An Uncomfortable Alliance
"It's good to see you again, Sirius."
Albus Dumbledore's voice broke the peaceful silence inside the Headmaster's office.
"It seems you've found yourself a new job," he added.
Sirius, sitting across from the massive desk, let out a small smile that was equal parts happiness and nostalgia. The office was exactly as he remembered it, from those days when Professor McGonagall used to send him there after getting into trouble.
"Yeah. I was starting to get tired of spending more time at home listening to Kreacher grumble all day. I can't say the pay is great, but it's an interesting job. It lets me stay close to Harry and see things I never noticed before," Sirius said casually, not bothering much with formalities in front of Hogwarts' old Headmaster.
A soft chuckle escaped the elderly wizard, who didn't seem to mind in the slightest.
"And what sort of things might those be? I must admit I'm quite interested," Dumbledore said, a faint glimmer visible behind his half-moon glasses and in his blue eyes.
"I don't think this is the time for that," interrupted the second man seated beside Sirius.
Mark wore a serious expression as he studied the office and the portraits of the former Headmasters. Every single one of them pretended to be asleep, though it was obvious they were watching the two visitors.
"We came here for a specific reason," he added before shooting Sirius an annoyed look for making him come here with him in the first place.
"Oh, my apologies. Mark, was it? I don't recall you ever being a student at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, looking at the handsome man, who seemed strangely out of place in the room. And yet, for some reason, he felt oddly familiar.
"I wasn't a student here. Or at any magical school, for that matter. But that's not important. We didn't come here to socialize or reminisce about the past," Mark said again, making a slight gesture toward Sirius, urging him to get to the point.
Sirius shot him a look of disdain before clearing his throat.
Dumbledore watched the two of them with interest. That brief exchange was enough for him to realize they didn't exactly get along, though he made no comment and simply waited for them to continue.
"Well, Headmaster, I suppose you already know why we're here," Sirius said respectfully.
Dumbledore nodded slowly.
"The Chamber of Secrets... and the students from non-magical families," the Headmaster said calmly.
Mark raised an eyebrow. That friendly-looking old man was clearly no fool.
"We're here on behalf of the Knights."
Mark opened the folder he had brought with him.
"The non-magical families who are part of the Custody Agreement have formally requested our intervention."
"The Custody Agreement was signed between non-magical parents and the Pendragon Knights," Mark explained as he handed over the document. "As long as their children are still minors, still maintain ties to the non-magical world, and have not fully integrated into the magical one, they remain under our protection. Their families have no way to deal with many of the dangers this world can bring."
Dumbledore's eyes slowly traveled down the list.
He recognized the vast majority of those names.
They were almost the exact same students he had seen Harry gathering the previous year.
At the time, it had struck him as rather odd.
Now...
It made much more sense.
Dumbledore set the folder down on the desk and remained silent for a few moments.
"I see."
"I must admit... I wasn't aware such an agreement existed."
Mark nodded calmly.
"That's only natural. It was signed just a few months ago. Although your Ministry didn't seem particularly pleased about it," Mark added with a hint of amusement.
Sirius quickly stepped in before the Headmaster could take what sounded like an intrusion into Hogwarts as an insult.
"It came after everything that happened last year," he explained.
Dumbledore immediately understood what he meant.
It was only natural that many Muggle parents had lost some of their trust in a world they barely understood.
"And what exactly do you expect from Hogwarts?" the Headmaster finally asked calmly.
Sirius and Mark let out quiet sighs after realizing the old Headmaster wasn't completely opposed to the idea. Things would have been far more complicated if he had rejected the agreement outright. Especially with old Vincent having far too much free time lately.
Mark spoke.
"Cooperation. We're not here to replace your investigation because, obviously, we know far less about your own castle than you do. That's exactly why they sent this guy," he said, pointing at Sirius.
"I see..."
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately.
He looked back down at the document, lingering in particular on the clauses that allowed the Knights to intervene inside magical institutions.
"How many people are you planning to bring into the castle?" he finally asked.
"For now, just the two of us," Mark replied. "We don't want to fill Hogwarts with strangers or get in the way of your own investigation."
"And do you intend to question students?"
"Only if it's necessary, and only with the Headmaster's approval," Sirius answered this time. "We didn't come here to scare children or act like Ministry Aurors."
Dumbledore briefly raised his eyes to him.
"And any information you uncover?"
"It'll be shared with you," Sirius assured him. "As long as Hogwarts does the same with us."
The office fell silent for several seconds.
It wasn't an unreasonable request.
But it was no small matter to allow an outside organization to investigate freely inside Hogwarts.
"Ordinarily, it would be quite unusual to allow outsiders into the castle, but... at the moment, I can't exactly say we have more than enough hands. You could call this a rather special situation. Besides, perhaps this will be an opportunity to work alongside the Knights. If it's for the safety of the students, whether they're born into the magical world or not, you'll have all the cooperation Hogwarts can offer," the Headmaster said at last with a small smile.
That was the final approval they'd come for.
"Although, as for moving around the castle..." Dumbledore interrupted himself suddenly, "...I'd prefer one of our professors accompany you."
Both Sirius and Mark looked puzzled.
Just then, there was a knock at the office door.
"Come in," Dumbledore said with a small smile.
The two of them turned to look at the newcomer.
The moment Sirius saw him, he frowned with a look of utter disdain—an expression even worse than the one he usually reserved for Mark.
Mark didn't know the newcomer, but the strong scent of herbs, roots, and potion ingredients clinging to his robes was enough for him to assume he must be the Potions professor.
Dressed in black robes that resembled the wings of a great bat, with greasy hair and a face that filled with contempt the instant he spotted Sirius, he looked as though he were one second away from throwing a curse at him.
The newcomer was none other than Professor Severus Snape.
"You sent for me, Headmaster?" Snape asked without taking his eyes off Sirius, perhaps expecting Dumbledore to order him to throw the intruders out or something along those lines.
"Excellent timing, Severus. I'd like to introduce you to our guests," the Headmaster said with a gentle smile. "It seems the three of you will be spending quite a bit of time together."
Snape's gaze slowly shifted from Mark to Sirius.
It stopped on the latter.
"Close to me?" he repeated in a calm voice that did absolutely nothing to hide his displeasure.
Sirius leaned back a little farther in his chair and gave him a smile completely devoid of warmth.
"Relax, Snivellus. I'm not exactly thrilled either."
Snape's expression hardened instantly.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, kept that same faint smile.
Mark watched the Potions professor with interest.
Apparently, he wasn't the only one who found Sirius Black completely unbearable.