wraps. The attack on Malfoy Manor was the first, as far as I know. I doubt they’ll act further, not until they have a sense of how the Houses will react. I would say you’re safe, at least for now.” James summarized some of the things he had witnessed, before drawing to silence. Sirius shook his head.
“It’s not me I’m worried about, not right now. Things are too unstable- I’m concerned for everyone.” He glanced at James, secretly hoping he would be able to offer some consolation.
“I know, mate. I know.” They sat in silence for a while, just seeping in each other's presence. At some point, James broke the silence, starting up a discussion of a new wizarding game that had recently been released, involving wands in the gameplay. It was all very exciting. When Sirius began to glance incessantly at the changing sunlight from the front of the store, James finally patted him on the back and promised him the same place the following week.
Sirius wandered out of the store, pausing to take in the stacks upon stacks of ancient items. Windsgotten’s was an incredible place, and though Sirius was no sentimental bastard, he had chosen the shop as a meeting spot for a reason. His eyes caught on a clock nestled between a variety of tomes- as most muggle devices, they were not commonly found within the wizarding world. He grabbed the timepiece, ambling up to the old man, who winked at him. He liked picking out an object each week; aside from disguising him as a simple antiques collector, he genuinely enjoyed the feeling of choosing each piece.
As Sirius exited the store, he spotted the owl perched on Remus’ arm. He and Blake were stony-faced, scanning a letter clenched in Remus’ hand. They both looked up as he approached. Blake’s eyes hardened, and he grabbed Sirius’ arm. Without warning, they apparated to the center of the wizarding world- the square erected at the very center of the circle formed by the House Manors. He stumbled on the faded gray cobblestones.
By that time, the screaming had started.