The Contract

Chapter 99

"Uh-oh, I know that look," Arthur said, watching Sirius and Rodolphus wander into the building. The maniacal look in Sirius' eyes said everything, he had to admit he was glad Rodolphus was there to look after Sirius. He would insist he didn't need looking after...but he did. When he got ideas, he forgot everything, to eat, to drink, to go to the toilet, to sleep. He didn't look very good as it was, he kept telling Sirius to take a break, a day off. "New idea?" he asked, but it was more of a statement, he knew he was correct.

Rodolphus just smirked wryly and nodded, "Indeed, he'll probably be in his office for hours, but luckily he'll have to order in shipments so no actual attempts to create anything will be made today."

Arthur nodded; it had been distinctively odd being near the two Lestrange's. well, mostly Rodolphus, Rabastan didn't come around as often as his brother did. They had been well known Death Eaters, he'd cautioned all his family away from them, firmly but not burdening them with details on just why they were so fearsome.

Of course, none of that was actually true. They had been the worst of the victims during the war with You-Know-Who. Not only suffering for years under the Imperius curse but suffering from Azkaban no doubt believing they deserved it, while knowing they were ultimately innocent of the crimes they'd been charged with. To think Crouch had been so swift in imprisoning them for fear of the parts he played coming out.

It had come out in the end, and Crouch Senior had taken the cowardly way out. He wasn't around to pay for the crimes he'd foisted upon his son - his son! Sickening! - and dozens of others. It still blew his mind that the Death Eaters were innocent in all this, but they should have expected it. It was You-Know-Who's Motive Operandi so to speak. He put people under the Imperius curse and forced them to do unspeakable things.

He had been awkward around Rodolphus for a time, not because of his 'past' so to speak. No, it had been the fact that well, even before the war truly broke out, they had different belief's and well, they - The Weasley's - were seen as blood traitors. Because they accepted Muggles, and that they didn't believe in blood superiority.

Yet despite all that, Rodolphus had been unfailingly polite, he made no attempts to avoid him or avoid conversing with him. It was...nice, Arthur would admit. Having friends, going out, enjoying his life and genuinely loving his job - and the pay was out of this world - he hadn't been this happy since his children were born. Regardless of his situation, he'd never once regretted his children.

"Yes, he's rather stubborn, isn't he?" Arthur said shaking his head, even he couldn't get through to him. "He needs sleep before he gets sick again." He didn't want to see Sirius' progress decline. Before this past week or so, Sirius had been revitalised. Healthy, the hospital or hotel as he often called it, had been good for him. He reckoned he knew what was bothering Sirius, the sexual tension between Rodolphus and Sirius was visible even from the front of the shop where they observed the two in the office.

"Yes," Rodolphus agreed fully, lips in a thin line, even if it meant pouring a damn vial of Dreamless Sleep Draught down his throat and forcing him to sleep.

"What has he thought of this time?" Arthur couldn't help but ask despite himself. In his eagerness to hear the answer he leaned forward, inquisitively, not at all scared of the Lestrange reputation as one ought to have been.

Rodolphus' head leant back as he laughed, Arthur was acting like a kid in a candy store. He was a very excitable man, especially when anything new came around, including a lot of muggle items. "Just a Mirror Call case, my brother gave him the idea." His tone droll, eyes sparkling with mirth.

Arthur's eyes lit up, groaning softly, as he glanced at the office door before sighing as he stared at the front door. Where a crowd was already forming, the only ones able to Apparate into the shop were the Lestrange's, Arthur and of course Sirius.