Chapter Text
It took two Order meetings until Minerva found herself face to face with Sirius Black alone at Grimmauld Place.
She was late for the meeting, having been almost followed by one Ministry employer (they had the right idea that she would stand with Dumbledore, but also the wrong idea that they could follow her), and she ought to enter the meeting room immediately, but she stopped at the sight of Sirius Black standing alone in another room, his arms crossed and looking rather thoughtful.
She took out her raincoat and stood still watching his figure.
Minerva had met other versions of Sirius Black in the past. First, that eleven-year-old boy who was too energetic and couldn't spend a day without plotting something with his best friend - then with his group of friends. Then that teenager who was trying desperately to stand aside from his family and made many mistakes in the process. Then an idealist soldier in a war that he was too young to be fighting.
Then he had been a traitor for years. Then an escaped convict.
And now he was a wrongly convicted innocent that seemed haunted by ghosts past.
The youthful Sirius Black that Minerva once knew was gone, replaced by that taciturn man who would only show a gleam when he was in the company of Remus Lupin or when he would speak of Harry Potter. And even then the light was dimmed in comparison to how bright Minerva had seen that boy in the past.
He turned to her and when their eyes met Minerva knew she couldn't delay this moment anymore. There were things she needed to tell him.
But he talked before she could when Minerva entered the dining room - or what resembled one in a very distant past.
'You got old, Professor'.
Minerva lifted her eyebrow.
'You got thinner'.
'Well, they don't keep a balanced diet in Azkaban. And last year it was mostly rats… have you ever had the pleasure?'
'I beg your pardon?’
'Rats', he repeated, winking at her with so much mischief that for a moment she hoped to hear James' laugh echoing in the room. James always laughed at Sirius' jokes. 'They are actually tasty. Have you ever eat one?'
'I most certainly have not'.
'Didn't even chase a little innocent mouse?'
'I know how to control my impulses, Mr. Black'.
'So there are impulses', he said, chuckling. 'I once chased a cat. Lily wasn't happy, but I told her I couldn't help myself'.
Minerva blinked.
'So the rumours were true after all?', she asked, trying not to sound very curious. 'You, Potter and…'
'Yeah, we managed that'. He gave her a lopsided smile. 'How many points would you give us for becoming animagus?'
'You mean awarding minors who took the risk of forever damaging their bodies to turn into unregistered animagi while breaking a few hundred school and wizarding rules?'
'I expected two hundred points at least', Sirius said, unabashed by her comment. 'It was impressive that we did it - and no one ever found out'.
'Turning into animals to hang out with a werewolf. You were out of your minds'.
'We were', Sirius agreed proudly. Minerva fought back a smile; Black and Potter had more talent than sense, and they knew it. They would thrive with the idea of becoming animagus.
'How old were you?'
'We started in Second Year. Accomplished just before the beginning of your Fifth Year'.
'Fifteen', she whispered. 'And it only took you two years?'
'We had a lot of free time', Sirius joked.
Minerva remembered the amount of mischief they caused and the equal amount of detention they got into. It didn't seem they had time - but they certainly had the drive to.
'How did you prepare the potion?'
'Bathroom of our dormitory. James knew a lot of house-elves because of the time he spent in the kitchens and we made them sworn secrecy'.
'And the mandrake?'
'We did it in the summer. A whole month silent. James wrote that his parents thought he was fulfilling a very weird promise. My parents didn't notice'.
Sirius looked around the room and then to the ceiling above with disdain. Minerva remembered talking to a young teenager, so full of anger and confusion; he hated his family so much that he had ran away. He'd promised he would never be like them - and then Minerva had thought Sirius had broken that promise when she saw the news he had betrayed the Potters.
Except they had all been wrong.
'Sirius - I am truly -'
'Don't be, Professor', Sirius said hurriedly. 'I understand why people believed I was the traitor. It was my idea to change the secret keeper without telling anyone after all - it's all my fault'.
He sounded so bitter that her heart broke a little.
'I do not believe it's your fault'.
'James and Lily are dead. If I had kept their secret -'
'You did. There is only one real traitor in this story and it's not you'.
Minerva thought of little Peter Pettigrew, so anxious to be like his friends. For years she thought she had been too hard with him - and now she wasn't sure of anything more.
'Thank you, Professor'.
Minerva hesitated for a few seconds.
'I am not your professor anymore, Sirius'.
'So I get to call you Minnie officially?', he asked, more joyful now.
She fought back a laugh.
'Only if you want to turn into a cactus. But I will allow you to call me Minerva'.
Sirius smiled and for a moment Minerva saw the ghost of the boy he once was.
Remus yawned lazily. The best thing he could say about that meeting was that it was over quickly. Any meeting with the presence of Severus Snape felt heavier; no wonder Sirius had exploded in the first minutes of the meeting and left the room.
Remus knew he should go after him now, calm him down and explain what had been discussed. He hoped Sirius was feeling better, but he doubted it - that house brought too many memories for him.
Before he could go upstairs, he heard noises coming from the room opposite the kitchen.
He walked quietly to not wake up that infernal portrait of Sirius' mother and stopped at the door.
'Well', Sirius was saying, a note of joy in his voice that was rare these days. 'I can show you mine if you show me yours'.
'Mr. Black…'
'What happened with Sirius?'
'Maybe you are pushing your limits, Sirius'.
'It's just for a few seconds. I give you my word I won't even try to sniff… anything'.
'You can't be seri… well, you probably are anyway’.
‘Oh, I’m always serious. Think of it as a sort of welcoming gift after years with nothing more than dementors for company’.
There was a short silence, then a sigh. ‘Very well. I will grant your wish, this one time only'.
Remus heard a soft sound, then another heavy one, and then silence.
Curious, Remus pushed the door quietly. He did not know what he expected, but it wasn't this.
There was a familiar black dog lying lazily on the floor of the dusty room, but what surprised him really was the tabby cat above the dog, calmly pressing each of its front paws in the fur in the dog's back, in and out, almost distractedly, as if massaging the dog. Then the cat sat, the body covering its paws and ressembling a bread loaf, and caught sight of Remus; the cat threw him the most stern look he had even seen on a cat, looking almost as if daring him to say anything. Remus would recognize the glass marks around the cat's eyes anywhere even without that severe expression on its face.
On the ground, the dog winked at him.
Remus blinked in answer and closed the door quietly. No one would believe him if he told and in any case, this seemed like a moment between Sirius and Minerva anyway.
He just hoped James was watching this from wherever he was.