All in the Family

Chapter 188: Shell Cottage

Extra update this week because the last chapter was such a nothing and I can't stop thinking about posting this!

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Sirius waited until everyone was eating before he gestured his knife to Regulus and told them all, "we have a problem by the way."

"Aside from your general lack of table manners?" Remus muttered as he watched him use said knife covered in potatoes to spear a kipper and keep going.

Sirius smirked but otherwise kept speaking at large, "when Reg and I get back, we're going to hide out in the Muggle world rather than that lovely little loaded landscape of doom in Islington." He turned and looked purposefully at Regulus now, just waiting to see what he'd do. "Problem is, when we get back to school and if the Black family will try any shite to pull us out of Hogwarts in retaliation when they finally figure it out."

The chewing and general movement had come to a slow, grinding halt as they all looked at Sirius, who just shrugged and kept eating. He'd delivered the problem and given Regulus his wish, he had nothing else to add, and no better solution himself sadly. His little brother watched him, then everyone while biting his cheek the whole time, but he was smiling.

Remus moved and took his hand with a pained face, it made the others flinch for how much worry he compacted into that one expression. He'd never looked that concerned when speaking of his lycanthropy, just what went on in that house?

James, in his usual single minded stubbornness, only seemed to hear one part as he snapped at once, "what are you on about, you'll just come over to mine-"

"That's the first place they'll look," Sirius reminded with a shrug.

"They can't just make you-" his voice was getting louder a decibel at a time.

"Oh yes they can," there was an ugly look of unguarded vengeance on Padfoot's face now, the unspoken threat was going to curdle the food. He was only watching Prongs, there was something the others were missing just a bit in their silent exchange.

Sirius may have gotten away with leaving before, but he wouldn't let Regulus go back alone now, he'd go back with him, and he wouldn't just cause little distractions in the house and take it. He'd fight back. It was going to somehow still get worse.

James swallowed, flushed with guilt as he looked to Regulus, and then glowered at the table in fuming, silent, defeat. For now.

"Surely, if you two are really afraid for your life, the Ministry can keep them away?" Lily asked, her voice cracking in frustration for her own ignorance, but it seemed the obvious solution they weren't saying. She'd once watched Tobias use magic on a muggle to shoo them away, while Severus had whispered up on the roof with her.

"Takes some time and shite," James spat not at her. "Paperwork and hearings, Sirius would be of age by the time it all got sorted out anyways, and that's just not happening."

"The Black's have friends in the Ministry," Frank slowly agreed. "Whatever happened, it would have to be fast, something they didn't know was happening until the two were long gone."

"A charm in the meantime then, confund them or even make them forget until it is," Lily snapped viciously. "We can delay and put them off even wanting to find the two."

"Besides, that's no long term solution," Peter put in, watching Sirius start, stumble, and close his mouth over his own input in fascination. "Even when they are of age, that won't stop retribution."

"It would have to be a lot more than just our parents," Sirius didn't sound unconvinced of the idea as he slowly twined some pasta around some chicken. "Bellatrix, anyone attached to the Black line and even more would know something was up and would help even if those two lunatics didn't know to ask."