You get the letter at the onset of December, with plenty of time to pen a reply. How you're going to reply is another matter entirely.
You sigh at the note one last time and then pass it to Sirius. "What's this?" he asks, taking it from your hand without waiting for your answer.
"A letter from Hogwarts," you say. "Specifically, from Hades Solus."
"Harry wrote and told me some about him," Sirius says. "Either he's a damn good plant - much better than Snape - or we've been misjudging him this whole time. He seems to thrive on countering the Ministry's edicts at every opportunity. Harry reckons he's Hermione's favorite teacher."
"It's the second time he's written me," you confess. "But the first time was just about teaching; he wanted to know if there were any particular concerns I had about any of the students - any that I thought might need special help for his class."
You don't say that it's the most anyone has acknowledged that you ever were a teacher since the summer immediately after you left Hogwarts for presumably the last time. Alastor Moody took you out to lunch to get your notes, but of course, it had wound up being that it wasn't Moody who was teaching, so that was all for naught.
"And this time?" Sirius asks.
"Just read the letter," you reply.
Sirius frowns, but unfolds it and does so. You can follow the journey down the page on his face, the same way yours must have when you read the words. I have concerns that Harry Potter is being abused, and I would like to speak to you personally; are you available the afternoon of the 29th? and - Sirius' expression is most telling when he reaches this part, because his expression shifts from concern to 'are you fucking kidding me' instantly - PS. You can bring that dog of yours if you want.
Sirius stares at the letter for a long time when he's done reading. You can only mostly guess what's going through his head - what must be going through his head, sitting locked in this house of all houses. Your parents loved you and did the best by you that they could; for Sirius, the matter of abuse, even the potential for it, is much closer to home and much more serious.
He says, "It could be a trap," but it's clear his heart isn't in it.
You say, "If he knows about Padfoot - hell, even if it's just that he knows we're in contact, he could have raised hell if he wanted to. He's a solicitor first, though I doubt he's keeping up any kind of caseload with teaching." It took all your energy to keep up with the students and you weren't doing anything else on the side, aside from the furry matter you didn't have a choice in.
"Right," Sirius says. He gives the letter one more look, folds it up, and hands it back to you. "I assume you're going?"
"Of course," you say. Anything for Harry.
"Then I'm sure as hell not letting you go alone," Sirius says, and that's that.
no subject
You sigh at the note one last time and then pass it to Sirius. "What's this?" he asks, taking it from your hand without waiting for your answer.
"A letter from Hogwarts," you say. "Specifically, from Hades Solus."
"Harry wrote and told me some about him," Sirius says. "Either he's a damn good plant - much better than Snape - or we've been misjudging him this whole time. He seems to thrive on countering the Ministry's edicts at every opportunity. Harry reckons he's Hermione's favorite teacher."
"It's the second time he's written me," you confess. "But the first time was just about teaching; he wanted to know if there were any particular concerns I had about any of the students - any that I thought might need special help for his class."
You don't say that it's the most anyone has acknowledged that you ever were a teacher since the summer immediately after you left Hogwarts for presumably the last time. Alastor Moody took you out to lunch to get your notes, but of course, it had wound up being that it wasn't Moody who was teaching, so that was all for naught.
"And this time?" Sirius asks.
"Just read the letter," you reply.
Sirius frowns, but unfolds it and does so. You can follow the journey down the page on his face, the same way yours must have when you read the words. I have concerns that Harry Potter is being abused, and I would like to speak to you personally; are you available the afternoon of the 29th? and - Sirius' expression is most telling when he reaches this part, because his expression shifts from concern to 'are you fucking kidding me' instantly - PS. You can bring that dog of yours if you want.
Sirius stares at the letter for a long time when he's done reading. You can only mostly guess what's going through his head - what must be going through his head, sitting locked in this house of all houses. Your parents loved you and did the best by you that they could; for Sirius, the matter of abuse, even the potential for it, is much closer to home and much more serious.
He says, "It could be a trap," but it's clear his heart isn't in it.
You say, "If he knows about Padfoot - hell, even if it's just that he knows we're in contact, he could have raised hell if he wanted to. He's a solicitor first, though I doubt he's keeping up any kind of caseload with teaching." It took all your energy to keep up with the students and you weren't doing anything else on the side, aside from the furry matter you didn't have a choice in.
"Right," Sirius says. He gives the letter one more look, folds it up, and hands it back to you. "I assume you're going?"
"Of course," you say. Anything for Harry.
"Then I'm sure as hell not letting you go alone," Sirius says, and that's that.