Tenebrous ❆ Sirius Black [2]

Chapter Seventy Eight

As Sirius started to wake up, the first thing he became aware of was that Nadia wasn't curled up in his arms the way she usually was when they slept. As a matter of fact, this didn't feel like their bed at all.

But as he felt a hand lightly holding his own, he could relax just a bit, because while she wasn't right next to him, it let Sirius know Nadia was still here.

A soft hum of an unfamiliar tune reached his ears, making him wonder what was going on. Where was he? He struggled to pry his eyes open for a few short moments, but once he did he took in the dark room he found himself in. He had been in these rooms enough times to know where he was as he looked around.

A room in St Mungo’s. The knowledge made his memories come back to her. The memories of all the curses his cousin tried to use to get him to break, to get him to reveal to her where James and Lily were hiding with Harry. But of course, he would never tell them. No matter what they did.

First he looked to his left, but was surprised to find Nadia leaning on the bed beside him, her eyes closed and shoulders steadily rising and falling as she slept in the uncomfortable position. But if she wasn't the one humming, that meant someone else was in the room. Sirius felt a small surge of panic as his eyes swept over the room, and once he spotted the source of the sound he wasn't sure whether to be relieved or just to panic more.

"What the bloody hell do you two think you're doing here?" He whisper yelled, and as he tried to use his voice he realized how much it hurt. And how dry his throat was. He assumed it to be because of all the screaming, the memory bringing the sound back to his ears as he forced himself to block it out.

"You're awake. Here, drink this, try not to talk too much." The instructions were quickly barked out, the cup of water pushed into his hands while all Sirius wanted was an answer to his question. But he knew he wouldn't get anywhere if he didn't do as she had told him. So after downing the cup, feeling the relief in his throat as the water passed through it, he turned back to the people in the room again.

"I ask again, are you crazy?!" He questioned, rising his voice as loud as he could while maintaining a whisper, his eyes turning towards James and Lily as if they had gone completely mad. Lily's humming had now stopped, Harry once more fast asleep in his mother's arms.

"When we heard, we had to come." James explained quietly, moving closer and pouring Sirius another glass of water. The look in his hazel eyes as he pushed it into his friends made it clear Sirius shouldn't even think about arguing. But he didn't plan on it and instead drank the whole cup once more.

"What did the Healers say?" Sirius questioned, wondering how long he was bound to be stuck in the hospital. And then for how long would Nadia insist he still take it easy. Looking down at her, Sirius could see the exhaustion on her face as well as the fading tear stains in the soft light coming through the window.

"You're going to be fine, Sirius." Lily sent him a relieved smile as she whispered. When they had snuck into the room and read over Sirius' file hanging off of the end of the bed, both Lily and James were worried out of their minds, but having him awake and speaking with them, coherent and alright, assured them that Simmons' initial worries were just that. Worries that did not come to pass.

"Padfoot, we have to talk." James announced and Sirius knew what his friend wanted to talk about before James gave any indication to the topic.

"You want me to stop being your Secret Keeper." He didn't even say it as a question. It was the deal, if it ever became too dangerous, they would switch. And well… As much as he wanted to minimise it, not even Sirius could deny this scene didn't really spell out safe.

"The point of a Secret Keeper himself is to be secret himself, Padfoot. Everyone knows it's you. We can't keep putting you in this much danger." James tried to reason, hoping Sirius wouldn't put up too much of a fight.

"Damn danger. I would never tell anyone, you know that? Right?" Sirius questioned, fear coming over him that perhaps they had lost faith in him.

"Of course we know Sirius. But this was just their first attempt, who knows what else they could try. They know what you care about, they can use it against you. It's what they do." Lily pointed out, her eyes momentarily glancing towards Nadia's sleeping form. Sirius knew the meaning behind it, and truly he didn't know what he'd do if You-Know-Who tried to hurt Nadia to get him to reveal the Potter's location. It was a choice he could never make.

"The deal is I'm next choice." A sleepy mumble coming from beside the bed made all three turn to Nadia, slightly surprised that she was listening.

"You're awake." Sirius voiced his surprise as her blue eyes turned to look at him, a small smile coming over her face.

"So are you." The relief in her voice was palpable as she stood from her chair, ignoring the pain of her stiff back as she leaned down and placed a soft kiss to his lips. "How are you feeling?" She asked gently.

"I'm fine, love. Everything's okay." He reassured her gently, his hand reaching up to brush away a strand of hair which had fallen in her face as he added. "I told you, I'm not leaving you anytime soon."

"You better not." She whispered back before sitting down once again, this time on the edge of the bed looking back at James and Lily as she asked her next question. "So what do I have to do?" But it was Sirius who replied.

"Nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" She asked him with furrowed brows. Now she didn't know much about the procedure of becoming Secret Keeper, but she was almost certain she needed to do something.

"I mean you're not doing it." Sirius stated firmly. After what happened tonight no way was he letting her take such a risk. But that wasn't the only reason, so he continued before she got a chance to argue. Which he could see she was about to do. "You, just like me, are the obvious choice. Anyone who went to Hogwarts with us knows we are the people James and Lily trust the most. It needs to be someone they won't think of, someone they underestimate."

Sirius explanation did make sense. If they chose a Secret Keeper who nobody suspected, the chance of Lily and James' location being disclosed was so much smaller. If it were someone the enemy would overlook they wouldn't focus on that person, they would make them share the secret.

"Who'd you have in mind?" James asked, slight scepticism evident in his voice. He wasn't willing to trust just anyone with this. It were the lives of his son and wife.

"There is one of us they always overlook, they see as a weak link. Even tonight, they barely bothered with him. Peter. They underestimate him so much that it would never cross their mind that he was the Secret Keeper. And we know we can trust him." Sirius explained, thoughtful expressions coming over James, Lily and Nadia's faces as they pondered the idea.

"Peter is a Marauder, he's our family, he'd never betray us." Lily voiced her agreement with the idea. She could see Sirius' reasoning and couldn't deny it was a smart move.

"And we don't tell people we've switched, only the five of us know. That way we shield Peter from any suspicion." Sirius suggested, knowing it was dangerous, and the danger would continue to follow him. But he was willing to endure it.

"Sirius…" Nadia's hesitant voice made it clear she was aware of the same thing.

"I'll slow down the fighting love, I promise. I'll stay safe." Sirius was quick to assure her and while the worry was still etched in her features, she gave a small nod of her head. Willing to accept it if he kept the promise.

"So we make Peter Secret Keeper." James stated in a tone of finality. The man knew there were only four people he'd trust with that role. The Marauders, his family. If there was one thing James was certain of, despite all the suspicions that circled among the Order and among their own group, it was that none of the Marauders would ever betray him.

And so the decision was made. By the next day, Peter Pettigrew would become the Potters' Secret Keeper.

Published: 19th May, 2020

Well... Fuk