Play the Game ✔️

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

Knowing that they didn't have long to dawdle, Sirius disapparated for the other side of the street and leaned against the wrought iron fencing, twirling his wand in his fingers with a smirk on his face. Only when John's eyes caught him in sight did Sirius make his move across the street and stand behind the Death Eaters, listening in on the insults being thrown back and forth. Finally Sirius cleared his throat.

"You've no business here. Not a one of you. I suggest you be on your way." He stood behind Bellatrix and breathed down her neck. "Did you know that I now own a very good painting of your right eye, Bella? It's really quite beautiful."

She turned her head, her brows furrowing.

He craned his neck over her shoulder and whispered in her ear in a most intimate fashion. "After I pierce it with about a hundred times or so with muggle darts, I've a mind to use it for firewood. It'll be like watching you burn in hell." He kissed her ear.

"You wouldn't do that to your father's work," she replied so low that only he could hear.

"I think that I can make an exception in this case." He took a step back and stuck his wand between his teeth then placed his fingers to his eyes, as if he were looking through a lens and he nodded. "Yes, I think I most certainly can."

She huffed and looked to the others, her husband specifically, emotionally wounded, as if she expected him to come to her rescue.

A half-smiled played across his face. "Bella, I can't believe that you're so thick that you can't see that I'm giving you a chance to get away? Or is it perhaps that you would rather go for a lovely little ride, just you and me? Straight to the Ministry...I think they would really love the chance to have an illuminating conversation with you!"

"We were just leaving," she said in a thick voice. She didn't like when she felt like anyone got the better of her...and she really didn't like that it was Sirius who did it.

Within seconds, they had all disapparated from the walkway, and Sirius looked up toward John and he breathed in deeply and exhaled hard.

"I had forgotten that you received top marks in interrogation," John said, in a low voice.

Sirius looked past him to the front upstairs window to find Liesel peeking out from the crack in the curtains. He held out his hands in astonishment. "I can not believe that daughter of yours!"

John looked behind him and just saw that curtain pulling to. "What?"

"She's been at the window this whole time!"

"Oh, she knows better than that," John grumbled with instant anger. "She's gonna be grounded for a year for that stupid-as-fuck stunt!"

Sirius stood completely still and stared at him blankly.

"What?"

Finally, Sirius raised his brow as he tilted his head.

"Oh. I reckon she's yours to deal with now, isn't she?" John threw up his hands as he shook his head and stomped up the steps to number 11 Grimmauld Place. He turned to find Sirius standing in the middle of the walkway, his arms crossed over his chest, still looking up at the window. Before opening the door, he watched Sirius as he chewed on the inside of his cheek and violently point to his feet. John opened the door to hear the door to his bedroom and then saw his daughter at the top of the stairs.

"Okay...how long am I grounded for?"

John rounded the bend of the landing, placing his one foot on the second step. He shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno? Ask your husband," he replied.

Liesel grimaced and looked away. She sighed and descended the staircase and cast a look that screamed help me to him. John looked away through the banister at the corridor carpeting of the second floor.

It was the most difficult thing he had ever had to do.

All too soon though, she stood at the door, staring at it blankly. She knew that the longer she waited, the worse it was going to be for her. While she knew that he would never raise his hand to her, he could and probably would verbally assault her and make her ears sting for a week...or longer. She sighed deeply and opened the door, and looked at the back of her husband's head as he was seated on the steps, his arms resting on his knees.

"Hey," she said mournfully.

"Mmm."

"I'm sorry..."

"Mmm."

"I just had to make sure you two were going to be okay!"

At least he looked at her for a whole three seconds before blinking his eyes slowly and turned to face forward again.

They sat in complete silence for over ten minutes and he thought it was time for them to head for home after he saw her rubbing at her bare arms in silence. He held out his hand to her and when she placed her hand in his, he closed his eyes and kissed it tenderly.

"Does this mean that I'm forgiven?"

He opened his eyes and stared at her...his eyes were that of a wounded man; she lowered her gaze to their still clasped hands. They disapparated for home, leaving Liesel's MGB still parked on the pavement out side their parents' houses.

Only after a silent afternoon of avoiding each other as she finished packing for their trip to the States and a silent lunch, his disappointment and her guilt keeping them from even eyeing the other, did he walk out onto the massive lawn out in front and disapparated for London to retrieve her car only after checking it for spells and hexes...they had to leave for the Heathrow airport soon in order to make their flight to Boston.

It was going to be a long flight...