Antithesis

Chapter 55: Quarantine

'Let her starve to death.'

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"I used birds as target practice. Little bluebirds, or finches. They were always quick, but so naive and innocent. It took me years to find them beautiful in their own right; a marvel that a living breathing creature could fly. Amazing to think about, of course we have dragons and hippogriffs and Pegasus even but...I don't know. I think birds with how simple they are, are miracles."

Sirius Black sighed through his nose quietly, leaning back on his chair as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Have you considered writing a book?"

Adrian glanced at him dryly, knees curled to his chest with his arms wrapped protectively around them. His cot squeaked slightly, metal grinding as he shifted his weight.

"I don't think anyone would care to see what I have to say." he dismissed casually, turning his head back to stare at the single blank corner in the room; Adrian tended to stare at the single corner often.

"I'm sure someone would." Sirius tiredly assured. "Everyone has a unique opinion, and I think your perspective would be rather interesting, you know, considering you commanded a basilisk to murder someone without blinking and...and oh yes, can speak to snakes."

Adrian didn't rise to the bait, Sirius felt glum about that.

It was more interesting when the boy had arrived, the first time Sirius had met him and seen the scars- bright red and fresh on his skin.

Adrian had changed a lot, in so many ways Sirius couldn't label them all. He was more volatile in a way too different to only be dark magic addiction.

Although he was dangerous, it was certainly more exciting with Adrian at the headquarters.

But here...here in witness protection (as they had so awkwardly phrased it), Adrian was...Sirius didn't know how to describe it.

Now the boy just made Sirius sad. Something in Adrian's unpredictability had settled, and now Adrian was just...quiet.

(Sirius preferred the once snarky boy, he appreciated and admired the volatile snappishness. He didn't like this, it reminded Sirius too much of his late brother.)

Adrian didn't say anything, he stared at the corner.

"You know," Sirius began dolefully, "I used to walk around big cities in my Animagus form a lot. People always treat you differently, and it's interesting to see how people really are. I met this dog, the sweetest dog in the world. It would bring me food- not that I ate dumpster trash but the dog always shared with me. It didn't wag its tail much, and it always looked a bit worried."

Adrian didn't look like he was responding to Sirius' words, but the man wasn't concerned. He continued quietly, "Whenever anyone moved quick it would flinch. It would always run when someone walked towards it, but it was the nicest dog to me. It was so damn terrified of humans, and because of that strangers thought it was vicious. All it wanted was to be left alone, and one day a muggle animal control came and took it away. I apparated to that muggle pound, wanting to see where that poor dog went. They had put it down, 'too vicious for public safety' or something like that."

Sirius stretched quietly, his joints straining silently and cracking mutedly. Adrian still hadn't looked over.

"What I want to know, is if you view us like that pound. Are you just waiting for us to put you out of your misery? Because from my point of view, we're only trying to help you."