Sirius Black (the_last_black) wrote in tempus_fugit, @ 2008-11-23 11:46:00 |
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Entry tags: | character: james potter, character: remus lupin, character: sirius black |
Date: 21st November
Time: early evening
Location: 12 Grimmauld Place, London
Characters involved Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and James Potter.
Warnings: some bad language, probably.
Sirius tossed down his cards and looked at the other two. Playing cards with Gryffindors was high stakes - no one ever wanted to fold, and most would plough all of their money into the pot on the flimsiest of bluffs. Sirius knew he could kiss goodbye to his sickles though. The heap of coins in the middle was growing, and he wasn't about to stake his winnings on a highest card of 6. He folded his arms and settled back to watch Remus' expression. In years of playing against James and Remus, he'd never found a tell in either of them. Lying without guile was a definite marauder trait (it was a Slytherin one too, but house traits never were dealt out evenly).
It had been a long time since the three of them had played cards. With James shut away in the house at Godric's Hollow, you might think it would have been a welcome distraction, but Sirius hated the dedication to locked-away-indoor-activities, and he'd gained something of an aversion to gambling too. There was enough risk, enough to play with in the world. You didn't need cards in a war; not when there were friends, colleagues to send out into the war. Not when you could lose everything without a dice.
As they played now Sirius was distracted enough that these thoughts didn't return to him. He was thinking of Regulus. When they were younger they'd learned chess together - Regulus had always been much better at it, and Sirius had always become bored 10 moves in - and spent a few days making comparisons between their family and the pieces. Even as small children they were learning the manouvers, who you outranked, who was expendable. Of course, as it turned out, he was expendable.
The clunk of coins moving caught his ear and Sirius glanced towards James. All families had a politics of sorts, he knew that. But with the Potters life had been simple enough; it had all been arranged in the sentiment that James' dad loved his mum, and they in turn loved James. The Blacks, Sirius thought, were more like solitary animals who had been forced into a pack. There was an order to things, a rank. Sirius didn't have to wonder too hard how things were progressing now. The return of dead relatives wouldn't phase the Blacks; the strongest would win, the most powerful. Bellatrix was likely running Malfoy Manor by now.
He thought of the woman at the ball. His memory was twisted by knowledge that it was Bellatrix, and all he could recall now was dark hair and eyes that were uncomfortable to meet. How had she disguised herself that way? Perhaps it had been a simple glamour, but wouldn't he have seen through it? And she had been there with her husband, who had that been? If Bellatrix was back, that might mean the return of Rodolphus, and any number of Death Eaters. Maybe James was wrong about the return of the dead being linked to him.
"Even Voldemort," Sirius said out loud, refocussing on the game as he realised he had.
"Anyone want a beer?" he asked, covering the moment.