Dysfunctional

53 - All We Need Is More Time

Thursday, August 21

"Look, it sounds brilliant," Sirius agreed quietly. "But I can't allow anything like this unless I am guaranteed that it won't lead to us being caught."

"We knew you'd say that," said Fred, hands inside his pockets as he walked along with Sirius. "George, Lee and I have been working on it. We'll be using a pirated signal, so it should be detectable only if we use it more than two times in a single location. As long as we keep shifting our broadcast locations, it should be a piece of cake."

Sirius frowned, not at all appeased. "We'll need security during the broadcast then. That means we'll need ten, or at least seven members assigned just for this. Do you realize that's half of all we're left now? It'll be too much of a risk, Fred."

"Blimey, it's not going to be every day, Sirius," said Fred. "Perhaps, once or twice a month?"

"That's still risking everyone's lives unnecessarily."

"Look at how useful it will be," Fred pointed out. "It will give everyone a cause to rally around. Everyone wants to root for a saviour."

"And get their hopes up that Harry is going to kill Vol-You-Know-Who?" ground out Sirius.

"That's already what everyone reckons is going to happen," said Fred, shrugging his shoulder. "We needn't confirm nor deny. Besides, it'll be a splendid way of announcing to everyone out there, that there is a resistance and they're invited to join in too."

Sirius remained quiet, mulling over Fred's words. He reckoned it'd be useful. People were getting news from the like of The Daily Prophet, which blatantly vilified the Order. Sure, there were some sources like The Quibbler who shed some positive light on them, but all they could give people was guesswork. And Sirius did agree with Fred's words, albeit reluctantly: Everyone wanted to root for a saviour. That they considered it to be Harry was out of his hands, no matter how much he hated the idea.

He gave a long-suffering sigh. "This might be one of the stupidest and coolest things I ever agreed to do in a long time."

Fred scoffed. "Come off it! Nothing could be cooler than becoming an Animagus! Or breaking out of Azkaban. Or turning up at the Ministry when you're a wanted..."

"Is there a point you're trying to make?" asked Sirius, raising an eyebrow.

Fred snorted and they both stopped their walk to look around them, making sure the street was deserted. They crossed the road and marched up the driveway of a house, which belonged to one of the muggleborn children from Hogwarts' roster. Fred rang the doorbell and they waited.

"What's the boy's name again?" asked Sirius. He could be forgiven the lapse of memory. He couldn't possibly remember all of the children's names they had been assigned.

The door was opened by a fairly young woman with dark hair, looking politely puzzled.

"Andrew Coven?" asked Fred.

"That's my son," she said, her eyes narrowing. "And you are?"

"Mrs. Coven, my name is Sirius Black," said Sirius, smiling casually to ease the woman's apprehension. "I'm here to talk about your son and his admittance to Hogwarts."