— For your information, Lady, we all know that Severus Snape was a master of mentalism, as was his teacher, Albus Dumbledore. — Sirius just grinned at these words, — No, what nonsense is this? If the Headmaster were a Master of Mentalism, he would be wearing a wizard's ring. — Besides, I'm sure the Ministry has its own professionals, carefully hidden away. Especially since I have the testimony of the wizard doctors who examined Mr. Black in Azkaban. — No, what nonsense is that? No one ever examined him. Sirius grinned again.
— Well, it's standard procedure. — Bellatrix nodded, making Sirius look confused. — I remember those few visits, they were so expectant, hoping for our imminent demise... — the woman smiled slightly dreamily. Sirius ignored the wave of goosebumps on his own back, trying to figure out why he was being fooled by such obvious stupidity.
— Well, the specialists had found traces of interference in Sirius' mind, and the last check, just a week before his escape, showed that someone very skilled and experienced had thoroughly 'wiped' his memory; he didn't even seem to remember being visited by doctors. — Bellatrix and Sora looked at a confused Black, who shook his head negatively, not quite sure why he was confirming the Japanese man's words.
— There, you see? Unfortunately, the Medical Council didn't have the high-caliber experts to determine more precisely the 'handwriting' of the wizard who had dug into Sirius' head, and it was useless to do so now. But I suspect that the Ministry's experts were involved in the intervention: they wanted to confuse the mind of a potentially dangerous and troubled prisoner, as well as create traces of interference in his memory, so that any evidence he gave, whether under oath or potions, would be of no value to the court, i.e. he could not be exonerated. Without that interference, getting Sirius out of Azkaban and demanding astronomical compensation would be a simple matter, and so... — The Japanese spread his hands.
— Yes, the Mudbloods who got their hands on power were always willing to do anything for a handful of gold coins. How could they know what honor and pride were, with roots like that? — the woman sighed and shook her head.
— You know, Bella, I could argue with you about that, — the Japanese man said unexpectedly to Sirius, not at all what the man had intended. — But later. Right now we need to get down to business.
— I agree. What do you suggest?
— As I said, there could be problems with the Obilivator, and on the other hand, we can't just take Sirius' word for it. — Such certainty from both people offended the man greatly, and he couldn't even understand why. — There's always the option of 'radical' solutions to people's problems, so to speak. — and those words made Black's hair stand on end again, and everything inside went cold.
— But I don't want to make any unnecessary sacrifices, so I suggest we do something else: Crouch Sr. owes me a favor, and I have a good relationship with Amelia Bones. I think if we can find Barty the right job, and offer Madame Bones something interesting, Sirius will be vindicated, if not completely exonerated, then at least with a serious impact on the situation. If we take the case seriously, there is enough material in this case to deal a tangible blow to the present government, to cause a resonance in the masses, and under this noise to deal with the final release of his release. — Sirius was interested in being acquitted and officially free, but the methods chosen did not suit him, to say the least. — Let them talk about him, let them argue and fight, let Sirius Black, the 'last' Black, draw as much attention to himself as possible while we work...
— Why should I help you Death Eaters with your business? — The man snarled, feeling the skin of his neck tighten slightly, but it didn't stop him from breathing or talking. — You think I'll let you continue the work of the Unnamed One? I would rather die than help you! — With fire in his eyes and a steady confidence in his heart, the man looked defiantly into the eyes of the conspirators. They stared at him in silence for a while, and it pleased Sirius that he was right! — What, nothing to say, eh?
— Amazing! — The Japanese said with a strange expression, not taking his eyes off the man and his grin. — Just an amazing example that completely disproves your Lady Black's 'pureblood' theory, or rather the local version of it. — Bellatrix turned to the Japanese man, a look of interest on her face.
— You, British, have taken not even the idea, but the very essence of the knowledge of how to preserve magical blood, how to keep it from dissolving into bonds with Muggles, and you have taken it to the extreme. The result is before you: Sirius not only abandoned his family and his lineage, but instead of personally changing what he thought was wrong and dangerous by taking responsibility, he simply ran away. And now, even within the walls of his ancestral home, where everything is literally imbued with the magic of the Black Altar, he can barely feel the magic, and even tries to deny it, because it's all "archaisms" or just "dangerous prejudices. What do you say, Mr. Black, do you really dislike the feeling of the magic of your kind? And don't deny it, I know you feel it.
— What difference does it make? — the man snapped. — It has nothing to do with... — Sirius wasn't allowed to finish.
— Yes, it does. — The Japanese interrupted him sternly. — It has everything to do with it. You, Sirius, are completely ignoring what we've been talking about here, and you've got your own ideas in your head, refusing to consider that the whole world doesn't revolve around the confrontation between the Unnamed One and Dumbledore and his Order. Right now, for the three of us, all that is secondary to the fate of your family, Mr. Black. And you, strange as it may seem, are a direct threat to their salvation from ultimate destruction. I can't allow that.
— And what, you're going to kill me? — The man grinned defiantly, pushing fear away, wanting only to meet his end proud and unbroken.
— Obviously you have a problem with your perception of reality, or your memory is as short as a chicken's, because I've already spoken about this. — Sirius growled at the words. — But I'll say it again, because it's necessary. Despite all your disadvantages, you have the blood of the Black family in your veins, which I intend to restore, which means I cannot throw away any carrier of that blood, including you. Do you understand? On the other hand, the Black Family now has its own Lady, since there was no Chapter, and she will decide how to use you as part of the family.
— You seemed almost normal to me, boy... — the man grinned bitterly, meeting Bellatrix's ironic grin.
— Yeah, Gryffindor's no good... — the woman stretched out almost mockingly, meeting the flash of fierce fire in Sirius's blue eyes.
— Okay, this has gone on long enough. — Hoshino was literally a moment ahead of the man. — Bellatrix, have you decided what you're going to do about Sirius?
— Do you have any suggestions? — The woman replied.
— I have an idea, but first answer one question: The Black family had a patron, didn't they? — The woman nodded silently, waiting for him to continue. — In that case it's easy. — The boy shrugged. — You and Sirius will go down to the Ritual Hall, perform a ritual to invoke the family's patron saint, and he will decide what to do with your cousin. Given the situation the clan is in, no one will kill him, but you can expect an original solution — spiritual beings think in different categories, and their logic is hard to understand.