Memento Mori - Sirius Black

Chapter 37

December 25th, 1975.

"Welcome to Wool's Orphanage, where dark wizards are created and magical wars are planned," Morgan announced with a cheerful grin on her face. "I bet I shocked you with this one, Black,"

"Wool's Orphanage..." He trailed with his brows furrowed in thought. Morgan bit the inside of her cheek as she waited for a reaction. Would he get mad? Probably. He always did. "I read about it in one of the files, but I... They all blended together, I can't remember who it belonged to,"

"Tom Riddle," Morgan told him as she looked at the entrance of the building with a blank face. The busy street behind them was filled with cars and people going on and about. "He grew up here,"

"Yes, that's the one," he snapped his fingers with a smile, and when he frowned and looked at her, Morgan internally cringed. "Wait, what? Do you think Riddle is you-know-who? Why? And how do you know about the Orph-" He let out a heavy sigh and chuckled dryly. "You read them,"

"I did. I sneaked into your room, found the loose floorboard, even got caught by James and everything," Morgan didn't tear her gaze away from the door even as she felt Sirius' eyes burning on the side of her face. "Why I know that Riddle is the one is a matter for later. Now put on a charming smile and just play along,"

She didn't give him time to tell her what a piece of shit she was or to drag her out of there. She walked to the door and rang the doorbell. Sirius had insisted on coming, and so she'd needed to give him some kind of context. It's not like he would refrain from asking later. But she'd deal with it then.

"Wait, what's the plan?" He grabbed her arm to stop her from ringing but it was too late.

"Not sure," she shrugged and when the door opened and a young woman appeared, she put on a bright smile and said. "Hello there. My name's... Catherine. Any chance I could talk with the person in charge?"

The short woman was wearing a uniform and her dirty blond hair was tied back in a low bun. She clearly worked here and by the expression on her face, she wasn't happy about having interruptions on Christmas. She was also too young and definitely wasn't even alive when Tom lived here. She needed to talk to someone else.

"Come back tomorrow morning. We're busy now," she said dryly and went to shut the door on their noses but Morgan stopped it from closing by putting a foot in it.

"It won't take long, I swear, Miss..." Morgan trailed.

"Brooke," the woman finished and opened the door back up with a sigh. "What is it that you need to tell her?"

"Oh, uhm..." Morgan started, and making use of her big coat that didn't do much for her figure, she put on a sorrowful expression, "I need a place for... my future baby,"

She felt Sirius tensing beside her and only prayed he would, for her sake, play along like she'd told him to.

"You two look straight out of a castle," the woman looked her and Sirius up and down and shook her head in disgust. What the hell actually? She wasn't wearing anything fancy, for fuck's sake. Neither was Sirius. "I bet you can use all that money to raise a child. Good luck,"

Well, fuck her. Morgan opened her mouth and lifted her hand to use a spell but Sirius stopped her by taking her arm in his. She shot a glare at him, but he had his eyes fixed on the woman.

"Please, Miss," he started, and Morgan almost laughed at the accent he tried to use. Gone was the posh aristocratic voice. "We just want it to be cared for and we... we can't," he even put a hand over her stomach and Morgan had to refrain from batting it away.

"And why is that?" The woman had the audacity to ask.

"I think that is a question I shall ask them, dear," a woman who had to be in her late sixties appeared from behind Ms. Brook with an almost inconceivable smile. Her sharp features and eyes scanned the two of them and with a slight nod of her head, Morgan and Sirius followed the woman through the Orphanage halls.