"If you want, I can also act like a normal kid," Victor said. "Though I should warn you, it'll probably make your skin crawl."
Sirius immediately became suspicious. The way Victor said it made it sound less like a warning and more like a threat.
Then Victor's entire demeanor shifted.
A bright, innocent smile appeared on his face while his eyes widened slightly. The change was disturbingly natural. In an instant, he looked exactly like a polite, harmless child.
"Pretty please, Uncle Sirius," he said sweetly. "Can you help me deal with the bad people who are going to try and murder my dear friend Harry?"
Sirius physically recoiled.
It was wrong.
Everything about the expression fit Victor perfectly, which somehow made it far worse.
"You can stop that immediately," Sirius said. "I preferred the cold look."
Victor's smile disappeared at once.
"Yeah," he replied. "That's exactly what I was trying to tell you."
Sirius dragged a hand across his face. For a moment he wondered if Azkaban had damaged his judgment. After another look at Victor, he decided the problem wasn't him.
The forest settled into silence. Harry remained asleep nearby while the wind moved softly through the branches overhead.
Eventually Sirius spoke again.
"So you actually want to kill people?"
Victor didn't answer immediately. His gaze drifted into the darkness beyond the clearing before he finally spoke.
"I want Harry alive."
Sirius frowned.
"That isn't what I asked for."
"I know."
Victor leaned back against the tree root.
"The people who followed Voldemort already showed everyone what they're willing to do. They murdered families, tortured people, and dragged the wizarding world into a war. If they decide to do it again, I'm not going to waste sympathy on them."
"You sound like you've already decided who deserves to live and who deserves to die," Sirius said quietly.
Victor glanced toward him.
"No. I've decided that if somebody points a wand at me intending to kill me, I'm not going to stand there discussing philosophy."
His tone never changed.
"More importantly, I've already given Voldemort reasons to remember me. If he comes back, I don't expect him to overlook that."
Sirius stared at him.
"You're thirteen. Voldemort was defeated before you could even talk. What exactly could you have done to get his attention?"
Victor seemed to think about it.
"When I was eleven, he tried to use the Philosopher's Stone to get himself a body back."
Sirius blinked.
Victor continued.
"I got involved, annoyed him, and the whole thing collapsed."
For several seconds Sirius simply looked at him.
"That's your explanation?"
"It seems accurate."
"You're telling me that at eleven years old, you somehow got mixed up in Voldemort's attempt to return and managed to ruin it?"
Victor shrugged.
"More or less."
Sirius narrowed his eyes.
The irritating part was that the boy didn't sound like he was boasting. He sounded like somebody describing an inconvenient event from two years ago.
That made it significantly harder to dismiss.
"Of course, even if you don't agree, I've already made plans for the future," Victor said, spreading his hands. "I'm only asking because I'm still a kid."
Sirius almost laughed at that.
A kid?
When Sirius had been thirteen, he had spent most of his time causing trouble with James and avoiding homework. The boy sitting across from him was calmly discussing long-term plans involving Voldemort, political maneuvering, and future wars.
What bothered him even more was certainty.
Most people believed Voldemort was gone forever.
Victor spoke as though his return was as inevitable as sunrise.
Sirius wasn't sure whether to be impressed or concerned.
"And don't ask what's in it for you," Victor continued. "You get to help Harry. That's all I've got."
For a moment Sirius simply stared at him.
Then Victor added, "If you do help, I'll make sure you get out of this. I'll prove you're innocent and make sure you're a free man again."
That finally caught Sirius off guard.
"You know," he said after a moment, "you and your father are nothing alike."
Victor snorted.
"Yeah. I have no intention of following some bald, noseless lunatic."
For a second Sirius just blinked.
Then a laugh escaped him.
It started small but quickly grew stronger, and before he knew it he was genuinely laughing for the first time in years.
Victor looked mildly pleased with himself.
Eventually Sirius shook his head and pushed himself to his feet.
The movement was still awkward thanks to the Dementors, but he managed it.
"If you're right about Voldemort, I'll help. But we're doing this my way."
Victor nodded as though that answer had been expected from the beginning.
"Well then, let's hope we have a productive cooperation," Victor said. "So, do you want to meet Snape, or would you rather leave?"
Before Sirius could answer, Victor bent down and lifted Harry, supporting him by the shoulder.
"You should keep a low profile for now," he continued. "Until we can force the Ministry to acknowledge the truth or prove your innocence, staying out of sight is the smarter option."
Victor adjusted Harry's weight and turned away.
"Don't get caught," he said. "It would make everything unnecessarily complicated."
With that, he started walking through the trees, guiding the still-unconscious Harry through the darkness of the forest while Sirius remained standing in the clearing, watching them disappear between the shadows.
*****
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