Frigus . Sirius Black (Mortem BOOK 2)

chapter forty-one

note: suprise, i'm not dead! midterms were hell on earth, literally, i don't think i've ever been this fucking exhausted, and i went through two years of IB... but now that's over, and i'm done, so i'll be back to more regular posting : ) 

October 11th, 1979 - James and Lily's apartment 

When Sirius told James and Remus that he was thinking of following Dumbledore's proposal and moving into Grimmauld Place, his two best friends were less than impressed. In fact, they were downright confused and James was contemplating slapping some sense into him, in a literal way. It had been no secret to them, or the world in general, that in the month following Nephera's departure, Sirius had been acting slightly insane. From the mood swings to the tattoos, to the questionable decision-making... 

So, James and Remus decided that the best time to talk to him about it would be on the one night they actually had free from work. The problem was that Sirius Black was not an easy person to talk to, especially about Grimmauld Place, "Mate, about the move-" started the Potter boy, sharing a quick side-eye with Remus 

"Oh don't start again," groaned Sirius, "This hasn't been a quick decision, I've thought about it. And I know that place sucks, trust me, I know, but it's the safest place Nephera could be," 

"Your house is safe too," insisted Remus, "Neph herself placed the protective enchantments there," 

Sirius had gone over that entire conversation in his head. He knew exactly what James would say, he knew exactly what Remus would say, and he knew exactly what James would say, and he had prepared counter-points for everything. Indeed, he had far too much free time in his hands, "It's not the same as Grimmauld. That place is better protected than Azkaban, I should know, I had to break out of it back in fifth year. I mean, even if Bellatrix and Narcissa know where it is, they can't enter it without my permission," he scoffed, "And I won't say it'll be a walk in the park, but if Nephera's safe, and I can finally relax knowing no one will fucking ambush us in the middle of the night, I'll take it," 

James and Remus knew how worried Sirius got over the witch, hell, that same worry had caused them to break up a couple of months ago. He had good reason, of course, Nephera hadn't exactly kept a low profile, but Grimmauld Place was the last place Sirius should be returning to. Remus knew Sirius would never put himself first, not in any reality, so he decided to try another angle, "Do you really think she'll be happy there, though?" he asked, hoping that maybe this would be able to sway him in the opposite direction 

"No, she loves that house but-" the wizard took in a deep breath, shaking his head, "You know what? At this point, it doesn't even matter, because Walburga's still alive, and that cunt will keep herself alive so that I don't inherit the money and the house," 

"I thought you never wanted the money," sighed James 

"I don't! That- that is blood money, alright! I don't want it! What I want is the protection of the house," replied Sirius for what felt like the thousandth time 

"So you're willing to play into Dumbledore's games, then? Because you know he has a plan for this, he always has a plan," added Remus 

Of course, Sirius knew there was an ulterior motive to Dumbledore asking him to move into Grimmauld. Sure, it was true that the place was perfect as Order headquarters, but there had to be something more to it. It was too simple that way, "I'm dating Nephera, I've got the whole 'Dumbledore's always planning' lecture down, thank you," he snapped back, beginning to grow irritated 

Remus and James shared another look, they were treading on thin ice, and it was starting to crack, "Have you talked to Nephera about it?" asked Remus, approaching the subject from a different direction