Chương 34: Cousin and cousin
The announcement of Sirius Black's amnesty was noticed only by those interested in the current government's every move. Most ordinary people had long forgotten the events of five years ago, when posters of the escape of the most dangerous criminal were plastered on every corner— a criminal who, since then, had done nothing to prove he was to be feared. Sirius carried a copy of *The Daily Prophet* that mentioned the amnesty, but he never showed it to anyone. There was no need.
Truth be told, no one really cared about him. The country was recovering from yet another government change and the sensational resurrections of prominent figures, compared to which the fate of the long-forgotten Black paled in significance.
Sirius wandered freely through Diagon Alley, and no one even glanced at him. If anyone remembered his face from youth, almost twenty years had passed since then. When he visited the post office to send an owl to Narcissa Malfoy, no one was interested in who he was or who he was writing to.
Narcissa responded that same evening. Before dinner, while Sirius, with his wand in one hand and a pamphlet titled *Simple Household Spells for Dummies* in the other, continued cleaning Uncle Alphard's old cottage, a black Malfoy owl swooped in and extended a leg with a reply. As Sirius read the note and wrote his response, the owl fixed him with an amber eye, as if choosing where to peck, but resisted the temptation. A well-trained bird.
His cousin agreed to meet him the next day and invited him at one o'clock. Sirius was pleased – such a prompt invitation gave him hope she would be agreeable.
He hadn't seen the Black family tree.
Narcissa was far from the desperate state her renegade cousin had hoped for. On the contrary, for the first time since the Dark Lord had once again met his end at the hands of the Boy Who Lived – they had never harbored illusions about Harry Potter's combat skills – she had hope. Or rather, ever since the resurrected Riddle had taken up residence at the Malfoys' with his werewolves and other homeless thugs, and her deranged sister had started running the household. How Narcissa rejoiced that the Aurors had overreached, giving her the opportunity to hold the current government by the throat! Abroad, they had been waiting for British Ministry missteps, and this was a perfect one…
When the International Confederation of Wizards learned of the blatant violations of civil rights of certain British citizens, the scale of the international scandal surrounding Kingsley Shacklebolt's internal policies would depend solely on Narcissa Malfoy.
She had solid arguments that the Malfoys were not accomplices but victims of Voldemort. Under Veritaserum, she could confirm that her family had been coerced by the Dark Lord and did not support his policies, which had been true in the final years. Her husband hadn't even participated in the final battle, having been left without a wand, which the snake-faced one had taken from him. Some influential Ministry officials supported Narcissa and her petition. And, after all, it was thanks to her that the Boy Who Lived had indeed survived the battle with Voldemort. She was the one who told the Dark Lord that Potter was dead, when she could have insisted on a finishing blow.
Now she had every reason to hope that her husband and son's freedom was just a matter of time.
Sirius Black interested her for other reasons. It was important for her to know whether her cousin was aware of who Arcturus Procyon Travers-Black was to him, and if he did, how he knew. And, of course, it was obvious to her that amnesty doesn't come for free.
When she met her guest at the gate, she couldn't help but notice his well-groomed appearance and radiant face. Her cousin looked like a man anticipating a new life, meaning he wasn't in dire straits or acting under duress. He grinned in greeting and, with exaggerated civility, kissed her extended hand before she led him into the parlor.
As they walked toward the mansion, Narcissa kept him occupied with talk of the weather and the flower borders they passed, while Sirius looked around with pleasure, as if he had just been released into freedom. Written all over him was "now I'm free and all of this is available to me."
In the hallway, they were met with a mess, at which point Sirius stopped smiling and asked his cousin:
"What happened here?"
"Nothing unexpected, just Auror raids. I haven't tidied up since, hoping for compensation."
"Is it going to stay like this?"
"Of course not. An independent commission from the International Confederation of Wizards will be here soon to inspect the house and assess the damage. I'll be issued a document confirming the losses, and I'll file a claim with our Ministry. And with the International Confederation, of course – you know justice is hard to come by here."
"But, Cissy, you can't deny that your husband..."
"No more Cissy!" she interrupted, raising her voice. "Nor Narcy, or anything like that. I'm not a little girl anymore, so it's Narcissa, and nothing else. As for Lucius, I can and will deny everything. Starting with the fact that he never would have gotten involved in this if not for our brainless and ignorant government. Don't even try to prove we're guilty – everyone's at fault here, only we didn't have the strength on our side."
To her surprise, Sirius didn't think of arguing.
"I won't, Narcissa," he easily agreed, accepting all her terms. "How are you doing?"
"How am I?" she repeated in a polite tone. "The house is wrecked, books and artifacts confiscated under the pretext of seizure. What wasn't taken was broken or torn apart, and my husband and son are in Azkaban facing life sentences. Of course, I'm doing wonderfully."
They entered the parlor, and the hostess offered her guest a chair.
"You could resolve your disputes with the Ministry if you made some concessions," Sirius said after they were seated.
Narcissa grew wary, suspecting he had come for the same reason Snape had failed.
"Before discussing... anything of the sort..." she drawled, glancing at him ironically from under lowered lashes, "...I'd like to know on whose behalf you're acting. I hope you won't be surprised to hear my opinion that you, on your own, don't make such decisions?"
"Of course not, Narcissa!" Sirius was almost offended she thought him such an idiot.
"I have an offer from influential people."
"If you're talking about your beloved Dumbledore, I'm aware he doesn't influence anything right now. I've already said everything I had to say to Snape, and I have nothing to add, so let's not waste time on useless talk that would only damage our relationship. I invited you for lunch; it will be better for both of us if we proceed to that. Tippy!"
"Tippy is here, mistress!" squeaked the house-elf, who appeared instantly.
"Wait, Narcissa!" Sirius hurried to stop her. "It's not Dumbledore!"
Narcissa, ready to give the order, turned away from the elf and looked expectantly at her cousin.
"Kingsley Brooster is interested in cooperation..." he hesitated, choosing between "with me" and "with you," and finally said, "...with us."
"Really?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "And what does he want?"
"Have you heard about this strange epidemic?" After her nod, Sirius continued: "Healers are powerless; they believe the disease is tied to dark magic. And dark magic – that's us, the Blacks."
Narcissa's face briefly showed a grimace that seemed to say, "We'll see who among us is truly a Black."
"Yes, the other families have been eradicated," she confirmed. "So, you offered them your services in exchange for amnesty?"
"No, James asked for me; he's currently on the same floor as Brooster in St. Mungo's. After the amnesty, it was Brooster himself who proposed I deal with the disease. But I..." he looked at Narcissa as if seeking sympathy, "...lack the knowledge or access to the necessary resources. That's what I explained to him. Then Kingsley said that if I find someone who can cure the disease, negotiations are possible, even if the healer isn't averse to dark magic."
"Interesting..." Narcissa didn't particularly care about the epidemic, but it could serve as an additional argument in favor of restoring her family's civil rights. "It's a pity the Malfoy library can't compare to the Black family's in this regard, and now much of it has been confiscated or ruined. I can try to do something about this disease, but only if they release my husband and son first. Lucius also knows a lot about dark magic; he could help."
"Are you still bargaining, cousin?" Sirius marveled at her audacity.
"I have too little left to be afraid of losing anything, and I know the current government too well to trust them. They're perfectly capable of stripping us bare and then abandoning us, so they'll need to give me an advance and guarantees first."
"If you take such a stance, you'll only make them angry."
"I don't need to bend to them. I have enough facts and accusations for the International Confederation to put pressure on them, and they know it. I'm not as defenseless as you think, cousin. Tell Brooster my conditions and let him know that I'm always open to direct negotiations. I'd prefer to discuss this matter without intermediaries."
Sirius simply shrugged— "as you wish." He didn't care who negotiated with whom or how, as long as it helped James.
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