The wish "Happy New Year!" means more and more as time goes by, signifying the triumph of hope over experience. (c) Robert Orben
"My friends, I am very happy to welcome you all to the Black family home!" I began my welcome speech when everyone sat down at the huge table in the refurbished common room. Overall, with the help of two diligent house-elves led by Kreacher, the house had undergone radical changes. Some of the interior decorations had been replaced, new wallpaper had been put up, everything had been cleaned to a shine, and various magical and not-so-magical decorations had been pulled out of endless cupboards especially for today.
I also did not overlook another essential detail: a live, fluffy Christmas tree reached up to the ceiling in a specially designated place near the lit fireplace, delighting everyone with the tart smell of pine needles, the twinkling lights of the decorations and, of course, the presents piled up underneath. But most importantly, for the first time in a very long time, the house was filled with lively voices.
I looked around at everyone gathered there: the Tonks family, who had not yet officially changed their surname, were all there together. With Andromeda's help, we had finally persuaded her husband to change his mind about the move. At least until the custody proceedings were finalised. I had to tell Mede about this and explain why she, her husband and daughter had been assigned two cheerful werewolf twins as bodyguards.
They, by the way, also moved into the guest wing, along with Albert Stump, after a check and a short conversation. And while Lucan and Samantha were hired on a one-year contract, Stump was on a one-month trial period, during which I had to decide whether he was worth the money that would help him solve his problem with his family estate.
I must say that, on the whole, he lived up to his title and even exceeded it. After a rather lengthy duel, in which we destroyed half the training hall to the point where it needed minor repairs, I was surprised to realise that he could have wiped the floor with me in the first two minutes of the "test".
If it weren't for the family spell, that would have been the case, despite all my advantages in the form of unique wands, additional training with the chronowrench, and living in the family mansion. Of course, I surpassed him in raw strength, despite the fact that Stamp was also the sole owner of the family stone and had its resources at his disposal. But skill honed in hundreds of battles is something I couldn't have gained even with a hundred chronoworks. Flawless movements, masterful command of transfiguration, elemental magic, spells... No wonder Baker hinted that the guy had long outgrown his regalia, oh no, no wonder.
Perhaps acquiring him as a vassal would indeed have made up for the loss of the contract with Maria's star, even for a fabulous sum of money. The problem was that, even though he understood the hopelessness of his situation, he was not eager to swear allegiance to the Black family. Personal vassalage - yes, but he promised to think about the offer of vassalage on the altar.
I even understood him somewhat, since personal vassalage to a single mage is one thing. But an oath to a specific family, which applies to all your unborn relatives, is another matter entirely, and it is not broken with the death of the suzerain, but only with the complete destruction of the entire family.
It's a rare thing. Malfoy, for example, has two vassal families, so he wasn't afraid to serve time in prison for them and sacrifice half his influence. The Black family had several, but they all perished in centuries of war, and there was simply no one to look for new ones, as the Blacks themselves nearly disappeared from the pages of history.
On the positive side, at least for the duration of the contract, I didn't have to worry about Harry, whom I had assigned Albert to as a bodyguard. This guy wouldn't be afraid to stand up to Dumbledore, and he might even have enough strength to get away relatively unscathed.
So let him think for now, I won't rush things. As much as I wanted to help the guy, a little over half a million Galleons wasn't something I could throw around just like that, on a personal whim. I hadn't considered the werewolves as full vassals yet. Although they had made certain hints.
As fighters, the twins were strong average soldiers who together held out against me for just over three minutes. They were quite strong, but they couldn't compare to Albert in either strength or skill. However, that was a completely different level, so no one was claiming to be on par with him. If their mentoring skills were as good as their practical skills, then it would be worth considering a little later. After all, vassalage does not imply a slave's oath, but rather an equal, partnership-based relationship. And if they ever run into trouble with the law or anything else that wasn't revealed during the interview, it will be up to me to stand up for them.
Another candidate for full vassalage was also sitting at the table, unlike the bodyguards, happily sipping expensive alcohol. Vincent Blishvik, who, on my strong recommendation, changed his wardrobe to a more classic style, unlike the others, did not move to Black House and was invited to the mansion as a gesture of goodwill for his willingness to continue serving the interests of the Black family.
I was afraid that his difficult past and some of the manners he had picked up in Knockturn Alley would prevent him from making a good impression on my cousin and the others, but as it turned out, I was completely wrong, because the talented young man had the rare ability to find common ground with anyone, and spent the whole evening chatting with the kids, showing them various tricks, occasionally distracting himself with others. However, as it turned out, he was already acquainted with Ted, although neither of them recognised him.
Tonks, as it turned out, sometimes dropped in at the lower establishment to keep his boss from the ministry company. Establishing close ties in an informal circle, so to speak. He wasn't seen spending any large sums of money, but he was cautiously making the necessary acquaintances. This would probably come in handy soon, as Crouch, at my request, was already paving the way for the promotion of my dearest cousin's husband, of which she was, of course, aware.
For obvious reasons, no one told Ted, since Saint Ted, whose only sins were a couple of Galleons taken from the family budget for a couple of poker games (although the establishment for special clients had a fairly extensive menu for a pleasant pastime), could well have kicked up a fuss. In this respect, Andromeda was better, as she had a more flexible upbringing and understood how the magical world worked from the inside.
And finally, Harry, who no longer looked like a beaten child, but was chatting animatedly with Nymphadora about school, occasionally fending off Lucky, who wanted some human affection. Harry also knew about the upcoming hearing and was quietly preparing himself with me and Medea on how to behave and answer pre-agreed questions. I think Harry was the main reason why it wasn't just me and the old house-elf sitting at the festive table, so the gift I had received from the original Sirius, who may have been the real me, no longer mattered. My desire to protect my only godson finally made complete sense. Feeling at last a pleasant, light feeling of joy and the discovery of something important in my life, I allowed a sincere smile to appear on my face and continued my toast.
"The past year has not been easy. It has been a mixture of good and bad... However, there has been much more good than bad. This year, I, and not only I, have found something that many people, unfortunately, never find in their entire lives — a family. Galleons come and go, pass from hand to hand, and bring only fleeting pleasure; happiness is not in them. The most important thing in the world will always be my family, the people in this room, here and now. To the family!
"To the Black family!" Andromeda raised her glass with a smile, small tears hidden in the depths of her eyes, to the beat of the enchanted clock.
"To the family!" Ted Tonks said solemnly, also raising his hand with a crystal glass.
"To the family, Uncle!" echoed Nymphadora, blushing and unsuccessfully trying to hide it by smoothing her suddenly unruly hair.
"To the family!" Vincent saluted with his glass, and Albert responded without much emotion, raising his glass at the same time.
"To the family!" the twins exclaimed in unison, exchanging satisfied, joyful glances.
"To the family..." Harry said quietly but confidently, his eyes also shining with tears of joy, much more noticeable than those of Andromeda, who was restrained by her upbringing.
And then the feast and merriment began. The festive banquet finally captivated everyone, so that even the not particularly talkative Albert struck up a conversation with the two werewolves. Judging by the specific terms and snippets of dialogue that reached my ears, it was probably something related to their profession. Ted unexpectedly found a conversation partner in Vincent, while Andromeda busied herself with the children, making sure they didn't fall off their toy broomsticks as they flew around the spacious living room and played tag, and the larger Nymphadora didn't accidentally knock over little Harry, who looked like a baby bird.
She did this in vain, as the children were so enchanted that it was impossible for them to fall, let alone bump into anything, but since Mede was calmer this way, I didn't object. The dog ran along with them, filling the room with loud barking and occasionally jumping up, clearly not trying to catch the laughing children by the legs.
I just sat in my chair and tried not to think about all the worries I had already overcome and the tasks that still lay ahead in the coming year. I just desperately wanted my New Year's wish to come true and for everything to go exactly as planned. The food was hearty, the house elves had done a great job, the alcohol was also good, and in honour of the New Year's miracle, even my niece and godson got a few drops, and the fire crackled in the fireplace, creating a cosy atmosphere for the bright holiday. When the children finally climbed down from their broomsticks, tired, and everyone else calmed down a bit, we all played board games together, which I recreated from memory with the House-elves in an improved, magical version. It was the happiest New Year's Eve I could have imagined.
To be honest, while everyone was playing, a part of me was already planning how to get money by stealing and developing a Muggle idea that hadn't even been born yet in the magical world... But that doesn't make me a bad person, does it?
***
The days passed one after another as they should, bringing no bad news. An almost family idyll reigned in the house. After the feast, the inhabitants of Black House found a common language, while I diligently filled in the gaps in my education and practised what I had learned with my volunteer assistant, Albert, who was himself interested in battling such an awkward opponent as me, so everything was quite fun, except that the sparring hall had to be repaired much more often than usual.
Harry was gradually taught everything he needed to know about the magical world by the twins, who turned out to be quite good teachers, conveying all the information to the boy in a clear and simple way, with vivid examples and rather curious stories from ancient times, some of which even Sirius had never heard in his distant childhood.
Of course, there was no question of wand magic until he came of age, but the history of magic and theory in a playful form was very interesting to the godson. During the holidays, they were joined by Nymphadora-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, which greatly pleased her mother, who was worried about her success at Hogwarts. Especially for the young shape-shifter, remembering the events of the books, I dug into the family library and found a book that should help Tonks control her gift and learn to use it better.Occasionally, I was busy with other matters requiring the direct intervention of the head of the family, but I still tried to devote as much time as possible to my goddaughter and hardly left the mansion to avoid any distractions. The closer the date of the meeting approached, the more nervous I became, and even the idyllic atmosphere at home did not contribute to my good mood.
Moreover, I was no longer worried about a positive outcome; everything should have gone smoothly. Crouch and Malfoy had prepared everything, and I even paid another visit to Skeeter, to whom I had sworn to give all the information about the fate of the hope of magical Britain. I also gave her a huge amount of gold so that she would do her job properly and treat herself to a little holiday afterwards. Overall, I was more afraid of Dumbledore's response to this diversion.
At the moment, the old man was maintaining a suspicious silence, making everyone tense and forcing them to double-check everything three times. At the very least, the bribed secretary was supposed to warn the old man about the start of the meeting just a few hours in advance, so as not to give him time to prepare. But that hardly reduced my nervousness, so I even had to cancel my meeting with Lupin, despite his letters; I was completely absorbed in the preparations.
Finally, on D-day, Black House was completely put on lockdown, I bought a couple of "probes" to take with me, and Harry, Albert and I headed to the Ministry building alone, leaving the werewolves and the Tonks family at home.
The main atrium of the Ministry resembled a disturbed beehive that day. A crowd of wizards filled almost all the available space, and only a fraction of them were Ministry employees. The rest were reporters who had hurriedly arrived from various countries, some Lords of the Wizengamot, as well as mere onlookers and idle people who had come here for one of the most significant events in recent times — the hearing on the guardianship of a national hero.
When we appeared in the hall, we didn't have time to catch our breath before we were engulfed by a huge wave of people, snapping photos and asking questions every second, causing me to reflexively squeeze Harry's hand and pull him back a little to protect him. Fortunately, the commotion did not last long, and Geoffrey Thomas and his assistants, who were already waiting for us, came to our aid and pushed the crowd back a little.
"Honourable magicians! You will be able to ask all your questions after the meeting at a special press conference. Thank you!" Clearing his throat and casting Sonorus, the elderly lawyer took charge. Of course, he didn't calm everyone down, but soon the journalists were pushed back by Ministry employees sent by Crouch to escort us.
"Thank you, Geoffrey," I thanked the wizard sincerely, shielding Harry, who was in shock from the crowd, from the flashes of cameras.
"No problem, I'll add it to the bill," the lawyer smiled dryly, glancing with interest at Harry and Albert, but remaining serious. "Everything as we discussed, no incidents?"
"Yes, everything's fine," I replied briefly, not wanting to go into too much detail in front of such a crowd of strangers. Although, in general, all the actions had been discussed a hundred times before, so there was no need for details.
"Good," he nodded curtly. "Anyway, we've already wasted enough time with this crowd, we need to..."
"Sirius!" A familiar voice rang out from the crowd, causing me to experience a moment of déjà vu. "Sirius... Let him through!"
"Let him through," I sighed. I wasn't ready to see my old friend right now, but not listening to him would have been extremely disrespectful, and I wasn't eager to give the onlookers another reason to gossip.
Lupin looked alarmed, breathing heavily after a brief struggle with Crouch's men. He looked flushed and nervous, with dark circles under his eyes and his cheekbones protruding noticeably on his already gaunt face. It was probably because of the approaching full moon, although my friends didn't seem to have the same problem. Or maybe they just weren't showing it.
"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed again, finally breaking through the fence. "I need to tell you something, in person! It's very urgent!"
"Listen, mate, I wrote that we'd meet tomorrow and talk," I began discontentedly, sighing again. "We're a bit busy right now, you can see that..."
"No, it's not!" Remus clamped his hand on mine, holding me in place and continuing to speak heatedly in a whisper. Albert looked at me meaningfully, his hand falling to the hilt of his wand, but I shook my head; we had already attracted too much attention. "It's about today. Dumbledore knows everything, Sirius. He's been warned!
"How?! Who?" My heart sank and began to beat wildly somewhere deep inside me, and I immediately became extremely serious and frowned, thinking over the information I had received and the circle of people who knew everything.
"I don't know... Listen, I can't tell you everything, but you have to stop the trial!" continued Remus, looking at me desperately."An oath?" I asked quickly, understanding the hint and the reason for his hesitation.
"I told you, I can't say..." Remus confirmed my guess, nodding with relief.
But who could he have sworn not to tell? Dumbledore himself, perhaps? Or was it just a ploy by an old man desperately trying to buy time, sending the only person I could trust with such a fantastical story? Perhaps Remus himself believes it... Besides, cancelling the meeting now would ruin the element of surprise. Dumbledore couldn't possibly know about our connection to Crouch, so he knew practically nothing except that the Dursleys had disappeared from their old address. Of course, that didn't stop him from making some preparations, but I still had almost all my trump cards up my sleeve, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Listen, Remus," I pushed my former friend away and squeezed his shoulder firmly. "I appreciate you telling me this, but I'm confident in my abilities, so please trust me, even if you don't know much. The fact that Dumbledore suddenly found out doesn't change anything. So, I think everything will be fine. We'll discuss everything with you after..."
"How can you not listen!" Lupin flared up, baring his teeth, his eyes flashing yellow. "He's already..."
Suddenly, he faltered for a second, opened his mouth to continue, but then his eyes rolled back, and Remus almost collapsed to the floor, but I caught him in time, checking his pulse.
"Damn it..." I pressed my fingers against the werewolf's neck, and to my relief, his heart was still beating. However, Lupin himself was in no hurry to regain consciousness, and his pulse was clearly not what it should be in a healthy person, even if he was a werewolf a hundred times over. The blood was beating too weakly and irregularly.
"Magical backlash," Thomas said knowingly, adjusting his glasses. "Apparently, the oath sensed her intention to break it and struck in advance. However, it's for the best; at least he's still alive.
"Mordred, Geoffrey, can you ask someone to take care of him?" I was still holding Lupin in my arms, preventing him from falling to the floor, and assessing the situation and the time we were losing with increasing nervousness.
"Of course," the mage replied briefly with a satisfied smile. "This will also be taken into account in our calculations. Lil, keep an eye on him."
Then, when one of the assistants took the magician's not-so-light body from me, Geoffrey turned back to me and said in a low voice:
"I think these photos will be on the front page tomorrow, right after the verdict. Is there anything I should know before then?"
"Yes, I think so," I replied, frowning as I processed the information, trying to calm myself and Harry, who was also in a bad mood due to the scene that had unfolded. "Dumbledore has been warned in advance, and there may be some surprises."
"I'll keep that in mind," Geoffrey nodded after a moment's thought. "Perhaps we should postpone the meeting in that case? If we're going to do something, we should do it now, before the hearing is called open."
"I'll take the risk," I replied, weighing all the pros and cons. After all, I had the upper hand, and I wanted to get everything sorted out now so that I wouldn't regret not doing anything later. "Harry, are you okay? Are you scared?"
"No!" the little boy said firmly, clutching my hand even tighter and glancing around gloomily.
"Great, let's go then, we can't be late," I said, trying to smile as gently and encouragingly as possible at the serious child.
***
After a quick nod to Mr. Geoffrey's security guard, they hurried down a corridor that was completely unlike the ones Harry had seen upstairs. Bare walls, no windows, and no doors except for one completely black one at the far end of the corridor. Harry thought that was where they were going to go, but Sirius gently pulled him by the arm and turned him to the left, where there was an opening leading to a staircase.
"Down, down," grumbled Mr. Geoffrey, quickly descending the steps, almost taking two at a time. "There's no lift here, it's too deep... I think I'll write a complaint to the Wizengamot about these damn stairs. They could have installed a lift here after all these years."
Reaching the bottom of the stairs after several turns, they quickly crossed another corridor, very similar to the one that led to the Black House dungeons, which Harry was forbidden to enter. Torches burned in holders fixed to the rough stone walls, illuminating massive wooden doors with iron bolts and iron-covered keyholes.
"Courtroom number ten, as always," Sirius said thoughtfully, stopping in front of a huge dark door with an iron lock. "Well, shall we begin?"
Harry's heart was beating wildly. Despite all the rehearsals with Sirius and Aunt Muggle, the gloomy, cold place depressed and frightened him. Even more frightening was the impending meeting with the Dursleys, whom he could not forget, no matter how hard the others tried to erase the years he had spent with them with good memories. How good it was that Sirius was with him. So strong, so confident, when he turned to him and put his arm around his shoulders, it seemed that all his worries receded for a moment and Harry calmed down, finally able to breathe deeply again.
"Don't worry, kid," he said, looking into his eyes, crouching down so that their faces were level. "I promise, just a couple of hours and we'll go eat the birthday cake that Honey baked especially for you. You love cake, don't you?"
"Yes!" Harry calmed down completely, remembering Aunt Medea and the smell of fresh baking that had followed them around the house until they left. "Does it have cream?"
"Well, that'll be a surprise even for me," Sirius laughed, ruffling his hair a little and getting to his feet. "Let's go. And remember, you're perfectly safe with me and Albert."
The door to the meeting room opened and then slammed shut behind the group of wizards with a loud creak, cutting off all extraneous sounds. The walls of the dungeons loved silence.
***
The entire story has already been written at:
patreon.com/posts/reborn-as-sirius-142654970