[Orion Black knows the Aurors, even if Sirius doesn't. That's how he got in here, by knowing people and having enough gold at his disposal to take care of everything. All those Order of Merlins, in the glass cases at Grimmauld Place--they were all earned just like that, by gold and power and knowledge.
Sirius sees the look on Edgeworth's face, even if his father does not. Murder. Silently, he tries to tell Edgeworth: don't be so careless again, because if Orion sees, then he'll press, he spots weakness better than any hunting hound, and he knows how to use it. And all the while he's thinking: why warn Edgeworth. What does it batter. Black business, that's Sirius' as well, and he turns to his father, finally.]
I'll answer your questions, Father. I saw all of it. And I've already gotten Edgeworth's word that he's not going to claim responsibility for what happened. The Ministry can have their victory.
[That's not exactly what they said, and it was never really agreed upon. But it doesn't matter. It's something, anyways.]
[Edgeworth starts to protest that, but then closes his mouth on it. Again, he'd known what he was going to say to the Ministry, to the Aurors alone, but the appearance of Orion Black has complicated things. He'd wanted to tell the truth; that had been what he'd decided; but if he tells the truth in full, there's no question that he'll get Sirius disowned. It's not his right.
Besides, what's the worst thing that might happen? That Orion Black ends up misinformed? No; any man who could transform Sirius' infuriatingly drawling accent into something so proper, so grammar-school, deserves to be kept in the dark.
And when Sirius speaks, all of Orion's attention focuses on him again. There's nothing of approval in his face. There's nothing of affection. Just cold regard.
[He ignores Edgeworth completely. He doesn't so much as spare him a glance, though he can feel him there--though he wants, absurdly, to look at him. But he doesn't Instead,he lifts his chin a little, his focus all n his father.]
He followed me to the party. I knew he was there when I was about halfway--I thought I could catch him in a trap, but I lost him in the crowd when I arrived. Voldemort was there, with Bellatrix, and her husband, and a few others--we spoke, and Edgeworth revealed himself then. He was going to duel Voldemort.
[His mouth tightens a little. He's not forgotten the ridiculousness of that suggestion, the mocking laughter.]
It was shameful. To Voldemort. [A bold statement, but honour is prized very highly.] It doesn't matter if he's muggle-born, dueling him was beneath Voldemort. He'd have brought shame on his name, except it's an invented name.
[It's a plausible version of the story. It's a version that saves face for Sirius. It's a version that keeps Sirius from humiliation, from being disowned.
It's also a version that twists in Edgeworth like a knife. Sirius doesn't think any of what he's saying. Miles knows that, and he knows that Sirius has a perfectly good reason for telling this lie. Yet at the same time, it hurts to hear it, hurts to hear him speaking so clipped and proper about muggle-borns (not mudblood, though; that's something). He wishes he would stop.
But Orion's expression is turning less cold - not by much, just a bit. He asks: And he won against him? A mudblood? I don't think that's likely.]
[This is where it could get bloody dangerous, because--he can't sympathise. He can't look over at Edgeworth and he can't sound as if he's even thought with any sympathy. Because he's never forgotten that meeting at Hogwarts, first year--his father still in his traveling cloak, he'd not even taken off his gloves, and Sirius had never felt so scrutinised, so examined, for something he had done wrong. One misstep, and that's where you are, like something being dissected.
He lifts his chin a little.]
He was set to lose. It was pathetic. [That goes both ways, pathetic on Voldemort's part and Edgeworth's as well--] And then he brought the ceiling down.
[Let it stand alone. He looks back at his father, evenly, and doesn't offer any feeling on that statement. Let it stand alone, and if his father reads it as cheating then he will say so, cast his judgement--if he thinks it at all clever, he'll call it a mudblood trick anyways.]
[It was pathetic. It was, wasn't it? He'd only won through trickery; in the actual fight, the dual, he'd been as overwhelmed as a fly in a hurricane. He hadn't even been able to stay on his feet, let alone fight back; it was only because of Sirius' help that he had won. Only because of his help that he had survived.
He closes his eyes. If there is anything good to come of this whole affair - beyond Voldemort no longer leading his armies to slaughter innocents; he has to keep that in mind, has to remind himself of that, lest the charge of murder overwhelm him and cripple his conscience - it is that the two of them worked together. It ought to be a powerful symbol: the Muggle-born and the scion of the house Black, the mudblood and the pureblood, working together to put a stop to this tyranny. With the two of them together, it would be impossible to forge the easy narrative - of the pureblood turning on his leader out of jealousy and ambition, of the spiteful member of the underclass turning into a cowardly assassin. With them united, it's something less grotesque.
(Or maybe he just doesn't want to hear all of that from someone he's come to respect.)
Mudblood trickery, then, is Orion's assessment; he turns a contemptuous eye on Miles a moment later, lip curling. He looks so very much like his son, but with familiar features twisted in a way they ought not be, that it makes Edgeworth angry. Edgeworth looks down at his feet, jaw clenched, posture stiff.
[It seems, for a moment, that they will be in the clear with this, that everything will work out, safely, with all parties preserved, more or less. But it could never be that easy, and so when Orion turns back to look at him, Sirius jerks his chin up again. He was quick enough to tear his gaze away from Edgeworth, at least, so that goes unnoticed--and quick enough to marshal his expression, to stop himself from looking at all sympathetic. He knows Edgeworth's look well enough. He's done well, holding his own, but Orion Black isn't a force met lightly.
And he's reminded of that, now, under his father's scrutiny--not that he'd ever really forgotten. Sirius looks back at him, as steadily as he can.]
A Shield Charm. [The truth, finally.] I tried to intervene but wasn't able.
[And his father will not ask who it was that saved the muggles--because it was the muggle-born, that's obvious. It would never have been Sirius. He does not look over at Edgeworth but stares forward, resolute.]
[Orion's face is unreadable, impassive. Edgeworth doesn't know whether he's believing it. It seems...perhaps, perhaps he is; and that's good for Sirius.
Perhaps. Edgeworth cannot shake the feeling that it's worse for him. That it would be better if his father did cut all ties - but that's not his place to think, never his place.
Sirius' father is quiet a moment as he studies him. A moment, and then he asks: And how is it that the mudblood was able to follow you?
That's...a bad question, indicates a bad train of thought; Edgeworth steps in with an answer.]
I took the letter of invitation from amongst his things. [Not a lie.] And I read it through.
[Which is a bit too quick. It sounds just a little bit like a defense.]
[Even with his father's attention off of him, Sirius's stomach still feels cold. Orion looks back at Edgeworth, slowly, the same way you'd look at a very stupid child, with an expression that's nearly a patient smile.
Of course. It's low, and unimpressed, but with a touch of amusement. And that was easy, I suppose, to do. Because my son is careless, and lax with his possessions... --and here Sirius nearly flinches, at the cold disapproval that creeps into his father's tone--or maybe he only imagines it, because Orion finishes, silkily, Or because of your own particular brand of cunning? Tell me, how was it that you had access to his things? Is inspection of a Slytherin dormitory in a Gryffindor prefect's list of duties?]
[That's stupid. That's a phenomenally stupid thing to say, he knows - God, it could not be more stupid. But it's an involuntary response, a quick and angry response - but he just cannot stand the way Sirius looks in that moment, the way he seems to have been dealt a blow, and it's that even more than the man's tone that makes Edgeworth speak up in his defense.
And - God, stupid. The last thing he needs is to reveal their alliance. The last thing he needs is to reveal his weakness - his strange affection for Sirius Black. It can only hurt them both, and yet it comes unbidden from his mouth.
He can't stop to brood over it. He has to move on, has to - distract him, somehow, from that idiotic thing - And so he talks, quickly, recklessly - (and how did Orion know he was a prefect - how much does the man know about him; he'd assumed he was a non-entity, that he'd only known his name because he'd been told it by the Aurors - ) ]
He had it on him. I stole it from him. And I will admit that freely, and am prepared to face the consequences for it.
[There's two somethings that twist in Sirius' chest--the first is a seizing of something very like fear, but not for himself--for Edgeworth, stupid enough to speak up. Doesn't he know who this is, and it isn't empty boasting to say that Orion Black is powerful, has powerful friends, can do quite a lot with his resources--and maybe some of that can be chalked up to Sirius' position, subordinate to his father, but even so, talking to him like that is idiotic. And why should Edgeworth care? And speaking up, that's going to be noticed--is noticed, obviously, from the way that Orion's eyebrows raise he is not too impressed, and does he know, does he suspect--
But the second thing that twists in Sirius is something so absurdly close to gratefulness that he has to ignore it. Because acknowledging it would mean confronting it, and he can't afford-- that. Any part of that. His jaw sets, resolutely; his eyes narrow--
But Orion Black is still looking at Edgeworth, coolly, still with those raised eyebrows, patient to the last. There is no crime in stealing a bit of parchment, he says, eventually, with a note of something so close to amusement. Or are you asking for a consequence? Or a reward.
A bribe, more than a reward. But he doesn't say that. He only smiles, at Edgeworth, slowly.]
[Orion's smile is met with a deep scowl, deepening as the man's smile broadens. Which is likewise stupid. Sirius had talked earlier, hadn't he, about how the Ministry would be a threat unless Miles simply accepted a reward. Edgeworth still isn't buying that, not completely, but there's no question who taught Sirius that principle. If he responded to Orion, yes, I'll take a reward, then the man will think he's done with, and no more trouble will come to him. If he thinks Edgeworth is a loose end - ]
I didn't do what I did from fear of consequence or desire of reward. All I care for is that justice is served, and if I see consequences for that, then so be it.
[And he adds, trying to cover up for his earlier defense of Sirius - ]
And it must be noted that you speaking like that to your son is a form of injustice in and of itself. I might not see eye-to-eye with him on many matters, but there is no question that he is an individual of singular courage and considerable magical skill.
[The compliment is dry and would be innocuous enough. And Sirius hates the way that it adds to that feeling of-- what, exactly, is it, it goes beyond gratefulness into a sort of warmth that he tries to tamp down, but can't quite manage. Like he and Edgeworth could ever really be friends, like those words--singular courage and considerable magical skill--could mean anything, really, to him. Coming from a mudblood. Coming from someone who just demonstrated courage beyond what Sirius was accustomed to--selfless, foolhardy and selfless--
Orion's smile chills, more. Is that possible? It was chilly before, but now there is nothing in it that reaches his eyes. It is a smile that is dark, and a little dead, and Sirius looks away from his father, quickly, and he still holds his tongue, feeling like a child, feeling stupid and small and useless and weak, like nothing that Edgeworth said.
Justice, Orion comments, coolly. A cold reward. No, but you require no reward. A cheap man is not always a safe man, Miles Edgeworth. But I will not waste my breath on you.
And he turns away, dismissive of the room, even if he isn't done quite yet:
My son is of no concern to you. Icy politeness, even now. Orion Black could poison you and smile in your face. His involvement with you ends here.
And Sirius knows better than to protest. He knows better than to shrink back, the way he might have when he was a child, climbing the stairs to his room, as if that would solve anything, as if he could hide.]
[All the threats Miles has heard this evening, up to this one, have just filled him with an angry sort of defiance. When he saw the harm coming to those muggles, he stood forth and tried to protect them. When he knew his own life was in danger, he simply fought harder. This last threat, this most minor threat, though - his reaction to this is different. His involvement with you ends twists in him, icy and horrifying, because -
He and Sirius might not be friends now. They might never be. But that doesn't mean that Edgeworth doesn't need him. Sirius went through that with him. He saw all that as well. And the thought of bearing that alone, without Sirius beside him - without Sirius to talk it over with, with Sirius standing stiff-backed and proper and pretending like his father wanted that it never happened -
How utterly devastating is that thought. How terrible the notion that he might not see Sirius again. He might not be his friend, but he's something deeper by far. He's the boy who saved his life. He's the boy who saved those muggles. He's the boy Miles knows better than any other.
And so there's something miserable and terrified bubbling up in Edgeworth's chest when he asks:]
What, is he to be pulled out of Hogwarts, then? Because I'll have to be involved with him as a Prefect if he's still in school.
[It's better if Edgeworth is focused on his father, and vice-versa, because the look that Sirius gives him is far too open. Only for a moment, easily missed--but in that moment, there's hope and confusion and anger and irritation, that he won't let this drop, that he won't just let this end, because it has to end. Either on Orion Black's terms or some other, because Sirius has dared enough, to help; he's stepped outside of the circle of his family name and he does not want to be there. He can't be there. He's tied to his father, to his family, and he's done enough to betray them, even if it might have been for their own good. No more.
Stop. The word is there. He bites it back.
Orion's face is a cool mask. Not a hair out of place, not an extra blink of his eye. He glances back at Edgeworth, a glance that he clearly intends to be his last.
You will not be. The words are slow and measured and cannot be misinterpreted. This is a threat, but it is so much more, too. You will keep yourself removed, prefect or no. And I will see to it that it happens this way. It is in your best interest. I will not risk corruption, and I do not greet the threat of it lightly. Whatever your interest in my son-- and that word is so loaded Sirius feels the instinct to flinch, again, as if Orion could know, somehow, that he helped Edgeworth, that he has more of a stake in this than he can say-- I suggest you forget it. And we will forget you. You do not want to be remembered by me, Miles Edgeworth.
And Orion looks to Sirius, then, expectantly. But what he expects, Sirius can't say, doesn't know--is he meant to agree with his father, to join him, to sneer at Edgeworth, say something cutting--he feels clumsy and stupid, suddenly, like a child, and he looks at Edgeworth with an expression he knows ought to be sharper. At best he can manage dispassionate.]
[I think the Sorting Hat made a mistake, Edgeworth had been saying just some few minutes before, but in this moment there's no doubt just how Gryffindor he is. His arms are crossed, his mouth twisted into a scowl, his stance aggressive; his chin is lifted, and his voice is strident. His eyes are fixed right on Orion's face, ready to meet his gaze with a glare if the man turns to look at him.
It's more fear than anger. Because Edgeworth knows how much damage Orion can do - not to him, because there's really never been much for Edgeworth to lose, even now, but to Sirius. But he'd caught just a flash of that expression on Sirius' face, and he's not -
He's not going to let that go. He's not going to let go of that strange, grateful look. He's not going to let Sirius just be taken away from him.]
Because a prefect does what the Headmaster directs him to, not what you do. And the Head of his House. Are you the head of Gryffindor, Lord Black? Because if not, then I don't think you have any say in whom I do or do not associate with.
And it's remarkable that you think to speak of corruption -
[He goes on recklessly, heedlessly, before the man can interrupt.]
Given that there's rather more of it coming from you than from me. Unless you're going to claim that you legitimately have a right to interrogate suspects before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?
[And at that, he directs his glare at the Aurors. One looks a bit shamefaced; the other, older, doesn't even react.]
[But to Orion Black, the Aurors are not there. Perhaps they never were. Sirius knows how this works; once you've gotten what you need from someone, they might as well cease to exist. His father is staring at Edgeworth, never losing that cool--but he can be nasty without blinking, socially sadistic in a way that seems deft and easy and almost careless.
Stop, Sirius thinks, again, quite directly, because he can't say it aloud, because he looks away from Edgeworth lest his expression betray him again.
Are you leveling an accusation, Orion asks, after a moment, after letting silence fall in this little room, or are you speaking only with a Gryffindor's usual-- careless short temper.
His tone suggests: an accusation would be unwise. But Edgeworth doesn't care right now, does he. He hardly seems to care about anything. It can't be for Sirius' sake alone, of course; he's driven by far more than that.
I hold a seat on the Board of Governors for Hogwarts School, Orion Black goes on to say, smoothly, a seat that has been held by a member of my family for longer than you can know. I have no right to direct you. But I can suggest. Because I can suggest just as easily to others, and we can discuss corruption then. How funny, that you would use it against me, because it works against your favor. But you did not hesitate to use underhanded tactics to achieve your end, by your own admission. Perhaps you are not so better than us.
Rather less. Orion's lip finally curls, a little, as if the mere suggestion of similarity is enough to turn his stomach.
Goodbye, Miles Edgeworth. I will not be speaking to you again.
[All the better, so far as Miles is concerned; it means that he can spit venom at the man's turned back. And he does, raising himself high, stiffening his spine until his hauteur nearly matches Orion's own. And he says:]
You can suggest. A charming turn of phrase, and one I might actually have given some credence, had I heard it yesterday.
[He doesn't take a step forward. He wants to badly, but he doesn't grab for the man's arm. He has very little doubt, given Sirius' own quickness to cast a curse, that his father is any slower with his wand; given Sirius' skill, it's also likely that Orion's would be strong enough to knock Edgeworth from his feet. And those Aurors wouldn't speak, and God knows Sirius wouldn't. So he gives no pretext; he simply stands, stiff and proud, and declares:]
But yesterday, I was simply a mudblood. Today I'm the mudblood who killed Lord Voldemort. I suspect that it will be a little more difficult to simply suggest things regarding me.
[It is his Gryffindor's careless short temper, yes. And it's his Gryffindor's righteous anger over ill treatment. And it's his own knowledge of Sirius, and what Sirius ought to have, what he deserves; they drive him to foolish action indeed.
Because Orion's contempt for him has fueled resolve to do what he shrank away from before: he's decided to take credit after all. Let him suffer an Order of Merlin or whatever else they might throw at him; it's worth it, to stand up and show Sirius that his father can't bully everyone.]
[Orion Black does not say anything more, or even acknowledge that Edgeworth has said anything--but he hears it, and he does not like what he hears. He hardly needs to say anything for Sirius to know that. He can read his father very well; he knows what the sharp line of his shoulders means, the stiff arms at his sides. These are his own tells as well. And just because his father has better grace than to scowl, to arrange his features mulishly, in seething stares and clenched jaw--doesn't mean that there's not some hint of it, even if he's not looking around.
And Sirius ought to fall in step behind him, follow him out. He's in enough shit as it is, isn't he. Stupid to risk any more, to even open his mouth.
But there is something in Edgeworth's speech--foolhardy, stupid, it is both of those things, and it is also courageous, in its way. Because Orion Black could destroy him in a great many ways, small and large--he's so much more than Edgeworth. And yet Edgeworth is still spitting in his face, with this, and perhaps that means-- well, something. Something besides stupidity.
It's why Sirius lingers, a moment, even if he's going to catch hell for this. His eyes flick over Edgeworth's face, quickly.]
[By nature, Edgeworth is deeply contrarian. Before Mr Black had come in here and started throwing his weight around, Edgeworth's manner towards Sirius Black was still rather guarded and standoffish; now, the rewards of honesty far outweigh the drawbacks, because even though it means a loss of dignity it also means a bit more defiance towards Orion.
So when Sirius speaks to him, his manner gentles and loses its stridency. There is no outward expression of affection, naturally, but his respect for Sirius and his question is both clear and pointed. The point of it is to send a message to that stiff back: Look; your son deserves and gets far more respect than you do.]
I've no love for lies. You know that. Better this idiocy than deceiving the whole of the wizarding world.
[Orion ignores all of that. He speaks a single word of warning: Sirius.]
[He should get some guarantee out of Edgeworth, level some threat, to ensure that he will be left out of it. If he's going to tell the truth and get their rewards--all for the sake of getting one over Orion Black (and that's such a strange thought that Sirius can't even process it right now, can't make sense of the weird pitch in his stomach--something so like respect, for Edgeworth, for daring this at all)--but Sirius must be left out because of his family, and his name, and his ties to everything that Edgeworth has just destroyed.
He should say something more. But he doesn't. And there's some part of him that hates how he turns to follow his father, at the sound of his name, like a dog being told to heel. He glances back at Edgeworth, once more, a lingering look that he risks even though his father could turn to him at any moment and catch him. For one mad second, Sirius wishes he would. He wishes he could stay, right now, and not go back to Grimmauld Place. He doesn't know where he would go instead. He doesn't know where this urge comes from, or what it means; it's briefly overpowering and then it fades, or else he makes it to fade.]
Fine. It's-- your life.
[Mudblood, something, he should tack on some viciousness. But he doesn't. Instead, he nods at Edgeworth, once, curtly. That's all he can manage. The world is going to be chaotic and he is going to catch some sort of hell for his involvement in this, and he will lie and maybe get out of it, most of it, and even if his father suspects something more he will not say. And the thing that ties him to Edgeworth--his reluctant bond with him--it's changed, and he can't work out why. Or more, he doesn't want to work out why.]
[And Orion's back is turned, so Edgeworth is willing to dare something a bit more before Sirius follows his father out. He nods in return, a perfect mirror of Sirius' short gesture - but then he offers a slight smile. It's there and then gone at once, a ghostly thing, but the message of it is clear - or at least he hopes it is clear. Nothing has changed between us. No matter your allegiance, we are still together in this. And - if they are not friends, then they are something friendlier, better, than two simply forced together by circumstance. They are, in some way, bound.
Edgeworth had predicted Azkaban for what he'd done that night. Sirius had predicted the Order of Merlin. Sirius was closer to being right than Edgeworth was; after the Blacks disappear from the Ministry, the first rounds of questioning begin and get progressively friendlier. There are hints that perhaps an Auror assisted, but they're let to drop when Edgeworth doesn't respond to them - and there's not even any hostility as soon as Edgeworth makes it clear that he'll cooperate fully with the Ministry. Someone evidently digs up some records about Edgeworth halfway through the night, and there are a few quick questions about his dad which he answers stiffly; when the officials get their answers, they look downright pleased, and fetch him a cup of tea and arrange for a room for him to sleep in as long as possible.
Edgeworth puzzles over that a while; he realizes as he's drifting off to sleep that of course they'd like it. It's a very politically pleasing story.
He sleeps only a few hours, and restlessly. He dreams of Voldemort. But in the morning, it's confirmed to him that the man seems truly to be dead; nothing of his remains were found save a dark rough ash where he would have been, but across the world his followers are turning themselves in or fleeing.
Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy survived the collapse. Edgeworth takes comfort in that. The others did not, and that weighs heavily on him.
He's two days in questioning and debriefing before they let him go. They want to keep him in custody, but it seems that Dumbledore intervenes on his behalf - points out that it'll be a Tuesday, he's already missed a day of school; one of the Aurors relates that to Miles with an incredulous laugh. Dumbledore meets with him as soon as he's back at Hogwarts; he doesn't comment on the incident, but simply tells him that he can take a few days to recuperate before starting classes again.
How surreal it is, to have killed Voldemort and then found himself back at school. The Gryffindor common room will of course be full of people; his first destination, when he wanders out of the Headmaster's office, is an obvious one. He goes to the library.]
[It nearly ends with Sirius out of school. But it doesn't. He's sent back, after the weekend. They don't ship him on the train, but send him back to Hogsmeade with his father.
After the Ministry, he had gone back to Grimmauld Place, with his father, and they'd gotten the good news of Bellatrix and Malfoy. His mother had been crying. That in of itself was a rare event. The tears were hardly over worry for Sirius. She cried when she got the good news, too, in the parlor with the family tree on the walls. That was where they gathered, as if there was some strength to get from the branches. Sirius felt only a weight, sitting in there. Like everyone was watching.
Before the news of Bellatrix, they were all asking him questions. And his father had been watching him, was watching him all weekend long, as if he knew. Maybe he did know. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility. On Sunday they all went to St Mungo's to see Bellatrix. Sirius stayed outside of the room. No one asked why. And then, afterwards, his father took him by the arm and they Apparated to Hogsmeade-- and then they ride up to Hogwarts in a carriage together. Sirius supposes that this is a show of power and opulence. Even without Voldemort, the Black family remains important, a cornerstone of pureblood society.
It all feels so hollow, though.
On Monday, he does not go to any of his classes. On Tuesday, he skips them as well. He does not sleep in the dormitory. He finds a tower and sleeps there, and Filch doesn't come across him, so he sleeps there again on Monday night. Regulus is looking for him, but he avoids everyone.
On Tuesday afternoon, there's a class in the next tower over, so Sirius beats a retreat, lest he be discovered. He slinks through the empty corridors. Behind the doors, classes go on--he can hear the murmur of voices, lessons being taught, lectures and practicals--but all of it feels removed from him, as if he's a ghost, haunting the halls.
Somehow, he ends up in the library. It isn't deliberate, but it's as good a place to hide out as any, and as he's ducking between the stacks, he sees him. Miles Edgeworth. Something in his chest twists, suddenly, as violent a movement as if there were something in his chest, and he stops, and stares, and does not approach him. Not yet. Maybe he won't at all.]
[Miles knows that eventually, he's going to be getting attention for this. He despises attention. It's not out of any particular shyness, nothing so idiotic as that; he just doesn't like having people scrutinize him, bother him with a great lot of nonsense. And they'll be calling him a hero, he supposes - the Gryffindors, at least - and the Slytherins will hate him all the more, and that's nonsense of the highest order, the lot of it; and he knows that the Ministry will call him back soon, as well, and that there'll be more talk of what he's done.
He wishes so much that Sirius were still on his side. He wishes so much that the other boy could take the blame, or the praise, and that Miles himself could just quietly go on in the background and maybe leverage all this to become an Auror after all. He'd like to, still, especially with his knowledge that there are still so many Dark wizards out there; Voldemort wasn't the first, won't be the last -
He happens to look up and catch a glimpse of someone, concealed by the books, watching him. He thinks to himself that he ought to put a stop to this from the very start - head it off at the pass, as it were - and so he stands at once, and says, every bit the Prefect once more (if he even is one, he didn't ask Dumbledore whether he even has the right to that title any longer) - ]
You should be at lessons; it's midday, and -
[But by then he's moved forward enough to get a good glimpse of just who it is. He stops.]
[Fucking hell. He'd had just a few seconds there where he could have slipped away, unnoticed--but he'd lingered too long, because he's an idiot, and maybe because he's sentimental, or at least still thinking too slowly. And now Edgeworth's seen him, and he can't just walk away now, can he?
No, he could. And he nearly does. He doesn't owe him anything, right? They're not anything to one another. Except that's a lie.
And what's he going to do, anyways? Run away from him? He's not some bloody coward, and Edgeworth isn't some threat. He's not anything.
So Sirius stays where he is, his chin raised a little, stubbornly.]
They let you come back.
[The same could be said of him, of course. But he levels the observation at Edgeworth before Edgeworth can say it to him.]
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carisma_sensei
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Date: 2013-11-13 07:49 pm (UTC)Sirius sees the look on Edgeworth's face, even if his father does not. Murder. Silently, he tries to tell Edgeworth: don't be so careless again, because if Orion sees, then he'll press, he spots weakness better than any hunting hound, and he knows how to use it. And all the while he's thinking: why warn Edgeworth. What does it batter. Black business, that's Sirius' as well, and he turns to his father, finally.]
I'll answer your questions, Father. I saw all of it. And I've already gotten Edgeworth's word that he's not going to claim responsibility for what happened. The Ministry can have their victory.
[That's not exactly what they said, and it was never really agreed upon. But it doesn't matter. It's something, anyways.]
no subject
Date: 2013-11-13 11:45 pm (UTC)[Edgeworth starts to protest that, but then closes his mouth on it. Again, he'd known what he was going to say to the Ministry, to the Aurors alone, but the appearance of Orion Black has complicated things. He'd wanted to tell the truth; that had been what he'd decided; but if he tells the truth in full, there's no question that he'll get Sirius disowned. It's not his right.
Besides, what's the worst thing that might happen? That Orion Black ends up misinformed? No; any man who could transform Sirius' infuriatingly drawling accent into something so proper, so grammar-school, deserves to be kept in the dark.
And when Sirius speaks, all of Orion's attention focuses on him again. There's nothing of approval in his face. There's nothing of affection. Just cold regard.
Then speak. Tell me what happened.]
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Date: 2013-11-14 12:37 pm (UTC)He followed me to the party. I knew he was there when I was about halfway--I thought I could catch him in a trap, but I lost him in the crowd when I arrived. Voldemort was there, with Bellatrix, and her husband, and a few others--we spoke, and Edgeworth revealed himself then. He was going to duel Voldemort.
[His mouth tightens a little. He's not forgotten the ridiculousness of that suggestion, the mocking laughter.]
It was shameful. To Voldemort. [A bold statement, but honour is prized very highly.] It doesn't matter if he's muggle-born, dueling him was beneath Voldemort. He'd have brought shame on his name, except it's an invented name.
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Date: 2013-11-14 03:45 pm (UTC)It's also a version that twists in Edgeworth like a knife. Sirius doesn't think any of what he's saying. Miles knows that, and he knows that Sirius has a perfectly good reason for telling this lie. Yet at the same time, it hurts to hear it, hurts to hear him speaking so clipped and proper about muggle-borns (not mudblood, though; that's something). He wishes he would stop.
But Orion's expression is turning less cold - not by much, just a bit. He asks: And he won against him? A mudblood? I don't think that's likely.]
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Date: 2013-11-14 08:11 pm (UTC)He lifts his chin a little.]
He was set to lose. It was pathetic. [That goes both ways, pathetic on Voldemort's part and Edgeworth's as well--] And then he brought the ceiling down.
[Let it stand alone. He looks back at his father, evenly, and doesn't offer any feeling on that statement. Let it stand alone, and if his father reads it as cheating then he will say so, cast his judgement--if he thinks it at all clever, he'll call it a mudblood trick anyways.]
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Date: 2013-11-14 08:42 pm (UTC)He closes his eyes. If there is anything good to come of this whole affair - beyond Voldemort no longer leading his armies to slaughter innocents; he has to keep that in mind, has to remind himself of that, lest the charge of murder overwhelm him and cripple his conscience - it is that the two of them worked together. It ought to be a powerful symbol: the Muggle-born and the scion of the house Black, the mudblood and the pureblood, working together to put a stop to this tyranny. With the two of them together, it would be impossible to forge the easy narrative - of the pureblood turning on his leader out of jealousy and ambition, of the spiteful member of the underclass turning into a cowardly assassin. With them united, it's something less grotesque.
(Or maybe he just doesn't want to hear all of that from someone he's come to respect.)
Mudblood trickery, then, is Orion's assessment; he turns a contemptuous eye on Miles a moment later, lip curling. He looks so very much like his son, but with familiar features twisted in a way they ought not be, that it makes Edgeworth angry. Edgeworth looks down at his feet, jaw clenched, posture stiff.
Orion speaks to his son again.
And how did you survive?]
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Date: 2013-11-15 07:54 am (UTC)And he's reminded of that, now, under his father's scrutiny--not that he'd ever really forgotten. Sirius looks back at him, as steadily as he can.]
A Shield Charm. [The truth, finally.] I tried to intervene but wasn't able.
[And his father will not ask who it was that saved the muggles--because it was the muggle-born, that's obvious. It would never have been Sirius. He does not look over at Edgeworth but stares forward, resolute.]
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Date: 2013-11-15 03:48 pm (UTC)Perhaps. Edgeworth cannot shake the feeling that it's worse for him. That it would be better if his father did cut all ties - but that's not his place to think, never his place.
Sirius' father is quiet a moment as he studies him. A moment, and then he asks: And how is it that the mudblood was able to follow you?
That's...a bad question, indicates a bad train of thought; Edgeworth steps in with an answer.]
I took the letter of invitation from amongst his things. [Not a lie.] And I read it through.
[Which is a bit too quick. It sounds just a little bit like a defense.]
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Date: 2013-11-15 08:02 pm (UTC)Of course. It's low, and unimpressed, but with a touch of amusement. And that was easy, I suppose, to do. Because my son is careless, and lax with his possessions... --and here Sirius nearly flinches, at the cold disapproval that creeps into his father's tone--or maybe he only imagines it, because Orion finishes, silkily, Or because of your own particular brand of cunning? Tell me, how was it that you had access to his things? Is inspection of a Slytherin dormitory in a Gryffindor prefect's list of duties?]
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Date: 2013-11-15 08:39 pm (UTC)[That's stupid. That's a phenomenally stupid thing to say, he knows - God, it could not be more stupid. But it's an involuntary response, a quick and angry response - but he just cannot stand the way Sirius looks in that moment, the way he seems to have been dealt a blow, and it's that even more than the man's tone that makes Edgeworth speak up in his defense.
And - God, stupid. The last thing he needs is to reveal their alliance. The last thing he needs is to reveal his weakness - his strange affection for Sirius Black. It can only hurt them both, and yet it comes unbidden from his mouth.
He can't stop to brood over it. He has to move on, has to - distract him, somehow, from that idiotic thing - And so he talks, quickly, recklessly - (and how did Orion know he was a prefect - how much does the man know about him; he'd assumed he was a non-entity, that he'd only known his name because he'd been told it by the Aurors - ) ]
He had it on him. I stole it from him. And I will admit that freely, and am prepared to face the consequences for it.
oops pt 1
Date: 2013-11-22 06:39 am (UTC)But the second thing that twists in Sirius is something so absurdly close to gratefulness that he has to ignore it. Because acknowledging it would mean confronting it, and he can't afford-- that. Any part of that. His jaw sets, resolutely; his eyes narrow--
But Orion Black is still looking at Edgeworth, coolly, still with those raised eyebrows, patient to the last. There is no crime in stealing a bit of parchment, he says, eventually, with a note of something so close to amusement. Or are you asking for a consequence? Or a reward.
A bribe, more than a reward. But he doesn't say that. He only smiles, at Edgeworth, slowly.]
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Date: 2013-11-24 05:35 pm (UTC)[Orion's smile is met with a deep scowl, deepening as the man's smile broadens. Which is likewise stupid. Sirius had talked earlier, hadn't he, about how the Ministry would be a threat unless Miles simply accepted a reward. Edgeworth still isn't buying that, not completely, but there's no question who taught Sirius that principle. If he responded to Orion, yes, I'll take a reward, then the man will think he's done with, and no more trouble will come to him. If he thinks Edgeworth is a loose end - ]
I didn't do what I did from fear of consequence or desire of reward. All I care for is that justice is served, and if I see consequences for that, then so be it.
[And he adds, trying to cover up for his earlier defense of Sirius - ]
And it must be noted that you speaking like that to your son is a form of injustice in and of itself. I might not see eye-to-eye with him on many matters, but there is no question that he is an individual of singular courage and considerable magical skill.
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Date: 2013-11-25 12:37 pm (UTC)Orion's smile chills, more. Is that possible? It was chilly before, but now there is nothing in it that reaches his eyes. It is a smile that is dark, and a little dead, and Sirius looks away from his father, quickly, and he still holds his tongue, feeling like a child, feeling stupid and small and useless and weak, like nothing that Edgeworth said.
Justice, Orion comments, coolly. A cold reward. No, but you require no reward. A cheap man is not always a safe man, Miles Edgeworth. But I will not waste my breath on you.
And he turns away, dismissive of the room, even if he isn't done quite yet:
My son is of no concern to you. Icy politeness, even now. Orion Black could poison you and smile in your face. His involvement with you ends here.
And Sirius knows better than to protest. He knows better than to shrink back, the way he might have when he was a child, climbing the stairs to his room, as if that would solve anything, as if he could hide.]
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Date: 2013-11-25 02:36 pm (UTC)He and Sirius might not be friends now. They might never be. But that doesn't mean that Edgeworth doesn't need him. Sirius went through that with him. He saw all that as well. And the thought of bearing that alone, without Sirius beside him - without Sirius to talk it over with, with Sirius standing stiff-backed and proper and pretending like his father wanted that it never happened -
How utterly devastating is that thought. How terrible the notion that he might not see Sirius again. He might not be his friend, but he's something deeper by far. He's the boy who saved his life. He's the boy who saved those muggles. He's the boy Miles knows better than any other.
And so there's something miserable and terrified bubbling up in Edgeworth's chest when he asks:]
What, is he to be pulled out of Hogwarts, then? Because I'll have to be involved with him as a Prefect if he's still in school.
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Date: 2013-11-25 08:27 pm (UTC)Stop. The word is there. He bites it back.
Orion's face is a cool mask. Not a hair out of place, not an extra blink of his eye. He glances back at Edgeworth, a glance that he clearly intends to be his last.
You will not be. The words are slow and measured and cannot be misinterpreted. This is a threat, but it is so much more, too. You will keep yourself removed, prefect or no. And I will see to it that it happens this way. It is in your best interest. I will not risk corruption, and I do not greet the threat of it lightly. Whatever your interest in my son-- and that word is so loaded Sirius feels the instinct to flinch, again, as if Orion could know, somehow, that he helped Edgeworth, that he has more of a stake in this than he can say-- I suggest you forget it. And we will forget you. You do not want to be remembered by me, Miles Edgeworth.
And Orion looks to Sirius, then, expectantly. But what he expects, Sirius can't say, doesn't know--is he meant to agree with his father, to join him, to sneer at Edgeworth, say something cutting--he feels clumsy and stupid, suddenly, like a child, and he looks at Edgeworth with an expression he knows ought to be sharper. At best he can manage dispassionate.]
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Date: 2013-11-25 09:19 pm (UTC)[I think the Sorting Hat made a mistake, Edgeworth had been saying just some few minutes before, but in this moment there's no doubt just how Gryffindor he is. His arms are crossed, his mouth twisted into a scowl, his stance aggressive; his chin is lifted, and his voice is strident. His eyes are fixed right on Orion's face, ready to meet his gaze with a glare if the man turns to look at him.
It's more fear than anger. Because Edgeworth knows how much damage Orion can do - not to him, because there's really never been much for Edgeworth to lose, even now, but to Sirius. But he'd caught just a flash of that expression on Sirius' face, and he's not -
He's not going to let that go. He's not going to let go of that strange, grateful look. He's not going to let Sirius just be taken away from him.]
Because a prefect does what the Headmaster directs him to, not what you do. And the Head of his House. Are you the head of Gryffindor, Lord Black? Because if not, then I don't think you have any say in whom I do or do not associate with.
And it's remarkable that you think to speak of corruption -
[He goes on recklessly, heedlessly, before the man can interrupt.]
Given that there's rather more of it coming from you than from me. Unless you're going to claim that you legitimately have a right to interrogate suspects before the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?
[And at that, he directs his glare at the Aurors. One looks a bit shamefaced; the other, older, doesn't even react.]
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Date: 2013-11-25 10:59 pm (UTC)Stop, Sirius thinks, again, quite directly, because he can't say it aloud, because he looks away from Edgeworth lest his expression betray him again.
Are you leveling an accusation, Orion asks, after a moment, after letting silence fall in this little room, or are you speaking only with a Gryffindor's usual-- careless short temper.
His tone suggests: an accusation would be unwise. But Edgeworth doesn't care right now, does he. He hardly seems to care about anything. It can't be for Sirius' sake alone, of course; he's driven by far more than that.
I hold a seat on the Board of Governors for Hogwarts School, Orion Black goes on to say, smoothly, a seat that has been held by a member of my family for longer than you can know. I have no right to direct you. But I can suggest. Because I can suggest just as easily to others, and we can discuss corruption then. How funny, that you would use it against me, because it works against your favor. But you did not hesitate to use underhanded tactics to achieve your end, by your own admission. Perhaps you are not so better than us.
Rather less. Orion's lip finally curls, a little, as if the mere suggestion of similarity is enough to turn his stomach.
Goodbye, Miles Edgeworth. I will not be speaking to you again.
And he turns to go.]
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Date: 2013-11-26 12:34 am (UTC)You can suggest. A charming turn of phrase, and one I might actually have given some credence, had I heard it yesterday.
[He doesn't take a step forward. He wants to badly, but he doesn't grab for the man's arm. He has very little doubt, given Sirius' own quickness to cast a curse, that his father is any slower with his wand; given Sirius' skill, it's also likely that Orion's would be strong enough to knock Edgeworth from his feet. And those Aurors wouldn't speak, and God knows Sirius wouldn't. So he gives no pretext; he simply stands, stiff and proud, and declares:]
But yesterday, I was simply a mudblood. Today I'm the mudblood who killed Lord Voldemort. I suspect that it will be a little more difficult to simply suggest things regarding me.
[It is his Gryffindor's careless short temper, yes. And it's his Gryffindor's righteous anger over ill treatment. And it's his own knowledge of Sirius, and what Sirius ought to have, what he deserves; they drive him to foolish action indeed.
Because Orion's contempt for him has fueled resolve to do what he shrank away from before: he's decided to take credit after all. Let him suffer an Order of Merlin or whatever else they might throw at him; it's worth it, to stand up and show Sirius that his father can't bully everyone.]
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Date: 2013-11-26 09:57 am (UTC)And Sirius ought to fall in step behind him, follow him out. He's in enough shit as it is, isn't he. Stupid to risk any more, to even open his mouth.
But there is something in Edgeworth's speech--foolhardy, stupid, it is both of those things, and it is also courageous, in its way. Because Orion Black could destroy him in a great many ways, small and large--he's so much more than Edgeworth. And yet Edgeworth is still spitting in his face, with this, and perhaps that means-- well, something. Something besides stupidity.
It's why Sirius lingers, a moment, even if he's going to catch hell for this. His eyes flick over Edgeworth's face, quickly.]
Then you'll take their reward.
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Date: 2013-11-26 01:40 pm (UTC)So when Sirius speaks to him, his manner gentles and loses its stridency. There is no outward expression of affection, naturally, but his respect for Sirius and his question is both clear and pointed. The point of it is to send a message to that stiff back: Look; your son deserves and gets far more respect than you do.]
I've no love for lies. You know that. Better this idiocy than deceiving the whole of the wizarding world.
[Orion ignores all of that. He speaks a single word of warning: Sirius.]
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Date: 2013-11-26 03:38 pm (UTC)[He should get some guarantee out of Edgeworth, level some threat, to ensure that he will be left out of it. If he's going to tell the truth and get their rewards--all for the sake of getting one over Orion Black (and that's such a strange thought that Sirius can't even process it right now, can't make sense of the weird pitch in his stomach--something so like respect, for Edgeworth, for daring this at all)--but Sirius must be left out because of his family, and his name, and his ties to everything that Edgeworth has just destroyed.
He should say something more. But he doesn't. And there's some part of him that hates how he turns to follow his father, at the sound of his name, like a dog being told to heel. He glances back at Edgeworth, once more, a lingering look that he risks even though his father could turn to him at any moment and catch him. For one mad second, Sirius wishes he would. He wishes he could stay, right now, and not go back to Grimmauld Place. He doesn't know where he would go instead. He doesn't know where this urge comes from, or what it means; it's briefly overpowering and then it fades, or else he makes it to fade.]
Fine. It's-- your life.
[Mudblood, something, he should tack on some viciousness. But he doesn't. Instead, he nods at Edgeworth, once, curtly. That's all he can manage. The world is going to be chaotic and he is going to catch some sort of hell for his involvement in this, and he will lie and maybe get out of it, most of it, and even if his father suspects something more he will not say. And the thing that ties him to Edgeworth--his reluctant bond with him--it's changed, and he can't work out why. Or more, he doesn't want to work out why.]
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Date: 2013-11-26 11:58 pm (UTC)Edgeworth had predicted Azkaban for what he'd done that night. Sirius had predicted the Order of Merlin. Sirius was closer to being right than Edgeworth was; after the Blacks disappear from the Ministry, the first rounds of questioning begin and get progressively friendlier. There are hints that perhaps an Auror assisted, but they're let to drop when Edgeworth doesn't respond to them - and there's not even any hostility as soon as Edgeworth makes it clear that he'll cooperate fully with the Ministry. Someone evidently digs up some records about Edgeworth halfway through the night, and there are a few quick questions about his dad which he answers stiffly; when the officials get their answers, they look downright pleased, and fetch him a cup of tea and arrange for a room for him to sleep in as long as possible.
Edgeworth puzzles over that a while; he realizes as he's drifting off to sleep that of course they'd like it. It's a very politically pleasing story.
He sleeps only a few hours, and restlessly. He dreams of Voldemort. But in the morning, it's confirmed to him that the man seems truly to be dead; nothing of his remains were found save a dark rough ash where he would have been, but across the world his followers are turning themselves in or fleeing.
Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy survived the collapse. Edgeworth takes comfort in that. The others did not, and that weighs heavily on him.
He's two days in questioning and debriefing before they let him go. They want to keep him in custody, but it seems that Dumbledore intervenes on his behalf - points out that it'll be a Tuesday, he's already missed a day of school; one of the Aurors relates that to Miles with an incredulous laugh. Dumbledore meets with him as soon as he's back at Hogwarts; he doesn't comment on the incident, but simply tells him that he can take a few days to recuperate before starting classes again.
How surreal it is, to have killed Voldemort and then found himself back at school. The Gryffindor common room will of course be full of people; his first destination, when he wanders out of the Headmaster's office, is an obvious one. He goes to the library.]
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Date: 2013-11-27 09:05 am (UTC)After the Ministry, he had gone back to Grimmauld Place, with his father, and they'd gotten the good news of Bellatrix and Malfoy. His mother had been crying. That in of itself was a rare event. The tears were hardly over worry for Sirius. She cried when she got the good news, too, in the parlor with the family tree on the walls. That was where they gathered, as if there was some strength to get from the branches. Sirius felt only a weight, sitting in there. Like everyone was watching.
Before the news of Bellatrix, they were all asking him questions. And his father had been watching him, was watching him all weekend long, as if he knew. Maybe he did know. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility. On Sunday they all went to St Mungo's to see Bellatrix. Sirius stayed outside of the room. No one asked why. And then, afterwards, his father took him by the arm and they Apparated to Hogsmeade-- and then they ride up to Hogwarts in a carriage together. Sirius supposes that this is a show of power and opulence. Even without Voldemort, the Black family remains important, a cornerstone of pureblood society.
It all feels so hollow, though.
On Monday, he does not go to any of his classes. On Tuesday, he skips them as well. He does not sleep in the dormitory. He finds a tower and sleeps there, and Filch doesn't come across him, so he sleeps there again on Monday night. Regulus is looking for him, but he avoids everyone.
On Tuesday afternoon, there's a class in the next tower over, so Sirius beats a retreat, lest he be discovered. He slinks through the empty corridors. Behind the doors, classes go on--he can hear the murmur of voices, lessons being taught, lectures and practicals--but all of it feels removed from him, as if he's a ghost, haunting the halls.
Somehow, he ends up in the library. It isn't deliberate, but it's as good a place to hide out as any, and as he's ducking between the stacks, he sees him. Miles Edgeworth. Something in his chest twists, suddenly, as violent a movement as if there were something in his chest, and he stops, and stares, and does not approach him. Not yet. Maybe he won't at all.]
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Date: 2013-11-27 12:06 pm (UTC)He wishes so much that Sirius were still on his side. He wishes so much that the other boy could take the blame, or the praise, and that Miles himself could just quietly go on in the background and maybe leverage all this to become an Auror after all. He'd like to, still, especially with his knowledge that there are still so many Dark wizards out there; Voldemort wasn't the first, won't be the last -
He happens to look up and catch a glimpse of someone, concealed by the books, watching him. He thinks to himself that he ought to put a stop to this from the very start - head it off at the pass, as it were - and so he stands at once, and says, every bit the Prefect once more (if he even is one, he didn't ask Dumbledore whether he even has the right to that title any longer) - ]
You should be at lessons; it's midday, and -
[But by then he's moved forward enough to get a good glimpse of just who it is. He stops.]
Black?
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Date: 2013-11-27 02:34 pm (UTC)No, he could. And he nearly does. He doesn't owe him anything, right? They're not anything to one another. Except that's a lie.
And what's he going to do, anyways? Run away from him? He's not some bloody coward, and Edgeworth isn't some threat. He's not anything.
So Sirius stays where he is, his chin raised a little, stubbornly.]
They let you come back.
[The same could be said of him, of course. But he levels the observation at Edgeworth before Edgeworth can say it to him.]
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