Crimson Rivers

Chapter 20

Sirius has known from a very young age that a good plan is dependent on three factors. Preparation, execution, and each individual variable in aforementioned plan. A good plan has no such thing as unforeseen circumstances, but all variables in a good plan are prepared for unforeseen circumstances anyway, and they execute the plan in spite of them.

This? This is a bad plan.

The preparation is good, no doubt. They set up the fires perfectly. The bridge is well-built. They all have their roles, as well as their rendezvous points.

The execution is even going well. James, Regulus, Vanity, Irene, and Mathias do make it to the cave and do as the plan dictates by absolutely cleaning the death eaters out. Even Peter is sticking to the plan, though in his nerves he has sped up the process a bit, lighting fires too soon and running too hard to get to the next one, which doesn't give the others much time. Sirius can't blame him for that, really. He's undoubtedly afraid out there on his own, wanting to get everything over and done with as soon as possible.

The problem is all the variables. They didn't properly consider them all, even from the beginning. The plan could have been ruined before it ever got started if the group on the way to the cave just so happened to cross paths with the death eaters, and it was pure luck that kept that from happening, at least until Peter lit the first fire to get the death eaters' attention.

The death eaters are a very important variable, and Sirius is worried because no one really gave much thought to them in the unforeseen circumstances that they showed up. They're all counting on the death eaters to be stupid and bloodthirsty enough to follow the fires, and fortunately for them, that does seem to be the case. Somehow, the plan is working, despite the fact that it's not a very good one by his standards.

"Sirius, m'boy," Slughorn says, coming to a stop next to him with a broad smile. "Enjoying the games this year, are we?"

Obviously not, you fucking idiot, Sirius thinks, but he rips his gaze away from watching the screen to smile at Slughorn as diplomatically as possible. Slughorn has hardly left the gamemaker room, so Sirius has barely seen him at the watch parties, but with the dwindling numbers in the arena, he has a bit less work to do. Less lives to fuck with. Less chaos to cause. Besides, the ones in the arena are clearly capable of getting into trouble on their own today.

"They're certainly more intense this year than the one prior," Sirius replies, dipping his head and raising his glass in an unspoken toast to Slughorn, because he's not above buttering him up a bit, if that would help James and Regulus.

Slughorn chuckles and glances at the screen, clearly pleased with the praise and proud of his work. "I have to say, I owe a portion of the good reviews to your tributes, Sirius. The people are quite invested in their blossoming romance. May I ask how you feel about it?"

"Ah," Sirius says softly, raising his glass to take a careful sip and buy himself more time. He has to tread carefully here, as difficult as it is to do with such personal matters. He can't just say that he hates it, purely because it's not everyone else's business; at the very least, James and Regulus deserve their privacy, regardless of Sirius' feelings on the subject. He doesn't really have feelings on the subject, though, quite frankly. He cares more about Regulus and James' survival than their love lives. Still, he can't say that, so... "Well, a best friend only wants their best friend to be happy; a sibling only wants their sibling to be happy. I can't deny that I appreciate that they take such comfort from one another."

"Well said, m'boy," Slughorn muses thoughtfully, watching the screen with mild delight. It takes him a second, but then he looks at Sirius. "You know your brother well, Sirius. I must ask, what holds him back? He's very resistant to James. I've worked out that some of it is just his personality, but he never really breaks past whatever blocks he has up. Sometimes it seems he has feelings for James, yet at other times it seems as if he would kill James just to get away from him. It's very confusing for the viewers, you know."