fatal love

chapter 112

The next weekend, Sirius got up early to go and see Andy. The first week of summer had gone well; he'd spent a lot of time with James, either messing round the house or going down to the muggle village nearby, gawking at all the weird stuff they had in the shops. He wrote to Remus every day, and Pete and Marlene as well.

But he was looking forward to seeing Andromeda. They'd agreed to meet at the Leaky Cauldron, so after saying goodbye to Euphemia and Monty, he apparated there with plenty of time to go, and bought himself a butterbeer while he waited.

As soon as his watch hit ten, Andromeda walked into the pub, punctual as always. She was wearing well-tailored robes, and her hair was held back immaculately, compared to Sirius' own artfully careless appearance, but she beamed when she saw him, and suddenly she didn't look so much like a Black.

"Sirius, love," she exclaimed, "how are you?"

"I'm good," he said, standing up to give her a hug. "What's the plan, are we going to yours? Am I going to get to see Dora?"

"Later," she smiled at him. "Give me a moment to go and get a drink, and then we'll have a chat. I want to talk to you about something."

Sirius nodded, and she walked over to the bar, ordering a firewhiskey from Tom.

"Bit early for that, isn't it?" Sirius commented as she sat down opposite him.

"I'll need it, where we're going."

"And where's that?"

Andromeda took a long drink. "Do you remember our Uncle Alphard?"

Sirius frowned. "Not really. He was burnt off the tapestry for as long as I can remember."

"Well, he told me that he would like to meet you."

"You're in contact with him?" Sirius asked in surprise. He'd assumed their shared uncle had long since fallen off the grid.

"He found me after I ran off with Ted. And he said that he'd like to see you as well."

"Let's go then," Sirius grinned.

"Before we go, I should warn you... he's not like you and me."

"What do you mean?"

"He's just... complicated," she settled on. "But just try to go along with whatever he says, okay?"

"Alright," Sirius said hesitantly, wondering exactly what this man was going to be like. He was suddenly looking forward to having another Black who didn't despise him.

Andromeda downed the rest of her drink in one, grimacing, and then reached out to lay her hand on Sirius' and whisked them away.

She took them to a large living room, decorated with ancient, ornate furniture and high ceilings. It reminded him of Grimmauld Place - the decor was lighter, but it had the same extravagant, pristine aesthetics, with high ceilings, chandeliers, and old, expensive ornaments displayed proudly.

A man who looked to be in his sixties was lying on one of the sofas. Sirius almost gasped when he saw him - his skin was sunken and sagging, his veins an ominous black colour. It looked like his skin was hanging off his bones, drooping and deathly.

"Andromeda," the man croaked, sitting up slightly, "it's you."

"Hello Alphard," Andromeda said politely, going over at once and lifting a glass of water to his lips. "I've brought Sirius here."

"I can see that." Alphard turned to look at Sirius, surveying him with interest. "So you're the newest stain on our family tree, are you, Sirius?"

Sirius shrugged, trying not to stare.