Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Dead Man Talking

Arthur stepped through the portal into his London manor and immediately burst out laughing.

Sirius Black floated three feet off the ground, wrapped in invisible bonds, looking like the world’s angriest Christmas ornament. His face had turned an impressive shade of purple.

“Please!” Sirius pleaded desperately with Winky, who stood below him with her arms crossed. “My godson is in danger! You have to let me go back!”

“Master sent you here for a reason.” Winky’s voice carried the unmovable certainty of mountains. “Winky not letting you go till he comes back.”

“I DON’T CARE WHAT YOUR MASTER WANTS!” Sirius thrashed against his bonds. “HARRY NEEDS—”

Realizing Winky was immovable as granite, he turned desperate eyes to Dobby. “Dobby, please! Harry needs my help!”

Dobby wrung his hands, caught between loyalties. “Dobby wants to help Harry Potter’s dogfather, but Winky’s Master is very wise. He must have good reasons—”

“I don’t care about reasons!” Sirius’s voice cracked with desperation. “Dobby, as Harry’s guardian, I’m ordering you to free me!”

“Can’t.” Dobby squeaked nervously. “Winky is too strong.”

Just as Sirius drew breath for another tirade, he spotted Arthur laughing in the doorway.

“Who the hell are you?” Sirius’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Why have you kidnapped me?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, still grinning. “I was expecting gratitude, not accusations, Mr. Black. Considering I just saved your life.”

“I’ll thank you once I know my godson is safe,” Sirius shot back, his voice tight with barely controlled panic.

“Harry’s fine.” Arthur settled into his favorite armchair, conjuring a cup of tea with casual precision. “Last I saw, Dumbledore was preparing to take him back to Hogwarts.”

Relief crashed over Sirius’s face like a wave. “Thank Merlin. He’s really safe?”

“Physically, yes.” Arthur conjured tea with a casual gesture. “Emotionally? Well, that’s another matter entirely.”

Dobby’s ears perked up at the mention of Harry’s safety, though he remained frozen by Arthur’s signal to stay.

“What do you mean?” Sirius demanded.

Arthur met his gaze directly. “Everyone who witnessed tonight’s events believes Bellatrix’s curse struck you. They think you fell through the Veil. Very tragic.”

Sirius went very still. “They think I’m dead.”

“Precisely.” Arthur sipped his tea. “Harry watched his godfather die tonight. He’s devastated. I imagine there were tears.”

“No!” Sirius struggled violently against his bonds. “I have to go to him! I have to tell him I’m alive!”

“Do you?” Arthur interrupted. “Do you really think bursting into Hogwarts as a wanted fugitive is the best move here?”

That stopped Sirius cold. “What are you talking about?”

Arthur leaned forward. “Tell me, Mr. Black—what’s more valuable to Harry? A godfather who must hide in shadows, or a ’dead’ godfather who can return from the grave as someone new?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Before I continue, let me introduce myself properly.” Arthur smiled. “Arthur Hayes. A muggleborn wizard.”

Sirius’s eyes widened. “The Slytherin Hogwarts champion in the Triwizard Tournament. Harry mentioned you.” His expression grew thoughtful. “Said you were decent, despite your… reputation.”

“How flattering.” Arthur nodded toward Dobby. “I sympathize with Harry’s situation. When Dobby came to me for help tonight, I decided to intervene. Otherwise, you’d be beyond that Veil right now. Dead without even a body to bury.”

“Dobby came to you?” Sirius turned to the elf. “Without Harry asking?”

“Dobby knew Great Harry Potter would be in danger without Wizard Hayes’s help,” the elf explained, bouncing anxiously. “Dobby had to try!”

“Thank you, Dobby.”

“Thanks not needed! Dobby happy Harry Potter and dogfather are safe!”

“Now,” Arthur continued, drawing their attention back, “let me explain why everyone thinking you’re dead is actually the best thing that could have happened.”

Sirius focused intently, the fight draining from his posture.

“Two scenarios present themselves,” Arthur began, counting on his fingers. “First, the Ministry officially declares Sirius Black dead. You adopt a new identity—perhaps an old friend of James Potter who’s returned from abroad. With everyone believing Black is gone, no one would make the connection. You could live openly with Harry.”

Hope flickered in Sirius’s eyes. “That… could actually work.”

“The second scenario is more optimistic.” Arthur’s smile sharpened. “Your ’death’ fighting Bellatrix Lestrange to protect Harry might finally convince people that you never betrayed the Potters. With Fudge about to be ousted and a new Minister taking charge, political winds are shifting.”

“You think they might posthumously clear my name?”

“It’s possible. Dying heroically has a way of rewriting history.” Arthur shrugged. “Though I wouldn’t bet my life on wizarding politics doing the right thing.”

Sirius snorted bitterly. “Too many people have too much invested in keeping me guilty. Without Pettigrew in custody…”

“Exactly. Which is why option one seems more practical.” Arthur sipped his tea. “Wait until Voldemort falls and the old guard weakens. Then you can decide whether to remain dead or stage a dramatic resurrection.”

Sirius sat back, his expression thoughtful. “You’ve given this considerable thought.”

“Just occurred to me tonight while watching the battle.” Arthur shrugged. “Sometimes the best plans come in the moment.”

“Thank you.” Sirius’s voice carried genuine weight. “Is there anything I can do to repay this?”

“You could give me unrestricted access to the Black library.”

“That’s it? Access to dusty old books?”

“Those ’dusty old books’ contain centuries of magical knowledge. Things a Muggleborn like me could never access otherwise.” Arthur smiled. “So yes, that’s it.”

Sirius barked a laugh. “Done. Now can you tell your terrifying elf to let me down?”

“Winky.”

The bonds vanished. Sirius dropped to the floor with all the grace of a sack of potatoes.

“Ow.”

“So what’s your plan?” Arthur asked as Sirius picked himself up. “Since charging into Hogwarts is unwise.”

“I need to tell Harry I’m alive. He can’t think—” Sirius’s voice cracked. “He can’t think he lost me too.”

“Use Dobby. Arrange a discreet meeting. Just make sure Harry understands the importance of keeping quiet.” Arthur tilted his head. “Don’t you have those two-way mirrors?”

Sirius froze. “How do you know about—”

“I know lots of things.” Arthur’s smile turned mysterious.

“Not getting an answer, am I?” Sirius shook his head. “The waiting will drive me mad. I’ll handle something else first.”

Harry asked “Oh? What did you have in mind?”

Sirius’s expression darkened. “Kreacher. That miserable creature conspired with my cousins to lure Harry to the Ministry.”

“Before you add his head to the Black family collection,” Arthur held up a hand. “ask him about the last task Regulus Black gave him.”

Sirius stopped mid-stride. “What about Regulus?”

“What do you know about your brother’s death?”

Pain flickered across Sirius’s features. “He was Mother’s favorite. Joined the Death Eaters young, then panicked when he realized what he’d gotten into. Voldemort killed him when he tried to leave.”

Arthur shook his head slowly. “Not quite the whole truth. Regulus left because he discovered Voldemort had created Horcruxes.”

Horcruxes?” Sirius went pale as parchment. “Those abominations? That’s how he survived that night?”

“Precisely. Your brother learned of them and decided to act. He and Kreacher actually managed to get their hands on one of the Horcruxes.”

Sirius sank back into his chair. “Regulus tried to destroy a Horcrux? But… but Mother always said he got scared. That he tried to desert and they killed him for it.”

“Your mother was wrong. Ask Kreacher for the truth.” Arthur paused. “The Horcrux is Slytherin’s locket. Ring any bells?”

Sirius went white. “The locket. We found it last summer. Big S on the front. Molly threw it in the rubbish pile, but Kreacher kept stealing it back…”

“That’s the one. You’ll need Harry to open it—Parseltongue required. Then destroy it with basilisk venom.”

“Where am I supposed to get—”

Arthur gestured to Winky. She disappeared with a crack and returned holding a gleaming white fang the length of a sword.

“From the basilisk Harry killed second year,” Arthur explained, handing it over. “You did know about that, right?”

“He fought a BASILISK?”

“Sixty-foot monster. Ancient. Could kill with a look.” Arthur grinned at Sirius’s expression. “He was twelve.”

“Twelve. My godson fought Slytherin’s monster at twelve.” Sirius clutched the fang like a lifeline. “What else don’t I know?”

“Well, the basilisk was being controlled by another Horcrux—Voldemort’s diary. It possessed a student, opened the Chamber of Secrets, started petrifying people…”

“Merlin’s balls.”

“Indeed. You might want to ask Harry about his other adventures. They’re all fairly ridiculous.”

Sirius stared at the fang in his hands. “How many Horcruxes are there?”

“More than three. That’s all I’ll say.” Arthur stood. “Dumbledore’s been hunting them since second year. He’ll have leads.”

“This is…” Sirius ran a hand through his hair. “This is a lot to process in one evening.”

“You are welcome.” Arthur’s voice softened slightly. “At least now you know what you’re fighting.”

Before leaving, Sirius pulled a folded piece of parchment from his pocket. “The Fidelius secret for Grimmauld Place. You’ll need it to access the library.”

Arthur accepted the paper with a nod. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you.” Sirius’s voice carried genuine gratitude. “For everything. For giving me a chance to actually help Harry instead of just… hiding.”

“Don’t waste it,” Arthur replied.

Then Sirius and Dobby vanished with a sharp crack.

Arthur stood alone in his entrance hall, Winky beside him.

“Master Hayes did a good thing,” she said quietly.

“Maybe.” Arthur looked at where Sirius had stood. “Or maybe I made everything bad by changing everything.”

The changes he made today could lead to disastrous consequences. But Arthur felt some changes were necessary.

Harry deserved a father figure who could actually be present in his life. Regulus deserved to have his sacrifice properly understood by Sirius.

The ripples from this change in the timeline would spread, but Arthur was confident they would be positive ones.

Well, mostly confident. Some changes were worth the risk.

At the very least, Arthur thought wryly, with Sirius around, Harry won’t be naming his son Albus Severus. What kind of name was that anyway?

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