One more and then I’m out. Just a little longer and then I never have to do this again. I’ll be free.
That’s what Sirius always tells himself on a mission. Just a little bit longer and then he’ll be out. Then he can leave and live his life without the constant pressure of his family.
It’s what he’s always told himself. And yet it’s been nearly eight years and he’s still here. Still doing the Black family bidding. Somedays Sirius wonders if he’ll ever get away from it.
If inescapable and unavoidable. Perhaps he’ll be stuck here in this job forever. Constantly taking orders from his mother and her large stacks of paper and endless computer files.
Sirius shakes off the thought. This is no place to be thinking of such things. The past and future had no place on a job. Only the present mattered. Only the target.
Sirius looked down at his wrist to check his watch. It was almost midnight. He had to be ready before 12:15am.
He reached behind him to find his bag, his forearm ghosting over the rough fabric of it. The brief contact made him stare at his arm. You wouldn’t be able to see it, but Sirius knew it was there. The small, intricate tattoo of the moon’s phases etched into his skin.
It was covered now. The dark fabric of his shirt pulled tightly over it so it couldn’t be seen.
No identifying marks, Walburga had once said.
She’d gone ballistic when she saw he’d gotten it. He’d almost forgotten the fury that woman could exude.
He shivered a bit at the memory. That hadn’t been a good day. Didn’t mean he regretted getting it. Not one bit. If he was given the option he’d do it over again.
Still, he found himself giving into the urge to tug on the hem of his sleeve. Even if he didn’t regret it, his mother was right. It was always better to have no identifying marks.
He pulled the zipper back on the bag, revealing the contents. There wasn’t much in it.
Travel light. Take only what you need.
Another one of the seemingly endless Black family mottos.
It was dark, but even so Sirius could still recognize the shape of the object inside. The slight clink of the rounds as they rolled against each other when he moved the bag.
Sirius hated guns. The irony of this fact considering his job “choice” was not lost on him.
However his hatred of them didn’t mean he didn’t know how to use them. Or how to describe them and tell each one from another.
Sirius eyed the thing with distaste, recalling an earlier conversation he’d had.
“AR-15 chambered in .223 Remington—“
“Tactical scope, monolithic suppressor. I know. Not my first go round.”
“Make sure you use an incendi—“
“Reggie, I got it.”
The look of annoyance at the nickname brought a sort of grim satisfaction to Sirius.
Regulus wasn’t out here tonight doing this. He had no room to complain. Then again Sirius didn’t particularly want his brother in the family business. What he wanted didn’t matter though. There were only two ways in this family. You either stayed or you paid your way out. No other options. Well...there was one other one but it was less than ideal.
He checked his watch again. 12:10. It was time.
He set up quickly. Time and endless practice made the whole ordeal take less than two minutes. He was well into position before 12:15.
12:15am passed and bled well into the 12:20s. They’re late, Sirius thought grimly. He couldn’t tell if that was good fortune for his target or bad.
He cast a glance up at the stars above him. The city’s vast array of bright lights blotted out the stars, but a few were still visible. They gave him a bittersweet feeling. Reminded him of late nights at school and freer times. But they also reminded him of his name. His tie to this family.
A faint click of a door opening snapped his attention back down to the ground.
A small group of men were exiting the building. Talking animatedly and gesturing wildly.
Sirius aimed.
One more and then I’m out.
There were several dull, soft pwoosh noises.
Sirius counted five.
He stood up, his job was finished. It was time to go. He repacked his bags and headed for the door at the opposite end of the roof.
Just before his hand closed around the handle his phone buzzed in his pocket. He answered quickly.
“Is it done?” Came the familiar cold voice.
“Yes,” he said simply.
“All five?”
Sirius scoffed. “Have I ever let anyone get away before?”
There was a long pause before anything else was said.
“You’re done for the night. Are you coming in tomorrow.”
It wasn’t a question. It never was a question.
“Yes ma’am,” he responded dully.
“Good.”
The connection cut and Sirius was left in silence again.
He sighed deeply. He was beginning to consider just leaving the bag here. Just leaving it all and never coming back. He couldn’t do that though.
Bitterly, he hoisted his bag further onto his shoulder.
Just one more job.
~~~~~
Remus placed a mug in front of Sirius. The tired and slightly confused look he got in response made him roll his eyes.
“It’s coffee. Drink it.”
Sirius snorted a bit but accepted the cup, blowing over the top of it. “A bit demanding don’t you think?”
Remus shrugged. “You look like you need it.”
It was true, Sirius looked exhausted.
Remus knew he’d had a late night at work. His hatred of Sirius’ parents grew on the daily. He wasn’t even certain what Sirius did for them but whatever it is clearly took its toll.
That much was evident from the slow mornings and tired smiles. It was also evident at night sometimes. Remus wasn’t sure if the dreams were a direct effect but they certainly had something to do with it.
Then again they could be completely unrelated. After all Sirius had woken up shaking and crying countless times back when they were in school.
Even now, years later after they were long gone from school and settled into their married life, Sirius’ past still left scars. Like an echo, only the source was still around, giving way for new memories and worse dreams each time.
A snap in front of his face jolted him back into the moment.
“Earth to Remus,” Sirius was saying.
“Hmm?”
Sirius’ eye roll made him laugh.
“Sorry I spaced out a bit there.”
“No really?” Sirius said drily. “I couldn’t tell.”
“Ha ha. What is it?”
Sirius poked at his phone which was resting near his mug on the table.
“James texted. Wants to know if we’re still on for dinner tonight.”
Remus nodded. “Yeah of course. Why wouldn’t we be?”
“Dunno.” Sirius took a long sip from his mug. “James is paranoid.”
“Yeah, a bit,” Remus responded.
Truth be told, he’d completely forgotten about dinner. No matter. Anything he had to do could be finished up during the day.
“What time did they say again?” Remus asked.
“Six.”
“Great.”
“Forgot?”
“Never.”
“Liar.”
“Maybe.”
Sirius chuckled. This was their everyday life. Small, meaningless arguments over coffee in the kitchen. Remus wouldn’t trade that for the world.
Remus eyed the clock above the hallway door. Sirius followed his gaze.
“Time to go?”
Remus nodded. “For both of us.”
Sirius let out a long suffering sigh and Remus nudged him lightly with his shoulder.
“Just one more day and it’s the weekend.”
Remus didn’t miss the way Sirius’ grey eyes flickered at his words. But the expression was gone before he could say anything.
Sirius stood. “Yep. One more. Then I can kick ass at Uno tonight.”
Remus laughed at that, Sirius’ peculiar expression fading from memory.
“We all know Lily is the Queen of Uno.”
“Yeah, true.”
Sirius leaned up and kissed him. Remus melted into it and sighed a bit when Sirius pulled away.
“Love you,” Sirius murmured, forehead still pressed to Remus’.
“Love you too.”
~~~
The history museum was relatively quiet this time of morning. It was a huge stone building with vaulted ceilings and large windows.
The exhibits inside were no less impressive. Boasting pieces of history from years and years past.
Remus would have loved to work in a place like that.
He spent enough time in it to know every inch of the building and yet he still barely knew it. The museum itself was incredible enough to catch anyone’s eye. Which made it the perfect distraction from what actually happened within its walls.
The south elevator was always broken. At least to anyone who didn’t have clearance to use it.
The whole thing felt rather Mission Impossible to Remus, but he supposed that’s what he got for working in a secret organization hidden beneath a history museum.
Even the name of the organization was action movie-esque. The Order of Gryffindor.
No one called it that, though. Everyone shortened it to the Order.
Remus took the elevator down to the bottom floor. He might love the museum, but he hated this place.
The underground levels of the museum were much more active than its above ground counterparts. People carrying papers and files rushed to and from parts of the room. Phones rang out their familiar dull tones and computer screens flickered all around him.
Remus walked through the large hall, ignoring the whispers that followed. They were expected if you’d been here as long as he had.
It didn’t take long to reach his office and Remus was relieved to be in it.
It wasn’t very large but that was fine with him. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to stay here very long anyways.
The walls were bare save for a whiteboard on the left and a large collection of pictures, articles and papers all connected by colorful strings.
He studied his wall. Eyes skimming over the many things pinned and taped to it. Following all of the strings connected to it.
“Lupin,” came a gruff voice from the door.
Remus didn’t even have to turn around to see who it was.
“Moody,” he returned politely.
That was the best word for their relationship. Polite.
Really it was the best word for Remus’ relationship with the whole Order. It was cordial and nothing more.
He still hadn’t turned around yet.
“Still looking, huh?”
“Always.” Remus’ response was colder now. Moody already knew the answer to that question. If he wasn’t still looking, he wouldn’t even be here.
Remus turned to finally face the older man, eyes dropping to his desk where a new file had been placed.
“What’s that?” Remus asked, pointing.
“New assignment.”
“Wow really?”
Moody raised an eyebrow, or at least what was left of an eyebrow.
“Don’t get smart with me now, kid.”
Remus snorted. Moody had called him that since he was five. It had been twenty years. After everything he’d been through, Remus was certainly no child.
“Who?” He asked.
“Joshua Denvers.”
It was Remus’ turn to raise an eyebrow. “The politician?”
“Know any other?”
Remus rolled his eyes. Joshua Denvers was one of the current candidates for Governor. He was also the most liked one. Everyone had wanted a change from the Carrow regime and it seemed like Denvers was the perfect choice.
“You want me to kill the best candidate for governor this place has seen in years?”
Moody shook his head. “Not exactly.”
“Not. Exactly,” Remus repeated, drawing out every syllable.
“We want you to protect him.”
It was rare that Remus was stunned into silence. This was one of those moments.
“Alastor, did you hit your head or something?”
“Hilarious, but no.”
“Are you sure?” Remus pressed. “Because it sounds like you just asked an assassin to go on a rescue mission.”
“I didn’t say rescue mission. I said don’t kill him.”
Remus folded his arms across his chest. “That is no less confusing.”
Moody gestured for Remus to pick up the file. Remus did so, eyeing the thing warily.
Remus breathed a sigh of mock relief. “Ohh, you want me to kill the guys who are trying to kill him. That’s more like it. Starting to think you’d gone soft Moody.”
Moody was extremely unamused.
“We need the Denvers kid in office.”
Remus tossed the file back onto the desk. “Everyone does. I don’t think I can stand another year of the Carrow family.”
“Well, the Order needs him specially. He’s of use to us.”
“Of course he is,” Remus said, unsurprised. “You wouldn’t be in my office if he wasn’t.”
Moody nodded. “You’re the best we’ve got.”
“Practice,” Remus said. It was his standard answer, and it was always somewhat bitter.
Practice. Twenty years of practice.
“Who’s the target?”
“One of Salazar’s group.”
Remus stiffened.
This didn’t go unnoticed by Moody.
“I can take this case to the Prewett’s if—“
“Don’t bother,” Remus said. It was a bit more snappish than he intended. “I can handle it.”
Moody nodded again.
Remus found his silence equally annoying and comforting. Had Moody decided to say something else he might’ve been a bit less polite with his answer.
“When?”
“Tomorrow night.”
Remus laughed darkly. “The gala? You must be joking.”
“Nope.”
“Someone’s ordered a hit on Joshua at the gala?”
“No better time than when you’re surrounded by people.”
“Oh, lovely.” Remus rolled his eyes.
If Moody heard the sarcasm he ignored it.
“We’ve got your ticket to the gala enclosed in the file.”
That actually made Remus laugh. “Funny enough I don’t even need one.”
Moody didn’t even miss a beat. “Black?”
“Lupin-Black,” Remus corrected. “I’m married.”
“Right.”
Remus suppressed another eye roll. Moody’s uncanny ability to forget basic things about his life never ceased to amaze him.
“The museum has made a rather generous donation,” Moody continued. “You’ll be going with a group of us. Better cover story.”
“Sounds good to me,” Remus said and Moody nodded.
“Any questions?”
Remus shook his head. “Nope. If I had any I could always read the file.”
He flicked his head in the direction of the papers he’d dropped back onto his desk earlier.
Moody made a gruff noise of agreement before stalking out of the office.
Once he was gone Remus got up to shut the door, plopping down into his chair the moment he’d finished.
He spun the chair around in the direction of his wall. The cases and false leads all spread out in front of him.
Twenty years, he thought. Twenty very long years.
~~~~
The family business could mean a lot of things. It could mean their underground Hitman division. It could mean the cold smiles and guarded expressions they specialized in. And it could mean the fame and fortune that came with being a Black. Most people just associated it with the Tower.
Black Tower rested in the heart of downtown. A tall, imposing glass thing. It was beautiful and terrifying. Elegant and yet sharp. Sirius thought it fit his family rather well.
The Black’s were successful in everything they did. Business was no exception.
The front for their under the table murder association was this tower. A massive display of wealth in the form of steel and glass.
The building was seventy-two stories. The last five floors were reserved for the Black family only. Which meant that those were the floors reserved for the murder-murder part of his family.
No amount of suit wearing and bright smiles could erase the cold feeling Sirius had as he pressed the button on the private elevator to the seventy-second floor.
The top floor was unnervingly clean. Every surface sparkled. Not a single thing was out of place.
Sirius turned down a few halls, stopping in front of a familiar metal door. He pulled out his keycard and swiped it. The light turned green with a click and Sirius seized the handle and stepped inside.
The room, despite being full of people, appeared just as organized as the hallways outside.
Everyone had their place, and everyone was in it.
It didn’t take long for someone to spot Sirius. He barely had to step into the room before Regulus was gesturing for him to come over.
“Reggie,” Sirius said lightly. He got no answer in return.
They continued through the floor, crossing over the main hall and into the darker, less crowded hallways.
“Is she angry,” Sirius asked.
“No,” Regulus returned.
“Disappointed?”
“As always.”
“Charming.”
Their mothers office was extremely hard to miss. It was the largest one on the floor with huge dark oak double doors.
It was also inside a completely silent hall. No one wanted to disturb Walburga and if anyone ended up walking this hall it was generally assumed they were being fired. Or they would end up the new target on someone’s assignment list.
Regulus knocked once on the heavy doors.
“Enter.”
They did so without a second thought, shutting the door behind them.
Walburga gazed at her two sons with careful inspection. Her lips curled slightly after her gaze had fallen on Sirius.
Everything from the long dark hair that framed his fac, to his sleeves rolled up exposing his tattooed forearm disgusted her.
Good, Sirius thoughts grimly. Won’t be here for much longer anyways.
He wasn’t quite sure if he believed that though.
“You have a new assignment,” Walburga said. And Sirius’ attention snapped back to her.
Her voice was naturally harsh and matched with her cold, grey eyes, Sirius had to resist the urge to cringe.
“What is it?” Regulus asked from Sirius’ side.
Their mother crooked a long finger at the two boys, beckoning them forward.
“You know of tomorrow nights gala?”
Sirius snorted. Of course he knew about the gala. Literally everyone knew. It had been the focal point of every news agency for weeks now. Not to mention the fact that he was going to it.
Walburga did not look pleased by his reaction.
“Something to say Sirius?”
“Of course I know about the gala,” he replied, tone bored. “Everyone does.”
His mother’s cold look transformed into an even colder smile.
“Then I’m sure you’ll understand the importance of this mission.”
She reached below her desk to unlock her cabinet of case files. Any case she pulled from there was either highly dangerous, or extremely important. Or both. Sometimes they were both.
She placed two identical files on top of her desk, pushing them forward for them to grab.
Regulus picked his up first and Sirius followed suit, flipping open the cover of the dark green folder.
It took less than a minute for Sirius to get the idea of the mission.
“No.” He dropped it back onto the desk.
Walburga raised an eyebrow at him, expression curious. Her curiosity radiated less interest and more predator watching its prey.
It set Sirius’ nerves on edge but he held his ground.
“No,” he repeated, shaking his head. “I’m not doing it.”
“Why not?” His mother asked, though she knew why.
Sirius mirrored his mother’s cold stare. “You want me to assassinate Josh Denvers. That’s fucking ridiculous.”
Regulus cut him a look that said something like what are you doing?
He ignored it, eyes still trained on Walburga.
She stared at him for a moment longer.
“I suppose if you don’t want to do it then you don’t have to.”
If Walburga was the type to laugh, Sirius was sure she would’ve at the look on their faces.
“I— what?” Sirius asked incredulously.
“You heard me. If you don’t want to complete the assignment, then don’t.”
“Mother—“ Regulus started, but Walburga held up a silencing hand.
“Expect half to be taken out of the vault,” Walburga said coolly.
“You can’t—“ Sirius began, but faltered at the look on her face.
Walburga leaned forward, grey eyes flashing dangerously.
“Can’t I?”
Sirius swallowed hard. She could, and she absolutely would. Just like last time. A whole four years worth of money paid to the family burned.
Walburga pulled Sirius’ folder back towards her.
“Wait,” Sirius said.
Walburga released the folder. “Yes?”
“I’ll do it,” Sirius said quietly.
That eerie smile returned to his mother’s face. “Excellent. You know where to report to.”
Sirius nodded mutely. He left the room quickly, after a moment Regulus followed.
“What the hell was that?” Regulus hissed.
“What?”
“You know what! You weren’t going to take it?? Why?!”
Sirius stopped quickly, almost causing his brother to run into him.
“He’s a politician Reg.”
“So? You’ve taken out plenty before—“
“I went to school with him. So did you for that matter.”
Regulus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I know.”
“Then why are you so okay with this?” Sirius snapped.
“It’s the way it works.”
Sirius laughed, it was bitter and frosty. “You sound just like her.”
Regulus sighed. “You only get out of the family two ways.”
“Death or buy out,” Sirius finished.
Regulus nodded.
“You chose the latter. You knew what that meant.”
“Yeah but I didn’t expect—“
“Well you should’ve,” Regulus said, cutting him off harshly. “You knew the risks. Now you have to deal with it.”
He left without another word, continuing down the silent hall and out of sight.
Sirius stared at the spot where he’d rounded the corner for a bit. Then, he too left, drafting a plan for a hit on a man he’d grown up with
~~~~
“Uno!!” Lily shrieked, throwing down her card.
The rest of the room groaned in unison. This was the sixth time in a row that she’d won.
Sirius shook his head and clambered to his feet. “I’m done.”
Lily laughed at him. “Sore loser, Black.”
Sirius poked his tongue out at her. “Horrible winner.”
Lily rolled her eyes at him in response and Sirius just laughed.
“I’m gonna get water,” Sirius said. “Anyone else want something?”
James snorted. “Love how you just steal from my kitchen.”
“Mhmm best friend privileges.”
“I could revoke them.”
Sirius clutched at his chest in mock pain. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would.”
“He would not,” came Remus’ voice from somewhere on the rug.
James shot Remus a wounded look. “Betrayal.”
“James just shut up and go help Sirius bring us something to drink,” Lily said, making a shooing motion with her hand.
“Victory!” Sirius said triumphantly and James shoved him when he stood up.
“And you say Lily’s a horrible winner.”
The two of them disappeared into the other room, still bickering about absolutely nothing.
Lily, who was laying on her stomach, turned to face Remus.
“Anything new and exciting today with you?”
Remus raised an eyebrow. “Guess.”
“Super secret spy work?”
“Lily shh.”
“Oh, please, they can’t hear me. Even if they could they would think I’m joking.”
She was right, of course. No one other than Lily knew Remus’ real job. Only she knew what lay beneath the museum.
Lily narrowed her eyes at him. “So something did happen.”
Remus gave her a startled look. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. You’re a terrible liar.”
“I’ve kept those two from knowing,” he said pointedly.
Lily snorted. “Well that’s not that hard.”
Remus cast a glance over at the doorway to the kitchen. He laughed quietly.
“Yeah, I guess it’s not that hard.”
Lily nudged him with her foot, green eyes questioning.
“Well? What’s up?”
“It’s nothing worse than usual...just an odd job.”
“Oh?”
“Mhm. I’m protecting someone.”
Lily’s shock was comical and Remus couldn’t help from laughing.
“What?”
“Believe me, I was confused as well. Technically I do have a target.”
“Who is it?” Lily’s face had relaxed into something calmer, the shock fading.
Remus kept his tone even. “The people trying to kill Joshua Denevers.”
This time it took Lily a full thirty seconds to start talking again.
“You’re telling me...that there’s a plot to kill a governor candidate.”
“Yep.”
“Shit.”
“I know.”
Lily pushed herself into a seated position, legs crossed.
“If thats at the gala then we’re all going to be there.”
Remus sighed. “I know.”
“I can distract James easy enough,” Lily reasoned. “But Sirius…”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“We’ll figure it out. I might hate your job but I’m still going to help.”
Lily smiled at him, and he returned her smile.
“Thanks, Lils.”
“It’s what friends are for.”
Remus snorted. “Helping their other friends kill people.”
“I’ve got the shovels,” Lily said with a wink.
Remus laughed again. It was starting to look like this gala wouldn’t turn out so terrible after all.
~~~
“Josh,” James said. “As in Joshua Denvers Guy We Went To School With.”
Sirius shot him an irritated look from the counter he was sitting on. “Do we know any others?”
“Well, no.”
“Exactly.”
James was pacing, he did that whenever he was stressed. Sirius found it moderately amusing that James was pacing because of Sirius’ stress and not his own.
James shook his head. “You can’t do it.”
“Have to.”
“Opt out.”
“Tried that.”
“And?”
“Half.”
“Fuck, are you serious?”
“Always am.”
James stopped pacing and leaned against a counter.
“What are you going to do?”
“My assignment,” Sirius said evenly. “It’s all I can do.”
James sighed. “I really, really hate your job.”
“Yeah,” Sirius said. “So do I.”
~~~~
The night of the gala was warm. Yellow, orange and red leaves littered the street, having fallen from their trees earlier.
The interior of the building was even nicer. Soft music was drifting from a band in the corner. Tables laden with food were strewn about the room.
The wrap around balconies of the higher floors were full of security officers. Eyes all trained on the ballroom below.
Remus was watching from a corner. He’d managed to get away from the others with the help of Lily. Now all he had to do was watch Josh. That was much easier said than done.
Remus had forgotten how much of a social person Joshua is. Considering he was running for governor it made sense, though.
He went from one end of the room to the next and Remus’ eyes had trouble tracking him. He had even more difficulty trying to find whoever had it out for Josh.
The room was packed with guests of all manner and it was near impossible to spot anyone in this crowd. Remus figured the best place to hide in here would be up on the balconies. Even then they were being patrolled by guards on every side.
Whoever had decided to kill Josh sure gave themselves a hard trick to pull off.
Joshua rounded a corner and Remus sighed. Keeping up with him was irritating.
He finally stopped again near the band, chatting up Bellatrix Black of all people. He had no idea why he’d want to stick around and converse with Sirius’ cousin.
Remus couldn’t be bothered to listen in on their conversation. Or any of the conversations around him for that matter.
He glanced around the room again, eyes searching the crowd. They eventually landed where he wanted them too. Moody.
As promised, Moody was surrounded by several other museum workers. Providing Remus with an airtight cover in case something went wrong. Not that anyone was expecting something to go wrong.
Even though Moody’s back was turned to him, Remus was certain he knew he was there. He always seemed to have some sort of weird sixth sense for it.
“Constant vigilance”, he would say.
Remus just called it paranoia.
Looking at Moody always brought back memories. No matter how long it had been, Remus always found himself being thrown back into them.
Back to the reason he was in this whole mess. The same reason why he couldn’t leave it. It had been twenty long years and they still hadn’t found out who’d murdered his family.
It had happened quickly. On a quiet winter evening. Remus almost wished it had been raining or something. At least then he could lead with “It was a dark and stormy night.” It wasn’t storming at all that night. It was just another ordinary day.
And then they were gone. Remus the only one left and Moody standing over his shoulder telling him to go with him.
“Your mother worked with us.”
“Who are you?”
“Ever seen the history museum?”
“Yeah. Everyone has.”
“Well, kid. We’re going to the history museum.”
That had been that. Remus had been carted off to the Order. It had been his home for years. Then he went to school and met Sirius and James and Lily and all the rest. Now he had an actual home, but he was still tied to the Order. He could have left years ago, but he was staying until he found out who had wanted to kill his parents.
All they knew for certain was that it had to do with Salazar’s people. The old story of the founders could be traced back to almost anything. Including secret organizations. Every Order member knew of Salazar’s group. Who they were or where they ran their operations was a mystery. Until the day that mystery was solved, Remus would stay with the Order.
The problem with reliving old memories was that you often times lost track of your present moment. Which was exactly what just happened.
The minute Remus looked up again Joshua had moved on. He scanned every inch of the room for him. It was no use. Joshua Denvers was gone.
~~~
Sirius didn’t like the position he was sitting in. It was an awkward crouch in a dark corner but there wasn’t much he could do about that.
“Will you stop moving so much?” Regulus asked, irritated.
“No,” Sirius hissed back. “I’m here to assassinate the governor.”
“Candidate for governor,” Regulus said back.
“We’ll be would’ve won if not for the family business.” Sirius’ tone was slightly venomous and if Regulus cared he didn’t show it.
“It’s just the way it is.”
Sirius repressed a sigh. He hated it when people said that. It was another phrase high up on the Black Family’s list of mottos. That and any variation of it.
It was what he’d been told when he was forced into the family business. And even now, eight years later, he was still being told that.
“Any sign of him?”
Sirius snapped his gaze back to his brother. “If I could see him do you think I’d be sitting in this dark corner?”
He couldn’t see it, but Sirius could feel his brothers eye roll.
“I don’t see why you’re pissed at me.”
“I’m not,” Sirius said, but even he knew his tone was short and irritated.
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
They sat in silence for a while longer, watching the crowds below.
Sirius wasn’t even sure how Regulus knew this was up here. There were two balconies that wrapped around the ballroom, and then there was this one.
Very small, and near impossible to see from the ground floors. Despite the brightly lit room this little area seemed to be wreathed in shadows.
“There,” Regulus said suddenly, pointing.
Sirius looked below. Josh was making his way up one of the side staircases, rounding a corner into a hallway.
“Come on,” Regulus said, standing. “Best chance is now.”
He disappeared back into the empty hall. Sirius lingered for a moment, watching the people below. James had said he’d cover with him for Remus. He wondered how that was going.
Briefly his mind wandered to telling Remus about all this. About the ridiculous family business and how the only way out was to pay. Then he shook off the thought. There was no time for the past or future on a job. Just the present.
He slipped back into the shadowed hallway, following Reg.
From far below on the ballroom floor, Remus watched the shadow of a figure disappear back into a hall. He’d found his target.
~~~
Joshua was walking. He needed an escape from the ballroom and all its people. Somehow it managed to be a bit overwhelming even for him. It was rare that he got overwhelmed by social functions. Tonight seemed to be the exception.
He figured it had something to do with the Black family. They were an unnerving bunch. Equally as social as he was and with considerably more power. They carried themselves as if they were better than everyone else in the room. Josh, though annoyed with this demeanor, was almost inclined to agree.
The odd part wasn’t how they carried themselves, or how they talked to people, or even that they were here tonight at all despite clearly supporting the Carrow family.
No, the odd part was how friendly they were acting tonight. So much so that Bellatrix Black had pulled him in for a hug. It had been the strangest encounter. He was making his way around the room to thank everyone for coming when she came out of nowhere.
Thanking him for inviting her and her family and commenting on things such as the decor and the music. Josh was sure he’d had more riveting conversations with people about floorboards.
Then she’d just pulled him into a hug. It was the most out of character thing she’d ever done. The Black’s always stuck to a system. They stayed the same and never changed. The only exception to that was Sirius. Josh had gone to school with Sirius, they were in the same year.
He liked Sirius, then again everyone did. Everyone except his family members and their seemingly secret club. If it wasn’t for the striking Black family genes he exhibited, Josh wouldn’t have believed Sirius and his family were related at all.
He was away from the gala now. The bright lights faded to less extreme, and much warmer tones in here.
He was surprised he was allowed to wander the halls. The place wasn’t even his. Although the town threw the gala every election year and he supposed the candidates for it were allowed to go wherever they pleased.
He vaguely wondered if the Carrow’s would show up tonight. He’d appeared at their gala weeks ago. It was purely as a sign of good faith. He hated the Carrow family with a passion. As a matter of fact he was pretty sure most people did. He couldn’t be too sure about that though, especially since they’d been in office for so long.
He waved off a few security officers in favor of going into a different room.
Josh wasn’t even sure where he was but he didn’t care much. There was a balcony that faced outside and he headed straight for it, throwing open the doors and stepping out into the night.
They had certainly picked a nice evening for the gala.
~~~~
If Sirius didn’t hate the job so much he might’ve been thankful for his family’s extensive knowledge of the layouts of government buildings. It made things much easier than having to sneak through hallways. The tunnels led them directly where they needed to go. Having Bellatrix place the tracker on Josh made their lives a million times easier. Although he had to say that hug at the end there had been completely out of place. Poor Josh.
They reached the room quickly enough.
“This is it,” Reg muttered. Sirius had to suppress the urge to point out that he was well aware.
Josh was standing on a balcony. Sirius wanted sigh. Josh was in the worst possible position for himself. It made Sirius’ job a hundred times easier but it also made Josh an easy target. Not for the first time, Sirius found himself feeling bad for Joshua Denvers
His instructions had been to make it look like an accident. The syringe he had taken from the lab at the Tower would make it look like a heart attack. It was just simply three and a half milliliters of air. It would go straight to his blood stream. It would be a quick death. Chest pains at two minutes, severe difficulty breathing at three, and at four, he would be dead.
Sirius looked at Regulus, he was checking the room to make sure no one else was there.
“Cameras?” Sirius asked and Regulus shook his head.
“Taken care of.”
“People?”
“No ones in the vicinity.”
Sirius stared at his brother. “Why are you here again?”
“It’s the rules. Also to make sure you don’t fuck up.”
“It’s been eight years, Reg. I think I can handle myself.”
“Petition mother,” his brother said evenly. “I’m sure she’ll want to hear your case.”
“Ha ha.”
They both knew there was no way that was happening. The rules were set in stone.
Reg nudged him a bit, jerking his head in the direction of Joshua.
“Go, before the opportunity is lost.”
Sirius nodded, taking a deep, slow breath. He pushed the panel slowly forward, letting himself out into the room. Face to face jobs always unnerved him. It would be so easy to figure out who he was, even with the mask. It was a very lucky thing he didn’t miss. It was also very lucky that that panel didn’t creak when he opened it. It looked like no one had used that tunnel in years.
His footsteps were silent against the wooden floor. It was probably by sheer luck that he didn’t step on any noisy floorboards, but he didn’t dwell on that thought. The minute you started counting your luck it would run out.
He was near Josh now, black shadows concealing him. It was probably ironic that his last name was Black. The color of shadows and secrecy. He supposed it worked in his favor.
Josh hadn’t even remotely noticed he was there. Poor Josh, Sirius found himself thinking again. He didn’t deserve this. If only his target had been one of the Carrow twins. He wouldn’t lose any sleep over killing one of them.
All he had to do was reach over and grab Josh. That was it. Mission accomplished. That’s how it always was, simple.
So he wasn’t expecting the very slight creak of a floorboard. He wasn’t expecting the person who made it to stare directly at him. He also wasn’t expecting them to be dressed similarly to him, dark clothes and face covered. Least of all he wasn’t expecting the knife that flew directly at his face.
He sidestepped quickly, feeling the knife whoosh past his ear and lodge itself into the wall.
This got Josh’s attention. He spun around quickly, saw the two of them and sucked in a sharp breath.
Sirius had to admire the way in which Josh processed this new turn of events.
“Well fuck,” Josh said, simply, and Sirius lunged for him.
The other person was already crossing the room trying to get to Sirius who now had Joshua in an iron like grip.
Sirius could hear Regulus’ voice in his head. To make sure you don’t fuck up.
This hadn’t been his fault. It was whoever had sent this guy. From the looks of it, Assassin Number Two wasn’t after Josh. Which could only mean that he was after him.
Fabulous, Sirius thought. Just what I needed.
He’d gotten out of plenty of tricky situations before, this was a new level of crazy for him though.
Josh looked absolutely terrified. Sirius couldn’t blame him, he was trying to murder him after all.
He fumbled around in his pocket for the small syringe. This was supposed to be an easy job. No mess.
Unless of course he was killed by Sir Knife Flinger over there. That one would be a lot harder to explain than he had a heart attack.
His fingers finally closed around the syringe, pulling it out of his pocket and preparing to stick Josh with it.
He gave the man a sympathetic look. “Sorry,” he said.
Josh looked taken aback. His assailant was apologizing for actively trying to kill him??
“Wha—“
Josh didn’t get to finish his sentence, nor did Sirius get to finish his job.
A thin dagger came slicing through the air, knocking the syringe out of Sirius’ hand and causing it to crash to the floor. Where it shattered into pieces.
Sirius cursed, forced to drop Josh to the ground, his grey eyes staring furiously at the other person.
“Oops,” said the other person.
Sirius could’ve smacked them. Oops? Oops?!
On the flip side he was moderately relieved to not have to kill Joshua, who was currently sitting on the floor looking like he was regretting his life’s choices.
Sirius growled slightly, who the fuck was this person?
The person in question didn’t seem like he was very interested in chatting, he slashed upwards with yet another knife, cutting into Sirius’ shoulder.
Sirius pulled away sharply, dropping to his knees in an instant. The person was tall. The taller they are the farther they have to fall, he thought as he kicked their legs out from under them.
It caught Assassin Number Two by surprise and they fell to the ground.
Sirius leapt back up, moving quickly to the first knife that had been aimed at him and prying it out of the wall.
Murder Man Number Two was already on their feet again.
“Clever,” they said.
“Thanks,” Sirius returned, before returning the favor and lunging forward with his own newly acquired knife.
His shoulder burned from where it had been cut, but he ignored it. He could deal with it later.
Sirius hated fighting people, it made every job take longer. Whoever this was now was clearly skilled at hand to hand combat. As was Sirius but that was besides the point.
He kept rolling and ducking and dodging. It was exhausting. He did feel a grim sort of satisfaction at the thought that he must be tiring out whoever was fighting him as well.
At some point he had had to kick Josh. He was trying to get away and that didn’t bode well for Sirius.
He never failed a mission.
It seemed as though the other person had this same mindset, they were fighting him like it was what they were placed on this planet to do.
They had an obscene amount of knives too. Pulling them from seemingly nowhere and using them in every possible way they could think of.
“You really don’t give up,” Sirius muttered.
“Nope,” the person responded.
The voice seemed familiar, but Sirius couldn’t place it at the moment. The feeling irked him. Reminding him of the similar feeling of hearing a voice of an actor in a movie but not being able to place a face to the name.
It didn’t matter much anyways. Not right now. Right now he had to win.
Josh was making another escape. Sirius shot the man an irritated look that he knew he couldn’t see with his mask on, and without wasting another second he thwacked him firmly on the head with the butt of his knife. Josh crumbled to the ground without another word.
The other person took this as the perfect opportunity to relive Sirius of his weapon. And then, in a moderately hilarious twist of fate, they pulled the same move Sirius had earlier, and dropped him to the ground.
The person was much taller now that they were standing over Sirius. They also wasted no time in killing him.
Or at least he would be dead if not for his brother. Regulus came out of absolutely nowhere and if not for their impossibly good hearing the other person would probably be dead.
As it happened he gained a new cut on his lower back, courtesy of Regulus Black.
The stranger hissed fell backwards. Sirius smiled behind his mask.
Karma bitch.
“Took you long enough,” Sirius said.
Regulus looked back down to Sirius. “Let’s go,” he said, extending a hand down to help him up.
Sirius let himself be tugged up by his brother, all the while staring down at Josh.
“What about— look out!”
The person had come back with a vengeance, pulling another knife out of thin air and cutting what looked like a rather deep cut into Regulus’ side.
Sirius had had enough. Cursing furiously he retrieved the knife he’d lost earlier and smacked the stranger across the face with it. They fell to the ground same as Josh had earlier.
Regulus had his hand on his side, blood staining his fingers from the freshly made cut. Sirius went to him quickly.
“Fine,” Regulus hissed, though his teeth were clenched. “Let’s go.”
“What about Jos—“ Sirius started, but Regulus shook his head.
“Leave him.”
“But—“
“Let’s. Go.”
Sirius nodded, looking back over at Josh and the stranger. The other person was trying to stagger to their feet and Josh was still out cold.
Sirius wrapped an arm around his brothers waist.
“I’m fine—“
“Shut up,” he snapped and Regulus didn’t raise another argument.
The two of them disappeared back into the tunnel, making their way quickly from the scene.
~~~
Remus didn’t know who the hell that was, but he was pretty sure he’d just gained a nemesis. Or two if you factored in the guys buddy.
His face was throbbing from where he’d been smacked with the knife. He was going to have a helluva time explaining that one to Sirius, and James for that matter.
Once his head had stopped spinning enough to sit up, he moved towards Josh. All the while cursing whoever the hell that had been.
Josh looked okay. His head was bleeding a bit but he didn’t look like any actual harm had been to him.
That person had a strong arm. It took a quite a bit of force to knock a person down with the wrong end of a knife. Knocking them out was another story entirely.
He heard the footsteps in the hallway long before they even got into the room. He was on alert instantly.
“Is he dead?” Came Moody’s voice and Remus breathed a sigh of relief.
“No,” he said. “He’s just out.”
From beside him on the floor, Josh groaned.
Moody’s brow crinkled. “Who was it?”
“How the fuck am I supposed to know?” Remus snapped. “Half the point of being an assassin is making sure no one knows who you are.”
Moody gave him a cutting look but Remus didn’t care. His head hurt too much for stupid questions.
“We should wake him up,” Moody said.
“How do you propose we do that?” Remus shot back, still checking to see the extent of the damage done to Josh.
He was definitely going to have a concussion. At least he was alive.
Moody walked away. Remus didn’t pay him much mind, too busy propping Josh up against a wall. He vaguely heard the sound of running water.
Who the hell was that? Why were they after Josh? And why in the fuck were they so hard to get rid of?
Moody returned a few seconds later. “Move over,” he said gruffly.
Remus did so, taking note of the small paper cup Moody now possessed.
“What are you—“
Moody poured the cup of water over Joshua’s nose.
“Oh.”
Josh jolted awake, coughing and gasping at the sudden shock. He looked disoriented and in pain, which Remus expected.
He was standing now, shoulder to shoulder with Moody and peering down at Josh.
“What—“ Josh caught sight of Remus and tried to scramble back. He was stopped by the wall behind him.
“Relax, kid,” Moody said. His voice was harsh and far from relaxing. Remus rolled his eyes.
“We’re not going to hurt you. That was the other guy's job.”
“And he’s…?”
“Gone,” Remus said with a nod.
“Gone,” Josh repeated like he’d never heard the word before.
Moody gave Remus a curious look. “How hard was he hit?”
“Hard enough,” Remus confirmed.
Moody turned back to Josh. “Someone tried to assassinate you.”
Joshua gave him a withering look. The effect of it was somewhat destroyed by a wince. “Yeah I got that, thanks.”
“How are you feeling?” Remus asked, already anticipating the answer.
“Like shit,” Josh said shortly. “Who the fuck are you?”
Remus was amused. “You’re really mean to the guy who just saved your ass.”
“Well you also ambushed me while my back was turned and started throwing knives,” Josh said with another glare. “Forgive me for not wanting to be besties and make daisy chains together.”
Remus snorted. “Fair enough.” He turned back to Moody. “What do we do with him?”
Josh looked horrified. “Do with me? Excuse me?”
They both ignored him.
“Call his security,” Moody said. “Have the gala shut down as quickly as possible.”
Remus nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
He jerked his head towards Josh. “Want me to stay here and talk to him?”
Moody shook his head. “Don’t bother. I’ll explain things. Make sure your cover stays intact.”
“Okay,” Remus said, casting another look at Josh.
He looked like he very much didn’t want to be left alone with Moody. Remus didn’t blame him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Remus said, heading towards the door.
Moody waved an understanding hand at him, and Remus left the room.
He stepped into the first bathroom he found, removing the face covering he’d been wearing for ages, and examining his face in the mirror.
A bruise was already forming. He touched it lightly and winced, that would hurt tomorrow.
He sighed a bit. Explaining this to everyone other than Lily was going to be a bitch. He’d deal with it, though…somehow.
He stepped out of the bathroom and continued back downstairs. The gala went on as if nothing had happened. And to them, nothing had.
Lily was there less than a minute after he came down the stairs.
“What happened?”
He shook his head. “I’ll explain later. Right now we need a plausible excuse for leaving.”
Lily nodded. “I can do that. You find Sirius and I’ll get James?”
“Perfect,” Remus said.
The two of them set off in their separate directions. Remus hoped he found Sirius quickly. It had been a long night and he couldn’t wait to be home.
~~~~
Regulus was in a bitter mood for the next few days. Sirius didn’t blame him, that cut had been rather deep and he’d been benched from field work.
So had Sirius for that matter but he wasn’t complaining too much. He hated the job anyways.
Things had been hectic when they got back. Both of their parents demanding an explanation for why Regulus’ side was bleeding profusely.
“There was another person”
“Who?!”
“I don’t know mother, that's kind of the point of assassins.”
Walburga had been pissed but Sirius couldn’t care less about her anger. Next time she could go on her own.
“Who was their target?”
“Me.”
The silence that had followed that exchange was heavy. Everyone knew what it meant. If someone had been after Sirius then that could only mean one thing.
Spy.
The Tower hadn’t had many spies and any they did have didn’t survive for very long. Sirius pitied whatever poor soul had to face his mother’s wrath when she found out. And she would find out.
A week later they’d been given another assignment. It was for a couple weeks from now. Another social event organized by community leaders for the candidates.
Their target was different this time. Sirius had expected it to be Josh.
“You’re to go to the event and neutralize your target.”
“Figures considering the job.”
His mother shot him a cold look that he ignored.
“Who is it? Joshua again?”
Walburga folded her hands on top of her desk.
“No. Your target is the person who intercepted your last assignment.”
Sirius raised an eyebrow. “We know who that is?”
His mother pushed a folder towards him. The same deep green as all of her other files.
He picked it up, eyes scanning the papers inside it.
“The Wolf,” she said. “High ranking Order official.”
Sirius placed the folder back on the desk after reading it. “Do you know for sure?”
“I have my suspicions.”
That was as good as he was going to get.
“You really want this guy gone, huh?”
The smile Walburga gave him was even colder than usual. There was something beneath that smile too. Like she knew something and couldn’t be bothered to tell him.
“We do indeed. As do you.”
“I’ve met the guy once. Not enough for me to want him gone.”
“It is once I tell you that if you kill him, your debt will be paid.”
The world and seemed to freeze in place.
“What?” He’d asked so quietly he wasn’t even sure he’d said it aloud.
“You heard me. Kill the Wolf, and your debt is paid.”
Those words had been ringing in his ears since she’d said them nearly a month ago. Was this really all it took? Just get rid of this “Wolf” and he’d be done?
One more job and then I’m done.
That had just become a new and achievable reality. Now that he had this— now that he had hope.
There wasn’t a chance in hell that he’d let go of it.
~~~
They had one of these every four years. It was the Candidates Ball. Remus thought it was pretentious and stupid but it was also tradition so everyone went along with it.
They’d gotten there hours earlier. Him, Sirius, James and Lily.
He’d lost track of them ages ago though. Too busy watching over Joshua.
The night after the gala had been hectic.
Remus was standing near his desk, surveying his wall as usual.
The knock at the door surprised him slightly but he took it in stride.
“Come in.”
He expected Moody to be there. It was Joshua that surprised him.
“What’s he doing here?” Remus asked.
“Remus?” Joshua asked, at the same time as Remus’ question.
Moody chuckled. “Joshua, I want you to meet the guy who saved your ass last night.”
Understanding dawned in Joshua’s eyes. Remus pinched the bridge of his nose. Really Moody?
“Oh my god. That was you?”
“Yep,” Remus said.
“I— thank you.”
Remus shook his head. “Don’t mention it. Part of the job.”
Josh seemed to understand that and didn’t say anything else, which Remus appreciated.
“We found out who tried to kill blondie over here.”
Joshua looked only mildly offended at being called “blondie.”
“Oh?”
Moody dropped a paper onto his desk. Remus leaned over it.
“Canis,” Moody said.
“Like the constellation?” Joshua piped up.
“Probably,” Remus muttered, then he turned back to Moody. “This is the guy?”
“We assume so. One of Salazar’s lot.”
Remus ignored the last bit. No need to get lost in memories.
“What do you want me to do?”
Moody snorted. “What you always do— take him out. The Candidates Ball next month should be the perfect opportunity.”
Remus hummed in agreement. “They’ll probably be after Josh again.”
“I’m sorry— am I bait?!” Josh asked.
“Yep,” Moody said.
Josh went pale. Remus gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure you’re safe.”
That’s exactly what he was doing now. Making sure Josh didn’t die.
Just like with last month's gala, Josh was talking to every person in the room. It made him a bit of a chore to watch after.
At half past ten, Josh went upstairs.
Remus waited a minute before following. Everything was going according to plan.
~~~
Once again Sirius was appreciating the irony of his name and how he used shadows.
He’d seen Joshua go up the stairs a few minutes ago and had immediately followed. He was starting to wonder if Josh was a monumental idiot.
Unless of course this was a trap for him. Never mind, that would mean Josh was bait for the Order. Still a dumbass move.
He crept up down the hall, taking care to check every direction. He didn’t fancy being ambushed by the Wolf again.
Just like last time, Josh was alone. It didn’t matter much this time. Joshua Denvers wasn’t his target.
He also noticed that Josh seemed to have a thing for balconies. Or at least secluded ones.
He was staring out at seemingly nothing.
Sirius moved further into the room, inching along the edges of the wall where the shadows were most noticeable.
Josh let out a sigh. “You can stop now. I know you’re here.”
Sirius froze in place. No one was ever able to hear him.
Josh spun around to look back at him. “Oh! You are actually there! I wasn’t sure! I wanted to sound cool and all that jazz. Would’ve been really awkward if you weren’t.”
Sirius stared at the man in stunned silence. He couldn’t tell if he found the fact that Josh was expecting to be murdered and greeting his potential assassin hilarious or alarming.
He suddenly felt guilty about the fact that he was probably still on his mother’s hit list.
Josh gave him a curious look. “You’re not as scary when you’re not trying to murder me.”
Sirius blinked. Was this guy for real?
There was a soft ruffle from a curtain near the window. Sirius was sure anyone else wouldn’t have heard it, but then again he wasn’t just anyone else.
He moved instantly and as a reflex. Good thing too, the knife came whizzing by a split second later.
Sirius eyed it boredly. “I guess I know your weapon of choice.”
“I guess you do,” the Wolf replied. He turned to face Josh. “Leave before you end up with another concussion.”
Josh waved. “Don’t have to tell me twice.” He was out the door in an instant.
The second he was gone Sirius flung his knife back at him.
Wolf was anticipating it and he moved.
“Really,” he drawled. Sirius had the impression that he was raising an eyebrow.
He shrugged. “Worth a shot.”
~~~
Remus couldn’t remember the last time he had actually talked during a fight. If you watched enough action movies then you’d believe that there was a certain amount of witty banter during the fight.
In Remus’ experience there was less chatting and more killing. This man— this Canis, however seemed impossible to beat.
He anticipated Remus’ every move and met it with equal force. There was something familiar about the other man. It was weirdly comforting. Remus wasn’t quite sure what to do with this feeling.
It was usually so simple. Get the job, find the target, complete the job. That’s not to say most of his targets went easy on him, it was just the fact that this one seemed to be trying extra hard.
He was attacking him with a strange sort of vigor. Almost like Remus had personally wronged him.
In all fairness he had tried to kill him a month ago. But that was then. If you’re in the Hitman business you really shouldn’t take it personally if you’re a target. If anything it’s a compliment if you’re dangerous enough to have a price placed on you. That means you’re important.
With that thought in mind, Remus realized something. This man— Canis, he was probably here for Remus. After all he hadn’t gone after Josh.
“You’re after me.”
“Good job, you figured it out.”
Remus was caught off guard a bit, his movements faltering. He hadn’t even realized he’d spoken aloud.
That slight pause was all the other man needed. He pulled the same thing he’d done the first time they met, and tripped him.
Remus went crashing to the ground, pulling the other man with him. Purely by accident he slashed upwards with the dagger he was holding. Making a deep cut from his upper arm stopping just before his forearm. The cut may have stopped at the forearm, but the knife still dragged through the rest of the sleeve.
In the pale glow of the moonlight Remus could make something out. It was a tattoo.
Moon phases.
Remus looked up, finally taking in the appearance of the man. Sharp grey eyes stared back at him.
Remus got the impression that beneath that mask he was grinning.
“Checkmate,” he whispered. The gun came out of nowhere and was pointed at Remus seconds later.
He flinched when the shot came, but it didn’t hit him. Instead, the man staggered back with a yelp, clutching his shoulder.
Remus whipped around, he could see Moody rushing down the hall.
That’ll spook the guests, Remus thought wryly. He turned back to the other man.
If someone could look like murder, this man was it. The sheer fury in his gaze made Remus want to sink into the ground and disappear.
There was the sudden tap of footsteps at the balcony.
“Canis!”
It looked like whoever he had been with last time. They were hanging onto the railing, attached at their waist was a dark rope.
Grappling hook, Remus thought grimly.
Canis seemed to be debating between finishing his job and running.
He made his decision quickly, growling low in his throat before taking off in the direction of the person who’d called his name.
With one last furious gaze at Remus, he disappeared with the other man around the balcony.
Moody was there seconds later. Followed by — to Remus’ surprise— Josh.
“Are you okay?” Josh asked.
“Did you get him?” Moody asked at the same time.
“Obviously not,” Remus snapped, accepting Josh’s hand and being pulled to his feet. “And yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit cut up.”
Josh nodded.
Remus’ eyes fell to the last place he’d seen the other man. A strip of the fabric he’d managed to cut had fallen to the ground. He picked it up carefully, mind replaying the scene.
The cut, the blood, the sleeve, the tattoo.
Remus squished the fabric tighter between his fingers. He could hear Josh and Moody saying something but he wasn’t paying attention.
It seemed too big of a coincidence to not be true. Of course other people could have that tattoo. But in the same place? Paired with that same dark hair and striking grey eyes?
Remus knew the answer he was thinking of, and he hated it. There was one person he could think of that matched that exact description. It was the last person on the planet he’d ever except it to be. And also the last person he’d ever want it to be.
With a deep sigh Remus pocketed the fabric. Mind settling on the grim conclusion.
Sirius.
~~~
Walburga stared outside her window, watching the night sky.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Regulus pushed open the door. Walburga regarded her son carefully.
“What is it?” She deadpanned.
Regulus threw something down on her desk. It was one of her files.
How he had gotten into her personal files she didn’t know. Nor did she care.
“You knew,” he said
Walburga nodded curtly. “Of course.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
Regulus’ face twisted into a glare. “You knew who he was and you told him to take the job anyways.”
Walburga shrugged. “He wants to leave the family. This is the price.”
“This is too much. It’ll kill him.”
“Toujours Pur,” Walburga replied. The family motto.
Regulus hated it with every fiber of his being.
“Was there anything else?” Walburga asked, sounding bored. This was a game to her.
“No,” Regulus said. “That’s all.”
He left the office without another word. Leaving the upturned picture of Remus’ face on the desk.