Play the Game ✔️

I'll be True to You

Sirius and his groomsmen apparated for the gates of Hogwarts and looked into the grinning eyes of Filch as he allowed the young men entrance to the grounds. Filch closed the gates after the four young men who had caused him so much grief crossed the threshold. "This way, gentlemen," he said.

"No hard feelings eh, Filch," James said.

Filch looked hard into Potter's eyes and rolled his. "I'm merely awaiting the time when your blessed offspring comes of an age and they attend this ancient school..."

"Aww, it's all good, Filchie ol' buddy." Sirius grinned as he threw his arm around the squib's shoulders, inflicting a dirty look from the older man.

The four made their way to the school to be met by Professor Flitwick. "This way, Gentlemen!" The tiny man waddled as he moved quickly through the corridors toward the Gryffindor portal. "You'll be in here."

"Where's Liesel?"

"Why she's in the Hufflepuff's area of course!"

"She's here already?"

"Yes Sirius, she's here already! She's getting ready..."

They entered the common room to be met by Minerva, Dumbledore, Regulus and Orion and Sirius' face lit up and he rushed to his father and took a knee and knelt before the man who was seated in the most comfortable wing chair before the fire, an elf administering a tonic to him. "You're here! I admit that I feared the worst when you didn't attend the breakfast."

"Hmph! I'm not dead yet boy," Orion wheezed. "Is your bride at chez Fluffy?"

Sirius chuckled and nodded. "Yes."

Orion nodded. "I should like to see her on my own prior to the ceremony?"

Sirius looked to Remus and he nodded. "Consider it done," Sirius said. "You might not recognize her though?"

"Oh?"

"She's a blond now."

Orion nodded. "Well, that's how she started, you know. I thought the darkened hair was merely glamour?"

"No."

"Well, after her lovely mother was made unclean," Orion wheeze and Sirius grimaced, he continued. "You don't like that do you?"

"No I don't. One of my best friends is a werewolf Dad. It was for him that I took the charm."

Orion nodded. "Ah. I see. How noble of you."

"I suppose you'll need to take a hike mate," Remus said, eyeing Mister Black sullenly. "I'll go fetch Bobby."

Sirius nodded, wondering where he would go so that he couldn't get a glimpse of his bride prior to the nuptials. Dumbledore approached him and took his arm, disapparated for his office.

About fifteen minutes had passed when Liesel was brought before her soon to be in-law, along with John, who hadn't been in the Gryffindor common room since he was a student. Orion looked up at her and his eyes lit up. "Lauren!" He shook his head. "No, the eyes are wrong. You must be Liesel? Her daughter?"

She smiled. "Yes. I'm so happy to be meeting you finally! I only wish it had been sooner, truly!"

Orion nodded. "As do I, child. As do I." He held out his hand for hers and he brought it to his lips and kissed it. Then he produced a bouquet of sage-colored roses with lavender tips to match his son's attire.

"Thank you Sir, they're beautiful!"

"You're welcome my dear," he replied, his tired eyes twinkling...she realized where Sirius got his flirty look from.

"Sir, are you bothered by the lack of dress robes?"

"A bit," he chuckled, then coughed. "But I know my son...he'll go against the norm, as he tries to usher us into the twentieth century," he managed to spit out. He coughed again, this time, quite a bit more violently.

John moved in quickly and placed his hand on his old friend's shoulders so that he wouldn't fall over onto his daughter. Liesel held on to his hand and he squeezed it so hard that it was all she could manage not to pull it away. When he ceased, she wiped at the blood that had escaped his mouth and nose with her kerchief. "Well, they're on standby, just so you know. He wanted to surprise you with it. So, with all due respect, you have to stick around so that you can see it!"

Orion smiled  as he lowered his head, then nodded. "One other thing?"

"Yes?"

He moved to hand her a beat-up looking silken black cord and while she started hard at it. "Take it, please? Use it along with the Rhodes-Moody cords? Sirius will need it if he is to assume the mantel upon my death."

When she touched it, the cord appeared to mend itself, becoming new-looking again. He smiled at having seen it and he nodded, releasing it finally to her. He turned his head and released her hand. "Oh! I nearly forgot! Here take this...You should go so that you may complete your preparations." She looked at the tiny box that he had placed in her hands.

She nodded and moved in closer, nearly gagging on the scent of death...it was so close to the forefront. She kissed his cheek and thanked him for her gifts and Regulus attended to his father but not before he pulled her back to him. "Please convey to Lauren that she still has my heart," he whispered into ear. Liesel's eyes became large with shock. Orion nodded, then cut his gaze away to his younger son.

John and Remus escorted Liesel from the Gryffindor common room, passing by the Headmaster who was sitting on the steps to his office, his chin in his hand. He turned his head and stood smiling at the bride as she handed the Black-family cord to him. "This is quite old," he mused as he fingered the strands of the twisted silken threads. "You understand the implications of using this, yes?"

Her eyes moved up and down the length of the cord and nodded her head...it was full of dark magic...Since the first time when her fingers touched his lips after the first few seconds he'd seen her, she'd always been aware that Sirius had been born a dark wizard. It was only when she grew to know him that she learned that he had fought his true nature his entire life. She had hoped that when his magic merged with hers, that he might find some relief...that she could assume some of the burden from him.

"Well Headmaster," she began, "one can't have light without the dark, right? It's the path we choose to travel and act on that defines who we are not what path we're born to. Yes?"

Dumbledore smiled brightly and nodded as he lowered his face to hers. "Absolutely!"

John grinned...his daughter was ready and he breathed easier. "I think that all the guests are in the Great Hall by now. What do you need to do to be ready Pet?"

She looked up into her father's eyes. "Just don the House Robes Daddy," she replied. "And get up on that back of the Centaur."

"Just so you know Liesel, Ronan is thrilled to be carrying you to your wedding," Dumbledore said. "Normally, the Centaurs want nothing to do with humans."

"Well, as I understand it, he's the one who lead the charge on Fenrir right?"

Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes glazing over a bit, remembering the carnage.

"Well, lets get the show on the road before Sirius chickens out and wants to elope or something! Oh! Ronan knows that it's Remus who'll be leading me in, right? I don't want any trouble!"

"He knows. They've met and had played a very nice game of exploding snap," Albus said.

"I'll go get your mother and the girls, and let the lads know to get into place. You should already be on the outside of the door so that Sirius doesn't see you." He called for Douglas who materialized instantly. "Walk your Mistress to Ronan, Douglas. You may accompany her to the ceremony."

"Douglas is honored and so happy to be part of Mistress Liesel's wedding procession," the elf said. "And Douglas is thrilled to be walking with Ronan once again!"