Crookshanks | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 123

Sirius was keeping awake that night, because he couldn't fall asleep no matter what he did. Although this wasn't something new. Ever since Jenna had left to Hogwarts, he had trouble sleeping at nights. He would usually stay awake, trying to take the edge away by drinking rum or even some Fire Whiskey, hoping that it would help him forget about his worries.

That night was no different. It was way past midnight and Sirius was sitting in the living room, on an armchair in front of the fireplace. With a glass of Fire Whiskey in his hands, he took occasional sips as he stared into the flames motionlessly. He was unshaven and still in his day clothes.

Although Sirius was suddenly snapped out of his messed up thoughts when he heard somebody yelling out his name from upstairs.

Placing the glass down, Sirius hurried up the stairs, only to see that it was one of his family's portraits. It was Phineas calling him; he had once been a headmaster at Hogwarts, and he had a joint portrait inside Dumbledore's office which he could travel to.

"What is it?" Sirius asked sharply.

"I have a message from Dumbledore," Phineas warily. "Arthur Weasley has been injured. His wife and children are coming here soon, along with Harry Potter and Lexi Hooper, and will be staying here with you."

Sirius had taken aback, frozen on the spot with his eyes widened. But trying to collect his racked up nerves, he nodded, saying, "I'll be delighted to have them over."

Phineas scoffed, shaking his head. "You have an odd taste of houseguests." And with that, he walked off and vanished from the portrait.

Sirius started to pace around the house anxiously, waiting for a knock at the door. But after a few minutes, he heard a loud crack from downstairs in the kitchen.

Knowing that they had probably arrived, Sirius immediately rushed downstairs, while Kreacher started mumbling to himself again.

    "Back again, the blood traitor brats, is it true their father's dying..?"

     "OUT!" Sirius roared, before entering the kitchen, where he saw Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Lexi sitting on the floor, all looking pale after arriving there with a Portkey.

     "What's going on?" Sirius said, stretching out a hand to help Ginny up. "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been injured —"

     "Ask these two," said Fred, looking at Lexi and Harry's direction.

     "Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," said George, the usual glint of playfulness vanished from his eyes.

    Harry started to explain everything shakily, but even after he had finished, Fred, George, and Ginny continued to stare at him for moments.

     "Is Mum here?" said Fred, finally turning to face Sirius.

     "She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," said Sirius. "The important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now."

     "We've got to go to St. Mungo's," said Ginny urgently. "Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything —?"

     "Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" said Sirius.

     " 'Course we can go to St. Mungo's if we want," said Fred, with an angry expression, "he's our dad!"

     "And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?"

     "What does that matter?" said George furiously.

     "It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!" said Sirius angrily. "Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?"

    "Somebody else could have told us..." Ginny tried to reason desperately. "We could have heard it somewhere other than Harry..."

     "Like who?" said Sirius impatiently. "Listen, your dad's been hurt while on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it seconds after it happened, you could seriously damage the Order's —"

    "We don't care about the dumb Order!" shouted Fred.

     "It's our dad dying we're talking about!" yelled George.

     "Your father knew what he was getting into, and he won't thank you for messing things up for the Order!" said Sirius angrily in his turn. "This is how it is — this is why you're not in the Order — you don't understand — there are things worth dying for!" This was exactly what Jenna had once told him years ago.

     "Easy for you to say, stuck here!" bellowed Fred. "I don't see you risking your neck!"

     The little color remaining in Sirius's face drained from it. But before he could say anything, Lexi beat him into it and turned to Fred, shouting,

"Don't you dare have a go at him!"

     "Lexi, it's fine," Sirius tried to say, even though it made him feel slightly better. "Let it go —"

     "Do you think he wants to be here!?" she told Fred angrily. "You don't know what it's like being stuck in this hell hole!"

     "And I suppose you know, do you?" Fred shouted back, and then said in a mock-realization, "Oh, that's right! Of course you do! Just like how you knew that our  dad was going to be attacked tonight!"

     Lexi went pale by those words and gulped, staring at him blankly. "Yes, I knew, but —"

     "See!? You're not even denying it!" he yelled. "You knew this was going to happen! You knew it, yet you didn't even try to stop it!"

     "Fred, I swear I had forgotten about it!" she tried to explain. "I had completely forgotten, but the moment I remembered I ran up to Dumbledore and told him! I tried to stop it but I was too late—!"

     "Stop lying!"

     "I'm not lying!"

     "ENOUGH!" Sirius yelled, silencing them both.

     Fred's face fell, as if finally coming back to his senses and just realizing what he had been saying, though he remained silent.

    But then, Sirius saw Lexi's eyes fill up with tears as she stared back at Fred. He had never seen her look so upset and terrified at the same time. And so, without any other word, Lexi turned around and ran upstairs with tears streaming down her cheeks.