Chapter 159: Anger Issues

"So you and my mom were friends?" Harry asked Aurelia, as Bill, Mr. Weasley, Charlie and Leyla started a discussion about goblins; and Fred, George and Ron were hearing a story from Mundungus.

"Yes. We were best friends in school." Aurelia said. "Lily was very upset when I couldn't make it to her wedding. But she understood that I had loads of work at that time."

"Like she believed that." Sirius injected. "Everyone knew you were against James and Lily's marriage, even Lily herself."

Harry looked bewildered.

"Sirius!" Remus looked alarmed.

Aurelia's face twisted, and it looked like she was going to snap at Sirius, but then she spoke very calmly, "I was never that much childish, Black. I'm not that kind of friend, who'll skip her best friends wedding just because she doesn't like the man her friend is marrying. But tell me, Black, were you and your friends likable enough during Hogwarts? No offence Remus."

"Not taken." Remus said smiling.

But Harry seemed to be taken a big offence.

"What do you mean?" he asked Aurelia, looking a bit angry.

"Oh, ask your Godfather, what I mean Harry." Aurelia chuckled. "Haven't you told him anything about your little group, Black?"

"He did. The Marauders. I know." Harry said confidently.

Aurelia this time smiled a little more.

"It's a start Harry, a good start." she said. "But you see, James and Lily's history doesn't end at the Marauders. There's lot to it, isn't it Black?"

Sirius looked away but Remus smiled and nodded, "True."

Ginny, Hermione and Chris looked at each other. They were planning to ask Sirius about Regulus Arcturus Black and there was a chance. 

"Sirius, can I ask you something?" Chris said.

"Yes, Chris?" Sirius replied. 

"Well... the other day we were cleaning the drawing room, and there was a tapestry." Chris said. "So I was just curious, who's Regulus Arcturus Black?"

It was a bad idea. Sirius looked more disdainful than before.

"My brother." He said with a ugly expression. "I guess you didn t find me in the tapestry, did you?"

Hermione and Ginny shook their heads together.

"I used to be." Sirius gave a bitter laugh. "My sweet old mother blasted me off after I ran away from home."

"You ran away from home?" Harry and Chris said together.

"When I was about sixteen," said Sirius. "I'd had enough."

"Where did you go?" asked Harry, staring at him.

"Your dad's place," said Sirius. "Your grandparents were really good about it; they sort of adopted me as a second son. Yeah, I camped out at your dad's during the school holidays, and then when I was seventeen I got a place of my own, my Uncle Alphard had left me a decent bit of gold, after that I looked after myself. I was always welcome at Mr. and Mrs. Potter's for Sunday lunch, though."

"But . . . why did you . . . ?" Hermione asked.

"Leave?" Sirius smiled more bitterly. "Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal . . . my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them . . . that's him, Regulus Arcturus Black."

"But then what happened to him?" Chris said.

"Stupid idiot . . . he joined the Death Eaters." Sirius replied quickly. "But he was murdered by Voldemort. Or on Voldemort's orders, more likely, I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person. From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service or death."

"Maybe there's more to the story." Ginny muttered.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"Oh nothing." Chris replied.

Chris, Hermione and Ginny shared a look and then burried their faces in goblets full of butterbeer.

Sirius's mood was officially worst now. No one spoke to him for rest of the dinner.

"Nearly time for bed, I think," said Mrs. Weasley on a yawn as they finished their rhubarb crumble and custard.

"Not just yet, Molly," said Sirius, pushing away his empty plate and turning to look at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

The atmosphere in the room changed very fast. Where seconds before it had been sleepily relaxed, it was now alert, even tense. A frisson had gone around the table at the mention of Voldemort's name. Lupin, who had been about to take a sip of wine, lowered his goblet slowly, looking wary.

"I did!" said Harry indignantly. "I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so —"

"And they're quite right," said Mrs. Weasley. "You're too young."

She was sitting bolt upright in her chair, her fists clenched upon its arms, every trace of drowsiness gone.

"Here we go again." Ginny whispered to Chris.

Chris sighed.

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" asked Sirius. "Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen —"

"Hang on!" interrupted George loudly.

"How come Harry gets his questions answered?" said Fred angrily.

"We've been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven't told us a single stinking thing!" said George.

"'You're too young, you're not in the Order,'" said Fred, in a high-pitched voice that sounded uncannily like his mother's. "Harry's not even of age!"

"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing. But I even tried, didn't I?" said Sirius calmly. "But That's your parents' decision. Harry, on the other hand —"

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!" said Mrs. Weasley sharply. Her normally kindly face looked dangerous. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Which bit?" Sirius asked politely, but with an air as though readying himself for a fight.

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know," said Mrs. Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words.

Chris and the others looked back and forth between Mrs. Weasley and Sirius. Both were looking extremely angry this time.

"I don't intend to tell him more than he needs to know, Molly," said Sirius. "But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back" (again, there was a collective shudder around the table at the name), "he has more right than most to —"

"He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!" said Mrs. Weasley. "He's only fifteen and —"

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"— and he's dealt with as much as most in the Order," said Sirius angrily, "and more than some —"

"No one's denying what he's done!" said Mrs. Weasley, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. "But he's still —"

"He's not a child!" said Sirius impatiently.

"He's not an adult either!" said Mrs. Weasley, the color rising in her cheeks. "He's not James, Sirius!"

There was a pause. Sirius suddenly stood up.